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His voice never falters. Except for the brief laugher, his body remains calm and relaxed. The posture of a man with nothing to hide.
I’ve fallen so hard for this man. He treats me well. Shows me he cares in so many ways.
I want to trust him. But can’t help that little piece of me still scared, still wondering if he’s hiding something else.Chapter Fifty-ThreeShelby
I’m two-stepping on shaky ground.
After a quick breakfast, we’re back in the truck on our way to the arena and my anxiety shoots through the roof.
How can I judge Logan for not telling me about his job? Here, I’ve been assigned a bodyguard twenty-four hours a day on the tour. That’s the kind of detail he would’ve wanted the minute it happened.
“Are you okay?” he asks. “You’re so quiet. Does your throat hurt?”
Actually, it does but that’s not what’s keeping my mouth glued shut.
I’m running out of time to warn Logan about the letters and my new bodyguard. Bane’s kind of hard to miss, and I have no doubt he’ll pop up as soon as I arrive at the arena. “Rooster—”
“Aw, fuck.” He peers into the rearview mirror and curses again.
“What is it?”
“We missed the exit,” he growls.
Darn. If I’d been paying attention instead of figuring out how to explain this hot mess, he wouldn’t be driving around looking for a place to turn in an unfamiliar city.
I hurry to reset the GPS and help him find the new turn-off. Guilt knots my stomach. But he’s trying to focus on the road while he’s in the middle of doing yet another favor for me. Not the best time to blurt out that I have a stalker.
He follows the signs for the arena and I read him Greg’s instructions for how to find the loading area.
As soon as we pull into the lot, I spot Bane’s big frame hanging out by Dawson’s bus.
You’ve stalled long enough. Time to fess up.
“Uh, Rooster. I, uh, have to—”
“Who is that guy?” Rooster asks. “He was with you last night when I picked you up.”
“Well, that’s what I wanted to tell you.”
He blinks and waits. Doesn’t accuse me of cheating or anything silly like that. “I got this letter the other night…it’s stupid, honestly. But Cindy made a big deal out of it and got Greg involved. Then Greg told Dawson, who assigned one of his guards to stick with me.”
“Whoa. Slow down.” He closes his eyes for a second. “That obsessed fan thing the DJs mentioned was true?”
“I don’t know about obsessed. It was, like, two letters.”
“Now it’s two letters?”
“Well, three. That I know of.”
“Shelby, are you fucking kidding me? How long has this been going on?”
“Since right after Baltimore, I think.”
“What?” His sharp question punches through the air. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“It was a letter! Paper, ink, and some stupid, creepy words. It’s not like it was a bomb or something. Dawson assigned one of his guys to watch me. I didn’t want to make you worry about something so silly.”
“You let me decide what to worry about. Dammit.” He stabs his fingers through his hair and won’t even look at me.
“Rooster.”
“Don’t. I’m really fuckin’ furious with you right now.” While he claims to be furious, he’s awfully gentle as he pulls me into his arms, crushing me against his chest. “I hate that you’ve been worrying about this and didn’t think you should tell me.”
“I didn’t want you to worry or think you had to do anything about it.”
He rests his hands on my shoulders and pushes me back so he can meet my eyes. “Of course I worry about you. And you’re mistaken if you think I’m gonna sit around and do nothing.”
“Rooster.”
“You’re a ballsy little brat, giving me grief about my job when your life’s in danger. You know that?”
“My life isn’t in danger. And I honestly think I took the news of your job rather well, considering.”
He kisses the tip of my nose and flicks a glance at Bane again. “At least I know why ol’ beefcake was following you around.”
“Stop. Bane’s been nice to me.”
Rooster continues scowling.
“Don’t you dare,” I warn him. “You start pissing a circle ’round me ’cause you’re mad I didn’t tell you sooner, I’ll kick your firm, sexy ass back to your porno ranch right this second.”
“Love to see you try, chickadee.” He smirks. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Now it’s my turn to growl some frustrated noises.
He hooks his arm around my waist and leans down to kiss me. I lace my arms around his neck, tugging him closer. “That’s better,” I whisper.
After one final kiss, he pulls away. “Let’s go.”
We unpack my stuff from the truck quickly. Bane meets us halfway, giving Rooster a serious once-over.
“Bane, this is my boyfriend, Logan.”
Rooster sets my guitar down and shakes Bane’s hand. “Thank you for watching out for her.”
