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Momma dropped her phone on the coffee table facedown after replacing the saucer on the tray. Leaning forward, she rested her elbows on her knees and spread her hands. “You seem like a nice boy, Braxton. I haven’t heard anything about you from my daughter, though, considering how I am at times, I can’t really blame her. But I did make a few calls and found out quite a bit about you and your cousins while I was on the plane all night. You’ve never been in trouble with the law, were on your way up in ranks before the accident that cost you your leg, and even though you’re the youngest security operative on Seller’s payroll, you’re also one of the best. Maybe not as good as Rodger and Marcus over there, but still pretty damn good. If I’d had a say in any of this, I would have picked you and Mr. Barrick and the lovely Lyla as well.”
He stayed quiet, not even blinking to acknowledge her compliment.
“You were just doing your job, protecting Mia on orders from Seller and your cousin. You kept my daughter safe these past couple months, and I’m grateful for that. I don’t blame you for deceiving her, but I would like to understand it a little better.”
Jaw clenched, he sat there staring straight ahead, and I knew he wouldn’t answer her no matter how cordial or ferocious she was. His loyalty was to Barrick, and he wouldn’t break it for her.
“Brax,” I choked out, and he flinched. Slowly, as if he were fighting every instinct he had, he turned his head, and our gazes locked. “Please. I want to know.”
His stoic mask began to disappear, and he blew out a frustrated breath before nodding. “Okay, Mia. But…I never meant to hurt you.”
“I believe you.” And oddly enough, I did.
“Barrick came to me back in May, told me he had a new job to work for his stepdad. Someone had called in a favor, and we had to babysit whom he described as an overprivileged, rich princess. But that was before any of us knew you. The first time I saw you in English that day, I knew he’d gotten it wrong, and I told him so.” He clenched his hands into fists but continued to hold my gaze. “When he told me where we would be going, it was only a coincidence that it was our hometown. The last time we did a job like this, we went to—”
“Wait,” I wheezed out the word, my heart stopping. “You’ve done this before?”
He exhaled heavily. “I’ve only done it with Barrick one other time. Lyla has been doing it a little longer. He’s the go-to guy on Seller’s staff for jobs like this. Give the parents some peace of mind while their wild child spreads their wings a little with Barrick there to keep them safe, disguised as their temporary boyfriend.”
In my heart, I’d hoped that this was the first time Barrick had done this kind of thing. I hadn’t completely fallen apart because I’d been holding on to the possibility that he really did care about me and it wasn’t just about the job my father hired him for.
But clearly, I was wrong, and he gave his all when it came to his work.
Gods, how many other chicks had he made fall for him while pretending he cared just as deeply? How many had he slept with?
“Mia.” Momma’s voice snapped me out of my head. “Deep breath.”
I sucked in a breath, realizing I’d been holding it. “Keep going.”
“There’s not much more to tell. We’ve had eyes on you all semester. You’ve been easy to keep safe, because there haven’t been any threats to protect you from. Not that Barrick could be told that. Mia, this is different from any other job for him. He cares about you. Please, don’t think he doesn’t. When he thought something happened to you the other night, he nearly lost his mind.”
“What the hell happened the other night?” Momma exploded, her green eyes wild.
“One of my students was being abused by her mother. We had a confrontation with the woman at the studio the other night,” I explained, giving her the edited version. “I was never in any danger.”
“She’s right, ma’am,” Braxton confirmed. “Mia was never once in any danger. In fact, this entire semester, she’s been safe and responsible. She doesn’t put herself in positions that could get her into trouble.”
“Oh, so it’s only when she’s around this one and Jordan that she gets herself into trouble, then,” Momma said with a twist of her lips as she nodded toward Nevaeh. “Nev, I knew you were just like your mother,” she teased, and my cousin stuck out her tongue at her, making her laugh for a moment before Momma sobered.
Standing, she wiped her hands down the front of her jeans. “You kids get some sleep. I need to make some phone calls. Then…” Her green eyes hardened. “Then I will deal with the Demons and Mr. Barrick.”
???
While everyone else went to bed, I stayed on the couch. I felt bone-tired, but my damn head wouldn’t shut up, so I knew I wouldn’t get any sleep even if I did go back to my room. Jagger took my room, while Momma went to take a shower in Nevaeh’s, and both bodyguards took the only extra room left.
Tucking my legs under me, I grabbed one of the plush throw pillows and hugged it to my chest. When I’d hurt my knee for the second time, I’d hurt not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well.
But this pain I was feeling…
It was worse than the physical pain I’d experienced from that devastating ACL tear. It was worse than the heartbreak I’d felt when th
e doctors all told me I would never dance professionally again.
All my life, I was so focused on dance that I never gave love and relationships a second thought. Being with someone took too much time and effort and was too big of a distraction from the most important aspect of my life. Dancing.
Barrick was my first boyfriend.
My first love.
