Page 26 of Daddy's Bodyguard

“I don’t doshitfor a pat on the back.” After that, she dives into Spanish. She insults me with every word that flicks off her tongue, calling me small, pathetic, a lying bastard who wouldn’t recognize the taste of the truth, no better than her pig of a father.

Still, I don’t let her go. She pushes against my chest, hits my shoulder and fights me while I hold her in place until she’s left panting. Her face is red, eyes nearly spilling over with tears, passion vibrating from her.

Something else is between us. Other than every punch she wants to throw, other than the actual air between us. There’s tension, so thick and hot, it’s like summer in Louisiana. But it makes my spine weak.

“Then we’ll do this in silence. No more attempts to make this easy on you.”

Her eyes narrow. “I’m still working.”

“Fucking hell, Sofia. You don’t listen to a goddamn thing anyone says unless you agree with it.” I snarl. “Enjoy your dinner. I’m doing a quick patrol. We’ll go to work together again, and then you can chaperone a fucking date between me and Carissa since you’re so eager to get me laid.”

Her eyes widen. “What? I never said-”

“You want to compromise? That’s my offer. If you want to go back to work, then I’m asking her out. Let me know what you decide.”

“Jasper.”

I let her go and head to the door. I’m afraid of my temper. She might be afraid of becoming her mother, but damn if I don’t have my father’s genes, his temper, his crave for control.

But I fight it. I’m not going to hurt Sofia. I’m going to strangle my temper until it’s where it belongs and deal with the fallout myself.

***

I’m almost done with my shower when Sofia enters the bathroom, clad in a towel that barely covers her thighs. She gasps when she sees me, then rushes back through the door. Luckily, the steam from the shower fogged the glass, and she was in and out so fast, she didn’t see how damaged my leg was. After rinsing off completely, I leave the stall and stand before the mirror while drying myself, staring at my reflection.

I can’t let Sofia see me like this. Scarred, burned, broken, with damaged parts. If she saw what’s left of me, I’d become another project. She’d stay in line, but it would be pity, not respect. So, I’ll find another way. I’ll cope.

I’ll finish this assignment, date a sweet girl like Carissa and settle down into a life that lets me forget about war, bullets and nightmares.

And Sofia.

Chapter 9

Sofia

The next few days feel like the calm before the storm. Jasper has been quiet all weekend. There’s no teasing, no trying to piss me off with his attempts to control me. But then again, we’ve been locked in the house for two days with nowhere to go. He plays Scrabble alone, and I get busy with work on my laptop. When I’m sick of working on my lesson plan or drafting my fundraising schedule, I clean the entire apartment. But I’m still not exhausted when I’m done. I’m restless. Horny as hell.

This is torture. Living in an apartment with a man I’m aching to fuck, a man Ishouldn’t want to fuckis worse than purgatory. I’m losing a piece of my mind with each passing minute.

I steal a glance at Jasper reclining on the couch, swiping through his phone. His quiet side is worse than his flirting or bugging me with silly games and advice. But I’m not going to break the silence. Not until he apologizes. What he said to me was so … wrong. I don’t care about being recognized, and if he can say that after seeing me work, seeing everything I do, then …

No. He’s just wrong. I’m not going to think about the implications. He’s just pissy that I’m not obedient. That’s all. I’m just a punching bag for him since I refuse to fall in line. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like the night we spent together talking, at least until I actually confronted him about his controlling ways.

I was trying to be rational and clear. I was trying to tell him where my mind was at. I wanted him to understand my need to remain in control of my life. But that opened a can of worms because it always will. All we have are our lies.

I’m almost done with wiping off the dining table when my cell phone rings. I pick it up after seeing Dad’s name on the screen. Ignoring him was my first thought, but I’m hoping he’s calling with news I’m desperate to hear. Wanting some privacy, I switch to Spanish.

“Are we done with this yet?”

“No, princess. I’m sorry.” Dad actually sounds apologetic this time. My stomach falls, and I drop my butt to the chair. Jasper sits up on the couch, his eyes narrowing as he watches me. “I know it’s not easy on you, but we have to wait this out.”

“I promise to have dinner with you and Scarlett every Sunday, whatever else you want. Please, just let me go.”

“I’m not holding you hostage, Sofia. I’m keeping you safe. There’s a big difference here,” he says. “Just keep doing what you’re doing. Behave for Jasper, do what he says, and you’ll be just fine.”

“I’m not a dog,” I huff.

“No, or this wouldn’t be half as problematic. A few more weeks, and you’ll be back to your normal life with no problems.”