Chapter One

Derek

I love my life, because I have the best job on earth—guarding the body of a beautiful, smart, powerful woman. Diana Sangster has built an empire by never giving up and never taking any guff from anyone. The woman is a billionaire, after all, which means she’s way out of my league. Not that I’ve ever tried to make time with her. We’ve never shared more than mild flirtation, though I can’t deny that I often have dirty dreams about her. Hey, I’m an unattached guy in a new country. What do you expect? Of course I dream about her. It doesn’t mean I’ll ever do anything about it.

But damn, those dreams…

I bump into Diana, and she glances back at me over her shoulder. Her brows lift, but her sunglasses hide her hazel eyes, so I can’t tell if she’s squinting at me the way she often does when people annoy her. I mumble an apology. She faces forward again and continues walking down the steps.

What an idiot I’ve become. Not watching where I’m going? That’s unacceptable. I know better, but my fantasies about Diana distract me more and more every day. It’s ridiculous. Never in all my career as a professional bodyguard have I gotten so distracted by a client that I screw up. Snap out of it, man, and stop staring at Diana’s ass. I lift my gaze and go back to doing my job. I keep a hand lightly on Diana’s back as we walk down the steps, and I survey the area for any potential threats. In the three months I’ve been Diana’s bodyguard, I haven’t come across anything that even faintly resembles a threat. But she hired my company to protect her and specifically requested that I keep her safe.

Why? She claimed it’s because she wants the “top man” to protect her, and I own the company. Diana said that five minutes after we met.

Diana and I reach the last step. Just as Ellie, my right-hand woman, reaches to open the door to the limo, a man pops out from behind a bush. He rushes toward Diana.

I thrust an arm out in front of Diana and push her behind me.

The man keeps coming.

“Stop right there,” I snarl. Then I step fully in front of Diana, thrusting out an arm to stop the scruffy moron. It’s times like this when I wish the Brits would let bodyguards carry firearms. I doubt this guy is a psycho, but I have to treat every potential threat as a serious one. So I tell the dweeb, “Don’t come any closer.”

When the guy finally notices my hard stare, he freezes, his eyes wide. He blinks several times swiftly. His focus lands on Diana, then swerves to me. “I, uh, just wanted to talk to Ms. Sangster.”

He speaks with a British accent, but that’s hardly unusual. We are in London, after all. I still haven’t quite adjusted to living among Brits. I’d better get used to it, though. My sister is marrying a British viscount.

“Back off,” I say in my toughest voice.

The scruffy guy shakes his head. “Please, I just want to talk —”

“No.” I remove my sunglasses so I can glare at the guy. “Send her a letter or an email. That’s the only way you’ll ever get to communicate with Ms. Sangster.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I can see one side of Diana’s mouth has kicked up. She’s turned her head slightly toward me.

“At least let me give her my CV,” the scruffy guy says. “I’m a data analyst.”

Diana looks at the man. “Sommerleigh Sweets does not have any openings for data analysts. But thank you for your interest in the company.”

“You’re a business incubator too, right? I just need a little help to start up my company.” The guy moves half a step closer to Diana, and I give him my patented scary look. He glances at me and winces, then swallows hard. “I’m sorry. This was a mistake.”

The loser scurries off down the street.

Ellie opens the back door of the limousine for us. I offer Diana my hand to help her into the vehicle. She gives me that half-smirk again as she slides across the seat.

I climb in and stretch my arm across the top of the seat. My fingers barely reach Diana’s shoulders, but I hadn’t intended to touch her. Draping my arm across the seat is more like a reflex, not a come-on, and I know Diana understands that. I’ve gotten to know a lot of things about her—some personal, but mostly business related. I know she takes her coffee black and that she likes to go for evening walks along the river twice a week. But I don’t know anything about her personal feelings or her past. She’s an enigma in a sexy black business dress.

The car starts rolling down the road.

“How was the meeting?” I ask. “I couldn’t hear a thing, even though I had my ear pressed to the door.”

She takes off her sunglasses and turns slightly toward me. “Even if you had heard, you wouldn’t have been able to tell anyone. You signed a nondisclosure agreement when I hired your company.”

“I was joking, Diana.”

“Yes, I know that.” She eyes me up and down. “You were quite impressive when that silly man accosted me.”

“Just doing my job.”

She turns toward me even more and crosses her legs. Diana has the shapeliest legs I’ve ever seen. “Is that really your only concern?”

“What else is there? I am the job, that’s why you hired me. I’m a workaholic, which means I can devote all my time to managing your protection detail.”

“Hmm.” She rests a hand on her knee and taps one finger on it. “You are strong and virile, healthy too. I know because I required you to have a physical before signing a contract with me.”

What on earth is she getting at? If Diana thought I wasn’t doing my job well enough, she would tell me outright. No beating around an invisible bush. She’d rip a branch off and whap me on the head with it.

My gaze wanders to her legs, and my dick jerks. Stop looking, jackass. I tear my focus away from her shapely calves and give myself a mental slap to the face.

Since I know Diana likes to get straight to the point, I give her the courtesy of doing the same. “Is something bothering you? If anyone on my team has done something you don’t like, you know you can tell me. If I’m the one you’re not happy with, the same applies.”

“Oh, I’m very satisfied with the work you do, Mr. Hahn.”

“Good. But there’s clearly something on your mind.”

She turns toward the front, gazing straight at the back of the driver’s head. “Nothing urgent.”

When Diana Sangster turns away, it means the conversation is over. Might as well let her shut it down, since I have no clue what she was trying to say.

Neither of us speaks again on the twenty-minute drive to her swanky flat along the River Thames. Ellie and Tim, our driver, wait while Diana and I get out of the car. I opened the door for her this time, and her lips curl into a full-on smirk. Tim and Ellie take the car into the parking garage while I escort Diana to the elevator, or as Brits call it, the lift. I kind of like that word. It saves a few syllables.

Once the lift doors close, Diana speaks. “I will be going for a walk this evening.”

“You know, Geoffrey could escort you on the walk. Anybody could, actually.” But I know she wants me and only me to accompany her. She always does. Once in a while, though, I like to prod her in the hopes she’ll finally tell me why she insists on having me with her during those walks along the river.

“I don’t want Geoffrey, or anyone else. You know that.”

“Just checking. Thought you might like to switch things up for a change.”

She moves only her eyes to glance at me sideways. “I do not switch things up.”

Yeah, I know that about her too. Never hurts to try, though.

Once we walk into Diana’s flat, she heads for the upstairs bedroom to change clothes. Since I have nothing else to do while I wait, I survey the flat. I’ve been here more times than I can count, and I know every inch of this place. It doesn’t suit Diana. The spare, modern design seems more appropriate for an office space, not an apartment. This doesn’t feel like a home. Diana might be tough as nails at work, but I’ve seen other sides of her since she hired me to protect her. Well, my company, that is. But I think it was really Hugh Parrish’s recommendation that got me the job. He and Diana became business partners, and he’s marrying my sister. So Diana got two recommendations.

Yeah, Avery tells everyone I’m amazing. It’s kind of embarrassing.

Diana trots back down the stairs, now wearing designer sweats and a matching hoodie. She has designer sneakers too. When she goes for walks, she always pulls her brown hair back in a ponytail. I love that. It makes me want to kiss her. But I will never, never do that. I’m her bodyguard, not her lover.

Maybe I do sometimes fantasize about rolling around in the sheets with her. But it’s only a fantasy. Just like my dreams. A woman of Diana’s caliber would never get involved with a man like me.

Diana leads the way as we head out of her flat and exit the building, jogging across the street to the path that skirts the River Thames. She always likes to go for walks just as the sun is setting, then go back to the flat for a quiet dinner. I stay a discreet distance behind her as she ambles along the riverbank. As usual, she stops at one specific spot, though I can’t see anything special about it. She gazes across the river, smiling slightly, and shuts her eyes for a moment.

God, she is so beautiful. And she seems younger this way too. I want to march over there, pull her into my arms, and just hold her.

Diana starts walking again.

And I follow. It’s my job, that’s all.

Our evening stroll takes forty-five minutes, out and back, then we’re in the lift again, on our way up to Diana’s flat. As the elevator doors shut, Diana glances at me sideways.

“Thank you for always wearing a suit,” she says. “I appreciate the professionalism your team always shows.”

“It’s our job. And my team likes getting the chance to dress up. Most of our clients these days want their protection detail to blend into the background, which means wearing everyday casual clothing.”

“Men look quite sexy in suits.”

Did she just hit on me? She does do that sometimes, but I don’t think she meant to flirt this time. Diana was stating an opinion that could apply to any man.

“I’d love to see you in a designer suit,” she says. “Your physique would perfectly fit Armani’s style.”

“Thank you,” I reply slowly, while I try to decide if she’s really hitting on me this time. Not that I mind. But every time she says something like that, I fight the almost overpowering impulse to drag her into me for a hot kiss.

Diana doesn’t say anything else once we exit the elevator and head into her flat. While she prepares dinner for herself, I wish her good night and leave. Then I have a solo meal in my own flat and watch an action movie I’ve seen five times before. By ten o’clock, I’m in bed, falling asleep.

I dream of Diana Sangster, naked, lying beneath me while I make love to her until we’re both slicked with sweat and too exhausted to fuck anymore.

Damn, if only that fantasy would come true. But I’m her bodyguard, not her lover.

Chapter Two

Diana

I like knowing Derek Hahn is always watching over me, except when I’m at business meetings. Even then, though, I know he’s in the hall waiting for me, ready to usher me out to the car and to wherever else I might need to go. Maybe part of the reason I like knowing that is because I enjoy looking at him. Though I’ve never seen him naked, I can imagine what he might look like. The man has powerful muscles, the outlines of which I can see quite well through his suit. I had never been attracted to a man at first sight until I met Derek. Now I can’t stop thinking about him.

But the last thing I need is a man in my life.

Unless he’s my bodyguard.

Three days have gone by since I told Derek he should wear Armani because he has the perfect body for that style. Can’t believe I discussed clothing with him. But spending so much time with that man has turned me into a ruddy moron.

After precisely forty-five minutes of ambling along the river, we walk back to my building, with Derek following at a discreet distance as usual. Only when we enter the lift does he move to stand beside me.

“How was your walk?” Derek asks.

“Quite lovely. Did you enjoy it?”

“Oh yeah. The view was spectacular.” He glances down at my arse. “The best I’ve ever seen.”

The hairs at the nape of my neck tingle and stiffen as if he had exhaled a breath onto my skin. I experience a strong urge to grasp the lapels of his suit jacket, haul him into me, and kiss him. What would his lips feel like? What would he taste like? I will never know because I will never do the things I fantasize about.

I should tell him never to stare at my arse again, but it’s too late for that. And besides, I don’t want him to stop. If he did, I would need to stop admiring his arse.

As we enter my flat, Derek holds the door open for me. Once I’ve crossed the threshold, he moves to leave, grasping the knob as if to shut the door behind him.

“What are you doing?” I ask, half turning toward the door.

“Going home.”

“I require twenty-four-hour protection. That is what our contract states.”

Derek nods toward something past me. “That’s why Ellie is here. And Geoffrey will be here in one hour, which means you’ll have plenty of protection. Good night, Ms. Sangster.”

Though I want to order him to stay here, that would be inappropriate. So I nod curtly and climb the stairs to my bedroom on the second floor. I’m halfway up the steps when I hear the front door click shut. My fingers grip the handrail more tightly. Derek has left.

No, that doesn’t bother me at all.

I trudge up the stairs and pause to peer out the window, so I can watch Derek hailing a taxi. As the vehicle drives away, I hurry into my bedroom and change into my nightclothes. Just as I’m crawling into bed, my mobile rings. The screen tells me who’s ringing me, and I rush to grab the mobile and say hello.

“Did I wake you up, Diana?”

“No, dear, you did not. I’m always awake at this hour.” My attention swerves to the clock on the nightstand. “Why are you still awake? It’s past your bedtime.”

“I’m not a baby anymore. I’m fourteen, and I don’t need a bedtime.”

She says that in a long-suffering tone, as if I’m unbearably old-fashioned. Perhaps I am. And perhaps that’s why Derek Hahn won’t seduce me. He is nine years younger than I am, after all. Why should that stop me? And why haven’t I tried to seduce him? We are both adults, and I haven’t slept with anyone since long before I met him. I have never been afraid to go after what I want, whether it’s a business deal or a man, so I can’t understand why I’m hesitating with him. Well, his sister is marrying my business partner. But no, I can’t possibly be afraid of what other people might think. I don’t do that.

“Are you still there, Diana?”

I shake off my idiotic thoughts. “Yes, dear, I’m here. But honestly, Pippa, you should be asleep at this hour.”

“And you should get married. If you had a baby, it wouldn’t bother you so much that I’m away at school.”

For a moment, I can’t speak. Will I never get used to the way children blurt things out? But it’s more than the way she said it that caught me off guard. It’s what she suggested. Can the girl read my mind? No, of course not. Besides, this is hardly the first time she’s commented that I need a husband. I do not need one of those, not ever again. But I have been contemplating a plan that meshes with what Pippa suggested. I can’t tell her that, though. My idea is…radical.

“Are you away with the fairies again?” Pippa asks.

“No, of course not,” I say, rather too sharply. “I’m sorry, pet. It’s been a long day, and I need some rest. So do you. Even a mature fourteen-year-old shouldn’t stay up this late.”

“All right, all right. I’ll go to bed if you will.”

“It’s a deal.”

Silence follows, but I can hear her breathing. “Why did you send me away? Did I do something wrong?”

“No, love, of course not. I wanted you to have the best education available, and a boarding school seemed the most appropriate choice. You have friends there, don’t you?”

“Yeah. But I want to come home.”

A pang stabs into my chest, and my throat tightens. I miss Pippa more than I could ever tell her. “We can discuss that later. Good night, love.”

“Good night, Diana.”

After we’ve ended our call, I curl up under the covers and try to sleep. My thoughts keep returning to Derek Hahn. That dark hair. Those deep blue eyes. Those kissable lips. And that body. My word, that deliciously sexy body. How could any woman fall asleep while thinking about Derek? He’s too young for me, but I only need one thing from him. A small donation. Hardly anything at all.

I drift into a semi-slumber, not completely asleep, but not really awake either. In this state, my mind conjures images of Derek Hahn naked. He crawls up my bed, under the covers, his nude body skating over my flesh. The sensual friction of his skin on mine spurs me to moan and writhe while I rub my hands over his back. His cock brushes against my mound, hot and hard and ready for anything I want him to do to me. The fantasy becomes so vivid that I swear I can feel his cock pushing inside me, filling me up until I can’t breathe anymore. Heaven help me, I need him to fuck me in real life.

My lids fly open as a realization hits me. Oh, this will be even better than my original plan. A simple donation? Why should I settle for that? I can get everything I want with no strings attached. Assuming he agrees to my plan.

Have I gone barmy? Perhaps. But Pippa was half right. I don’t need a husband, but I do want a baby. I’ve wanted it for some time now, wanted it more than I probably should. I’m forty-five years old, so this might be my last chance.

Yes, I will do it. Tomorrow.

Now that I’ve decided what I want and how I want it, I fall asleep quickly and don’t wake again until morning. I feel more relaxed than I have in a long time, which might explain why I drift back to sleep before I’ve even pulled the covers off.

“Wake up, Diana.”

Did someone speak? I must have imagined it. That voice sounded like Derek’s, and that surely means I’ve fallen back asleep.

“Wake up, Diana,” that stern yet sexy voice commands. “You’ll be late for work if you don’t get out of bed right now.”

If I were awake, I wouldn’t appreciate his tone. But in my lustful dreams, I love the way he’s talking to me in that bossy tone. I mumble, “Why aren’t you under the covers with me?”

“Excuse me?”

Now he sounds confused. Well, this is my dream. I can change his attitude anytime I want. “Tell me how you want me to suck you off.”

Silence follows. The kind that doesn’t seem appropriate in a dream. Derek clears his throat. That definitely does not seem like something I would imagine in a fantasy. But I must be asleep, mustn’t I?

“Uh, Diana…what are you talking about?”

I spring up, shoving the covers off me, and stare wide-eyed at Derek. “What on earth are you doing in my bedroom, Mr. Hahn? It’s highly inappropriate.”

Standing there in a dark blue suit that tastefully highlights his physique, Derek lifts one brow and smirks. “I think you just offered to do something that’s outside the requirements of our contract.”

“What?” I swing my feet off the bed but trip and almost fall. I would have fallen, for sure, but he catches me. For a moment, I’m frozen with my body pressed to his and our gazes locked. Then I push away from him. “You could have used the intercom. It wasn’t necessary to enter my bedroom.”

“I tried the intercom. Guess you were so into whatever dream you were having that you didn’t notice.” He smirks again. “Now, would you like to tell me about that dream you were enjoying so much?”

Lifting my chin, I give him my haughtiest look. “I have no idea what you are talking about. But leave my bedroom this instant.”

He salutes. “Yes, ma’am.”

Derek pivots on his heels and saunters out the door, closing it behind him.

An hour later, I walk into my office at the international headquarters of Sommerleigh Sweets. Derek had the courtesy not to mention my dream again, but I never expected he would mention it. Hugh will be in his office already, I’m sure. But I don’t need to speak to him. I have only one meeting in mind for today, and it will be off the record. Derek Hahn doesn’t even know I want to see him today, but he’ll find out soon enough. First, though, I need to take care of a few business matters.

Once I’ve done that, I reach for my desk phone. My hand hovers over it, but I can’t seem to make it respond to my mental command to grasp the handset. This is ridiculous. I am not anxious. I retract my hand, fist my fingers, and then snap them straight. Yes, I feel much better now. So I grasp the phone and dial the extension.

“What can I do for you, Ms. Sangster?”

Derek’s deep, sensual voice makes my nipples tighten. Maybe there’s a draft in my office. I sit up straighter, and for some reason tug my suit jacket down, though he can’t see if my clothes are straight or unkempt.

“Are you still there?” he asks. “Or have you fallen asleep again?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” I take a deep breath and exhale it slowly. “Please come to my office, Mr. Hahn. I need to speak with you in person.”

“Sure thing. Just let me finish up this paperwork first. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

“Excellent.”

I hang up the phone and wait.

And I try not to think about his body. But commanding myself not to think about that only serves to increase my desire to fantasize about what might happen once I share my plan with Derek. I might have him inside me this morning, if I handle my proposal correctly. Will he take me on my desk? Oh, how I’ve fantasized about that over the past three months.

I straighten my jacket again—and wait.