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Normally, Owen was the voyeur. It wasn’t really Judd’s thing. But he could get behind watching them together.
Fuck.
Okay, he needed to think about something else before he got too excited. Last thing this situation needed was for him to have a freaking boner.
Beck shot him a sharp glance.
Asshole was too observant.
“Um, hi,” she said quietly. She reached up to run her hand over her hair. Was she nervous too?
It wasn’t just him?
“Are you all going somewhere?” she asked.
“To the beach,” Owen said, rocking on his heels. It was a calculated move. Owen never fidgeted. It was likely because of Ian’s presence.
“Oh. The beach?” Her eyes lit up.
“Yep. You’re coming with us,” Judd told her.
Ian’s eyes narrowed and Beck stepped forward. “What Owen means is that we’d love to have you join us.”
“The three of you?” she asked.
“That a problem?” he asked before he could think. Shit. That sounded far more accusatory than he’d meant it to sound.
Beck cleared his throat, drawing her attention away from Judd. Thank God. They hadn’t even left her suite and he was already fucking this up. He could feel himself sweating, but he wasn’t going to show how uncomfortable he was in front of Ian.
Fuck.
Maybe that was his problem. He always cared what other people thought.
“Would you like to come with us?” Beck asked. “Hux couldn’t come because he’s with Lord Fothersam, but he wanted to be here too. Or would you rather just go with one of us? That is if you’d like to go to the beach at all? I’ve just realized that we didn’t actually ask if you wanted to come.”
“Smooth,” Ian muttered.
“Oh. Well. I . . . I . . .” Her gaze moved to Owen and whatever she saw there had her taking a deep breath. “That would be nice. Oh, but, um, Ian . . .” She turned to the blond-haired guard. “What about you?”
“He can stay here,” Judd barked.
“Actually, Jack and I are now assigned as Chloe’s personal guards. So where she goes, so does one of us.”
Judd crossed his arms over his chest. “She doesn’t need you. We’ll be with her.”
“It’s my job. I’m not staying behind unless Caleb tells me to.”
“Are you saying we can’t protect her?” If there was one thing Judd couldn’t stand, it was someone implying he couldn’t do his job.
“I’m sure that’s not what Ian is saying.” Chloe moved up to place her hand on Judd’s arm. He opened his mouth to argue, but there was a glimpse of anxiousness on her face.
He didn’t want her stressed.
“Chloe, what do you want to do?” Beck asked. “If you feel more comfortable with Ian along, then he’s welcome to come. Or we can talk to Caleb and have you under our care for the day. Or longer.”
She nibbled at her lip.
Fuck. Those lips. Judd had to tear his eyes away.
“I think I’d feel terrible taking up your day for no reason, Ian.”
“I’ll call Caleb,” Judd said.
“I . . . I feel like I’m messing everyone around, though. I don’t mean to. Caleb rearranged everything for me, and now I’m changing it all up again.”
“Hey,” Beck said soothingly, stepping forward and slowly reaching out to free her lip.
Judd had noticed how she could be a bit jumpy when they touched her suddenly.
“Stop stressing,” Beck ordered. “No one is going to get upset at you. Caleb won’t be angry. You’re allowed to change your mind.”
“We’ll blame me,” Judd said as he used his phone to send Caleb a message. “I have big shoulders.”
“Oh, no,” she protested. “I don’t want to get you into trouble.”
“Don’t worry. Judd is used to Caleb being annoyed at him,” Owen said.
Judd just grunted.
“You trust us to take care of you?” Beck asked.
Fuck. Since she got them removed from her guard duty, did she truly have doubts about their ability to look after her? Owen said it wasn’t that . . . that she was scared of what she felt for them.
But she barely knew Judd. How could she trust him?
Especially when you keep being a dick.
Yeah, he had to figure out a way to stop being an asshole . . . without resorting to a personality transplant as Owen had helpfully suggested.
Fucker.
“Of course I do,” Chloe said.
Owen gestured to her and she moved over to him.
To Judd’s shock, he reached out and drew her close to his side, placing a kiss on the top of her head.
Okay, he’d never seen Owen touch anyone like that. Not in front of other people. And he did it so effortlessly. As though it felt as normal as breathing.
And she sunk into him. So trusting. Fuck, didn’t she know that he was the deadliest fucker in the room?
This girl definitely needed a keeper. She had no self-preservation instincts.
Not that Owen was going to harm her.
Nope, he was definitely in protective mode when it came to this girl.
