I grinned and watched her go. I needed her a little off balance before I told her this news. Plus, it wasn’t like she was going to tell her dad on me just because I talked a little dirty to her.
And bedsides, all I did was speak the truth.
“Look, Janine,” I said, following her. “I’m here for a simple reason.”
“Oh, more than just to say dirty things to me?”
“I can do that too, if you want,” I said, smirking.
“No. Tell me what’s really going on.”
She poured herself some coffee but didn’t offer me any.
“Larkin wants me to watch over you,” I said.
She raised an eyebrow. “What?”
“I’m your new bodyguard, princess.”
She stared at me, speechless.
I grinned even larger. It looked like I was wrong.
I had surprised her again after all.
5
Janine
“Why the hell would I need a bodyguard?” I asked him.
That cocky bastard just smiled at me and shrugged. I wanted to throw him out, but Clutch was six feet tall and covered in muscles. I couldn’t move him an inch if he didn’t want me to.
“Not my place to ask,” he said. “Larkin gave me orders and I’m following them.”
I shook my head, completely mystified.
First, Clutch shows up at my door early in the morning out of nowhere. I didn’t even know he knew where I lived, but fine, that’s no big deal. Then he starts talking dirty to me, sending chills of excitement up my spine. Truthfully, I loved it; I loved the way he spoke to me. It was forbidden and dirty and exciting, and I’d been waiting for Clutch to say that sort of thing to me for a long time.
I’d always liked him. I watched him from afar, excited by his body, his cocky attitude, the way he seemed to effortlessly pull women into his life. But he was a player and a biker, and I knew better than to actually start to have feelings for a man like that. No, the only thing I wanted from him was his strong body pressed against mine.
But I’d never act on that, of course. He’d have hell to pay with Larkin and the others. Still, couldn’t hurt a girl to fantasize a little bit.
But there he was, starting to make some of my fantasy real.
Then this bodyguard bombshell. What the hell was going on this morning? Something was up with the club; that was clear. I knew all about the war, but Larkin hadn’t said a word to me last night about needing a bodyguard. This was new, and it was definitely serious if he was sending Clutch to take care of me.
“No way,” I said. “Not happening. I’m calling my father.”
He shrugged, leaning against the counter. “Do what you have to do, princess.”
I glared at him but didn’t have the strength to argue. I left the room and went to my bedroom, grabbing my cell phone. I heard Clutch moving around out in the kitchen, pouring himself some coffee.
I dialed Larkin’s number, and he answered on the second ring.
“Larkin,” he grunted.
“What the hell are you up to, Dad?” I demanded.
He laughed. “Hi, Janine. I was expecting this call.”
“A bodyguard? What the hell?”
“Listen, it’s for your own good. Clutch is a decent guy and is good at what he does. Just ignore him.”
“No,” I said, surprised by my own anger. “Tell me why you have one of your guys following me around first.”
“I will,” he said. “I promise. Just not this second.”
“Right this second,” I said.
“After work,” he answered. “You’ll come to the clubhouse and I’ll tell you everything.”
“Dad,” I warned, “I’m not going along with this if you can’t give me something.”
He paused. “Listen, Janine,” he said. “This is pretty serious. It’s better if we talk in person.”
“Am I in danger?”
“Not right this second, but I’m being careful.”
I blinked. I had never been in danger before or really even close to it. Larkin kept his club business far away from me, and I’d never once felt like I was in trouble.
This was completely new. I could hear the stress in his voice, and I’d seen it all over his face the night before. This war was a drag on him, drawing him down.
I took a deep breath and then let it out. “Okay,” I said. “Fine. We’ll talk later.”
“Thanks,” he said. “I’ll explain everything.”
“Yeah, well, you better.”
“Bye. Have a good shift.”
“Bye.’
I hung the phone up and tossed it onto the bed.
Whatever was happening must be pretty serious. If it was bad enough for him to put one of his best enforcers on me, he must have been really worried. And if he was worried, then I probably should’ve been, too Except I wasn’t. It just didn’t really seem real to me, especially considering I didn’t even know what was going on. Plus, Clutch was a very competent man. I’d heard things about him, lots of things, some of them pretty downright terrifying. He wasn’t the sort of person you messed with and expected to walk away from.
Which was what drew me toward him. Clutch lived his life on his terms. I envied that freedom.