At the same time, Brix says, “It won’t. And you know if shit goes down, Trav and Iris will have my back.”
Gideon thinks about that and nods. “All right then. Are … umm … we cool?”
Is this really happening right now?
Brix gets to keep his job?
“You’re in love with Evah, or you’re with her?”
“Both,” Gideon says.
I was not expecting that.
He’s a good fifteen years older than her, but that’s not really a concern in this industry.
And maybe I should care on a personal level, but Evah and I were never together. The only risk is if it got out, but clearly they know how to keep a secret, or we would’ve figured it out.
Hell, Brix and I should take lessons from them, but today when he came through that gate, all I wanted was to be wrapped in his arms where I knew I’d be safe.
“Uh …” Gideon runs a hand over his dark hair. “Shit, am I fired now?”
I laugh. “Call it even? You fuck my ex-fiancée, I fuck my bodyguard, and we all pretend like it isn’t weird.”
“Deal. Now, let’s get you two to a hotel before any other unwanted packages turn up. Or worse, paparazzi. I’m surprised TMZ hasn’t caught the story yet. They’re slacking.”
And that’s when I’m reminded of the severity of this thing, and my stomach drops.
Brix paces our basic hotel room which only serves to make me more anxious. We decided against a suite, checked in under another name, and they snuck me in so it would be harder for the tabloids to find me.
I sit on the large king bed with my back against the headboard just watching Brix do his thing.
He barks orders into the phone as if he’s Trav’s boss, not the other way around.
I shouldn’t find that hot, but I do. All long legs and bulky arms moving back and forth in front of me. His strong, commanding voice unwavering.
If what he was talking about didn’t scare me half to death, I’d be tempted to strip naked and distract him.
Unfortunately, he’s talking about someone psychologically terrorizing me, so you know, my boner is a little fickle.
“Keep me updated.” Brix huffs and ends the call.
He throws the phone on the bed and grunts.
“Come here.” I move to my knees on the mattress and inch toward the edge of the bed.
He steps closer, making me crane my neck to look at him. “How are you doing? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. You being your badass self makes me feel better about the whole thing.”
His big, warm hands snake around my back, and he lowers his forehead to mine. “I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
“I trust you.”
He dips his head, his lips inching closer to mine, but I hold firm.
“Even when you keep shit from me.”
“I’ve been waiting for that.” Brix pulls away from me and goes to lean against the dresser.
I sit back on the bed.
“I didn’t tell you I was tailing Webber because we didn’t know if there was a reason to be following him. Trav thinks I was being overprotective, but there’s no such thing when it comes to you. And it seems the minute we stopped watching him, he made a move. I’m not going to apologize for not telling you because it’s my job to take care of that shit for you. You’re not going to get your album recorded if you’re too busy worrying about your safety.”
I guess he makes a point. “All right, but you’ve got to give me something. When it comes to work, I don’t like being kept in the dark. I understand your point, so I’ll let it go, but what about you? I know you’re keeping shit from me, just like you are the rest of your team. They know your secret, by the way. They’re just respectful enough not to push you.”
Brix’s lip twitches. “You’re not going to be as respectful as them, I’m guessing.”
I shake my head. “Nope. Because whatever this is between us means I should know more about your life than your work colleagues. You don’t give me anything. All I know is your mom died and you were an army brat. You pay someone else’s medical bills, unless you have some sort of illness you’re hiding from me. I was thinking earlier about what you are to me, and I realized that while you’re possibly the most important person in my life, I don’t think you see me the