Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 103008 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103008 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
“I can’t lose this job,” Jamie pleads.
“You’re not going anywhere.”
Both Brix and Gideon look at me like I just made an unkeepable promise, but she made a mistake. A simple mistake anyone could have made.
Of all people, Brix and Gideon know how easy it is to make a mistake, and theirs were conscious mistakes. Hers was an accident.
“Jamie, I’ll drive you back to LA,” Gideon says.
“The contracts you need to sign for Evah are in the room Brix put me in,” she says solemnly.
Gideon turns to me. “You can bring them back signed tomorrow. Now this is done, it’s business as usual.”
I want to groan, but I think going straight back into work mode will be good for me.
They leave, Jamie with her head held low, and suddenly the night’s events leave me drained.
Brix steps closer. “Let’s go to bed.”
We make our way to our room at the back of the property and strip down. I make a mental note to ask Brix to wear Kevlar next time we have sex because it’s hot as he takes it all off.
Not tonight, though.
Tonight, I want to lie in his arms and convince myself it’s all really over.
As soon as his strong arms surround me, I break down. Tears flow, and I don’t even know why.
“It’s okay, baby,” Brix whispers. “It’s over.”
“I don’t know why I’m crying.”
“It’s an adrenaline crash. It happens. I’m here.”
“I thought I was going to lose you. I thought …” I shake my head.
He nudges me. “You need more faith in what I’ve been trained to do. I will never let anyone hurt you. Ever.”
“I love you,” I blurt like it’s no big deal when it is. It’s a bigger deal than a wardrobe malfunction on Grammy night.
It’s monumental and something I never thought would happen again. Not to me. Not while I’m still living this life.
Brix doesn’t do anything. He just lies next to me as still as he can.
When I pull back and look up into his eyes, he blinks at me.
And now I’m holding my breath, wondering why I chose right now to put that out there.
I had an hour and a half in a locked room to think of nothing else other than losing Brix. I could blame the adrenaline, the worry, or the life-or-death situation we were in. But that doesn’t change the way I feel about him.
“I want us to be more than a pop star and his bodyguard. I want—”
Without warning, Brix’s mouth is on mine.
He kisses me with everything he has. I feel it in the way he caresses my head and holds me close. And when he breaks it off, he doesn’t go far.
His forehead stays on mine, and I breathe him in.
Spicy cologne with that badass scent that’s all Brix.
My Brix.
“I love you too.” Brix cups my cheek. “I’ve wanted to say it. Been wanting to for a while, but I’m kinda new to love, and I’ve been struggling with how to define what it was—the ache in my chest when I look at you. It’s longing even though you’re right in front of me.”
“It could also be the tickling sensation of doubt. Or maybe you’re having a heart attack. You should probably get that checked out.” I have to joke because this is intense, and I don’t know how to handle it.
I didn’t think I’d ever find someone who’d put up with my bullshit. Who could see past it all.
Brix’s thumb runs along my cheek. “Maybe that ache is for the uncertain future we have—the anticipation of losing the very thing in front of you because if that happens, your heart might very well implode with the pain.”
My breath is stilted as I manage to get out, “That’s how I’ve felt about you for a long time, but it wasn’t until tonight when you walked out of that safe room and I didn’t know what was to come that it all really hit me. I thought about losing you and how it would damn near kill me.”
“You’re not going to lose me. Ever.”
“Promise?”
“We’re a team.”
“Pop star and bodyguard?” That’s not enough for me.
“Partners, Harley. I want to be partners in every sense of the word.”
“Partners,” I murmur.
Brix seals his promise with a kiss that makes me forget the events of the past few weeks. He makes me forget that my contract with the label is in the toilet and that my life isn’t exactly stable right now.
It all fades away as Brix’s tongue teases mine. He moves his mouth over mine, slowly but confidently.
“Mm. You’re doing it again.”
He kisses his way over my jaw. “Doing what?”
“Making me think you and I are the only ones on the planet right now. No labels. No stalkers. Just us.”
“For tonight, we can be. We’ll face everything else tomorrow.”
“Mm, tomorrow.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Brix
Trav wakes me up at stupid o’clock by knocking on our bedroom door. I heard him and Iris come back at some point during the night, and I was thankful they let us sleep.