Dropping The Ball - A New Year’s Billionaire Romance - Weston Parker Page 0,41

could see him perfectly, his lips slightly parted and a flush across his cheeks. A little rush spread through me when I noticed the bulge in his pants to go with the expression on his face.

Yes! He’s definitely, one hundred percent into me.

In the week that had passed since our passionate kisses, I’d started to wonder if maybe the attraction wasn’t one-sided after all. I knew now that it wasn’t, and I also knew I could do my job without being distracted by having him there.

All things considered, it had been a very enlightening morning. Tonight, after we got back from my rehearsal, I’d make my move. If he turned me down again, at least I would know that I’d tried. I had to try.

Supposedly, the rules were there to protect me, and I trusted Carter enough that I didn’t think following our hearts—and our bodies—would affect his ability to do his job. I was safe with him. There were still a lot of things I had to learn about my bodyguard, but that much, I was sure of. No matter what, he would protect me. Nothing that happened between us would change that.

Chapter 15

CARTER

“She’s quite something, isn’t she?” A blonde woman with a friendly smile and a small boy in tow dropped into the seat beside mine. She stuck out her hand. “You must be Carter. I’m Tani and this little terror right here goes by Cash.”

“I’ve heard a lot about you.” I shook her hand first before pretending to wince when Cash squeezed my fingers next. “Wow. You’ve got a really good grip, little man. It’s nice to meet you.”

Cash’s chest swelled and he flashed me a shy grin. “Thank you. Mommy says I’m strong.”

“You are,” I agreed, then sat back again and looked into Tani’s curious bright green eyes. “To answer your question, yes. She really is something up there.”

“Is this the first time you’re seeing one of her performances?” she asked. “Well, I suppose it’s only a rehearsal, not technically a performance. Wait until you see her for real. She’s mesmerizing when she really gets going.”

I made a noncommittal humming noise at the back of my throat. As far as I was concerned, Rylee was always mesmerizing. Back at Jules’s office with that little intimate show she’d given us, I’d been completely enchanted by her. It’d been like she really was a witch who had put a spell on me. A very sexual spell, but hey.

A man walked onto the stage with her, and I tensed when he put his hand on her hip and leaned in to kiss her cheek. Rylee laughed in response to something he said and gave him a quick hug.

Dark jealousy unfurled in my stomach. I didn’t know when I’d started feeling possessive over her, but a primal part of me was roaring “MINE” when he bent his head closer to hers.

Tani giggled at my side, rolling her eyes when I glanced at her. “You’re both as bad as the other. If you want my advice, you should just put yourselves out of your misery and get it on already.”

She kept her voice low enough that no one could overhear her, but I took a quick look around us anyway. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. It’s my job to make sure no one gets close to her, and he’s pretty damn close.”

“He’s also supposed to be that close to her. They are in love, if you haven’t heard.” She watched me carefully and I had no idea what she saw, but she rushed the next part out. “In the play, silly. Dustin is Fiyero Tigelaar. Elphaba’s lover. There’s nothing between them in real life. They hardly know each other.”

“I know who he is.” I had a file on him back at Rylee’s. Nothing that indicated he was a threat had popped up in his background check, but every sense I had was suddenly on high alert. “I didn’t know he was going to be here today.”

“The show opens in a few weeks. They’ve been keeping the rehearsals she’s involved in as small as possible, but there are a few people who have to be present. He’s one of them.”

My hackles rose when he put a hand on her arm and said something else that made her laugh. “Isn’t he already in a relationship? It seems unprofessional of him to be flirting with her.”

Pot, meet kettle.

Tani laughed, shaking her head at me. “Trust me, he’s not flirting. He’s just