Hot and Bothered Read Free Page A

random bodyguard.” Her voice was smoother these days, making her come off like a diamond-shiny city girl. He’d always known she’d be that someday, the Levis-clad teenager who visited summer after summer changing into what she was always meant to be.
    Had a part of him wanted to keep her in jeans and boots? Was that why he’d always carried that ridiculous torch that seemed to be flaring in his gut even now?
    She went on. “But before you start thinking that I’m in favor of hiring you, relax. I told them we should get someone we don’t know, someone who doesn’t have a history with us—a professional who can keep some distance. But they said our history was what would make you a great bodyguard for me.”
    Yup, the boys had no idea that Gideon and their “lil’ sis” had made quite a bit of history together. Gideon saw them around Rough & Tumble when they came in from their nearby ranch every so often, but Gideon always steered conversations away from Rochelle. Not unless the talk was about her newest best seller or how well she was doing in general.
    But a niggle of concern had already started eating at him. Damn his guardian instincts. “So why the hell do you need close-protection security?”
    She shrugged, as if shirking off the reason. He recognized the gangbusters girl, the one he’d kiddingly called “Boss” who would sit on the fence industriously scratching stories into her journal while he played hooky from his family’s own ranch next door and worked the cutting horses on her uncle’s spread. That had been before Bad Sex Night . . . and long before everything had really changed after his parents had lost the ranch and moved into Rough & Tumble, leaving him their house after they’d died a few years ago. And after his parents had left another dark mark on him that he didn’t like to talk about, either.
    â€œRochelle,” he said, determined to get an answer from her. “People don’t generally just collect bodyguards for their amusement.”
    Her green eyes clouded, and she seemed to come to a decision, opening the designer clutch purse in her hand. “You’re right. They don’t. And just so we’re straight with each other, I’ve never needed a bodyguard before. I have a support system for my writing business, but I’ve never needed . . . this.” She took a phone out of her purse. “It seems I’ve attracted a creeper.”
    Shit. “You mean a stalker? An obsessive fan?”
    â€œHe or she isn’t quite that. Not yet anyway.” She fiddled with her phone then handed it to him. “This picture was taken a few hours ago.”
    Their fingers brushed. Sparks seemed to burst through his veins, traveling straight to his groin.
    He cleared his throat, hoping to God she didn’t notice how attracted he still was to her. Was she sitting there thinking of their Bad Sex Night, too, and wishing it could’ve been so much better?
    Hell, if it
had
been good, he would’ve gotten her out of his blood that night, and he wouldn’t be reduced to a hormone-throbbing and flailing-around teenager right now.
    Collecting himself, he took his time perusing the picture on the phone: a poster at a bookstore featuring a vintage image of the sultry, cat-eyed Cherry Chastain—a book cover. Scrawled over it was a message written in red pen.
    CHERRY IS AN ANGEL, YOU BITCH!
    In the corner was a photo of Rochelle, and it was crossed out with the same angry red ink.
    â€œClearly,” Rochelle said in a level voice, “someone got hold of an advanced copy of my book or they heard about what I did with Cherry from reviews, and they weren’t happy with my portrayal of her. It looks like they took it out on the poster for a book signing I’ll be having. Everyone knows Cherry wasn’t an angel in the social sense, so I have to wonder if Superfan here