Page 2 of Possessive Bodyguard Summer

From the burning phone I bought when I crossed the state line, I was able to access the motel’s shitty wifi and immediately began looking for a job. The further away from the life I was leaving behind, the better—as long as I didn’t need a passport.

I guess the universe was on my side because the administrative position at Sunbreak Security was one of the very first ones that popped up.

I didn’t know much about the company other than the fact that they handled private security, executive protection, search and rescue, and disaster response. And they were hiring an administrative coordinator. The listing said the position came with decent health insurance—something I'd found myself desperately needing with this pregnancy—and temporary housing for anyone who needed to relocate to take the job.

If I could handle running the front office operations at Kael’s motorcycle shop, I could certainly take care of whatever Sunbreak Security threw my way. At least that was what I told myself when I’d applied. The rest, I’d decided to leave up to fate.

Less than twenty-four hours later, Rafi Haddad had called me to set up an interview.

And now here I was.

As I rounded a curve, the lighthouse came into full view.

White with a red-striped roof that stretched toward the sky, it overlooked the harbor from a rocky point, the windows of its lantern room gleaming in the afternoon sun. A modern glass addition wrapped discreetly around the old structure, blendinghistory with clean, contemporary lines. Behind it sat a renovated boathouse with several black SUVs parked outside, each bearing the same logo I’d seen on the company's website.

I parked several spaces away and rolled up the windows before shutting off the engine.

My breath came in ragged bursts and my hands shook.

I’d done things far scarier than this before, so why was I freaking out now?

Because if you don’t get this job, you have no backup plan,I reminded myself.

Not landing the job was not an option.

I highly doubted a place like SBS would waste time with an interview if they were not truly interested.

All I needed to do was answer a few questions with responses as close to the truth as possible.

I could handle that. I’d been selling half-truths most of my adult life, that was nothing new.

I took another deep breath and forced myself out of the car. My bones and muscles creaked, protesting the long drive. Several days in a cramped car was no easy feat, no matter how many rest stops I visited along the way.

I stretched my back, then leaned into my car for my purse. I pulled out a brush, quickly running it through my hair. I’d already changed into the only professional attire I owned at the last gas station I stopped at. The black pants and white dress shirt felt out of place in the middle of this beach town, but it would have to do.

I checked my reflection in the glass one final time and forced a smile on my face before shutting the car door and heading toward my future.

CHAPTER

TWO

CLAY

"Kaleigh, put your shoes on, please."

I spread peanut butter across two slices of bread while the unmistakable slap of bare feet echoed through the house as she did laps around the living room.

"Daddy! I'm hungry!" she squealed as she climbed up onto the stool at the kitchen island. A smear of strawberry jam decorated one of her cheeks, and she'd somehow managed to get glitter in her curls—all before eight o'clock in the morning.

I’d stopped asking a long time ago how she managed to get into the things she did.

Maverick sat beside her like the disciplined soldier he was, his ears forward, eyes tracking every movement. Retirement hadn't dulled his instincts. If anything, it had just made him more interested in breakfast.

Kaleigh grabbed a piece of toast and took a bite, leaving a trail of crumbs across the countertop.

"If you drop one more piece," I warned, pointing the butter knife toward Mav, "he's going to think it's his."

"I know." She grinned. "He's hungry too."