Luis had just sat down at the table with his morning coffee when the front door opened. Surprised to hear Gerome’s voice, he looked up. Why was he home? It was only nine, and Gerome should be at work. And who was with him?
Ready to head back to his room, Luis stood. He didn’t want to interrupt any meeting Gerome might have.
“Good morning!”
Crap, too late. He’d been too slow. “Good morning.” He smiled at Gerome and the man following him.
“Did you sleep well?” Gerome asked, obviously trying to be polite.
“Yes, I did, thank you. I’ll go back to my room now that way you can have the living room for yourself.”
“No, please stay. D is here for you. I would like to hire him as your bodyguard if you’d like.”
“Good morning.” D smiled.
“What?” A bodyguard for him? Right, Gerome had mentioned it two days ago when they’d cooked dinner together, but he didn’t think he’d be able to find someone this soon. In fact, he hadn’t seen Gerome all day yesterday, so he didn’t think he’d had time to organize anything.
Holding out his hand, D stepped in front of Luis. “Pleased to meet you.”
Luis mechanically shook his hand. While D wasn’t tall, he certainly packed a good deal of muscle—clearly visible under his pullover.
“Likewise.” Luis sought Gerome’s eyes. What should he say to D now?
“D is one of the trackers who helped me find Alex,” Gerome explained. “If you two get along, then he will be your bodyguard. This way you don’t have to rely on me to get out of the palace.”
“Thank you. I just don’t know what to say.” Luis felt awkward—more than awkward.
“Well, that makes two of us. I never had a bodyguard job before. I usually did tracking or rescue missions, so I have no idea what the protocol is either.”
“That doesn’t help at all.” Luis chuckled. “Why don’t we get some coffee and sit down so we can talk? I have no idea what duties being my bodyguard will entail, but maybe we can work out some stuff and get to know each other a bit better,” Luis finally suggested.
“That sounds good to me.” D nodded to Gerome. “Should I make the coffee?”
“If you don’t mind? I have a call to make, and I’ll be right back with you if that’s okay?” Gerome already had his phone in his hand.
“Of course. Luis, do you want more coffee as well?”
“I have enough, thank you.”
“Good, then it’s just me. Gerome can fix himself a cup when he’s done.”
Luis heard the door to Gerome’s bedroom close, leaving him alone with D. He studied the tracker intently. Thickly muscled arms and a broad neck met his eyes, but when standing, the man didn’t even reach Luis’ eyes. Brown hair and a nearly full beard, as well as leather clothes, finished the picture.
D moved with a certainty in Gerome’s kitchen that told Luis he’d been there before—most likely during the kidnapping. A few seconds later, he put his coffee cup down on the table and took a chair for himself.
“So, you need a bodyguard when you leave the palace. That’s what Gerome told me. I heard something about you wanting to get a driver’s license. Other than that, what else do you have in mind? Shopping sprees?” D made a horrified face.
Luis chuckled and shook his head. “No shopping sprees. I like to shop once in a while, but I’m not a shopping queen. You were right about the driver’s license. I’d also like to meet some friends and visit Alex and Sam if I’m welcome. Gerome can’t always come with me because he has to work, and I don’t want to ask him every time I need something. He insists I need someone to keep me safe, so I guess we’ll be seeing each other often.” He tried not to sound bitter at not being able to go out alone.
“You don’t like it. I fully understand. There are a few things you need to know about me and what I can do for you.” D leaned back and took a sip of his coffee. “First, I can be invisible if you need me to be. So if you want to take a long walk and be alone, it’s no problem. If we are outside the palace and I can see far enough, I can give you enough space so that you don’t even realize I’m there. The same goes for a trip to the city. I can trail you without you or anyone else knowing it if you want it that way. It’s easier if I can walk by your side, but I know everyone needs time alone, so I can offer to give you that. What I’d need in that case, firstly, is that you tell me when you’re leaving and where you plan to go. That way I can make sure nothing happens. That sounds like a lot of restrictions, but once you’re used to it, it’s nothing more than a phone call on your part. You just need to tell me you’re leaving, and then we can meet up.”
“You’d sit around all day and wait for me to go out?”
D met Luis’ eyes. “I guess I’ll make friends with the other guards here and see what else I can do, but basically, yes, I’ll be here in the palace so we can leave whenever you want.”
“But wouldn’t it be better if you got an apartment close by or asked Gerome to give you a place here? You could do whatever you want this way until I need you. ”
D ran a hand over his beard. “I might have to talk to Gerome about that. I don’t think I can afford the apartments around here, but I wouldn’t mind staying close. It’d make things a lot easier.”
The bedroom door opened again, and Gerome came back, aiming straight for the kitchen. He got himself a cup of coffee as well, then joined them at the table.
“Sorry for the interruption, but the call was important. Did you two talk?”
Luis nodded. “Yeah. I think we can try it. For me, it seems very, very strange to have a bodyguard, but I think D and I will get along fine.”
Gerome smiled. “That’s good. You know I wish this wasn’t necessary, but it is, and if you think you can accept D being by your side, I’m sure you’ll get used to it. D, any objections or anything else?”
“No, everything’s good. If Luis thinks this can work, it’s his decision in the end. From my side, everything is good.”
“You can tell me if something doesn’t work, okay? We’ve known each other for years now, so tell me if you have any objections.”
D winked at Luis. “If there’s anything Luis and I can’t handle, I’ll tell you, but I think we can work out any problems we encounter.”
Luis smiled. They’d get along just fine. Apparently, D didn’t take Gerome too seriously, and he didn’t treat Luis like a doll with no will or say on his behalf. If he kept that up, then they might even become friends.
“Okay. Then it’s settled. How much do you charge, D?”
“I can pay him myself, if you don’t mind, Gerome?”
Gerome stared at Luis, who shifted in his seat. He didn’t want to belittle anyone, especially not the prince. But having his mate pay for his protection just didn’t feel right. Even though the money came from Gerome, it was something completely different if he paid D.
“You know this is very, very uncommon? No mate should pay for his or her stuff, but I don’t mind. I’ll leave it up to you to discuss how much you’ll pay D.” He grinned at Luis. “If you want to do it on your own, that’s no problem. I don’t want to be in your way.”
“Thank you.” He hadn’t expected that, but it made him happy that Gerome left him this autonomy.
He met Gerome’s eyes, which were soft and warm, not at all as cold as they’d been these last few months. Even though he still radiated power, a softer, more welcoming personality appeared more and more frequently—something Luis found very appealing.
Dealing with Gerome now wasn’t a problem anymore, and for the first time, he believed they could really work out some kind of truce and get along. Cooking and eating with Gerome provided a great opportunity to get to know him, and the more he learned about the new, relaxed Gerome, the more he stopped despising him. How could he hate someone who clearly tried his best to make him feel comfortable in an awful situation and who went out of his way to ensure that he didn’t sit at home doing nothing all day just because that’s what the coven dictated?
D finally interrupted them by clearing his throat, and Luis averted his eyes. He shouldn’t stare at Gerome like this, but he couldn’t look away for whatever reason.
“Oh, right, your pay. I have no idea what’s common or normal, so you have to give me a number here, Gerome.” Luis looked up, to meet Gerome’s eyes again. What the fuck was up today?
“I don’t know. How much is it worth to you to stay in Munich and not risk your neck?” Gerome asked with a straight face.
D started laughing. “That’s actually a good question. A lot, I think, but you don’t want to know how much I’ve earned the last few years. Let’s just say I won’t charge you that much. I’d really like to keep the job longer than a few months.”
“Give me a number then, please,” Luis chimed in.
“Forty thousand a year and an apartment close by so I can stay at home until you need me.”
Luis looked up at Gerome. Was that too much or not? Crap, that’s what he got for asking D directly about his salary.
Gerome nodded surreptitiously. Luis smiled back at him. “I think we have a deal. Hours as I need you if that’s okay with you, but I don’t think it will be too much. Other than that, what else do you need?”
“Nothing, other than a place to stay, as I said, as soon as possible.”
“That sounds good. Thank you.”
Gerome nodded as well, showing Luis his approval. Very good. “Thank you as well. It means a lot to me, and I’m sure Luis as well, that you agreed to take the job.”
Gerome emptied his coffee mug and stood. “You’re both welcome to chat a bit more, iron out the details about working times and stuff, but I need to go back to work. I have a phone conference in half an hour that I’ll take in my room.” He held out his hand to D. “See you, my friend. I’ll make sure you have an apartment soon. If you need anything, please call Luis or me.”
They shook hands, and with a nod and a smile to Luis, Gerome hurried to his bedroom door, where he paused again. “Oh, Luis, I’ll need to talk to you later if you don’t mind. I contacted the driving school.”
“No problem, I’ll come find you when I’m done here.”
“Okay, just knock on my door. See you soon, D.” With that, he entered his room and closed the door behind himself.
“Is he always that busy?” D asked with his eyes on the door.
“Yeah, as far as I can tell, he is.” Luis leaned back in his chair and took the last sip of his nearly cold coffee. “Brr, cold. I’ll get myself another one. Do you have time for a second cup as well?” He reached for D’s mug before the man could even answer.
“I have nothing else to do today. So, if you don’t mind, I’d like to sit here a little longer, get to know you, perhaps make some plans for what you’d like to do over the next few days and discuss some more ground rules with you.”
“Sounds like a plan. I have nothing to do either until Gerome finishes his call. Then I’ll need to see what he’s got to say about my driver’s license. I’ll get us some fresh coffee and be right back.”
Luis got up and fixed two cups of coffee, then went back to D. He looked forward to learning more about his new bodyguard.