Nathan (The Bodyguard And The Heir Book 3)

Book summary

Former military man Nathan Mason must rebuild his life after losing his mother and being separated from his twin. He reluctantly takes a bodyguard job to protect Christian Madison, the twenty-year-old heir to a pharmaceutical company facing threats. Despite initial misgivings, Nathan becomes Christian's protector and unexpected source of hope.

Excerpt from Nathan (The Bodyguard And The Heir Book 3)

Jason Coombes had been limping all day from one class to the next. It wasn’t a serious limp, though; most people probably wouldn’t have even noticed it. He seemed to favor his right leg.

Part of me wanted him to catch me staring at him. Another part of me hoped he wouldn’t, hoped no one ever would. I couldn’t help myself, though. His curly black hair, his chocolate eyes, his mocha skin that stretched taut over muscles toned by years of rugby… Jason was just… perfect.

We’d had a couple of classes together that day, and, as luck would have it, I sat a few rows behind him in most of them, so I could sneak peeks without drawing much attention.

My heart nearly stopped when he stepped into the locker room. I’d just finished doing some laps around the field to let off some steam and was glad to have the entire locker room to myself. I held my breath as he approached me.

“Hey, Nathan,” he said.

I forced myself to answer. “Hey.” I was shirtless, sweaty, and didn’t feel sexy at all.

“What are you doing here so late?” he asked.

“I could ask you the same question.”

“I think I left something in here,” Jason said. “Or, at least, I hope I did. I’ve been looking everywhere.”

As he stepped past me, I inhaled the light scent of his cologne, and again felt gross. I picked up my towel and started wiping away my sweat. Why? It’s not like anything could happen, anyway…

He stopped right at a locker just to my left and opened it.

“Yep,” he said with a snicker. “Here it is.” He reached in and produced a brown leather wallet. “Finally.”

I smiled, trying to mask my nervousness.

“What’s wrong with your leg?” I asked. Damn. Why did I ask that?

He looked at me with mild surprise. “It’s nothing. Went too crazy in the gym is all. Weights slipped. My thigh’s been hurting a little since then.”

The words slipped out before I could stop them: “You probably need a massage.”

He outright laughed. “Yeah, definitely,” Jason said as he slipped his wallet into his jeans pocket. “What, are you a masseur?”

My face felt red as I said, “No… But how hard can it be?”

He looked at me, then looked around the locker room.

It’s just us, I thought, hopefully. “Besides,” I added, “don’t you have a game soon? You should be in the best shape, right?”

His deep chocolate eyes looked into mine. What I saw there was a reflection of what I felt: desire.

“Okay,” he said.

Without hesitation, he unbuckled his jeans, revealing gym shorts. After he slipped off his shoes, he pulled off his jeans and draped them over the bench I was sitting on. I got up, and allowed him to lie on it.

I couldn’t believe it. I had my hands on Jason’s left thigh. I shouldn’t be doing this. What if someone caught us? But his leg felt awesome. The muscles were tight and hard. I inhaled deeply and backed away.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Nothing,” I turned towards the lockers. I closed my eyes tight and tried to steady my breathing. “Nothing.”

Before I knew it, his arms were around me, pulling me to him. I relaxed into his embrace and allowed him to turn me around so I faced him.

“That’s not… nothing,” he said.

My mouth opened, but I could find nothing to say.

“You’re as nervous as me, huh?” asked Jason.

All I could do was nod. My mind swam with all kinds of things. I wanted this, to be here, with Jason. But… no, I shouldn’t. It was wrong. But why was it wrong?

Tina. Right. Jason’s girlfriend. Besides, everybody knew that two guys shouldn’t be doing what I wanted to do with Jason. It wasn’t right. What if somebody came in and saw us?

And then, everything I was thinking was lost. Jason’s lips were on mine. Nothing else mattered. It was amazing. He must have done this a million times. His mouth opened, and his tongue asked permission to enter mine. Our tongues played tag for a while, until I finally felt like I was getting the hang of it. I started to kiss him more intensely. Our hands explored each other’s backs, and we pulled each other closer and closer, until…

“Nate?”

We pulled apart violently. I hit my head on the locker behind me before turning to face the intruder. I already knew who it was, though.

“Li—Liam,” I managed. “Um…”

Jason locked eyes with me and my twin brother. “Hey, Liam,” he greeted, scratching his head a little.

“What’s this all about?” Liam asked. He wore a smirk that made me feel extremely self-conscious.

Jason was quick on his feet. “I was just helpin’ your brother out. He said he’d never kissed anyone before, and I was just giving him some practice. You know?”

“Yeah. I know,” Liam said. He turned to me. “Did it help?”

“Yeah, actually,” I said, my eyes darting to Jason just a little. “I think I’m gonna be ready when I get to kiss a girl for real.”

For the next few moments, no one said a word. We looked from face to face. Jason looked like he wanted to run. Liam looked like he was almost enjoying himself. I wished the floor would open up and swallow me.

“Um… Yeah… So, I’m gonna go,” Jason said. He picked up his jeans and rushed past my brother.

When he was gone, Liam said, “So, how was your jog?”

“It was alright,” I answered. I went to the locker where my clothes were and rummaged around to pretend that I wasn’t completely freaking out inside.

“Sorry to interrupt your lesson,” he said. “I was just wondering where you were. You weren’t answering your phone.”

“It’s okay. No big deal.”

“I gotta say, though… I don’t blame you. Jason’s hot.”

I froze. Inch-by-inch, I turned my head until I faced my brother at the opposite end of the locker room.

“I’m never gonna live this down, am I?”

“Hey, hey, no, I’m not teasing you; I’m serious,” Liam said. “I’m sorry that it had to come out this way, but…”—he cast his gaze over his shoulder to make sure no one was coming—”I’m gay, Nate.”

I heard it. But it didn’t register right away. It was too good to be true.

“You… You’re serious?” I asked.

“Yeah. I am.”

“Me, too.”

“Yeah, I know. I kinda saw.”

“Shut up!” I said with a laugh. I sat back down on the bench. “What are the odds? Both of us…”

“Well, we’re twins, right? I guess… maybe the odds were pretty high? I dunno. Maybe we should Google it later.”

“Little bro, you’re always the one with the answers, huh?”

“Hey, just because we’re bonding doesn’t mean you get to start calling me ‘little bro’!” I snapped; he laughed it off.

I looked at him with a smile, feeling the last of the tension leave me. “I guess we have a lot to talk about, huh?”

“Yep. You can tell me how many guys you’ve made out with in this locker room.”

I laughed. “Lots. Pretty much the entire grade,” I joked.

“Show off!”

After I washed the sweat and the feel of Jason off me (which, by the way, I wished could have stayed), I met up with my brother. We decided to walk a few blocks before taking the bus. That way, we could talk without people overhearing. Plus, we’d have more time.

“So, is Jason gay, too?” Liam asked.

“Honestly, I dunno. He’s probably bi. He’s got Tina, remember?” I said.

“I guess.”

“But then, maybe he’s trying to… figure stuff out? Or hide? I guess it’s complicated. Being… you know.” He lowered his voice as we passed a couple and their daughter walking the opposite direction.

“Yeah. Definitely is,” he agreed.

“So, wait,” I said, “you’re telling me that the time I walked in on you jerking off last week, the reason you slammed the laptop shut was because…”

He laughed. “Yep! Bare-assed gay porn stars going at it. Obviously!” We’d watched straight porn together before, so I was wondering what he was hiding from me, maybe it was a weird fetish he was scared to let me know about, or something.

“Where do you keep your stash?”

“I don’t have one,” I answered. “I was too scared to save them anywhere you or Mom or Dad might find them. I stream all my porn online.”

“Really? I’ve gotta show you mine. I lost track of how many videos I saved on my flash drive.”

“Oh, so that’s why you put a password on it,” I laughed. “Makes sense!”

We soon got to the bus stop. There was an elderly lady there, so we cut the conversation short, switching to football instead. We complained about how harsh Coach was with us sometimes, and wondered if we’d still be able to play in a few years after we graduated.

When the bus finally arrived, we got in and took the short ride home. I could feel the walls I’d built up come crashing down. Well, they moved, anyway. We still had to keep it a secret from Mom and Dad, and just about everybody else in this town.

We got off the bus and walked the rest of the way home. Just before we got there, we heard Mom’s voice. It traveled far, probably around the entire neighborhood.

“So, what do you expect me to do?” she yelled. “Am I not supposed to have friends now?”

“We both know he isn’t just your friend!” Dad answered. “Or, at least, he doesn’t want to be. I’m a man, remember? I know how we think!”

Liam and I stopped in our tracks and exchanged a look. I wanted to turn back. Liam, though, had other ideas.

“Come on,” he said, trotting ahead.

I kept my distance behind him, not in a hurry to interrupt the argument.

“What about me?” Mom said when Liam got to the door. “Don’t I have a say? Wait! Where are you going?”

The door opened, showing Dad with a vein pulsating in his head. He stopped and looked at us for a while, but stormed past us, into the twilight.

The next morning, we saw Jason near the school building. I told Liam I’d see him later and jogged over to meet him.