Blind Love

It made his blood boil when she called him that name. If she were a guy, he would have used his fist, but since she was a female, he bit his tongue. “Wait, you’re Catherine?”

Her head tilted up toward him. “I see my father scraped the bottom of the barrel when he hired you. To answer your question, yes, I am she. Were you not told that I was a grown-ass woman and not a child?”

Drake ran his fingers through his collar.

“I thought I was hired to protect your father. No one told me about you. A kid, I could handle, but I don’t intend on watching over you twenty-four seven. This is not going to work for me. Good day, Miss Templeton.”

“Are you sure you want to walk away from the money my father is offering you, not to mention the bonus? I think you should stick around for a while.”

“Why should I?” The money was good, too good to walk away from, but he sensed that she was going to be a whole lot of trouble and hard work.

“You seem different from the others. They were weak and such pushovers. I have a feeling you’ll be a challenge, and I do enjoy a challenge. Or are you afraid of me?” she asked, a wicked grin appearing on her face.

“I’m not afraid of anything,” he snapped.

“Describe yourself to me.”

He started telling her about himself, but only what he wanted her to know. Then she put her hand up to stop him.

“No, describe what you look like.”

He rolled his eyes at her, already tired of her games. “You can see what I look like. Or are you blind?”

She cocked her head to the side and removed her sunglasses. “Yes, I am blind. Has no one told you? I like to know who someone is and what they look like if I’m to be spending any amount of time with them.”

She stood up in front of him.

His mouth dropped open, and he looked into her eyes. It was one thing to be a woman’s bodyguard, but one who was blind—he just wasn’t equipped to deal with that.

“No one told me you were a woman, nor that you were blind. I’m sorry for making that remark.” He couldn’t stop his eyes from moving down to her chest when she got up and stood close to him.

“Drake O’Rourke, my father told me you were coming. Now I’m going to touch your face. It’s how I see someone.”

Her hands went to his shoulders first and moved up to his face.

“You have broad shoulders, a full head of silky-soft hair. Nice cheekbones and a strong jaw, and your lips are perfect,” she said, running her fingertips over them. “I bet the women go nuts over you and these lips of yours.”

His heart started beating fast when she touched him. He had to wonder if she really did this to everyone or if she was just trying to get under his skin.

Her soft touch and her sweet smell were making him horny. He let her continue as her hands moved down to his chest, and he heard the small hitching in her breathing when she moved over his muscles.

But when she moved down his stomach and it appeared she was going to go lower, he grabbed her wrists.

A smile lit up her face. “What’s the matter, Drake? Don’t you like for your cock to be touched by a woman?”

“I think you have enough to go on, and yes, I like to have it touched by a woman, but only if I want them to.”

He let go of her and took a step back, needing some space. She was indeed sexy as hell, and if her father hadn’t been Drake’s boss, he might have enjoyed the pleasure of taking her to bed.

Just then, Nicolas Templeton came out from inside and over to the pool. Just imagine if he had shown up two minutes earlier, Drake thought.

“I see you two are getting acquainted,” he said, putting Catherine’s wrap over her and then giving her a hug. “Go inside, sweetheart, and put some clothes on. We’ll wait for you in the family den, and we’ll go through the rules.”

“Okay, Dad,” she said, kissing his cheek. She picked up her white cane. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. O’Rourke.” She then walked away, feeling their eyes on her.

Once they were in the family den and he was offered something to drink, Drake asked for a cold beer. He needed one after meeting Catherine.

“I wasn’t told that your daughter was blind. I’m not sure I’m the right man for the job. I have no knowledge or training in looking after someone with a handicap.”

Nicolas poured himself a shot of bourbon. “I wouldn’t say that to her face unless you want to find yourself flat on your ass.

“She may not have her sight, but her other senses are heightened. She can see a person better than a sighted one can, and she can do just about anything.

“I just need for you to be with her, take her wherever she wants or needs to be.”

“May I ask if she’s always been blind, like from birth?”

“No. Catherine was in the car that killed my wife, her mother. She lost her sight due to the accident.”

“I’m sorry,” Drake said, taking a swallow of his beer. He turned his head when he heard her footsteps.

She was wearing white pants and a pink top, her hair was up in a ponytail, and she wore sandals on her feet.

He watched her as she entered the room and went over to sit next to her father.

If it wasn’t for the cane, one would not have known she was blind by the way she maneuvered herself around the coffee table and other obstacles in the way.

“Would you like a glass of wine, sweetheart?” Nicolas asked her.

“Actually, Dad, I smell beer, so I would like one of those instead of the wine.” She turned her head in Drake’s direction. “You really don’t have to dress so formal, Mr. O’Rourke. It can get quite hot around here. Take off your jacket and tie. You’re going to be here for a while, so relax.”

“I’m fine, thanks,” Drake answered, though he would have liked to do what she suggested.

“Dad, I hope you explained to him how he is not to treat me like a child. How he is to take me where I need to go, and he is to give me my space. I will not have someone hovering over me. Make sure to give him my schedule for the week—and when I’m on a date, he is to wait in the car.”

“Yes, yes, dear, I will explain it all to him. I need to make some calls first, so would you show him around and to his room?”

“Of course, Dad, I’ll take care of him,” she answered, turning her head in Drake’s direction.

When her father left, she got to her feet. “Are you coming?”

“Right beside you,” he answered and followed her.

She showed him the kitchen and dining room first, then the living room, library, and games room.

After showing him the downstairs, she took him upstairs. There was a home gym, another den.

She then showed him the bedrooms—hers and the one he would be staying in were farther down the hall and around the corner from her father’s bedroom.

At one of the doors, she stopped. “This will be your room, right across from mine. If you get lonely you can always come to my room.”

“I won’t get lonely,” Drake said. He opened the door and walked in.

She followed over to his bed, sat down, and crossed her legs, leaning back on her hands. “So, is the room to your liking?”

He looked over at her. “Is this the way you behave with everyone your father hires?”

She smiled. “Why would you say that?”

“I’ve heard stories,” he answered.

“They were all boring and way too easy. Some of them thought they could sleep with me. As if I’d sleep with some fat, bald-headed guy.”

He leaned against the dresser, crossing his arms. “Everyone I’ve met so far has laughed when they heard I was going to be your bodyguard. Some have wished me luck and said I won’t be here for long. Why is that?”

She crossed her right leg over her left one, swinging them. “In the last three months, I’ve had over twenty bodyguards. Some didn’t do their job, so Father fired them. Others I just didn’t like, so I had Daddy fire them,” she said, smirking. “Play nice with me, and you just might last long enough to get that bonus in the end.”

Drake sat on the bed next to Catherine, taking her chin in his hand and turning her to face him.

“You are one hell of a sexy woman. Any man would jump at the chance to be in your bed. But I’m not one of them. I never mix pleasure with business.

“If you want to fuck, you better find someone else. And if you want to get me fired, then do it now. I won’t put up with any of your bullshit.

“You can’t twist me around your finger. I’m hired to guard you, so you will do as I say when I say, not the other way around.”

“I see you aren’t going to be easy to break, but I will, Mr. O’Rourke. I always get what I want. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll take a nap before dinner,” she said, jerking her chin from his grip.

When she left, he checked out his room and put his clothes away. He checked his gun to make sure he had bullets in it—you never knew when you needed it.

He then took a long shower, his thoughts going to the woman he was hired to look after. She was having an effect on him—he would be lying if he said he wasn’t sexually attracted to her.

He liked that she wore no makeup. She didn’t need to—she was beautiful without it.

He stepped out of the shower and dried off, then hung the towel up before he entered the bedroom. He didn’t bother to cover up, and why would he? He was the only one occupying the room.

He turned when he heard a knock. The door opened, and Catherine walked in. He quickly covered his manhood with his hands.

“Fuck,” he swore. “Don’t you wait until someone tells you to enter?”

“Relax, Drake. I hope you don’t mind me calling you by your first name. It’s not like I can see you standing there naked, so there’s no need to cover it.”

He tried looking into her eyes, his hands still covering his exposed cock. “Are you sure you can’t see anything?”

“I’m sure,” she answered and shut the door behind her.

“Then how do you know I’m naked?”

“I don’t hear the rustling of clothes, and I also can tell you’ve just had a shower from your scent. And I heard the slight movement of your hands going down to your, you know. You can let go of yourself now, I won’t peek,” she said, laughing. “Get dressed and we’ll walk down together.”

His face turned red, and he went over to the dresser, taking out a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. He was still pissed at her for walking in and was going to make sure it never happened again, even if he had to lock the door.

“Next time, do not enter until I tell you to.”

“Oh, someone is grumpy,” she said, trying to hide her smile.

He pulled on his briefs and pants. Then he barked at her. “I’m glad you find this funny, but we’re going to have to set down some ground rules.”

“Like what?” she asked.

“First, I like my privacy, and you will respect that. Second, you go nowhere without telling me, and you will do what I tell you without question. Another thing, you will stop trying to seduce me. I’m here to protect you, not to fuck you.”

“Oh my, you get me all wet when you talk dirty.”

He grabbed her arms and pulled her off the bed.

“This isn’t a game. It might be to you, but it’s a job to me, which I will take seriously. Besides, if I were to do anything with you, your father would have me killed, and I rather like living. Shall we go down to dinner now?”

She smiled wickedly. “Don’t worry, I wouldn’t tell him.”

“Christ,” he swore under his breath and wiped his forehead. He knew she wasn’t going to make things easy for him.