Bewitching the Bodyguard

BEWITCHING THE BODYGUARD M/M Gay Contemporary Romance Brendol James Other Brendol James Works: Capturing the Captain Their icy rivalry heats up, but these enemies aren’t prepared for how far they’ll fall. Claiming the Captain Family expectations and Olympic dreams throw these enemies together into a love that defies the odds. Ice Vs. Paper Enemies to lovers is hard enough when the player isn’t the one who falls first. Scrambling for a Second Chance Whatever it takes, he won’t lose him twice. His Christmas Cowboy He learned to tame horses because he couldn’t tame his heart. His Model Lover Can a sunshine billionaire thaw his hardworking ice king’s heart? Taming the Tattooist Falling in love leaves a mark on his heart. Falling for the FloristHe’s the only bit of color in his Gray world. Exiles of London A life of secrets left him unprepared for a man unwilling to deny the spark between them. Rogues Abroad His boldness brought them together. Will his secrets tear them apart? His client has a stalker, so how’s he the one in crisis? Liam Being famous in the metal scene isn’t like normal fame. Our fans are simply better. They’ve got taste. They’re respectful. If I’ve got a ‘stalker,’ it’s obviously some idiot who claimed to have become a fan after the latest floppy-haired boy band decided to do a pop cover of one of our early songs without our permission. But that’s a battle for the labels. My battle is against the stuffed shirt of an ex-military tone deaf shadow my manager decided I needed since someone managed to get past a venue’s security. He might be nice to look at, but Sigurd Aldersson is the most boring man alive. Nothing I do shakes him. If I’m stuck with him, he’s going to get an education in hardcore queer. Sigurd Billy Blüd is a walking nightmare of a client. Most people don’t cop attitudes with the guys trying to keep them safe, but he’s got no respect. Schedules get ignored. He throws himself into his audience almost nightly, and his latest stunt involves seedy clubs with whips and velvet that would glow under a blacklight. Whatever he does, I can’t react. Inside, I’m reeling. I swore off relationships, and even if I hadn’t, I’ve never looked at another guy twice, but no matter how he rebels, the glimpses of Liam underneath the drummer of Blüdthørne have me on my knees. Am I bi? Is he just that charismatic? It doesn’t matter. He’s a client. Nothing can happen. Bewitching the Bodyguard is a steamy gay contemporary romance featuring enemies to lovers, hurt/comfort, and a guaranteed HEA. Bewitching the Bodyguard by Brendol James This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and events are fictitious in every regard. Any similarities to actual events and persons, living or dead, are purely coincidental. Any trademarks, service marks, product names, or named features are only for reference. There is no implied endorsement if any of these terms are used. BEWITCHING THE BODYGUARD Copyright © 2023 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Chapter Eighteen Chapter Nineteen Chapter Twenty Chapter Twenty-One Chapter Twenty-Two Chapter Twenty-Three Chapter Twenty-Four Epilogue Chapter One Liam Nothing compared to the roar of the crowd. The pulsating energy of a concert invigorated me, setting my soul on fire like nothing else. Blüdthørne had the best fans. They knew us. Going on twelve years with nine at our current label, they followed us up from the underground, and with over a decade under our belt, we had four albums out and our final one had already started to take shape. This time next year, we’d be done with our contract. Everything looked up. Either a huge payday would head our way, or we’d be starting something new. Either way, our fans would follow because they got us, and we understood them. Coming off a good show, I practically flew. Sweat beaded at my brow. My curls frizzed, twisting out of sync with their normal spirals and sticking to the back of my neck as the beads in my beard clinked with every bouncing step as we headed backstage. “Fuck yeah! Time for nachos and beer!” Freddie called, leaping up to slap a hand against the sealing. Kai shook his head, rolling his eyes but saying nothing. He always went quiet after a show. His voice carried us, and if we wanted to do this for another decade, he had to take care of his instrument. Not that it stopped him from snickering as Freddie jumped to hit the exit sign as we passed it. He missed, and everybody knew what that meant. Racing ahead, he slapped the four corners of the door to our green room. “Shit-shit-shit!” “It’s not bad luck,” I reminded him, grabbing him by the shoulders and dragging him off before he could spiral worse. Freddie just shook his head. “Last time I missed was last year.” “We don’t talk about last year,” Jukka called out, quickly shutting him down. “It’s fine, Dad,” I teased, shoving Freddie toward him. “Last time you missed, Sean ended up already having a boyfriend. Not your fault. Not a sign from the universe.” “But — ” “Sean’s happy with Isaac. He’s finally got a guy who honest to fuck thinks he hung the moon,” I huffed, cutting him off. “That’s great. It’s what he deserves, and as his good friend, I’m happy for him.” Even if I hated every moment. Even if it absolutely killed me inside that someone I had always imagined as being by my side turned out to be somebody I