It was only supposed to be one job.

I know the rules.
Get in. Get out.
Protect the girl, then move on.
Only it never works out the way it should.
Now Jennifer and I work with each other and there’s no going back to normal.

Then it turned into something more.

Gus isn’t for me. I know that.
Only the chemistry that burns between us won’t fade away.
We promise it will only be one night.
Then another.
But when our actions have consequences that could mean the end of our future, we’ll have to figure out exactly what we want.
Even if it means walking away broken before it begins.

Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you’ll enjoy each one as much as we do.

Excerpt: Happily Ever Maybe

Distractions killed. At least in my line of business.

I needed to keep the bestselling author turned screenwriter turned Oscar-winner safe. He’d received a few death threats in the past thanks to his current work, and my job was to keep him protected. It wasn’t any different than what I usually did. Keeping my client safe.

The man was currently on stage with a reporter from a major publication doing an interview in front of thirty-five hundred of their closest friends. I was off to the side, hands loose in front of me, looking as casual as possible as I kept scanning the room.

In addition to the death threats in the past two months, he’d also had some sexual innuendos and stalkerish behavior when it came to behind-closed-door activities.

I never understood the need to make up a relationship that had no chance of being real, yet these fans put their whole personalities into it. They sent him flowers, anniversary cards, and gifts just to remind him they existed and, in their minds, the two of them were in a relationship. It was downright terrifying, and while they weren’t allowed on the premises, that didn’t mean they couldn’t find a way in.

The company I worked for had done background checks on the staff and other people here, but even though certain individuals were blacklisted from getting tickets, there were still ways to get through. And that’s why I was here. Well, that’s why the team was here.

I liked working for Montgomery Security. The crew I worked for was nearly all from the same family, or about to be related with an upcoming wedding. They were smart, diligent, and knew how to use their team.

I was damn good at being a bodyguard. I could usually sense a threat before it became a dangerous situation. In my last job, I stopped a young woman from throwing herself on the stage, screaming that she wanted to be with my client until the end of days. There hadn’t been a scene. We had walked off calmly, and things were fine.

But for some reason, I was edgy now.

No, that was a lie. It wasn’t just some reason. I knew exactly what it was.

And it wasn’t Daisy and Kane, my fellow team members today. No, it was the other one.

Her.

I didn’t want to think about her, but I wasn’t sure I could stop. I needed to, however. My job demanded it.

I was a bodyguard and an installer. I not only protected my clients and charges, I also installed security equipment for businesses and homes. While my bosses laid out the security profiles and programs for large corporations and small residences—and also worked with cybersecurity—I did the installs when I wasn’t on bodyguard duty. I enjoyed both aspects of my job and was talented at it.

Yet it didn’t feel like that.

Not with her.

It was always hard to think about anything when it came to Jennifer. My coworker and my nemesis. Not that she knew she was my nemesis. No, that was all on me.

Those blue-gray eyes of hers were piercing and saw everything. At least when it came to the job. She could scent an incoming threat as quickly as I could, and that was saying something. I might be cocky as fuck when it came to my job, but it was for a reason.

And Jennifer was sometimes even better.

Her dark brown hair was pulled into a tight bun away from her face. I liked it when her hair was down, though, since it fell in soft waves past her shoulders. She pulled it back in a ponytail or a braid when she was working out, but when she was on duty, like today, it was in a bun, so nobody could use it against her in a fight.

I always kept my hair decently short, but my beard was getting longer. I’d probably have to trim it soon. I wasn’t trying to blend in like I had with my old job when everybody had long beards, and I was undercover. Now, I needed to trim it a bit so nobody could pull it in a fight.

But Jennifer? She’d thought about all of that already. Hence the bun.

She was slim with a narrow waist and average height—though not much about her was average. But that delicate frame was all muscle. She could bench press more than a few of the guys on the team and kick any of our asses on any given day. Hell, she’d pinned me to the ground once, and I nearly swallowed my tongue. And then I’d had to hide my erection from her. Like I did most days. Because Jennifer was a distraction.

My distraction.