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“Are you okay?” I kept up the act. “You don’t look so great either. I hope you aren’t contagious.”
The growl that rumbled from my brother’s chest was impressive. “You know damn well I’m not contagious,” he snapped.
“I’m sure I have no idea what you are talking about,” I said innocently. “But if you want, I can lend you some of my makeup. Our skin tones are very similar, and I’m sure I have enough concealer to cover your face, at least.” My phone chirped, and I looked down. “Oh, Matteo is so sweet. He wanted to wish me a safe journey and hopes to see me soon.” I read off the text. He really meant that the plan was still a go and that he’d keep tabs on me via social media to ensure I was safe. That was what my world had dropped to, check-ins via social media and a lipstick stun-gun for protection.
Both men froze. “Just how close are you with this fucker?” Keene asked. Clearly, I had pulled the tiger’s tail as much as I could get away with that morning.
I rolled my eyes as Brody twisted in his seat to look at me as I replied, “I told you countless times. Matteo is my personal trainer and a friend. A very … personal … friend.”
“You mean you fuck,” Keene clarified, yanking the wheel sharply as he directed the vehicle to the airport.
I looked out the window, not liking that Brody was still staring at me. “I mean that it’s none of your fucking business. What’s got your underwear in a twist? Do I ask you about your sex life?”
“You damn well know I’m not wearing any.” Keene was on a roll that morning, and I made a mental note that taking his coffee might have gone a bit too far. “And Gideon would beg to differ about interfering with our sex lives.”
I grinned, still staring at the landscape as we drove past, but didn’t respond. Several long minutes passed in silence as I kept my gaze on the view outside the SUV before I couldn’t take it anymore. I looked at Brody, not wanting to admit his attention was unnerving me as he hadn’t stopped staring at me. “Do I have something on my face?” I asked, finally meeting his eyes.
“Nope,” he said, giving me a lazy wink.
I refused to flush—a woman of my profession never lost her composure. Instead, I attacked. “What’s the rule on fucking your brother’s acquaintances?” I didn’t let my stare waver from Brody as I spoke to my brother. “I mean, I know y’all have a rule about fooling around with your best friend’s sister, but seeing as Brody swears you two don’t know each other well, and you personally vetted him to guard my body—” I snapped my mouth shut as Keene stomped on the brake, the car screeching to a stop. Brody flew forward, his seat belt stopping him from flying into the dash. Before I could blink, Keene had the vehicle in Park, right in the middle of the road, opening his door and slamming it behind him. A second later, he ripped my door open, forcing me to scramble to undo my seat belt as he grabbed my arm, dragging me out of the car as I teetered on my sky-high heels before shutting it, leaving Brody sitting there stunned.
“Are you crazy?” I asked, looking behind us to make sure headlights weren’t heading in our direction as I yanked my arm from his grip.
“I think that award goes to you, little sister,” Keene said, throwing his hands up in exasperation before running them over his face.
My eyes narrowed as I crossed my arms. “I’m already mad at you. You really don’t want to piss me off any more than y’all already have.”
He turned away from me, pacing alongside his car before turning back to me. “I’m sorry.”
I froze, certain I had to have heard him incorrectly. “Wh-what?” That certainly took the fight right out of me.
He rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have forced Brody on you. And I shouldn’t have interfered in your life without at least talking to you first, and I promise I will try to do better in the future.” I wasn’t sure if I was having an out-of-body experience, or maybe a seizure, because I couldn’t have been hearing him correctly … could I? “And I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t sleep with your PSO just to spite me.” His words were sincere and solemn, a complete contrast to the fit of temper he’d arrived with that morning.
Just standing there, he stared at me as I struggled to figure out just what was happening. “O-okay,” I managed to stammer out.
He nodded to me. “All right, then, let’s get back into the car before we end up causing an accident.”
I didn’t say another word, simply let him open my door and assist me back into my seat.
I was still reeling close to twelve hours later when Brody opened the door to our suite in the hotel Valencia had secured for everyone roughly an hour outside of Berlin. Brody, his professionalism firmly in place, had escorted me from our plane to a waiting car. I’d waited silently as he vetted and verified that the driver was indeed the person responsible for getting us to our destination in one piece. We were staying at a charming hotel, which had been chosen as the staging area for everyone involved in tomorrow’s production. I wasn’t sure if he’d heard Keene and me, if I’d offended him in the car, or if it was due to my character change as I slipped into the model Alessia—no long Lessia the sister—but he’d barely said more than a handful of words to me since we’d arrived at the airport that morning. And, come to think of it, almost all of them revolved around asking if I needed something to eat, drink, or use the restroom.
He left me just inside the door to our suite, directing me to wait while he secured the rooms. I waited until he was out of sight before studying my surroundings, taking points of egress, blind spots, and the best possible placements for cover before he could catch my perusal. Then I buried my face in my phone, texting furiously when he returned.
“It’s clear. If you don’t mind holding out a few more minutes, I would like to put some additional security in place before leaving you alone in your rooms.” I looked up, hating that he was acting so remote. I wished it were because I needed to make sure I had him firmly in my camp—he would be more apt to look the other way or grow lax if we were friendly—but I knew I was lying. For some reason, I liked him. That didn’t often happen, as in, practically not at all beyond my family. And even with them, I didn’t necessarily like them all the time.
I bit my lip in indecision. “Brody?”
“Yes?” He stopped rummaging through one of the cases he had brought with him, and I pretended not to notice or recognize the window sensors and video disruption device in his hand.
“I would like to apologize.” I sucked at apologies, but I’d used him to dig at my brother, and while I hadn’t realized it at the time, I could see that my comment was rude and could have been considered demeaning. “I didn’t mean to offend or embarrass you this morning in front of Keene, nor did I mean to imply that I thought you would be unprofessional enough to sleep with a client while on the clock.”
His eyes went wide in surprise. “I didn’t take offense,” he mumbled, looking slightly confused. “It would take more than you using me to make a point with your brothers to upset me.”
“Oh.” I couldn’t seem to stop worrying my bottom lip, trying to figure out what was going on, but I drew a blank. “Then …” I trailed off, not knowing what else to say.
“I’m sorry if you spent the day thinking I was angry.” He rose, his hands full of equipment. “I took my cues from you.”
He didn’t say anything more, but I knew what he was talking about. Ice-bitch Alessia had been front and center today, partly because having him constantly watch me made me nervous and partly because someone on our flight had recognized me, leading to several people sneaking pictures of me while on board and several others trying to engage me in small talk.
