Brix steps behind me. “We’ll make sure he gets more than that.”
I lean back against him. “It’s over?”
He nods. “It’s all over.”
Jamie’s sobs echo around the room. “I didn’t know … I promise you I didn’t know. I should have. I saw Webber’s mug shot and thought he looked familiar, but I couldn’t … I didn’t know where from.”
I approach her and wrap her in a huge hug. “It’s okay. I believe you.”
“I’m so sorry.”
Brix folds his arms. “How did he know you were Harley Valentine’s assistant? He got a lot of information from your phone, but Harley’s in there under another name.”
She stiffens in my arms.
I pull back. “Jamie?”
“I-I don’t know. I swear I didn’t say anything.”
“Could he have matched up venues and concert dates?” I ask. “I mean, it might not have my name, but it’d be obvious she’s a PA to someone famous.”
“Possibly,” Brix says.
“Oh my God, it’s all my fault.” Jamie’s uncontrollably sobbing now.
“It’s okay.” I hold her close. “You couldn’t have known.”
Brix rubs his chin. “It does bring up some new safety concerns. Her phone led him right to us. And it’s not the first time a celebrity’s phone’s been hacked. Except this time, they went to the next available source.”
“So, we don’t get our shit fixed at Rent A Geek,” I say. “Problem solved.”
Brix grumbles something about it being far from solved, but he lets it go. For now.
“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