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Once Gia’s gone, I turn to Birdie, my face still neutral. “Where to, Ms. Wilder?”
She raises one of her eyebrows at me. “Hotel?”
The crotch of my pants gets a little tighter at the way she says “hotel.”
“Of course, Ms. Wilder.”
“Thank you, Mr. Miller,” she grins.
“Birdie!” I see her go tense at the sound of Gabe’s voice. This guy is really starting to be my least favorite person. She puts on the fakest smile I’ve ever seen her wear and greets the radio host.
“Hey Gabe, thanks for coming to the show,” she says, her tone purely friendly.
“I was telling your bodyguard here that you were simply amazing. I’ve never seen you hit it so hard!”
She puts her hand in a prayer form. “Thanks, I appreciate it.”
Gabe glances at me then puffs out his chest. Dude is just shy of Birdie’s height and half my size. I could breathe on him wrong and he’d fall over. He shies away from my gaze and focuses on Birdie. This man must have a death wish.
Gabe clears his throat. “I’ve got VIP tickets to Cobra tonight. I was thinking you would like to come with me. Let loose after today.” He winks at her. Fucking winks. I almost step in but I know that Birdie's fully capable of telling him to sluff off.
“Sorry Gabe, with everything that’s happening it wouldn’t be appropriate.”
“Isn’t that why you have a bodyguard?”
She rubs the back of her neck awkwardly. “Sorry Gabe, maybe another time.”
Disappointment covers his features. “Alright then. I’ll see you around.” Then, without warning, the bastard leans in to kiss her. Just in the nick of time, Birdie turns her face so he hits her cheek.
My blood boils. If I was a better man, I wouldn’t have done anything. But I’m not, so I lean forward and grab him by the back of his neck, pushing him to the side. It’s a light shove, but enough that he gets the message.
“Woah, dude! What the hell was that for?” Gabe cries, his hand going to rub the back of his neck. He acts like I sucker punched him.
Pushing my shoulders back, I take a step toward him. “You need to learn to treat women with respect. She didn’t give consent for you to kiss her, and if I remember correctly, she politely declined your invitation tonight. Your behavior is uncalled for. I thought you needed a little reminder of that.”
I feel Birdie’s hand on my arm then she gives it a squeeze. “It’s fine, Liam.”
I shake my head vehemently. “It’s not fine.”
“Liam,” she pleads. Her eyes dart around, and it’s then I realize she’s embarrassed because there are still some crew mulling around and a few of her band members.
I move my fists to my side but keep my eyes on him as I stand down. Gabe looks like he’s about to shit himself, for that I’m proud. He glances at Birdie again, “I’m sorry, Birdie. I didn’t mean—”
“Goodnight, Gabe.” She cuts him off, then turns to me. “I’m ready to go Mr. Miller.”
She sounds pissed; but even if she is, I’m not going to apologize for defending her from a creep. I place my hand on Birdie’s lower back and start to lead her away toward the back door. I quickly take my walkie out and alert the security team we’re on our way. Birdie is tight against my hand, and she hasn’t said a word to me in the few minutes we’ve been walking. I’m unsure of what to say, so I decide to let her lead the conversation when she’s ready.
Once we’re at the back of the stadium, we meet a bunch of fans waiting there. Thankfully, we’ve got extra security detail keeping them at bay. She puts on a smile and waves at them, apologizing for not being able to stop and sign autographs.
Before long we’re in the car with our driver and making our way back to the hotel. I’ve never been more grateful that we have a night in Atlanta instead of getting straight on the tour bus. Birdie and I have to talk about not only what just happened with Gabe, but everything. I’m chomping at the bit to get her alone. We may have kissed near some trash earlier, but it wasn’t enough. I’m not sure that anything would be enough when it comes to Birdie.
As the car moves onto the street, I stare at her and hope she’ll look at me—but she doesn’t. “Birdie—”
She closes her eyes then she holds up her hand. “Just let me think.”
For a millisecond I think about obeying, but I don’t. “While you’re thinking, just know that this is who I am. I’m going to be protective and probably do things that piss you off, but I care about you. I don’t take kindly to people who think they can do whatever the fuck they want with no consequences. Especially men who used to fuck you.”
That does it. Her eyes snap to mine and she narrows them. “I can’t believe you just said that.”
