Rugged Guard - Jason Collins Page 0,11

a call. And I know it probably sounds really pathetic or just really crazy, but doing this sometimes makes me forget that he’s even gone—”

“I know exactly how you feel,” Derek interrupted, his words coming out as a whisper.

“You do?”

“Yeah.” He offered me a sad smile. “It’s the same reason I joined the army after my dad died. He was in the army, too. He made it sound like it was his whole world, like it was worth everything to him, outside of his wife and kids. And he was such a good man, a part of me just wanted to… copy him, I guess. I wanted to be as good as him, so I followed in his footsteps. And a lot of the time, when I was touching down with my boots on the sand, it felt like my dad was right beside me. Like he’d never really left.” Derek then reached a hand out for my shoulder, giving it a gentle pat. “I get it, Parker. I really do.”

“So, you’re not going to try and get me to quit?”

“I don’t think you would quit, even if I begged you.” He smiled. “And even though I don’t think it’s wise, I get it. So, as long as I get to come out with you… I guess we’ll be firefighter buddies.”

“Firefighter buddies.” I chuckled at the phrase. “Sounds good to me.”

4

Derek

I was happy that I didn’t have to watch Parker run into a burning building.

I wasn’t sure what I would’ve done if the fire had still been going once we got to the scene, but I was thankful that I didn’t have to find out. It was easy enough to tell Parker that I understood his need to be a firefighter to help preserve his friend’s memory, but I had a feeling that it was going to be a lot harder for me to hold my tongue if Parker was ever in any serious danger.

The realization was slightly annoying to me because it hinted at the fact that my concern about Parker wasn’t just about his safety as a client.

I cared about what happened to Parker, even though he’d stopped really speaking to me a few days ago. Of course, I’d convinced myself that I was okay with the silent treatment, grateful for it even, since it meant that Parker was finished with trying to cross that line from client into something else.

Still, I found myself way too curious about his personal life. And I hated the way I’d even found myself getting a little jealous of Billy, the volunteer firefighter who’d chatted with Parker at the scene of the fire. Even though I was pretty sure that Parker wouldn’t have tried to flirt with me or ask me out if he already had a boyfriend, I was still tempted to ask about their connection, wondering if they’d ever dated before or if Billy was just waiting for a chance to ask Parker out.

I also wondered if Parker had ever picked up on Billy’s interest.

Fuck.

It was a blessing and a curse being this perceptive.

“What are you thinking about?” A woman’s voice interrupted my thoughts as I took another bite of my breakfast, consisting of a bowl of oatmeal and a red apple for taste. I turned toward the sound of the voice and was soon greeted by a smiling face. The woman was older, with her gray hair twisted into a braid and thick-rimmed glasses.

“Good morning!” She greeted me in the kitchen, quickly offering me a wave. “You must be the new bodyguard, right? Darius?”

“Derek.”

“Ah. I prefer Darius.” The woman frowned. “But Derek works, too. Even though it’s a little… predictable.”

“I’m sorry for having a predictable name. But if you’d like to file a complaint, you could always take it up with my mother.” I smiled. “What’s your name, by the way?”

“My name’s Iris,” she answered, with a grin. “And I’m Parker’s assistant. He never thought to mention me, did he?”

“To be fair, Parker seems to not mention a lot of things.”

“Hmm. He’s a busy man.” She nodded. “I swear, sometimes he’d forget his head if it wasn’t attached to his body. But what can we do? The nice ones are always a little too busy for their own good.”

“How long have you been working for Parker?”

“How long have you been eating that oatmeal?”

“What?”

“What’s the date on the box?” She sighed. “I told Parker that he needed to re-up on groceries, but he never gave me a list. Now, I