Laura stared at him pondering how to respond to that. She clenched and unclenched the sheets.
"I don't want you to be afraid," she said. "I don't want to make you weak."
"No, you didn't understand me Laura." He said, her name sounding like silk on his tongue. "I want to have a weakness; a weakness for you. An excuse to love you. But –"
"Stop." Laura said, lightly touching his lips. "Please. The only thing I was afraid of was that you didn't feel the same way I did. But now that I know better, I don't want anything to stand between us."
"Laura..." Ji Hoon said, stroking her cheek, "I'm just your bodyguard. I have a past, a history that would cast a shadow over your life if I allowed this. You have your own life to live once all this is over. I'm not the kind of person you should keep around in your life. When I know you're safe, I'll leave quietly without you knowing it."
"Isn't that my decision?" she asked. "What if I want to keep you in my life? What if I can't bear to let you go?" Ji Hoon's expression became pained.
"Then you'd make it difficult for me to leave." He said.
"Good. Because I don't want you to leave. I want you." she said with an unbreakable gaze. Ji Hoon clenched his jaw.
"Do you know how much you're tempting me?" he asked. Laura placed her hand over his heart. She could feel the smooth lines of his chest beneath his t-shirt and let her hand slide up and down.
"I'll do whatever it takes to make sure nothing stands between us." She said. He suddenly grabbed her hand and pinned it down on the pillow, forcing her flat on her back while he hovered over her.
"What if I turned and walked away?" he asked in a hard voice. "What if I took back everything I just said? Would you believe me and move on? Would you let me go?"
"No." Laura said, shaking her head. "Nothing you say can make me leave you. Because you already showed me your heart." Ji Hoon swallowed heavily. Laura saw his Adam's apple bob while he contemplated.
"Why are you doing this to me Laura?" he asked, letting go of her hand. She brought both her hands around his neck and pulled him close.
"Because – I'm falling in love too." She said before planting a delicate kiss on his lips. He responded after a minute, closing his eyes and taking control. His hands flattened on either side of her as he deepened the kiss. Laura began to moan at his intensity; she hadn't been kissed like this since her birthday. She clawed at his shirt pulling him closer. She let his tongue play between her lips, a warm tingling spreading through her body. A few more minutes and she knew she would lose her mind. But Ji Hoon suddenly withdrew.
"I'm too dangerous for you Laura." He said, breathing heavily as he stared at her. He lay back next to her. Laura gave a little smile.
"I can be dangerous too." She said, twisting his shirt in her hand.
"I know that. You could keep me up all night if you wanted. Go to sleep. I'm not going anywhere." He said, touching her face. Laura took his hand in hers, holding it firm to her face.
"Good." she said, closing her eyes.
Giovanni broke his fifth glass throwing it against the wall in a rage. Enzo stood by silently waiting for his temper to subside.
"It's been weeks and you cannot find her?! Two hundred of my men on the job and none of them found the girl?! Am I surrounded by incompetent fools?!" Giovanni shouted.
"Sir, the last known sighting of them was the day they escaped. We tracked the car through the road cameras up until they left the state. There's been no sign of them since." Enzo said.
"I want that girl alive! Talavera will never yield to me if I don't have his trump card! I put him out of commission yet he still moves against me! What about Jung? I told you to cooperate with him! Finding her bodyguard means finding her!"
Unless the Rogue Ranger makes a move, we cannot locate him. They have been keeping off the radars without any signs of movement. We have been monitoring all forms of communication with Talavera group. There hasn't been any sign of contact."
"What about flights? Did you check if they are even in the country?!" Giovanni shouted.
"We have monitored every flight that left the country. Miss Talavera's name did not appear to board any of them. Unless she is using a borrowed name and passport, it is very likely they are still hiding in the country." Enzo explained.
"So... they are keeping undercover. Very well. In that case, I will have to draw them out." Giovanni said slowly, joining his fingertips together. "Enzo, arrange for a little – incident to take place at the hospital. Then make sure the press knows about it."
"Sir?"
"I will use Jason Talavera himself to draw his precious daughter out."
Laura stirred knowing it was daytime. She wondered what it would be like waking up in Ji Hoon's arms; to feel the warmth of another human being first thing in the morning. She had slept unusually well that night and hoped that he had too. She opened her eyes anticipating seeing his face. But the bed was empty, devoid of his presence. She pouted.
"He got up early – figures. He's probably doing some push ups to maintain those sexy muscles..." she closed her eyes remembering the time she saw him shirtless. Her heart fluttered.
"Oh boy. I'm swooning over a guy who isn't even here." she said, shaking her head. She got up and dressed.
"I need coffee." She said going to the kitchen. Ji Hoon was nowhere to be found. She glanced outside the window and saw that he was sitting in the car with the door open, busy with something.
"At least I got the chance to make breakfast..." she said getting to work. Halfway through while frying a skillet, Ji Hoon came in and slid his arms around her waist from behind.
"Good morning. That smells good." He said hugging her. Laura blushed, feeling the temperature of the room rise ten degrees.
"You were up early. Didn't you sleep well?" Laura asked, keeping her eyes on the skillet. Ji Hoon breathed a warm whisper in her ear.
"I did. It was very comfortable on the bed." He said. Laura bit a smile.
"You should've slept more. I was a little disappointed to find you gone in the morning." She said. Ji Hoon rested his chin on her shoulder.
"Only a little?" he asked, eyeing her face sideways. Laura gave him a gentle nudge with her hip.
"Don't get too cocky. Go sit down before you distract me and make me burn the mushrooms. What were you doing in the car earlier?" she asked. Ji Hoon withdrew his arms and went to pour a cup of coffee.
"Just checking the police scanners... sending a message to Andrew..." he said casually. Laura glanced up. She knew when he acted casual it meant he was hiding something.
"I thought you said it was dangerous to communicate?" she asked.
"I used a secure method. And the message is encrypted. Don't worry." He said. Laura continued to stir the pan.
"Anything unusual on the scanner?" she asked, studying his eyes. He avoided her gaze and leaned against the island lazily.
"Nothing much. No one's onto us so we're good." He said, sipping his coffee. Laura suspected there was more but knew he wouldn't say it so easily.
"Mmm, I promised to teach you racquetball. We'll start at eleven." He said changing the subject. Laura raised an eyebrow.
"That's a sudden interest in sports. But I'll play along. I do have one condition though." She said, folding her arms with a smirk.
"What's that?" Ji Hoon asked.
Two hours later, they were standing in the makeshift gym, racquets in hand. Only, Ji Hoon was shirtless. Laura eyed him in approval, running her tongue over her upper lip. Ji Hoon stretched his arms, giving her a sideways smile.
"This was your condition? You are far more insidious than you look." He said tilting his neck from side to side. Laura smiled innocently.
"I've been living with a spy for a while. I must have picked it up from him." she said, her eyes taking in the smooth contoured muscles in his arms.
"I might be too much of a distraction for you. Are you sure you can keep your eyes on the ball?" he asked. Laura took off her hoodie revealing a tight pink sleeveless cami inside.
"If you can." She said stretching to show off her slender, well toned figure. Ji Hoon gave a swing with his racquet grinning.
"Touche, Miss Talavera." He said admiring the view with an appreciative look. He threw the ball up and hit it against the wall, explaining the rules as he hit it back and forth.
"You can make it bounce off the wall and floor. Then send it back to me. Try it." he said letting her get a shot. She gave it a hard smack, slamming it into the wall so fast Ji Hoon missed it. His brow raised.
"Not bad for a beginner." He said serving again. Laura smirked.
"I have a good incentive to play." She said turning to take in his figure. He returned the ball with another good smack, and soon they were in an unbroken match swinging back and forth.
"You don't play like a first timer." Ji Hoon commented admiring her style.
"I guess you could say I'm naturally good at this." Laura replied without breaking concentration. "You seem to have a lot of energy to burn. Haven't you broken a sweat yet?"
"Ha, this is easy. I haven't given you my all yet." He said. Laura's grip tightened on the racquet knowing he meant something more.
"Then bring it on. I can take it." she challenged. Ji Hoon smiled at the hidden suggestion and got serious about playing. He sent difficult balls to her but she managed to return them though she started to pant. After a solid workout, he dropped his racquet.
"That's enough for today. I don't want to wear you out." He said. Laura was panting heavily leaning on her knees.
"Giving up - already? I've barely gotten – started." She said breathlessly. Ji Hoon shook his head, a sly look coming on his face.
"You have too much energy. Maybe we can put that to good use in some boxing later." He said preparing to head out. Laura caught him unexpectedly, pressing him against the wall.
"I can think of something else that burns energy." She said in a husky voice. Ji Hoon's eyes darkened before spinning her around quickly so that she was against the wall now.
"You know, I'm supposed to protect you... But who's gonna protect you from me?" he asked in a low voice that made her shiver. She placed her hands on his sleek chest, holding him back.
"What exactly do I need protection from?" she asked, looking into his eyes. He knew she was challenging him and he decided to show her exactly what she asked. His eyes flickered to her lips before he crushed them with his own. He trapped her between his arms against the wall, his weight lightly pressing against her stomach. She gasped at his ardor which seemed to have intensified. With one hand he lowered her chin, opening her mouth for him. He bit softly into her lower lip before letting his tongue meet hers. Laura moaned feeling the need to come up for breath but resisted, tilting her head to the side so he'd have better access. She heard him groan.
"Laura, please. I'm just a man." He said against her lips. He slowed down to soft wet pecks on her lips, as though teasing her. She ran her hands across his chest, relishing the feel of his skin, hoping she was breaking his defenses as he had broken hers. He caught her hands and pulled them away, his eyes dark on her.
"Laura, we're all alone here. Don't make me go insane." He said gazing into her eyes.
"I guess even spies have a breaking point." She said in satisfaction. "Good to know." With that, she picked up her hoodie and walked away. Ji Hoon stared after her, realizing what a hold she had on him. And he had let her get away with it.
Ji Hoon did extra push ups that evening to relieve his pent up energy. The thought of Laura kept electrifying him though and he didn't feel safe around her until he had exhausted himself. When he had come close, he gave up and took a cold shower. The heat she left on his skin still seared him; he would have to be extra careful around her.
"Aish, I didn't even try this hard on my missions." He said to himself, letting the icy water soak him. When he got out, he went to the bedroom to get an extra sweater. The more layers he had on the better. Laura was there, sitting in front of the mirror, playing with her hair. In her hand was a spare wooden chopstick.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"Trying to put my hair up with a chopstick. I saw it in that TV show yesterday... how do they do it?" she asked, trying to wrap her long hair around in a bun. Ji Hoon grinned.
"Trying the K-drama style? Let me help." He said going over. He deftly wrapped her hair in a knot and slid the chopstick through so that it held in place.
"There." He said, stepping back. Laura admired her hair.
"Wow, you did it so easily! I've been trying for ages to get it right. How does it look?" she asked. He put his hands on her shoulders.
"Cute but –" he pulled the chopstick out, letting her hair uncoil down.
"I prefer it this way." He said, running his fingers through her hair. Laura felt her face heat up.
"I see you still have some energy left." She said.
"Ah, I had to save some for dinner. I'm making bibimbap." He said. By now he had explained Korean dishes so Laura knew what it was.
"Don't we have to go grocery shopping soon? I think I forgot what fresh food tastes like." She said.
"Maybe. It's risky to go out but we are running short."
"I do get to come, right?" Laura asked.
"I can't leave you here alone. But I can't risk you being recognized outside either. We'll have to go in disguise."
"Disguise? As in costumes? Where are we gonna get those from?"
"I have everything we need in the car." Ji Hoon said with a wink.
"Okay Mr. prepared-for-anything, what about the car? Isn't it a dead giveaway?"
"Only the license plate is." Ji Hoon said. "Change that and we should get away from any radars. I have a few spare license plates in the garage."
"There's a garage in this place?" she asked.
"You'd be surprised at how big this safe house actually is."
"And yet there's only one bedroom..." Laura said wistfully. "Come on, I'll help you with dinner. Are we sitting on the floor again?"
"Only if you want to." Ji Hoon said.
"Mmm-mm. I like the idea of sitting on the floor while eating and watching K-dramas." Laura said with a flip of her hair. Ji Hoon chuckled following her out.