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“He should have said something, and with our history, I’m surprised he didn’t. But that doesn’t matter anymore. You all like him, you said he’s qualified, so let’s see how I feel at the end of tonight, yes?”
Eric looks shell shocked. “You’re very mature. If an ex did what he’s doing, I’d kill him.”
“He’s not an ex,” I clip. “And please don’t kill him. The label wants him here, and I want the tour to continue. If he doesn’t follow my ground rules, then I’ll book him a flight back to New York myself, alright?”
The trio glances at each other, but then they all finally agree.
Shea claps her hands. “At least we don’t have to try and find someone else. Do you know how hard it is to get a bodyguard on such short notice? Especially one as trained as him.”
“See,” I snort, “A silver lining in all this for Shea.” We all laugh, and I’m glad they’re happy. “Just please, nobody treats him like doo-doo. I may not like Liam very much, but only I get to torture him,” I wink.
Eric looks a little sad after I say that. “Okaaayyy, but if anything changes, you know we all have your back.”
“I know, and I appreciate that. Now all of you get out, I have a show to prepare for!”
I give myself a few minutes after my team leaves to collect myself and debate calling Wren. I want to ask her what the hell she was thinking, but a quick look at the clock makes me decide otherwise. I need to get back to the hotel to do my routine, which means I’ll have to face Liam again. I take another drink of cold water before opening the door.
I’m met with Liam’s cold stare and intimidating stance. I jump, expecting him to be off to the side, not across from the door like a creep.
“Jesus,” I say, placing my hand over my heart. “Why are you standing there like that?”
His face doesn’t give away any emotion like it did earlier, instead it just screams,I’m doing my job. It should have made me happy, but for some stupid reason it doesn’t.
“I’m guarding your door.”
I place my hands over my chest, and this time his eyes don’t go down to my breasts. I’d noticed that little move before, and I’m not going to lie, even if it annoyed me, it made me feel powerful. Like I had some pull over Liam Miller this time around, unlike I did in high school.
“Don’t you usually stand next to it or something?”
“I’ve got it handled, Ms. Wilder.”
God, the way he says Ms. Wilder does something to me. You’d think it would remind me of Mom, but no. The way he says it, with so much command… I swallow the lump in my throat. Even if it makes my lady parts go wild, it’s better than ‘pretty bird.’That just felt plain condescending.
“I have to go back to my hotel room,” I tell him. “Shea has a car waiting outside for me.”
He nods, his eyes never leaving mine. “The hallway is clear. I’ll follow behind you. You won’t even know I’m here.”
I want to laugh at my own dumb ground rules. There’s no way I won’t know where Liam Miller is whenever he is near me. Even if we haven’t seen each other since high school graduation, my body still has Liam radar. Like some stupid magnetic pull that wants me to follow him around like a lost puppy. I hate it. Maybe I should just fire him, I don’t know if I can go through the whole tour feeling like this.
“You can follow me, just don’t look at my ass,” I finally say.
I notice Liam’s jaw twitch. I know I shouldn’t have said that. But my words just came out of me like vomit. I guess no matter how much I matured over the years, I still can’t handle myself around him. But to my surprise, he doesn’t retort. Instead, he just holds out his hand motioning me to walk. Embarrassed now, I do as he suggests. I close my dressing room door behind me and walk forward without another glance at him. I take my time to sway my hips like I do on stage. Even if he doesn’t like me, andneverwill, I know that a lot of men find me sexy. And my inner damaged teenage girl triumphs in my little power play with him.
It doesn’t take long for us to get to the back doors leading outside the venue. But when we do, Liam puts his hand on my shoulder, and the warmth of it causes me to shiver. His touch is like lava, and I feel it everywhere.
“Wait,” he says gruffly. He steps in front of me, then looks around the entry way we’re in.
“Why?” I’m annoyed now. I just want to get into the car.
“I need to make sure it’s safe. Every new area we’re in, I need to do a scan. You never know where this person could be hiding or waiting.”
A new shiver runs up my spine, but this time it’s not from Liam’s warm hand. It’s from fear, the reminder of what happened in Times Square ever present in my mind.
“Right,” I mutter, shrugging his warm touch off me. “Do your job then.” I let any kind of good feelings toward him melt away. He’s here for a job, and I don’t want anything bad to happen to me or my chosen family.
He nods sharply then scans the area. Eventually we move toward the outside, and he looks around there too. He even looks inside of the car to make sure he knows the driver. When he’s satisfied, he holds the door open for me and I climb up into the Suburban easily. Once I’m in, he seats himself as far away from me as he can get, then lets the driver know we’re ready to go.
The drive to the hotel is short, but it feels like an eternity. Liam is sitting ramrod straight, clearly uncomfortable with my presence. The only sound in the car is the faint talk radio show the driver has on and Liam’s breathing. When the ride comes to an end, I want to bust out of the car and take a big breath of fresh air, but Liam stops me from moving, his thick forearm grazing over my boobs. Ugh, why am I being tortured?!
