Guarding Shelly

She refused to admit she slept easier knowing Mylo had sent someone to watch over her.

*

Her alarm clock rang at six-thirty as usual. Shelly stood, stretched, and then wondered when she had changed into a nightshirt and crawled into bed. She attempted to open the bedroom door, realized it was locked and thought she might have had a little too much to drink last night considering she didn't remember locking it. She made her way to the bathroom and opened the door. Her high-pitched scream would have awakened the dead. Instead, it had the woman standing in front of her bathroom sink grabbing a gun with lightening speed and pointing it directly at her. The scream died in her throat.

Last night crashed in on Shelly and she felt herself blush, glad her milk chocolate cheeks hid the color. She took a second to take in the woman, standing in a simple sports bra and a pair of plaid boxers. Her biceps were huge, her breasts barely discernible, her stomach absolutely flat and nothing short of muscled perfection. Her thighs were probably the size of Shelly's waist and sculpted into muscled perfection. There didn't appear to be an ounce of fat on the woman's body. She had removed the bandana and Shelly could see that her meticulously groomed dreads were peppered with gray. And those eyes. Those absolutely amazingly intense emerald green eyes pierced right through her. The woman lowered the gun, put it back on the hamper, and smirked before turning back to the sink. Shelly watched her put toothpaste on a toothbrush and begin brushing her teeth, muscles shifting fluidly with every movement. After another moment the woman turned to Shelly again and raised a brow.

Shelly was relieved, yet again, that her skin color hid the blush. She stepped back and closed the bathroom door, hurrying back to the bedroom. Her heart was hammering in her chest, her stomach clenched tight, and a tingle had spread throughout her entire body. She'd been afraid before, like last night, but she didn't remember having these feelings. In fact, she couldn't remember when she'd ever had these feelings. She shook her head. It was probably the shock of seeing someone in her bathroom with a gun, that's all.

*

When the bathroom was free, she showered and primped quickly, selecting a pair of black jeans to slip over her curvaceous hips. She frowned at the small swell of her tummy, wondering what a lover would think of it. Then she shook her head, where the hell had that thought come from? Instead of her usual tee, she selected a billowy thin white cotton top that showed off her moderate cleavage. She refused to give any thought to why she selected it for work considering she'd be holed up in her office as usual. She slipped into a pair of black, leather flats and opened the bedroom door.

She was a bit startled by the smell of cooking food. She never ate more than a bagel with light cream cheese for breakfast and, well, she didn't think she had breakfast food. The woman was at the stove cooking something in a skillet. Shelly admired her powerfully built back, appreciating how it tapered down to a slim waist. She wondered what those muscles felt like. Wondered how long the woman had worked on her body. Then she wondered why she was spending so much time wondering about this woman. Oh, that reminded her...

"I forgot to ask your name last night." She blurted.

"Ty."

Ty. Ty. Shelly repeated it in her mind over and over again. She sat at the small kitchen table and waited.

"Did I have food here? I usually eat out."

"No."

Minutes later, jets were turned off, toast collected from the toaster, juice poured, and a meal appeared on the table before her. She looked down at the eggs, bacon and hash browns. It looked edible. She sampled it and couldn't silence the moan quickly enough. Fluffy eggs, crisp bacon, potatoes that melted in your mouth and everything perfectly seasoned. She scooped another forkful into her mouth.

"This is great. Where'd you learn to cook?"

"Prison."

Shelly almost choked, "are you serious?"

Ty nodded, those emerald eyes watching her.

"What were you in for?"

"Armed robbery."

"Jesus."

Shelly forked up more of the delicious meal and then raised her eyes to look over at Ty.

"You ate pretty well in there."

She was surprised when Ty barked out a laugh. They finished the meal in silence and when Shelly glanced at her watch she winced.

"Shit, I'm going to be late."

"Don't sweat it. I drive like a cabbie."

"Is that good or bad?" Shelly teased.

She liked the bark of laughter. It was surprisingly nice to hear. She shook her head. Why was she spending time appreciating this woman's laugh? Jesus, she was lonelier than she thought.

*

The rest of the week passed by rather quickly. Shelly grew somewhat accustomed to her relatively silent shadow and the shadow made sure she ate, slept and arrived on time for work. She kinda liked having someone around to keep an eye on her. Well, someone other than her big brother of course.

Ty drove her to the prison on Saturday. They were sitting in the visitor's room for a few minutes in silence before the door buzzed and Mylo stepped into the room with a correction officer. She hurried to hug him, watching as the CO left. He held her close and she could feel the tension in his body. He had been worried about her.

When he finally let her go, she watched him walk over to Ty and give her dap. She'd never seen him do that with a woman before. She watched the male ritual, amazed as their forearms crossed and they stepped into one another for a brief hug and a slap on the back, just like she'd seen him do with tons of his male buddies. She sat, straining to hear what they discussed, but she couldn't hear a word. They did the male hug thing again and then Ty left, leaving them alone.

She could see the shadows under his eyes from lack of sleep, but his body seemed a little more relaxed after his chat with Ty. She handed him the package, watching it disappear beneath his chair.

"Hey Pooh Bear."

She closed her eyes as they filled with tears and reached for his hand, holding it tightly.

"Hey," he reached over to brush her tears away, "I told you I would take care of it."

"I wish you were out Mylo. I wish—"

"I know Bear, I know. Look, are you okay with Ty? Everything alright?"

She nodded, "she doesn't talk much, but she's a great cook."

He snorted with laughter, squeezing her hand, "Ty and I used to...uh, work together."

"You didn't commit armed robbery with her, did you?"

He raised a brow, "she told you about that, huh?"

Shelly nodded.

"She didn't give her boy up. She got much respect for that. And she gets almost as much pussy as I do, which means she's good in my book," he winked.

Shelly felt her cheeks warm at that information. She'd known, hadn't she, that Ty was into women? She just wasn't the kind of woman that would appeal to most men, was she? What would it feel like to be held by such a woman? That smooth dark-chocolate skin and all those powerfully solid muscles...

"Hey, where'd you go?"

She blinked. Mylo was watching her and she shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. He was silent for a moment and then a slow, easy smile spread across his lips. She swallowed and abruptly changed the subject, wondering if the curiosity had been evident on her face. Knowing Mylo, he'd seen it.

Their thirty minutes were up rather quickly and Shelly sighed as Ty re-entered the visiting room. She hugged her brother tightly, smiled when he brushed strands of her hair from her cheek, and then watched as he walked over to Ty. They were too far away for her to hear what was said yet again. She sighed.

Mylo gave Ty dap again, stepping in close to her.

"That girl's my heart," he said softly but with a firmness Ty could not mistake for anything but a warning. "Make sure no one hurts her. No one."

He repeated the final two words while staring into those cool emerald eyes and Ty realized he was talking to her. She didn't ask, just nodded and watched him walk off. She held the door open for Shelly, enjoying the sway of those hips even as she realized it wasn't a good idea to admire the ass on this one. Shelly Thomas was the sister of a major player in Harlem. If she touched this one she might get a hand chopped off. She'd be smart to remember that.

*

On the ride home, Shelly admitted that for the first time in months she wasn't incredibly sad after seeing her brother. Instead, she was looking forward to the week, looking forward to chatting with Mylo on Wednesday...and looking forward to sharing more meals at her tiny kitchen table with the silent she-giant behind the wheel. She took a quick peek at Ty, realizing this woman had a lot to do with how she was feeling. She shook her head. She'd never thought of being with a woman before. And now...well, she doubted Mylo would approve of it. He seemed hell bent on finding her a prince charming. She closed her eyes and leaned back against the head rest. The bucket seats of the Lexus were quite comfortable and she found herself drifting into sleep before long.

Ty turned to glance at her once she realized Shelly was asleep. She admired the black silky cloud of hair framing her face, the thick dark lashes resting on creamy milk chocolate cheeks. She was slight, but not too thin. Nicely shaped curves, breasts that were a comfortable handful, shapely hips and legs. She forced her eyes back to the road. She needed to get laid. She'd call Takeisha. She had to get her hormones in check. She didn't want to fuck this up. So she wouldn't confuse things, no matter how cute Mylo's baby sister was. She just needed to dive into something soft, wet and nicely scented. Takeisha would do just fine.

*

Shelly rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she made her way to the bathroom. She looked toward the living room after washing her hands and closing the bathroom door behind her. It took a second for her to realize that the sofa bed was pulled out, but no one was sleeping on it. Her heart dropped into her stomach for a moment as she made her way to the living room, but she relaxed when she noticed the door was secure and nothing was out of place. So where was Ty, she wondered. She didn't see a note and Ty hadn't said anything about going out. She glanced at the clock on the kitchen counter. It was only one-thirty. Ty never promised to baby sit her all night every night. She probably had a life, friends...a girlfriend. She kicked the side of her sofa and then frowned at the gesture. She didn't even know Ty. She was a hired gun, that's all. Just someone to protect her. Why should she give a fuck what Ty was doing...and with whom? She kicked the sofa again and then made her way to the bedroom, throwing herself on the bed with a huff. She squeezed her eyes closed, willing herself to fall asleep again. But when she glanced up at her clock an hour later, she was still wide awake. She lay there, counting the minutes, until she heard her front door open and close, the locks clicking into place. She listened as heavy footsteps moved about her apartment. She thought she heard her bedroom door creak open just a little and then close before she heard the shower. She was asleep before the water stopped running.

*

She was moody all day Sunday and remained holed up in her bedroom most of the day. She thought she was PMSing, or maybe she missed Mylo, but she refused to give it much thought as she read over some materials for work. Monday and Tuesday sped by and she forced herself not to spend any time thinking about Ty. Her shadow was just that, a shadow. And if she disappeared in the middle of the night, that was her own business. They had a professional relationship. Ty didn't owe her anything.

Her Wednesday phone chat with Mylo left much to be desired and she wasn't the least bit disappointed when he asked to speak to Ty after 20 minutes. She went into her bedroom and closed the door to give them some privacy.

"What's wrong with her?"

"Don't know. She's been like that since Sunday."

"What happened on Sunday?"

"Nothing."

"Was she upset after she left here on Saturday?"

"No."

"So, what the fuck happened between Saturday night and Sunday?"

"Don't know. Went out."

Mylo paused for a moment, then closed his eyes and swore under his breath. Perhaps that's the reason his sister had never dated men? And now she seemed to have fallen for a thug? Fucking great. He didn't give a fuck if she was gay, as long as she was happy. But he didn't think LaShonty Williams would make his baby sister happy. Ty was too unsettled and too...hungry. And he didn't want Shelly mixed up with that shit.

"Look, put your fucking personal life on hold 'til I get this shit settled, okay? I need you focused on her."

"I'm focused."

He replaced the receiver and took a moment to swear under his breath again. Fuck. He didn't need this to be any more complicated than it already was. And he didn't want Bear falling for a woman who couldn't settle down. That would make Bear unhappy and it might distract Ty. And he'd lose it if anything happened to Bear. He'd fucking lose it.

***

They fell into a routine as the weeks passed. Shelly worked hard, played little, and tried hard to ignore the huge woman following her around. She went to a movie with a co-worker once but was too uncomfortable trying to explain Ty. It was bad enough she had to explain Ty to her boss. So, she worked and slept, slept and worked, and the few times she noticed Ty slipping out of the apartment at night, she refused to let it bother her.

*

Mylo watched her closely as she sat across from him, her arms crossed, her face masked, her body tensed. He sighed, passing a hand over his shaved scalp.

"You want to talk about it?" He forced the words and hoped they sounded genuine. Did he really have to have this conversation with his baby sister? Jesus.

"About what?"

He rolled his eyes, bringing a slight smile to her lips, "do you know how moody you've been since I hired Ty?"

She blinked and stared at him with what she hoped was shock.

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh, that was good. But I know you, so skip the outrage. You're attracted to her."

"W-What? N-No I'm not. I'm n-not like...that." She stuttered, felt her cheeks heat, wanted to crawl beneath the table.

She watched as Mylo laced his fingers with hers, reaching out to caress her cheek.

"Do you think I care, Bear? You're my baby sister, okay? So you don't have to lie to me. You were never any good at it anyway." He teased gently.

She sat in stunned silence, her eyes focused on his. She felt her lips begin to tremble as a tear slid down her cheek. She closed her eyes.

"She doesn't even notice me." She wiped the tear from her cheek, relieved to get some of it off her chest.

"Okay, first thing? She's working, Bear. She's supposed to keep her distance. Second, I heard you barely talk to her anymore."

She opened her mouth to protest, closed it, and then opened it again, "she sneaks off in the middle of the night and comes back smelling like perfume."

He smiled as she pouted, "a woman, just like a man, has needs Bear. She doesn't think you give a shit."

"And I'm supposed to compete with her harem of women? I haven't even kissed anyone yet! I'm 27 years old and I don't know the first thing about being with a man much less a woman."

Mylo cringed, did he really want to have this discussion with his baby sister?

"Look, just be yourself Bear. Ty's a good person. She's got a lot of girls, but if she's anything like me, it's because she hasn't found the right one yet. So, just be yourself. Don't close yourself off, okay?"

Shelly looked at her big brother, dressed in a white tee shirt and prison issued green pants and smirked.

"I bet you'd rather get butt fucked than talk to me about this."

He laughed. A deep belly, hardy laugh he hadn't experienced in quite some time. He reached out and brushed strands of hair from her cheek, a ritual he partook in whether she had a hair out of place or not. He brushed his knuckles against her baby soft cheek.

"I love you Bear. I would do anything for you. But Ty's very much like your big brother. Neither one of us is ready to settle down yet. So don't get too attached, okay? Experiment, learn some tricks, have some fun, but don't think she's going to drag you off to Canada and marry you."

Shelly smiled, "she hasn't even kissed me yet and you're talking wedding bells. Relax, I'm not that stupid."

She stood abruptly and hugged him, squeezing tightly. "Thanks," she whispered.

He hugged her back for a moment and then stood from his chair, "okay, get out of here so I can talk to Ty for a minute."

"You won't say anything, right?"

He smirked, "I have other shit to talk about woman. Get out of here."

She grinned, gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and left the room, sending Ty in after her. Ty sat across from him.

"Things are heating up in here, so keep an extra close eye on her for the next two weeks, okay? Things should settle down by then."

Ty nodded. Mylo leaned forward.

"And Ty, you break her fucking heart, I'll break your fucking neck."

He watched as Ty simply raised a brow, nodded, and then stood to leave. Mylo sat for another moment and said a silent prayer. Then he stood and led the way from the room.

*

There was more silence on the way home as both women thought about their conversations with Mylo. Shelly stared out of the window, realizing it was Saturday and Ty would probably sneak off to be with some woman tonight. She swallowed down the anger that threatened to erupt.

"Hungry?"

Ty's deep voice interrupted her thoughts and she shook her head, "not really."

Ty didn't respond and Shelly snuck a peak at her. There was no way she would qualify as attractive, but there was something about her. Something Shelly had felt from the first moment she saw her through the peep hole. She'd never experienced that kind of pull before, never thought she'd feel it for another human being. After her teacher sexually assaulted her—...she figured that part of her was dead. But when she'd first seen Ty...And now, as she watched those long fingers curve around the steering wheel, whenever she brushed against that muscular form, or when she inhaled the woman's scent, her body felt...alive. Alive and...starved, although she wasn't yet certain what she hungered for.

Ty stopped at a burger joint in Harlem and bought something for Shelly to eat anyway. Shelly just rolled her eyes when Ty handed her the bag.

"Uh, thanks for listening."

"Nothing in the apartment for you to eat and I'll be out for a few hours tonight."

"Again?"

The word slipped out before she could stop it. Ty turned to her and raised a brow.

"You need me to stay put?"

She tried to dissect the question for sarcasm, anger, annoyance, but she didn't hear anything other than a genuine question. She fidgeted under Ty's gaze, refusing to meet those piercing green eyes.

"I'm not your keeper. You need to go out, go."

She didn't catch the smirk on Ty's lips as the woman suddenly realized why Mylo had threatened her life. They were pulling into the parking garage minutes later. Shelly led the way to the bank of elevators and they rode up in silence. Once inside the apartment, Shelly tossed the bag of food on the kitchen table and headed for the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. Ty smirked again.

Shelly locked the bathroom door forcing herself not to scream. What was wrong with her? Ty wasn't obligated to stay in every night. Besides, as Mylo said, a woman had needs. And she was ill equipped to satisfy Ty's needs, wasn't she? Wasn't she? She stomped her foot, annoyed at the childish gesture, stripped and stepped under the hot spray of the shower. She scrubbed herself like a mad woman, washing her hair four times, grooming herself meticulously, and wasting as much time as she could. Maybe Ty would be gone when she was done and she could sip at a rather large vodka and OJ and curl up in bed. She had work to do anyway. That would keep her occupied until Ty returned around 3am. God, how pathetic was it that she knew what time Ty returned? She had to get a life.