Seeing Eduardo like that was unsettling.
I had seen him full of emotion before, but this was the first time I had witnessed him in such agony.
He had something to say; it was on the tip of his tongue.
I went to him and couldn‘t help brushing his hair with my fingers.
The impulse surprised me.
He paused, then looked up to meet my eyes.
My fingers drifted from his hair to his cheekbones, resting there for a moment.
I leaned down to his level.
“Eduardo,” I said, my voice soft.
“Tell me. What’s bothering you?”
That shattered him.
He pulled me into his arms, clutching me as if to protect me from harm.
He held me so tight, hiding me like a treasure as he burst into tears.
I’d never had a bodyguard before and was no expert on being an employer, but having one as emotional as Eduardo felt… surreal.
On the other hand, having a lover like that wasn’t a bad idea.
I pulled back just enough to see his face.
“Tell me what you‘ve been through,” I asked gently.
“What harm do you want to protect me from?”
“You’re better off not knowing,” he said. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
“That was the last time. From now on, I‘ll clean up the mess before you even know it exists.”
That was intriguing.
“So you’re telling me there will be more of this mess? Do you and Dad know something? Was that why he hired you for me in the first place? Eduardo, what is going on?”
He took my hands, a calming gesture.
“No, I didn‘t mean that,” he said, his voice confident, but my gaze told him I was onto him.
He sighed and finally confessed.
“Carlos was onto me when I was researching him. He threatened me—threatened you and Luna—to stop me from exposing his dirty laundry to you and Sir Arquette.”
Hearing this, I was furious with myself.
I thought about the whole evening: flirting with Carlos just to get back at Eduardo, calling him meddlesome, cursing at him… and all he had done was protect me, at all costs, responding to my cruelty with a love confession.
Oh, no.
I felt terrible.
Tears rolled down my cheeks.
He wiped them away with his thumb.
“Eduardo, I am so sorry. I’m so very sorry for what I‘ve done, for everything I said tonight.”
“Hush,” he murmured.
“It’s okay. Don‘t waste your tears. Nothing is worth them.”
His attempt to comfort me only deepened my shame.
“I’m so spoiled,” I said, my voice thick with disappointment.
“I feel like a terrible person.”
“You‘re an angel,” he protested.
“You have no idea how innocent you are. I wish I could hide you from everything evil—even from life itself.”
I wrapped my arms around his waist and rested my head on his chest.
Listening to his heartbeat helped calm me.
“May I ask you something?” I murmured against his chest.
“Ask, tell, order, curse. You’re the boss. You have all the authority over me, babygirl,” he said, his old cheekiness returning.
Do you think he‘ll come after me?
Or you?”
“First of all, I am not your *chico*. Soy un hombre. Tu hombre.” That made me giggle.
“And I have my ways, ma’am.”
I nodded, smiling.
“I have one more question.”
“Shoot,” he said.
“What is it this time?”
“Why did you talk to me like that at my parents‘ mansion?”
He raised his eyebrows.
He leaned back in his chair, putting a little distance between us.
“I think I made myself clear then,” he said, his tone turning cool.
It was obvious he was trying to put his mask back on.
“For the same reasons I listed when I confessed my love to you. I’m just a bodyguard.”
“Eduardo, don‘t underestimate yourself. Besides, no one can be tagged a ’lowlife.‘ That’s such a feudal, old-fashioned idea.”
“Does it matter? I‘m not a good match for you.”
He was talking nonsense.
I framed his face with my hands, forcing him to meet my gaze.
I leaned toward his lips, lips I had been craving, and whispered, my voice thick with lust, just before I pressed my mouth to his:
“There’s no better fit for me on Earth than you, *mi hombre*.”