“I see.” Bonnie said quietly. She wasn’t sure how she felt about him hanging around her and watching her, but at least this way she didn’t have to always be worried about her father finding her and forcing her to go home anymore. This way, she could get what she wanted. “My apartment is close to here. You can drop me off and be on your way” “I don’t think so” David replied. “I won’t be doing a good job of watching you if i left you alone, would i?” “What did you say?” She asked. He didn’t reply, but let her figure out what he meant by herself. When she did, her mouth opened, but all that came out was, “Oh God.” Lifting one dark eyebrow, David felt triumphant. She was already realizing the implications of insisting not to go back to her parents…He hid his chuckle and said, “Come again?” Bonnie shook her head, then at the same time said, “Nothing…” She heaved a sigh, straightened her back, and then nodded. “Okay. I think we could try and see how it goes.” David stared at her, tr
Crystal Lakes, as exclusive and ritzy as it was, sat only about twenty-five minutes from the lower east side. It was one of those areas where you could feel the gradual change as you left hell and entered heaven. The grass started looking greener, the business district slipped away, and eventually everything was clean and untainted. Bonnie pointed out her house, a small white one, with a front porch. It looked as if it had been standing there for more than a hundred years, and was surprisingly different from the newer, immense homes recently built in the area. There were lights in every window, providing a sense of warmth. All in all, the place was impressive, but not quite what he’d expected. Somehow, he’d envisioned her stationed in real money. Any truly successful businessperson could afford this house. David stared around the isolated grounds. “So you decided to live here by yourself?” She nodded, not quite looking at him, her hands clasped nervously in her lap. “And th
He braced his hands on the door frame, deliberately looming over her. "From this second on, I call the shots, with no arguments from you. If you really want to continue to stay here, you'll do as I tell you, whatever I tell you." He waited until she'd backed all the way into the kitchen, then he added, "You understand all that?" Bonnie's mouth opened twice, but nothing came out. She was too stunned to think rationally, too appalled to react with any real thought. David dropped his arms and stepped completely into the kitchen, watching her, and by reflex alone, she started sidling toward the hall door. She had made a terrible mistake. Her instincts had been off by a long shot. David's smile was pure wickedness. "Where ya' goin', Bon Bon?" "I, ah, I just thought of something..." she replied. Like a loud blast, his laugh erupted, filling the silence of the kitchen. She halted, a spark of suspicion beginning to form. "What is so funny?" "The look on your face. Did you think
He hesitated another moment, then stepped outside, pulling the door shut behind him. Bonnie watched through the window as his car drove away, wondering where he was going, or what he was going to do, but knowing she didn't have the right to ask. Perhaps he had a lady friend waiting for him. Of course he does, Bonnie, she told herself. A man like him probably has dozens of women. But they're not ladies. He wouldn't want a lady. And for some reason, that thought sent a small, forbidden thrill curling through her insides. ________________________ Anger and frustration were not a good combination. David didn't understand himself. Or more to the point, he didn't understand his reaction to Bonnie. He'd been a hairbreadth away from kissing her. Not a sweet little peck. No, he'd wanted his tongue in her mouth, his lips covering hers, feeling her urgency. He'd wanted, dammit, to devour her completely. And she would have loved it, he could tell that much from her racing pulse and he
Spread across David’s coffee table, several papers were scattered, including his laptop, phone and gun. The faint smell of lemon lingered in the air, a scent that reminded him of the late Rick Sanchez house. Rick had been obsessed with Pine-Sol like it was a geriatric version of crack cocaine. Everything, including the hardwood floors, had been doused in the stuff. David had spent many of his afternoons after school using the hallway downstairs in the quiet home as a Slip N Slide. Rick had always kept everything neat and clean, to the point that it was borderline disturbing, which explained why David, as an adult, couldn’t stand things to be displaced or messy. Everything had to be in order and have a purpose. And what was resting on his coffee table definitely was not a part of the plan—of any plan. David took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Well, shit on a shitter.” Rick rolled over in his grave. He had always hated cussing, and while David tried to remember and live by wh
She glanced around the room, taking in the apartment's minimal furnishings: a couch, a small table with two chairs, a few lamps, a stereo, but no television. His bedroom sat off to the right, where the open door allowed her to see a small night table and a rumpled bed. The kitchen was merely a room divided by a small, three-foot bar. He liked the place, even though the neighborhood was rough and the tenants noisy. It wasn't home, but then he'd never really had a home, at least not one of his own. He'd lived with Rick Sanchez a while, and that had seemed as close as he'd ever get to having a family. But that was before Rick died. Ever since, his life had been centered on taking care of Rick’s daughter. Where he lived was a trivial matter. He waited to see Bonnie's reactions to the apartment, but she didn't so much as blink. After a brief smile, she set the basket on the table, then opened it with a flourish. David had to say something…. “I know it’s not really a hotel as i said
"That we're strangers, or that we're going to be spending a lot of time together?" She blinked, then looked away. "How long have you been...ah...doing this. I mean how long have you been a private investigator" "And bodyguard?" "Yes." There was another bright blush on her cheeks. David wondered how she kept from catching fire as she did that a lot. "A while," he said, keeping his answer vague. "You...you like it?" Good Lord. He laid down his fork and stared at her. She was the most unpredictable woman he'd ever met. Watching her eyes, he said, "I get paid for it. So yeah." She sucked in her breath. The fork she had in front of her held a piece of sausage, ready to fall off. She looked guilty. "I'm sorry that I asked. I just wanted to get to know you better. Just because we're stuck together doesn't mean that we can't be friends, but I get it and I'll try not to ask anymore personal questions" She trembled, then put down her fork, folding her hands in her lap. David
Bonnie forced a small smile and tried to pull her hand free, but David wouldn't let her go. He wouldn't let her look away, either. His gaze held her as securely as his fingers held her hand. "I want to do this, David, and I'm not going to let you stop me." she said "Is this a way to get back on your parents… To get them to notice you?" he asked. She cleared her throat and tried to change the subject. "That is ridiculous. It doesn't have anything to do with anyone noticing me." Panic began to edge through her. Not for anything would she let him see her this way. “This has nothing to do with my family. I’m going…and if you are really determined to do your job right, then you will come with me, but i’m going…with or without you" Once she said that, she decided to leave, knowing she had to do something, occupy herself somehow. A display of emotions wouldn't serve her purpose. But before she could move away, he had tugged close. The morning whiskers on his jaw felt slightly abrasive
"You're awfully quiet" David said to Bonnie when they got into the taxi that was supposed to take them to High Tide Harbour. She had been that way during the flight and David was starting to get worried. "I'm not" Bonnie protested, but even she knew that she didn't sound convincing enough. "Yes you are. You barely spoke to me on the flight except for when I asked you a question. And you slept during most of it. Are you mad at me? Did I do something wrong? You can tell me and I'll make it right." Bonnie gave him a small smile. She felt guilty for making him think that he'd hurt her. He'd been perfect the entire time even after they said goodbye to her parents. The truth was that she had a lot on her mind. Her fears had been confirmed. She was pregnant! The weird thing was that she was thrilled about it. She was happy in fact. She was having a child… David's child was growing inside of her and she knew she'd love the baby with all her heart, but she was worried too. Having a baby ch
"You shouldn't be the one to apologize." Robert replied, as he touched her chin gently so she would look at him. "I was selfish, and I guess I was a bit too focused on what I'd benefit from your marriage to Marcus. I'll admit that I was really angry at first when you left, but after a while I thought about it, especially after David Stewart confirmed that you were alright, then I realized that I pushed you away. For that I'm sorry… ""Oh, dad""I see how… different you are now" Robert continued. "You look more confident in yourself and you're so happy… am I wrong?" Bonnie blushed as she shook her head. Was it really that obvious? But he was right. She was happier than she'd ever been in a long time. "No you're not" she replied finally. There was a pause, before Robert added. "And am I wrong to assume that David Stewart has something to do with that happiness?" Bonnie averted her eyes. She knew the topic of David would come up sometime. His presence alone was going to bring it up an
"Do we really need to do this?" Bonnie asked David as they got into the car. Finally, she was going to visit her parents for the first time since she ran out on her wedding, and no matter how much she tried to stay positive about it, there was this nagging pit in her stomach. She also had this horrible headache that just wouldn't go away. David sent her a heart warming look. "Yes, we do," he replied, then he tried to make her feel better by saying, "I'm sure they would love to see you. When your father hired me to find you, all I could see was a man who was really worried about his daughter and her safety. Whatever you might be thinking, nothing is going to go wrong. You called and told them that you were coming, right?"Bonnie sighed." Yes, I did." "And what did they say?""They said they'd be thrilled to see me" David raised an eyebrow. "So what's the problem? I'm sorry, but I fail to see it." Bonnie shook her head at him. "You seem to have forgotten, but I ran out on my weddi
Her pulse quickened even more and her lips parted as she struggled to breathe. She wanted that now—to be in bed with him. “I’m sorry,” she murmured.“What? It’s not your fault,” he said. “It's not your fault that I couldn't stay focused on my job. Honestly, I’m glad I didn’t and I don't regret any moment I spent with you. It was all worth it.”Bonnie smiled, then for some reason probably just to tease him, she used her hands on his knees to lever herself to her feet. Then she turned to walk away from him, but he stood and reached out. Catching her wrist, he whirled her around to face him. “Oh, hell,” he muttered before he lowered his mouth to hers.David kissed her hungrily—like he had earlier. His lips nipped and nibbled at hers, tugging until she parted them. Then he slid his tongue inside where it tangled with hers. She gasped and panted for breath as passion overwhelmed her."Were you really going to walk away from me?" he asked as he withdrew, breathing deeply. "Nah, I just wa
Bonnie unlocked her house and stepped in, carrying a big bag of groceries. Before she could finish locking the door behind her, David appeared beside her. He flashed her a smile that was difficult not to return. “Everything okay?” she asked him.He didn’t stop smiling. “Yeah. Why do you ask?”“Well, you were almost at the door waiting for me”“That’s because I missed you,” David replied.Bonnie simply blushed and looked away from him."Let me help you with that" he said, but Bonnie moved out of his reach and headed for the kitchen. He followed her. “You don’t have to. Besides, your shoulder hasn’t healed fully”"You know I'm not helpless, right?" he said behind her. "I'm just injured, and I have seen worse injuries." Bonnie dropped the bag and glared at him, "I’m sure you have. But like I said, your shoulder isn't completely healed yet," she said. "Don't put so much stress on it for now. I can handle the bag, and while you are here, you will do exactly what I say." "Yes, ma'am" Dav
George nodded his head. "Yeah, I already told the cops everything. They'll handle him." "Good" "He's alive too." "He is?" Both David and Bonnie stared in surprise. "Yeah. Apparently he's a tough old bastard, but he's going to spend a lot of time cooling off in prison." "I guess so" came David's reply. "I also checked on Michael," George added. "And?" "And he will be alright. The doctors say it might take a while, but the surgery was successful. If everything continues to go as planned, he will be alright" Bonnie breathed a sigh of relief at this information. Everything would be alright. Everyone was going to be okay. She watched as George tapped David on his leg and realized that they weren't just partners. They seemed very close and genuinely cared about one another. After he said goodbye to David, he turned to her. "It was really nice to meet you, Bonnie" George said, "although the circumstances and situation in which we met were… really wild, but I'm glad I met you. You h
Bonnie screamed as the shots went off, and her heart skipped a beat when she saw David and Jonathan crash to the floor. She thought he was dead. But he’d been fine. Not totally fine. Fortunately for him, Jonathan had missed hitting anything fatal, but David's shoulder had been hit. Jonathan, on the other hand, lay dead on the ground. She flinched as she remembered the image of Michael lying helpless on the floor, unable to do anything for him, then she snapped out of the shock and ran towards David. She shook him and watched as he slowly opened his eyes "Oh God, David," she cried. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. Are you going to be okay? Can you hear me?…I'm so sorry, David" “It’s just a scratch,” David said to her and gave her a small smile to assure her and make her calm down. "Stop worrying. I'm fine… and so are you" "Thanks to you." said Bonnie, unable to stop the tears from falling. You saved my life. If you hadn’t come in when you had…” She shuddered as she realized that could
While the other two men stayed outside and watched the building, David and George went into the house. It was empty. That was something David already knew, but he signed George to look around the other rooms while he went straight to the room he suspected Bonnie would be in. He got to the room but it was locked from inside. But he was now one hundred percent sure that Bonnie was in there because as soon as he tried the door, he heard her muffled voice. She clearly wasn't alone because someone made her stop. David's chest ached from the pain that had struck his heart when he’d heard Bonnie cry out from within the apartment. He had to get inside—without that man hurting Bonnie any more. He hammered at the door again. “C’mon, I'm here. lemme in.”“No—” Bonnie began but then cried out again.He stepped back, so he had room to kick in the door. When he tried once and the door didn't budge, he put his gun in the waistband of his jeans and moved backwards to try again. But before he could
Bonnie sat quietly in the room where she was kept. Her face felt hot and she knew she had a cut on her lower lip from where she had been hit when she was grabbed. She had cried her eyes out until she didn't have the energy to cry anymore, so she just sat on the floor with her knees raised up to her chest and tried to think. Her life had changed so much since she ran out on her wedding…. It hadn't even been up to four months but so much had happened that it felt like years had passed. Her thoughts drifted to David. She was in this situation right now because she had gotten involved with him, but funny enough she still didn't regret it and didn't regret running out on her wedding. How stupid was she? She couldn't help but wonder because only a crazy person would think the way she was thinking right now. She sighed…. A person crazy in love. She winced when she thought about Michael. How was he? Was he dead? Did someone find him? The question bothered her and the assumption that he ha