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It didn’t shock me. Half the men in our group were wearing them, hell, half the people on the beach.
But none of them were as beautiful as my Charlie. And I had the insane urge to get up and tell him to put his t-shirt back on. Or a towel. Anything to cover that stunning arse from everyone else’s eyes.
Several men and women turned their heads to stare at him as he made his way down the beach with Max and Dylan. When they reached the water’s edge, he looked over his shoulder and I caught his smile.
Then I looked down again and noticed his arse was reddened and covered in bruises. From my hands.
Oops.
Rowan and Andrew were deep in conversation and weren’t paying any attention.
But Alex glanced over and then did a double take. So too did Jared. And Aiden.
All three of them turned their heads at the same time and looked right at me.
I tried to maintain my stern bodyguard demeanor, but I couldn’t stop the fiery flush that dappled over my neck and face.
Damn my freckled skin.
“Kiernan.”
My name never sounded so dangerous as it did coming from Alex at that moment. He stood up and walked over, yanking off his sunglasses and staring down at me with his arms crossed.
“Boss.”
“Are you and Charlie involved?”
I stood up and winced as my feet hit the white-hot sand. “Well, I—”
Alex raised one eyebrow. “Because if you’re distracted, we have a problem. Even if Charlie isn’t your detail, he’s part of this group. And when we’re out in public, like now, he requires your protection.”
“I don’t think Kiernan has a problem with that,” Aiden commented. “Exhibit A, the handprints on Charlie’s arse.”
“Not now, Aiden,” Alex returned and raised one eyebrow at me. “Kiernan?”
“I was off duty last night. And I’ve got this, boss. I’m fine.”
Alex sat down on the empty lounger beside me and gave a sigh. “Look, I’m no stranger to this kind of thing myself, given that I was Jared’s bodyguard for years. But when Aiden and Jared and I finally did cross that line, I had you take over as primary because I knew my concentration wasn’t what it should be. All this to say, I need you to be honest.”
“Charlie and I are brand new. I don’t even know if he wants anyone to know.”
“Well, then he might want to stop eye-fucking you every chance he gets.”
“Boss!”
Alex shrugged, his pale blue eyes locked on me. “Hey, I noticed you two last night when we were all dancing. If you’re trying to hide whatever is going on between you, you’ve done a shite job.”
I shook my head. “I can separate work and personal. My concentration is fine.”
So I got startled when I saw Charlie walking down the beach in that tiny scrap he calls a bathing suit. I could distance myself. I had control.
“Well, I trust you, so I’ll take you at your word. But if anything changes, you tell me right away.”
“Of course.”
“Good.”
Alex stood up and walked away.
