THE (UNSOUGHT) BODYGUARD

CONSEQUENCES OF BEING FAMOUS

By the time they got back to the Trivedi residence, Annika was red-faced and panting and sweaty. Shivaay felt a little winded, but otherwise fine. He couldn't help but smirk as Annika walked around the top of the driveway in an effort to cool down. Shivaay handed her water but she shook her head.

"Holy fuck, I'm out of shape," she gasped. She put her hands on her knees. "Oh God."

"Just breathe," he said calmly.

"Fuck you, asshole, you're not even out of breath," she snapped and he grinned. "Shit, I'm overheating," she gasped.

Shivaay dumped his water over her head and her hazel eyes widened. "Better?" he asked.

"No!" She punched him weakly. "God, you're a prick."

"If that's the best punch you can throw, you need to do some work, Trivedi," he shot back.

Annika glared. "You wouldn't like my best punch."

"Go for it," he said, and held a hand up.

"Yeah right," she said, looking away.

"C'mon," Shivaay said, sensing her hesitation. "One punch, right here, hard as you can."

A: "I'm not mad enough to-"

"Come on, Annika, just throw a damn punch. If you can, that is," he drawled, and she glared. Her fist smacked into his relatively hard, but he noticed she lacked follow through. "Not bad," he said. She smirked. "Not good either. Shift your weight forward with it and keep going." He held up a hand again. "Try again."

A: "I don't-"

"C'mon, Annika, stop being a little girl." She punched much harder this time and her eyes widened. "Much better."

"Now imagine if I was properly pissed," she said, and they went inside.

"That might be frightening," he said and grinned at her. "Right up there with seeing you shooting a gun."

The girl shrugged, heading to the kitchen. "I'm actually a really good shot." Black brows lifted as dark blue eyes widened. "Serious. I learned when I was like nineteen."

S: "Remind me never to let you near my gun."

Now another brows rose as Annika paused, hand on the fridge handle. "You carry a fucking gun?" she choked.

"Always," he affirmed. Her eyes bulged.

"Is that legal?" she croaked.

S: "Of course."

"Gods," Annika muttered, opening the fridge. "What do you want to eat?"

"It's not lunch yet," Shivaay said easily. Annika rolled her eyes then smirked and pulled potato salad out, knowing it was something he liked, just to be a dick. "You're mean."

"Definitely," Annika said, going to the drawer and getting a fork. "Want some?"

"No." Annika rolled her eyes again, then glanced up as her brother came into the kitchen.

"Hey Vir, what's with the face?" she asked.

Her older brother, two years her senior but light years ahead in life experience, looked surly and tossed down a trashy supermarket rag that printed mostly garbage. Annika noticed her picture was on the front. "Please tell me this isn't what I think it is, Annika," he growled.

The girl sighed. "It's not. God, Vir, they get one unflattering photo of me half-blinking and suddenly I'm a fucking drunk all the time? Come on."

Viren turned piercingly brown eyes on Shivaay. "Not drinking," he said after glancing at the photo of Annika, which indeed wasn't very flattering, where she had her eyes half closed in a blink, hand reaching up vaguely, probably to push down her sunglasses on her head, mouth parted. He recalled the outing. They'd gone to the gallery and she'd cried after selling two pieces. "As far as I'm aware, you don't drink during the day, do you?" Shivaay asked her.