Page 23 of Getting Off

CHAPTER ONE

JADE

Jade Aristos kept her skills honed to a knife’s edge. That meant constant training. A bodyguard had to be ready for anything. This morning, keeping her skills sharp meant heading to one of the open terraces around the villa with her bo staff for some martial arts weapon forms.

She’d start her training right after she checked on her principle, the man she was protecting—Maxim Hawthorne.

The handsome bastard who drove her so crazy.

It was bright and sunny out. A few strands of clouds drifted over the ocean that spread past the rocky cliffs.

The wind wasn’t even bad today. The little Greek isle could get annoyingly windy at times.

It bothered her more than it did Maxim. She had long hair, after all.

Wind could make unbound long hair a real trial.

But her long hair was pulled back and tied up in a ponytail, and she was ready for business. All she had to do was check on Maxim.

He was probably meditating on the lower terrace, focused on the waves and the wind. Part of her wished he would train with her again. Like they’d used to train together. Light sparring. Grappling. It had been the grappling that finally ended their training together. All that touching, body to body…

Jade felt a surge of desire pooling low in her abdomen. She had to stop and force it away. Focus. She needed to focus. That was all in the past.

Jade had been a bodyguard for most of her adult life. She’d never had a client like Maxim Hawthorne, though. Brilliant. Intense. Gorgeous. So good in bed, he left you trembling and hoarse from all your cries of pleasure.

Damn it! Stop thinking of that!

They were done. They were lovers no more. Finished. Over .

And yet she still worked for him. She still protected him. She lived on a small island with him, for God’s sake.

She was crazy. One of these days, she’d get sick of yearning for what she couldn’t have, and she’d finally leave. She’d head back to the States, find a good man, and settle down. Own a dog. And a fish. And maybe…a cat. If they could all get along. She would forget about Maxim forever.

Except in dreams. Where even now, he sometimes haunted her with those intense, smoldering eyes…

Enough! She stormed across the decks overlooking the cliffs and the ocean, holding her fighting staff.

She was wearing her training outfit. A sports bra and form-fitting boy-shorts for maximum flexibility.

She was ready to get in some serious workout, once she determined her charge was safe, and wouldn’t you know, Maxim was being a pain in the ass, as usual.

Damn him.

She took her job very seriously. Not that anyone came to this side of the mostly empty island. The job was almost too easy.

Except it wasn’t. Because of Maxim. Because of how much she wanted him.

As expected, she found him on the lower terrace. Except he wasn’t meditating as she’d expected. He was leaning against the stone railing with his hands in his pockets, staring at the ocean and the seagulls who were riding the wind currents.

She hesitated only for a second. Even now, the sight of him sometimes struck her hard.

He was handsome. Distractingly so. It annoyed her, especially since it was her job to pay attention to any and all threats around Max.

Someday she’d be ogling his firm butt and she’d be caught off guard and then what?

The thought of losing him was like an icicle piercing her chest. That was one reason she was still here with him, working as his lone bodyguard. Working for him even after all their history and all the passion between them. She couldn’t stand the thought of losing him forever.

Guess that made her a fool.

Maxim saw her approaching and grinned at her.

But his gaze remained the same penetrating stare it had always been, fierce and direct.

It was one of the things she liked about him, although the intensity could unnerve people who weren’t used to him.

People who didn’t know he had a heart of gold under all that muscle.

The rest of him was just as appealing as his smile.

He was tall, broad-shouldered, and clean-shaven, showing off his high cheekbones and bone structure that must have come from some Eastern European country, although he’d been born in Detroit.

He was wearing loose-fitting khakis and a dark T-shirt with a white button-down shirt over it.

The button-down was wide open and blowing behind him with the wind coming off the water.

It was easy to see how fit he was. Athletic. Part of Maxim’s routine was lifting weights and physical training, including running, swimming, and diving. He wasn’t as bulgy as a bodybuilder, but he was cut and hard, and when he wandered around with his shirt off, she had to stop and stare.

Without him noticing, of course. He wasn’t paying her to drool over his pecs.

She managed to push all those distracting thoughts to the back of her mind where they belonged. She wandered to him, ready to tell him that she’d walked the house and the grounds and it was all secure. Only he beat her to the punch.

“You ever wish you could fly?” he asked in a musing baritone that was smooth as polished mahogany. He turned to stare at the circling gulls.

She snorted. She was used to odd questions. “Who doesn’t want to fly? It’s the crashing that’s the problem.”

He laughed, his eyes going all warm in a way that had her turning all melty inside. Damn him.

“Thank God I have you around to keep me grounded,” he said, still smiling.

She liked the praise. She always did. But it hurt a little too. Because she wanted so much more.

She should be happy with what she had. She was paid a very generous salary to live in a beautiful house worth millions, sometimes heading out for days on Maxim’s luxury yacht, all to keep a handsome man safe from threats that never made their way to the tiny isle.

Sometimes she wondered if Maxim was a little paranoid, keeping a bodyguard around like this when they only went to mainland Greece once every couple of weeks. Still, she wasn’t going to complain. The money was great.

Maxim was wealthy. Not just rich but super-rich.

He’d had this modern villa built here on Patroklos, the private island he’d bought from the Greek government.

On the opposite side of the island, he’d built a spa and health resort that specialized in homeopathic treatments and total care for body, spirit, and mind.

To her, it was more New Age stuff, but it was popular.

Probably because he kept the prices low and even had sponsorships for those in need.

That was Maxim. One great big softie.

Except for those eyes. And all those muscles.

“Do you want lunch?” she asked, suddenly casting around for something to say to break the silence. She didn’t want him to know how being this close to him still affected her. “Dimi is fixing something for us if you’re hungry.”

“Thanks,” he said, glancing back at the water. “But all my needs are met.”

That was a very Maxim thing to say. He’d told her once that he was very different than he’d been six years ago.

Back then, he’d been a high-end software engineer back in the States.

More like a software Mozart. The first AI program he designed had made him a millionaire, and it was only upward from there.

But after one project for the government, he’d suddenly pulled up stakes, sold his company and all his shares, and left the US. He’d also hired her to keep him safe…and teach him how to fight.

She’d done both. She was very good.

“So,” she said, jerking her chin toward one of the white terraces artfully built into the grounds around the house. “I’m going to do a few forms. Want to join me?”

He looked her in the eyes. Her breath caught in her throat at the look he was giving her. The intensity in his gaze had dialed up to the max.

He wanted to. She could see it.

Her realization made her respond with a wild mix of emotions. Her own desire. Followed by her hesitation. Her need to be touched by him. Kissed by him.

She’d made a mistake by making the offer. She realized that now. Forms might lead to sparring and then to grappling. You couldn’t grapple without touching. Could she handle rolling with him? Having his body pressed against hers?

She would have to do her best. She was a professional.

Suddenly, Maxim seemed to pull back and regain control of himself. His eyes became guarded as if he didn’t trust himself to keep his hands off her if the temptation became too much.

“You go ahead,” he told her. He was still looking her right in the eyes, but the desire there had been concealed once more. “I feel like meditating for a while. Clear the mind, calm the soul.”

She rolled her eyes. He was really laying it on thicker than usual today. “Okay, Zen Master. You could be like me, smacking things with a stick and having fun, but no.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “I thought guys liked to hit things with sticks?”

She was poking him, part of her wanting him to train with her again. Like old times. Another part of her just wanted to see that desire again.

He wasn’t taking the bait. His grin was charming. That damn grin was all he’d ever needed to disarm her.

“Thanks, but I’ll pass. Need to clear my head.” He actually looked a little… What? Off-balance? Rattled? Something. Maxim shrugged and began to walk toward the house. He passed right by her, very close. “Have fun, Jade.”

She watched him go. Emotions frothed inside her. Maybe she needed to do more mediation. She certainly wasn’t calm of spirit right now. She was frustrated and horny, and she had a gorgeous man so close, but he was off-limits.

She cursed, low and savage.

Even after all this time, she could remember how his lips felt on her body. How his kisses had claimed her, owned her.

She remembered all of that far too well.

Without allowing herself another word or thought, she walked to the faux temple terrace. She raised her fighting staff and began to work her way through her forms, fighting invisible attackers and beating them all down with her staff.

She had a lot of steam to work off. She might be here a while.