*Tessa*

The last thing I remember is the feel of a soft furry cat underneath my feet, but suddenly, that dream is yanked away from me. My eyes fall open when the shrill of the alarm clock hits, only that it sounds louder than normal.

I groan, my eyes searching around the space for the source of the disturbance. But it is hard to miss him. He is standing directly over my bed, staring at me with a grim expression. The alarm clock is in one hand, pressed over my ears. 

"What the hell!" It feels like I am always screaming with Knox around, but it doesn't seem to bother him as he doesn't flinch. Instead, he turns off the alarm and slides it back onto my nightstand. 

"Your first class starts in thirty minutes. Get ready." He strides over to the door, covered in black, but at least it is not a drab suit like the others. He is in a pair of track pants, with an armless shirt that leaves almost nothing to the imagination.

His ripped muscles are on display, and it makes it harder to remember why he is in my room again. 

"Tessa!" he calls from the door. "You have twenty-nine minutes now."  He stops, then a mischievous glint appears in his eyes when he narrows them in my direction. "And it isn't pretty to drool while sleeping."

When he steps out, I hurry to the mirror and see a line of saliva trickling down the side of my mouth. 

"Urghhh!" I groan, bothered that he saw me that way. I reach for my box of wipes, but stop when I hear him call from the hallway. 

"Twenty-eight minutes!"

Ignoring it altogether, I dash into the bathroom for a hurried bath. Usually, I never minded going late to classes. The professors usually ignored me most of the time, and it worked for me. And even my former bodyguards loved the break because it gave them time to do nothing since watching over me, apparently, is a full-time job.

I finish in thirty-two minutes, and by the time I walk out of my closet, I meet Knox standing in one corner of my room. He looks so out of place, his whole masculine self in the midst of every shade of softness and pink.

Yet, in an odd way, he blends in at the same time. 

Knox stares at the wall, and at first, I wonder what has gotten him so curious until he shifts a little, and I see it. I panic at once, rushing to the wall to block the list away from view. 

"Why are you in here?" I question, glaring at him.

"Your twenty-eight minutes ended four minutes ago," he shrugs. 

"And?"

"And there are records of you scaling your window to avoid going to classes. We can't let that happen now, can we?"

"Leave!"  I blurt, pointing to the door.

Knox shakes his head. "I give the instructions around here. Grab your bag. Let's go."

Frustration works its way around me. "You know the only reason you have a job with this family is because I am yet to tell my brother to fire you, right? Do you know how easy it will be to make that happen? All I have to do is tell him I was harassed while you were on watch. Or worse, kidnapped."

I take a slow step towards him. My eyelids flutter from the proximity, but I try to act like it doesn't bother me. 

"You know what will happen to you after that, right? Gone, just like the wind."

He peers at me like I am the most boring essay he has read in the world. When my lips snap shut, he scoffs and steps back. "Lead the way, Tessa. Or we can do it my style."

I remember the other night, and at once, I feel red patches across my cheeks. I am in a very short tennis skirt with a white button-down shirt, and I really don't want my ass out in public.

"Fine," I mumble, grabbing my purse and heading out. I look back in time to see him take in the list for the last time, a snicker on his lips. 

"You don't have the liberty to laugh!" I say as I march through the hallway and into the living room. 

"I do and I will."

He doesn't open my side of the car. Instead, he just walks around and gets behind the wheel, turning around to ensure I get in, too. I sit at the back and let him act like my driver for today. I will never sit next to him in the same car. 

Knox peers up at the buttons of my shirt.  "I hope they are fastened properly."

Just those words are enough to make me want to hurl something at his perfect face. Instead, I curl my palms into fists by his side. 

"They are. Thank you for your false concern."

He pulls his gaze away and pulls out of the area. "Trust me, it isn't false. I don't want to see your boobs hanging out again. The mere thought of them is enough torture."

I don't know whether to get upset or respond with a sarcastic comment. I have only known him for less than twenty-four hours, yet Knox Pierce has managed to render me speechless.

We arrive at school, and he still doesn't get my door, so I alight myself, throwing him a frown before I head in the direction of my first class. Knox stays close when I walk in, but the moment he darkens the doorstep of my classroom, everyone notices him. 

Their eyes drink him in greedily, and the girls begin adjusting their tops, batting their eyelids flirtatiously.

I have concluded that there has to be something wrong with me because why on earth am I getting upset about something like this? Over someone that I do not even like.

"Oh my God!" Marin walks up to me, sliding in beside me. "Isn't that the hot guy from last night?"

I roll my eyes. "Yes. The night you let a total stranger take me away. You are supposed to be my best friend."

"Hello!" she snaps her fingers in my face. "Have you seen him? He is going to squeeze me into dust if I make one move, and I just..."

"Tessa Lane, where the fuck were you yesterday, and why weren't you answering your phone?"

*Knox*

A scrawny little kid approaches Tessa with something that could make a measly pass for anger etched on his face. He looks pathetic and desperate. Maybe that is what girls like Tessa like, because her face breaks into one of worry, like she is about to hand him a five-page essay on apology. 

"Wes," she says in a high-pitched tone. "Oh my God! I am so sorry. I totally forgot."

"You forgot?" 

Marin slips away from view, refusing to be caught in the crossfire. Watching her is hilarious. 

"I know how this sounds, Wes, but a lot happened yesterday, okay? I tried running away from my security, and I would have joined you if some lousy bastards hadn't delayed me. He tried harassing me, and it got the attention of the very people I was trying to run away from."

Any other man will be immediately concerned for her safety. They will ask her if she was hurt in any way. Tessa just mentioned she was harassed, but Wes doesn't even bother with that. 

"This is why it stresses me out being with you."

"Wes!" 

He sighs, pressing two fingers against his temples. "I'm sorry," he sighs. "I didn't mean it that way. It's just that I actually spent a lot getting us VIP tickets into that party at the club yesterday. They were non-refundable, and I spent the night all alone. It was worse that you didn't pick up my calls and didn't even try to call me back."

And then, the scrawny kid decides it is the right time to play the worry card. "You don't know how worried I was, Tessa. I thought something bad had happened to you."

I roll my eyes. It is in this moment that Wes notices me. He looks at me longer than necessary, from where I sit behind them.

"Do we have a new student?" Wes whispers to Tessa. What a dumb question. What kind of guys does Tessa like?

Dumb dudes?

"New student?" she turns to look at me and then sighs, returning her gaze to her boyfriend. 

"He's my new bodyguard from the security company. Knox Pierce."

"New security?" The surprise in his voice is evident, and almost borders on panic. "Along with all the others?"

Tessa shakes her head. "The deal was that I get to keep him and let go of all the others. So, I am stuck with Mr. broody until my brother decides we have both had enough of him. And to be honest, I don't think that is happening anytime soon."

"Damn!" He sighs, leaning further into the seat. "I never get you alone, do I?"

Prick. He doesn't even care for her safety. I lift myself out of the seat and stride out of the classroom just as the Professor gets in. Picking a spot by the window that gives me a large view of everything happening inside, I hit my headphones and connect with Kara.

She picks up the first ring. 

"How is your first official day as a bodyguard, K?"

"The child is an ass," I reply, my eyes still on her. Now, she has given up on the lectures altogether, getting into an animated conversation with Wes, who, like her, doesn't seem keen on the whole idea of education.

This is the kind of people the Lane family is made of, yet they think they are better than others, working so hard to make an honest living. 

"She is rich and spoiled," Kara laughs. "What else did you expect?"'

"Some level of intelligence, but I guess that is asking for too much."

"Any information so far?"

"Everything inside the house is encrypted. My key card only gives me access to a few rooms, where I have business. That means I have to find some other way to gain access to his study."

"What about the kid?"

I look back at her again. She is no longer talking to Wes. Our eyes meet for a brief moment. She frowns and looks in the other direction. 

"What about her, Kara?"

"She has to have access to the study. She is Marcus' only sister."

"She is just a kid."

"That did not stop her brother from throwing you under the bus, and neither should it stop you." Kara has always been with me from the beginning of this journey, and sometimes, I think her anger runs deeper than mine. 

"I need you to look into something for me," I murmur, changing the topic. "There's a kid who attaches himself to Tessa. His name is Wes. Surname unknown. I need to know what he is on about. His family, his motivations, everything."

Kara pauses. "K, don't you think you are taking the bodyguard role a little too seriously? Back at the company, you have a million and one men at your beck and call, doing the very thing you are doing right now. This is cosplay. It isn't real."

"Do the task, Kara, and report back to me."

She knows when I am serious with business, because despite the fact that I give her liberty to joke around with me, she understands that I am still her boss. She still owes me her life from years ago, when she was kidnapped by a bunch of drug dealers and was on the verge of getting raped and killed.

I enlisted her from that day, and she has been my most trusted personnel. 

"Okay, K. You'll get the report before the end of the day."

The professor must have rounded the class up earlier than he planned, as the kids get up and walk out. I move too, intercepting Tessa on her way out.

"Going somewhere?"

She groans. "Why are you always everywhere?"

"That's sort of my job." My eyes flicker to my watch. "Your next class is in three hours. What do you want to do till then?"

"Stay away from you?"

"Funny, but you can't have that. But if you could, I would happily grant it to you since I have no desire to be with you ...."

The rest of my words trail off when I hear the unmistakable cock of a gun. 

"Tessa! Down now!"

*Tessa*

I hear the ringing in my head, so loud that I am sure it will live with me for months. Knox acts fast, pulling me with him. I try to turn around, searching for my friends, but he doesn't give me the liberty as he keeps moving farther away from the sound.

At the end of the hallway, he stops and pushes me behind his body. A gun appears in his hands. "The attacker is shooting from the parking lot," he explains. "You are safe here, unless there is more than one of them."

Fear works its way through me. "What happens if there is more than one?"

He shrugs. "You pray you don't die yet."

"Knox," I whisper. "My brother pays you to guard me, and that includes keeping me from death."

He gives me a look. "So, now you are willing to recognize that."

Another bullet rings through the air, and I flinch. "My friends, Wes..."

"Your little boyfriend is going to be fine," he says a little too harshly. "I don't want you going out looking for him. Stay put until you are absolutely certain it is all right to come out. Are we clear?"

"But Knox..."

"Are we clear?"

"Yes."

"Perfect." He touches my chin lightly before racing towards the direction of the shooter, leaving me trembling, partially from fright and partially from the absolutely platonic touch of my chin.

But I still feel his fingers there minutes after he leaves, tingling me despite the situation. 

The gunshots get louder and more insistent, and I slide to the floor, covering my ears with my hands. I hear a loud groan, and my heart squeezes. I hope it isn't someone I know. It can't be someone I know. 

After what feels like an eternity, the ringing in the air stops. With a whimper escaping my lips, I pull myself to my feet and gaze around warily. Knox asked me not to come out until I am entirely certain it is safe to, so I linger a few more minutes before stepping out.

A crowd has gathered in the parking lot around something, and I find myself running in that direction, dread finding its way through me. I push my way through the crowd until I am at the front of the circle.

There, I see Knox on top of a man, pinning him to the ground. The man looks like he has a bullet wound on his calf, as he is bleeding from that point. His gun has been knocked out of his hands, and everyone is staring at Knox like a hero.

The cops arrive on the scene, and the crowd pushes back to let them through. Knox gets on his feet and leaves the man with them, taking the faces of those around him. And when our eyes meet, he heads in my direction. 

"You good?"

I nod, unable to find my voice. 

"The school has cancelled all classes for the day. Let's get you home."

"I have to find Wes and Marin first," I whisper, still not recovered from the incident. 

"The man didn't come for your friends. He came for you."

"What?"

"Marcus will get a lot of enemies naturally since the position he is running for is quite coveted. It is the reason you cannot run away as you please, Tessa. He only came in here because the instructions left him no choice. He was supposed to make the attack look like a random school shooting."

It is hard to wrap my head around it. Nodding slowly, I allow him to lead me to the car. The cops stop him for a few minutes to talk to him while I continue to the car. For the first time in a while, I do not feel like running away.

Seated in the back seat, Marin walks over to me. "Oh my God! Thank God!" she gushes, pulling me into her arms. "I looked everywhere for you. I just found your hot bodyguard, and he told me where you were."

"Can you stop calling him that?"

"But he is hot," she maintains, eyeing him from the window. "I am just so glad that he was here on time to save everyone, because I don't know what would have happened if someone had gotten hurt."

"Me too," I sigh. "What about Wes? I haven't seen him anywhere."

"Fucking coward," Marin mutters. "He ran off the minute the shooting started. The fucker didn't even bother checking on either of us. You see what I have been telling you for ages? Wes isn't in love with you. He only likes the idea of you. Break up with him."

I shake my head insistently. "Just because he ran away doesn't mean he doesn't love me. Maybe he just panicked."

"What if your hot bodyguard had panicked too?"

I roll my eyes at her choice of words again, but refrain from talking about it. "That is different. It is his job to protect me, and that was what he did today."

"Whatever you say, honey," she murmurs. "Scoot over. The handsome hunk has allowed me to hitch a ride with you guys today. My driver isn't picking up his calls."

"So we are dropping you off?"  I ask as I move inside.

"No," she answers. "I am going home with you. My driver will come to get me later in the evening. You need someone to talk to after what happened today, and I think I need that too."

We wait a few more minutes for Knox before he appears around the corner, dark shades shielding his eyes. I find myself swallowing just as my best friend's mouth hangs open. 

"He is one sexy Greek god," she whispers beside me, not bothering to hide her drool. "The things I have imagined him doing to me already."

"Ladies, are we set to go?" he asks as he gets into the car.

"We are," Marin chirps with an unfounded excitement. Nodding, Knox pulls out of the parking lot and heads in the direction of our house.

His phone rings halfway into the journey, and he taps on the receiver attached to his ear.

"K."

I cannot hear the person on the other side, but I am certain that his expression falters. 

"Okay," he says. "I will be right there."