Bodyguard My Heart (The Bodyguard #2)

Chapter 7

7

S amara

I pulled the rental car we’d gotten from the airport in front of an interesting looking blue house that sat alone at the end of a dirt road. When Demetrius said we were going to his great-grandmother’s house in Haiti to lay low, this was not at all what I pictured. I thought it wouldn’t be too different from Miami, but it looked like we’d arrived at someone’s farmhouse in Mississippi. My head swiveled all around, taking in my surroundings. Everything was vibrant but still southern and rustic. The exotic flowers and swaying palm trees gave the only inkling that we were on an island thousands of miles away from home. It was crazy how quickly our lives had changed. One minute, I was crying over Demetrius signing the divorce papers, and now, I was in Haiti with him, preparing to meet the family he barely spoke of.

“I can go knock on the door and see if someone can come help you inside.” I stared out the window. We couldn’t sit out here forever.

“Nah,” he said as he stared at the floor. The heaviness of the reason we were here was taking a toll on him, and I understood why. The London Cartel was under attack. He was injured, and his cousin was dead. His life was spiraling out of control. The entire flight over here he was silent. Deep in thought, he was probably trying to figure out his next move. I didn’t know how to support him right now. I didn’t know if he wanted me to. I just stayed quiet, rubbed his back, and tended to his wound.

“Are you at least ready to go inside?” I questioned. It had been days since I’d showered, and I was eager to get out of this pajama set and comb my hair.

“Yeah,” he replied.

I exited the car, grabbing his crutches from the back seat. It was too soon after surgery for him to be trying to walk but arguing with him about it would be pointless. He was still going to do what he wanted to do. I figured once he stood and that pain shot through his abdomen, he would be singing a different tune. Demetrius opened the passenger-side door and swung his feet out as I propped both crutches on the side of his body.

“Try to stand, but move slowly,” I instructed as he stood up.

“Aww, fuck!” He grunted in pain as he steadied himself.

“Demetrius. You shouldn’t be doing this. You can bust a stitch.”

“Good thing you’re a nurse, huh?” his smart mouth ass replied.

“A nurse not a doctor.”

“Close enough, now move so I can walk,” he demanded. My skin crawled with irritation as I wished he would go back to being silent. I moved to the side to support his back as he took a few steps toward the door, both of our eyes on the ground being sure he didn’t miss a step. Neither of us saw the front of the home open.

“My God!” a woman’s voice cried, making us both pop our heads up quickly.

“It’s me, Gran! Demetrius!”

“I know who you are, boy,” she replied. I stared at his grandmother. She wore a head scarf and donned a floral night gown as she stood on the porch with her hand over her mouth. Her eyes were bright with warmth. I took in her face and every wrinkle told a story of wisdom. I was enamored by her, wanting to know more.

“Demetrius! Mwen pa ka kwe.” She spoke what I assumed to be Creole and her Haitian accent was beautiful.

“Se mwen ki kwe li,” Demetrius replied back. I didn’t even know he was fluent in Creole. I’d never heard him speak in full-blown sentences. Demetrius had grown up in America all his life. I’d always known he was Haitian on his father’s side, but Demetrius didn’t really embrace the culture. I stared at him in awe as he spoke with his grandma. His accent was actually a little sexy.

“Jean Pierre, Claude. Go get that old wheelchair. Prese, prese!” She turned and called in the house before coming down the stairs and approaching us.

“Oh my God! What you doing here, boy? What has happened to you?” She turned to look at me. “And who is this beautiful girl?”

I threw my hand up to wave but was completely thrown off by Demetrius’s words.

“This is my ex-wife, Samara. The one I told you about. Samara, this is my grandma, Esther Baptiste. Everybody calls her Gran.” My head cocked to the side at his introduction as I embarrassedly lowered my hand. Our dynamic had been weird, but introducing me as his ex-wife was a new level of petty for even him. He could have just said friend or something.

“Royale’s sister? The picture Fabian showed me doesn’t do you any justice. You’re more beautiful in person.” She wrapped her arms around me and hugged me warmly before releasing me.

“Nobody can humble you like a Haitian grandmother.” Demetrius smirked. Besides the fifty curse words I wanted to scream at him, I had nothing to say.

“Why you divorce my Meechie?” she questioned. “What you do, boy? Is it the hair?”

“It’s definitely the hair.” I flicked one of his dreads. Now it was my turn to laugh.

“I told you to cut that mess, boy. You cut or I cut it for you. This a nice girl. She want a nice-looking guy. Now you got Fabian wearing this mess too.”

Demetrius’s facial expression and demeanor changed at the mention of Fabian. Gran must have sensed it because she took his face in her hands. She studied him for a bit.

“You’re in trouble, aren’t you, boy?”

“I messed up, Gran! I messed up.” I knew he was referring to Fabian. He was holding so much guilt for his death.

“I see it in your eyes.” She stared at him, her facial expression slowly mimicking his.

“Fabian’s —”

“Shh!” She put her pointer finger up to his mouth. “Let’s get inside. Get you and Samara settled. I’m cooking breakfast. Then we’ll talk.” As if on cue, the screen door echoed, and I looked up to see two men who favored Demetrius come running out of the house. One appeared to be older, around the age of Gran, and the other looked to be a teenager.

“Zoe!” The older man shouted a Haitian term I’d heard before. “Look what the cat dragged in.” He stopped at the door and narrowed his eyes at Demetrius.

“You’re all banged up, ain’t you, boy?”

“You let this beautiful woman kick yo’ ass?” the younger man said as he came down the stairs carrying an old wheelchair.

I watched Demetrius’s mood change as the corners of his mouth turned up, and he gave him a handshake and brotherly hug. This had to be bittersweet for him. He was happy to see his family but saddened by the news he had to share.

“It’s good to see y’all too. This is my is my cousin Claude, and that old man up there is my grandpa, Jean Luke. Call him Grandpapa.”

I put my hand up again to wave. I wasn’t usually shy, but I’d never met anyone’s grandparents before.

“Is this your wife, Meech?” Claude approached us.

“Ex-wife,” Demetrius said again. He was really testing my patience now.

“Actually, we are still married. I never got to turn in the papers.” I rolled my eyes as I stomped away from him. In this moment, his stupid ass could fall over for all I care.

“She gon’ beat yo’ ass again when y’all alone.” Claude snickered while he helped him into the wheelchair.

“Sure is. Push yo’ ass right in the tub, Charles.” I referenced a famous scene from a popular movie as I attempted to make my way up the front porch.

“We still married?” I felt my body being brought back into Demetrius’s presence. He turned me to face him, and my entire body heated up with embarrassment. Did I just get snatched up by a broken-leg nigga on crutches?

“Duh, I was looking at the papers for the first time when you got hurt,” I replied. His eyes narrowed in on me as he held me in place. We stayed there for a moment, just staring at each other. I couldn’t read him. I had no clue what was going through his head. I barely knew what was going through mine.

“How about we get you two settled? You look jetlagged.” Gran forced her way into the small space between us. “You are staying here, right?”

I turned to look at Demetrius. I thought we might stay at a hotel or resort, but I didn’t know about staying with his family.

“Nah, we were going to get a room up at the resort,” he replied.

“Nonsense! We have plenty of room.” Demetrius’s Grandpapa shouted from where he stood on the porch. I stared at the older version of Demetrius. He was a few inches shorter than Demetrius and you could tell old age was taking a toll on his muscular build.

“I was just about to cook breakfast. Samara can stay in the sunroom, and you can stay with Claude,” Gran stated.

“If we must stay, I’ll stay with my wife in the sunroom,” Demetrius said.

“Ooohweee!” Everyone erupted.

“This is better than my soap operas,” Gran said, making me giggle as I turned to move up the stairs.

“You all don’t have any bags?” Claude questioned.

“No, just the clothes on our back,” I blurted without thinking. I immediately glanced at Demetrius. I wasn’t supposed to mention anything about our situation to them. He didn’t want to stress them out. His grandparents had no idea what he did for a living.

“You come all this way with no bags?” Grandpapa questioned.

“No. They lost them at the airport,” Demetrius lied.

“See, now that’s why I don’t fly on these people’s planes. Damn high-priced death traps in the sky,” Gran mumbled. “We can go down to the market after breakfast. There are plenty of shops you all can get clothes from until yours arrive.”

“Perfect. Is there any way we can freshen up before breakfast? We’ve been traveling for days, and I need to change his bandages.”

“Sure, follow me, beautiful.” She strutted up the stairs. Grandpapa took her hand and kissed her cheek before opening the door and walking inside. I followed behind them, a small smirk on my face. Seeing them still have love and affection for each other at their age was beautiful.

As I stepped over the threshold of the home, the smell of home-cooked food and coffee filled my nose. An immediate comfort coated my body as I allowed my eyes to take it in. It was bigger than it appeared to be on the outside. I didn’t see any stairs, so I assumed it was one story. The furniture and everything looked older than me and that was the beauty of it. Everything seemed to have a place. It was quaint, cozy, and very clean.

“I have a few dresses that may fit you, and Claude has plenty of things for D.” Gran talked as she walked through the living room and down a long hallway showing me around the home.

“I know it’s not as nice as what you’re probably used to in America or no fancy resort, but it’s rich in love.” She turned to look at me, still holding her husband’s hand.

“It’s perfect. Beautiful. Thank you for allowing us to stay here,” I replied just as Demetrius was wheeled inside. I could hear him fussing at Claude that he was fine to walk, but Claude just kept pushing. Gran led us through the kitchen to the back of the house.

“This will be where you and Demetrius can sleep.” She opened the door to reveal a large, enclosed sunroom that reminded me of Royale’s greenhouse in Cuba. It was beautifully decorated with flowers. A queen-sized bed sat in the middle of the floor with two nice nightstands on each side.

“It looks good out here, Gran. When you convert this to a guest room?” Demetrius questioned.

“It’s been this way for a while now. You just haven’t been here in ages,” she replied, walking into the room.

“We’re preparing the house for our great-grandson. Between you, Claude, and Fabian, somebody has to be having a baby soon,” Grandpapa said. I glanced at Demetrius, whose face dropped again at the mention of Fabian. I knew he was waiting for the right time to break the news, but a part of me just wanted him to spit it out.

“Here, this looks like it’ll fit.” Gran handed me a bright-colored sundress she got out of the dresser that sat next to the door. “I’ve collected enough clothes over the years from family and friends stopping through that there should be plenty of clothes in here you can wear.”

“This is perfect. Thank you,” I replied.

“Did you see the bathroom when we walked up?” she questioned. I nodded my head. “There are towels in the bathroom closet. Soap and extra toothbrushes under the sink.”

“Not too much hot water, we’ll run out,” Grandpapa added.

“Nou jwen li granmoun. We got it, old man,” Demetrius replied, speaking Haitian again.

“Breakfast will be ready in about an hour,” Gran said as she closed the door, leaving us alone.

“You can speak Haitian?” I blurted, still in awe that I didn’t know this about him.

“I can say some stuff, mainly greetings and shit. I’m not fluent,” he replied nonchalantly, hopping past me.

“I guess we can start with you. I need to check your incision.” I turned around to face Demetrius but was met with his hard body pushing into mine. I didn’t even know when he’d stood from the wheelchair.

“Let’s get you over to the bed.” I swallowed the lump in my throat, trying to calm my nerves.

“Nah, you go first. Go take care of you first. I can manage until you come back.” He grabbed the crutches that were on the side of him and made his way to the bed. I stared at him for a moment. I heard what he said, but I was used to caring for people. My patients came first, and right now he was my patient. Taking the backpack off my back I ravaged through it, looking for the things I needed. When I found them, I approached Demetrius where he sat on the end of the bed. He threw his hand up.

“Go take a shower, Samara. For real,” he demanded, making me stop in my tracks. His words seemed to register this time as I grabbed the dress Gran had handed me and turned on my heels.

“I’m going. Don’t try to do too much,” I warned as I exited the room and headed toward the bathroom. It had been days since I showered or changed clothes. As I entered the bathroom, I marveled over the details of the décor. Everything matched the theme of dolphins. There were dolphin towels and shower curtains, as well as pictures on the walls. It fit the rest of the house perfectly and showed its age. Shutting the door, I turned on the water in the shower and undressed. Taking my hair out of the bun it was in, I let it fall to my shoulders and stepped into the shower. The water felt so good grazing over my body, and the weight of everything that had occurred lifted from my pores and washed away. The last thirty-six hours had been a lot.

I thought I was going to lose the man I loved. I’d run off with that same man only to be forced to go into hiding with him. The surgery center was closed, and everyone I loved was on the other side of the world, also hiding out. It was crazy and everything I hated about this cartel life. No matter how much I ran, it still found me and pulled me right back into the chaos, like a damn Showtime series. I couldn’t escape from it.

Then, there was my current situation with Demetrius. How was I supposed to sleep in the same room with this man and suppress my feelings? Did I even want to suppress my feelings? The water ran cold without warning, and I quickly jumped, turning the water off. I didn’t think I had been in that long, but I guess it’d been long enough. I stepped out of the tub and wrapped my body and hair in a towel. For every stress I’d just shed, it seemed I added a new one. Glancing at myself in the mirror, I took a few deep breaths before placing the dress over my head. It was a little small, but it hugged my body in all the right places and held everything in place, making up for the fact that I had no bra or panties. I took one last look in the mirror.

“You got this,” I whispered to myself as I exited the bathroom and made my way back down the hallway and through the kitchen.

“Just place your dirty clothes in the hamper. I’ll do laundry later,” Gran said as I walked past her.

“Okay, thank you,” I replied before pushing the door open and entering the room.

“I’m bac—” My words trailed off as I noticed Demetrius sleeping on the bed. Slowly, I crept into the room, getting the things I needed from the backpack. Changing his bandages would actually work better with him asleep. Kneeling in front of him, I started at his leg, removing his shoes. I examined his feet, checking to make sure he was getting good circulation in his toes. After noticing that everything was good, I moved his leg, propping it up under a pillow. Moving to sit on the bed, I worked to change the bandage on his abdomen. Slowly, I unbuttoned his pants and lifted his shirt so I could have enough working space.

“You didn’t ask my permission to sexually assault me.” Demetrius’s groggy voice invaded my ears. I turned to look at him.

“We’re married.” I flashed the ring I’d been wearing on my hand since the day I showed it to Monroe. “Besides, you were asleep, and I didn’t want to wake you,” I replied as I pulled the tape off the wrapping.

“Fuck!” He squirmed, causing my hands to slip.

“Be still. I know you not worried about this little tape.” I pulled the bandage, exposing his surgery wound. It was healing perfectly. A little bloody and swollen but that was normal. The tape would fall off on its own once the skin was healed.

“You are free to get in the shower, but it will be tricky with your broken leg. They did you a cast cover before you left the hospital,” I informed him as I ran alcohol down the wound site. It’d been more than twenty-four hours since the surgery. He didn’t respond, instead he just stared at me, making my body heat up under his gaze. I tried to ignore him the best I could as I cleaned the wound, but it was hard.

“Thank you,” he finally said.

“It’s no problem, Demetrius.”

“But it is. Even with everything we had going on, you hopped right in and did what you had to do for a nigga.” He touched my hand.

“You don’t have to thank me, Demetrius. I was never about to let you die. No matter how fucked up our shit is,” I replied.

“Always jumping in to help, being selfless. The loyalty always been top tier.”

His words made me blush, and I found myself running my finger down the side of his wound, tracing it. The incision site ran right through the tattoo he had on his torso. It was a reminder of how I’d almost lost him. A reminder of how much I loved him.

“Born to be a nurse. What can I say, it’s in me not on me.” I shrugged.

“Still, I appreciate it. Even what you did. Kidnapping me from the hospital. It’s a lot to do for a nigga you don’t have feelings for.”

“Didn’t nobody kidnap you from the hospital. You were released,” I replied. “And I have feelings for you Demetrius. I never said I didn’t.”

“But you don’t love me.”

My eyes shot to his and back down at his chest. I’d fallen in his trap. I do love you. I admitted it to myself, but this was not the time to confess my love to Demetrius. We both were vulnerable. Both of our lives were being turned upside down, and I still didn’t know if I was ready for everything that came with that.

“Breakfast will be ready soon. We should get you in the shower.” I tried to change the subject.

“The classic Samara deflect.” He chuckled. “You can’t deflect forever, baby, I’m inevitable.”

“I’m not deflecting… I’m just trying to make sure you’re okay. You haven’t showered, and I don’t want you to miss breakfast.”

“Um huh,” he said as silence fell over us. My finger continued tracing up and down his chest as I placed a clean bandage over his wound. Once I was done, I pulled down his shirt and went to roll back up his pants but was greeted by a bulge in his sweats.

“Yeah, you woke him up.” The tone in his voice told me I was in trouble.

“I wasn’t… trying…” I tried to jump up from the bed, but Demetrius used his arm to keep me in place.

“Come put that pussy on my face,” he instructed like what he’d just requested wasn’t completely left field. His hand tugged at my dress.

“Demetrius!” I called his name. “Stop playing. We haven’t been on that type of time for a long time.”

“Whose fault is that?” he said.

“You’re hurt, and we shouldn’t be doing anything remotely close to this and your grandma is right outside the door.” I thought I was making all valid points, but the look on Demetrius’s face told me he wasn’t listening.

“Now, Samara! I’m hungry.” His voice was low and demanding, and I knew I couldn’t resist him. The cocky look on his face said it all. Rolling onto my knees, I shimmied out of my dress and crawled up to his handsome face.

“Naw, the other way.” He nodded his head in the direction of the bulge in his pants.

“No. I’m not lying across your stomach! You’re crazy,” I replied, realizing what he was insinuating. There was no way we could sixty-nine with him injured like this.

“Now, Samara!” he demanded again, and like a good fool I turned my body around so that I faced away from his head.

“Good girl!” He smacked my ass as I threw my leg over his head and mounted his face. I was met with the feel of his wet tongue on my clit as his hands snaked around my thighs and locked me in place.

“Ooh.” I threw my hands over my mouth to muffle my moans as his lips latched onto my clit. Pleasure immediately shot through my body as he slurped and sucked, making me his morning breakfast as he feasted. I rolled my hips across his face, feeding him more of me, chasing the feeling I’d been depriving myself of.

“Oh my God!” I bit into my hand as he sucked me into his mouth. His grandparents hearing us was not the first impression I wanted to make on them, even if I didn’t plan on being with their grandson.

“Tell me why you can’t admit you love me?” He lifted me just enough to speak. His voice was full of need. I couldn’t believe he wanted to talk about this right now. Instead of responding, I threw my body down, being sure not to put any of my weight on his stomach. I snaked his dick out of his pants and marveled over its beauty. It was the perfect girth and length, and the veins that ran through it made it look like a delicious chocolate snack.

“Tell me why you trust me with this pussy and not your heart?” he questioned before latching on to me once more and feeding my pussy his fingers. My head fell back for a second before I gathered myself and took his dick to the back of my throat.

“Fuck!” he moaned as I slid my mouth up and down on his dick. Everything he asked were valid fucking questions, but I couldn’t answer them. Maybe if I sucked him good enough, he would forget what he was asking. It was much easier to stuff my mouth with his penis than to confess the secret love I had locked away for him.

“Mm!” I lapped his dick with my tongue while moving my hands up and down his shaft.

“I won’t tell your secrets, baby, it’s just me and you.” His voice vibrated on my pussy sending me over the edge. “You feel that?”

“Yes!”

“Good! That’s our love! Stop denying us our love.”

My body quaked as I rolled my hips on his face and deep-throated his dick at the same time. Coming up for air, I screamed.

“Fuuuck! I’m cumming!” My legs trembled as he intensified his movements right before he lifted me from his face. Confusion set in and panic replaced the euphoric feeling that was coating my body.

“I’m sorry. Did I hurt you?”

“You deny me… I deny you, baby.” He sat me on the bed and leaned up without hesitation. So many words ran through my head as I stared at him like he’d lost his damn mind.

“Are you serious?”

He eyed me with a devilish smirk coating his face as he grabbed his crutches and pulled himself up from the bed before he stopped. Leaning down, he caught my lips. My mouth betrayed me and my lips parted, allowing his tongue to touch mine. He kissed me like this was the last we’d ever kiss again. As soon as it began, it ended. Demetrius pulled back with no words, just a shake of his head, his eyes burning a hole in my soul.

“When you ready to answer my questions, come holla at me. I’m going to shower. See you at breakfast.” He stood before hopping his crippled, petty ass out of the room.