Seeing the blood on her lip and the purple swelling on her face had turned my brain to ash. I didn't care about rules, and I didn't care about her dad's payroll. Someone had put hands on her.

That stupid bastard had dared to hit her!

I walked down to the garage, spotted her Tesla parked at an angle, and got inside. The GPS was still running her last route, pointing straight to Max’s apartment. I hit the engine and drove like a man possessed.

When I reached his door, I didn't waste time knocking. I took a step back and kicked the lock straight through the frame. The wood splintered with a loud crash.

Max was sprawled on his couch, stark naked, one girl's mouth on his skin and another leaning over him. The sudden smash of the door had all three of them freezing. Max scrambled up, his bruised face twisting into a scowl.

"Who let you in, man?" he spat out.

I didn't answer him. I covered the distance between us in two strides and landed a solid right hook straight across his jaw.

The girls shrieked, backing into the corner of the room. Max crashed hard over the coffee table, sending empty bottles clattering across the floor. He wiped blood from his lip, pulling himself up, his eyes wild.

"I knew it!" he yelled, his voice cracking. "You're not just her bodyguard, you're her fuck buddy! I always knew she wasn't some innocent—"

I grabbed him by the throat before he could finish the sentence and slammed him face-first into the wall.

"Don't speak her name," I growled into his ear.

I pulled him back and hit him again. And again. I didn't use a weapon. I just used my bare hands, driving my fists into his ribs and his face until he stopped trying to fight back, collapsing onto the floor like a ragdoll. His face was a bloody mess, his chest heaving as he groaned on the carpet.

I leaned down, grabbing him by the hair to pull his head up.

"If you ever go near her again, I won't leave you breathing," I said softly.

He didn't answer, just choked on his own breath. I let go, and his head thudded against the floor.

I turned around to leave. The two girls were still cowering by the bed, staring at me with wide, terrified eyes, but I walked right past them without a second glance, slamming the broken door behind me.

By the time I drove back to the house, the adrenaline was wearing off, leaving a dull throbbing in my knuckles. They were split open and bleeding. I grabbed a roll of bandage from the garage kit and wrapped my hands tightly so she wouldn't see the blood. Then I grabbed an ice pack from the freezer and headed upstairs.

When I opened her bedroom door, she was sitting on the edge of her mattress. Her eyes were red, her lashes wet with tears.

"Where did you go?" she asked, her voice quiet as she sat up to look at me.

"To handle something," I said, keeping my tone even.

Her brow pulled together as she searched my face. "Did you go see Max? What did you do?"

"Why do you care about a guy who put his hands on you?" I snapped, my temper flaring up before I could stop it. "Look at your face, Amelia!"

She flinched, pulling back a few inches on the bed.

The fear in her eyes instantly brought my rage down. I took a slow breath and rubbed the back of my neck. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have raised my voice."

She just stared down at her hands, nodding faintly.

"Come here," I said, walking over to the bed with the ice pack. "Let me take a look."

I sat down beside her, pressing the cold pack gently against the left side of her face. She winced, her body tensing up, but she didn't pull away. I kept my hand steady, lightly dabbing the swelling until the skin didn't look as raw.

For a few minutes, neither of us said anything. She kept her eyes glued to her lap, her fingers picking at her sweater.

"Why?" I asked softly, breaking the silence.

She didn't look up. "Why what?"

"Why did you go to his place after what happened this morning?" I kept my voice calm, but the frustration was still there. "You knew he was bad news."

Her head snapped up, her eyes flashing with sudden anger. "You're my bodyguard, Rey. You're not my dad. You don't get to question what I do."

"Your dad put me in charge of keeping you alive," I reminded her, leaning in slightly. "Which means I have to care when you make stupid decisions."

"I don't care what my dad told you! Get out of my room!" She pointed a trembling finger toward the hallway.

"Amelia—"

"I said get out!"

She stood up, walked over to the door, and held it wide open, her jaw set tight.

I looked at her for a second, then stood up from the bed. Arguing with her while she was this worked up wasn't going to fix anything. I walked out into the corridor, and the door slammed shut behind me with enough force to rattle the frame.

I stayed standing in the hallway, leaning my shoulder against the wall next to her door.

Less than a minute passed before I heard the quiet, broken sounds of her crying through the wood. She was trying to keep it down, but the hiccups gave her away.

I turned the knob and walked back inside.

She was sitting on the edge of the mattress again, her face buried in her hands, her shoulders shaking violently.

"Amelia," I said, walking over.

"I told you to leave!" she sobbed, wiping her eyes frantically as she looked up. "Why are you still here?"

"Because I'm not leaving you like this," I said simply.

She let out a bitter laugh, shaking her head. "I'll tell my dad you left me alone this morning. I'll tell him you're terrible at this job."

"Tell him whatever you want," I replied, sitting down on the edge of the bed beside her. "I'm still not walking out."

She dropped her head back into her hands, a long, ragged sigh escaping her lips. "I'm such an idiot..."

"You're not an idiot."

"I drove to his house thinking we could fix things," she whispered, her voice cracking. "I'm a fool."

"You cared about someone who didn't deserve it," I said, keeping my voice steady. "That doesn't make you a fool. It just means you trusted the wrong guy."

She went quiet, her breathing slowly evening out as she wiped the remaining tears from her cheeks.

"Rey?" she called softly.

"Yeah?"

"Kiss me."

I froze, turning my head to look at her. "Amelia, no. You're upset, and—"

"Just kiss me," she cut in.

Before I could move back, she reached out, wrapped her fingers around the back of my neck, and pulled me down to her. Her lips pressed against mine, desperate and warm.

My hands acted on instinct, wrapping around her waist to draw her flush against my chest. The kiss went deep fast, her small frame trembling against mine as I held her tight. But then her hand slid down my chest, moving toward my belt.

The heat in my gut turned straight into a cold shock.

I pulled back instantly, breaking the kiss and standing up so fast my chair nearly overturned.

"Rey?" she asked, looking up at me, her cheeks flushed, her eyes wide with confusion.

"We can't do this, Princess," I said, my voice rough as I ran a hand through my hair, trying to catch my breath. "Not today. Not like this."

I didn't give her a chance to respond. I turned around and walked straight out of the room, shutting the door firmly behind me.