The Bodyguard (Norcross #4) - Anna Hackett Page 0,57
tiara.” She opened it.
The diadem was stunning. It was formed in wave-like loops of diamonds, and set in each loop was a large sapphire—nine in total.
“It’ll look beautiful on you.” He lowered his mouth and kissed her. His phone pinged. “Sounds like your stylists are here.”
Sofie sat in front of the mirror. Her hair was up, and it looked like she’d just pinned it up easily, not like it’d taken a good hour of work by an expert hairstylist. Her makeup was dewy and natural, a little smoke at her eyes, and her lips were a glossy pink.
It was almost time for the gala.
She was nervous. She could barely sit still.
Tonight was the culmination of so much planning. But all she could think about was the Black Fox gang.
And her stalker.
Rome would be with her. She knew he’d risk his life for hers. That worried her, as well. She resisted the urge to gnaw on her bottom lip and ruin her lipstick.
After the gala, what then? Would Rome let her fly off? Would he head off on another job and leave her?
“Here we go.” Luis settled the Sapphire Wave tiara on her head. “Oh,” the man breathed. “You are breathtaking. You are going to drive the hunk of deliciousness you call a bodyguard wild.”
The tiara was gorgeous. The light caught the sapphires, filling them with blue fire.
“I’m sleeping with him.”
“Oh.” Luis clapped his hands together. “Good for you, Sofie.”
She looked back at the mirror. “I’m falling in love with him too.”
Saying it aloud made her jittery.
Luis rested a hand on her shoulder. “Why so sad?”
“I’m a princess. I come with responsibility, duty, the paparazzi, a stalker—”
“Oh, pfft.” Luis waved a hand. “The man watches you like he’s starving, and you’re a juicy, prime rib steak.”
She laughed. “I don’t know if he loves me, or wants me enough to take on the baggage.”
“The man has very broad shoulders. And I mean really broad. I think he can handle it, especially when he gets you at the end of it.” Luis met her gaze. “Follow your heart, Sofie. It’s time you do something for you, not always for everyone else. Now—” Luis looked at his watch “—it’s time for you to go and wow the crowd.”
She took a deep breath and rose.
She was already in her dress, with her sexy Oscar de la Renta shoes on.
“Luis, the dress is stunning.”
“You make it that way.”
The dress was sapphire blue, to complement the tiara. The bodice was covered in intricate metalwork dotted with crystals. It looked almost like a corset. It sat low, showing off her collarbones, but not too low. A princess never showed too much cleavage. The skirt was a shimmer of blue silk that fell in an A-line to the floor.
She didn’t wear a necklace, because she wanted the tiara to be the star of the show. Dangly sapphire and diamond earrings were in her ears, and the tiara nestled in her hair.
“Gorgeous,” Luis breathed.
“Thank you, Luis. For all your hard work putting me together.”
“It was an honor, not work at all. Go.” He shooed her out.
With a smile, she headed carefully down the stairs.
Rome was at the bottom, texting on his phone. When he heard her, he looked up and froze.
She stepped off the last step, and her heart took off, beating a mile a minute.
They both stared at each other.
He stole her breath. He wore a perfectly tailored tuxedo. It made his shoulders seem wider, his legs longer. The crisp, white shirt was a contrast to his dark skin.
“You look hot,” she said.
He shook his head, his lips curving. “You look stunning. Simply stunning, Sofie.”
“Thank you.”
“I want to put you in the car and drive away. Keep you all to myself.”
She heard his unsaid words. Keep her safe.
“Maybe after…” she swallowed “…we could go away. Just the two of us.”
She saw something in his eyes, but he stayed silent.
Her stomach twisted in knots. “Or not. Forget I—”
“I’d like that,” he said. “A cabin in the mountains.”
Her stomach relaxed and she smiled. “Or a deserted beach.”
Desire flared in his eyes. “You got a little bikini, Princess?”
“Maybe.”
“Shit.” He adjusted his jacket. “Come on. Quit making me hard, we have a gala to attend.” He grabbed her hands. “I’ll be right with you. The entire time.”
“I know.”
“I’ve got something for you.”
He lifted a small box and pulled something out of it. “It’s not a million-dollar tiara, or anything like those funky rings you like.”
He held up a small ring. It was a