Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 72543 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72543 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
The SUV halts in front of the coffee shop. I lean over and press what is meant to be a quick kiss on Damion’s mouth. He catches the back of my head and licks into my mouth, a short, drugging kiss before he says, “Text me when you’re in the building.”
“I will,” I promise.
“I’ll pick you up, and we’ll go get your things on the way home.”
“Yes,” I whisper, and rotate away from him, facing Adam. “I’m ready.”
He nods and opens the door, exiting before me and then waving for me to join him. Once we’re on the sidewalk, he shuts Damion inside the vehicle, and he guides me forward and into the coffee shop. It’s a dauntingly short jaunt, and for the first time in my life, I’m nervous out in public, like I should be expecting bullets to fly. The press doesn’t bother me; that man working for Damion’s father does.
I need Adam close because of him.
I need Adam, because I’m in real danger.
The doors of the coffee shop close behind us, and the scent of coffee beans and cinnamon tease my nostrils. Glancing about, I find a cozy, welcoming little joint with shelves filled with adorable mugs and trinkets, and relief washes over me. We’re sheltered now. We’re fine.
Adam waves at a gorgeous brunette behind the counter and points at the door. “Cover us,” he calls out.
“Anything for you, blue eyes,” the woman replies, rounding the counter and heading for the door.
Adam motions me forward. “Keep moving.”
So much for sheltered.
In a blink, we’re outside again, walking down an alleyway I didn’t know existed, but it somehow feels safer than the main street. I glance around, looking for a threat.
“We’re fine,” Adam promises.
“I know,” I say, because I’m trying to convince myself it’s true, and then, needing a distraction, I ask, “She’s pretty. Is she your girlfriend?”
He laughs, and it’s a friendly laugh. “No. One of my friend’s wives.”
“Oh,” I say. “That’s cool that she obviously likes you.”
“You never want your friend’s wife to hate you or like you too much. Those are good ways to end up with no friends.”
My mind goes to Andrew, a friend of Damion’s who I went out with one time after he left for college. Even after Damion kissed me that day while still dating another girl, I’d felt so very guilty. The same was not true of Andrew, but I cut things off, nice and clean. They’re still friends today, which I know because Andrew later called me and thanked me for keeping him from making a stupid mistake.
“Does your friend work with you?” I ask, refocusing on Adam.
“Yes. Walker Security is a lifestyle, not a job. We all live, work, and play together. We try not to die together.” He halts us at the studio and runs a key card across a security panel that opens the door. Obviously noting the surprise in my eyes, he explains, “I’m cleared to go wherever you go. Now get in there and do your job. I’ll be on set and nearby if you need me.”
I huff out a breath. “I’m not looking forward to explaining you to the crew.”
“Then don’t. One thing I’ve learned is that sometimes less is more.”
Just not with Damion, I think, nodding and walking inside the building. I can feel him at my back as we climb a narrow set of steps, and it’s just weird having a shadow. Fortunately, we arrive at the top level, right next to the hallway to my dressing room. I turn to Adam. “I need to put my things in my dressing room. Then I go to the sound studio.”
“I’ll wait outside your door.”
“This is just…strange. You know it’s strange, right?”
“Safe is not strange, but I hear dead is.” He motions to the ring on my finger. “How are you going to marry your man if you’re dead?”
He’s hit a nerve ten feet wide. I’m not supposed to marry him at all. “Right,” I say. “I’d like to not be dead just yet.” With a queasy feeling in my belly, I rotate on my heels and all but fly down the hallway, and even so, Adam is there before me.
“I need to check the room first.”
Oh my God, I think, but I give a choppy nod. He opens the door and enters, and only moments later, he announces, “Clear,” steps aside, and motions me into the dressing area.
“Thank you,” I say, and walk inside, but just as I shut the door, a thought hits me, and I rotate to Adam again. “Is Damion in danger?”
“He hasn’t given me reason to believe he needs protection.”
“I don’t agree with that assessment. He’s too macho to think he needs it. He can protect himself, is how he will think. I don’t even have to ask. Talk him into it, please. His father is a monster.”