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“It was fun. And pedicures aren’t that bad.” He shrugged his huge shoulders.
“So you have sisters?” That made complete sense. He seemed to be more sensitive and perceptive than Ethan and Cody were, like he’d grown up with a lot of women.
“Two. And one older brother.” The warmth in his voice and eyes melted my heart. “They’re all back in Atlanta. My parents and the rest of my family are still there, too.”
He showed me the lock screen on his personal phone. It was a photo of all of them. His mom was a petite black woman with his big smile, and his father was big, blonde, and strapping. His siblings looked like a mix of both of them, though his older brother looked the most like him.
I’d always been jealous of people with a lot of siblings and cousins. Growing up as an only child was sometimes lonely; honestly, Troy was the only cousin I liked and interacted with regularly.
But before I could say anything, Ethan cleared his throat and pulled over to the sidewalk.
“We’ll check the area,” he said, undoing his seatbelt and opening the door. “Stay here until Harrison escorts you inside.”
I sighed, checking the time on my phone. Traffic wasn’t as bad as it usually was at this time, so I was a few minutes early. Ethan was probably thrilled. Cody nodded at Harrison through the window a few moments later.
“Okay, we’re good to go.” Harrison opened the door and got out, holding the door for me.
He escorted me inside while Cody and Ethan came back to the car. Once I was inside, my shoulders relaxed. The actual spa was several floors up. The receptionist must have known Harrison would be coming with me, because she didn’t seem surprised that he was there. He stood out in the calm, cool-toned colors of the spa.
“Hello, Miss Bailey,” the receptionist said. “We’re so glad to see you. I’ll take you back so you can change, and we’ll start with your hot stone massage.”
“I’ll be here,” Harrison said, sitting down on a bench in the reception area.
“Okay, see you later.” A bit of tension I hadn’t even realized was in my limbs disappeared. No one was going to burst into the spa and try to kidnap me.
With Harrison guarding the entire place, I let myself sink into the peace of my spa day. I got everything from a scalp treatment to a pedicure and everything in between. By the end of it, I felt like a new person.
I changed back into my clothes and returned to the lobby, where Harrison was waiting. The receptionist was eyeing him, not even bothering to hide the lust in her gaze. Harrison didn’t notice—he just brightened up when he saw me.
“Ready to go?” he asked, standing. He was so tall that I had to tilt my head back to look up at him. I wasn’t particularly short, either.
“Yep, ready.”
He opened the door for me and let me go through, guiding me down to where Cody and Ethan were still waiting. Cody looked at me in the rearview mirror as I slid into the backseat.
“Back to your apartment?” he asked, not taking his eyes off of me. He was just as quiet as Ethan, but when he did speak, it sent a thrill through me. His voice was deep and raspy. I wanted him to speak more.
“Can we pick up food on the way?” I asked.
“Sure. Just tell us where you want to go,” Cody said.
I picked one of my favorite ramen places, and Cody drove us there. Ethan got out to order for me, so they didn’t have to scope out the whole place, leaving us waiting in the car.
“Did you like the spa?” Cody asked, still watching me in the rearview mirror. The low light in the car still caught his blue eyes, making them so intense that my heart fluttered.
“I loved it. It was nice to relax.” I fiddled with the strap of my bag and looked down at my newly painted nails.
“And to get away from our asses for a little while?” Cody finally turned to look at me, pushing his fingers through his hair. The hint of humor in his eyes made it easier to hold eye contact with him for more than a few moments.
“What do you mean?” Harrison’s smile became more of a smirk for a second. I still loved it. “We’re delightful.”
“As if it’s not a big adjustment.” Cody laughed, the sound warmer than expected.
Harrison’s expression turned serious, and he looked me in the eye. “In all seriousness, we’re working for you. If you have any problems, just tell us, and we can work it out. Okay?”
My heart flipped around in my chest at his sincerity. Maybe he was just doing his job really well, but what if it was something more? It was becoming something more for me, way faster than I ever thought it would. He just made me feel safe, and it had nothing to do with the fact that he looked like he could fight fifteen men at once.
“Okay,” I said. “I promise I’ll speak up.”
