Total pages in book: 11
Estimated words: 10569 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 53(@200wpm)___ 42(@250wpm)___ 35(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 10569 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 53(@200wpm)___ 42(@250wpm)___ 35(@300wpm)
Melody stumbles to a stop and looks between Samantha and me. I give Samantha a nod. “We’ll talk about this later.”
I turn all focus to Melody, and her frown deepens. Instantly on alert, I look into the room behind her and see Kayla standing and waiting for her next direction. “What’s wrong?” I ask Melody.
“I, I, can…” She stops as her stutter starts to take over.
Shit. It must be really bad if she’s stuttering. She usually only does that when she’s tired or nervous.
I put my hands on her shoulders, give them a gentle squeeze. “It’s okay. Take your time. What’s wrong?”
She shakes her head side to side and takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly. She pulls her shoulders back as if she’s preparing herself and then speaks slowly. “I was just going to say that if you and Samantha are busy, I can get Kayla or Zeke to take me back to the hotel, that’s all.”
She’s not meeting my eyes, and that’s not going to work for me. I’m not sure where this is coming from because I’ve always been the one to escort her to the hotel. Hell, anywhere she needs to go, I go with her.
“Your safety is my responsibility.” I practically growl the words at her as I tilt her face up to look at me. “You’ll go with me.”
But that doesn’t seem to satisfy her at all. She pulls her chin from my light grasp and stalks toward the exit. “I’m just saying if you and Samantha have something going on… I mean, you are allowed to have time off, Hayes. We have an entire security detail. It doesn’t always have to be you, that’s all I’m saying.”
Doesn’t always have to be me?
What the fuck does that even mean? I don’t even give her a respond, I just turn in the direction of where we’re going.
“Let’s go,” I snap.
I walk in front of her and stop her before she goes out the door. She knows I always go out first. Samantha and Kayla are following us, acting as if they’re not witnessing this, but I’m sure they’re catching all of it.
“I don’t need time off,” I say through my teeth. “What’s going on with you tonight? What’s this about?”
She puts one hand on her hip and with the other, she points at the door in front of us. “Can we go already? I’m ready to get the makeup shellacked on my face washed off and go to bed.”
I’m taken aback by her attitude because she’s never been frustrated like this with me. I slowly open the door, look outside, and see Zeke waiting in the blacked-out SUV. I walk Melody to the back door, open it, and she slides in. I shut the door and then make my way around to the other side and slide in next to her.
Zeke pulls out as soon as we’re both secure, and I turn to look at Melody. “Melody. Talk to me. Did somebody say something to you? Do something? What—”
I stop talking because the more I say, the more pissed I get. Rage is barely simmering just under the surface of my skin. I take a few cleansing breaths. So help me, if someone hurt her, I’ll kill them.
She’s looking out the window, and she rests her forehead against the tinted glass. Her voice holds no emotion, but I can hear the sadness in it. “Nothing, Hayes. I just realized today, and obviously that took me a long time, but I recognized that you work all the time. You’ve been with me five years, and you rarely do anything without being at my side.”
“So…” I start, not understanding where this is going.
She shrugs, still refusing to look at me. She closes her eyes and says softly, “So… You have to be getting it somewhere, and if you and Samantha are hooking up, you should be given time off to do it properly if that’s what you want to do. I just wanted you to know that. I don’t expect you to be by my side twenty-four hours a day.”
Shocked, all I can do is sit here and stare at her with my mouth hanging open and my eyes wide. She thinks I’m fucking Samantha?
Hell, I haven’t looked at another woman in the five years since I met Melody. I’m so fuckin’ in love with her there’s no way I could look at—let alone hook up with—another woman.
I don’t tell her that, though. Hell, I can’t. It’s my job to protect her. Having feelings for her is my fault. I shouldn’t be so unprofessional. It’s the cardinal rule of being a private body guard. You don’t fall in love with your client.
chapter
three
Melody
The rest of the ride to the hotel we spend in silence. I keep my head resting on the cool glass of the window, willing myself not to cry. I tend to get weepy after shows anyway. Our music runs the gamut of emotions and I pour myself into all of our songs.