AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I turn to look at his profile. His eyes are focused on the road ahead of him, but in the past few hours the two of us spent together, I could see that Brandon never looked in any one direction. His gaze is constantly sweeping his surroundings. Always paying attention.
He licked his lips, distracting me and prompting him to call my name.
“Ava? Are you listening to me?” he says, taking his eyes off the road briefly to look at me.
“Ye—yes,” I say, spinning the sleeve around the coffee cup to get my bearings. “That is what happened right?”
“No,” he answers, flicking on his turn signal to get into the right lane. “You were right about Asher approaching me last night after letting me know about the harassment you’ve been receiving. While you were in the bath, I told him on the phone that I wouldn’t accept a dime for your protection and would do what I can to track down this bastard who’s following you around.”
“I get what you’re doing.” I pause, careful with my next words. I was truly grateful for Brandon’s help thus far, but I hated the idea of having someone following along with my every move. “I don’t want personal protection, nor do I want to disrupt my life. I especially don’t want my brother keeping tabs on me more than he already does.”
“Asher’s just looking out for you. Also, given the last few hours, do you honestly trust that the police are any match for whoever is targeting you?”
I want to say yes, but in less than twelve hours, I’ve been shot at, nearly run off the road, and possibly followed while trying to get coffee.
I let out a frustrated sigh. “Fine, okay, I need the protection. A bodyguard. Babysitter. Whatever you want to call it.”
Instead of the self-satisfied look I expected from Brandon, I only get his furrowed dark brows. “This is for your own good, Ava. I promise nothing will happen to you on my watch.”
The words offered a comfort, but I just wanted my life to return to normal. For the past two years, I worked on building a following once I finished culinary school. And with a popular YouTube channel, TikTok, and newsletter, I now have a cookbook coming out in a few months.
I should be celebrating my success instead of having to live in fear.
“I agree to going along with this protection thing, but there’s gotta be some ground rules.”
Brandon displayed a rare smile. The change from his normal, grumpy scowl made him look nearly a decade younger. “You think you’re going to tell me what to do?”
I nod. “Absolutely. You might be in charge of my protection, but this is still my life?—”
The automated voice comes on, alerting Brandon to make a left on Green Street.
“Hold that thought,” he says, taking the directive and heading down my street. “I’m sure whatever your rules are will be nothing if not entertaining.”
My shoulders lower at the sight of my apartment building on the cobblestoned streets of SoHo. I just want to get into my large bed and pretend the past few hours never happened. Of course, that won’t be possible with Bossy Pants becoming my shadow and my family desperately wanting to speak to me, wanting to make sure I made it home.
I unlatch my seatbelt, already used to the drill of Brandon coming around to retrieve me.
Once I’m out of the car, instead of allowing me to grab onto the crook of his arm, he places an arm around my shoulders, tucking me into his side. This move is done quickly but throws me off.
“You need to relax.” He leans down to whisper in my ear, and the sensation of his warm breath sends a shiver through my body. “We want to appear like a normal couple.”
I nod my understanding, trying to ignore the way our bodies feel lined up. We ascend the stairs leading into my building. The main entrance is usually unlocked this time of day, thankfully, since all my ID and keys are back at Stonybrook.
“For the exorbitant amount I’m sure you pay in rent, it should not be this easy to get into your building.”
It was not something I’d actively worried about before, since I’d felt safe for the two years I’d been living here. Now, of course the accessibility of the building was a cause for concern.
We make our way into the black-and-white-tiled lobby when Brandon slows us down. “Where is the building manager located? We’ll need them to provide a spare key for the time being to get into your apartment.”
“No need,” I say, pushing past him and heading up the stairs to the second floor.
“What do you mean ‘no need’?”
I’m already stooping under the front door mat when Brandon reaches the second-floor landing. My apartment is the first one across from the stairs.
“Oh, bloody hell?—”
I smooth the mat back and stand up to my full height, turning to face Brandon.
