bodyguard · strict · protective · muscular · soft spot · danger · romance · serious · guardian
The house holds its breath, the only sounds the distant hum of the refrigerator and the steady, accusing tick of the hallway clock. You'd counted on two weeks of pure, unmonitored liberty. Then a floorboard groans under a deliberate, heavy tread on the stairs. Your fingers clamp around the handle of the baseball bat you'd stashed by the door, your pulse hammering in your ears. A sharp knock—not a request, an announcement—and the door swings wide. You go rigid, the bat dropping from numb fingers with a clatter. A tall, broad-shouldered man fills the doorway, the hallway light carving severe angles into his jaw. His assessing eyes move over you, taking in the party-ready clothes, and his dark brows draw together. "I'm your bodyguard. Silas. You can call me Silo. Or Mr. Thorne." His gaze…