The Kathryn Freeman Romcom Collection

Chapter 7

Zac was, unusually for him, running late. Something his bodyguard had been happy to point out when she’d knocked on his hotel room five minutes ago to find him not yet ready. His main bodyguard, he should add, not the tall, silent guy he’d had to put up with Friday night, once at the weekend, and just now on his way back from the studio.

‘Mark said you had another note today, delivered to the studio.’ Kat’s voice echoed through to his bedroom where he was currently dragging a shirt off a hanger.

‘Yes.’ Fear crashed down his spine as he recalled the note. I came to your place to see you. They told me you’d left. Are you avoiding me? It wasn’t so much the words, as the implication. Someone was watching him.

Who? And more importantly, why?

‘Have you had any more thoughts about who it might be?’

His hands stilled, and as his heart began to thump, Zac was grateful for the wall that separated him from Kat. ‘Why do you ask?’ Damn, that wasn’t the right answer. ‘I’d hardly keep it to myself if I had, would I?’

‘Only if you’re a total idiot.’

She’d said something similar before, yet Zac refused to believe he was an idiot. He was an actor trying to protect an image he wasn’t ready to see destroyed on a wild, highly improbable, obsessively anxious hunch.

‘How’s it going with Mark?’ Kat’s voice cut through his paranoid thoughts. ‘I bet you two were chatting away on the journey here.’

Shrugging on the shirt, he walked out to the sitting area where she was waiting, feet up on the footstool, thumbing through the newspaper the hotel conveniently placed outside his room every morning. ‘You know we weren’t.’

She smirked, though the expression slid from her face as her eyes settled on him. Or more precisely, on the part of his chest revealed by the shirt he hadn’t buttoned up yet. He was vain enough to know he looked good without his shirt on – hell, he spent enough hours in the gym working at it. Even more hours recently, since it was one of the few things he could do, without having to call for an escort.

‘Eyes on my face,’ he said mildly.

Of course, Kat being Kat, wasn’t embarrassed to be caught out. ‘Don’t fret, Mr I-can’t-act-a-scene-without-taking-my-shirt-off. I’ve seen it all before.’

‘But not in the flesh.’ He slowly – and yes, deliberately – began to do up the buttons.

‘Not yours, maybe, but I’ve seen plenty of others.’ When his brows shot up to his hairline, she groaned. ‘I was in the army, remember? I’ve seen enough male chests to last me a lifetime.’ As if to prove she was totally unfazed, she glanced back down at the newspaper. ‘So, back to my original question. How are you and Mark getting on?’

Disappointment curled inside him. Ridiculous. Did it matter that she wasn’t interested in him? Wasn’t it better this way? He had enough going on in his life right now without further complicating things. ‘Mark is fine. We’re getting on … fine.’ All of it true. The big guy was exactly how he’d imagined a bodyguard would be. Strong and silent.

Kat burst out laughing. ‘Come on, admit it, you miss my chat when I’m not around.’

He was acutely aware he didn’t just miss her chat. He missed her. ‘Mark is like me. He understands the need for quiet reflection.’ Before she could call him on his bullshit, Zac headed back into the bedroom to retrieve his jacket and tie. When he came back out, she was on her feet.

‘Ready?’

He threaded his tie as he walked towards her. ‘As ready as I’ll ever be.’

She looked at him askance. ‘You’re not looking forward to the launch of your very own brand of fragrance?’

He huffed out a breath. ‘It’s not mine. I’m merely the face behind the name.’ On the back of the success of The Good Guy? the perfume company had done a deal with the film company, and tonight was the big promotional shindig for the launch of a male fragrance of the same name.

‘Ah, but what a face.’

Her smile was teasing but it was hard to smile back. Being idolised for how he looked was an uncomfortable fit. Much like a cheap suit.

‘You need to lighten up by the time we get there,’ she told him once they were in the car. ‘Or they’ll have to change the name to The Morose Guy.’

‘Sorry.’ He settled back into the passenger seat – a hired Range Rover – and wondered at how quickly he’d become used to being driven around. Or was it Kat he’d become accustomed to? ‘Where were you this afternoon?’

‘So you did miss me.’ He saw the moment she became aware that her statement was too personal, and clamped her mouth shut.

‘I missed your driving,’ he corrected, though if he’d thought the comment would have been well received, he might have agreed with her statement. ‘Had you driven me back, I doubt I would be running late.’

‘Ah, good spot. Debs had a parent–teacher meeting at the school, so I agreed to do tonight if Mark covered me for that.’

‘Gucci.’

Kat burst out laughing. ‘You have no clue what that means, do you?’

He smiled. ‘None whatsoever.’

‘She’s still talking about the day she spoke to you. You’re like some sort of superhero in her eyes now.’

‘Perish the thought.’ He turned his head to stare out of the side window, not wanting Kat to read his thoughts. To see how insecure he was, beneath the polish. Being acclaimed for his acting was one thing; he craved it. The rest, the attention that came from people’s impression of who he was from the parts he played, or from his appearance. That he had a hard time dealing with.

They didn’t know him. Very few people did, and while that was deliberate, it was also, at times, very lonely.

***

It was manic. Sitting in the Range Rover, Kat eyed up the crowds with mounting apprehension. The people she’d previously provided protection to had attracted nowhere near this interest. People lined either side of a narrow, cordoned-off area leading to the entrance of The Old Billiard Room – the venue for the fragrance launch. Ninety-nine percent of the waiting throng were female, many bearing placards, some of which were quite clever – Good Guy, be My Guy; some straightforward – I love you Zac; and a few downright dirty – Zac, shag me, being the politest.

She brought the Range Rover to a halt directly outside and glanced at her passenger. He’d been very quiet since she’d mentioned Debs and she wondered if it was because he wanted to back out on his offer to show her round the studios – an offer Kat had no intention of holding him to – or if there was something else going on inside that handsome head of his.

‘Ready?’

Almost on cue, as if a director had said, ‘Action’, Zac sat up straight and gave her a flash of that sexy smirk. ‘Are you?’

She eyed the clamouring crowd and did a bit of spine straightening of her own. ‘Of course.’

‘Then let’s go and meet the fans.’

She jumped down from the car and, giving the area another sweeping look, went to open his door.

Immediately flashlights lit up the dusky evening, and Kat froze, her heart pounding. Shit, no, this wasn’t going to happen. She was not about to have a panic attack. The flashbulbs were from paparazzi cameras. There was no gunfire, no lurking terrorists.

As she forced herself to be calm, she reflected on how stupid it was that she hadn’t prepared herself for this … and that she even needed to. It had been over three years since she’d left the army. That part of her life was done, she’d moved on.

‘Kat?’ Zac gave her a quizzical glance.

She nodded, focusing on breathing, in and out, slow and steady.

‘Are you okay?’

‘Sure.’ There, she’d found her voice. And now her heart rate was starting to come under control. ‘Just hadn’t realised you were so popular.’ As if to prove her point, the fans started to shout his name. ‘Go on then, don’t keep them waiting.’

Pulling herself together, Kat scanned the crowd. She couldn’t afford to get distracted. Zac’s life might depend on her.

She swallowed down another bubble of panic. She’d told Mark she was ready for this. Damn it, she was ready.

While Zac worked the fans, a handshake here, a selfie there, Kat kept her eyes trained on the faces.

‘Hey, Edwards, what’s this new aftershave like?’ A middle-aged guy pushed his way to the front. ‘Will it make the missus go wild for me?’

Zac gave the man his small, polished smile. ‘Why not try it and find out?’

‘Not at those rip-off prices. You must get some freebies. How about throwing a bottle my way? Keep her happy?’

Okay, she didn’t like how close he was getting. ‘Back away, sir.’

At just under six foot, the mouthy guy looked down at her. ‘And who are you? No, wait, don’t tell me. You’re the bleeding bodyguard.’ He started to laugh. ‘Bloody hell, that’s priceless.’ He spun round to address the crowd behind him. ‘Look here, ladies. The big action hero you’re all drooling over is such a wimp he needs a woman to protect him.’

Beside her, Zac went rigid, but she admired his restraint when he merely turned away to shake the hand of a fan on the other side.

That’s when the jerk doing the taunting decided he didn’t like being ignored. ‘Oi, I’m talking to you.’ Ducking under the rope, he made towards Zac.

Kat acted on pure instinct. In two seconds, she had the guy face down on the pavement, pulling on his right hand as she edged it higher up his back. ‘Let me go, you bitch.’

‘Ask me nicely and I might.’ Adrenalin surging through her, she tugged harder on his arm.

‘Fucking hell, that hurts.’

‘Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realise a mere woman could hurt a big strong guy like you.’

A moment later the event security staff came running over and Kat gladly handed him over. ‘He’s all yours.’

Suddenly a hand gripped her arm and she turned to find Zac staring at her, his eyes full of concern. ‘Are you okay?’

‘Of course.’ Her lip curled in disgust as she watched the man being escorted away.

‘Christ, Kat.’

He looked shocked, rattled. Exactly how she’d felt when she’d first faced the crowd. ‘Let’s get you inside, before any other tossers decide they want to end up face down on the pavement.’

Being the star he was, Zac immediately plastered a smile on his face and waved at the crowds on either side as she escorted him inside the building. Once there, he was swamped by the organisers and Kat hung back, watching from a distance as he was introduced to people, photographed, and generally treated like visiting royalty. Every now and again his eyes would land on hers and she wondered what he was thinking.

In taking down the troublemaker, had she reassured Zac she was capable of keeping him safe?

Or instead was he remembering her wobble at the beginning, and the snide comments from the mouthy guy. Were they reinforcing his concerns about having her as his bodyguard at all?

***

Two hours later, Kat escorted Zac back to the Range Rover. He looked tired, so she left him to his thoughts as she drove him back to the hotel and then walked with him into the lift.

When he still didn’t say anything after she’d done a sweep of his room and signalled it was okay for him to come in, she decided it was time to hit the issue head on.

‘The guy hurling all that abuse on the pavement was a moron.’

Zac shrugged off his jacket and loosened his tie. ‘Agreed.’

‘So you can ignore everything he said. Like having a female bodyguard makes you look like a wimp.’

‘What?’ A mixture of shock and confusion spread across his face. ‘You think that bothered me?’

Crap, if it wasn’t that … Kat felt a ball of unease settle in her stomach. ‘Something did, because you’ve not said a word all the way here.’ He shook his head, exhaling heavily as he threw his jacket onto the sofa. ‘And you always hang your jacket up.’

‘Jesus.’ He tugged a hand through his hair before heading towards the minibar. ‘Do you want a drink? Someone told me it was one of the perks of living in a hotel.’

She could have murdered one, but she had to shake her head. ‘No thanks. I’m on duty.’

‘I’m here, safe and sound in my hotel room. You’re off the clock.’

‘I’m also driving. But I’ll take a Coke, if there is one.’

He reached inside and drew out a miniature of whisky and a small Coke, pouring hers into a glass and handing it to her before pouring his own. ‘Cheers.’ He perched on the arm of the sofa and gave her a small, tight smile. ‘Here’s to my bodyguard, keeping me safe.’

He was being ironic. Damn it, he was going to pull her up on her mini panic attack. Feeling her hands start to tremble, Kat quickly put down her drink. ‘Just say what you want to say.’

‘I just did.’ He raised his glass towards her. ‘A toast to my bodyguard.’

‘How many drinks have you already had?’

He raised a brow, looking offended. ‘You think I’m drunk?’

‘I don’t know what to think,’ she muttered, taking a big swig of the Coke. ‘But if you’re going to talk in riddles, it’s time for me to leave.’

He sipped at his whisky, his eyes on her, the look brooding and unnervingly intense. ‘He could have had a knife. Or a gun.’

The bottom fell out of her stomach. Any minute now, he was going to tell he wanted her replaced. Slowly she turned. ‘I realise that. And I can imagine how terrifying it must be, knowing someone might want to hurt you.’

‘You think that’s what spooked me out there?’ Suddenly he jumped to his feet and stalked over, putting his hands on her shoulders. When he looked down at her there was an urgency, a roughness to his expression she’d not seen before. ‘Fuck, Kat, he could have hurt you.’

Her heart lurched at the emotion swirling in his eyes. ‘He couldn’t. He didn’t. I’m good at what I do.’ When I’m not distracted. Kat shoved the unhelpful, yet grimly accurate, thought away.

Zac huffed, glancing away for a moment, before settling those stunning eyes back on her. ‘I didn’t think about it before, but now it’s all I can think about.’ His hands shifted to curl around her upper arms and his gaze landed on her mouth. ‘I don’t want you putting yourself in danger to protect me.’

Inside her chest, her heart beat like a crazy thing. Was this all part of his ploy to get rid of her? Or was he worried about the thing he was hiding from them – she wasn’t daft, she knew there was something he wasn’t telling them. Was he worried that might put her at risk, too?

Or, God, the hooded eyes, the parted lips. Was he going to kiss her? Involuntarily, her own lips began to tingle in anticipation. It was wrong, so very wrong, yet part of her wanted it to happen. Wanted to feel that sensual mouth against hers.

This man with his fussy ways and careful words. Dry humour and kind actions. She was getting frighteningly attached to him.

Taking a step back, she forced her mind to focus back on what he’d said. ‘You want to swap bodyguards? Have Mark find you someone else?’ The thought stung.

‘The thought has crossed my mind.’

‘I see.’

‘No, you don’t!’ With a hiss of frustration, he swirled round and smacked his hand against the opposite wall.

Always so measured, so in control, it was a shock to see this other side of him. ‘Zac?’

His back facing her, she watched the rise and fall of his shoulders as he drew in a deep breath and slowly let it out. When he turned towards her again, he looked calmer.

‘Sorry. Seeing you in action today, it rattled me.’

‘What did?’ The way I froze, like a startled rabbit? Please don’t say it, please don’t—

‘The way you put yourself between me and that mouthy git.’

He hadn’t noticed her scared bunny impression. Relief flooded through her. ‘If it had been Mark grappling the jerk instead, would you still have been rattled?’

‘No.’

She huffed. ‘So it’s a gender issue.’

He laughed, but not in an amused way. More … baffled. ‘No, Kat, it’s not a gender issue. It’s a you issue. I like you. I don’t want you to come to any harm.’

Deep inside her chest she felt a squeeze. ‘Thank you, but I know what I’m doing.’

‘We don’t know who we’re up against though, do we? We don’t know what they’re capable of.’

He was worrying her again. ‘What are you saying?’

With a shake of his head he walked towards the door. ‘I’m saying I don’t want to be responsible for you being hurt.’ Hand on the handle, he glanced over at her. ‘I’m saying for both our sakes, I hope you’re right when you say you know what you’re doing. Goodnight, Kat.’

Her mind was a whirl of emotions as she rode back down in the lift. He’d hinted at it before, but now she knew. He liked her.

It shouldn’t matter, yet it did.

Did he like her enough to trust her with the information he was clearly hiding though, because she really, really needed him to do that. Only then would she know the true scale of the challenge she was facing and whether she was as ready as she’d promised Mark. Or as capable as she’d claimed to Zac.

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