If Only: The CEO's Ex-bodyguard

​Kevin ​"Look, Mr. Blackwood, I’m sorry, but we’re done. We got a tip that you’ve been leaving clients high and dry in the middle of jobs. We can't have that kind of liability." ​I nearly choked on my own spit. "High and dry? Cornell, are you kidding me? I’ve never left a client in my life. My record is literally the only clean thing I own." ​"The word came from someone very high up, Kevin. My hands are tied. Don't make this harder than it has to be." ​"You know what, Cornell? Fine." I didn't even try to hide the growl in my voice. "Everyone’s 'important' until they’re staring down a barrel. If you want to take advice from a snitch over the best guy on your roster, that’s your funeral. Good luck." ​I hung up before he could get another word out and threw my phone onto the passenger seat. My heart was thudding against my ribs. I’d spent two years building this life. New life, new city, three different jobs just to keep the lights on and the past buried. But the only time I’d ever walked away from a contract... was her. 'How the hell did she find me?' ​"God, what a mess," I muttered, pulling into my driveway. ​I just wanted to see Kyle. He was the only reason I did any of this. The long shifts, the constant paranoia, the bruises—it was all so he could just be a normal college kid. ​Henry was by the door before I even got my keys out. He’d been with our family since I was a kid, and he stayed even when the bank accounts hit zero. He was more like an uncle than a butler at this point. ​"Evening, Master Kevin. Your brother’s already back." ​"Thanks, Henry. I told you to stop with the 'Master' s**t. Go get some sleep, okay? You don't need to wait up for me." ​He gave me that knowing nod and headed out to the cottage. I walked in and barely had my jacket off before I heard feet pounding on the stairs. ​"Kev! You’re back!" Kyle practically tackled me. ​"Easy, man! You’re gonna break a rib," I laughed, but I squeezed him back hard. He was my world. He was almost twenty years old but still goofy and childlike around me. I wonder how he charmed those boys who kept falling for him. ​"You look like hell," Kyle said, pulling back to look at me. "Go. I already started a bath for you. Just relax for a second while I finish dinner." ​Later, we were sitting over plates of pasta, and I was finally starting to decompress when he dropped the bomb. ​"So... you gonna start dating again, or are you planning on marrying your security manuals?" ​I stared at him, mid-chew. "Excuse me?" ​"I’m serious, Kev. You’ve got two jobs now that you're done with the agency, and I’m a grown man. You need a life before you turn into a grumpy old hermit." ​"I have a life," I countered, though it sounded weak even to me. "I'll think about it, okay? Since you're suddenly an expert on romance, are you seeing anyone?" ​Kyle got this shy, goofy grin that told me everything. "Actually... yeah. I met a guy. It’s early, but he’s really cool." ​"A guy? Do I need to go 'Big Brother' on him? Run a background check?" ​Kyle pointed a fork at me. "No! No background checks, no stalking, and absolutely no 'scary soldier' eyes. I will tell you when you’re allowed to meet him." ​I held up my hands in surrender. "Fine. If you’re happy, I’m happy." After dinner we headed to bed. But sleep? Sleep was a different story. I wasn’t in my bedroom anymore. I was back in that hallway, the one with the marble floors that felt like ice under my boots. The air smelled exactly like her, expensive bourbon and that vanilla perfume that used to get stuck in my throat. ​I was standing right behind her. I didn’t even have to touch her to feel the heat coming off her skin, vibrating through the silk of her dress. My heart wasn’t beating like a normal person’s; it was thudding a heavy, rhythmic warning against my ribs. ​"You know I'd never let anything happen to you," I whispered. My own voice sounded like a stranger’s, lower and desperate. ​She turned slowly, her eyes locking onto mine with that look that always made me feel like she was reading my DNA. ​"I would never let anyone come between us, Kevin," she said, her voice a low rasp. ​She stepped into my space, her hand brushing my chest, and the world felt like it was tilting on its axis. ​"Kevin, please. Kiss me. I know I’m crossing the line. But just once..." ​She leaned in, her breath warm against my lips, and just as I was about to give up every bit of my pride— ​BEEP! BEEP! Beep! ​I slammed my hand down on the alarm so hard I thought the plastic would c***k. ​"Dammit," I hissed, staring at the ceiling. I was drenched in sweat, my heart hammering like I’d just run a marathon. ​I looked down. My body was still reacting to a woman who had betrayed me two years ago. It didn't matter that I hated her. My subconscious didn't care about logic; it just remembered the way she looked in the moonlight. ​I dragged myself into the bathroom and turned the shower dial all the way to the blue. I stepped into the needles of ice-cold water, gasping as it hit my chest. '​Stop it,' I told myself, leaning my forehead against the wet tile. 'She’s a ghost. She’s dead to you. Get your head in the game.' ​But as the water ran down my back, I knew the cold wasn't helping today. Some memories are just too hot to drown. ​I got dressed in my usual black suit. I grabbed a quick breakfast, kissed the cleaning lady, Julie, on the head, and told her to tell Kyle I’d be late. ​The whole drive to work, I couldn't shake the dream. And then, at a red light on 4th, I saw it. A black Mercedes. Tinted windows. It looked exactly like one of hers. ​I stared at it, my pulse spiking. Then the driver’s side window cracked open just an inch—enough for a plume of smoke to drift out. I caught a flash of a pale hand and a silver ring. My heart did a backflip. I knew that ring. ​Green light. ​The sedan moved with a smooth, predatory grace. The cars behind me started honking, a chorus of angry metal. ​"Shut up!" I snapped. ​I swung into the left lane, pushing the SUV hard, trying to keep that tinted window in sight. I cut off a delivery truck, ignoring the screech of brakes. I needed to know. ​But by the time I cleared the intersection, the sedan had vanished into the morning fog. Gone. ​I slowed down, my hands shaking on the wheel. "Get it together," I whispered. ​Maybe Kyle was right. Maybe I was so desperate for closure that I was seeing her in every shadow. Or maybe the "important person" who got me fired wasn't some government official. Maybe it was her, pulling the strings from the dark like she always did. ​I pulled into the agency parking lot, killed the engine, and just sat there. The running was supposed to be over. But as I looked at my reflection in the window, I realized that if she had found me, the real fight was only just beginning.