Her Bodyguard

Chapter Nineteen

"You came back! I was so worried...oh, my goodness!"

Izar's blue eyes were as wide as saucers at the sight of Calida. She stood still, glued to the spot as Calida shut the door. She took off her jacket and holster before walking past Izar. By the time she found herself in the small sitting room, her gloves, jacket, holster, and brass knuckles were in one hand.

Izar followed her, asking if everything was alright. But Calida wouldn't say a word to her and that freaked her out, but not as much as the dagger hanging out of Calida scared her.

They were in a room now, it was empty, except for the types of furniture.

"Why aren't you saying anything? What happened to you? Why won't you let me help?" Izar asked her.

Calida groaned, dropping everything on the bed. Her white shirt was stained with blood now, and she was lucky it hadn't stuck to her skin.

"Don't worry about any of this. I'm okay. The dagger didn't do much damage. I left it there so I wouldn't bleed so much. There's a first aid kit in the bathroom. First cabinet. Get it for me," Calida said.

Izar rushed into the bathroom and returned with the first aid kit a minute later. Calida watched her, her dark hazel eyes boring holes into Izar.

"What next?" Izar asked her.

"Wash your hands," Calida said calmly.

For someone who had been stabbed, she was calm. Too calm. It was unnerving. Izar felt like she was carrying the burden of Calida's pain as she scrubbed her hands clean. By the time she returned to the room, Calida had shrugged off her shirt, leaving only a white sports bra on. Everything she would need to treat Calida's injury was on the table too.

"I'm going to pull out the dagger and you'll do as I tell you to, okay?" Calida said.

She has been stabbed. How can she not feel the pain? I haven't been stabbed and yet I can feel her pain, Izar thought.

Calida pulled out the dagger without flinching or wincing. It was almost like she didn't feel the pain. Izar on the other hand could not stand the dagger being pulled out. Calida started to bleed out. She grabbed a neatly folded bandage and pressed it right on the stab wound.

"You know I'm not a doctor, right?" She asked Calida.

"I know. Which is why I'll tell you what to do. I don't like stitches, so we won't stitch this. Come here, you have to clean the wound, rinse it with water, then apply antibiotics. That will kill any infection. You'll cover the wound. I can take care of the rest by myself."

Izar got to work on the wound, taking her time to do everything that Calida told her to. She was so close to the wounded woman, she could feel Calida's breath on her neck. It sent shivers down her spine. When Calida's finger brushed her bare skin, Izar took a deep breath as heat pooled between her legs.  Since when did she start feeling this way?

Done with helping Calida, Izar hurriedly placed everything back in the right place in the bathroom cabinet. She returned to find Calida sprawled across the bed, fast asleep. She looked so vulnerable now. She wasn't exactly the macho woman that she usually was, lying on her back, with her messy hair, and really cute lips that Izar was thinking about way too much.

Calida snored lightly. Izar watched for a few seconds before helping the woman take off her shoes. Izar placed her jacket in the closet, but she left the holster, brass knuckles, and everything else in the spot where Calida had left them. She got a clean towel, wetted it, and wiped the bloodstains off Calida's body quietly.

The tattooed parts of Calida's body looked like a map. The more she stared, the more she got lost in them. Izar found herself being drawn to the sleeping woman. If she leaned in any closer, she would be kissing her lips. Instead, she held back, getting up. She left the room.

Calida woke up two hours later. She washed her face in the bathroom and then walked out of the room. She was still in her suit pants and they had a bit of blood stain on it. She had trained for years, learning to hold back pain, to tolerate it. Now it was just a small buzzing feeling at the back of her mind, the stab wound was a reminder of what she had to go through as a child. But she didn't feel the pain it brought, no matter how hard she tried.

"Oh, thank God. You're up, finally! I was so worried!" Izar said, sitting up.

"You don't need to worry about me," Calida grumbled.

It sounded velvety to Izar. Or maybe it was just her body reacting to Calida's toned muscles, bare before her.

Izar had never found women attractive, but here she was, dying to touch Calida's tattoos. She was craving more than a touch though, no matter how much she denied it. The wetness pooling between her legs was proof of that fact.

"But I do. You're my bodyguard! Why did you have to go back? Your job is to protect me, not come back with a stab wound! What if something worse had happened? I can't bear the thought of los....being all alone!"

Calida took a few steps, standing in front of the tinier woman in a second. Without thinking, she placed a hand under Izar's chin and pushed it upwards.

Warm blue orbs with flecks of gold met dark hazel eyes. Izar thought she would burst from how intense Calida's eyes were. Her body reacted in ways she never expected and the wet patch between her legs only grew. She couldn't deny it anymore. She was attracted to Calida, and the woman's mere touch was making her crazy.

"Nothing will happen to me. I'll always find my way to you. You don't know it, but there's no place on Earth where they could take you to keep you away from me. Do you understand?" Calida asked slowly.

Her voice was thick, deep, and velvety, but soft. It was like the purr of a cat, sending Izar's body into overdrive. What did Calida mean? Was she serious? The thoughts crowded her head, but only one stood out. Calida would wreck the Earth if she asked for that.

Izar let out a sound. At first, she wasn't sure it was her, not with the way Calida was breathing softly in her face, her warm breath fanning her lips. It sounded like something between a moan and a mewl, and she was only certain that it was her when she dipped her tongue slowly to lick her lips.

Calida followed every movement of Izar's tongue. What would her lips taste like? Why am I so protective of her? It's all too sudden! Calida thought. She slowly let the woman go, taking a few steps back. With the space between them, clarity returned. Izar brushed down her shirt, even though nothing was wrong with it.

She turned to Calida. "Will you at least tell me what's going on? You aren't just Calida Arell. And for some reason, your name sounds too familiar. Will you tell me the truth? Why did you return to the house even though you knew some men would be arriving there to kill us?"

Calida sat down on the couch. "You not only talk a lot, but you also ask a lot of questions. Can I get some coffee? Or juice? Anything."

Izar disappeared into the kitchen and returned a few minutes later. While Calida had been asleep, she had toured the underground apartment. It was furnished, the fridge was stocked, and everything they would need was in there. There was a freezer too and it was filled with meat of all kinds.

Izar handed Calida a glass of juice with a few cubes of ice. Calida gulped it down and relaxed. She turned to Izar.

"Do you want to know the truth?" She asked the small woman.

"If you're willing to share, yes!"

Calida smiled at her, emptying her glass. "Don't stand. Come sit down. You want to hear about me, there's a lot more than you bargained for."

Izar sat down next to Calida. The bodyguard watched her curiously. She had a lot to tell.