Right here and now, I’ve got a new bodyguard to deal with.
Mr. Laidback.
Mr. Too Cool For School.
Mr… Drop Dead Gorgous…
“Billie, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” the guard says, finally deeming me worthy of standing up straight. “The name’s Max.”
“I know,Max,” I reply, coming off a whole lot sassier than I intended. “Here, take my bag.”
I hold out my small bag of things for Max but he simply stares back at me, his ocean blue eyes unblinking as I keep my arm outstretched, ready for him to take it from me.
But Max has got no intention of taking my bag, and suddenly it’s a battle of wills…
“Inside the car, please Billie,” Max says, reaching to the rear door and opening it for me. “I think you can manage the bag yourself.”
I let out squeaky little petulant sound, like an angry mouse.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” Max replies, his powerful legs filling out his light blue jeans and his chest and broad shoulders doing the same to his insulated plaid shirt. “We’ve got a long ride ahead of us, Billie. Don’t worry, you won’t need to talk to me if you don’t want. But you will listen as I go over the ground rules. We’re going to be starting as we mean to go along, make no mistake on that front. I know full-well who you are,Billie B, but to me you’re a client, and protocol will be followed at all times. Got it?”
I shrug and flop myself inside the truck. The backseat is basic, worn, and kind of uncomfortable. If this is some kind of undercover thing, I’d honestly rather take a few chances and travel in the luxury that I’m used to. But with my tourbodyguard’s SUV already pulling out of sight, that’s not even an option now.
“Okay, let’s go,” Max growls, his gruff voice filling the truck’s battered old cabin. “We’ll stop for a restroom break in two hours. Any questions? No. Good. Let’s move.”
Max’s got some major attitude. I’ve only known him for a minute but he’s annoying as hell and doesn’t seem to give one single damn that he’s dealing with one of the world’s biggest pop stars.
But those eyes…
That square jaw, those cheekbones, that olive skin.
Whatever. Max might be all kinds of handsome, but if he thinks he can boss me around and hold the upper hand over me then he’s got another thing coming…
Chapter 2
Max
“Guys, maybe that’s enough of the damn Little talk,” I snap, reclining in my chair and attempting to enjoy my piping hot triple espresso for just one second without having to hear about whatever adventure Cole, Connor, or Henry’s boys have been getting up to.
“Ha! Tell me you’re jealous without telling me you’re jealous, right?” Connor laughs, almost spilling his espresso but just about keeping it within the confines of his dark porcelain cup.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” I say, forcing a laugh. “I knew it was a bad idea agreeing to meet up like this ahead of getting our next job. All I can say is that I’m glad I’m flying solo this time and you three assholes are working a team situation.”
I look around the hotel lobby and see that aside from me and my fellow Guards, it’s all pretty damn quiet. A hotel porter busies himself over in the corner, and a couple of receptionists try to look busy while they subtly scroll on their phones. Nothing suss. This place is about as dangerous as a Little’s favorite stuffy.
Speaking of Littles and their stuffies…
“Come on, man,” Henry says, flexing his arms as he stretches them up over his head and yawns. “I know you’re only screwing around with that Little stuff. You know you’re ready for your own boy. I was the same as you, man. But when it’s time, you know it. It’s like an itch you can’t scratch. And something tells me that you’ve been scratching for some time now, Max…”
“Hmmm,” I murmur. “I’ll stick to saving people’s lives, seeing the world, and kicking every kind of ass if that’s quite alright with you, my man.”
I don’t think my show of bravado is enough to convince the others. The truth is, I’m not even sure it’s enough to convince me. The reality is that I’ve always known I was a Daddy, at least on some level. And despite the fact that I genuinely love my work with the Guard, I can’t deny how seeing some of my fellow Guards meet their boys have given me some serious pause for thought.
Pffft.
I must be getting soft in my old age.
It’s time to quit crying and get my head back in the game.
