The Bodyguard: A BWWM Bad Body Romance(71)

“I want to see her, after all of this.” He finally grunted. “Is there any way I can do that?”

Simmons huffed a sigh, crossing his arms over his chest. “Not that the department can help with, no. In matters of romance, you’re on your own.”

Romance. The term still made Hank frown a little. He had never been one for roses and candlelit dinners. That shit was beyond him. But the prospect of holding Juliet - of seeing the way she smiled when she hit the center of a target and her laugh after half a bottle of Jameson. Of knowing she judged him exactly as little as he did her….if that was romance, he could deal with it.

He only hoped she could as well.



“Hey.”

He was dozing when she knocked on the door, but the sound of Juliet’s voice was enough to make Hank straighten.

The sight of her...that was enough to make something else stiffen entirely. She was wearing an ankle-length dress that clung to her curves and showed off just enough of her ample breasts to remind him that it had been weeks since he’d last had her…

But this was hardly the time to be wrestling his fucking erection. “Hey,” he managed, as best he could through the wiring in his jaw. “Come in.”

She smiled, waving off the men guarding her as she stepped into the room. “You’re looking well today. Guessing they haven’t fed you yet.”

“Yeah, well, the longer I avoid the shit food, the better.” When Juliet perched on the chair next to his bed, Hank frowned, reaching down to curl his fingers around the leg and tug her closer to the bed. Her squawk of surprise made him smirk.

“You’re not supposed to be doing that! The doctors said-”

“Fuck the doctors,” he growled, “I’ll be out of here soon enough anyway.” The mention of his discharge date was enough to sober her slightly. Hank took in her reaction carefully as she sat back, her fingers twisting together in her lap.

“That’s good. You can get some rest.” When she spoke, her words were soft - subtle. Unlike Juliet.

“What about you?” He changed the subject swiftly, cursing the nerves in his gut. “They told you when Solomon’s going to court yet?”

Juliet shook her head. “Not yet, but he’s given them a lead on Caesar, so my guess is it’ll be soon. And after that...well…” She smiled, a gesture that didn’t quite meet her eyes. “I’ll finally be out of you guys’ hair.”

Goddamn it. All this subtlety was giving him a headache. If he was honest with himself, Hank had been thinking about this for a while now. He didn’t mind going into deep cover to meet drug dealers or getting into spontaneous shoot-outs. But this….this intimidated him. Being blunt had never seemed to bother Juliet as much as it did other women.

So that was what he decided to do. He was in a hospital bed, and they both faced a ticking clock. What the hell did he have to lose?

“I don’t want you out of my hair, Juliet.”

The moment the words left his mouth, her lips parted slightly in surprise. Hank forged on. If she interrupted him now, he might not ever finish. “I’m a fucking mess - and it’s not just these injuries. I’m not good with people, I’m not good with women. I talk with my fists and I’m a grumpy old fuck. But you’ve never minded any of that.” He raised his chin to meet her gaze evenly, searching her dark eyes. “I can’t promise being with me will be a picnic. There’ll be red tape and a shit ton of work to do. I’ll see the Aguiler case through to the end, but I’ll try to involve you as little as possible. My work is dangerous and I don’t plan to quit. I’d just...It would be nice to know you’re there. For me.”

Jesus, he was fucked. Hank wasn’t sentimental but he could swear his sister had to be laughing at him somewhere.

“Hank…”It was a long beat before Juliet spoke, but when she did, she slid from the chair to the edge of the bed. He had never quite understood how women could smile and cry at the same time, but she was doing it. Throwing her arms around him so he grunted - but would gladly take any amount of discomfort to hold her close. “I...I want to say something and I’m not sure-”

He snorted at that. “Say it.” He murmured against the top of her head, inhaling the floral scent of her shampoo indulgently.

When she raised her head to meet his gaze, her smile was nervous and endearing all at once. “I love you.”

For a moment, Hank just stared at her as his brain worked hard to process what she’d just said. What the hell had he done to deserve her love? Juliet was the strongest woman he knew. Stronger than the man who had subjugated and abused her. Stronger than the system that had tried to contain her. She was gorgeous, she was sexy and hell, and despite every fucking thing he’d done to try and avoid it, he loved her too.

He loved her too.

When he said the words, she merely sighed in contentment, raising her mouth to his for a kiss. Hank obliged her without hesitation, relishing the taste he had missed for so long. They might both be fucked up - and there was certainly a long road ahead of them - but, come what may, they had saved one another.

She was his redemption, and that was more than enough for him.