LAYLA ABRAHAM

"Nothing's wrong." She wiped away her tears and sniffled, lying through her teeth. "What's going on with you and Sarah?" She countered, changing her mind. Perhaps this was the perfect opportunity to finally get some answers.

"Beautiful, are you jealous?" He reached over to wipe the tear on her face, but she slapped his hand away. His eyes darkened and he took a step closer to her. "Green isn't your colour."

Layla scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm not jealous." She gritted her teeth; the lie weak. Though jealousy played only a small part of her anger. "Apparently she can't wait for you to have sex with her. She asked me to tell you the offer still stands, if you're interested."

His eyebrows rose in surprise. He hadn't expected that.

"That's not relevant." He brushed the matter aside. Alejandro didn't care if Sarah was interested in him or that she wanted to have sex with him. Sarah wasn't the woman he was interested in. Far from it, actually.

Alejandro sighed and gazed into her eyes, needing her to know that he was speaking nothing but the truth. "Nothing is going on between Sarah and I. Our families are friends, that's it." He tried to reason with her. "I'm not even that close to her. Plus, she's too young for me."

"She's 27." Sarah had mentioned it earlier.

"And?"

"I'm 25."

"And?"

"You're so infuriating!" She pushed at his chest so he would move back, but the brute of a man didn't even falter. Instead, he trapped her hands against her chest and pulled her closer to him, a ghost of a smile on his face.

"We're both legal, consenting adults. Age doesn't matter." He bowed his head to whisper into her ear.

"You just said I'm too young for you."

"I didn't quite say that." He grinned but when she glared at him menacingly, he attempted to reign it in. He didn't want to risk making her anymore livid than she already was, even if monstrous anger looked absolutely breath taking and becoming on her. "Frankly, I don't care how old Sarah is, and I definitely don't care that she's interested in me, because I'm definitely not interested in her."

"That doesn't change things." She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "She asked me to set you guys up."

He chuckled and took a step closer. "And you're going to do it?"

"Of course not." She frowned. "Unless you want me to."

He chuckled. "Of course, I don't want you to."

When she refused to meet his eyes, his face softened and he reached out for her but she was still mad and so pulled away from him.

"You and I have been honest to each other from the start. You know I've never had a proper relationship and that I pretty much slept around all of my 20's but I'm a changed man now. And I promise I've never slept with Sarah before, and I don't ever plan to." He brushed a stray lock of hair away from her angelic face and tucked it behind her ear. "Beautiful, I know this is more than just someone wanting to sleep with me, so you need to tell me what's wrong."

"I don't need to tell you anything."

His jaw clenched at her defiance, though he couldn't deny that it turned him on a little. "I'm your bodyguard."

"Then start acting like it."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're my bodyguard." She stated firmly, her eyes daring him to deny it; begging.

"Yes."

She turned her back to him as a new wave of tears threatened to drop.

"You need to tell me what's wrong so I can fix it." He arms wrapped around her middle from behind as he pressed himself against her back. He leaned down and buried his face in her hair, inhaling in the sweet rose of her favourite shampoo. It had become a favourite of his now, too.

"I don't like seeing you cry." He found himself vulnerable as the words slipped past his lips.

"I want you to be more than just my bodyguard." She found herself confessing, leaning back in his arms at the welcomed embrace. Even though she was spitting mad at him, she still liked being held by him.

His eyebrows furrowed together in confusion, not that she could see it. "What do you mean?"

She swivelled around and faced him, the anger back and more heightened than before. "What are we, Alejandro?"

"You know what we are."

Her nostrils flared in anger and he had to bury his face in the crook of her neck to hold himself back from laughing. He feared that if he laughed at her now, she was sure to deck him but he couldn't help it. He had never seen something as cute or funny as this woman angry before. Even when she was glaring daggers at him and probably planning on how to dispose of his body after killing him in the very bathroom that they were in, he stared down at her lovingly.

No one else would ever compare, nor even come near.

Whatever she wanted; he would give her. Even if she wanted him to walk to the other end of the world to prove his love or rip out his heart for her on a silver platter, he would do it in a heartbeat.

All she had to do was ask.

"You're Layla and I'm Alejandro."

Layla huffed and pushed at his chest to get out of his arms.

He merely tightened his arms and pulled her closer to his chest, his arms now wound over hers, preventing her from moving.

"Calm down, woman." He pressed a kiss on her forehead. "I wasn't done."

She huffed and pressed her forehead against the slither of skin that was visible as he left the top two buttons of his shirt undone.

Even when ferociously angry, his presence calmed her.

"I know our situation isn't ideal. I'm your bodyguard. I'm supposed to be guarding you but beautiful," he nuzzled his face into the side of her face. "I just can't resist you. I tried so hard at the beginning but I couldn't hold myself back. You're more than just my client or someone I'm guarding, Layla. So much more." He whispered the last part directly into her ear.

She couldn't control the delicious shiver that ran down her spine. "How much more?" She asked in a small voice, the words mumbled as her face was still pressed against his chest.

He grinned.

"The only reason I'm keeping us on the down low is because I don't want to lose this job. I own the company so nothing will happen to me if I'm taken off the case, but I don't trust anyone with your safety, Layla. Do you understand that?" His fingers grazed her cheek as they travelled down, cupping her chin softly before lifting her face to look him in the eyes. He needed her to understand just how important she was to him. "Your safety is my first priority, Layla. I won't let anything compromise that, but as soon as all this is over, I'm whatever you want me to be. I'll be here for as long as you want me."

"I want you forever."

"Then you have me forever." He sealed his promise with a sweet kiss. "Don't think I'll settle for just being your boyfriend."

A sound of surprised came from her. "What does that mean?"

He grinned and swooped in for another passionate, toe-curling kiss that made her forget about what he had just said.

A knock sounded, causing her to pull away and glance at the door. "Ignore it." He whispered before capturing her mouth in another kiss.

"Ali?" Leonardo's voice sounded from behind the door. "Leave the poor girl alone." He chuckled.

"Go away, Leo." He groaned and buried his face in the crook of her neck.

"The food's ready so you better come out soon or there'll be nothing left." That was a promise. With 5 boys in the family, food around the dinner table never did last long no matter how much was made. Even more so now since they had some friends over too.

"Come on, beautiful. I can't have you starving on my watch. That'll make me a terrible bodyguard." He grinned at her and held the door open for her, slapping her playfully on the butt as she walked past him.

When she glared at him from over her shoulder, he winked.

She didn't have much of an appetite for food anymore.

He looped an arm around her waist as they headed out to the garden where everyone was already filling their plates.

"Beautiful, just so you know, this relationship is so much more than exclusive." He leaned in to whisper to her, his dark eyes ran slowly down her body, lingering on the ruffled bodice or more specifically, what it confined.

"I don't share."

-

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Layla Knight

25.05.2020