16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Leo still looks shocked when I finish explaining the many reasons why he should accept the bodyguard job.

I know exactly what kind of things he's been involved with, but it's probably not what he's thinking. Or not exactly anyway, since Aran did perform an extensive background check. The people Leo worked for have a bit of a reputation going on even here in Japan. I've never met them, I don't think they do business in this part of the world, and if I'm being honest, I'd rather it stayed that way.

Leo's ex is the one responsible for his current less-than-ideal circumstances. His decision to do a year abroad here was very last minute, but it makes sense now with what he told me about this new drug. I'm positive that there is a bit more to it, and his motivations to run away, but I'll prod him some other time.

After a few more minutes of Leo looking like he's fighting a brain aneurysm while trying to solve the mystery of our universe's origin, he takes a deep breath and looks me in the eye. My stomach does a swoop, my abs tightening as the piercing blue focuses on me like laser sights.

"Look, if this is some kind of joke, it's really not funny. I don't know why you are so insistent about me, or why you are going to such lengths to get me to agree, but I'm at the end of my rope here, and you are practically offering me a fucking ladder."

I don't really get what he's saying. But either way, I'm serious about this. I've mulled over why it has to be him since I met him. He saved me, so that's part of it, sure, but it goes beyond it.

I look around, realizing that it's just the two of us. I left Aran in the car and my bodyguards at the base of the hill. Obviously, they are on the lookout for anything suspicious, but there are a ton of ways someone can sneak by them and come for me.

Yet, I feel safe with Leo around. Too much was going on when we first met, but I've revisited that encounter a lot of times, so I know I felt it then, too. Something about his presence just puts me at ease. I also like to observe him, to watch his reactions when I tease him, though this is more of a side-effect rather than a reason for my initial interest in him.

"You helped me when you didn't have to. Most people would've turned back without a second thought. But you didn't. You had to butt in where it was not your business to do so. I saw the way you move Leo, the elegance, the fluidity. Honesty, I probably would've let it go"— I wouldn't have—" if I didn't catch you spying on me at the Nagoya Port Trade Center, but that kind of cemented it."

What I'm saying is mostly accurate, but the truth is that I also just want him. Somewhere on the way back from the club on that night, my brain just decided Leo is the only one I'll accept as a bodyguard. He's capable, easy on the eye, interesting too. He's also not afraid of me. He doesn't seem to realize just who I am, or maybe he doesn't care, and he just speaks his mind without censoring himself.

Honestly, it's refreshing.

Another bout of silence follows, my nerves on edge. I direct my attention to the view of the city, searching for landmarks I can recognize. If Leo doesn't agree today, I really don't know what I'll do. Short from kidnapping him and forcing him to work for me, I mean. If I can, I'd rather avoid such a stereotypical approach.

When I fail to figure out exactly where in Nagoya we are, I train my gaze back on him and catch him studying my face. He averts his eyes immediately, and while I can't be sure because it's too dark, I think he's blushing. Heat pools to my stomach, spreading a pleasant buzz through my body that reminds me of my recent fantasies about him.

My attraction to men is still a new thing to me, and maybe I am projecting, but sometimes it feels like he's looking at me in the same way I'm looking at him. Like he's curious about a lot more than our work arrangement. I haven't given into those thoughts, seeing as making him agree to take the job has been my priority, but if he does, then I want to find out if I'm imagining it or not.

"So, what do you say? Do you want the job?"

His eyes snap back to mine, shimmering with both want and doubt. He's unsure, but at least he doesn't look like he wants to kick me in the balls and leg it. It's progress from when I cornered him at the convenience store the other day… and from earlier tonight, at the club. He looked deliciously spooked, and while he did run away from me, it was probably for the best. I was really restraining myself from dragging him to one of the VIP suites upstairs, so I could cage him against the wall and see if I'd enjoy kissing him. Or if I'd like touching his dick as much as mine enjoyed rubbing against his ass.

Leo worries his lips, biting one side. My eyes zero in on it and my cock gives a jerk. I want to bite the other side and preferably shove my tongue in his mouth after that. This is the first time we've been alone and undisturbed for so long, and my mind is scrambling. I feel hot all over, a little breathless too as his tongue pokes out and drags over that plush mouth. I can't help but follow its trail, mesmerized like a dog left alone with food on the table.

I'm vibrating by the time I look up to meet his gaze, and not just because I'm anticipating his reply. His eyes are not focused on mine when I seek them out; they are locked on my mouth, slightly narrowed and unaware that I've caught him in the act. Experimentally, I lick my lips. Leo slants his eyebrows further down, his next intake of air a little sharper.

Goosebumps tingle across my arms. His eyes finally shift to mine, somehow seeming darker than they were. They threaten to completely enthrall my soul and if I'm being honest, I'd most likely let them.

"You really will get me that residency permit if I agree to work for you? And help me with the… problem I have back home?" he says slowly, as if feeling out each word.

I nod, guiding my focus from my inappropriate thoughts to the reason I'm even here. "Yes, once your trial period finishes, you will get the permit. And as long as you stay in Japan and work for me, the Akiyama Group won't let anyone mess with you. "

It's a little more complicated than this, and my father might not have been thrilled with my choice for a bodyguard, but as long as Leo proves himself, there shouldn't be an issue. A part of me dreads introducing him, because Daichi Akiyama is very traditional when it comes to certain things and Aran and I might have omitted that Leo's the kind of foreigner who's not from this part of the world.

"What happens if I want to quit? Once I have the documents."

I hang my head back and look at the cloudy sky. Thunder roars in the distance, muffled and weak, so I don't think it will get here.

"You keep them. It's in the contract as a sign of goodwill."

Maintaining his frown, Leo flips through the document to the last two pages. He mumbles as he reads through, his eyes darting left and right along the paragraphs.

"Shit. You're not kidding." He exhales, shuddering. He looks torn, like he's debating with himself what's the best thing to do. "You guys are crazy."

Maybe. But I need someone I am comfortable with if they are going to be my bodyguard. Capable men are easy enough to find, but those that I get along with? Few and far between. Not to mention they are too scared of my father to be more than just silent sentries even when I try to strike a conversation.

"Maybe. Or I just know exactly what I want," I say, looking him right in those blue eyes.

He freezes, his entire body going rigid. His Adam's apple bobs as he swallows, his gaze locking with mine. Electricity dances along my skin and my heart tries to poke a hole out of my chest. The world narrows down to Leo and Leo alone, and I have this sharp need to touch him. To feel his heat, his solidity, to let them flow through me. The urge is so strong, I slide my hand across the stone until the tips of my fingers can graze along his leg without him realizing it. It's barely enough to satisfy the impulse within me, but I make myself content with it for now.

"Okay," he says, licking his lips as his posture relaxes.

"Okay…?" I echo back dumbly, my brain trying and failing to keep up as I snatch my hand back so he doesn't catch me sneakily trying to touch him.

"Okay, you've convinced me." He squares his shoulders and holds up his hand for a shake. "I'll work for you, Kwanchai Akiyama. I'll be your bodyguard." He pauses, pinching his blond eyebrows together. "But I have one condition. You will tell me exactly what I'm getting myself into."

My heart leaps and my mouth stretches into a grin of its own accord. I grasp his hand, squeezing it firmly and reveling in the sensation of his warm skin and the pleasant shivers the contact elicits within me. "Deal. What do you want to know?"