Under His Protection

“At least you should have waited for your body guard before Sprint lightning, risking your pretty neck in the process” Laura sighed deeply when she heard the dey comment from Michael as maneuver his horse next to hers as she was staring at the vast land spread before them.

“Thank you very much for your concern but iam a capable horse rider Michael” she informed him as her gaze was still fixed at the front.

She still couldn’t believe that she was back home after almost four years living in NYC, she never thought that she would leave the palace but something or someone rather forced her to do so, she discretely glanced to the man in question, he was the reason why she choose to leave this place since he resigned as her father’s bodyguard. It seems to her that he left a hole in her heart with his sudden disappearance.

“You seem awfully quiet today princess” he commented.

From the corner of her eye she could see that he was studying her intently, ” Do you miss that your handbag? What’s his name again? Yeah… Japhet”

Her eyes narrowed at his word, she looked at him then to her front, ” I don’t think k like thw way you address my friend, iam aware that you don’t trust the poor guy but believe me he is a very good man” Laura heard him snorted from his horse, ” it is nit that I don’t like him or anything, but there is something about him that is too good to be true, be careful about him Laura, japhet is a shady fellow”

She raised an eyebrow in his direction, Laura couldn’t help but to amused about his assertion to japhet, before she could stop herself the word went out of her mouth ” Are you jealous?”

From the shock look in his face, Laura wanted to run away and hide somewhere, she felt her cheek war from embarrassment. Michael snorted, ” why would I be jealous of your handbag, I can get rid of him with a fling”

“Jeez” Laura rolled her eyes at him.

He gave her a rakish smile, ” iam your bodyguard Laura, your father’s instructions to me was plain and simple, do not let any man come near my daughter while she is away from home, so you see… That is what I’m doing with this guy”

Laura sighed deeply, but deep inside her she suddenly feel unexplained happiness, she was supposed to feel annoyed towards her father for making such an order to Michael but for some reasons she feel alien feeling about this kind of setup. “You and my father are impossible, iam not some kind of little girl who needs protecting all the time, I can make friends to whoever I want”

“Not when the man in question have a doubtful manner” Micheal replied.

It would be only a waste of time if she continued to squabble with him over japhet issue, when he and her tyrant father had thesame one track mind, she would just keep in mind that Michael was from the enemy camp.

“Don’t you think this part in the estate is incredibly beautiful? This is my hiding place whenever I wanted to be alone” she asked conversationally, completely changing bthe topic making it lighter.

“Yeah beautiful” he replied, from the corner of her eyes she thought for a moment he was fixedly starring at her but when she looked at him she saw he was staring at the vast land that spread before them. For a moment her silly heart had assumed he was talking about her, not the little piece of paradise.

“You approve my secret place?” She inquired brightly while he was unawares of the senseless thoughts she have in mind. Micheal nodded in agreement, this time he looked directly in her eyes with hidden emotions in their depth, ” I love it Laura, from the first day I laid my eyes on you here”

Her heart did a flip as his gaze never left hers, she was still studying his face as she did not know how or when something spooked her horse when it started to feel uneasy makiher loose her balance, everything went on a flash one moment as Micheal rushed to her and help her confidently say on the back of the horse.

She looked at him with worried expression on his face, ” Are you okay Laura? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“No, iam fine. I think it was a rabbit” she replied nervously and sprinted back to the palace, when they got back to the palace Laura quickly jumped out of the horse and ran towards the foyer of the house, she needed to calm her heart somewhere away from Michael since he was the reason why her heart was relentless after the horse incident with him and curled around her waist as sje fimd solac in the comfort of his strong arms.

“Why are you following me?” She asked once she realized that he was again following her in the hallway on the second floor, ” leave me alone Michael”

“Sorry to burst your bubble princess, I got a text from your father, he wants to see me in the library, at least he is not asking for nudes”

Laura threw him a foul look, ” breathe that word again next time and I will stab you in the heart with a kitchen knife, you idiot”

With anger she stormed off and before she knew where she was going she found herself in the library where Jadua was waiting for Michael, Laura stopped in her truck when she saw that the library was quite occupied, she expected that it’s only Jadua who was waiting for her bodyguard.

” My apologies, did I interrupt something?” She was about to retreat from the library when her back hit Michael hard chest and a steady hand held her swiftly when she momentarily lost her balance.

“No you are not interrupting, please come in… you too Michael” Trisha voice came out with a signature smirk, she was sitting with a familiar man across to her.

“What is going on?” She asked the question that was directed to her father who remained silent all these while, sitting in the study table while enjoying his whiskey.

“Laura…” Her mother started, throwing a pleasant smile in her direction, “…. you remember my bestfriend eldest son Aiden right? Well, he came for a visit…. no! He will be taking a little vacation here with us” she turned to the man in question, ” this is my daughter Laura and her bodyguard Michael”

The handsome man who laura had not seen for years due to his pursuit in navy academy eyed her from head to toe, he flashed a flirtarious smile, ” Aiden at your service my princess”

“I hope you can your him around while he is here, I would love to show him around myself but I can’t do that since Mavey is occupying most of my time” trisha said with a gloomy expression in her face.

Laura eyes narrowed at her mother, she doesn’t think she like where she was heading to, she hoped her mom wasn’t doing the pairing stuff, Laura glanced at Micheal who remined indifferent.

Aiden gave Michael a small smiled and focused his attention on Laura, ” it was a last minute thing, one minute I was enjoying my sweet coffee in NYC, then before I knew it i was on a plane bound to Paris to see the most beautiful and elegant princess Laura”

“NYC?’ Laura asked.

“Oh, he has been everywhere lately, you know he is always bored staying in a particular place for long” Trisha devilishly chipped in hastily with a nervous laugh.