Gabrielle sucked in a sharp breath, her mouth agape as she gazed at who she suspected was her bodyguard.

Handsome was too banal for this man.

Hot as fuck was too crude for his refinement.

Sexy worked since his bulging muscles refused to cower underneath the impeccably tailored Armani suit. Smooth tan skin graced his flawless face, perfectly symmetrical with a chiseled, square jaw. His thick dark black hair was meticulously styled as if he was showing up to walk the runways in Paris.

But there was something about the kindness in his smoldering brown eyes framed by lashes that stretched to the sky that made her knees buckle. She reached a hand toward the door frame of the cockpit to steady herself.

“I’ve had to modify your exit route from the airport due to the—”

“Modify my exit route? Wait, stop,” Gabrielle said, willing her fluttering heart to calm the fuck down. “I don’t need a special exit route, and I damn sure don’t need a bodyguard. I know this island like the back of my hand. If someone makes the mistake of trying to come at me, I know how to defend myself.”

“What’s waiting for you out there isn’t the same as contrived practices in a safe gym with friendly teachers. You think a few years of self-defense classes have prepared you to defend yourself in the real world with real threats? Think again.”

She squared off in front of the sexy bodyguard and said, “You think belittling a woman who has worked for years to take down real threats without the help of a man makes you a hero? Think again.”

The bodyguard raised an eyebrow that blasted him past the top of the irresistible scale. A sarcastic chuckle escaped his lips.

“A few hundred fans do not constitute a threat to my safety,” Gabrielle insisted. “I have a real crisis that I need to resolve. I don’t have time to wait while you fabricate a reason to prove to my sister that your presence is necessary.”

“My presence is necessary because intermingled within that group of a few hundred people waiting out there,” the sexy bodyguard paused to point out the window, then continued, “are protesters who want to stop you from going to the parole hearing of a man they believe suffered excessively and unfairly because of … you.”

“Protesters supporting Damian Hester?” Gabrielle balked. “They must be insane to think he deserves anything but to rot in his prison cell.”

“Possibly,” the bodyguard agreed. “Which is why you need me.”

“Even if I don’t want you.” The words felt like a lie the moment they escaped her mouth. Gabrielle flushed, fighting the lust blossoming within her for the infuriating man.

His demeanor shifted almost imperceptibly.

The blunt professionalism had been breached.

A hint of a smile played at the corners of his mouth as his eyes swirled with unrestrained desire. His gaze dropped to her lips and lingered there for a long moment before rising back to her eyes.

Battle lines were drawn between them.

Gabrielle feared she would be the first to wave the white flag as the most inappropriate thoughts crowded her mind. Like what it would feel like to have his full mouth pressed against hers. Or to have those strong arms wrapped around her body, caressing her and holding her close. And going dangerously further to imagine what kind of Greek god of a body was hidden underneath all those clothes. Her heart rate quickened as she shook the thoughts away.

“Serena gave me a job, and I will do it. Whether you like it or not.” His matter-of-fact tone irked her. Frustration reared its ugly head as she fought to maintain some semblance of calm.

“Job?” She scoffed and shook her head. “Fine. What’s your name?”

An expression she couldn’t read flashed across his face, but he recovered quickly and responded. “Sebastian.”

Gabrielle rolled her eyes. “There’s no way you’re Sebastian.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Sebastian was a skinny homeless stray my brother brought back from L.A. decades ago. He looked like an Eminem wannabe with platinum blond hair and wore his pants sagging like some thug. But that didn’t stop my parents from setting him up with a host family and fawning over him as he got his life together and did everything normal kids do. But some way when he did them, he was special and a star. I got sick of hearing about how perfect Sebastian was, how well he was doing in school, and what a polite gentleman he was growing up to be. He made me look bad at every turn. There’s no way you’re the same guy …”

Her words faltered as his eyes smoldered with anger.

“You forgot to mention how you had tantrums anytime I was invited to your house for a home-cooked meal. As a homeless kid, I never knew when I’d find food. I spent more nights lulled to sleep by my growling stomach because I refused to keep scrounging in trash cans for remnants of gnawed junk food left behind. When I came to the island, I wasn’t trying to ruin your life. I appreciated your family’s kindness in giving me a fresh start as a foreign exchange student,” Sebastian said, then stepped closer toward her. His face had turned to stone, rigid with anger, as he stared daggers at her. “And let’s not forget how you stood on the sidelines while the college dicks who wanted to get in your panties roughed me up every weekend to impress you. But maybe in a cruel, twisted way, I owe you, Gabrielle. All of those experiences made me stronger and tougher. Made me the kind of man that your family trusts with your life. I wouldn’t be anywhere near you if it were up to me. But I owe the King Family a lot, which means I can put aside my personal feelings for you and make sure that no one harms a hair on your entitled little head.”