Out of Nowhere (Balls and Brawn Bodyguard #4)

3. Chapter Three Dex

Chapter Three: Dex

“ D ex! Hey, I was looking for you.”

Dex stopped at the top of the stairs to the main floor when Jase called to him. Having just finished an hour-long Taekwondo lesson with Seo-jun followed by a long shower, he was drained. The lesson had gone well, though. Dex was much better at Taekwondo than he was at knife-throwing—thank God. He wanted to hang onto some of his pride in front of Seo-jun. He missed the target with the knife so often, there were marks all over the wall of the room they practiced in. He didn’t know why Seo-jun hadn’t called a stop to the lessons already.

“I’ll have that file to you by tomorrow,” he told Jase, thinking of the file Jase had sent him that morning.

“Awesome. That’s not what I want to talk to you about, though. I got a call from the owner of Summit Climbing Gym.”

“Oh, yeah. Brand asked for your card the other day. He said something about needing protection from his ex.”

“That’s what he told me. I’m putting you and Seo-jun on the case.”

Dex froze. “What? You’re putting me on a case? With Seo-jun?”

“We discussed you taking cases. Is there a reason you don’t want to work with Seo-jun?” Jase arched a brow.

“Uh, no. No, of course not. But…other than that case in New Mexico over a year ago, I’ve never worked one. And I really didn’t do anything that time. I posed as a computer tech, which is what I am.”

“And you bought Scott and Kris enough time to find what they needed. You did great. You’ve completed the training course and gotten your firearms license since then. You’re ready for something more, Dex. And you’re perfect for this job. You’re already a member of the gym, so you won’t stand out, and you’re good at bouldering, so you can pose as an instructor. Seo-jun will work at the juice bar. You two will stay with Nichols twenty-four seven. You start tonight. Pack a bag.” He patted Dex on the shoulder and walked away.

Dex wasn’t sure what to think. He’d enjoyed the work he’d done in New Mexico, even if it hadn’t been much. But could he really be someone’s bodyguard? He’d worked hard to be physically fit and to be able to defend himself and others, but deep inside he still felt like just a computer nerd. And he was going to work with Seo-jun , the sexiest man he’d ever laid eyes on. How in the hell was he going to keep his mind on the job?

With a sigh, Dex climbed the second set of stairs to the top floor where his bedroom was located and pulled his suitcase from the closet. His phone notified him of a text. It was from his mother.

Have you called Penelope yet?

Busy with work.

Dex started packing.

“Sorry to put you guys in the same room in a double bed, but it’s all I’ve got,” Brand told Dex and Seo-jun as he showed them around his modest apartment near the beach.

“No worries.” Dex glanced at Seo-jun, but he was already unpacking his things and putting them into the drawers Brand had emptied for their use.

At Brand’s wide-eyed look, Dex tilted his head toward the hall, and Brand followed him out of the room.

“Seo-jun may look like he just stepped off a movie set where he played the star assassin, but he’s really a nice guy when you get to know him,” Dex told him out of Seo-jun’s hearing range.

Brand relaxed a little. “I just haven’t seen him crack a smile since you got here.”

“Well, believe me, his smiles are rare but worth the wait.”

Brand chuckled. “I’ll take your word for it. To be honest, I was surprised when I opened the door and saw you there. I thought you just did computer work.”

“I’ve recently started taking on cases. I like the variety,” Dex said, hoping he sounded casual and, well, cool .

Brand seemed to accept that. “I hate to do this to you, but I was about to take an evening run.”

“You do exactly as you like. We’ll adapt.”

Dex turned to see Seo-jun standing in the doorway to the room.

“We usually go for a run every day anyway,” he told Brand.

“Okay. I’ll be ready in ten.” Brand went into his bedroom, shutting the door behind him, and Seo-jun walked back into the guestroom.

When Dex joined him, Seo-jun was already stripping. Dex stood for a minute, taking him in. God , the man was gorgeous. Deliciously tawny skin, lean muscle everywhere, a totally ripped eight pack, and pecs to die for. Dex wanted to lick him all over.

Face hot, he pulled his gaze away and started pawing through his bag for jogging clothes. When he noticed Seo-jun watching him with disapproval, Dex said, “I know, Mr. Neat Freak. Don’t worry; I’ll have everything packed away nicely before bed.”

Seo-jun’s plump lips quirked. It had taken Dex a while to learn to read Seo-jun, but he now knew that Seo-jun liked it when Dex teased him.

Pulling his collared shirt over his head and tossing it onto the bed, Dex exchanged it for a Journey t-shirt, then slid out of his slacks and donned a pair of jogging shorts with a pocket holster for his lightweight Glock 43. By the time he had tied his running shoes, Seo-jun had tucked his gun into the built-in pocket of his compression shorts and left the room. Dex could hear him in the hall talking to Brand, instructing him to never leave their sight and to alert them if he felt uneasy about anything.

“Dex?” Seo-jun called.

“Hold up. Just putting my contacts in.” Dex hated running in his glasses, which steamed up in the humid weather. He was becoming more and more used to wearing contacts and preferred them most of the time. He joined Brand and Seo-jun, and they headed out.

The day had been hot and humid with little breeze. Now, the sun sat low in a dusky blue sky. After a warm-up, the three men started running at an easy pace, Brand in front and Seo-jun and Dex following. By the time they had hit a good stride, sweat was trickling down Dex’s back. He’d been running with Seo-jun for so long, their bodies were in sync, their feet easily falling into a pattern of hitting the pavement at the same time. Dex thought it was comforting and, also, oddly intimate. He and Seo-jun kept sweeping their gazes around the beach road, watching for danger. A few cars passed, causing Dex to tense up in preparation for one of them to slow down, open the car door, and grab Brand, but that never happened. When they had gone what Dex judged to be about three miles, they turned around and started back.

Dex relaxed a little. There weren’t many places on the straight, flat road for anyone to be hiding and watching.

When they reached the apartment building, the sun was barely visible on the horizon, orange and red rays fading to gray.

“I’m starving, what about you guys?” Brand asked. “Do you like spaghetti? We can put that together pretty quickly.”

“Sounds good to me,” Dex said, and Seo-jun nodded in agreement.

Once in the apartment, the three men started preparing pasta and a salad, which they ate at the kitchen table, chatting amiably.

After they rinsed the dishes and put them in the dishwasher, Brand said, “I’m going to take a shower and read before bed. I left some supplies—shampoo, toothpaste, and stuff—in the hall bathroom for you.”

When he disappeared down the hall, Dex turned to Seo-jun. “You can shower first.” Seo-jun started to protest, and Dex winked at him. “Go on. I have clothes to hang up, remember?”

Dex cringed inwardly as he quickly turned for the bedroom. Why had he winked? Seo-jun probably thought he was weird.

As Dex was hanging the last of his clothes in the closet, Seo-jun walked into the room, naked except for a towel wrapped around his waist, his flawless skin glistening with water. Before he could drop the towel, Dex slipped past him to the bathroom, afraid Seo-jun would see the way his cock was taking an interest in the show.

Stripping, Dex waited for the water to warm up, his thoughts on Seo-jun. When he stepped under the spray, he was more than halfway hard. Trying to ignore it, he soaped up, thinking about how Seo-jun had just done the very same thing in that small space, and then Dex needed to wash his dick and balls and, well. Even though it felt pervy to rub one out while thinking of his coworker, he had to do something with his erection, didn’t he?

But, just as he’d given his cock one good, soapy stroke, the water suddenly turned freezing cold and took care of the problem for him.