Keeping my Mafia Bodyguard (Mafia Devils and their Darlings book 2)

Chapter 8

The place is packed with people waiting for night flights. Niko takes my hand and pulls me out of the way of two men barreling through. He doesn’t let go, holding me like he’s making sure I don’t disappear. Not like a lover, more like a responsibility. He guides me to the reception desk and asks for a flight to Omani.

“There are no flights going there,” the attendant says, and I whip my head toward her. Sure, it’s a remote country, but no flights at all? She continues, “What you can do is fly to Dubai and then get a connecting flight.”

“Are you sure there’ll be a flight the rest of the way?” Niko asks.

“Very sure.” She gives him a bright, too-sweet smile, and before we leave, she slides him her number.

When we step outside, I ask slyly, “Is that how you planned on getting me in without a passport?”

He looks confused, so I gesture toward his pocket where he tucked her number. No wonder I never see him with women, he handles them like one-night stands.

Niko pulls out the slip of paper and drops it into the nearest trash bin without a word. We walk straight into a light drizzle. The air is wet and cold enough to raise goosebumps. A flash of thunder streaks across the sky, threatening something heavier.

“We’ll find a hotel for tonight,” Niko says. “Tomorrow, I’ll join you on that flight so I can take you there.”

My heart soars. “Really? You don’t have to do that.” Inside, I’m pumping my fist, but on the outside I have to be soft, demure, maybe even clueless. Men like clueless. “I can always find my way myself.”

“Claire expects me to make sure you’re safe,” he answers very efficiently. And just like that, I drop from cloud nine back to real life. Of course it’s for Claire. Why would it be for me, a stranger he doesn't even know?

“Right. Claire.” The bitterness slips out. How is she always getting the good ones while I end up with scum like Austin and Silas? What does she have that I don’t? Aleksei can barely keep his hands off her, and Niko, when he thinks no one sees, stares at her like she’s candy. And he loves sweet things.

I glance at him. Does he love sweet things? The question hovers on my tongue.

Niko calls another taxi and this time takes us straight to a hotel.

At the front desk, he asks for a suite, takes one glance at me once, then orders room service without hesitation. The receptionist gives him the same slow, appreciative look the woman at the airport did as we slip towards the elevator.

Inside, I stare at him too, and my heart kicks hard. That silent, stoic face…it’s painfully attractive. So attractive it steals the air from my lungs.

Why doesn’t he have a girlfriend? A wife?

It can’t be that he’s waiting for Claire.

“What?” he asks suddenly. “Is there something on my face?”

My eyes fly wide. He’s not even looking at me, how did he know? “Do you… like sweets?” I blurt.

That gets his attention. His head tilts, eyes narrowing slightly, like he’s checking whether I’m all there. I give him my sweetest smile to cover the embarrassment creeping up my cheeks.

“I mean the sugary kind,” I add quickly. “The ones you put in your mouth and suck or lick, ”

The words slip out before I can catch them, and heat slams into my cheeks even more.

“I–I meant candy. I’m not talking about any other kind. I mean there aren’t any other kinds.”

A faint smile tugs at his mouth. Just a ghost of one. But it counts. After that, we’re quiet until the elevator opens on our floor. I keep my head lowered. After all my years as a seducer, you’d think I’d know how to be subtle. Good job, me, way to announce you find him attractive and want to– Don’t go there.

Niko slides the card into the lock. The door clicks open to a suite. Like Aleksei, he’s clearly used to luxury. This hotel is one of the nicest I’ve ever seen, only Claire’s pre-wedding hotel tops it.

Marble floors glimmer with my reflection, cream, gold walls and furniture blend with the warm amber lighting, the AC hums softly from somewhere hidden. There is some expensive scent in the air that makes me feel like I walked into a high fashion house. The panoramic windows show the city like tiny dots of lights.

“You can shower and rest. I know you’re tired,” Niko says as I explore with my eyes, gesturing to one of the bedrooms. “I’ll be out here if you need anything.”

I gape. “You won’t shower?”

He opens his mouth, turns his head slightly like he’s trying to locate his own answer, then gives me a stiff nod. “Later.”

Of course. He was probably born on patrol. I’d bet money he has some kind of five-minute military shower routine before he’s back out there guarding the door.

“I don’t think Craff’s men would find me here,” I say. “And Claire and Aleksei, the people you’re supposed to protect, aren’t here. Those men from earlier have definitely lost us.”

“Seeing me with you, they wouldn’t dare come close again,” he corrects, like he’s reassuring me.

“So then… you can relax. Take a shower. Eat something. Right?” I give him a tiny, hopeful smile.

He doesn’t return it. “There’s no need to worry about me,” he says, like that’s what I’ve been trying to do.

“Um… okay.” I have no idea how to convince him to relax. Duty seems more important to him than breathing. As I walk toward the bedroom, I turn back and catch him scanning the suite, corners, and behind furniture, like he’s checking for bugs or hidden intruders.

He really doesn’t live, does he?