Dedicated to goldcaught over on Tumblr, as one of her tag rants about needing an AU with Klaus as Caroline's bodyguard is the basis of this fic and I wouldn't have written it without her! Enjoy :)

Bodyguard

When Caroline Forbes hired a personal bodyguard, it was with one motive and one motive only: protect herself from Tyler Lockwood and his stalker-like tendencies.

Breaking up with him had been for the best, really—he was on the fast track to be NFL Rookie of the Year, and she was lined up as the next big singer-songwriter after Taylor Swift.

Not that she'd ever brag about it, of course.

She had known he would be upset. Furious, even. But what she hadn't counted on was his vengeful streak to rear its ugly head.

The first incident he had crashed her birthday party and started a fist fight with one of her guests.

The second time, he had somehow managed to sneak into her home in Los Angeles and beg her to return to him, eventually shattering a wine glass that he had thrown dangerously close to her head.

Hence, the pressing need for a bodyguard.

Katherine had sworn her fiancé Elijah's brother was the best in the business and handsome to boot, and when he first appeared in his dark clothes and Aviators, she had to admit he was quite easy on the eyes.

Until he opened his mouth.

Niklaus Mikaelson, however attractive, was one of the most infuriating, arrogant men she had ever encountered, with his condescending pet names for her and his teasing about her neuroticism and his refusal to leave her alone even for one small shopping spree. Their days usually ended with a full-blown argument over even the most trivial of matters.

But slowly, so gradual that she hardly realized it, all that began to change.

It had all started about two months into his job. She had managed to give him the slip to go for a relaxing walk on the Santa Monica pier one gorgeous evening, when she had a run-in with Tyler and his new model girlfriend Hayley. Avoiding him had proved fruitless, as he took the opportunity to sneer at her and list every reason why she wasn't worthy of him anyway.

You're a neurotic, bitchy little twit.

But even as the tears threatened to fall down her cheeks, she had heard his accented voice, his warning to Tyler to back off and never come back sending a surge of relief through her body.

He had escorted her home in silence, holding her hand in his own calloused palm.

When they stopped at her front door, he told her that Tyler was wrong.

You're strong, beautiful, full of light, Caroline. And I enjoy you.

And he left her there, stunned speechless, vanishing into the evening twilight.

From that moment on, they had developed a rather tenuous friendship. He still drove her absolutely insane most of the time, but there were moments when he would look at her with those dark blue eyes, a glint of longing shining in their depths, and she couldn't help but wonder what it would be like, to be with him.

Lately, that thought was growing harder and harder to ignore.

She had first believed she could simply shove those dirty little thoughts deep down where the light would never touch them.

But that was a losing battle.

And now here they were in Sicily, the first stop on her tour of Europe, and she found that she didn't have the heart to fight it anymore.

But that didn't mean she had the courage to tell him just yet, either.

After arriving at the hotel in Palermo, she had begged him to go out and have some much-needed time at the beach. He had grudgingly obliged, causing her to smirk in victory as she raced into her suite to get ready.

The sun on her skin felt glorious, as she stretched out on her towel in the sand, soaking up the warmth and smiling.

And no, she was most certainly not sneaking sideways glances at her shirtless bodyguard, with his tattoos and those damn necklaces adorning his muscled body, his burnished golden curls glinting in the sun.

She had just closed her eyes to take a little nap when the earth shifted. She let out a surprised scream as she was crushed gently against his chest, which rumbled with his deep laughter, and before she knew it she was sinking down into the cool water with a splash.

Sputtering and gasping, she narrowed her eyes at his dimpled grin.

It was his turn to shout when she launched herself at him, bringing them both into the salty waves, her hands gripping his shoulders, his arms unconsciously wrapping around her waist as they fell.

They spent the next hour splashing each other and cavorting in the waves, without a care in the world, forgetting everything else except each other.

She had never felt so free.

They never even noticed the flash of the cameras.

"Katherine, look, I don't know what to tell you, I just wasn't paying attention, ok? Seriously, it's not a big deal," Caroline argued with her friend and publicist later that evening, pacing around her suite with her cell phone held to her ear, rolling her eyes. There was an exclusive party down at the Candelai club tonight, and she only had about ten minutes left to get ready. She had just shimmied into her little black bandage dress when Katherine had called her, ranting about some pictures of her and Klaus cavorting in the sand on the Sicilian beach. Caroline didn't have much of an issue with it, but she humored her publicist anyways and let her get it all out and do her job. Besides, Katherine was nothing if not thorough about keeping her image perfect.

She heard Katherine snort on the other end. "Maybe not, but I just want you to be more careful. Especially with that douchebag ex of yours on the loose."

"Alright, point taken," Caroline replied. "I'll be more careful next time."

"Good. You know what I find hilarious about the whole debacle? It's not really you the Twitterverse is interested in."

"What do you mean?" Caroline asked, confused.

Katherine chuckled. "I mean that instead of cooing over how hot you looked in your red bikini, your fans have been gushing about your, and I quote, 'hot piece of ass bodyguard with washboard abs.'"

Caroline's eyes widened. Out of nowhere, she felt an incontrollable sense of irritation at the idea. "Seriously?" she scoffed, opening up her laptop. Not that she didn't believe Katherine, but she couldn't help but want to see this for herself.

"Yep. And look at this…seems like the Tumblr users have managed to get some close-ups and are now crying over 'that sexy thing he does with his tongue.' Gross."

Caroline made a small noise of disgust, the flames of possessiveness fanning ever higher after hearing Katherine cataloguing a few more salacious Tweets about her bodyguard. Fingers flying over the keyboard, she did a quick search, and the pictures appeared, and Caroline's breath caught in her throat.

To the casual observer, she and Klaus looked…well…like a couple. As in, in a relationship type of couple.

Something they were most definitely not.

One picture in particular caught her eye. She was looking up at the sky, laughing, and Klaus was looking at her with such intensity—such fondness—that her heart skipped several beats.

She almost forgot that Katherine was still on the phone.

"Sorry, what was it you just said?" she asked apologetically, still staring at the photo.

Katherine gave a frustrated groan. "Look, don't take this the wrong way Care, but is there anything you want to tell me? About you and Klaus?" she asked pointedly, and for once Caroline wished her friend wasn't so direct. Somehow, Katherine Pierce knew everything.

Caroline chewed nervously on her bottom lip. "Of course there isn't, Kat. We're just friends," she replied with a light laugh.

"Oh really? So it doesn't bother you that there are thousands of screaming teenage girls drooling over Klaus's body, undressing him with their eyes and wishing they were having sex with him?"

"Wait, what?" Caroline spoke without thinking, frantically scrolling through the comments. Sure enough, she found several comments with much the same line of thinking, to her utter chagrin. She could practically feel the jealousy and a twinge of possessiveness bubbling up inside her.

"I knew it. You do like him," Katherine said triumphantly. "Well, I suppose now that you've gotten that off of your chest, I think you should give the fans what they want and have some hot mind-blowing sex with Mikaelson."

"Katherine!" Caroline exclaimed, a red blush burning her cheeks at the very thought of it. "Ugh, can't you just let it go?"

"Alright, alright, I'll back off," Katherine said. "But I will say that if Elijah's prowess in bed is anything to go by—"

"Goodbye, Kat!" Caroline nearly shrieked, and promptly hung up, not wanting to hear any gory details about Katherine and Elijah's love life.

"Caroline?"

She froze at his voice, looking up and catching sight of him standing in the doorway of her suite, his perceptive gaze trained on her.

"Klaus…hi." She answered lamely, painfully aware of the thick tension his presence brought to the room.

He took a few halting steps toward her, his hands clasped behind his back. She could feel his eyes rove over her body slowly, almost lazily, drinking her in, before his tongue darted out to lick his lips as he glanced at her lips.

She felt strangely powerful in that moment, knowing that she affected him in some small way.

Finally, he spoke, his voice husky. "Are you ready to go?"

"Um, yes, just about," she said hurriedly, rapidly tossing on her nude heels. "Sorry, I just need to get this necklace on…" she rambled, struggling with the clasp behind her head.

She jumped slightly when she felt the touch of his hands on her neck, taking the necklace from her fingers.

"Allow me," he murmured in her ear, every brush of his skin against hers a burning blaze of heat stoking a fire in her veins.

When he finished, he spun her around gently to face him.

"Thank you," she said softly.

He nodded.

"Well, I'm good to go, so—"

"Caroline, wait."

She stopped, her head snapping up at him as he held her back with his hand on her arm. He slid his hand down her arm until he held her hand in his. For a brief moment, they stood there, both looking at their joined hands.

"About this morning," he began, still tracing absent patterns on the back of her hand. "There's something I've been meaning to tell you—"

"No wait. I…there's something I need to tell you first." She paused, gathering her courage, and lifted her head to meet his piercing stare. "I'm done feeling guilty."

His quirked an eyebrow at that, questioning her, and all of a sudden the words she had been holding back for so long escaped her in a great rush.

"When I first met you, I loathed you. With your stupid dimples and your stupid endearments—and God, I really believed you were incapable of real feelings." She dropped her gaze, vulnerability seeping into her tone. "But that night, with Tyler…you were there when I needed you. And ever since, I've caught myself wishing I could forget about it—about how you make me feel, about how I've been building a life for myself and you weren't in my plans for the future but somehow you found a way in." Her voice had lowered to a whisper. "And it scares me how much I want you stay there."

Her eyes flicked up and caught his, and she just caught a glimpse of the dark heat storming within his before his finger had tilted her chin up to capture her lips in a bruising kiss, one hand caressing her cheek while the other wove through her curls.

Any and all thoughts of how this could possibly be wrong immediately fled her mind as she gave a sigh of pleasure, melting against him and succumbing to the feeling of his lips caressing hers. He pulled back eventually, resting his forehead against hers, both hands cupping her cheeks.

"You don't know how long I've wanted you, sweetheart," he whispered, causing another wave of heat fizzling through her. He smiled at her, one of his rare, genuine ones, all dimples and raspberry lips. "But I have to ask…what exactly brought this on?"

Frowning slightly, she opened her mouth to answer when she noticed that mischievous glint in his eyes. He leaned in towards her again, burying his nose in her neck, breathing deeply before nipping at her neck. "Could it be that you are jealous of the attention I received from your loyal fans after our little outing was caught on camera?"

"No," she whimpered, barely able to form a coherent thought as he sucked hard at her pulse point, his stubble scratching her skin and giving it a pleasant tingle.

He practically purred in response, his hands sliding up her thighs to ease her skirt up higher. "Come, Caroline. You can be honest with me." Her dress was bunched up at her waist now, and he pressed his lean body impossibly closer to hers, forcing her to feel every hard muscle against her softer curves. "Confess your sins, sweetheart. You are jealous, and you don't want to share me."

Her stubbornness waning, Caroline rubbed herself against him like a cat in heat, her desire spiraling out of control at the sensual feeling of his touch on her body. "Klaus—"

"Say it, Caroline."

He stroked the soft skin of her inner thigh, so unbearably close to where she wanted him.

She broke.

"Yes, yes, I am jealous, and I don't want to share you with anyone, because you are mine," she whispered fiercely, pulling his head to hers and crushing her lips to his. Her tongue traced the seam of his lips urgently, begging for entrance. He granted it instantly, and she finally tasted him, after weeks, months of wondering, and it nearly drove her mad. She could lose herself for hours simply exploring his sweet mouth.

Klaus nibbled at her bottom lip, making her groan, and in a trice he had grabbed her thighs and hoisted her up, her legs instantly wrapping around his waist, her core burning at the feel of his hardness pressing against her so intimately.

With purposeful strides, their lips never breaking their kiss, he lowered her to the bed, pressing her down into the silky sheets, covering her with his body. He caught her wrists in one hand and pinned them above her head.

They stayed there for what seemed like days, making out like two well-acquainted lovers.

From his unhurried manner, Klaus seemed to have no trouble in prolonging the inevitable, taking his time to explore her with his lips, tongue, and teeth.

Not that she minded, per se—but after finally giving in to what she wanted—to him—Caroline was growing impatient.

She needed more.

Rolling her hips forward, she smirked at his answering growl, his hand pinning her wrists loosening just enough for her to free them and slide them down to tug insistently at the hem of his shirt. He obliged, leaning back to let her pull it over his head before he wrapped his arms beneath her and pulled her back towards him so she was straddling him, his fingers quickly finding the zipper of her dress and slowly drawing it open, his knuckles skimming her bare skin as he went.

Klaus kept those dark blue eyes fixed on her face as slowly, reverently, he eased her dress up and over her head, tossing it aside.

His eyes widened.

She wasn't wearing a bra.

Caroline flushed under his inspection, a small cry of bliss escaping her lips when he lowered his mouth to her breast, licking and sucking at the tender flesh. Her hands dug into the mattress as he fondled her breasts, sending her mind spinning with desire.

Sensing her impatience, he lowered her back down on the bed, her hands frantically grabbing at the buckle of his jeans, which he in turn tore off in haste, groaning as their bare skin made contact once more.

She slid her hands all over him, relishing in the hard planes and corded muscles of his chest, taking a moment to kiss and lick her way across his feather tattoo. She grinned at his answering gasp, and, feeling bolder, she took one look at the cords gracing his neck before she gave them a quick tug, capturing his lips in a fiery kiss.

His hands now caressed the skin of her hip, causing her breath to still as he eased her lace boyshorts down her legs.

She nearly screamed when his finger entered her slick folds, his tongue doing the same to her mouth soon after.

"Klaus…please" she breathed, closing her eyes as he pumped her slowly, gasping when he added a second finger.

"Yes, love?"

He wanted her to say it, she realized. Of course he would. In all his alpha-male glory, he wanted the dirty words to pass her lips, filling the air.

A second confession, if you will.

"I need you inside me. Now."

That was all the incentive he needed to take control. He hovered over her, lacing his fingers through hers and pressing them into the sheets, positioning himself at her entrance, his cock tracing the outline of her slit, making them both shudder with anticipation.

"Look at me, Caroline."

She opened her eyes and found herself lost in his stormy blue orbs.

He rocked his hips forward in one smooth, deep thrust, and then he was inside of her.

She cried out, bucking her hips, wanting more, thrilled with the pleasure of her walls clenching around him.

"Sweetheart, you are a goddess," Klaus gasped out, his face swirling in ecstasy, never taking his gaze from her face as he pulled all the way out and then thrust forward again, this time more powerfully.

Caroline wrapped her legs around him, urging him in deeper, her hips rising to meet him thrust for thrust as the waves of pleasure rose ever higher, all notion of time passing away.

There was just the two of them, lost in each other, and damn the rest of the world.

He sped up his pace, his hand reaching between them to rub her clit, lips tasting the sweetness of her neck, their lovemaking reaching that inevitable crescendo of sensation, and when her orgasm cascaded over her, his name was on her lips like a prayer.

No sooner had she caught her breath when he rose up on his knees, still inside of her, whispering sweet nothings into her ears about her beauty and wit and charm and all of the things he would do to her. Straddling him, she gave a sensual roll of her hips, delighting in the stark need she saw in his eyes, his hands gripping her hips tightly as she rode him.
And so their lovemaking ensued, each giving as much as they received, the sheets tangled and twisted, nothing but the sound of their sighs of bliss filling the air, the slapping of skin against skin, the light outside the window fading as the twilit evening faded into the deep blue of night.

Spent and sated, Caroline snuggled deeper into Klaus's side, resting her hand over his heart, her fingers caressing his chest, sweaty with their lovemaking. He wrapped a strong arm around her waist, pressing a chaste kiss to her forehead and smiling at her.

"Klaus?"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"You're fired."

His body jolted slightly, confusion wrinkling his brow as he looked down at her. "And may I ask why you are terminating my contract?" he demanded, his shoulders tensing.

Grinning like a fool, she pulled the covers up around them, her arms snaking around his neck, threading through his dirty blonde curls. "Because I've decided I don't need a bodyguard anymore."

" Is that so?" He mused, frowning slightly. "And what about Tyler? Who is going to protect you from that tosser?"

She glared at him. "You didn't let me finish." She smiled shyly. "I don't need a bodyguard anymore—but I just recently found myself in the market for a…friend."

A slow smirk spread over his face as her meaning became clear. "Just a friend?" he enquired, his hand lazily tracing down the side of her body. "Or a lover?"

"Both, that is, if you want the job."

"Caroline Forbes, are you asking me to be your boyfriend?"

She nodded, suddenly anxious over what he would say. He didn't exactly fit the 'committed relationship' type, and Lord knew she had her own flaws that he would have to deal with.

All her doubts flew away, however, when he rolled over, brushing his lips against hers. "It would be my honor and privilege, love. But only if you'll have me."

Her heart clenched at the warmth of his voice, and the edge of vulnerability.

God, how did she get this lucky, to have Niklaus Mikaelson in her life?

She stroked his stubbled jaw and brushed her nose against his.

"Good," she whispered, and surrendered herself once more to the passionate fire of his kiss.

Hope the smut wasn't terrible and holler at me in the reviews!