abs

GUARDING HER BOOK 1

ANNA BROOKS

They will risk it all to protect what’s theirs.

Nobody gets in their way and nothing will stop them.

These are the men of Royal Ace Security.

Copyright © 2018 Anna Brooks Published by Anna Brooks Cover design by Cover Couture Editing by Editing4Indies Proofreading by Kimberly Holm Formatting by Champagne Book Design

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form without written permission except for the use of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

The author acknowledges the trademark status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owner.

Table of Contents Title Page Copyright Dedication Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Notes and stuff Previews Other Books Acknowledgments About the Author

Dedication For Nicole.

You’re an amazing friend and I’m thankful for you every single day.

Royce is for you.

Prologue Paisley He’s

not even trying to hide. I think he likes to know he's making me nervous. I mean, come on, he stands out so much. He’s obviously older than all the other guys here. Taller. Bigger. Hotter. My back is to him, but I’ve felt his gaze on me all night, and right now I can see his reflection in the sliding glass door.

Ugh. I walk out of the house party to get some fresh air. I always feel so… so short of breath when he's around. The long pebbled driveway circles in front of the white brick house, and when I reach the small rocks, I stop and turn around, knowing he's right behind me. Sensing him near like always. "What are you doing here?"

Royce holds his hands out. "What? I can't come to a party? You know I love a good kegger."

"I don't need a guard dog, Royce. Besides, you're too busy flirting with all the girls to even notice what I'm doing."

He does that thing that makes my stomach all tingly, smiling just enough for his dimples to make an appearance. "I'm twenty-three years old, precious, got no inclination to go to jail over a little girl." I can't help the hurt that clogs my throat, and I cross my arms like it'll somehow guard my heart. When his green eyes dart to my chest, I'm the one smirking now. But just as fast as they were there, they go back to glaring at me, and I go back to feeling like a child under his inspection.

"You can go report back to Derik that I'm fine, then you can leave me alone." Waving him off, I turn to head back into the house.

"Sorry, no can do."

Abruptly, my momentum stops, and he runs into me from behind. His hands, his strong hands, grip my arms above my elbows. I'm wearing fourinch heels, so his lips rest just at the top of my head, and the warmth of his muscular body saturates mine. One hand releases me, and the tip of his

finger slides all the way down my arm. He's probably used to women who don't shiver from a single touch, but I'm not one of them.

I'm a sixteen-year-old girl who has never even been kissed.

"I've had eyes on you all night, and ain't nothin' gonna change that, precious. This dress…" His fingertip slides across my bare belly, and I sway. "It shows so much skin, and all these horny little fuckers are just waiting to make their play for you. Nobody's gonna touch this body while I'm around."

I can't move. Can barely breathe. It’s not like this is the first time he’s touched me… but it is the first time he’s touched me like this.

I jump when his hand touches my outer thigh. "So much skin. They're dyin' to get between your legs and see if the rest of you is just as soft."

"Royce." I… what? Beg, cry, whine. I don't even know.

"Yeah?" His scruffy face rubs against my neck, and his lips caress the shell of my ear. "Say my name, baby."

"Royce."

His throat rumbles, and then he's gone, leaving me a shivering mess.

My throat tightens, and I put a hand to it, feeling my pulse throbbing against my palm. When I turn around, he's closer than I expected. I don't know what to say or even what I'm feeling. He dips his head and aligns our eyes but doesn't speak. I can't take the intensity, so I whisper, "Royce."

His pupils flash, and his lips part. "That's why I'm here."

"What?"

He stands straight, over six feet of muscled man, and motions at my body. "'Cause someone gives you a little bit of attention, and before you know it, you'll be face down, ass up."

I raise my arm to slap him, but he grabs my wrist. I try with the other one and end up with the same result.

"You don't wanna hit me, Paisley."

I struggle with him, but he's so strong. "Yes, I do."

"You hit me, and I'll bend you over my knee."

I gasp at his admission and lose any struggle I had. I drop my head so he won't see the tears welling in my eyes. He releases my arms, and I shove him before I turn around and make my way back to the house. Just as I touch the doorknob, he reaches me.

"Shit, fuck. I'm sorry." He stands right behind me, much like he did on the sidewalk.

"Just leave me alone."

"Wish I could," he whispers. Reaching around me, he pulls open the door, and just as I make my way into the house, he says, "It'd help if you weren't so fuckin' beautiful."

I stop dead in my tracks and put my hands on my hips, then glare at him over my shoulder. "Yeah? Well, it'd help if you weren't such a jerk."

He has the nerve to show me his dimples. "Can't wait for you to grow up, precious. It's gonna be so good."

I turn back around, and he at least looks shocked. “What’s gonna be good, Royce?”

“You know exactly what I’m talking about and when it’s gonna happen.”

I want to think I do, but he never actually says it, and the worst thing I can do is assume he feels the same way. Because when I find out I’m wrong, my heart will shatter. “Could you be any more frustrating?”

“You don’t know the half of it.”

“There you are!” My friend Becky practically trips running to me. She comes to a halt when she sees I’m talking to someone. “Oh, sorry.”

“It’s fine.” I turn my back to Royce and walk back in to the house party even though I’d rather be with him.

She follows me, but when we get around the corner, she yanks me by my arm into a bathroom. “Who was that?”

“Guess,” I say dryly. Everyone knows my father owns a security company, and it’s not unusual for one of the guys to follow me when I’m out. When I first got adopted, I liked it. It was freeing knowing that someone had my back. Now, it’s just annoying.

“A bodyguard?”

“Yup.” “Is that the one you have a crush on?” Her pretty blue eyes widen, and she fights back a smile, knowing damn well it is by my reaction. “I mean, I wouldn’t be mad if he was following me around.”

“Yeah, he’s hot. I know.” I’m snippy because I don’t want her looking at him like that. Because he should be my boyfriend. Things should be different… but they’re not. Not yet. I take the tube of lipstick she hands me and reapply the bright red shade. “So what’s up?”

“Aaron was looking for you.”

I roll my lips together and hand her back the tube. “Why?”

“Does it matter?”

“No, I guess it doesn’t.”

She rolls up on the balls of her feet and fixes a couple of my curls.

“Let’s go find him.”

“No, I mean it doesn’t matter because I don’t want to dance with him.”

She ignores me as she tugs me through the bathroom, and I laugh at her excitement. “You’re going to rip my arm out of its socket.”

“Sorry, sorry.” We get to the large living room where a makeshift dance floor has been set up, equipped with a DJ and all. We were just at a school dance, but apparently, people can’t get enough. Becky’s father owns a chain of hotels, and her house is quite literally a mansion. She always has parties like this, and tonight is no exception, though it’s the first time I’ve been to one. “There he is.” She points to the other side of the room where Aaron is talking to a couple of other guys. When we went to the actual dance earlier today, I didn’t even see him there, but I was just having a fun time with the few friends I’ve managed to make over the past couple of years.

“So? You dance with him,” I whisper shout.

“You’re an idiot if you don’t want to dance with Aaron.”

I shake my head. Unless it’s with Royce, I have no desire to be with anyone else in any capacity. Nobody compares to him, and even if I can’t have him, I still don’t want anyone else. Since the very moment I laid eyes on him when he walked into my backyard almost three years ago, I haven’t even seen anyone else. Even knowing nothing will happen because he works for my father doesn’t change a single thing. “I really don’t want to.”

“He’s coming this way,” she shrieks, and before I know it, she shoves me toward him, and I have to put my hands out to stop myself, and they land on Aaron’s chest.

I immediately pull them away. “Hey.” I look up into his face, which, I have to admit, is pretty handsome. He has dark blond hair and his eyes are this cool amber color.

“Hi, Paisley.”

“Uh. Hi.” He nods, his eyes running down the length of my body, then back up. “I like your dress.”

“Thanks.”

“You look really pretty.”

“Thanks.” I wave my hand up and down like Vanna White. “You look, ah, good too.”

He smiles. “Do you wanna dance? With me?”

“Um, actually—” He doesn’t let me finish before he pulls me to him, pressing his body against mine. God, he’s so irritating. He thinks because he’s the captain of the football team he can have any girl he wants. I put my arms between us, balling my hands into fists. “I appreciate the dance, but I have to go.”

“Aww, come on, Paisley.” He puts his mouth to my ear. “You know you want to.” His hands settle on the small of my back, and the tips of his fingers caress my skin. I try to scoot away, but he shuffles even closer and dips his fingers lower.

“You’re done.” Royce’s voice makes me jump as he pulls me away from Aaron.

“What the hell?” Aaron reaches for me, but it only takes a split second for Royce to have his wrist bent back and Aaron yelping in pain as he shoves him across the crowded space.

With an arm around my waist, Royce lifts me so my feet are off the ground and carries me outside where he heads directly to his car.

I don’t bother to fight him, not that I want to, and sigh as he takes me away from the house party. “I was fine. I had it.”

“Nope.”

“Royce, I had it.”

“Okay.”

“Put me down.”

He laughs, only holding me tighter. I kick out now, irritated that he’s acting like I can’t even walk. We’ve known each other for a couple years now and every time we’ve done something together, he’s protective. But this is over the top. “I can walk, Royce.” I finally connect with his shins.

He grunts but doesn’t let up. “Told you, Paisley.”

“Let me down.”

He opens the passenger door to his car and sets me down on the ground.

“I told you. Nobody else was going to touch you tonight.”

“I know, I was there five minutes ago. I heard you. But was it necessary to make a big scene?”

He nods. “His hands were on you. He was touching you. It’s my job to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

My embarrassment leaves in a loud swoosh of air out of my lungs at his words that hurt more than I ever would have expected. “Right. I’m just a job.”

He doesn’t answer but clenches his jaw.

“I see,” I whisper.

“Paisley.” He lifts his hand, but I back away.

“Just take me home.” I get in the car willingly, and he sighs deeply before shutting the door.

On the drive home, I look out the window, refusing to cry. I absolutely refuse. I know that my dad hired him, but I also could have sworn something else happened between us tonight. His words were confusing me, but he just gave me all the clarity I need.

When he pulls off onto a gravel road, I still don’t look at him. I hear the car being put into park and the clink of his seat belt unbuckling. “Look at me, Paisley.”

I shake my head.

“Please.”

“It’s fine. Just take me home.” I know this feeling well—this stupid realization that someone just feels sorry for you—and it sucks. It just makes it worse that I crush on him so damn hard. It makes me want to hit something.

I feel his hand on my chin, and unless I want a broken neck, I’ll have to look at him. So I slowly move just enough to see him. He brings up his other hand and pulls me closer to him. Like within inches. His eyes scrutinize me—searching for an answer maybe. But if he is, I don’t know the question. Then he presses his lips to mine.

Oh. My. God. Good thing my seat belt is on because I feel like I’m floating. Like this is a dream.

His tongue slides out and runs along my lips before he pulls away and closes his eyes. My neck no longer able to hold my head up, it falls so my forehead lands against his. It seems like forever before he finally looks at me again, and when he does, he simply says, “You’re not just a job.”

Then he runs his nose along mine, and the gentle touch spreads throughout my entire body. He puts the car into drive and takes me home, white knuckles gripping the steering wheel. I wish I was more equipped to say something to him, but for fear of sounding like an idiot, I say nothing.

When he stops in front of the house, he walks around and opens my door, then links our fingers as we walk up the steps.

I put my hand on the knob, but he quickly covers it, halting me from opening the door. He looks over my shoulder, likely at one of the cameras, and mumbles something about Erik watching. Then he bends his head so his lips are right at my ear and whispers, “Stay sweet for me.”

Chapter 1 Paisley Two and a half years later

“Please,

just take it.” I plead with the man as he slams me against the bricks. My face instantly scrapes against the grainy wall in the deserted, stinky alley.

“I don’t want your money, bitch.” He kicks my legs apart, and blood and tears drip down my face, the salty copper taste bitter enough to stir the bile in my gut. I swallow down the fear as I try to focus enough to survive and not do something stupid.

I’m terrified. And even though I should be thinking of a way to get out of this or trying to fight him off, I can’t help but think that my father was right. I should have listened to him. He owns a freaking bodyguard agency, so it’s not like he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.

All I wanted to do was pursue a dream. I never had a lot of aspirations in my life… only one. And it was something I’d dreamed about ever since I was a little girl; to live in New York City.

My birth parents met in this city. On a freezing cold New Year’s Eve many, many years ago, they kissed each other at midnight and were inseparable from then on. Even in death, they stayed true to each other and went at the same time.

Plane crash.

On their anniversary.

I don’t dwell on their loss, and I also never had a chance to really. But the one thing I always promised myself… I only ever made this one promise, and here I am. Living in New York.

My adoptive parents, Polly and Erik, have been so supportive. Polly more so than Erik because he didn’t want me going to New York at all. If he had it his way, I’d live with them forever.

I fought with him, telling him I’d be fine and that nothing would happen to me. We got into it because he wanted to have a man on me, and I told

him I’d never talk to him again if he made one of his bodyguards follow me. I needed to do this on my own. So much had been taken from me, and I needed to feel I had control over my life.

Now, I wish I’d listened to him.

I scream at my attacker to get off, figuring maybe if I make enough noise, he’ll run away or someone will hear me. But that only gets my head bashed into the wall.

“Shut the fuck up.” He presses a gun hard into my temple as his other hand fumbles with his belt.

This is not happening. I cannot let this happen.

My dad has taught me enough self-defense to get myself out of a number of bad situations. But actually having a gun held to my head is terrifying.

Knowing he only has the one hand, I take advantage and use both of mine to yank his arm away as I whip my head back, praying to do damage and not get a bullet in my skull. He wails as I feel a rush of moisture hit my scalp. I don’t look back as I run out of the alley and toward the sidewalk.

He screams profanities at me, and just before I round the corner of the alley, the unmistakable sound of a gun firing makes me scream.

“Oh, my God. Miss.” A man jogging rips his earbuds out just as I get in front of him, tripping over a crack in the sidewalk. “Holy shit.”

All I can feel is pain. My arm is on fire as it slams into the ground at an awkward angle. He lowers himself so he’s close, and my head becomes fuzzy as I look around. A sticky wet stream rolls down my hand and drips off my fingers, tinting the gray sidewalk red.

A lot of commotion sounds around me, but I’m suddenly too tired to see what’s happening. Very distantly, I hear a siren, but as I drift off into nothingness, all that surrounds me is darkness.

***

Before I open my eyes, I remember where I am. Hospital smells are unmistakable. The annoying feeling of an IV irritates my arm, and the heavy blankets are scratchy. The stupid beeping of the machines makes me

want to plug my ears. It’s dark outside, so I must have slept through the day after my arm was stitched up. Only I would land on a piece of glass and puncture my wrist and sprain it at the same time. Luckily, I only had that and a concussion. And I’m so thankful for that. It could have been so much worse.

But even through all the noise and the smells and the pain in my arm, I know he’s here.

I can feel his presence in the room, just as I’ve always been able to whenever he’s around. It’s been years and confronting him scares me more than the whole being attacked thing… but in a completely different way.

When I left for New York about nine months ago, he wasn’t around. In fact, for a couple of years before that, I barely saw him. The last time I did was when he kissed me. Then he left. I know his work is busy, and it often takes the guys away for long periods of time, but I missed him. And I’m so mad that he left and didn’t say goodbye. We were friends. At least I thought we were, and it really hurt when he up and left.

I’m just about to ask him what he’s doing here when the door crashes open. I’m surprised it took him this long to get here. Derik barges in, and I track him as he stalks across the room.

My adoptive dad’s real name is Erik, but I went to call him dad one day the two names accidentally combined. He told me he thought it was cool because it was just ours, so I usually call him Derik.

Ignoring me, he grabs Royce by his shirt. I only get a quick glance at him, but Royce is even more handsome than I recall with dark hair and a scruffy beard that I remember tickling when he kissed me.

“Where were you?” Erik slams him against the wall, and Royce doesn’t even try to fight him off. “Where the fuck were you?” he screams in his face.

Royce still doesn’t answer, but his green eyes find mine, and in them, I see so much remorse. Disappointment. He feels guilty for some reason, and I don’t know why when I haven’t seen him in so long. I don’t even know why he’s here. I don’t want to want him here.

Erik brings his arm back, and I wince when his fist connects with Royce’s jaw. I don’t understand why Royce doesn’t fight back. I’ve seen him fight before—when he and the guys were sparring in the ring at the gym, and once when a drunk man tried to grab me at the fair when I was

fifteen. I’ve seen his strength on several occasions, so I know he can hold his own.

Royce can kick some serious ass, so his lack of defense baffles me.

Erik slams him again. “This is on you.”

“I fucking know that.” The agony in those words crushes my heart.

“Stop,” I try to yell, but my throat is scratchy, so it comes out weak.

Erik whips around as if he’s shocked I’m here or something. “Jesus Christ. Are you okay?” He shoves Royce away and takes three strides to my side.

“Yes. What’s going on?” I look back and forth between the two men.

“Why is he here?”

“You got fuckin’ attacked is what’s going on.” Erik growls. “I told you something like this—” “Stop.” I put my hand on his arm. He’s right, yes, but I can’t let him win that easily. “Something like this could happen anywhere.”

He shakes his head. “Something like this should never happen to my goddamn daughter.”

“You can’t protect me from everything everywhere all the time.”

“I can, and I took precautions so something like this wouldn’t happen, and it still fucking did.” He narrows his eyes at Royce, and I sit up.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Royce looks down, and Erik’s jaw clenches.

“Royce,” I whisper, knowing he never can ignore me when I say his name, and he shakes his head. “Royce.”

Finally, he looks at me, and before he opens his mouth, I know what he’s going to say.

Royce “Are you serious?” She pushes herself away from Erik, and in the process, she forgets about her sprained wrist. “Ow.” “Stop moving,” Erik growls at her.

“I can’t believe you.” She looks at the two of us and shakes her head.

“How long?”

Neither of us give an answer, so she says the one thing again that she knows makes me weak as shit. “Royce.” God. My name out of her mouth,

rolling down her tongue and passing through her lips does something to me.

“You were never alone, precious,” I respond, not giving a shit that Erik’s sitting right here. That’s what she is to me. So goddamn rare and precious it’s making me sick seeing her in a fucking hospital bed with a bandaged wrist and scrapes on her face.

“Are you serious?” she repeats, this time with tears in her beautiful blues. “You’ve been following me since I moved here?”

“It was for your own protection, Paisley.”

I wince at Erik’s statement because I know how bad it looks to Paisley. I knew she would be furious when she found out.

Erik is her dad, but I know her. He told me I had to stay hidden or he’d find someone else to do it, and there was no way I was letting someone else look after her. She had no clue I’d been following her for months, and that I’d intercepted at least three men intent on grabbing her. But none of that makes up for what happened to her today.

I will never forgive myself for letting her get hurt on my watch. Never.

“And I told you I didn’t need it. Look what happened when I had it anyway.” She throws her arm up, and I have to look away from her. It’s bad enough to see her banged up, but to hear her talk about it and imply it was my fault—which it was—makes my stomach bottom out. “Leave.”

“Pais—” “Please,” she whispers and turns her head away from both of us.

“I need to talk to the cops anyway. I’ll let you get some rest and be back later,” Erik placates her.

Her eyelids lower, and she shakes her head gently. “I just want to be alone.”

I can tell he’s going to disagree with her by the way he squeezes his fists together. “I’m not leaving until we figure out what’s going to happen from here on out. I’ll be back later.”

She licks her lips and wipes a tear from her face as she peeks through her wet lashes at me. “Please just go.”

I walk across the room and stand right by her, leaning down so my face is close to hers. Noses brushing, I tell her, “I’m so fuckin’ sorry, Paisley. I promise you this will never happen again.” Because she’s going to know that I’m here from now on. No more of this hiding shit that I didn’t want to do in the first place. I knew something like this would happen eventually.

I’ll take the blame, but Erik has a part in this, too… headstrong asshole.

“Royce, this—” “This changes things.” It changes everything. She needs to know so much, but right now, the only thing we’ll be discussing is the fact she’s not going to so much as breathe without me by her side.

The bastard who attacked her took her purse. One of the witnesses said they heard him yelling as he ran away. He said he’d get her or something along those lines. Chances are he’s just a druggie who will toss her shit after he takes anything valuable, but I never take a threat lightly. And a threat against Paisley…

Erik clasps his hand on my shoulder, and I stand fully, but not before grazing my finger across her hand. “Get some rest.”

Instead of answering, she rolls to her other side, and I reluctantly leave the room. As soon as we get into the hallway, he drops his hand, and we walk to the stairwell. The loud click of the door shutting is the signal I need.

“You ever put your hands on me again, and I swear to Christ, I won’t hold back.” The only reason I did was because it would have upset Paisley if I had retaliated.

He leans against the wall and crosses his arms.

I know, I know he knows I’d never do anything to harm his daughter.

But he’s a good dad, and he cares about her. I can’t fault him for that, but I will not put up with his shit. I get that particular trait from my father, who I haven’t spoken to in years. No desire to, either. Not after what he did when my mom died.

Shaking my head to rid myself of those thoughts, I clear my throat. I’m not going to stand here and have a pissing contest with Erik. “You can go do whatever the fuck you’ve gotta do, but I’m not leaving her.”

“Yeah, you are.”

“You gonna make me?”

With a tilt of his head, he assesses me. “Where were you?”

My teeth grind together, and I take a breath through my nose. I wasn’t surprised that he didn’t drill me as soon as I called to let him know what happened. I knew he’d want to ask me face to face, plus he wouldn’t want to waste that time when he could be making arrangements to get from his home in Cali to here. “I’m still trying to figure it out. I didn’t get the alert that her door opened, and since I doubt she shimmied down the fire escape, the only logical conclusion I can come up with is the security system failed.”

“You should have been paying better attention and heard the door on your own.”

My head aches, and I pinch the bridge of my nose to relieve the pressure. “I did hear the motherfuckin’ door, but I had just got out of the shower. She normally doesn’t leave that early, and by the time I got dressed, she’d already hopped on the bus. Except she didn’t go straight to class like she has every single Thursday for four months.”

“I pay you good money not to lose her.”

“If I didn’t have to fuckin’ hide from her, I wouldn’t have lost her.

Despite what you think, she’s smart, Erik. Every time I got too close, she knew.” From the beginning of this assignment, I hated that she didn’t know I was on her. That’s not what I do. I keep people safe by being close to them. It’s pretty hard to do when said person isn’t supposed to know you’re there, and it’s even harder when you live next door to them.

I took this job, one, because it’s Paisley. And two, I don’t trust anybody else enough. She’s mine, and even though she has no clue, that means I’m the only one who’ll be guarding her.

Chapter 2 Paisley “I am not going with either of you.” I cross my arms and immediately regret it. “Dammit.” I drop my bandaged arm and try to hide the pain. After they left my room late last night, I fell asleep and was woken up to them this morning talking at the foot of my bed.

The two chairs had a pillow and blanket on them, so I know they both spent the night.

Royce steps closer to me, slightly dark circles beneath his eyes and disheveled hair. He presses his lips together and tries again. Since I’m backed against the wall, I can’t even lean back as he hovers over me. He’s the only one who would ever be able to get away with being this close to me with my father in the room since Royce and I were friends before he ditched me. “I’m taking you back to my place. You can ignore me and be pissed at me there, but I’m getting you out of here and back where I know it’s safe.” At least he knows I’m mad at him for lying to me.

“I’m not safe at my own apartment?”

“The guy who attacked you knows where you live.”

My head falls forward in defeat. “Shit.” He has a point, and he knows it.

Of course, he does because he’s stupidly perfect.

“Polly’s on her way. I couldn’t hold her back any longer. She’s due to touch down in about an hour. Let’s go and get your meds,” Erik demands as he walks out of the room.

I push past Royce, but his arm hooks around my waist, and he pulls me so my back is against his chest. Warm breath tickles my neck, and his sweet, spicy scent hugs me. Air leaves my lungs and my legs weaken, but his arm holds me in place. “From now on, it’s you and me. We’ve got a lot of shit to talk about, but right now, I need you to understand that there’s a real threat out there against you. So that means you need to let me do my job, okay?”

Right. It’s a job. I’m just a job to him. Always was. “Let me go.”

He chuckles, the vibration sliding down my spine and settling between my legs. The fierce attraction I’ve always felt toward him is even stronger now, no matter how much I want to pretend otherwise. “You need to get used to my hands on you, precious.”

His hand remains on my lower back as I walk forward, but I refuse to admit I like it. Once we reach the hallway, Erik flanks me on the opposite side. He doesn’t even look twice that Royce is touching me, but I’m only assuming it’s because that’s what bodyguards do. He doesn’t see anything wrong with it since, ya know, he hired him to do it.

I hate that it has to be this way. Sometimes, I wonder if I’d been better off not getting adopted at all, so I didn’t have to deal with the heartbreak of loving someone who doesn’t love me back. At least not in the same way I do.

Since the very first time I saw Royce King walk into my parents’ backyard for a cookout almost five years ago, I knew he was unobtainable.

Not only is he older than me but he also works for my dad. No other guy I have met even holds a candle to him.

But then after the kiss… I thought maybe, just maybe, something else was between us, but him leaving without a word and then following me since I’ve been here tells me I was right all along.

How awkward is it that the guy I used to dream about having babies with is forced to be with me? I’d rather have anyone else from the firm because they don’t make me weak in the knees and tight in the chest.

When we get outside, they look around the crowded parking lot with tense shoulders. “I really don’t think he’s going to pop out of the bushes and attack me in broad daylight.”

“I’m not willing to take that chance,” Royce answers, cutting off whatever Erik was going to say.

It’s pointless to try to argue anything with these two, so I’ll wait until we’re back at Royce’s place… wherever that is. I’m ushered into the back seat next to Erik while Royce gets in the driver’s seat of a blacked-out Escalade.

“Seriously, you guys. This is overkill. I’m not a celebrity or anything.”

“Some lunatic attacked you!” Erik yells.

I shrink away from him, and Royce catches my movement in the rearview mirror. “Watch it, man.”

Erik’s posture stiffens. “Do not tell me how I can and cannot speak to my daughter.”

Without looking back at him, Royce continues to drive. “I’ll tell you how to speak to my client, and as you say, you pay me good money to make sure she’s safe, and that includes from assholes yelling at her, family or not.

I won’t tell you again.”

“Stop it.” I bite my lip to distract myself and keep from crying. So much has happened in the past two days, and I can’t even comprehend everything.

My head is still sore from the concussion, and my stomach is queasy. Yet Royce being back in my life takes away from the fact I was attacked. All I have to do is look at him, and the pain goes away. For some reason, that doesn’t seem relevant, though. I really need to be more concerned about my health than a crush.

Except it’s more than a crush. It has to be. A crush is when someone makes you giggle. Or you doodle their name on your notebook. What I feel for Royce goes way beyond that. Whenever he’s near, I’m safe. Always was. I didn’t just feel it, I knew it. He makes me laugh. He gives me reasons to smile. He looks at me like I’m more than just a kid who lost her parents.

When I’m with him, everything and everyone around us disappears, and all that’s left is us.

At least, that’s what he gives me. I hope I give him at least a little bit of that.

“Sorry, honey.” Erik pulls me closer to him, and I rest my head on his shoulder. I really do love him, no matter how hardheaded he can be. “I didn’t mean to yell. You just scared me.” He always made me feel safe, and despite my stubbornness, I do appreciate that he came all this way. Going to college out here isn’t all I thought it’d be. I didn’t want to go to a fancy university or anything. All I wanted was to feel the magic of the city where my birth parents fell in love in.

My mother always said never break a promise to yourself. And when I was little, I promised myself I’d do this, and I’m glad I did. But truth be told, I want to be back in California.

The drive back from the hospital isn’t that long, and when we pull up in the parking garage of my apartment building, I sit up straight. “Why are we here?”

“I live here,” Royce mumbles before getting out. Of course, he does.

He comes around and opens my door. Before Erik meets us at the back of the car, Royce leans down again, his breath heating my skin. “I know you’re gonna be even more pissed, but this is one of the things we have to talk about.”

Confused by his statement, I follow them up and into the elevator. I’m between my father and the guy I wish I could call mine. In the reflection of the elevator door, I can see Erik on his phone, but Royce is staring at me.

Our eyes catch like they’re magnetized, and instead of looking away, I tilt my head, trying to decipher his expression. Tense but almost satisfied.

His hand on my lower back twitches, and his fingers dig into my skin.

My mouth falls open, and the pulse in my neck hammers. The contact, though professional, sends fire to every inch of my skin. His tongue darts out, licking his lips, and as the elevator dings, I jump and stumble, breaking our connection. He brings his arm around my waist and pulls me to him tight so I don’t fall over.

God, I like being in his arms. It’s surreal that he’s even here, and I know I should be mad, but I love him. I love that he’s close enough to touch, regardless of the reason he’s here.

Eye lids hooded and jaw locked tight, he glances away from me before letting me go and following me out of the elevator.

Erik glances past at us, but Royce has already let me go. “Polly’s gonna be here in two minutes. Let’s get you guys inside, and then I’ll go back down and meet her.”

We walk down the hall on the second floor, and when we stop at 2B, the confusion surely shows on my face. Royce reaches in his pocket and sticks a key in the lock. “Are you serious right now?” I screech.

He shrugs. “Welcome home, Paisley.”

Royce Her body stiffens, and I give her a gentle shove into my apartment, not liking being out in the open. As soon as I breach the threshold, I type the code in my alarm system.

“Polly’s here. Be right back.” Erik pushes his phone in his pocket and closes the door behind him.

“Are you serious right now?” she asks me again.

Instead of answering her, I toss my keys on the marble countertop and cell on the wooden table and then walk to the kitchen to get a bottle of water out of the stainless steel fridge. “You want one?”

“Are you serious?” This time she yells and clenches her hands into little fists. “You’ve lived next door to me this whole time?”

“Yup.” “This is unreal. I can’t… I didn’t…”

I really do feel like shit. This wasn’t what I wanted, and I know damn well she didn’t want it either. But Erik thought he knew best even though he was wrong. He didn’t need the melodramatics of threatening me if anything happened to her, but nonetheless, I walked out of his office knowing things would change when she found out he’d assigned me to her.

Not that I view Paisley as a job. She’s not my client; she’s my everything.

I think he knew I had a soft spot for his daughter because we were friends. Well, as close as a teenager and a twenty-one-year-old could be.

From the first time I met her as a scared fourteen-year-old girl who never asked for pity and always smiled, I took her under my wing.

We just clicked. I enjoyed spending time with her, and she laughed a lot when she was with me, so I assumed she felt the same way.

For the first couple of years, we were just friends. I had fun scaring off the boys from high school and teaching her how to drive. We rode go-karts and went to those stupid carnivals together. But when Erik sent me to keep an eye on her at that stupid fucking dance, and I saw her wearing that goddamn dress… that was it.

I was done.

She’d always been pretty—no doubt about that—but something about that night made me look at her through a different lens. Suddenly, her hair, normally in a ponytail, was long and shiny and flowing in waves down her back. Her cheeks, always flushed from laughing, were highlighted to showcase the symmetry of her angelic face. The legs that wrapped around me when we played chicken in the pool were miles long, and all I could picture was them over my shoulders while I buried my head between her thighs. Her stomach that I discovered was super ticklish when I was showing her some self-defense moves was on display, and all I wanted to do was lick my way across it.

What really messed me up, though, was her lips. Normally a soft pink, they were a bold red that night; daring, challenging me. I’d never been so weak in my life as I was in the car alone with her. It was wrong, but I had to have a taste… just a little one to hold me over. And God, I can still taste her. But the nail in the coffin was when I could picture her, on her knees, peering up at me through her long lashes as she swallowed my cock, wrapped around those red lips, down her delicate throat. I knew I had to get the fuck away from her. It messed me up in the head because I knew it wasn’t right.

So I left. I grabbed the first assignment that would take me away for a long time and keep me distracted enough to forget about her and how fucked up my sudden desire to kill anyone who even looked at her was. All along, I’d been protective of her, but it quickly moved to an obsession that wasn’t fair to her.

Needless to say, being surrounded by screaming tweens distracted me. I was security for a boy band that blew up overnight after being on one of those talent shows, and they kept me busy. Still, I missed her.

After eighteen months with the boy band, my next assignment was another twelve with a mayoral candidate’s family. Paisley and I texted over the years occasionally, birthdays, holidays… stuff like that, but the conversations were stilted because I knew she was pissed that I up and left without a goodbye. It really was better that way. I knew it’d only be a matter of time.

I only had a couple of weeks off before I started doing recon for Paisley.

I had to find a safe location for her to live, get the wiring done, then memorize the area, her campus, and a bunch of other stuff.

I didn’t agree with Erik’s assignment; she deserved to know I was there, but I figured it was for her own good because if she did know and I was that close to her every day and expected not to touch her, yeah… that wouldn’t have happened. It’s been torture, watching, biding my time… but she’s worth the wait.

“I’m not staying with you.” Her attitude snaps me back to the now and the fact that she’s in my space. She’s within touching distance. I can look into her eyes and see so much more than her irises.

“Yes, you are.” I walk to my bedroom to toss her bag in it.

She storms off down the small hallway, following me. “I’m not sleeping in here with you.”

“Never said you were. I’ll take the couch, but you are in my bed.”

She glares at me and then walks to the window. Her arms cross, and I can see the movement from her deep breaths. But she suddenly freezes. I didn’t expect her to realize it so soon, but when she drops her hand and digs her fingernails into her palms, I know exactly what she’s thinking.

“Oh, my God,” she whispers.

I move behind her because I don’t want her to be embarrassed, but she jerks away from me. “Oh my God, you heard me.” Her good hand flies to her mouth.

“It’s okay.”

She looks at my bed, then the headboard, then the wall, realizing she shared the thin barrier with me. And late at night, when she couldn’t sleep, she’d pleasure herself… God, what that would do to me. Hearing her moan, the soft vibration from her toy, my name slipping through her lips.

“Oh, my God.” “Paisley.”

Her feet move her backward, and she shakes her head. “I can’t… oh my God.” “Baby, what do you think I was doing when you were fuckin’ yourself?” My longer strides catch up to her, and I grab her shoulders, leaning down so my face is level with hers. “Whenever you were makin’ yourself come, I was doing the same damn thing, thinkin’ about you and how beautiful you are, how fuckin’ hot you’d be when you come… how I wanted to tear down that wall and sink inside you more than I wanted to breathe.”

Her eyes flash. “What?”

“I know you heard me.”

“But you… me. I… you left. You’ve been watching me, lying.” She puts her fingertips to her temples and rubs a circle. “You think I’m beautiful?”

“Of course, I do.” Giving her a second to come to terms with that, I rub my thumb over her cheek. I understand why she’s confused. “How could I not? Have you looked in a mirror?”

Her eyes get watery, and I step back. “You’ve had a lot happen. We’ll talk about us later; for now, you need to visit with your parents. Reassure them you’re okay because as much as I like them, I don’t want them staying here when I finally got you where I want you.”

Just as she’s about to open her mouth, Polly calls her name, and she shrugs her shoulder a little bit. “We’re not done talking about this,” I promise her.

She ducks out of my grip and shakes her head. “I can’t talk about this”—she throws her arm out over the bed—“ever again.”

“You’ve got nothing to be embarrassed about. But if it makes you uncomfortable we won’t broach that subject again. There is a lot of other stuff we need to discuss, though.”

She fights back tears from falling, and it kills me she’s so upset. I didn’t want Erik here, and definitely not Polly when she discovered that I’d been tailing her for almost a year and how I really, truly felt about her. She would have done so much better with this if it was just us because then I could explain everything. “I’m telling my dad I don’t want you to stay.”

“That won’t help you, precious. He knows I’d die before I let anything happen to you.”

She holds up her bandaged arm, and I release a breath of frustration.

She’s such a sweetheart, so I know this anger is misplaced. “That’s exactly where I’m headed now… to take care of whoever fucked up your security system.”

“Paisley,” Erik calls impatiently from the other room.

“She’ll be right there,” I answer for her.

“What does that mean?”

I run my hands through my hair. “That’s another thing we need to talk about. But for now, hang out with your parents, get some rest, and I’ll be back in a little while. When they leave, we’re having a talk that’s been years in the making.” Then I pull her to me and kiss the top of her head before I grab my keys and take off to kick the ass of whoever fucked up her system.

Chapter 3 Royce My phone rings just as I step out of my vehicle, and I glance down to see Carter’s name flash. “Hey.” “Dude, what the fuck?” he yells. “She got hurt?”

“Yeah.”

“How the hell did that happen?”

Carter is my best friend, and the only guy who suspects my fucked-up feelings for Paisley. He’s back in Cali, and I’ve avoided his calls until now, not quite able to take the anger and disappointment about the fact she got hurt from anyone else, especially him. I feel like shit enough on my own; it’ll haunt me every day of my life… seeing her in that hospital bed and knowing it was my fault her beautiful face was scraped from some motherfucker pressing her against a brick wall.

“I just left Wroughton Security.”

“Shit.”

“They didn’t update a recalled wire.”

He whistles. “Do you need me to come out there?” Not only would he help with Paisley, but he’d lay anyone out for putting her in danger, and that would start with the jackasses who have ensured we never do business with them again. Anyone at Ace would, honestly.

She didn’t know it at first, but when she got adopted she inherited a dozen big brothers, and me. A man who can’t picture his life without her in it. Who’d do absolutely anything to see her smile.

“Nah, I took care of it.”

“How is she?”

Perfect. “She’s okay. Just a little bit pissed that I’ve been following her since she’s been here, but otherwise, she’s doing good.”

“We all knew she’d be livid; anyone would be if they found out someone they trusted had essentially been lying to them, but she’s tough.

She’ll get over it.”

“Yeah.”

We all know her story and admire her strength through everything. She was just a little girl at nine years old when her parents died in a plane crash.

And since they had no other blood family, she went to foster home after foster home until Erik and Polly adopted her when she was fourteen.

One of the things I find so amazing about her is that she never acts like she’s had a rough life. She’s shy but generally happy and somehow still sees the world through rose-colored glasses. I admire that. I only lost one parent, but the parent who’s still alive is dead to me anyway, and I’m cynical as hell because of just that.

Carter curses. “I’ve gotta go but hit me up if you need anything.”

“All right, man. Later.”

I walk into my apartment, and before I can shut the door, Erik motions for me to follow him back into the hallway. “What do you got for me?”

I give him the lowdown on the recalled wire. Erik is very respected in our field, and if he puts out word about a company doing what this one did, or rather didn’t, they’ll feel it in their pocketbooks. “Are you shittin’ me?”

He practically growls.

“Nope.”

“Jesus.” He runs a hand angrily through his hair. “They just got themselves blacklisted.”

“I’ve got her with me now, so I’m not that concerned. Plus, she’s only here for a few more weeks, and then it’s summer vacation, so we’ll have time to figure out what we’re gonna do next semester.”

He nods. “Polly’s still feeling like shit, so I think we’re going to head out tonight instead of in the morning.” He didn’t want her to come out at all because she’d been sick, but once Erik deemed it safe enough for her to be here—after he arrived and knew the exact circumstances surrounding Paisley’s attack—she took some cold meds and got on a plane to see her daughter.

“Sounds good.”

With his hand on the knob, he stops and turns. “I was a jackass.”

“It’s all good.”

“I was, but it’s Paisley, ya know?”

“Fuck yeah, I know.” Shit. I didn’t mean it to come out that way.

He angles his head and narrows his eyes, squaring his shoulders at me in warning. “She’s my daughter, Royce. I love her. And I trust you.” He

pointedly stares at me. “I want her to have protection because I would hate for someone to try to take advantage of her.”

“Right.”

After a tense moment—the warning, verbal and physical—he nods and goes inside. Both Polly and Paisley are sleeping on the couch, and Erik takes in the scene. “They crashed almost as soon as you left.”

“Been a rough couple of days.”

“Polly was beside herself. I had to have Wes go over and stay with her while I hopped on the charter.”

I’m thankful I wasn’t the one assigned to keep Polly reined in. She’s crazy fierce when she needs to be, and her daughter getting hurt and not being able to see her is definitely something she’d fight tooth and nail for until she got to see her. “I get why you didn’t want her out here right away.”

We didn’t know what we were dealing with, and since Paisley was already in the hospital, he didn’t want to risk bringing his wife into an unknown situation.

“Glad you do. She’s still pissed I made her wait.”

“She’ll get over it.”

“You sure you don’t want to crash here tonight?” I ask strictly to be polite. I don’t want him here. He needs to leave and take his wife with him, so I can be with my girl.

He shakes his head. “Yeah, I want to get her home even though it’s a lot of flying in one day. Plus, I know you’ve got this.”

Those words hold a lot of weight and also punch me in the gut. If he only knew…

He and I catch up on things that have been happening back at Ace, and after a little while, he gets the text that their chartered plane is ready; the perks of owning your own security company, I guess. He gently pushes some hair off Polly’s face and kisses her forehead. When she opens her eyes, a soft smile plays on her lips. Despite her red nose and the dark circles beneath her eyes, she’s still a beautiful woman. It’s easy to forget sometimes that she’s not related to Paisley by blood because they look so much alike. And plus, Erik and Polly were in their early thirties when they adopted Paisley at fourteen years old, so they look more like sisters than mother and daughter.

While they’re talking, I grab some canned soup and put it on the stove.

If Paisley crashed as soon as I left, that means she hasn’t eaten in hours.

“How you doin’, Royce?” Polly wraps her arms around me, and I hug her back. She made such a difference in Erik’s life that everyone looks at her like some kind of miracle worker.

“I’m good. You?” “Eh.” She waves her hand in the air and ends up coughing. “Been better.

This stupid cold won’t go away, but I was really worried about her. And you. I needed to at least see you guys.”

I cross my ankles as I lean on the fridge. “Why me?”

She raises a brow. “Because you’re taking all the blame when we both know—” “Regardless of the reason, keeping her safe was my job, and I failed,” I interrupt her. “I can promise you, though, it won’t happen again.”

“I believe that. You need to make sure you’re taking care of yourself, too.”

I roll my eyes. “I’m a big boy, Polly. I have no problem taking care of myself.”

“I know, but a reminder every now and then doesn’t hurt.” When she hugs me goodbye, I get the overwhelming sense of loss that consumes me whenever I think about my own mother. Even though Polly isn’t as old as my mom, she still has that motherly quality about her. My mom was the type who would assure me everything was gonna be okay. Always worrying about her boy. “You take care of my girl and tell her to call me tomorrow. I don’t want to wake her.”

“I’ll be in touch.” Erik bumps fists with me, and I follow them, locking the door and setting the alarm.

We’d talked earlier in the day, and after he was in touch with the detective on the case, we’re waiting on the DNA results from the blood that splattered on her hair from when she head-butted him. Other than that, from a legal standpoint, there’s not much else we can do but be cautious. Plus Erik told me he has a really big business thing happening right now and needs to be back in Cali to negotiate. I didn’t bother taking the time to ask what it was since that side of the business doesn’t affect me.

I grab a bowl from the cabinet and fill half of it with the chicken broth and noodles. Setting it on my coffee table, I sit in front of Paisley and do just as Erik did. It’s crazy how tough ass guys become so weak and gentle around their women.

“Wake up, Paisley.” Her skin is so soft and warm. Polly might not have wanted to wake her up, but I will. She needs to eat something.

She turns her head, and the angry scratches on her cheek make my blood boil. When her groggy eyes find mine, she slowly sits up. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing. Erik and Polly just left. They said they’d call you tomorrow, and I made you some soup.”

“They left?”

I hand her the bowl, and she mutters a thank you.

“Yep. They took off.”

“So we’re alone now?”

“We are.”

Paisley I take a bite of my soup as Royce sits next to me on the couch and then turns the TV on. “What do you want to watch?” He continues flipping through the channels, but when I don’t answer, he looks over to see what the problem is.

“I… Royce, we need to talk.”

“Not right now. You need to eat, and you need to rest.” He turns his attention back to the TV. No. I’m not doing this. I cannot be in the same apartment as Royce. It’s bad enough I have a mad crush on him, but it’s even worse that he knows it.

I didn’t think it could be more mortifying, but when I realized he could hear me when I was… No. I reach over and grab the remote and shut the TV off.

“No, I don’t need to rest. I just slept for hours.”

He nods at my soup. “You’d better eat that before it gets cold.”

“I don’t know if staying with you is the best thing, Royce.”

“Why not?” Raising a brow, he challenges me.

“Because.”

His lips twitch. “Because isn’t an answer.”

“Because I’m mad at you.”

“Really?” He tosses an arm on the back of the couch. “What did I do?”

Where to start. I could tell him that he hurt my feelings when he fell off the face of the earth. I could also mention that he’s essentially been lying to

me for months and months. What I should do is pretend I don’t feel the way I do about him, but that’d be impossible. Nobody in the world compares to him.

Before I fell in love with Royce, I did try to date. Try being the operative word.

The first boy who discovered the overprotective ways of my father was Trevor. He was so nice. He ran track and was the star of the musical that year. When he came to pick me up, he was greeted by five grown ass men who all happened to be carrying. So when he got sick halfway through the date and dropped me off two hours before curfew, I knew it wouldn’t be the only time.

It only took once more with Brett Milton for word to get around, and then my dating life was pretty much nonexistent. And then the last attempt anybody made was at that after party when Aaron grabbed me to dance. I thought once I moved here that things would change—not like I want to go whore around or anything. I’m so stupid over Royce that nobody stands a chance.

God, what is wrong with me? I’ve literally closed myself off for a guy who is harder to figure out than the stupid Rubik’s cube I’ve had for ten years. I got it from a social worker and brought it with me whenever I moved. Every time I get one section all the same color, I have to ruin it to get another side. Exactly like Royce. Just when I think I have a part of him figured out, everything gets jumbled and I have to start over.

I don’t answer him, so he asks again, “What did I do to make you mad at me?”

“Nothing. Never mind.” I stand with the bowl and take it the short distance to the kitchen, hoping if I change the subject, he’ll forget about it.

“You’re right. I need rest. I’m going to bed.”

He intercepts me when I try to walk past the couch and pulls me onto his lap. I have to wrap an arm around his neck and then rest my injured one on my thigh. “What are you doing?”

“Why are you upset all of the sudden?”

“I’m not.”

“Don’t lie to me, precious.”

Love that. I absolutely love when he calls me that. He makes me feel that way whenever he uses the pet name. “I’m not.”

“You seem to forget I know you.”

“And you seem to forget people change a lot in almost three years.”

“There it is,” he murmurs with a tilt of his lips.

I try to move off him, but he clamps an arm around my waist. “There’s what?”

“The truth.”

Too damn tired to play mind games with him, I let out a frustrated sigh.

“Can we just take a time-out so I can go to bed?”

“I’m not a child, Paisley. Nobody puts me in a time-out, not even you.”

He grabs my chin and turns me so I have no choice but to look at him. “I had to leave.”

“Okay.”

“No.” He shakes his head, and when his eyes connect with mine, the softness in them gives me a flutter in my chest. I’ve dreamed about that look because I saw it right before he kissed me and could never get it out of my mind. I never thought I’d see it again. “You don’t get it. I had to leave because if I had to be around you any longer, I wouldn’t have been able to take it.”

But that flutter turns to a thick stream of bitter that slithers up my throat.

“You couldn’t take it?”

“That’s not how I meant it, precious. You know that.”

I believe him. I do. I think. But I’m so tired. “Can we talk tomorrow. I just need…. I need—” “You need some time to process, baby. Take it. But not too long because we’ve waited long enough.”

I climb off him and walk to his room, closing the door and then pushing the button in to lock it. The weight of everything that’s just happened crushes my shoulders, making me sink to the floor. As much as I want to let the tears fall, I hold them in. I learned how to do this in foster care. If I cried, I was immediately labeled an outcast. Kids who didn’t have anything better to do thrived on the weak. And some of the parents were really mean, too.

At one place, I remember the parents were so mean to this one girl with ruby red hair. I’d hear her crying all the time because of it. Sometimes, her screaming would wake me up, and I’d have to cover my ears. Somehow, I managed to avoid his wrath and was so lucky to have gotten adopted out of that shitty situation and into the loving arms of my new parents.

Chapter 4 Royce “What are you doing?” Paisley pulls the comforter tighter to her chest and tries to scoot away.

“I’m too big to sleep on that fuckin’ couch.” I wrap an arm around her waist and pull her against my chest. “Go back to sleep.”

“The door was locked,” she hisses.

“Like that’d stop me.”

I wasn’t sure if I should leave her alone after she came in here, but I figured with so much happening, it’d be best if she had some time to herself. I could tell she was starting to pick up what I was putting down, and it freaked her out, so I thought I’d give her the night. But when I woke up with a numb arm and a cramp in my neck, I changed my mind.

“I need to pee.”

I lift my arm up and roll to my back, missing her warmth already. Even after she leaves my bed, her scent lingers, and I fight to keep my dick from becoming hard. Since I haven’t slept for shit the past couple of nights, I actually end up dozing off. When I wake up to an empty bed, irritation gives me a rush of adrenaline as I get up to find her.

Curled up on the couch, she’s fit her small body perfectly in the corner, but I don’t take the time to admire how pretty she is. I simply scoop her up in my arms. She wakes up and flails out. “Stop it.”

“Royce, I can’t sl—” “Shut it, Paisley.”

She snaps her mouth closed, and I kick the door shut behind me. The covers are still tossed back, so I gently set her down and settle in behind her. With my arm around her and her hair in my face, we fall asleep without another word.

***

The blaring alarm wakes me up out of the best sleep in my life. My 9mm is in my hand just as Paisley runs into the bedroom. “Ah!” She screams and cowers, backing away with her hands up.

“What the fuck?”

“I went to go get dressed.”

I use the keypad in my bedroom to shut the siren off and set my weapon on my dresser. “Why the fuck would you leave without asking me?”

She squares her shoulders and points a finger at me. “I don’t need your permission, Royce King.”

“Semantics.”

Her teeth dig into her bottom lip as she takes in my almost naked body.

She’s looking at me with almost as much heat as I feel whenever I catch sight of her. I’m in a pair of boxer briefs with morning wood hard enough to cut glass, and even if I wouldn’t have woken up like this, just seeing her would have done it. When her eyes finally meet mine, they widen before she drops her head and darts out of the room.

I follow her and grab her arm just as she’s about to leave. “Stop.”

“I’m just going next door to get some clothes.”

“How are you going to get in?” I ask. “Remember your purse got stolen by a man who held a fuckin’ gun to your head?”

She turns on me and holds up a key, smirking. “Found an extra in the drawer.”

My lips twitch. She’s too damn cute for her own good. Grabbing the key out of her hand, I hold it above my head. “I’ll take you as soon as I get a shower and we eat.”

She jumps, trying to grab it with her good hand. “No. I need to get a clean outfit now because I’m meeting Chad for brunch. I haven’t showered in two days, and I’m in the same nasty clothes.”

“Who’s Chad?” I already know exactly who he is, but I want to see what she says.

She takes a step back, fusing with the door. “He’s a friend from my photography class.”

“And why are you meeting him for brunch?”

“Because he’s a friend.”

“He wants in your pants, Paisley.”

She crosses her arms. “How would you know? You don’t even know him.”

“I know more than you think, and yes, he does.”

“He does not.”

I nod. “He does.

“He’s gay.”

Gotta give the guy credit. “He’s not, but that’s beside the point. You’re not going anywhere this weekend. I want you here with me, resting and safe. Not out in the open.”

“I have to go. I don’t have his number memorized to cancel, and he’s going to be waiting for me. That’s so rude to just not show up. Then I need to get a new cell phone. I’ll be back here in a few hours.”

“It’s hilarious that you think I’d let you walk around by yourself.”

Her arms fall to her sides, and her face scrunches before she lays into me. “We’ve had this discussion before. I don’t need your permission to do anything. I never did, and I never will, Royce. You’re my father’s employee; if I’m too difficult for you to deal with, then take it up with him.”

The light mood just plummeted, and heaviness closes in on the space between us with her bratty attitude. “Okay, so we’re gonna start having some of these conversations right now.”

She shakes her head. “No. We’re not. I’m going to change, and then I’m going to brunch so he’s not waiting forever for me.”

Taking a step closer, I lean into her. “You are the only one I give a shit about. I don’t care if your little friend Chad thinks you blew him off or not.

I care that you’re here and you’re safe, so that’s exactly where you’ll fucking be.”

“Oh, my God. Fine!” She stomps her foot, and I have to press my lips together to keep from laughing at her tantrum.

I’ve got the key and reset the alarm so she can’t go anywhere while I take a shower. I make quick work of washing myself, mainly because any time I linger on my cock would make it ache even worse.

By the time I get out, she’s managed to move from pouting by the door to pouting on the couch. I toss a pan on the stove. “Want breakfast?”

“No.” She crosses her arms. “I want to go to Baker’s Dozen for brunch with Chad.”

“Yeah? Well, the next time you finger yourself, I want to watch you come, and we both know that’s not gonna happen, so quit your whining.”

That doesn’t even shut her up, but a bunch of thoughts run through her head before she crosses her arms. “You’re an asshole, Royce. God, I never thought I’d say that. Not to you. You’re really being mean.” The longer she talks, the more broken her words become. “I can’t believe you’re not letting me go to brunch with my friend.”

The soft spot I have for her clouds my judgment, and I throw my hands in the air. “Fine. Jesus. You can go to brunch with your not gay friend, but I’m coming with you.”

“Really?”

Of course, really. “Anything to see you smile.” I motion to the door.

“Let’s go get your stuff before we leave.”

“Fine.” She follows me over to her place, and when the alarm beeps as we enter, I hit the code real quick. “How do you know my code?”

After closing the door, I just look at her.

“Really, Royce. God, what else do you know?”

“Everything.”

“So irritating,” she snaps, but I love that she’s not mad at me anymore, just back to herself.

I cannot wait to tame that sass in her. “Grab enough stuff for the rest of the semester.”

“That’s three weeks! I’m not staying with you for three weeks.”

“You are.”

She points at me, then drops her hand, leaning toward me. “You’re infuriating.”

“And you’re so beautiful it hurts to look at you sometimes.”

Finally, she snaps her mouth closed, her face softening at my admission before she goes to her room. She’s trying to hide her fear with anger. I hear her shuffling around, and when the shower turns on, I walk through her space. I haven’t been in here since I did the initial security check. She has it decorated really girly, and I run my fingers along a framed photo of a bunch of us in the pool at her parents’ house.

Continuing my perusal, I smile at the stuffed monkey she has next to a photo of me and her at the carnival. She had a hard time making friends right away, so I invited her to do stuff with me. Not out of pity. Never that.

And the more time we spent together, the more I liked it. I was still getting field experience with Ace, so I wasn’t gone as much as the other guys were.

At that carnival, I will never forget some piece of shit walking straight up to her while I was playing some stupid game and grabbing her. One of his filthy hands on her arm and the other on her ass. And I lost my shit.

Thank Christ police officers were there to pull me off him because I’m pretty sure I would have killed him.

I actually feel my heart clench when I think about that night, and how, after I kicked his ass, she ran to me and threw herself in my arms. I’d never had that feeling before. It’s impossible to ignore the pull between us, and I’m so sick of fighting it. She needs time, but I can’t wait until I can fully claim her.

“I’m ready.” She walks out and makes my dick spring back up when I smell her fresh and clean from her shower. After we put her things inside my place, we head to the Escalade. I need to ask her something that’s been tearing away at me. “Where were you going the other day? You never leave that early.”

“I was going to do a time lapse of Times Square as the sun was coming up for my final photo project.”

Makes sense that I didn’t know then.

I think about talking more but decide to let everything lie for now.

Dealing with Chad will be bad enough and I’m sure I’ll do something to get her pissed at me again.

When we arrive at the restaurant, I spot Chad before he sees me. The smile on his face is one that I really, really want to make go away.

Preferably with my fist. Nobody needs to be looking at her like that except me. This poor guy is so out of his league, though.

He wants her so badly, but she’s completely clueless and thinks he’s legitimately gay. I did a basic background check on him, and nothing major came up. Just a couple of parking tickets. I can’t figure out what his game is with her, though. I don’t think he’s ever come out and told her he’s gay, but she believes it. I’m not sure if he’s trying to get his hooks in her before he makes an actual move or what. He stands as she approaches their regular table, but when he notices me, he pauses.

“Sorry I’m late. Long story.” She sits in the seat across from him, and I have to bite my lip to keep from laughing that she didn’t hug him like he was expecting. Every time I had to watch him—once a week for the past

few months, to be exact—put his arms around her was pure torture. I’m glad she’s not testing me today. Girl’s smart enough to know that’s not happening anymore.

He sits down and clears his throat. “Oh, my God. What happened?” He reaches out to touch her bandaged hand, but I’m faster. I clamp my fingers over his wrist.

“Royce,” she scolds.

“Hands off,” I warn him with absolutely no humor in my message.

He yanks his arm away, and I keep my eyes on him as I sit next to Paisley, then throw my arm over the back of her seat. He watches my fingers as they make small circles on her shoulder. The irritation he feels for me being here is fast becoming anger.

Bring it on. I challenge him. I’ve been itching to kick someone’s ass lately.

“Who are you?” He looks at her. “Who is this, Paisley?”

“He works for my dad. I had some trouble a couple of days ago, so he’s here to make sure I’m safe. Just ignore him.” She leans in. “It’s what I plan to do.”

I smirk at the attitude and allow them to chat amongst themselves. He’s trying to ignore me, but every time she laughs and leans into me, his jaw tightens. Or when her hand falls naturally on my thigh when she’s talking about the guy who attacked her, his eyes narrow at the comfort she subconsciously takes from me. Chad is not good at masking his anger, and if it wasn’t Paisley who he had his sights on, I might take pity on him.

But when it comes to her, that’s not an option.

I play nice during the meal but am relieved when the waiter takes our empty plates away, signaling the end of this shit.

“I’ll be right back.” Paisley stands. When I make no move to get up, she puts her hands on her hips. “You’re not following me to the bathroom?”

I shake my head. “I can see everything I need to from here.”

“Whatever. Be nice.” She sashays away, and I watch her walk to the restroom, loving the view.

Once she’s out of earshot, I lay it out for Chad. “She might be fooled by your act, but I’m not. Trust me when I say you want to put a stop to it.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You don’t want to make me repeat myself, Chadwick Norwester.” He swallows, his eyes unblinking as I continue. “And I won’t, you understand

me? She’s not yours, and she never will be. Stop trying, and we’ll be cool, but you keep this shit up, and we’re gonna have a problem. And trust this, you do not want to have a problem with me.”

“I think Paisley can make her own decisions.” He sits up, puffing his chest out.

I lean back. “She’s never gonna pick you.”

“A solid foundation to a relationship is trust. She trusts me, and we’re building on that.”

“Yeah, but buddy, she’s never gonna pick you. Not over me.”

“If you think that, then why has she never talked about you? Where have you been?”

He’s got bigger balls than I thought. “She’s been mad at me, but I fixed it. Doesn’t matter where I was; I’m here now. And I’m telling you, back the fuck off. She can be your friend, but she’s my woman, so for your own pride, accept that. ’Cause I’ve spent too long waiting to say that, and nothing or nobody is gonna get in the way.”

Paisley I can’t stop thinking about Royce calling me beautiful this morning. His words go round and round without skipping a beat. If I was smart, I would have had some type of comeback, but he stunned me speechless, which I’m sure was intentional.

Then his arm around me at brunch.

And how his fingers wrapped around my waist when we were getting a new cell phone.

His hand in mine while he drove us back here.

Then those same strong hands massaging my shoulders while I was on the phone cancelling credit cards and figuring out how to get a new license.

It’s been an emotional roller coaster for me, and I’m glad he’s given me some space this afternoon. But now that I woke up from my nap, I’m starved, and if my mouth is full of food, I won’t have to talk. Not that I don’t know what to say; it’s just that I’m nervous.

Because I feel like my dream is coming true. And if I’m wrong, I’m pretty sure I’ll die. So the longer I prolong it, the longer I can continue

pretending all the things he’s saying really mean what I think and hope and pray they do.

“Can we order Chinese?” I ask him from my end of the couch.

“Yeah, babe.” He pulls his cell out. “What do you want?”

“Vegetable egg roll and an order of chicken and broccoli. Please.”

After ordering beef and broccoli for himself, we go back to watching the movie when I feel a sharp pain stab me in my arm. I flinch and sit up.

“You okay?”

“Yeah. It just gets sore if I stay in one position for too long.”

“Do you need a pain pill?”

I shake my head. What I need is answers. Answers to questions that have been years in the making. I can talk about the past; I need to know.

“Why did you leave?” It takes a mighty amount of strength for me not to slap my hand over my big ass mouth. But it’s been killing me for what feels like ever, and I want to know why.

“I told you already, but I also told you I’d explain. You ready for that?”

“Yeah. I am.”

He doesn’t take his eyes off the TV. “You were sixteen. Almost seventeen.”

“Okay.”

“I didn’t want to go to jail because I can promise you that as soon as Erik found out, he would have had me arrested.”

This isn’t helpful. “You’re so confusing.”

“I wanted to fuck you, Paisley.” He takes a breath as mine is stuck in my throat. “I couldn’t be around you and not be able to touch you the way I wanted or hold you like I did last night. I’m very patient, but my limits were being tested.”

I feel a tingle between my thighs, and a whoosh of air leaves my lungs.

“What?”

He finally looks at me. “Wanted you then, want you now, but I’m waiting for you to be ready.”

“You what?” Why can’t I comprehend what he’s saying? I don’t get it.

“Ready for what?”

“More.”

I stand and pace because I need to move. My dream really isn’t coming true, is it? No. This is a joke. Did Erik put him up to it? Is this part of his plan to keep me safe? To make me think Royce really likes me so I stay

close. Yeah… that makes more sense. I mean, there have been movies about it, so it’s not that farfetched.

Bodyguard “falls in love” with his client, but it turns out he was just doing his job, and the best way was to pretend he liked her. That’s exactly what’s happening right now. I know it.

His arms clamp around my shoulders, scaring the shit out of me since I was so far gone in my own head.

“Breathe.” I look into his eyes, and they ground me. I’ve always loved his eyes. So unique with a black ring around the deep green, I often found myself getting lost in them whenever I was close enough to see them. “This is one of those things we need to talk about.”

“How many things are there total now? Because I don’t know how much I can take, Royce.”

He pulls me to him, and I happily wrap my arms around him.

Everything has always been better with him around. It’s like when he’s near, the world makes sense.

“Let’s see. One was where you were going the morning you got away from me, so that’s done. Two is to explain to you how me being assigned to you happened.” Assigned… I flinch at the word, and he kisses the top of my head. “You’ll get it soon, baby, I promise. Three is how the rest of your time here will play out. Four is how things are gonna be once we get back home.”

He leans back and gently pinches my chin. “And five, which I think is the last, is all about how I’m done waiting for you, and I’m about to take what’s been mine since the very first time I did this.”

His mouth comes down on mine, and his hand slides up until his fingers are in my hair. This is not just a little peck or a placating kiss… this is an actual kiss. I lose myself in how good it is and grab the back of his shirt with my good hand as our lips work against each other’s.

Oh God, he can’t be faking this.

His tongue pushes into my mouth, and the moment I feel it against my own, I moan, already so turned on. No matter that he’s the first guy to do this, it feels so fucking right. He slides his arm around my waist and pulls me impossibly close as he slants his head and deepens the kiss. I’m completely lost to him as he explores me. His hand slides up and down my back while the other closes over my hair and tugs my head back.

“Fuckin’ beautiful,” he whispers against my lips before they disappear down my exposed neck. His teeth join the party, nipping at my skin, and I push into him. Walking his fingers up my side, he skims my breast right before pinching my nipple.

The new sensation makes me gasp, and I finally, finally know what that feels like; to have my entire body on fire from his touch. He yanks the top of my shirt down and sucks the stiffened bud through the material of my bra. I barely have time to register how good that feels because he’s tearing my shirt down the front.

He drops the material, pulls the cups of my bra down, and palms my heavy breasts. “So fuckin’ beautiful,” is all I hear before he’s devouring me.

His mouth leaves a mark, and without taking his eyes off mine, he makes another one on the other side.

“Royce,” I plead with him. I don’t know what I need; I just know I need more. And I need it now.

He growls against my skin and bends slightly. Next thing I know, I’m against the wall and when my legs wrap around his waist, his hardness makes my heart skip a beat. I’m finally, finally feeling him where I know he belongs, and he grinds into me. “Oh my God.” I toss my head back. “Kiss me.” His lips are on mine as I push into him, swiveling my hips to get the friction my body is begging for. What it’s been craving for years.

A knock on the door makes me squeak in surprise, but it doesn’t even faze him. “Royce.”

“I’ve got you.” The words are said against my mouth. “Come for me, Paisley.”

I’m close, and it is so good, so much better than I could have ever imagined. My eyes are closed, and when he pinches my nipples, I explode.

“Royce!”

“Good girl.” He encourages me as the sensations overtake my body, and I become lax against him. His heavy breaths come out in short bursts against the heated skin of my neck. “You don’t even know it yet, but you’re gonna like it rough. You moaned for me every time I gave you just a little bit of pain. I can’t wait until I can sink my cock in you and spank your ass.”

The moan that tears through me is something I’ve never experienced before. All the times I used my vibrator or my hand, I thought of the ways Royce would make me feel. Pictured him on top of me, inside me. I’d get

wet just thinking about him getting hard, and now that I just got off on it, I realize how mediocre the fantasy really was compared to reality.

God and that was just with our clothes on. If he gets me naked and does what he said, if he spanks me…

“See. Just me talkin’ about it—” Another knock and Royce curses under his breath, then yells, “Coming.”

I can’t help the laughter that bubbles to the surface, and he kisses me hard and fast before unwinding my legs from him. I’m thankful he leaves to get the food so I have a second to gather myself. I look down at my naked chest and pull my bra up.

He ripped my damn shirt down the front. That was hot in the moment, but now, I pull the pieces together, and as soon as I hear the door close, I hurry down the hall to grab a new shirt. Royce intercepts me with an arm around my waist. I let out an oomph.

“Where’re you goin’?”

“I need a new shirt.”

He lifts me, and I hit his arm, laughing. “Put me down.” He stops at the mirror attached to his dresser. “What are you doing?”

“Look.” I watch as he parts the shirt again, and his fingers graze over the marks he left behind. I shiver from the gentle touch, and he smirks, giving me his dimples. “You know what this is, right?”

“A hickey?”

His chest rumbles behind me. “No, baby. I marked you. You’re mine.”

Chapter 5 Royce “Ahh!” Paisley yelps at the top of her lungs and jumps into my lap.

I grunt and set my beer down next to the dirty dishes on the coffee table.

We ate the rest of our Chinese food from last night for dinner tonight. “Why did you want to watch this dumbass movie again?” She’s hid behind her hands the entire time while I’ve been guarding my nuts from when she freaks out.

“I don’t know.”

I reach over her to grab the remote, but she stops me. “Don’t. It’s almost over.”

“Woman, you’re not even watching it. And as much as I like you on my lap, I’d rather be able to use my dick later.”

She stills on me and then crawls off. “Oh, my God, did I hurt you?”

“If I say yes, will you kiss it and make it better?”

“Yes.” That’s all it takes for me to go from my perpetual state of semi hard to stiff as steel. “I was joking, Paisley.”

“I’m not.” She lowers herself to the floor and reaches for my shorts.

I put my hands on hers, and she looks up at me, blue eyes pleading to suck my cock. Jesus Christ, she couldn’t be any better. My dick twitches at that face, an image I’ve jacked off to more times than I can count. But I can’t let her do this. Not yet, at least. “Stop.”

“No.” “Things between us are moving really fast, precious. I don’t want to rush this part for you.”

She tries to move her hands, but I don’t let them budge. “I’ve wanted to do this with you since I was fourteen. I’ve wanted to do everything with you. It’s not too fast.”

“Have you ever done more than kiss a guy before?”

Her hair curtains her face when she shakes her head.

“That’s good, precious. Trust me. I love that you stayed sweet for just me. I love that I’m the only one who will ever see your pretty pussy, and I love even more that I’m the only one who’ll know what you taste like… how tight you are. My cock will be the only one in your mouth, and it makes me so fuckin’ hard just thinking about how deep you’ll take me down your throat.”

She squirms around, and I know I’ve got myself a bad girl. I couldn’t believe how responsive she was up against the wall and how much she got off on a little pain. I love that. I love everything about her. She’s absolutely perfect for me, and finally being with her makes me even more of a crazy bastard than before.

“Come up here.”

“Why?” “Because it’s about time for me to see if you’re as sweet as I imagine.”

Her head pops up, and her mouth forms an O. “That’s why. You… the last time I saw you… you said stay sweet for me. I didn’t realize.” She shakes her head as if to clear her thoughts. “You really did want me back then?” Her voice unsure but her eyes glossy as she finally figures it out.

Hauling her up, I kiss her hard and slow just like I did last night in my bed. It was a strength I didn’t know I had, but we made out for hours before we finally fell asleep. I miraculously kept my hands above her waist the entire night.

And right now, she opens for me without hesitation, and I play with the sensitive skin just below her navel. Between kisses, I tell her, “Yes, baby. I wanted you then.”

She pushes me back just enough to look into my eyes. “Then why did you leave?”

“Do you really want to have this conversation now?”

Without wasting a beat, she says, “Yes. All you said was you wanted to fuck me. I need more than that.”

I try to calm my dick down, then slowly stand and walk to the window.

“Your dad is just a small, insignificant part of the reason, I want you to know that. I respect him, but nothing and nobody will keep us from being together. Not anymore.”

“Are you going to tell him?”

Turning around, I laugh. “Pretty sure he already knows how I feel, but yeah. I’ll tell him when we get back because you’re going to be spending

the night regularly.”

“So you left because I was too—” “Tempting,” I finish her sentence. “Too tempting. It was like dangling a piece of meat in front of a starved lion.”

“I’m a piece of meat?”

I shake my head. “No. You’re like a diamond. Beautiful and precious.”

My cheeks stretch when I smile. “I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to hearing you say that kind of stuff to me.”

“Hmm.” I take the few steps to the couch. “Will you let me show you then?” I hold my hands out.

“Show me?” She places hers in mine, and I haul her up.

I bring my finger up to trace her jaw. “Yeah.” My thumb glides across her lip, and I slide my hand to the back of her neck and pull her face to mine.

“Do you get it now? It wasn’t that I wanted you, it was that I wanted you too much.”

“Yeah, I get it.”

My lips find hers, and our tongues duel in a dance that makes my knees weak. Her hands slide up and wrap around my neck as I bend down to lift her.

When I lay her on my bed, she raises her arms above her head. Her ankles cross, and she rubs her thighs together, already needy. Perfect. I crawl over her and lower myself so I’m covering her; our bodies fit together like they were made to. My forearms rest on either side of her head, and as much as I want to finally taste her, seeing her gaze up at me, trusting me to walk her through this, isn’t something I’ll ever forget.

Her lips part on a soft pant, and the pulse in her neck races. Not able to wait any longer, I trail open-mouth kisses down the column of her neck.

Reaching between us, I grab the hem of her shirt and pull it up.

Her back arches as I remove the clothes from the upper half of her body.

I grab each of her perfect tits in my hand and feast on them for a moment before I lick my way down her stomach.

Once my mouth reaches her belly button, she raises her hips. I look up, and the shy way she bites her lip makes me insane. I reach behind me and take my shirt off, then pull her jeans off.

“Fuck, Paisley.” I run my fingers between her slick folds. I knew she went to the salon every month, but I didn’t actually know what she was

doing in there. “You wax?”

“Yes. I read an article once about it.”

The primal need in me to fuckin’ claim her takes over, and I dive between her thighs.

“Oh, my God.” She tries to bring her knees together, but I reach up and push them open.

Without taking my mouth off her, I slide a finger inside her and groan at how amazing she feels. Tight and wet and fuckin’ hot. Mine. I get lost in tasting her. Feasting on her, I’ll make her feel so fuckin’ good she’ll never want anybody else.

I slide a second finger in with the first, and her thighs shake. “Royce.”

Her breathy moan causes a jolt that makes my dick leak with desire for her.

“Yeah, baby. I’m right here.” I raise my eyes enough to catch hers. She licks her lips and then runs her fingers through my hair before she pushes my face back down. I chuckle against her clit before I suck it again and continue to fuck her with my fingers.

Her back arches, and her thighs shake as she tightens around my fingers. I hold her still with an arm across her belly, my free hand tweaking her nipples as she comes for me. She calls out my name once more, and then as she’s coming down, I kiss up her belly and run my tongue along the seam of her lips. “Sweeter than I could have imagined.”

Paisley I practically spit out my ice cream when Royce gets to the end of his story.

After he gave me what he did in the bedroom, he laid with me for a few minutes while we talked. I thought it’d feel awkward or something, but it’s just so easy between us like it always used to be. Then somehow, ice cream got brought up, and now we’re on the couch polishing off a tub of mint chocolate chip that he got from my apartment. Not surprising with his body, he didn’t have any kind of sweets here.

“Shut up.” I laugh.

“Hand to God.” He raises his hand in the air and then crosses his fingers over his chest. “This guy thought I wouldn’t notice.”

“He thought he’d buy a fake earpiece and a security jacket?”

“I’ll even admit it took a second for me to realize, but what got me was the fucking hat. It had fake black hair sticking out of it, and he was blond, so it was painfully obvious.”

I set the bowl on the coffee table and curl my legs beneath me on the couch. “He really thought he could just walk on set and nobody would notice?”

“He really thought that.”

“People are crazy.”

“They really are. That wasn’t even the worst one.” He brings his ankle up to rest on his knee. “These damn tweens are the hardest to fend off because they’re so little. This one girl…” He wipes beneath his eyes as uncontrollable laughter bursts out of him.

His laughter is contagious because I start giggling even harder. I’ve seen him happy before, and we’ve laughed together many times, but right now, there’s something so carefree that I’ve never seen. And I love it.

“Oh, my God. This one girl dressed like an old lady and said she was Jaysyn’s grandma.” He slaps his knee and tosses his head back. “She got past Wesley and reached me right outside his dressing room. I lost it, Paisley. I fuckin’ lost it and had to have Erik come and deal with her because I couldn’t breathe.”

I reach over and grab a tissue, then dab my eyes from the tears leaking out of the corners.

“Oh, shit.” He practically wheezes, and it makes my heart happy to see him so easygoing. “I will never, not until I’m on my death bed, let Wes live that shit down. It was the funniest thing I have ever seen in my life. This girl, she had on a gray wig and a scarf wrapped around it and was pushing a walker. She used a goddamn walker. Limp and everything and Wes thought she was Jaysyn’s grandma and let her backstage.”

“Shut up.”

“No, baby. I kid you not; this girl was twelve years old.” He grabs his phone and pulls up Instagram. “It turns out that she’s insanely good with makeup… so good that Wesley thought she was the grandmother of the singer.”

I scroll through the account he pulled up and am shocked at how well this girl does makeup. “Oh, wow. She’s really good.”

“If you keep going, she has a picture from that night.”

After a minute, I scroll down far enough on her account to see the picture of that night and immediately choke on laughter. I set the phone down and then rest my head on the back of the couch. He finally takes a full breath.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you laugh that hard.”

“There’s not much that makes me laugh like that.”

“I like it.”

“I like you.”

When a yawn threatens, I try to hide it.

“Come on.” He stands and puts his hands out for me. “Let’s get you to bed.”

He hauls me up, and we walk to the bathroom together where we brush our teeth and then crawl under the covers in his bed.

I curl up, and he reaches over me to flick the lamp off. Once we’re submerged into darkness, he kisses my cheek. “Night, precious.”

“Night. Royce?”

“Yeah?”

“Why doesn’t this feel weird?”

He hums and then strokes my hair. “Because it’s not.”

“What are we going to do about Derik?”

“I’ll take care of him.”

Rolling to my back, I shake my head. “We can do it together.” I don’t want him to take the brunt of his anger when I’m half of the equation.

“Whatever you think is better for you, babe.”

“Well, I’ve only had a couple of days to think about it. I don’t really know what’s the best way.”

He lightly traces my face with just the tips of his fingers. “Do you remember when Trevor came to pick you up for your first date?”

I groan. “Yes. God, that was so embarrassing.”

“Erik was beside himself. I’m not kidding. The guy was freaking out.”

“I know. You’d think I’d just told him I was pregnant or something.”

“He came into Ace and called a meeting. He wanted Q to do recon on the kid’s entire family. It was quite comical actually.” He chuckles. “The thing that got to him the most was that you’d talked to Polly first, and she said yes before he got a chance to say no. He doesn’t do too well with being told what to do or not given a choice.”

I roll my eyes. “It was dinner at the mall and a movie. Poor Trevor came to the house, and it was like he was walking into a firing squad.”

His chest shakes with laughter. “God, I loved watching that kid’s face fall when he saw everyone standing there.”

“That was so mean. You guys were way over the top.”

“Not when it came to you. Never when it comes to you.”

“Whatever.”

He drops his hand from my face. “My point is, Erik’s going to be pissed regardless. And it won’t be because he doesn’t think I’m good enough for you or because he’s afraid you’ll get hurt. It’s going to be because he didn’t have a say in the matter. We just need to understand he’s going to have a fit… and probably even throw a couple of punches at me, but then he’ll get over it.”

I don’t know how he’s so nonchalant about it, but I suppose he’s right.

“Yeah. I guess. But I don’t want you to let him hit you. Just like you let him at the hospital. That wasn’t cool.”

He kisses the tip of my nose. “You didn’t need to see us fighting, and I deserved it anyway. I knew it was coming; I just didn’t expect him to do it in front of you.”

“You didn’t deserve it.”

He raises a brow. “Yeah, I did. You had a gun held to your head because I wasn’t there.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“It is.”

“Royce, seriously. You can’t blame yourself for that. It’s totally not cool for you to feel guilty.” He doesn’t answer, and I know him well enough to realize that nothing I say will change his mind. “Can I tell you a secret?”

“You can tell me anything.”

“I kind of liked that the boys at school knew I had all of you guys at my back.” The moonlight shining against the curtains allows me to see his lips tilt up in an inviting smile, so I continue. “Ever since my parents died, I didn’t feel safe. I was one of the lucky ones in foster care, but I saw a lot of stuff, Royce. I saw the way some of the boys and even fathers touched the girls, and I was always afraid something like that would happen to me. I don’t know why it didn’t, and I try not to question it. I was very leery of Derik at first because he was so intimidating. But when I realized nothing

like that was going to happen, and I had all these big strong guys to scare anyone away, it made me feel really good.”

“I’m glad you had that.”

I bite my lip. “I never really felt scared out here either. Except… the morning I got attacked, I felt sick to my stomach the moment I got on the bus… Is it crazy to think that I knew you weren’t there that day? I mean that’s crazy, right? Surely, there were other times you weren’t with me.”

“No.” He shakes his head. “It’s not crazy because it was the only time I wasn’t there. I felt sick looking for you that morning.”

“It’s like we were meant to be together or something.” I wince at how cheesy the words sound.

His lips gently kiss mine. “There is no or something. We were, baby.

We are meant to be together.”

Chapter 6 Paisley Maybe I’m jumping in too fast, but I don’t care. It doesn’t feel fast. I like being with him. I like kissing him. I like sleeping with his arms around me.

I’ve slept awesome this last week. It feels like it’s exactly where we’re supposed to be. I never really questioned why he wanted to be with me because he never questioned why I wanted to be with him.

I remember my birth mother telling me about how she met my father in Times Square. She said she knew he was the one with just a look. When they kissed at midnight, it did nothing but cement the fact that her gut feeling was right.

Polly told me about the first time she met Erik, and she literally felt a spark when she ran into him. The very first time I saw Royce, I felt a shift in my body. No matter how crazy it sounds, I just knew he was the one.

And maybe I’m wrong for not questioning anything, but if this doesn’t last or isn’t real for some reason, I don’t want to waste the time we do have doubting it.

After he dropped me off this morning, my thoughts during psychology class were consumed by him, which isn’t abnormal, but this time, they were reality and not fantasy. And when I walk out of the building and see him leaning on a tree, I stop dead in my tracks. He smirks, and from here, I can see his dimples, so I unglue my feet from the cement and run to him. He plants himself on the ground, and I jump into his arms. My hands find his hair the same time my mouth crashes against his as if we’re lovers sure to be torn apart, grasping for those final seconds before the inevitable.

He doesn’t even budge as I climb him, just steadies me as he holds me tight. Tight enough that if he wanted, he could drown me, but even within the vise grip of his arms, I can finally breathe.

I could be here forever with him, but after a minute, he pulls away, wiping my bottom lip. “Have I really missed out on that greeting this whole time?”

“Hate to admit it, but yeah.” I kiss him one more time before hopping down. “We have a lot of time to make up for.”

“I’m looking forward to it.” He links his fingers with mine as we walk toward his vehicle.

“Paisley! Wait.” Chad’s very flamboyant voice makes me stop.

Royce turns with me and puts his hand on my lower back. I roll my eyes at his possessiveness toward a gay man. “Hey, Chad.”

“Hi.” He smiles at me, then squints his eyes as he looks over at Royce.

Royce tenses beside me, and I quickly put a hand on his stomach.

Instead of being a mature adult and shaking his hand, Royce lifts his chin at him in greeting and mumbles, “Hey.” “Okay then. Anyway…” He swivels sideways so all his attention is on me. “Since you haven’t called me back, I just wanted to make sure we were still doing brunch again on Saturday.”

I feel the tension rolling off Royce, but not because Chad’s talking to me. It’s because he completely just blew him off, and that’s not cool with me at all. Nobody is going to be a jerk to him. “I don’t think so, Chad.”

He huffs. “We’ve been going to brunch every Saturday for like six months, and you all of the sudden have a bodyguard and can’t go anymore?”

“You’ve got about ten seconds before I take over,” Royce promises between a clenched jaw.

“It’s not that, Chad. I’m busy with end of semester, and just have a lot on my plate getting ready to go back home.” I’m trying to keep the peace because if I get into it with Chad, I know Royce will jump in, and I don’t need that.

“I have a purple belt in taekwondo. I can keep you safe while we’re out.”

At that, Royce tosses his head back and laughs. Full belly, sucking in air laughter. I slap him on the stomach, and he wipes his eyes with the back of his hand. “Don’t be a jerk.”

“Shit, man, I never thought someone tryin’ to get in my girl’s pants right in front of me would make me laugh.”

“Your girl?” Chad crosses his arms.

“Yeah, buddy. We’ve already established this,” he agrees condescendingly. “We’re leaving now.” Royce bends at the waist, puts a shoulder in my stomach, and then hoists me over his shoulder. Upside

down, I wave. “Bye, Chad. I’ll text you. Ow.” I rub my butt and slap Royce’s back. “Did you just spank me?”

He does it again. “Yes.” Chad’s already turned his back to me as he walks away.

“Put me down, you big beefcake.”

He drops me onto my feet and wraps his arm around my waist. “That guy’s an ass, Paisley.”

We get to his SUV, and he opens the door for me. “He’s not… at least, not normally,” I tell him as he sits down in his seat and starts the vehicle.

“He is.”

“He’s not an ass. He’s just… dramatic.”

“Whatever you say.”

Royce reaches for my hand and draws a pattern with his thumb on it as we pull into traffic. My arms break out with goose bumps as he continues, and I can’t look away from the simple but meaningful gesture. “Who knew you were so sweet?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Holding hands and stuff. I didn’t take you for the touchy-feely type.”

“Only with you, precious.” He brings my hand up and kisses my knuckles. “And you seem to forget that I’ve had eyes on you. Which means I watched everyone you were with.”

I do seem to forget that. “That’s right. Another point we didn’t talk about.”

“Yup. Want to do it now?”

“Might as well.” Especially since it’ll get him off the topic of thinking Chad is any type of threat at all.

“Just ’cause we’re talking about this doesn’t mean I’m forgetting about Chad, either.”

If I didn’t have one arm with a wrap still on it and the other held prison

by Royce, I’d throw my hands in the air right now at how he can read my freaking mind. This does not bode well for me for future arguments.

“Whatever. About the whole watching me for months thing…”

He sighs and uses his signal right before he pulls off into a parking lot.

“Erik and I fought about telling you, but ultimately, he won because he threatened to put someone else on you, and I wasn’t going to allow that.”

“Why not?”

“Because you’re mine,” he says flippantly. “And because I know you, and I knew you’d be pissed when you found out. I figured if you were gonna be mad at anyone, I’d have the best chance of getting your forgiveness.”

“What made you think I’d find out?”

He rubs his thumb across the apple of my cheek. “Because you’re smart. And if you think back, I know you had a feeling someone was following you.”

“I did.” I remember looking behind me on several occasions. I just chalked it up to me being paranoid, remembering what Erik told me about how dangerous New York City was. But it was more than that. It was like… a guardian angel. I can’t think of any other way to describe it. It never felt creepy. “Can I ask you something?”

“Always.”

“Why didn’t you just tell me you were here?”

A beat of silence passes. “You were happy.” I get a dimple before he continues. “I didn’t want to be any part of the reason that changed. I wanted you to experience whatever it was you were going to. You wanted to do this on your own and be independent. I knew it was important for you to come here because of your birth parents’ memory, and I just knew the time wasn’t right. I thought it was best to let you have the time… as long as it didn’t include other guys.”

“So if I would have gone on a date, what would you have done?”

“You don’t want to know.”

“Would you have beaten him up?” I tease with a giggle. “Broken his fingers if he touched me… put his hands on what’s yours?”

I’m suddenly yanked out of my seat and pulled onto Royce’s lap. His hand fists my hair and the other wraps around my neck, a delicate pressure making me hold my breath. Resting his forehead against mine, he snarls, “You don’t want to fucking know.”

“Okay.” I feel the sting of tears in my eyes at the sudden change in his mood.

His fingers slide down my neck and across my collarbone, the gentle scrape teasing and making me want more. “Never, Paisley. These hands.”

They tighten even further in my hair and slide back up around my throat.

“They’ll never hurt you.”

“I know.”

“But if anyone fucks with you, if anyone even tries to hurt you, there isn’t a thing they wouldn’t do to protect you. So to answer your question.”

He kisses my cheek, then my lips. “Yes. I’d have beaten him up and broken his fingers if he touched what’s mine.”

Royce My phone vibrates at the worst time, but I’m expecting a call. “I’ve gotta get this.”

“Okay.” She flashes a smile and moves back to her seat.

“Be right back.” I hop out of the Escalade and answer my phone. “Tell me you found him.”

“I found him,” Q answers back. He’s the tech guru back at Ace. “Fuckin’ fantastic. I can’t wait to get his dumb ass.” Q pulled in some favors and did a little bit of hacking to access street cams. He notified me this morning that he was getting closer to a location for the guy who attacked Paisley. “Who’s close? I don’t want to leave Paisley alone while I deal with him.”

“Nobody.”

“Fuck.”

I hear a squeak in the receiver as if he’s leaned back in his big ass black leather chair. “Only one not active right now is Erik.”

“No.” I pinch the bridge of my nose. “I don’t want him back out here, goddamn micromanager.”

Q laughs. “This guy,” he goes on to say, “is just a coke head. Unless he ODs or walks into traffic, he’ll still be around tomorrow.”

Figured as much. “I’ll just pay him a visit while she’s in class then.”

“Sounds good. I’ll shoot the particulars over. Be smart.”

“Yeah.”

We hang up, and I take a second before getting back in the vehicle.

“Who was that?”

“Q.” “What’d he want?”

“Nothing.”

“If it was nothing, then why did you have to get out to talk to him?”

Suddenly frustrated because I have to wait almost an entire day to deal with this prick, I intentionally don’t answer her. I get back on the road and drive to my apartment. She gives me this play, not asking any more questions. But the second we’re inside, she asks again, “What did he want?”

“Nothing you need to worry about.”

“Was it about me?”

I grab a beer out of the fridge and pop the top. “Why would Q be calling me to talk about you?”

“You know what I mean.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Royce,” she whines. “Just tell me.”

Absolutely not. The less she knows, the better. Plus, she doesn’t need to worry about me and how I’m going to deal with the man who attacked her.

“What are you hungry for?”

“I’m not. I’m going on a hunger strike until you tell me why he called.”

“You are, are you?”

She crosses her arms and raises a brow. “Yes.” “Well, I’m not, and I’m hungry. Do you think you could help me find something to eat… something oh, I don’t know… sweet?”

Her neck flushes. “Don’t try to talk your way out of this.”

“I don’t plan on doing a lot of talking. But you, though? You’ll be making a lot of noise.” I set my phone on the counter and stalk her across the room.

She bumps into the arm of the couch and has to put her hands back to catch herself. “Royce.”

“Paisley.”

“I’m serious.”

“So am I.” With her hands occupied, I take advantage and pull off her stretchy pants. Her white underwear is wet in the center, and knowing she’s already ready for me, I can no longer hold back. I drop to my knees and press my tongue against the material.

She stiffens, and I look up into blue eyes of uncertainty. “Don’t be scared.”

“I’m not. Just nervous.”

“Tell me if you want me to stop, okay?”

Without another word, she nods, and I scoot her over until her butt hits the cushion and then grab her ankles and pull her closer to me. As she

watches, I divest her of her panties. One swipe of my tongue and her hips shoot up.

“Jesus, Paisley.” I spread her open for me and dive back in, fucking her with my tongue and sucking on her clit.

I use just the tip of my finger to circle her pussy, and she gasps, her thighs shaking. “Royce.”

“You like that?”

“Uh-huh.”

My eyes find hers as I slide my finger inside her, groaning at how slick and snug she is. She watches me watching her, and when I add a second, her eyes roll back in her head. Much as I want to see her come, I do it slowly.

She writhes under my touch, and I go back to eating her out while my fingers maintain a steady pace, curling inside before they come back out and circle. Back and forth, dragging it out, bringing her up and taking her back down.

“Royce.” She grabs my hair and pushes my head as she presses up.

I knew she was gonna be hot like this. Every time I heard her between the walls, she moaned and didn’t care, or was too far gone to realize the headboard would bang against the wall. Didn’t expect her to let go so soon, but I’m not complaining.

“Fuuuck.” She clenches around me, and I nearly come at the taste and the sound of her. Filthy mouth when she’s comin’ all over my tongue… the perfect girl. My girl.

She falls back and throws an arm over her face. “Holy shit.”

“Yeah.”

She catches me off guard when she sits up and kneels on the floor. “Pais —” “Shut up.”

I bite back a laugh and groan when she grabs me over my jeans. “You think you can tell me what to do, baby?”

Her hands attack my zipper. “Yes.” “You’d be correct.” I’d do whatever she asked of me, whenever she asked it. “Especially with my cock. It’s just as much yours as it is mine.

You can use it whenever you need, precious.”

Her cheeks turn pink.

“Do you need it now?”

“Yeah.”

I bring my hand to her face, cupping her jaw and running my thumb across her bottom lip. “Then have at it.”

She giggles and tugs my pants off, my cock swinging free and slapping against my stomach. It takes everything in me to sit still as she stares.

Finally, she looks up at me with parted lips. “It’s really big.”

“Thanks, baby.”

As she looks at my dick again, she bites her lip. “I don’t know what to do,” she confesses.

“Anything you want. I already told you it’s yours to do with as you please. You wanna suck it, then open your pretty little lips. You want to touch it, then please, for the love of God, wrap your hands around my cock and jack me off. But if you’re just gonna look at it, then I’m gonna take over in a second.”

“No. I want to.” She takes a deep breath, and then with a soft touch, she slides her finger up the length. When she reaches the tip, she swirls the precum around, and my cock twitches, the sensation torturous but fuckin’ amazing at the same time.

I let her explore even though it pains me to do so. Her touching me is something I’ve fantasized about forever, and the fact she’s on her knees in front of me is a goddamn dream come true. She’s a dream come true.

With a firm fist, she squeezes. “Is this okay?”

“Yes.” One pump down, then another up. “This?”

“Fuck, yes.” My thighs shake trying to keep from bucking my hips.

Her mouth closes over me, and she sucks so hard my hips lose the battle and shoot up, and my cock hits the back of her throat. She gags a little but keeps going like the natural she is. Sucking me hard and deep, she uses her hand where she can’t reach and brings her other hand around and digs her nails into my ass. “Fuck, baby, fuck.” My balls tighten, and it hits me so fast I barely have time to warn her since I’m already coming. “Stop or it’s goin’ in your mouth.”

She pauses, then pulls back, but not fast enough because a stream shoots out and coats her lips. Her hooded eyes pop open, and she licks it off, but her face scrunches up like she just sucked on a lemon or some shit, then she drops my dick like it’s on fire. I fall to my back laughing as my dick still twitches.

Never in my life has something felt so fuckin’ good and so goddamn perfect. And I knew it would. There wasn’t a question about it, but fuck, it’s better than I could have ever imagined.

Chapter 7 Paisley It’s really not fair that I can’t even focus on my math test. It’s quite a bit of bullshit actually that the only thing I can think of is Royce. He ignites me, leaving behind the remnants of a fiery explosion. Every time he gets me naked, he marks me. Not just on the surface either, but underneath that.

He’s marked me so deep that I know I’ll never be the same.

No matter what happens from here, I know I will always look at my life as before Royce and after Royce. Up until now, it was before I was adopted and then after. Even before that, it was before my parents died and then after.

But now, none of the other stuff matters. The loss and the letdown doesn’t exist for me anymore. What does, though, is Royce. He says I’m his, but he’s more mine than he even knows.

When he dropped me off at class this morning, he was acting weird… like he was trying to hide that he was mad. When I texted him halfway through to make sure everything was okay, he immediately replied with just yeah. We’ve been friends for a long time, and he’s never replied with a oneword answer when we’ve texted before. I know because I just looked back at our conversation thread instead of listening to the lecture.

I get that coiling feeling in my gut. Something is definitely wrong.

The moment class is done, I rush out of the room and run down the hallway, my shoes clacking on the white tiles. Past the trophy cases and administration offices until I get outside. Glancing around frantically, I look past the people, through the trees, and beyond the sidewalk, trying to find him. Panic trips me up when I don’t see him, and I push off a wrought iron bench, so I don’t fall.

It’s funny because even when I didn’t know he was here, I felt this weird sense of security… like my body subconsciously knew he was close.

But right now, I’m not laughing. Knowing he’s here and with me and that we’re together, yet afraid that something happened to him and I won’t get to

see him again, makes me physically ill. Maybe he changed his mind, maybe he got in a car accident, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe.

I grab my hair as my belly dips and my palms dampen. The voices surrounding me muffle as my eyes dance around, looking for the one glimmer of clarity that is Royce. The only clarity that I ever saw and will ever need. A hand settles on my shoulder, and I whip around, my irrational tears blocking my vision for a moment of panic.

“You okay, precious?” Royce asks, calm and collected and perfectly okay.

Hearing his voice and the low rumble makes my knees weak, and I practically collapse into him.

“Whoa.” He puts an arm around my waist, and I cling to him. He holds me tight and carries me to his car, my face buried in his neck. After he sets me inside, he puts a fist beneath my chin and tilts my face up to look at him.

“What the hell happened?”

“You weren’t there.”

“I was.”

My head shakes as I answer. “I looked for you, and I couldn’t find you, and I didn’t know where you were.”

“Well, I’m right here. Christ, I’m not goin’ anywhere. I’m here.”

He brings his hand up and wipes under my eye, and when he brings it back down, I grab it. He tries to pull away, but I don’t let him. “Why are your knuckles all red?”

“They’re not.”

“Don’t lie to me, Royce.” I hold them both up and notice the left is worse than the right, which would make sense because he’s a leftie. “What did you do?”

“You don’t—” “Want to know?” I guess.

His lips press together, and he gives me an imperceptible nod.

“Are you okay?” I ask. “Is anything going to come back on you?”

Right before my eyes, his face softens. “You’re so sweet, baby.

Nothing’s coming back on me, I promise.”

“You didn’t tell me if you’re okay.”

“No, I’m not.”

My heart thunders as I sit up and grab his face, twisting and angling to get a better view. “Why? What’s wrong?”

“I’ve been with my girl for five minutes, and she hasn’t kissed me yet.”

I lean over to rectify that, and then he walks around to his side and climbs in. Pulling away, he holds my hand as he drives us home. His fingers twisted in mine relax me, and I lean my head on his shoulder as he drives.

When we get back to the apartment, he leads us to the elevator. As soon as the door closes, he slides his arms around my belly and pulls me back so not a centimeter of space exists between us. “I thought we could go out tonight? Maybe you could wear a little black dress.” His lips tickle my ear.

“And maybe I could take it off you later.”

A super girly giggle bursts out of me, the fear long gone, and he chuckles, the vibration shaking my entire body. The doors ping open just as his mouth closes over my neck.

“What the…?”

Royce’s body tenses, and I look up just as a familiar man—tall, dark, and totally handsome with a chiseled jaw and huge arms—reaches for me.

His intense dark brown eyes blacken.

“Gio! What are you doing here?”

He tries to grab me, but Royce blocks his hand. “You don’t get to touch her.”

Gio leans in, an entire head taller than me so I only see his neck, the veins in it throbbing as he loses his temper. “And you do?” he roars.

Royce pulls me behind him. “Back the fuck up, man.”

I peek around him, and Gio continues staring him down but finally drops his head and takes a step away. Royce grabs my hand as he walks out, pulling me in front of him. I look over my shoulder as we make our way down the hall to his apartment and find Gio following us. The look on his face, if I didn’t know him, would scare the shit out of me. He’s one of the bodyguards who always seems so serious.

But the times I’ve talked to him, he’s always been nice. Funny. Serious but super sarcastic with an underlying sadness that he tries too hard to cover up.

Royce’s hand stays on my waist, his palm flat. He opens the door to his place and gives me a gentle shove inside and shuts the alarm off.

Gio follows us in and slams the door behind him, then paces in the kitchen. “Are you serious right now?” He runs his hands through his thick black hair and stops. “What the fuck, Royce?”

“Not the time.”

“Oh, I think it’s the perfect time.” He looks at me, and he smiles just enough for his bright white teeth to shine through his goatee, hair as dark as the top of his head. “Paisley… this can’t happen.”

Royce steps in front of me. “Hallway,” he demands.

“No.” I peek around him and look at one of my dad’s most trusted bodyguards. “It’s fine, Gio.” “It’s not. This isn’t cool.” He directs his disappointment at Royce.

“She’s nineteen.”

“I’m an adult, and I can make my own decisions.”

Gio laughs. “If you’re so grown, then why did your daddy pay someone to follow your ass around and—” “Last warning,” Royce growls. “I won’t do it in front of her, but I’ll drag your ass outta here and break your fuckin’ jaw if you talk to her like that again.”

“You’re the one who’s gonna have a broken fuckin’ jaw when Erik finds out you’re fucking his daughter!”

Oh, my God. He thinks I’m a slut. Why didn’t it occur to me? All the guys are going to think I am. As if someone punched me in the stomach, the wind gets knocked out of me, and if it weren’t for Royce’s support, I wouldn’t still be upright. He practically drags me to the chair in the kitchen and sets me in it, then points at me. “Stay here.”

Royce Gio follows me into the hallway, and once the door is closed, he holds his arms up in a neutral gesture. “I’m not gonna fight you, but you do realize Erik will kick your fucking ass, right?”

“I’m fully aware of the fact he’s going to want to try.”

“You’ve gotta let him get at least one good one in, Royce. You’re fucking his daughter.”

I don’t correct him because it’s none of his business what happens between Paisley and me. I shrug. “Depends on how much he pisses me off that day, I guess.”

“Damn, man.” He tucks his hands into the front pockets of his jeans.

“How the hell did you two…”

“It’s not like it happened overnight.” Again, nobody needs to know what goes on between me and Paisley. We’re still figuring it out, and I know this is just the beginning of the shit we’re gonna get from everyone.

I’ll do my best to shield her from it, which shouldn’t be hard since everyone’s gonna want to rip my balls off. “We’ve both wanted it for a while now.”

He shakes his head and grunts. “It’s Paisley.”

“I know.” It’s the boss’s daughter, and the little sister to all the guys at Ace. The one who we always joked about would stay single forever because nobody would have the guts to face the wrath of not only Erik, but also all the men at his back. “Why are you here in the first place?”

“Q called me.”

Of course, he did. “He said everyone was busy.”

“For this, I got unbusy.”

Not surprised. Everyone loves Paisley and wants to see the asshole who hurt her locked up. “I already took care of it.”

He glances at my hands. “I see that.”

“It’s not like it was hard. The guy was so high he didn’t feel anything until I broke his arm.”

“Well, then. I guess I can get out of this shit hole.”

I nod in total agreement. “I hate this city. Can’t wait to go back home.”

“Yeah, what’s gonna happen with that?” He nods toward the apartment.

“She’s with me.” I shrug like he’s an idiot for asking me that. “We’re together. Not too hard to figure out.”

“Erik doesn’t even know I’m here, and since you don’t need help, I’m just gonna pretend I don’t know what the hell is going on between you two.”

I laugh. “Scared?”

“Fuck yeah, I am. You’ve seen the way he gets. I don’t want to be on the receiving end of that shit,” he states even though I know it’s a lie. Gio is an ex-MMA fighter. He’s the one we all go to for sparring and training. I doubt Erik would even be able to get one hit in.

The door opens, and we both look over at Paisley. She leans against the doorjamb and holds her phone up. “That was Detective Barker. They caught the guy who attacked me because he turned himself in. Just walked right into the police station and confessed.” She crosses her arms. “Isn’t that convenient?”

I click my tongue against the roof of my mouth. “I guess the guilt was eating away at him.”

“I guess.” She smiles at me, and I feel my lips pull up in return. “Are you guys okay?”

“Yeah, babe. We’re good,” I answer right away.

She glances at Gio, then at me, then back at Gio. “Do you, uh… want to stay for dinner? I was thinking maybe something from the Italian place down the street.”

“Nah. I’ll take off. You guys—” “Are you mad at me?” she interrupts him and steps into the hallway as all happiness falls from her. “I don’t want you to be mad at me.”

“Ah, cara, no.” He pulls her in for a hug. “Not mad as long as he’s treating you good, and you’re happy.”

She nods into his chest, and as much as I want to yank him away from her, I have to remind myself that the guys all see her like a little sister. At least they’d better see her that way. If not, then we’re going to have some major fuckin’ problems. “I am.”

“Good.” He motions for her to enter the apartment. “Let’s try this place out and I’ll tell you how good the food really is.”

***

Later that night, we’re lying in bed, me on my back and her head on my chest. We ended up going out with Gio, and he actually thought the food was really good. Though the conversation was a bit forced because Paisley wasn’t herself.

I tried to give her time to talk to me about it, but even though Gio’s been gone for a few hours, she hasn’t broached the subject. So I will.

“Paisley?”

“Yeah?”

“You want to tell me what’s bothering you?”

She sighs, her warm breath gliding across my bare chest. “Nothing, I just…”

“Just what, babe?”

“Just… is it going to be like that with everyone?”

“Like what?”

I let go of her when she sits up and crosses her legs next to me, her knees resting on my thigh. “Like everyone wants to pull me away and punch you in the face.”

“I won’t let anyone touch you.” I don’t include the fact that if anyone wants to punch me in the face, I’ll be happy to return the blow.

“I’m not worried about that.”

I love that she feels that way, especially after what I let happen. “What are you worried about?”

“They’re going to think I’m a slut.”

“Nobody will think that,” I promise her. “Because you’re not, and it pisses me off that you’d even say that about yourself, so shut it.”

“But—” I interrupt her, refusing to listen to any of this bullshit. “But nothing. I know who you are. You know who you are. We know who we are together, and anything that happens between us is ours. Nobody gets to take any of that away, understand?”

“I guess.” She lifts her shoulders quickly. “But Gio thought that we were… ya know?”

This girl. “If you want me to set him straight and tell him I haven’t fucked you yet, I’ll be happy to.”

“No. That’s even worse.”

“It’d be worse that he knows we haven’t fucked?”

“No. God!” She squeezes her little fists together. “I don’t know. I just don’t want them to think badly of me. They’re like… they’re family to me, and I hate that I’d do anything to cause a riff with anyone.”

She’s right; they are family. And her family is loyal. Unlike mine.

I sit up and brush her hair off one shoulder and rest my hand there.

“Nobody will think badly of you. Even if we were, even if Gio was right and I was fuckin’ you, it doesn’t mean he thinks bad about you. If anything, he thinks badly of me. They’re all going to be pissed at me, not you. I can guarantee that.” It’s definitely something I’ve prepared myself for, and as much as I hate that I know it’s going to be a shitstorm when everyone finds out, she’s worth it. I’ll take my blows from them, but I won’t allow anybody to be shitty toward her because of me.

“That’s not fair.”

“It’ll be fine.” I slide my hand up to cup the back of her head and pull her to me. I give her a reassuring kiss before I rest my forehead against hers. “I promise you everything will be fine.”

Chapter 8 Royce “I don’t want to use a condom.” I blurt out the words as we’re lying naked next to each other. It’s been almost three weeks of sleeping with her but not sleeping with her and I’m going crazy. I just went down on her and made her come twice, and she sucked me off so good I felt it down to my toes, and this time, she swallowed every last drop. “I need to know if you want me to ’cause if you do, I’ll get some. If you want me to get test results, I will. If you—” “Do you need to get tested?” She panics, sitting up and grabbing a pillow to her chest.

“I’ve always wrapped up but—” I close my eyes, totally wishing I could take that back. “That came out wrong. No, I don’t need to. I have clean results from work, but it’s been a while since I had the tests done.”

She looks away from me and reaches down to grab her tank top. After she puts it on, she shuts the light off and pulls the sheet up to her chin.

“Have you been with anyone since then?”

“No.” “Then I, uh, I guess you don’t need to.” She’s on the pill, so we both know pregnancy isn’t an issue. But more so than that, it’s about her being comfortable with me going bareback. Because I don’t know how much longer we can wait. And I know when I sink into her, I don’t want a barrier.

Never with her.

I get up and put on a clean pair of boxers, then go to the bathroom.

After I take a leak, I get a wet cloth and gently pull the covers back.

Tapping her knees, I tell her, “Open for me.” She complies, and I clean her up.

Once finished, I throw the rag on the floor and get in bed next to her. “I know it’s not a fun conversation to have, baby, but I’ll say this, and if you want to talk more about it we can. Otherwise, it can end here.” She nods.

“You weren’t my first, but you’re my last and the only one who has ever mattered and will ever matter.”

With her back to me, I can see her head nod against the pillow. I tuck her close to me and kiss her neck. She doesn’t fight me, but there’s more distance between us than any other night.

“Night, precious.”

“Good night, Royce.”

Paisley The final project for my photography class is currently drip-drying. I chose to go old school and developed in the dark room. Something is really unique and beautiful about watching a picture come to life in front of my eyes. Seeing the details become sharper and my vision a reality.

As soon as I turn this in, I’m going back to Royce’s until we head home to Cali.

I’m so nervous.

I’m afraid of what’s going to happen when everyone finds out that Royce and I are a couple. Especially Derik. But I’m more excited about Royce and I being a couple that I’m willing to push through that fear.

The outer door to the darkroom squeaks, and a second later, the other one opens. “I was hoping you’d still be here,” Chad says.

“Hi.” I point at my picture. “Just waiting for this to dry.”

He walks over and looks at the photo. “This is stunning.”

“Thank you.” I stand next to him and admire my work. Walking through the city, I saw a beautiful necklace on the ground. What’s so special about this necklace is it’s one of those friendship necklaces where the heart is broken in half.

The charm, with the letters BE and FRIE, lay flat on a pile of garbage, dirt and rainwater making the trash even dirtier. The simple piece of jewelry gives the litter a depth of beauty. It’s an amazing piece, if I say so myself. I used this instead of the sunrise at Times Square with film that I already had luckily.

“You’re welcome. Do you want to go grab something to eat when you’re done?”

“Oh, I can’t. Remember I told you I’m flying back tomorrow, so I have a bunch of things to take care of today.” I do feel bad that I wasn’t able to have brunch with him, but life happens. Chad is a nice guy, and I’m happy to have him for a friend, but things have been so busy, and I really wish he’d understand. And quite honestly, I’d rather spend time with Royce, which I also wish he would understand.

Instead, Chad’s almost gotten pushier the few times I’ve seen him.

“Come on, Paisley. We’re friends.”

“We are,” I agree. “Which is why I hope you understand that things are just crazy right now. I don’t have the time to go out to eat, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still talk over the summer. You have my number, but right now, I’m concentrating on Royce and what I need to do to make it work with him.”

He drops his head while nodding, then finally looks at me with a somber expression on his face. “I’m just going to miss you.”

I reach up and grab my photo. “I’ll miss you, too. This is ready.” I put the strap of my purse over my shoulder. “Take care, okay? We’ll talk soon.”

I leave the room quickly and hand my final project to the professor.

“Thank you, Paisley.”

“You’re welcome. Have a good summer.”

“You do the same.” He nods at me, and I turn around, walking out of the room.

Royce waits for me outside, and I control myself enough not to run to him. Instead, I walk like a normal person. “Hey.” He tosses an arm over my shoulder and kisses the side of my head. “Everything good?”

“Yeah. Everything’s great.”

“Do you want to hit up that shake joint one more time before we leave?”

I pull back from him and cross my arms. “How long have you known me?”

“Five years.”

“In that time, have I ever turned ice cream down?”

“Point taken.” He rocks back on his heels. “Let me rephrase that. Let’s go to that shake joint you love so much one more time before we leave.”

Deciding to mess around with him, I cross my arms. “What’s that supposed to mean? Do you think I’m fat?”

His face actually pales, and he stutters, “What? I… no.”

“Just messin’ with ya.”

“You’re gonna get it now.” I jerk away from him at his playful expression.

“No!” I screech as he reaches for me, and then I run across campus and toward the street where he normally parks. He catches up to me just as I get to his vehicle, and he puts his hands on my waist and leans into me. My back is already against the door, so I have nowhere to go.

My heart gallops, and the laughter from teasing him dries up and wetness pools in my panties from the heated look he’s giving me. With gentle fingers, he brings them back and forth under the waistband. “I think you forgot something, precious.”

“What’s that?”

He smirks. “I know how ticklish you are.” Then he brings his fingers up to the one spot on my belly that’s super ticklish.

I try to push him away, but his strength is no match for me, and I get a cramp in my jaw from laughing so hard. “Okay, okay,” I wheeze. “You win.”

“Oh, I already won.” He brings his hands up to my face. “I have you, don’t I?” I can’t resist kissing him, and knowing that I have the right to, that’s exactly what I do. Then he takes me to the shake place I love.

***

I don’t think he’s purposely tempting me as he works out, but I can’t peel my eyes away. Shirtless and in nothing but a pair of black basketball shorts, he’s sweaty while doing one-handed push-ups and twisty sit-ups. I lean against the doorjamb and just watch as his muscles flex.

I know how powerful those arms can be and how gentle his fingers are.

His stomach is like a washboard, and his broad shoulders offer the perfect place to rest my head.

“You enjoying the show?” he asks as he wipes his face off with a towel.

I giggle like a schoolgirl because he caught me, then rush to the kitchen to make breakfast. We’re supposed to be leaving this afternoon, so my

options are limited with most of the stuff packed already. He comes up behind me and brushes my hair to one side, kissing my shoulder. “I’m gonna hop in the shower.”

Oh, God… him naked. Wet. Once the pipes give the squeak to signify that they’re on, I drop the cereal box and stand outside the bathroom door. I take the biggest breath ever and race to take my clothes off.

The room is steamy, and when I close the door, Royce wipes the condensation off the shower. His hand freezes midmotion. “You need something, precious?”

Ignoring his question, I walk to the shower and pull the door open. He devours me with his eyes, and I do the same to him. It’s too late to turn back, so I step inside and pull the door closed behind me. “Hi,” I choke out.

“Hey.” He takes pity on me and makes the first move. Pulling me to him, he finds my mouth, and I open so I can get more while giving him everything I possibly can. I scratch at his back, a longing for this makes me nothing but confident in my want for him.

He pushes me against the wall and lifts one of my legs and sets it on the small corner bench. A gasp flies from my mouth when his finger enters me.

I drop my head at the current flowing through me and watch as he pleasures me.

“So fuckin’ beautiful, Paisley. Look how pretty you are.” Our foreheads rest against one another as he builds it inside me.

I want to see it happen, but when the pleasure becomes too much, my eyes close, and I grab his arm as I cry out. He shuts the water off and grabs my backside. My throbbing core hits his hardness, and we both moan at the contact.

He carries me to his bed and sits with his back to the headboard, leaving me straddling him. Wet strands of hair from both of us drip onto our bodies, and I slide up and down as he cups my breasts, massaging them and teasing my taut nipples.

“If we do this now, if you give me this, there is no way we’re getting on a plane in a few hours.”

“Good thing our tickets are transferrable, then.”

I want this. God, do I want him.

So I take.

I feel him at my entrance and take a huge breath, then just drop down. I cry out as pain tears through me but don’t move, hoping it’ll get better.

“Jesus, fuck. Fuck me.” He pants at my ear, and the muscles in his arms shake as his hands spasm around my waist. “Why the hell did you do that?

Christ, baby, I wanted to go gentle with you.”

My throat is clogged with pain and every single other emotion I can think of. He gently strokes my back, and the sting from him inside me begins to lessen into a fullness that makes my belly flutter.

“Talk to me, Paisley. Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I just need a second.”

“Take as much time as you need.” He brings my head down to his and gently parts my lips. “But hurry.” I kiss him back, melting into him and not regretting my decision at all. Being connected to him in this way, I feel all the way in my marrow.

And it feels good.

God, it feels perfect.

“I need to move, baby. Please tell me you’re good.”

“Yes. I’m good, please move.”

The grip he has on my hair is tight, but it feels amazing. The little bit of sting adds to the rest of the sensations overtaking my body. He rolls us over and frames my face with his hands as he glides in and out of me.

“I can’t believe you did that.” He smiles, while still pumping in and out of me.

“Me either.”

“Feel good?” He swivels his hips, and my eyes roll back into my head.

I open my mouth to tell him that yes, it feels fantastic, when he pulls almost all the way out and slams back inside.

“Yeah, it’s fucking amazing. God, you feel perfect.” He puts his head next to mine, temple to temple, and he keeps an even pace. Slow but steady, he thrusts his hips and fucks me like I’ve always dreamed.

“Faster,” I pant.

“Not this time.” He licks my earlobe and trails his tongue down my neck.

My back arches at the beautiful sensation, and he closes his mouth over my skin, and it shoots fireworks through my body. “Royce.”

“Fuck, baby. You ready?”

“Yes.”

He grunts but doesn’t speed up or slow down; he only does it harder, hitting the absolute perfect spot. “Fuck. Come with me. I need you to come with me, baby.”

And I do. He takes me with him, and I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, this man was made for me. The years of waiting, the nights of fear I’d never get to feel my love reciprocated, the agony of feeling my heart falling apart when he wasn’t near—it was all worth it. All for this moment that will forever go down in history as my favorite moment ever. Because it’s right now that I stop dreaming and start living.

Chapter 9 Royce Two months later.

“I don’t fucking care, Paisley,” I shout into the phone, yelling at her for the first time in my life. Knowing I’m about to lose my temper, I purposely slow my words. “We’ve been back for months. I’m not in fucking high school, and you’re a legal adult. I will not continue to hide this from him.

And if you’re too embarrassed to tell your father that you’re dating me, then maybe you really aren’t ready to be in a big girl relationship.”

“No, it’s not that.” She sniffles, and it pisses me off that she’s crying. I want to feel bad, but at this point, I’m over it.

“I don’t care what it is. You’re either with me or you’re not.”

She doesn’t say anything right away, but after a second, she clears her throat. “I’m with you.”

“Good. Then prove it to me.” I’m tempted to hang up on her because it’s the same shit she’s said every day since we’ve been back home.

Plus, Erik gave me an out-of-town assignment next week since she’s back here. I’ll only be gone five days, but that’s five days away from her that I don’t want to take.

I don’t need her permission to tell Erik about us being together, but I want it. I want her to be excited to tell him and not afraid. It’s been sixtytwo days of her not sleeping in my bed, and I’m about at my breaking point.

I can’t take any more days of secret phone calls and hurried visits. She works at Ace part time doing reception work and stuff like that, and when I know she’s there, I avoid going in because it’s too damn hard… I’m always fuckin’ hard around her.

“Tomorrow,” she whispers. “We’ll tell him tomorrow.”

“Come over tonight. Spend the night with me and we’ll go over in the morning together.”

Normally, she just says she’s hanging with friends to spend time with me, and I fucking hate it. I’m trying to see things from her perspective, but

there’s no way I can. Not anymore. I want Erik to know, and I want the guys to know she’s mine. When she’s at Ace, I want to be able to kiss her, and most of all, I want to sleep with her in my arms.

“Okay.”

“That’s my girl.” I smile into the phone. “I’ll see you soon.”

Except I don’t see her. She sends me a text at nine thirty saying she got stuck and couldn’t leave and that she’d see me tomorrow.

Fuck this shit.

I knew that we’d have our challenges, but I didn’t think she’d be such a prima donna about telling her fuckin’ dad. It’s ridiculous. It’s absolute bullshit, and I’m so done right now it’s not even funny.

I don’t even respond to her text, and instead, I walk out of my apartment and across the street to the bar. After grabbing a beer, I head to the room with a pool table and lose myself in a few games.

“You look like you could use a partner.”

I finish my second beer and set it down on the table, then chalk my cue.

“Nah. I’m good.” Ignoring the other person’s presence, I drop the chalk on a table.

“You can’t even look at your own father.”

The pool stick in my hand would splinter easy. If I hit him in his head in just the right spot, I bet it’d only take one try, but I don’t give him the satisfaction of thinking he has any power over me. I look him dead in the eyes. “What do you want?”

“Haven’t seen you in almost two years.”

“I know.”

“You won’t answer my calls.”

“Everything I’ve already said to you is all I’ll ever have to say.”

He puts his hands in his pockets and rocks back on his heels. I can’t believe I used to admire this man. I wish I didn’t look so much like him either. Pisses me off every time I look in the fuckin’ mirror and see him staring back at me. Thank God I got my mom’s eyes at least.

“I made a mistake, son.”

As I walk the four feet to get nose to nose with him, I toss the stick on the green felt. “I am not your son. Not anymore. You lost the right to call me that when you fucked another woman and got her pregnant while my mother was fucking dying!”

His eyes close and shame washes over him. Good. He should be ashamed. “I know.” His voice has lost the tenacity it carried moments ago.

“I know.”

“If you know, then why are you here?”

“Because I want to make it right. I want to have my son back in my life.

Don’t you think I realize how fucked up the entire situation was? Jesus, Royce.” He runs his hand over the top of his head. “I know, all right. But there are things you don’t know. Nobody is perfect, and I—” “It’s not a matter of being perfect; it’s a matter of being a decent human being. It’s staying faithful in sickness and in health. It’s showing your seventeen-year-old son that he’s more important, that his mother is more important than some fuckin’ whore.” At the insult, his jaw clenches. He married the bitch. “It’s being there for your family when one of them was about to die.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Sometimes, sorry isn’t enough.” I shoulder past him, but he grabs my bicep.

“What will be enough?”

I freeze but don’t turn to look at him. “Get your motherfuckin’ hand off me.”

He immediately releases me, and I waste no time in getting away from the devil. He’s got some balls, asking for forgiveness. He knew she was dying, yet he couldn’t wait until she stopped breathing to go fuck some slut.

And I had to sit there in the same hospital room as him while we watched my mother’s health fade day after day after day until nothing was left. I had to pretend not to want to strangle the bastard in front of her so she’d die thinking we were the perfect happy family.

I hate pretending. Absolutely loathe pretending. What I’m doing right now with Paisley is bringing up shit that I haven’t thought about in a long time. Of course, seeing my dad for the first time in years doesn’t help either.

I don’t know a lot about why things happen or any of that philosophical stuff, but I do know that Paisley was put on this earth to be mine. I just don’t know any more if I was meant to be hers.

Paisley

“Nonononono.” I drop the stick on the ground and fall against the wall. My back hits the towel rack, and I wince. “Oh, my God. No. Oh, my God.” I can’t be pregnant.

Pregnant!

My body lurches, and I heave into the toilet. Nothing remains to come out, yet I try to expel the acid in my stomach. I want kids. A family. Always have but I didn’t want it this fast. I wanted it with Royce, and now I’m gonna have it, and I don’t know how I feel.

We never talked about this. I mean, why would we. We’ve barely seen each other the past couple of months, and before that, it was only a few weeks. I don’t know if he wants kids.

What if he doesn’t? I’ll lose him but be stuck with a lifetime reminder that I had days, days, in my life of the heaven that he offered me.

But what if he does want it?

I’m terrified, excited, worried… I almost don’t believe it.

“Paisley, are you okay?” Polly knocks on the bathroom door attached to my bedroom. “Breakfast has been ready for almost a half an hour.”

Reaching up, I flush the toilet and clear my throat. “I’m coming.”

I listen for her to walk away, and once her footsteps fade into silence, I quickly grab the pregnancy tests and throw them back in the box, then brush my teeth. I crush the box as much as I can and stuff it in my purse.

I’ve been throwing up every morning for almost three weeks.

I ignored it at first.

Refusing to believe it could be true, I bought some tests and have been carrying them around in my purse, their presence mocking me. I was in denial, but I knew it all along. Shit, shit.

Hitching the bag over my shoulder, I head downstairs, gripping the railing with white knuckles to steady my unstable legs. When I reach the last step, I take a calming breath before I walk into the kitchen.

The instant the bacon penetrates my nostrils, I gag. Any meat product has made me want to hurl lately. Polly’s back is to me, so luckily, she doesn’t see. “I’ve gotta go, running late.” I turn my back to her and rush out of the house. When I get to the porch, I lean against the door, sucking in gulps of air as I pray for my stomach to stop churning.

I need to talk to Royce. I have to tell him. He asked for me to be at his place last night, but I was freaked. I sat up all night and stared at the box of

tests on my dresser. Of course, I would have much rather been with him. I’d have much rather been with him the entire time we were back here.

And if I hadn’t overheard Erik’s conversation, I would have.

“I don’t like it, Polls, and I don’t like it even more because I’m the one who fucked up, thinking I could trust him. I saw the way he looked at her at the hospital and then again today, and if he touched one fuckin’ hair on my daughter’s head, I’m going to rip his nuts off and shove them down his throat. He knows she’s off limits, and I swear to Christ, I will make his life a living hell if he crossed that line. Royce was sent out there to do a job. If I find out he did any differently, he will no longer have a job with me, and I’ll spread that shit far and wide so the only person who will hire him will be his father.”

That was the day we got back in town. I don’t know what Royce did, but Erik saw something he didn’t like. I don’t want Royce to get hurt… so yeah, I’m trying to avoid him because I don’t know what else to do to make it better. I don’t know how to handle this.

I barely can figure out what to do with my future, now I have a baby to think about. I was supposed to go back for another semester of college, but I never enrolled again. I fulfilled my promise and lived in New York, but I don’t want to go back. I was planning on just getting more hours at Ace and then I’d figure things out later, which everyone else is cool with.

If I tell Royce how Erik exploded, his defenses will go up, and I just know he and Erik will come to blows with each other… and I don’t want that. I don’t want the two guys who mean the most to me to hate each other.

But now… God, now I’m fucking pregnant, and the decision’s been made for me.

“Shit, shit, shit.” The ride back to his apartment is long. I hit every red light and then get stuck by a bridge and a train.

Just when I get to his door, it opens, and a woman steps out. Tall, long black hair in a ponytail and super thin. “Oh”—she laughs—“you scared me.”

I can’t reply. I can’t think. I can’t fucking breathe.

She looks at me like I’m crazy and pulls the door but leaves it cracked open. “Are you here to see Royce?”

“Um… I was.”

“Oh, well. Go on in, I guess. He’s just getting out of the shower.”

She practically skips down the hallway, and I put a hand to my chest to ease the ache before going in. This is my fault. I pushed him away. I didn’t show up last night. Even if we’re not together, he still has the right to know he’s going to be a father. I’ll tell him and let him decide what he wants to do.

Oh God, I feel sick, and it’s way more than morning sickness. I quietly walk in and take a couple of breaths through my nose to try to calm the raging boil in my stomach. I need to just get it over with. I don’t hear the water running, and when I close the door, it echoes in his apartment.

“You forget something, honey?” He comes out of the bathroom, pulling a shirt over his face. When his head pops through the neck hole, he momentarily pauses. “Hey. What are you doing here?”

I lean against the fridge and try to figure out how to tell him. Do I just blurt it? Should I ask who that girl was? Would it be better if I just made a break for it and never saw him again?

God, no. The thought of never seeing him again makes me so sad my eyes immediately fill with tears.

He comes into the kitchen and stands about five feet in front of me. His brows scrunch together, but he doesn’t make an attempt to touch me. Yeah, something is definitely wrong. “Everything okay?”

No precious. No baby. Not even my name. I really messed everything up. I shake my head and reach blindly behind me for the doorknob. “No.” It’s most definitely not okay. Absolutely nothing is okay right now.

“Paisley.” His voice softens.

“I’ll just be, uh… going now.”

“Paisley.”

I can’t do it. I can’t tell him right now. Maybe not ever. I turn around and finally find what I’m looking for, but he comes up behind me and clamps his hand over mine on the doorknob. He whirls me around and holds my face in his warm hands. “She’s my cleaning lady, Paisley. Her name is Honey.”

Chapter 10 Royce “I’m pregnant.” She throws her hands over her mouth, as if not believing the words came out.

My jaw unhinges, and I try to say something, but my throat is knotted, so nothing comes out. There’s no hiding the tears that fall down her cheeks now, and as much as I know I need to be comforting her, I can’t force myself to move.

Paisley. Pregnant. With my baby.

Her belly’s gonna grow with our child inside of it.

She suddenly covers her mouth and then fumbles with her purse before she drops it and runs to the bathroom. I hear her retching and immediately go to her. “Go away.” She tries to shoo me away, but I ignore her and grab her hair to hold it out of her face. “I’m fine.”

“Let me help you.”

She reaches up and flushes the toilet. “Sorry.”

I ignore the apology and extend my arm to grab a towel off the counter.

After getting it wet, I hand it to her, and she wipes her mouth and then stays where she is. Slowly and gently, I rub her back, calming myself just as much as I am her.

“I’m good now.” She shuts the lid on the toilet, and I help her stand.

When she leans over the countertop and looks in the mirror, I feel a kick in my nuts at the sadness on her face. “I just need to brush my teeth.”

“Do you need anything else?”

“No. It goes away after I puke.”

“How long have you been sick?”

She spits and then shrugs. “Couple of weeks.”

“I thought you were on the pill.”

“I am… I was. I guess I’m that one percent. I was always really careful and took it at the same time every day.”

“It’s okay. But why didn’t you tell me as soon as you started to worry?”

After setting the toothbrush back on the counter, she walks right past me. I follow her to the kitchen and lean against the counter as she opens a can of Sprite. When she locates a coaster, she finally finds my eyes.

“Come closer.”

She hesitates. “You’re not mad at me?”

“No, I’m not mad at you. I’m taken off guard, but I’m not mad.”

Her lip trembles, but she doesn’t cry. “I’m scared.”

“Come closer, baby.”

She crosses the kitchen and falls into me. I wrap her up and hold her as tight as I can to reassure everything is going to be okay. I was so mad at her for not showing up last night, but I can only assume this is why. “This the reason you ditched me last night?”

“Yeah. I was going to take them last night before I came over, but I didn’t know I was supposed to use them first thing in the morning, and I didn’t want to do it here…”

“Wish you would have told me.”

“I’m sorry.”

As I continue to hold her, a million thoughts run through my head. None of them loud enough to silence the pride coating my veins that the woman I love is carrying my baby.

“What do we do now?”

“Now, you just relax and let me take care of everything.”

She hugs me tighter, and I press my lips to the top of her head, an overwhelming sense of purpose rooting me to the spot.

I honestly never had given much thought to my future and whether I’d have kids. I’m more of day-by-day type of guy… with the exception of knowing I’d be with Paisley. There isn’t even a question of wanting this baby with her.

Growing up, I had a good family; at least, I thought I did. I don’t worry that I’m going to be a shitty dad, despite the rocky relationship my dad and I have now. He showed me a lot as a child, and I hope to give my kid the same good memories.

I’ve always wanted everything with her, so being able to create a life with her is nothing but icing on an already sweet cake.

“What are we gonna do?”

“Nothing but be happy, babe. This is a shock, but it’s not a bad thing.

Nothing that happens between us is bad.”

“But it’s so unexpected.”

I nod. “It is. But you’re going to be a great mother. I just know it. I’ll be an okay father, and our kid will grow up happy. I don’t know how much more we can ask for.”

“You’re right. As long as we have each other, we’ll be okay.”

“Damn straight.” I’ll make it that way no matter what.

Paisley “You never told me about your mother.” We’re sitting on the couch a couple of hours after I first got here. He fed me some toast and put in my favorite movie to distract me.

“What about her?”

I bite the inside of my cheek, wondering if I should have brought it up.

“She had cancer, and she died. Not much else to tell.”

“I’m sorry.”

He keeps his eyes on the TV but begins bouncing his leg. “I am, too.

She was the best.”

I lean against his shoulder, and he grabs my hand, linking our fingers together. Figuring the conversation is over, I focus on the TV. “My dad fucked my mom’s nurse and got her pregnant. As soon as she died, I moved out on my own and haven’t looked back. I’ve never even met my sister.”

“Holy shit, I’m—” “Don’t say you’re sorry for him. Never for him. He was a selfish prick who made the worst time of my life impossibly even more worse. As much as I try to pretend it doesn’t, it still fucks with my head, but the only time I know for sure it doesn’t is when I’m with you.”

“Royce.” More is said when I say his name than just the one word. It means everything, and I don’t need to say anything else for him to understand what I’m trying to convey.

He kisses my forehead. “Nobody will ruin what we have, including him.

You want to talk about your parents, I’ll listen, but he doesn’t get to ruin this, too.”

“Okay.”

“Thanks, baby.”

“Speaking of…” I change the subject but won’t forget to ask more about his dad. Because I have questions, one big one in particular. But it’ll wait until he’s ready to tell me. “Have you ever thought about what you want to name your kids?”

“I’ve never thought about it before. You?” I giggle because I have. A lot. “Well, my mom’s name was Rose, my grandmother Flora. We kind of have a flower name theme going on, so—” “You get your flower name if it’s a girl. But I won’t do some new age shit if you give me a son.”

“New age shit?”

“Yeah, like a fruit or something lame like that.”

I erupt in laughter solely on the fact that he knows anything about “new age names.”

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing. You’re just cute.”

“Cute?” He swings me over so I’m straddling him. “You think I’m cute?”

I rest my arms on the back of the couch. “Is that a bad thing?”

“Yeah. A baby is cute. A puppy or even a damn kitten is cute.”

“Okay, sorry. I meant to say, you’re adorable.”

He stands, and my legs wrap around his waist, then he brings me to the bedroom where he lays me on the bed. I expect him to start taking my clothes off, but he sits next to me, running his fingers over my face. “You. Are adorable. You’re beautiful, and every expression on your face tells me you’re trying not to freak out. But right here, there’s not a safer place to be so don’t be afraid to let it all out.”

God… He notices everything. I laugh for a second because he knows me so well.

“Paisley.” He kisses my forehead, then runs his nose along mine. “It’s gonna be okay.”

Then I let go of the tears I’ve been holding back. With every hitch of my breath, he kisses me. Holds me tighter. He reassures me he’ll take care of me… of us, our family. He gives me the security I was so afraid I’d lost, and when he promises me forever, I believe him.

***

“This is how it should be. Every single morning. How it will be from now on.” Those words are the first I hear the moment my eyes open. I lied to my parents about spending the night at Becky’s apartment to avoid any conflict.

“I know.” And God, do I. Last night was amazing. Just being with him and sharing a bed with him is something I treasure. And something I missed since we’ve been back here.

He brushes some hair off my face and runs his fingers through the strands. “This is where you belong.”

“I know, but…” I don’t finish because I know exactly what’s going to happen as soon as the words come out of my mouth.

“But what?”

“I just… you have to understand I was looking out for you. I didn’t not come to you because I didn’t want to be with you. I did it for your own good.”

“Not following you, precious.”

“I heard him.”

He sits up but keeps stroking my hair. “Heard who?”

“Erik. It was the very first day we got back.”

“What’d he say?”

“Something about his fault for trusting you, and he’d make sure you never got a job anywhere else but for your father, and, uh… something about ripping your balls off and shoving them somewhere.”

His eyes widen at the last statement. “I like my balls.”

“I do, too.”

“I can handle your father.”

“But—” He puts a finger over my mouth. “No buts. We’re in this together. I got your back, baby. Always.”

“I know that, and that’s why I was worried.”

“I get it.” He nods to himself as much as me. “I understand where you were coming from, but you have to understand that nobody else, absolutely nobody, gets to dictate our lives. Nobody has a say in our relationship or our family.”

My eyes water hearing those words. Our family.

“You hear me? I will never let anything get in the way of that. I just need to make sure you feel the same way because when we go to tell him,

it’s not gonna be pretty.”

After I told him I was pregnant yesterday, we decided we’d sleep on the new revelation and then tell my parents tomorrow… which is now. “I know it won’t be pretty.”

“But what we have, what we’re creating, is beautiful, and nothing will ruin that. I won’t let it.”

Chapter 11 Royce I wrap an arm around her lower back and grab my keys as we walk out of my apartment. I wasn’t worried about Erik finding out about our relationship, but I am worried about him finding out she’s pregnant. Not for me, but for her. Because he’s going to be pissed, and it’s going to upset her and stress her out more than she already is.

Things make more sense now, especially when she told me what she heard him saying… or threatening rather. And the fact that he’d even bring my father into it is the biggest knife in my back. Hopefully, I reassured her enough that everything will be okay—no matter what his reaction is.

She’s quiet on the drive over there, and when I park, she looks over at me, face white as a ghost.

“Do you want this?” I motion between us.

“Of course.”

“Then nothing else matters. Nobody else matters but the two of us, okay?” I lean over and gently kiss her soft lips. “Well, three of us now.”

Her smile doesn’t quite reach her eyes, but I’ll take it.

When we get inside Erik and Polly’s house, she digs her nails into my hand as we walk into the living room. Erik looks up, spots our hands together, and stands. His eyes lock on mine, and I swear to Christ they go black.

I take the lead because I’m pretty sure Paisley is about to pass out. “As you can see, this is happening. If you’ve got a problem with it, that’s between us, but you will not fill her head with a bunch of shit when I’m not around.”

Before anybody else can say anything at all, he charges at me, and I gently push Paisley away. He slams me against the wall with a hand around my throat, the big asshole. Terror is painted all over my girl’s face, so I don’t fight him back—again—even though I really, really want to right now. But I also know he needs this moment. Hell, knowing I’m having a

kid… If it’s a girl, I’d totally choke slam a guy who just walked into my house and told me how it was gonna be. I knew it’d be like this, that’s why I decided just to go all in and get it over with so he knows where I stand.

I look him in the eye, and even though it’s getting harder and harder to breathe, I tell him, “You’re freaking her out. We can do this, just not when she’s watching.”

He loosens his grip and drops his hands but leans in close to me. “I’m gonna fuckin’ kill you.”

“That would be a shame because your daughter would be sad. She’d probably hate you, too. But if it makes you feel better, then by all means, take me out back.”

“A bullet would be too easy for you, you piece of shit.”

I sigh, his dramatics getting old already. “Look, man, she—” “No. You look, man. You crossed the line so fucking far you don’t even exist to me anymore. Enjoy what you had because it ends now.”

“I’m afraid that’s not going to happen.”

“Okay, guys.” Polly stands between us and pushes her husband back.

“Let’s take a break and calm down.”

Erik steps back from her and shakes his head at me. “I’m so disgusted with you right now I can’t even look at you.” I admit that one hit hard. I try not to show it, but he’s too damn intuitive. “You should feel like shit, you fucking bastard.”

I grind my teeth together so hard I’m surprised a tooth doesn’t break.

That was so far across my line he shouldn’t exist to me, and he knows it. He brushes me off with a swipe of his hands and walks out of the room. Polly offers me a weak smile as she backs away to follow Erik. “He’ll come around.”

Paisley sniffles, and I go right to her. She buries her head in my chest, and she cries. She cries hard. I lift her up and set her in my lap on the couch. Between the hiccups, she tries to talk, but I just shush her. I’m questioning now if this was the right thing to do. I should have broken the news to him myself.

“I’m sorry.” She wheezes.

“Baby, relax.” I grab a tissue and wipe some of the wetness off her face and push the hair away so it’s not in front of her eyes. “It’s going to be fine.”

“It’s not. He hates you, and it’s my fault, and he doesn’t even know about… you know.”

She really shouldn’t be dealing with all this stress right now. It’s not good for her or for the baby. “I know. But you know who does know?”

“Oh my God, who?”

I laugh at how freaked out she is. “Me. And you.”

She smiles a little bit. “We do.”

“That’s right. And we’re so happy about it, aren’t we?”

With a small nod of agreement, she snuggles into me. We sit here for a little while, and I get less and less tense the more she relaxes. The alarm beeps when a door is opened and again when it closes. Erik walks in and sits across from us, avoiding looking at me but appearing completely broken as he sees the state his daughter is in.

Polly stands next to him with a hand on his shoulder, and gives him a reassuring squeeze. “If he does anything, anything at all to hurt you or upset you, please for the love of all that is holy, tell me so I can kick his ass.”

Paisley giggles but is still wiping silent tears.

“I suppose it could be worse, so if he’s what makes you happy, then I don’t want to get in the way of your happiness.” He glances up at Polly, and she nods, likely pleased that he did what she asked him to.

My girl finally sits up, and after using another tissue, she clears her throat. “He does, Derik. He really, really does.”

His hands fist, and between a clenched jaw, he spits out, “Guess there’s not much I can do then, now is there?”

“No, there’s not. There’s nothing you or anybody could do,” I tell him.

He presses his lips together and drops his head as he tries to maintain his composure. I’m grateful he’s doing it for Paisley’s sake, but the next time we’re alone, I know it’s coming.

“I’m going to get some snacks.” Polly scurries out of the room, and Erik watches her ass as she walks away, then looks back at Paisley. “Kindly remove your person from his lap so I’m less tempted to reach across this table and rip his arms off.”

Her entire body leans into mine, and I kiss the side of her head. Erik freakin’ growls at me, and I roll my eyes. “He’s being dramatic, Paisley. He knows I’m the shit and couldn’t be happier for us. Right, Erik? You’re happy your daughter is happy with the coolest guy you know.”

He shakes his head, and my humor makes him crack a smile. “You’re all right.” He knows damn well she couldn’t be with anyone better. There’s a reason he gave me a job when I was just nineteen years old. He’s told me so many times that I remind him of himself.

“So you’re okay with this? You’re not mad?” Paisley asks him hurriedly. “Because I don’t want you to be mad. We’re really happy, and I just… I don’t want you to be mad at me… at us.”

The serious expression on his face relaxes, and he offers her a genuine smile. To his daughter. Not me. I don’t expect a smile from him for a really long time. “Not mad.”

Yeah, he’s not mad. He’s furious. Livid. Disappointed. He’s so fucking pissed at me right now that I can guarantee if we were alone, he’d beat me unconscious. Or at least try to. And part of me would think I deserve it because even though I knew she was forbidden, I ate the hell out of that fruit. And damn, is it sweet.

Polly comes into the room carrying a tray with cheese, crackers, and sausage on it. Paisley takes one look at it and pushes herself away from me.

She tears out of the room, and I follow right behind. By the time I reach her in the bathroom, she’s leaned over the toilet. Poor thing. She already puked twice this morning. I crouch down next to her and gather her hair up in my fist and rub her back. “Relax, baby.”

She takes a few deep breaths and stands after nothing comes up. When we turn around, Erik and Polly are standing outside the bathroom, concern etched on their faces. “Are you okay?” Polly asks.

“Yeah. I’m fine.” She struggles to get up, and I have to practically lift her to her feet.

“You’re not pregnant, are you?” Erik asks, zero humor in the question.

When neither Paisley nor I answer immediately, his chest literally rumbles. “What. The. Fuck?”

“Derik, I—” “You fuckin’ spread your legs for him already, Paisley? Jesus Christ, I didn’t think you were so stupid.”

Paisley

Royce steps up to Erik, shoves him, then gets nose to nose with him. “Don’t you ever fuckin’ talk to her like that again. You hear me?” His hands clench and unclench at his sides. “I get you’re shocked, I was too, but check yourself, Erik, because she’s mine. And I won’t let anybody disrespect her like that.”

“She’s my daughter. I have a right to get pissed because she’s nineteen fuckin’ years old and knocked up by someone older than her who has more than enough experience to know how to protect her better.”

Oh, no. He did not just say that. The back of Royce’s ears get red.

“She’s my woman, and I have a right to lay out anyone who disrespects her like you just did. And I am not even going to touch on that last comment because you and I both know that was low.”

“It’s the truth.”

“Stop it, you guys.” Polly places a hand on Erik’s shoulder. “Stop.

You’re both upsetting Paisley.”

My stomach churns again, but it’s not because of sickness. It’s because Erik is so disappointed in me it makes me nauseous. I hate this. I hate that he’s so mad. I try to wipe away the tears as they fall, but they’re streaming so fast that I can’t contain them.

I hate crying. I’m normally not a crier, but I can’t seem to stop lately.

Royce must hear me because he turns around and pulls me into his arms. He puts his lips right by my ear. “It’s okay, precious. It’ll be okay. We can leave if you want.”

I shake my head into his chest and hold on to him tighter, taking the strength from him that I don’t have in myself right now. He comforts me a moment before he pulls back, bringing his hands up to cup my face and looking into my eyes. “You good?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you want to leave?”

We have to confront this head on; otherwise, it’ll always be lingering, and I don’t want or need the stress. Plus, I want to be able to talk to Polly about this. I need her to help me figure everything out. “No.” “Come here, Paisley,” Erik demands.

Royce doesn’t take his eyes off me, but he stiffens and shifts even closer to me.

“It’s okay,” I mouth to Royce.

He lets me go but turns and keeps his arm around my waist. I lean into him, and we both face Erik in the hallway. He releases the scowl enough to kind of smile, but not enough to convince me he’s not still pissed. I get that he has a temper and all that, and even though I know he loves me, it still hurts when he’s upset with me. “You can release your guard dog.”

“I’m fine right here,” I tell him, and the dejection hurts me almost as much as him. “Besides, you were the one who sicced him on me when I was sixteen and then again this year, so really you can thank yourself for us getting together.”

“There she is.” Royce chuckles under his breath, and the space between Erik’s eyebrows crinkles as the rest of his face falls. I’ve never seen him look this defeated before. “I deserve that. I… Christ, Paisley. How far along are you?”

“I’m not a hundred percent positive, but I can’t be more than like eight weeks.”

Erik’s jaw bulges so much I’m afraid he’s going to break something.

Polly sees it too because she rests her hand on his shoulder. “Why don’t you and Royce go grab a beer or something? Paisley and I are going to go upstairs for a bit.” She’s posing it as a question but not really leaving an option.

Royce kisses my cheek and then follows Erik through the kitchen. “Are they going to be okay?” I ask Polly nervously.

“Yeah, they’ll be fine. Probably better if they hash it out without us around anyway. Let’s go upstairs.”

We walk in tandem up the steps, and when we get to my room, she closes the door behind her. Then she grabs my hands. “Oh, my God! You’re pregnant!” She smiles and hugs me tight, then pulls back. “I’m so excited. I mean, I know I should probably scold you or something for not being more careful, but I can’t not be over the moon about a baby.”

She pulls me in for another hug, and I allow myself the moment to celebrate with her. “I want to talk about all the baby things, but first, I have to ask… Royce?” There’s a smile in her voice, and I walk over to my bed, sitting on the top of the comforter. “Does he really make you happy?”

I sigh heavily. “Yes. But I’m scared now that it’s going to be too much.

Like, everything was great when it was just us, and now I’m pregnant, and I’m worried he’s going to feel stuck with me.”

“No. That’s not going to happen.”

I was feeling really good about our relationship until I found out I was pregnant. Even with us not being able to be together like we wanted when we came back here. I’m worried the shock will wear off, and he’ll get angry or feel trapped. It’s not that I want to argue or anything, but I don’t agree with her. I think he needs more time to really accept it. “You don’t have to say that to try to make me feel better.”

“I’m not. Us girls, us girls who’ve been in the system, we’re tough, Paisley. We survived what so many cannot. We overcame what we never were supposed to. And we were lucky enough to find the love of a good man. If he cares about you the way I think he does, then you just being you is all he wants, Paisley. And if it comes with a baby, that’s a bonus.”

A lone tear falls down my face as I slowly blink.

She puts her arm around my shoulder and scoots herself closer. “I’ve known him for a while now and have always secretly thought he’d be perfect for you. Just don’t tell your dad I said that.” We both laugh at that.

“I’m really happy for you guys. I know it’s scary and everything is new, but it will work out. And once that little baby is here, I promise you it will be worth it.”

As much as I appreciate her words, I tell her, “I’m afraid he’s going to realize how much his life is going to have to change, and then he’ll resent me for doing this to him.”

“He won’t.”

“I hope so.”

“I know so.” Royce’s voice makes me jump, and I look over at the door where he and Erik are standing. “Can you give us a minute?” he asks Polly softly.

She squeezes me before walking away. As she passes Royce, she puts her hands on the sides of his face, and he smiles at her. Erik nods at him, and then Royce is kicking the door shut. He waits a second and then flicks the lock too. As he’s walking over to me, I check his face for bruises and happily don’t see any forming. My heart buzzes and makes vibrations that sizzle down through my belly.

He sits next to me without touching me. “Do you know that the night you cut your finger was the first night I realized how quickly things between us were changing?”

“That was so embarrassing.” I remember that like it was yesterday. He arrived for a birthday party of mine. It was my sixteenth, and I’d worn these

short shorts hoping to get him to notice me.

But when he walked in and found me alone in the kitchen cutting carrots, I got so nervous that I sliced the shit out of my finger. Erik had to take me to the ER so I could get stitches.

“When I came back, almost everyone was gone already.”

“But I wasn’t.”

“You weren’t.” I reach beneath my shirt and take out the necklace he gave me that I never take off. It’s a teddy bear made of diamonds. “You came in here and gave me this.” He knew the story of the teddy bear I kept on my bed. How, aside from some pictures, it was the only thing I had left from my childhood, and how, even at that age, it brought me comfort.

“I sat on this bed with you with a raging hard-on and couldn’t tell if I was more furious at myself for feeling that way about you or just pissed off that I couldn’t have you. But it was the dance… that was what really did it.

“You’ve been mine since that day, Paisley. If I’m being honest, I think you always were, just in a different way. I’ve wanted you, and now that I have you, I’m not letting you or this baby go for anything. Did I want one with you this fast? No. But you’re going to wear my ring one day soon, and I wanted a couple of kids with you eventually.”

The shock of hearing that makes me finally look at him. “You did?”

He reaches up and runs his thumb across the apple of my cheek. “I did.

Don’t ever question that, okay? Don’t ever question me. I’m with you because I want to be. Because I need to be.”

“Okay.”

His hand hooks around the back of my neck, and he pulls me closer to him and then gently kisses my lips. “Now I want you to lie down so I can get you off in your bed.”

“What?” I laugh.

“I’ve been fantasizing about this for years. I have a lot of fantasies about you. That night we sat here and watched a movie, all I wanted to do was dive under the covers and play with your pussy.”

His words make my mouth water but my throat dry. The pulse in my neck pounds so hard I can hear it in my ears.

He kisses me again, but this time, it’s harder and wetter. He coaxes my mouth open, and when our tongues touch, a rumble sounds low in his throat, and he pushes me back. “I’d love to just get lost in you right now, but we can’t be in here forever, so this is going to be fast, okay?”

I agree by nodding erratically. He chuckles and then scoots down in the bed. His hands go for the button on my jeans. He grabs my thong and the waistband of the denim, then slides them down to my ankles.

His rough hands slide up my calves, past my knees, and over my thighs before they settle. He spreads me open with his thumbs, and the wisp of cool air makes me gasp. “You’re so, so pretty, Paisley.”

He slides one of his fingers through the wetness, and I gasp. “Shh.” That big, blunt finger enters me, and I can’t control my hips when they shoot up. “Oh, my God.” “You’re sensitive as hell.”

“It’s the pregnancy hormones.”

“I was right.”

“About what?” I pant.

“This is going to be so much fun.”

Chapter 12 Royce Paisley sleeps next to me in my bed, and I hesitantly slide out and go get ready. Erik and I had a brief and unsuccessful conversation yesterday after the girls went to Paisley’s room, so I’m going to work to meet him and set a few things straight.

If he’s going to be a prick about what I have to tell him, then I’ll find a job somewhere else. I’d even go work for my dad if I had to, and I hate my father, but if it’s what I need to do to provide for my family, then I’ll do it.

I gently kiss her cheek, and when she barely stirs, I just leave her a note telling her I’ll be back soon.

I arrive at Ace, and when I click the button for the gate, I’m relieved to see Erik’s Jeep is the only one inside. I reverse into the spot next to him, glad to be back in my Charger instead of the rented Escalade, and then head directly to his office. He looks up from his computer, and I close the door.

“Did you get a chance to think about what we talked about yesterday?” I ask as I cross my arms.

“Yeah. But nothing’s changed.”

“Okay.” I nod and drop my arms, then grab the resignation letter out of my back pocket. “Notice.” I toss the paper on his desk. “I respect you, Erik, and I understand your decision, but I won’t do that to her or to my kid, so I hope you understand where I’m coming from.”

“How the hell do you think you’re going to support them if you don’t have a job?”

“We’re not going there.” I shake my head. “This is not personal. You made a business decision that I could not continue to work for you when I said I’m no longer able to travel. I respect your decision, but I will not be questioned by you as my woman’s father right now.”

“Sit down.” He motions to one of the chairs in front of his desk.

“Erik.” I sigh. “You don’t have to do this. I get it.”

He points again. “Sit.”

Instead of arguing again, I comply.

One of the picture frames on his desk holds a photo of Paisley. He’s looking at it now, and I know he’s seeing the girl she was when they brought her home. That photo is what I saw before I met her in person.

She’s sitting on the sand and gazing out into the ocean. Her long blond hair is flowing freely, and she looks so at peace. Erik turns the picture around, and I smile at how pretty she was.

“She was fourteen years old, Royce. I might not have held her in my arms when she was a baby or even been there for the majority of the firsts in her life, but none of that means anything. I love the hell outta that girl.”

“I do, too.”

“And I want her to be happy. As much as I’m trying to separate the personal from the professional, I can’t do it. There’s no way I can willingly accept the resignation of the man who’s going to be the father of my grandchild. And fuck you for making me call myself a grandpa.”

I laugh.

“I have a proposition for you.”

“I’m not compromising.”

He shakes his head. “You’re stubborn as hell.”

“When it comes to her, I am.”

“And dammit if I don’t respect that. But I’m not asking you to compromise.”

I lean back and wait for him to continue.

“I can find you something local.”

“Permanently?”

“Yes, Royce. Permanent.”

“Where?”

He stands and walks around the desk and perches himself on the ledge.

“I don’t know yet, but I’m willing to find something or someone.”

“I appreciate that, but I can’t rely on a possibility, Erik. You have to understand that.”

He nods. “Yes. Give me a week. I’ve got some leads… some things I’ve turned down in the past but just might be perfect now.”

“What have you turned down?”

“Give me a week.”

I slap my hand on my thighs, then stand. “I need to get back to Paisley.

I’m supposed to go with Tara when she does another promo run. And I’m

not going.”

“I get that you want to be there for your girl. I’m working on trying to see what I can do to keep you here as much as possible, but you have to be willing to be the tiniest bit flexible until that time.”

I shove my hands in my pockets. “I hear you. But right now, while this is still new and my girl’s scared outta her mind, I’m not leaving her for anything.”

“Just a couple of days,” he rushes to say before I leave. “I just need you until tomorrow night, and then Gio can relieve you.”

“Fine. One night. I’ll leave this evening so I can be there for her morning talk show run. Soon as he gets there tomorrow night, I’m out.”

He nods, and I lift my chin at him before going back home to my girl.

Paisley I hate waking up without him. I hated it every single time I slept at my parents these past two months but am so happy everything is out in the open now and I can be where I’m the happiest.

I have some big decisions to make about my future, and ones that I’m not sure I can make on my own. Luckily, he walks in just when I’m about to start panicking because I’m so scared. I put some muffins in the oven because I suddenly had a craving but make some toast to help settle my woozy stomach in the meantime.

The door opens, and Royce comes right to me on the couch and leans down to kiss me. “Morning.”

“Hi. Where were you?”

He grabs a piece of toast off my plate and sits next to me. “Went to have a chat with Erik.”

“Is everything okay?”

“Yeah. Nothing for you to worry about.”

“I don’t want to go back to school.”

The rest of the toast he’s eating gets tossed back on the plate. After studying me for a moment, he nods. “Why?” “Because I’m pregnant. Because I hate it.”

He tilts his head. “You hate it?”

“I do. I don’t even know what I want to do. And the only reason I went to New York was because of my parents. My life was in limbo for so long, but now I feel like I just want to be for a little while, ya know? With you.

The baby.”

“Okay.”

“I just… my mom was a stay-at-home mom, and I loved that. I really liked being able to come home and know she was there. I loved that she could come to my class and volunteer. When I was sick, I knew I could call her, and she’d be there to pick me up.

“I’m not saying I know exactly what the future holds, but until the realization hit me that I’m going to be a mom, I never realized how much I don’t want—” He puts a finger to my lips. “Then stay at home with the baby.”

“Really? You’re not mad?”

“Why would I be mad?”

I just shrug. “I’ll stay working, though. I don’t expect you to pay for everything.”

“You’re not working.”

“I’m not?”

“You want to stay home and raise our babies, and I want that, too. My mom was a stay-at-home mom as well. And all those things you said are the same way I feel.”

God, I love him. “Really?”

“Yeah, baby. Really.”

The burn starts in the back of my eyes, and when he sees them fill with tears, his brows scrunch together. “Hate seeing you cry, Paisley.”

“Then stop being so perfect.”

“No other way I can be when it comes to you.” That makes me sob harder, and he grunts as my head collides with his chest. “Hate seeing those tears. God, I hate you crying.”

I sniffle and try to stop. “Why?” “Because I sat at my mother’s bedside and watched her cry for days. I held her hand when she was sleeping and still crying. She cried so much that it made her dehydrated once, and I had to sit there while she cried as the nurses tried to get a needle into her arm. She cried when she was in pain; she cried when she wasn’t. Mostly, she just cried all the time.”

“Oh Royce. I’m so sorry.”

He wipes the tears off my cheeks. “It’s not your fault.” His eyes sparkle when he smiles. “She was awesome. The best mom ever. It was like she was a friend, too. Always there for me. My dad was gone a lot, so most of the time, it was me and her. I got lucky. Wish to God she could still be here.

She’d have loved you. Had loved being a grandma.” He presses his hand to my stomach.

“She raised one hell of a son, so I’m sure I would have loved her, too.”

Then I broach a subject I’ve always been afraid to. I knew his mom died, of course, but he’s so pissed off about his father that I hate to bring it up, but I want to understand him. “What about your dad? Is it true?”

“Is what true?”

I fiddle with my fingers. “That your dad owns Royal Security.”

“Fuckin’ Erik,” he mumbles. “Yeah. It is.”

“Why did you never tell me?”

He takes a moment to contemplate his answer. “You know that what’s in here”—he makes a fist and holds it over his heart—“is deep for you, right?”

I smile. “Yeah.”

“It’s been for a while now, and I swear I felt something the very first time I saw you. And I knew you felt something for me, too. You weren’t exactly subtle at hiding it. At least not to me.”

My cheeks heat. I knew it showed that I had a crush on him; I just didn’t think he knew how badly.

“It’s okay because I get it. And I got it then. I just wasn’t sure exactly what it was, but I knew it was something. And the way you looked at me was something I didn’t want to lose… that admiration. I didn’t want you feeling sorry for me or thinking I was some punk who was just being rebellious.”

“If it wasn’t rebellion, what was it?”

“Revenge.” I don’t have to think long at all about that answer. “You’ve gotta remember, my dad is well known in this town. He’s well known in the security industry. But so is Erik. To be quite honest, they’re both very well respected.”

“Why would he hire the son of a rival company’s owner?”

He smiles at me. “Small world, babe. And they were never rivals.

Didn’t work together, but if they couldn’t provide a service, they’d recommend the other company. Royal provides more along the lines of security systems, PI services, kidnapping and ransom, and light

bodyguarding. Ace is the exact opposite. Erik hired me because I’m really good at what I do. I know the industry, and I literally grew up in the business.

“I wanted the job partially to piss my dad off. Because working for another company, didn’t matter which one it was, was like a slap in the face to him, and anyone who knew my name would know I wasn’t working in the family business.”

“Why would you want to… slap him in the face?”

He looks away from me and I rest my head on the wall. “Are you going to tell him about us… about the baby?”

“We’ll shelf that for another day.”

I’m happy he shared what he did, so I agree. “Okay.”

He swallows, and his Adam’s apple bobs up and down with the movement. “Why don’t you go ahead and call the doctor to make an appointment?”

“Okay. Do you want to be there?”

“Babe.” He sighs. “Don’t ever ask me something like that again.

Always. Okay? I always want to be there.”

“I just… with work and stuff, I wanted to make sure.”

“Yeah, about that. I’m leaving tonight, and I’ll be home tomorrow evening. But after that, I’ll be taking some time off.”

“What?” I pull my head back. “Why?” His body pushes into mine as he crawls over me. “Because we need to find a house.” He kisses the tip of my nose.

“Really?” I wrap my arms around his neck.

“Yeah, really. We can’t raise a baby in this place.” I moan when his lips trail to my neck, then suck gently on the sensitive skin there. “You taste so good,” he murmurs before nipping and kissing his way back up. “Every inch. So sweet.”

My eyes roll back in my head as his lips ghost over mine. Just as his tongue begs to get inside, there’s a knock on his door. “No,” I whine.

“Fuck,” he groans.

The knock sounds again, and someone calls Royce’s name.

“Who is that? Carter?”

“No.” He shakes his head. “I think it’s Wes.” He hops up and pulls me with him. When he opens the door, sure enough, it is Wesley. “What’s up, man? Hey, Quinn.”

“Hi, Royce.”

I peek my head around and see Quinn Valentine. The biggest name in pop music right now. Being the daughter of the owner of a bodyguard company, I’ve seen my share of celebrities, so I’m able to compose myself around them. The first few times I acted like a nut job, though. But with Quinn, I’m pretty sure every guy at Ace has worked with her one time or another. The amount of security she has is insane.

She smiles sheepishly at me and tucks herself back into Wesley. “Can we come in?”

“Yeah, of course.” Royce opens the door wider for them and raises his brow at me when we notice how close they are.

Wes walks in with Quinn sewn to him, and he reaches over with his other arm and hugs me. “Hi, Paisley. This is Quinn. Honey, this is Paisley, my boss’s daughter.” He looks over his shoulder at Royce. “And Royce’s girl.”

“How the hell did you find out?” Royce lightly punches him on the shoulder.

“Word travels fast, my man, and are we forgetting she’s at your place?

You know if you hurt her, you’ll have every one of us on your ass, so you’d best behave.”

I think he’s joking, but Royce doesn’t laugh at all. Instead, he nods. “I know.”

“Good.”

“Hi.” I hold my hand out for Quinn. “Nice to meet you.”

“You too,” she says. Her voice, which is beautiful, sounds so sad.

“What’s up?” Royce asks.

Wesley clears his throat just as the oven timer goes off. Quinn screams and jumps about twelve feet in the air. He pulls her into the front of him and wraps both of his arms around her, soothing her trembling body, his lips by her ear murmuring gentle words of encouragement. He pulls her sunglasses off to look into her eyes, revealing bruising on the left side.

“What the fuck?” Royce shouts.

She jumps again, and Wesley shoots him a glare. “That’s why I’m here.”

“Who the fuck got their hands on her?”

“It wasn’t his fault,” Quinn immediately jumps in, defending Wes. “It was mine. I left when he told me not to.”

“Don’t do that, Quinn. Don’t fuckin’ take this shit on.” Wes looks down at her, then over at Royce. “We need to talk.”

“Yeah.”

I step over, so Quinn can see me. “Let’s go in the kitchen. I have to take the muffins out, and I can get you something to drink if you’d like.”

“Okay.” She walks away from Wesley, and he and Royce go down the small hallway to the bedroom. A second later, I hear the door click shut, and then I turn the oven off. A moment—okay, more like several moments—of awkward silence passes between us.

She clears her throat. “Sorry to bust in here like this. Wes wanted to talk something over with Royce.”

“It’s fine.” I smile at her. “I know Royce would want to help in any way he could.”

I’m about to ask if she wants something to drink when the guys come back out. Wes goes right to Quinn and puts his arm around her. “Told you I’d be fast. Good seeing you, Paisley.”

“You too, Wes.” He and Royce do some sort of man communication with their chins, then he looks at me. “I’ll be right back. Just gonna make sure they get out of here okay.”

“Yeah. Of course.” I put some butter on a muffin while he’s gone, but as soon as he gets back, I ask, “What was that about?”

“She’s had a stalker problem for a while now, but it’s escalating. He just needed to ask something.”

Cryptic, but I won’t pry. “That sucks. I hope they’ll be okay.”

He sighs deeply. “Me too.”

Chapter 13 Royce “Tara! Over here!

“Look this way, Tara!”

“Tara, is it true you and Cade split up?”

“Did he really cheat on you?”

“Tara can you tell me anything about Cade?”

My hand settles on the lower back of the movie star Tara Simmons as I shove through the paparazzi. Her head is down, but mine is up, the sunglasses I’m wearing doing little to shield my eyes from the flashing bulbs.

“Tara, this way!”

Someone grabs her arm, and I reach over and shove them away. “Hands off.” I slide my arm over, so I can hold her more. “Almost there,” I say so only she can hear.

She doesn’t respond.

“Move.” I push an overly aggressive pap out of the way before I reach for the door of the hotel. As soon as we get inside, two more men flank us to escort us to the elevators. They block anyone else from entering, and there will be two more when we get to her floor. Once Tara and I are inside, and the doors slide closed, she finally looks up.

“You all right?” I ask her in the mirrored door.

“Yeah.” She smiles. “I’m good. Thank you.”

When the doors begin to part, I step out before her and look down the hall both ways before I reach for her. “Let’s go.”

The waiting security leads the way, and when we arrive at her room, she stays right inside the closed door with them as I do a round. It’s surprising that despite all the security measures, fans still manage to sneak into hotel rooms. So once I’m satisfied nobody else is in here, I walk back to them.

“Good. Thanks, guys.”

“Itinerary says she’s in for the night.”

I nod in affirmation. “That’s correct. Need you parked outside her door until room service delivers.”

“Will do. Anything changes, let us know.”

They leave, and once the door closes, I flick the deadbolt and engage the sliding lock.

“I know, you idiot. It’s not my fault they found out.” Tara paces around the room on her phone as I sit on the end of the bed and thumb through a room service menu. “It’s not. No. Cade, you’re the one who got caught sleeping with her, not me. Figure it out yourself and stop fucking calling me!” She throws her phone on the bed and grabs her hair. “God, why are men so stupid?”

I chuckle, and she drops her hands. “No offense.”

“None taken. Are you hungry?”

“No. But I am about to raid the mini bar.”

Lifting the receiver, I raise a brow. “Your choice, but remember you’ve got an early call tomorrow morning.” The kitchen picks up on the receiver, and I order a steak, baked potato, and steamed broccoli for myself and a grilled chicken breast with a side of steamed veggies for Tara just in case.

“I’m gonna hop in the shower while you drown your sorrows, okay.

Don’t leave this room and don’t answer—” “The door. I know.”

I head over to my attached room and grab my backpack that was delivered earlier in the day. After I take a fast shower and change, I head back to her side and find her lying on her stomach on the bed. A couple of empty mini bottles are on the floor, and she’s staring at a blank TV. “You all right?”

She turns her head, her bright blue eyes shining with tears. “Yeah. I just… I know relationships in Hollywood don’t last, but I never realized how heartless people can be. He slept with one of his dancers and pictures leaked, yet he wants my PR to give a statement that we broke up.”

I shake my head. “Fucked up.”

“It is. Like, I’m still a person. Just because I’m in a movie doesn’t mean that I don’t have… ya know? Shit still hurts.”

“I know. He’s a dick. Don’t even worry about him.”

Her phone rings, and she groans after looking at the name. “Terry,” she says, referring to her publicist. “Hello. I know. Yes. He called me too, but I don’t—” She holds the phone away from her ear and pushes out a breath,

then puts her cell back. “No. Look, I know the director doesn’t want the publicity, and I get it. I don’t want it, either, but I didn’t do anything wrong.

Why should… I know! I’m not giving him an out. He cheated… so what?

Fine. Whatever. Tell them whatever the hell you want because you obviously don’t give a shit what I have to say anyway.”

Just as she hangs up, there’s a knock on the door. Once I look through the peephole and see it’s room service, I open the door, take the cart from them, and then nod at the security, giving them permission to leave for the night. She bites her lip as I park it by the table, and when I lift a dome to reveal what I got for her, she jumps off the bed. “Thank you!”

She hugs me, and I pull out a chair for her, then grab my plate and the bottles of water before sitting across from her.

“Ready to be done with this promotion run?” I chew on a piece of steak while I wait for her to answer.

“Yes. I’m glad there’s only a week left.” Her phone rings, but she shakes her head. “I’m not taking any more freaking calls tonight. Terry knows where I am, so if she needs me, she can drag her ass over here and knock on the damn door.”

I suppress a laugh.

“What are you doing after this? Erik said you were being replaced with Gio tomorrow.”

“Going back home.” My lips tilt up in a smile that I can’t contain, excited to be back with Paisley.

“Someone waiting for you?”

“Why would you ask that?”

She crosses her arms. “I’ve never seen you smile like that before.”

“There is a girl, yes.”

“That’s good. Everyone deserves to be with someone who makes them smile like that.”

“You’ll find it one day.”

She rolls her eyes. “Yeah. Sure.”

We eat the rest of our meals, and then she says she’s going to shower and go to bed. When she stands, she wobbles a little bit. “Whoa.” I steady her with a hand on her bicep. “You good?”

“Yeah. Those little bottles add up fast, don’t they?”

“They do.”

“Good thing I ate something.”

We head our separate ways, and once I hear Tara out of the shower, I close the connecting door all the way, then sit back in the bed to wait for Gio. I dial Paisley, and the moment she picks up the phone, my dick twitches. Jesus, it’s only been twenty-four hours since I left her, and it feels like it’s been damn near ever.

“Hey, precious.”

“Hi.” A deep sigh brushes past my lips. “I miss you. God, I hate this.”

“I know. Me, too. It’s only been a day, and you’re coming back sometime super early in the morning, but still.”

I love that she feels the same way I do. “I know. How was last night with your parents?”

“It was good. Erik and I talked. I told him I’ve been in love with you for years, and I’ve never been happier in my life.”

I don’t think she even realizes what she just said, but I’m so fuckin’ stunned I can’t even talk.

Luckily, she continues. “He’s really okay with it. I know he seems mad, but the more I talked to him, the less growly he got whenever I mentioned your name. And I know he cares about you, Royce. Before all of this, he always talked about you like you were the son he never had… which would make it like we’re siblings. Ew. Gross.” We both laugh, and she keeps talking. “He’s just protective of me.”

“I know he is, and I love that you have him to care about you that much.

I knew what would happen, but I also knew that he’d come around.”

She yawns. “Yeah. And can I say one more thing?”

“You can say anything you want.”

“I’m sorry I waited so long to tell him. It’s just… I heard that conversation, and it scared me for you, and—” “Babe, it’s fine. Promise.” In her defense, he said some pretty rough shit. I don’t blame her, and I totally understood why she was so hesitant after she told me.

“Okay.”

“What are you doing now?”

“I’m just about ready to go to bed.”

I stick my hand in my shorts to adjust myself. “What are you wearing to bed?”

“What?”

“What are you wearing to bed?”

She giggles. “Pajamas.”

“What kind? Are they those little shorts?”

“They are shorts, but I’m not sure which ones you’re talking about.”

I close my eyes, remembering what she looked like in them. “They’re blue, light blue, and they ride up so high in the back the bottom of your ass hangs out. You know which ones I’m talking about because while you were wearing them last time, I couldn’t keep my hands off you.”

Her breathing picks up on the other end, and she finally answers, “Yes. Those are the ones.”

“Yeah?”

“Yup.” “What top do you have on?”

She hesitates.

“Paisley.”

“None.”

“Why don’t you have anything covering your tits, baby? You better have the curtains closed.”

“You called when I was getting dressed. And yes, the curtains are closed even though nobody’s around to see anything. Hold on, let me grab a shirt.”

Before she can set the phone down, I call her name. “You wanna try something?”

“What’s that?”

“Get in your bed, Paisley.”

“What?”

“Get in your bed and crawl under the covers, baby. I want you to touch yourself, and I want to hear you come.”

Her sharp intake of air is loud in my ear. I wait for her response.

“Are you serious?” she whispers.

“Dead.”

I wait. And wait. Finally, I hear the sound of a bed squeaking and the rustling of what I assume are her covers. “Okay.”

“You in bed?”

“Yes.” “Are your nipples hard, Paisley?”

She swallows, and her breath hitches. “Yes.” “Good. Pinch them.”

“I-I’ve never done that before.”

A groan passes through my lips. “You’ve never played with your tits?”

“Not really.”

“We’ll hold off on that until I get back. I’ll show you how good it can feel.”

“Okay.”

“Tell me, Paisley, if I slid my hand between your legs right now, would you be wet?”

Another gasp from her. “Yes.” “You gettin’ wet thinking about touching yourself?”

“No.” “No?” “I’m wet from thinking about you touching me.”

I can’t keep my hand off my dick anymore and grab it at the base. “I wish I was there to touch you right now. Want to know what I’d do?”

“Yes.” “After I pulled down those itty-bitty shorts, I’d spread your legs open.

Do it, Paisley. Take your shorts off. Spread your thighs like I was there, ready to play with your pretty pussy.”

Her breath hitches again, and a moment later, she sighs. “Okay.”

“I want you to take two of your fingers and slide them inside. Get ’em nice and wet. Pull them all the way out, then push back in. Feel how tight you are?”

“Yes,” she pants.

“Are you doing it, Paisley? Are you fuckin’ yourself with your fingers?”

“Yes.” “Stop.”

She whines.

“Take them out and touch your clit. Rub it nice and soft. Or are you in the mood for hard and fast? Do whatever feels good.” I slide my hand up and down my length, already feeling like I’m about to come just from thinking about it. Knowing now exactly what she feels like and how tight she is and how sweet she tastes is going to be the death of me.

“Ugh.” She moans.

“Feel good?”

Her moan is my answer, and somehow, I manage not to drop my phone.

“Are you… are you doing it too?”

“Fuck, yeah. I’m so close already. I’m stroking myself, wishing it was your hand. Picturing what your fingers look like right now, all wet and slippery. I bet if you slid them back inside right now, you could add another one. Get yourself nice and full.”

“Oh, God.” My fist works faster, and I clench my jaw together while I wait for her.

“Do you feel how perfect you are down there? Nice and soft. Hot. So damn tight. I can’t wait until I see you again. Damn, Paisley, I can hear how wet you are.”

“I’m gonna… oh, God.” “You’re gonna come, baby? Come all over your fingers.” I lose control and come all over my stomach while I hear her trying to be quiet as she comes, too.

“I love you,” she whispers.

“Love you too, precious.”

Paisley Five months later Some days, I have moments when I can’t believe this is my life. I used to think I’d end up homeless or dead because really, what was I going to do with my life when I got kicked out of the system at eighteen. And now, here I stand on the sidewalk of a brand-new house with a baby in my belly and a man at my side.

Time has flown since I found out I was pregnant. The memories of what’s happened are a blur, but the one thing I’ll never forget is the look on Royce’s face when he heard our baby’s heartbeat for the first time.

“Holy shit,” he whispered right next to my ear as his hand squeezed mine. “I’ve never heard anything more awesome than that.” He lifted his head to kiss me, and his watery eyes met mine. I’d never seen anything more beautiful than that in my life. And his words were almost as beautiful as the thump-thump echoing in the exam room.

He gave me much the same look when we saw our little bean on the ultrasound for the first time too. Actually, the second as well. He held it

together and was strong for me, but I could tell he was in awe.

I rub my bump, not believing I’m almost seven months pregnant already. “It’s amazing,” I state staring at our home. Boasting a wraparound porch and two stories, it has a yard with a legitimate white picket fence around it. “It doesn’t feel real.”

“I know. I still wake up every morning looking at you thinking I’m dreaming.”

“I love you.”

“Love you more.” He swipes his thumb over my lip. “Ready?”

I nod, stupidly excited, and we walk into our home. He swings me into his arms, and I loop mine around his neck. “Gotta do it proper.”

“You’re such a caveman.”

“Come on.” He sets me on my feet and grabs my hand. “We need to christen our bedroom. Then the kitchen. And maybe the bathroom, too.”

We’ve been slowly bringing things over here; well, he and the guys have been, and I’ve been standing around directing traffic. But tonight will be the first night we officially sleep in our new house. Royce wanted this property because of the large backyard, but the house only had the bones, so by the time it was finished, it had taken longer than anticipated. But it’s all good because we’re here now, and I couldn’t be any happier. Nothing can ruin what we have right now. Nothing.

Chapter 14 Royce I never thought I’d actually enjoy shopping for baby clothes. Or have fun putting a crib together. Or smile so much my fuckin’ jaw hurts. But with Paisley, it was just meant to be. We were meant to be. I knew, I always knew we’d be something. That the sparks between us meant our old souls were just supposed to find the other’s.

What I didn’t know was that it would be so damn perfect. I’d hoped like hell it would be. It’s been so easy. Just being with her and not having to hide how I feel has made me a better man. And knowing we’ve got a baby coming into this world is indescribable.

We just got done with another doctor appointment where we heard the baby’s heartbeat again and saw it beating on the screen, which is the most beautiful sound to ever pass through my ears. But now we’re shopping at the baby store a block away from the ice cream parlor. “I’m getting sick of not being able to buy some of this shit because we don’t know if it’s a boy or a girl.” I hold up a little pair of blue sunglasses before putting them back on the shelf. “These would be awesome.”

She picks up the pink pair that are right next to the blue. “These are adorable. Look how little they are.”

“They’d probably fit your head.”

“No way. I’m not that small.”

I grab the bright pink sunglasses and align them with her face. They barely reach her ears. “Perfect.”

“Shut up.” She smacks my hand away and looks in the mirror. “Oh my God. They make my face look even fatter than it already is.”

“You’re not fat.”

She takes the sunglasses off and puts them back.

“Seriously, Paisley. Please tell me you don’t think you’re fat.”

I grab her arm and turn her to me. She only shrugs.

“You’re pregnant. And even if you weren’t, precious, you’re still the most beautiful woman in the world. It doesn’t matter if you gain some weight or not. Keep it on after the baby, I don’t give a shit. Just don’t change what’s in here.” I press my hand to her heart. “This is what I fell in love with.”

Her nose scrunches up, and she does a face plant into my chest as her shoulders shake. “Don’t say things… things like that to a pregnant person.”

I kiss the top of her head and give her a moment to gather herself.

“You’re beautiful, Paisley.”

“Stop.” She cries harder, and I hold her tighter. A couple of women walk by us in the store, and they all give me sympathetic looks. I can’t tell if they feel sorry for me or for her. Paisley hasn’t been that hormonal. She’s been horny as hell and cries at the drop of a hat, but that’s about it. She doesn’t get mad or fly off the handle like some stories I’ve heard about pregnant women.

“Want to go get some ice cream?” I know her weakness, and if it’ll make her feel better, I’m all for it.

“It’s only ten thirty in the morning. I’m not that fat.” Her head tilts up so she can see me. “Is Scoopy’s open this early?”

Trying not to laugh proves impossible.

“Shut up.” She slaps my arm.

“We’ll find somewhere else if they’re not. If it makes you happy, I’ll go churn my own milk or some shit to get you your ice cream.” I link our fingers together and lead us out of the store.

When she laughs, I feel it so deep that it makes my chest swell. Luckily, Scoopy’s is open, and to make her feel better, I get an ice cream, too. My phone vibrates on the table, and I glance at it to see a text from Erik.

Can you swing by in about a half hour?

“Did you have anything else you wanted to do?”

“No. Ultrasound, baby clothes shopping, and ice cream are about all I can handle.”

“You wanna come with me to Ace or want me to take you home?”

She yawns. “Home. I need a nap.”

“Okay.”

I shoot a reply to Erik, and after we finish our ice cream, we head back to the car. “Oh, Royce. Look. Brinley’s here.” She points at the homeless girl sitting in the parking lot. Looking at her, you’d never know. Aside from some grungy looking clothes, her hair is clean, her face is actually really pretty, and she doesn’t have any kind of track marks or anything on her arms.

She lives out of her car behind the hospital where we always park, and as far as I can tell, nobody’s asked her to leave since she’s been here every time we have. Sometimes the lot was full, so I’d drop Paisley off back here, and she’d talk to Brinley until I got back to walk her inside.

“She is.”

When we’re about to pass her, Paisley stops. “Hi. How are you today?”

“Today’s a five.”

She has this thing where she rates her days on a scale from one to ten.

She’s never been higher than a five before.

“That’s good.”

“How’s the baby?”

Paisley rubs her belly, and the natural radiance brightens up the dirty parking lot. “Perfect.”

“Come on, Paisley. Your dad’s waiting for me.”

Brinley whimpers and puts a hand to her chest as I put my arm around Paisley.

“Oh, my God. Are you okay?”

“Yes.” She smiles. “I’m fine.”

“Okay. See you next time.”

“Yeah. Next time.”

We make our way to the car, and after I help lower her to her seat, she sighs. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, it’s just sad. She seems so young.”

“I know, it is sad. But we’ve given her information on shelters and offered her money before that she refuses to take, so there’s not much else we can do.”

She nods in defeat. “I suppose not.”

“Let’s get you home so you can get that nap in, okay?”

“Okay.” She yawns.

The drive is short, and once she’s settled in our bed and falling asleep, I head in the opposite direction.

Polly’s working at the front desk when I walk in, and she smiles at me.

“Hi. How’s the mama?”

“I’m wounded, Polls.” I clutch my chest. “Nobody gives a shit how I’m doing anymore.”

She rolls her eyes. “How are you, Royce?”

“I’m great. Thank you for asking. And your daughter is beautiful and happy. Tired, though. Girl sleeps like the dead.”

“She is growing a human in her belly right now, ya know?”

I stop and put my hand on my hip. “Is that what she’s doing?”

She rolls her eyes at me. “Shut up.”

I give a wave and walk down to Erik’s office, knocking on the closed door.

“Come in.”

When I step inside, I feel a betrayal that makes me want to punch something. Or someone. Or two someones. “What the fuck is he doing here?”

My father and Erik both stand.

“This is the compromise I was talking to you about,” Erik slowly tells me.

I slam the door and cross my arms. “What the fuck?” Since I gave my ultimatum, Erik has found work for me to do here. I’ve been setting up schedules, training new guys, interviewing potential clients, and a bunch of other desk job shit along with local protection detail during the day.

“Your father and I have been talking for a year or so about the possibility of a merger.”

“You’ve gotta be kidding.” I look at my father. “Why can’t you just leave me alone?”

Pain flashes across his face. I haven’t seen him since that night at the bar. My own life has been too busy for me to think much more about what he told me. “This isn’t personal, Royce. It’s business.”

“Bullshit.”

“Stop being so fucking selfish,” he snaps. “I’ve walked on eggshells around you for years now. I explained myself, and I’m not doing it again.

Either you accept it and move the fuck on or you don’t, but I’m done trying to kiss your ass.”

I grind my molars together and cross my arms.

Erik clears his throat. “Chris wants to sell his portion of Ace. He’s retiring and wants to wash his hands of the place. Your father wants to expand, and I want to get in on more local clients,” he emphasizes.

“Without having to risk my current employee’s job security.”

“This is a win-win,” my dad says. “And as a measure of good faith, I’d purchase Chris’s forty-nine percent, leaving Erik the majority owner. And let me be clear, the only reason I’m willing to do that is to show you this isn’t some calculation on my part to fuck with your life.”

“Royal Ace Security would combine both of our strengths and offer our clients a wider array of services while also giving our employees more flexibility thus creating longevity.”

“Fine. It’s your business, do whatever the hell you want. But know this.” I point at my father. “The only reason I’m doing this, the only reason I’d ever agree to work for you, is because of Paisley and our baby.”

His jaw drops, and his eyes become saucers. “What baby?”

I look at Erik. “You didn’t tell him?”

He shakes his head. “Not my place.”

Well, damn.

“And wait… Paisley. Isn’t that your daughter’s name?” my father asks Erik.

Erik huffs. “Yup. Your boy done knocked her up.”

“Damn. I’m gonna be a grandpa.” The elation in his voice reminds me of when I was little. How when he’d get home from a long trip, he’d sound so excited to talk to me.

When he would take me to a baseball game and I’d hear him cheer on his team, or when I was playing basketball, he’d stand in the crowd cheering me on louder than anybody else. We did have some good times.

But I’ve been so pissed, so hurt by losing my mother and what I felt was the ultimate betrayal from him that I forced myself to forget anything good.

Goddammit. “Yeah. You are.”

His eyes fill up with tears, and mine are saucers now. I’ve never seen my dad cry. Ever. Even with mom, he never cried. He said he needed to be the strong one for the family. Explained that as a man, I had to always be strong for the lady in my life.

He pulls me to him and pats me on the back. I look over at Erik who’s got a small smile on his face, but he isn’t looking at us.

“I’m proud of you, son.”

“Thanks, Dad.” I slap his back, and his breath hitches in his throat before he pulls away.

“Royce, we’d like for you to be the director of security.” Erik blows me away with that statement.

“What?”

“Chris is leaving, therefore stepping down from his position, and you know this business inside and out. Not only have I been testing you over the past several months, but you grew up at Royal and then worked for Ace, so you know both sides. You’re the youngest, but you’re the most qualified.

Plus, with you in charge, we’ll be able to take some fuckin’ time off.” He laughs.

I look over at my dad. “What about Grant?” I ask, referring to the second in charge at his company.

“Grant’s been stealing from me for years. He’s gone as of last week.”

“You’re shittin’ me.”

“Wish I was.”

I whistle. “Damn.”

“Your father and I would be co-owners, but you’d be in charge for the most part. Most of our work, as you know, is behind the scenes shit anyway.

You’d be the go-to. And if you ever had to travel, it would be short.”

“I’ve always wanted my son working with me,” Dad says low and unsure. “I’ve heard from Erik how well you do, and I couldn’t be any more happy for that. But if you did this, just know that it’s a step in moving forward with our lives. You’ll be in mine and I’ll be in yours, and if you hate me as much as you say you do, then I won’t do it. I don’t want to cause you any more hurt than I already have.”

Erik is leaning on the wall, and his attention is on a photo directly across from him. It’s big. Almost poster size I’d say, and it’s of Erik and his father, “Ace” Anderson, who started this company. When I heard Erik’s story, my heart absolutely broke for him in a way I felt down to my bones.

He’d give anything to be able to work with his father, and here I am, doing everything I can to push mine away.

When I focus on my dad again, the vulnerability I see in him kicks me in my nuts. “Fine, fuck it. I’m in.”

Paisley

Why? Why is someone at the door now? I just fell asleep for about ten minutes, and now they have to show up.

If it wasn’t for the fact that I have a bunch of stuff still being delivered for the house and the baby, I’d just leave it. I throw the blanket off and waddle to the front door. Looking through the peephole, I get excited and yank the door open. “Oh, my God.” “Hi.” Chad waves at me, and I hold out my arms to hug him.

“Hi. What are you doing here?” I pull back from him and motion for him to come inside.

He holds his hands out. “Surprise.”

“It is a surprise. Come on, let me get you something to drink.” He follows me through the long hallway to the kitchen, where I point at a chair set by the island. “Have a seat.”

“You look really pretty pregnant.” He smiles and then drops his head before sitting.

I grab a pitcher of lemonade and set a couple of glasses next to it.

“Thank you.” Taking a seat at the end, I pour him a glass. “I’m so shocked to see you.”

“Yeah.”

“What’s up?”

“Are you home alone?” He takes a drink and then wipes his hands on his khaki pants.

“Royce ran to work for a bit.” Which means he’ll be home soon, and he won’t be happy with Chad being here. He’s made his distaste for him known from the beginning.

Chad’s light brown hair is longer than I’ve ever seen it and not styled like it normally is. “Are you happy?” he blurts out.

“What?”

“With your life. With just… everything.”

“Yes. I’m happier than I’ve ever been in my life.”

His face falls at my immediate answer. “Oh. That’s good.”

I haven’t talked to Chad in a long time. After I came back here for the summer, I sent him a birthday card. He then sent a thank-you text, and we went back and forth a few times since then.

“How are you?” I ask cautiously.

“I just thought that maybe… that you’d…” He takes a breath like he’s pumping himself up. “I thought if you weren’t happy, maybe you’d want to come back to New York with me because I know I could make you happy.”

Oh God. “Chad…”

“I’m sorry. I know you’re with him,” he spits with disdain.

“I am. And I’m not coming back to New York. Probably ever. My life is here with Royce and our baby and my family.”

He bobs his head up and down.

I’m totally dumbfounded, and I feel horrible even though I shouldn’t. I don’t know what to do, what I should say to him, or if I should say anything more at all. I definitely don’t feel like I need to justify my relationship to Royce with him. Did he fly all the way across the country for this?

He doesn’t say anything else; he just fiddles with his glass. Am I supposed to switch the conversation and talk about the weather or what?

“How have you been?”

“I’ve been fine.”

I hear the front door open and glance up at the clock. “Shit, it’s already three?” I was asleep a lot longer than I thought.

“Stay here. I’ll be right back.” Rushing to meet Royce at the door, I don’t even think when I say, “Don’t be mad. Please don’t be mad. Promise you won’t be mad.”

He’s really cute when he’s confused, but I know it’s not going to last long. “Why aren’t you still sleeping, and what would I be mad at?”

“Chad’s here.”

His entire body jolts so fast I don’t know how he didn’t break his damn spinal cord. “In the city here? Or in my house here? Because, Paisley, if you’re telling me that fuckin’ guy is here, in my house, alone with you, I won’t promise shit.”

I press my lips together, trying to think of a way to break it to him. I still can’t even wrap my head around the fact that Chad isn’t gay! “He’s in the kitchen,” I blurt, and Royce’s face transforms right before my eyes into a mask of stone. I put my hands on his chest to stop him from charging down the hall. “Stop. Wait, please. Let me explain.”

He grabs my wrists and pries my fingers off his shirt, then super gently moves me to the side. I chase after him. “It’s fine, Royce. I promise. We were just talking and—”

“What did you think?” he roars at Chad the moment he steps into the kitchen. “Did you seriously think you could come here, into my fucking house, and throw some shit at my pregnant woman, and I’d let you get away with it?”

“No, I—” “No fucking nothing, asshole. Get the fuck out and I swear to God if I see you again, you won’t be able to—” “Royce! Stop it.” I drop my hands and stand in front of him. “Stop.”

Chad speaks up from behind me. “I’m sorry. I just had to tell her. I wanted to give her the chance to pick.”

He tries to step forward, and I push him back. “You thought you’d come to my motherfuckin’ house and proposition her!” His chest rumbles beneath my fingertips, and I try to think of something… anything to defuse the situation. The way he says it makes it seem really bad… but essentially, that’s exactly what Chad did. “I warned you already, but apparently, you’re a bigger idiot than I thought.”

“I know, man. I’m sorry, okay. But if I didn’t tell her, I’d regret it the rest of my life. I know how great she is. You know there aren’t many girls like her out there and—” “No.” He laughs and lowers his voice. “You don’t know how great she is, Chad. You have no fucking idea how phenomenal she is, and you never fuckin’ will. You’ll never, ever know. Do you understand what I’m saying to you?”

I turn to face Chad, the whole situation completely catching me off guard. I feel like they’re having a conversation right in front of me, but I have no clue what they’re saying.

Chad hangs his head and stands from the chair. “I hear you.”

“This is twice. I will not give you a third.”

“Wait, what?”

“Don’t worry about it, baby.” He placates me.

“No, I will worry. What are you talking about twice?”

“It’s fine, Paisley,” Chad states. “I shouldn’t have come.”

I shake my head. “No, it’s not. What is he talking about? Did he threaten you?”

His eyes nervously twitch from me to Royce and back again.

“Oh my God.” I shake my head. “When?”

“I should be going.”

I take a step toward him when I’m hauled back against Royce. “Yeah, you should.”

“Wait. Let me go.” I turn around, and pregnant belly or not, I shove him away from me. “This isn’t cool, Royce. Chad, let me walk you to your car.”

I follow a defeated and beaten Chad outside.

I don’t have to see him or hear him to know Royce is behind me. I walk down the steps and hold my hand up to Royce. “Don’t you dare follow me any farther.”

He crosses his arms but stays put. I hurry down the walkway and call Chad’s name before he closes the door to his rental car. “It’s fine, Paisley.

He’s right. I never should have come.” All attitude and the outgoing personality just drained from the poor guy.

“Chad, I had no clue. I didn’t…”

“I need to go back. I wasn’t lying in there. I knew you’d pick him, but I just had to say the words out loud to your face because I knew if I didn’t, I’d regret it for the rest of my life. I needed to move on.”

“Chad, it’s not a matter of choice. I love Royce. I have since I was fourteen… We’re having a baby. You were my friend. You are my friend, and I had no idea you felt that way.”

He offers a tight smile. “Have a wonderful life, Paisley.”

I wait for him to drive away before I go back inside. As I pass Royce, he says, “Told you he wasn’t gay.”

Chapter 15 Paisley “You can’t seriously still be mad at me.” Royce closes the shower door, takes my loofah from me, and turns me around so he can wash my back.

Yeah, I’m still pissed. Like seriously. “You had no right to threaten him.”

“Christ, Paisley, I’m not gonna hurt the guy. He’s being overdramatic about what I—” “He’s being overdramatic?” I laugh. “You’re the one who came storming in here like you were ready to murder a friend of mine just because he was in our house.”

Instead of arguing with me, he just washes my body as I continue ranting.

“He’s a nice guy, and if anyone has a right to be mad, it’s him. As soon as you were in the picture, I totally ditched him.”

“First, I told you he puffed out his chest and wanted to see who had the bigger dick when we went to breakfast.”

“Brunch.”

“Brunch. You know me well enough to know I’m not gonna put up with the shit he just pulled. I don’t give a damn who it was; nobody’s gonna come to my house and corner you like that. Nobody. But let’s get something else straight right now.” He drops the soapy ball on the ground and spins me back then puts his hands on both sides of my neck, his thumbs resting on my cheekbones. “I never left the picture.”

My knees wobble, and I grab onto his arms. “What do you mean?”

“You don’t even know, do you?”

“Know what?”

“That I’ve loved you for years. That you’ve been mine, and even if I wasn’t here, I still took care of you. That I will always take care of you.”

“You what?” My throat is dry despite the steam swirling around us and the water cascading down. “What did you do when you weren’t here?”

“Don’t ask questions you don’t want the answers to. Just know that your father isn’t the only reason the boys stayed away.”

I open my mouth to get pissy, but he’s right. It’s better if I pretend to be ignorant. It’s not like I would have ever wanted anybody else anyway. He was always it. He was the one. The guy who was nothing but a fantasy.

He’d never want me the way I wanted him, and even when he was saying it to me at first, I wasn’t sure I believed it. Now? Yes. Now I’m pregnant with his child, and I know how he feels. But back then… years ago? No. “Why would you do that?”

“This is one of those things to check off the list, isn’t it?” He chews on his lip a second. “It’s because I knew you felt it too. I knew we just had to wait until the time was right, and if I told you then, you’d have tried to convince me. I might be patient when it came to waiting for you, but there’s only so much a guy can take. And if you kept looking at me like you did the night of that fuckin’ party…”

“You took off after that.”

“I know.”

“You kissed me and then you left.”

He nods. “I know.”

“I missed you.”

He dips his head down and rests his forehead against mine. “I missed you too, precious.”

“Just because you’re sweet and hot doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten about Chad.”

His breath feels cool against my warm skin when he huffs. “Of course, you didn’t.”

“Why don’t you like him?”

“Because he wants you. I’m not a fan of anyone feeling something for you below the waist.”

I roll my eyes. “I feel bad. He looked so defeated.”

“No need for you to think you have any bearing on how he feels about himself. He’s a grown ass man; he knew what he was doing and what the result would be.”

“I had no idea he ever felt that way, and before you say I told you so, he never said one thing to me. I mean, we had brunch every Saturday for a few months, and aside from when I’d see him in class, we barely talked. We were friends, but it’s not like we were attached at the hip or anything. He

flew all the way out here to be turned down. I mean, seriously, who does that?”

Royce slides his hands down from my face and grabs my hips. He pulls me as close as he can with a baby belly in the way. “You’re impossible not to love, Paisley. I know it, he knows it, and anyone who has the balls to tell you is a threat to me. I could tell he was gettin’ close back in New York. I told him you were mine when you went to the bathroom at brunch. That’s it. What you saw here was me losing my shit because he had the guts to come into my house and disrespect not only me, but you.”

“He didn’t—” “He did.” He cuts me off. “Any guy who’s gonna walk into another man’s home and tell his woman that he’s got feelings for her… that’s disrespect.”

“How did you even know what he was here for?”

His lips graze mine. “You, my dear, are not subtle.”

“What’d I do?” I pull my head back to look into his eyes.

“Your reaction when I walked in. If it was just a friendly visit, you wouldn’t have freaked out about it.”

Dammit. I drop my head, irritated and a little bit confused.

“Talk to me.” He nudges my head up with a finger beneath my chin.

“I feel like I should be mad at you.”

“But you’re not?”

I shake my head. “No. Because all the things you did were because you love me. And because I love you, too, I know I’d do some crazy stuff to keep the skanks away.”

He smirks. “So you forgive me?”

“Yeah,” I whisper. I like that he’s like this with me. I saw it as soon as I was adopted. Erik treats Polly like she’s the best thing in the world, and even though sometimes he’s overbearing, it’s just because he loves her and wants to keep her safe. He’s the same way with me, but obviously in a different way because I’m his daughter. I’m glad I have a man who makes me feel as safe as my father does.

Royce’s fingertips ghost around and up, then they circle my nipples.

“You know what that means, right?”

“What?”

“Makeup sex.”

***

A week later, I couldn’t fight the cravings anymore, so I dragged my butt out of the house and went to my favorite ice cream shop alone. Royce has been super busy with the merger of the two companies. He’s been pretty tight lipped about his dad, but from what Erik tells me, things are going well.

I’m currently sitting by myself and enjoying some signature Scoopy’s triple berry. Once I’ve devoured the very last bite, I throw my trash away and head back to my car.

One thing that I love about living in California is the sun. I grew up here, sure, but when I went away for college and didn’t see it every single day, I realized just how much I loved the sun. I think if you live here your entire life, you don’t appreciate it as much as you should.

New York was brutal. This West Coast girl did not fare well in the cold.

I would never admit this out loud, but it was part of the reason I didn’t want to go back to school there. I know it makes me a baby, but I don’t care. I want sun, not snow.

When I get to my car, I see a paper on my window. Thinking it’s a flier, I rip it off and start to ball it up, but one word stands out. I spread it back open, and when I read the rest of the writing, I vomit up the ice cream.

That should be my baby. It will be.

“Oh, my God.” My fingers shake, and my knees wobble. I try to open my door to get away from any possible threat, but I slip on my puke, and my hands fly out to catch myself.

“Are you okay?”

I scream when someone touches my shoulder, and I look over to see Brinley bending down to pick up my keys.

“No. Someone… a note. I need Royce.”

“Okay. Do you want me to call him?”

“I just need him.” I reach to grab my keys, but she pulls them back.

“Let me drive you. You’re shaking.”

I try to argue, but she puts her skinny arm around my waist and leads me around the car. I lock my door the second she closes it, and when she gets in, I hit the lock button for all the doors. “Where is he?”

“Royal Ace Security.” My arms tighten around my belly, a motherly instinct to protect my baby kicking in at breakneck speed.

She doesn’t ask for directions, and I concentrate on breathing. My stomach is so nauseous, and I feel like I’m in another dimension right now.

Fear is choking me so hard the easy breathing I’ve been doing with Royce up and vanished.

Before she’s stopped my car all the way, I open my door, run into the building as fast as my pregnant ass can move, and don’t stop walking when Polly calls my name. “Hey, honey. I didn’t know you were comin—” I interrupt her. “Where’s Royce? I need Royce.” I cover my mouth when acid threatens to come up again.

“He’s in his office, I think, but what—” I rush past her and push open his door only to find it empty. Auto pilot hurries me on, and I rush to the conference room and finally see him. He’s laughing with my dad and another man who I don’t know, but the second he sees me through the glass, the laughter ceases immediately, and he jumps up.

I reach him just inside the room and practically collapse on to him.

“What’s wrong?” He brings me over to a chair and sets me down, squatting in front of me. “Baby, what happened?”

“Paisley, what the hell?” Erik asks.

I hand Royce the paper currently balled in my fist; it takes him a second to grab it from my shaky hands, but as he’s unfolding it, I tell him, “You can’t let them.”

“Can’t let who what?” He scans the words, and the entire room goes solid with the anger rolling off him. “What. The. Fuck?”

“Talk to me, Paisley. I need to know where you found this.”

I ignore my father and grab Royce’s face. “You can’t let them.”

“I won’t.”

“You can’t let them take our baby.”

There’s commotion in the room, but all I see right now is my man. He leans forward, one hand on my belly and the other one he hooks around the back of my neck. He pulls me closer, and I bury my face in his chest. Next

to my temple, his voice strong and confident. “I won’t let anybody take our baby. I fuckin’ promise you that.”

Royce “Someone is going to die.” I pace the floor of what we call the boiler room upstairs. My thoughts of vengeance too fucked up to even think about sitting still. Somebody wants to ruin what I have? They want to take away my baby? Hurt my woman… my life?

No. I can’t let that happen. I won’t let it.

“We’ll get him.”

I stop long enough to lock eyes with Erik. “Then I’ll kill him.”

“Royce, son, we’re not mercenaries.”

“I don’t give a fuck,” I snap at my father. “Did you find it yet?” I ask Q. “Still searching. Need a few more minutes.”

“Hurry the fuck up!”

Erik finally stands and blocks my path. “Relax.”

“I am not relaxing now. She’s my fucking life, Erik, and someone—” “I know,” he interrupts me. “But right now, she’s across the hall with her mom next to her. She’s safe. You need to calm your shit if you want to be productive. We’ve had this conversation before, but it holds true now more than ever. You can’t see clearly enough if your vision is red.”

He clasps my shoulder and walks over by Q who is currently hacked into the city’s cameras. I don’t know how he does it, and I don’t care.

“Fuck, I can see her car right here.”

I rush over and watch as she walks across the screen. God, she’s beautiful. But the front of her car is just cut off, and we can’t see shit.

“Keep watching. Maybe they walked around it or something,” Erik instructs.

“No shit.” Like this is my first time looking through video surveillance.

We watch as minutes and minutes go by, and she finally comes back.

Half of her is cut off but we all see the minute she leans over and pukes. But then a shadow approaches her, and I recognize Brinley. See her helping her to the car and driving her away. “Shit, she drove her here?” Thank God someone was there. I can see how shaken up Paisley is in the footage, so who knows what could have happened to her if she tried to drive herself.

“Who’s that?” Erik asks.

“Brinley.” I push past him and go across the hall. “Baby, where’s Brinley?”

Her eyes widen, and she throws the blanket off herself. “Shit.”

“It’s okay.”

“I ran in here and didn’t even… she has my keys. She never came in?”

I shake my head as I’m already rushing downstairs.

“Wait.”

“Paisley, just stay there.”

Stubborn and scared and pregnant, she ignores me. “I just want to make sure she’s okay.”

I wait for her at the bottom of the stairs and then hold my arm out.

“Wait here.” She ignores me and pushes open the other door, a sob leaving her at the sight in front of us. “Fuck.”

“Brinley, oh my God.” She rushes out into the rain and bends down.

The girl is soaking wet. What are the chances it’s raining right freaking now? She’s just sitting on the sidewalk across from Paisley’s car, holding her keys. “Paisley, go back inside.”

Behind me, I hear murmurs and then Erik steps up and lifts Paisley by her arms. “Royce’ll get her inside. You don’t need to be out here.”

I crouch down in front of Brinley, and she doesn’t even raise her head.

Her red hair looks black it’s so dark from the rain. “Brinley?”

My voice must snap her out of whatever trance she’s in. Bright green eyes stare back at me. “Keys.” She lifts her arm.

“Why don’t you come inside? We’ll get you dried off.”

“I’m okay. I’ll just walk back.”

“Let’s just get you dry, and then we’ll figure that out, okay?” I hold my hand out, and she hesitates. “I’m not gonna hurt you.”

“That’s what they all say.” She ignores my proffered hand and pushes herself up. Carter is at the door and motions for her to go in.

Polly is waiting for us with a towel and smiles, though sympathy is written all over her face. “Hi, sweetie. I’m Polly.” She wraps the towel around her shoulders. “Why don’t you come on upstairs with me? We’ve got some dry clothes and Paisley’s heating up some soup so we can get you warm?”

“I really don’t need anything else.”

“Nonsense, come on.”

Brinley nods and follows Polly up to the break room, which is really more like a small apartment. She looks back at me. “I’ve got the girls; you deal with the other stuff and find whoever the hell it is.” Then she closes the door.

I walk back into the boiler room, and Q looks up. “I’ll keep combing over this shit to see if I can find something. Royce, give me dates of when you guys went to the doctor.” “’Kay.” “They’re not gonna get prints off that,” I tell Erik as I angle my head at the baggie with the note in it.

“I know, but it’s worth a try.”

Yeah, some try. The paper is so dirty and wet, it’ll be impossible to narrow down a print.

We talk some more and come up with what we’re gonna do. After another half hour, I’m satisfied with our plan, but I need to get her back home. “I need to take her home.”

Erik nods. “I’m sending Gio and Carter with you. What are you gonna do about the girl?”

“I don’t know. Not really my priority right now.”

Just then, Polly walks in. “We’re bringing Brinley home with us.”

Erik sighs because he knows he’s already lost the battle. “She’s not a stray dog, Polls. We can’t just bring her back to our house.”

“Yes, we can. She’s alone; no family, no friends. She’s cold, she’s wet, and she helped our girl. I am not sending her back to sleep in her fucking car.” Then she leaves, and Erik pinches the bridge of his nose.

If my entire life wasn’t being threatened right now, I’d laugh. Instead, I give a chin lift to the guys and walk out of the room, stopping only when my father calls my name. He comes to stand in front of me. “Nobody’s going to hurt your girl or your baby, you hear me?”

“Yeah.”

“Son, look at me.”

I raise my head and look back at an older version of the face that stares at me every day in the mirror.

“You’ve got this.”

“I know.”

“Your girl is beautiful, and your baby is going to be, too.” It sucks they had to meet for the first time like this, but I was glad when both parts of my

life finally met.

Then he does something he hasn’t done since I was sixteen years old.

He grabs my shoulder and squeezes. That’s when I lose it. I drop my head, and he pulls me in, wrapping an arm around me and hugging me like he used to… and I let him. For the first time in years, I hug my father.

Chapter 16 Paisley “Hi.” I slowly open the door to Brinley’s room. “How are you doing?”

It’s been a week since the threat, and Polly won’t let her leave because she really likes her. I do too. She’s super shy and quiet, but really sweet.

I’ve been hanging out here a bit more because Royce won’t let me be home alone.

I wouldn’t want to be, either. I’m scared shitless. Not gonna lie about that. Being with Royce and always having someone else around makes me feel safer.

Brinley sits up from the bed and smiles at me. God, she looks so different than she has in the past. Her hair is super shiny, and her skin isn’t so pale.

She hasn’t opened up about her past or why she lives out of her car, but she’s really nice. I always thought she was anyway. “Hi. I’d say I’m a five and a half.”

That’s good. The highest number yet. “That’s great. Hope you don’t mind if I hang out. Royce went to the office.” Plus, truth be told, she is a stranger, so nobody wants her here alone when Polly goes to the store. One of the guys is outside just to be on the safe side even though this house is a fortress.

Her cheekbones are more prominent when she smiles. “He sure does love you.”

“Yeah, he does. I got lucky.”

“Hmm.” “So, uh, what do you do for fun? To keep yourself occupied?”

She swings her feet back and forth. “Well, when I’m not fighting off men who want to rape me or digging through the trash to get some food, I sleep. I like to sleep as much as I can because it makes time go by fast. I just want to be able to wake up one day and not be in this life anymore.”

I don’t know how to respond to that. My heart goes out to her, but I only offer a smile and then ask, “Want to go downstairs and watch a movie?”

“Whatever.” She shrugs and stands up.

I follow her downstairs, and we sit on opposite ends of the couch. She holds up a picture of me on my sixteenth birthday. “You got a car for your birthday?”

“Yeah,” I reply sheepishly.

“Wow. You have the perfect life.”

“I don’t,” I tell her. “I, uh, my birth parents died when I was nine, and I was in and out of foster care until I was fourteen. Then my luck turned around when Erik and Polly adopted me. I don’t know what I did to be so blessed, but I thank my lucky stars every night because I know it could have been so much worse.”

I rub my hand on my belly.

She watches the movement. “Do you know what you’re having?”

“No. We wanted it to be a surprise.” I laugh and then explain, “Well, I wanted it to be. Royce wants to know, but I think it’ll be better this way.”

“I bet it’s a boy.”

I smile. “Why do you think that?”

“Just a guess.”

“I don’t care what it is as long as it’s healthy and happy.”

“I’m sure it will be. You’re young and healthy and so is Royce.”

Just hearing his name still makes me smile. “Yeah. I hope so.” As long as someone doesn’t hurt us, all signs point to happy and healthy. I put in a funny movie, hoping to lighten the mood, but before it starts, I go make some popcorn.

It takes a few minutes, but the tension releases from the room. A scene with Hunter Dean comes on, and we both sigh. “He’s so dreamy.”

“He’s really cute.” She blushes.

“I know. Royce’d kill me if he knew I said that. Apparently, he’s a jerk in real life.”

“How do you know that?”

I lean in closer to her. “Don’t tell anyone, but Royce said he hired them to do security for something, and it was a disaster. He lied and put one of the guys in danger. He got blacklisted from the company after that.”

“Oh, wow.”

“Yeah, you don’t mess with one of us. You do, and you get everyone on your bad side.”

She nods. “Yeah, I bet. It must be nice to have that many people at your back.”

“It is. I used to be so scared all the time, but when I was adopted, that fear went away. I hate that it’s back.” I wipe beneath my eyes. “I just don’t want anyone to hurt my baby. I don’t know what I’d do if that happened.”

Royce My fist slams into his stomach, and he collapses on the ground, crying like a bitch. I grab him by his collar and yank him up, then push him against the wall.

“I didn’t do it,” Chad screams at me, tears dripping down his face. “I swear I didn’t. I’d never hurt her. God! Don’t hit me again.” Jesus, what a pussy. I only hit him one time.

Carter puts a hand on my shoulder.

“Look at me.” I jerk Chad’s shirt, and his head wobbles back and forth.

He opens his eyes, then squints and flinches even though I didn’t do anything. “If I find out it was you—” “It wasn’t, I swear! I left the same night she turned me down and—” I shake my head. “Now you’re lying to me.”

“Okay, fine,” he wheezes.

“And what did you do that night, Chad? Did you sit and think about how much you fucked up? Think maybe you could have a piece of her after all?”

“No!” he screams. “No, I swear. I would never hurt her!”

“Then where the fuck were you? I know you don’t have the balls to hurt her, but you have the money, don’t you?”

His face pales even more.

“Yeah, I know all about it. I know everything, Chadwick.”

“That has nothing to do with Paisley.”

I press my arm against his throat. “Don’t you say her fucking name.”

He claws at my arm, and I loosen it enough to let him breathe. “I didn’t want the money.”

“But you took it.”

“Yes! I took it. My parents made me. I was fifteen.”

“Where’s your baby now?”

For the first time, I see unadulterated anger slash across his face. He leans into my arm and despite the pressure cutting off his air supply, he yells, “I don’t fucking know where it is. I don’t even know if it was a boy or a girl. They made me sign the fucking papers, and they took her away. I haven’t seen or heard from them since.”

“And I bet that kills you,” I taunt him. “Your girl got away, and she took your baby. Shame it happened once but then you meet another girl, and she leaves you and gets pregnant, I bet—” “I was at a hotel fucking some random women, okay?” He falls back against the wall in defeat. “I left your house, and I got wasted and got laid because it made me feel better about my shitty fucking life. I was going to go home the next morning, but they were still there, and the morning led to the afternoon and then we spent another night fucking, and before I knew it, I’d been drunk at a hotel for days.”

I drop my arms, and he wipes his nose with the back of his hand.

“My life is a fuckin’ joke, man, all right? I felt like shit, and I did something that made me feel better about it. When I was going to leave, I realized there was nothing for me in New York. There’s nothing for me anywhere, so I just never left.” He lifts his head. “I would never hurt her or do something to threaten your baby.”

Without another word or threat, I turn on my heel and leave the hotel room. Carter follows, and I get into the passenger seat of his Jeep.

“That was hard to watch.” He pulls out of the parking spot and heads back to Royal.

“Yeah.”

He sighs. “Fucked up, man.”

I simply grunt. It’s really a fucked-up story. Chad got a girl pregnant when she was fourteen, and he was fifteen. Girl’s parents paid him a quarter of a million dollars to shut him up. Her family moved away, and there is no record of the daughter ever having a baby.

He’s the only damn lead we have, and since he’s been paying with cash at the hotel, it took us this long to find him. I want to have it be him, so I can put an end to it, but frankly, I believe him. Which means someone else out there wants my baby.

***

“We’re at a dead fuckin’ end. There haven’t been any more threats, no notes, no phone calls, no tails,” my dad tells the group of men sitting at the table.

The companies’ merger has been successful, and I couldn’t be more grateful for the capabilities of my father and his men than I am right now.

We’ve worn out all of our resources and have gotten nothing.

No information is more frustrating than anything. It’s nearly impossible to follow an invisible lead.

“We’re sure this note was directed at her? The hospital is right there.

Maybe someone got the car wrong?” Lincoln says.

“What the fuck are you saying? You think she—” “No. Whatever you’re going to say, no. Nothing bad about your girl, just the possibility that maybe the note was meant for someone else. Any other cars there around that time, have we looked at their owners to see if any have protection orders filed, anything like that?”

“We won’t lessen our protection,” Erik states. “That’s my grandchild someone threatened. But it’s not a bad idea. Q?” “I’ll get on it,” he replies, already looking at his laptop.

We’re mulling over more options and throwing out ideas when the door opens. The Ace guys start a slow clap, and the few Royal guys—Damien, Brenden, and Lincoln—look around with confusion at the man who just entered.

“Well, look what the motherfuckin’ cat dragged in.” Gio pushes out of his chair and sticks his hand out.

Noble takes it, and they pat each other on the back. Erik does the same and then Carter. By the time he makes it to me, I’m already out of my chair.

I smile at him, and he punches me in the gut. I grunt at the force, and the rest of the guys laugh. They all sucker-punched me when they found out about Paisley and me. He just totally caught me off guard and got me good.

“Asshole.” He slaps the side of my face, and I look up at him. “You just couldn’t help yourself, could you?”

“Nope. Not even a little bit.”

He laughs and takes the seat next to me.

“Gentlemen, this is the elusive Noble,” Erik introduces him to the new guys. “I’ve already filled him in on what we know so far. He’s gonna jump in on the rotations for protection detail.”

Erik holds up his finger and answers his phone. “Hey, baby.”

Everyone grumbles as he walks out of the room and talks to Polly.

“How you been, man?”

He shrugs. “Alive.”

Typical Noble answer. Cryptic. Nobody knows the details of Noble’s past. The only thing we’re positive about is that he was a cop, and he lost his wife and daughter. I suppose we don’t need to know the particulars to understand why he is the way he is.

I ever lost Paisley and my kid… I don’t think I’d survive, to be honest.

Noble is the perfect bodyguard because he admittedly doesn’t have a life. He’s able to be gone for months and months at a time without worry.

Which is where he’s been.

“Okay. See you guys soon.” Erik walks back in the room. “Did you remember the Pop-Tarts for Brinley? Okay. Love you, too.”

“Brinley?” Noble asks.

“The girl I told you about who drove Paisley here and is now living in our guest room.” Apparently, they’ve already talked about the entire situation.

Noble sits up, and the whole room thickens with tension. “You got a picture of her?”

“Why?” “Her hair red?”

“Yes.” “Get me a picture.” He stands. “Now.”

Chapter 17 Paisley “No, I think we’re good.” I hold my hand over the receiver. “Brinley, do you need anything from the store? Polly’s there now, and she says she already got your Pop-Tarts.”

“No, thanks.”

“No, we’re good. See you soon.” I hang up with her and take a drink of lemonade.

Brinley doesn’t look up from the cutting board as she’s chopping some vegetables for the salad. We finished our movie and decided to get a jump on dinner. “Have they found anything else from the note?”

“No. It was too dirty to get a print.” I grab a purple pencil and color some pedals on a picture in the adult coloring book Royce bought me. He brought home enough stuff to keep me busy for a year after I whined about being bored since both he and Derik told me I couldn’t work anymore. I already marinated the chicken so there’s nothing else for me to do right now.

“That’s a shame.”

“I know. I don’t get it.”

She dumps some cucumber in a bowl. “Don’t get what?”

“Why anyone would want to hurt me. Or my baby.”

“Hmm. You haven’t managed to upset anybody your entire life?”

I think back again. Just like I did when I went over everything with the guys. “No. Unless it was unintentional. I always get along with everyone I meet.”

She huffs. “You can’t think of anyone who would not like you?”

“No, I mean, there were a couple of boys in high school who I blew off, but the guys already ruled them out. I never had any trouble with any girls at my school, and I barely knew anybody in New York.”

“What about before that?”

I swallow the hurt before I continue. “Before that, nobody cared about me, so no.”

“Nobody?”

“Not that I can think of.”

She looks up from across the island. “You can’t think of anyone who you wronged? A ghost from the past, a haunted soul… Not one single person who would hate you!”

The palpitations of my heart thunder, and I drop my colored pencil.

“What are you talking about?”

“Oh, come on, Paisley. Fucking think. Do I need to scream for you to remember?”

“Brin—” “Yeah. Brin-ley.” The menace in her voice makes me queasy, and the hatred shooting from her eyes almost blinds me.

Something about her has always seemed familiar. A pull I felt toward her from the first time I saw her. I never knew why, but as I squint my eyes and focus on her red hair and lightly freckled face, I choke on my own stupidity. “Oh, my God.” “Finally remembered, did you?”

“Brinley.” It’s not a question anymore. It’s abuse and tears and screaming. Crying, bruises, and nightmares. I was only there for a couple of weeks before I was adopted, but it was enough. “Brinley…”

“Yes, Brinley!” She screams and rushes at me with the knife in her hand. She hits the island so hard my phone falls off and lands on the ground.

How could I have forgotten? The very last home I was in… there were four of us and she, she was the object of the foster dad’s abuse. “Oh, my God.” I never stood up for her. I never said anything. She was there before me, and the other kids warned me to stay away. They told me if you hung out with her, you’d get it too. And I… I never helped her. I looked the other way, and I never helped her.

I didn’t tell a teacher or say anything to a case worker. Nobody did because we all knew nothing would get done about it. I made that mistake at the first foster home I was in by telling my social worker that they didn’t give me lunch money.

When I came home, they withheld food from me for the entire weekend as punishment for “lying” about them. I learned to just keep my mouth shut.

And for the most part, things were… fine. Not wonderful, but I knew they could also be so much worse. I could have been treated like Brinley was. I don’t know why I wasn’t, but it wasn’t something I was going to question.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t—” “You’re right.” She waves the knife in the air. “You didn’t. You didn’t do anything. Nobody ever did anything.”

A burn starts in my eyes, and I can’t even speak. Guilt and fear cripple me from even breathing right now. She pants. Heavy, rushed breaths echo around the kitchen that’s thick with hostility. Unlike earlier in the day when we all sat and ate breakfast together. Love and laughter surrounded me then, but now her rage suffocates me.

“I never had a chance…” Tears stream down her face, and she wipes her runny nose with the back of her hand. “It should be me!”

I stand, prepared to run, but she leaps over the counter. “Stop!”

My stomach cramps, and I try not to show the wince on my face too much. “Okay, okay.” I hold my hands out, pleading.

One of the guys should be outside. I’m pretty sure it was Landon, one of Mitch’s guys. If I screamed, he’d hear me, but she’s so close now that surely, she’d what? Stab me if I tried? If it was just me, I would make a run for it, but if there’s a chance she could hurt the baby, I won’t take it. That thought has me bringing my hands to my belly.

Longingly, she watches the movement. “It should be me.”

“Brinley, I didn’t do anything to hurt you on purpose. I want to help now, though, if I can because I couldn’t back then. I want to help now.”

She laughs, manically. “No, you don’t. Nobody ever wants to help.

Nobody ever wants to help me. Have you ever had a zero?”

I don’t understand the question. “A what?”

“A day that was a zero.”

“I’d say the day when my parents died was probably a zero.”

She laughs. “Honey, in my life, that kind of day would have been like a seven. But do you know how many days I had zeros? Huh? Any fucking idea?”

“I’m sorry. Please, let me help you now.”

“You don’t want to help me.”

“I do, Brinley. I do. Polly does, and I know Erik would. Let us help. I was there, too, ya know… I remember what it was like.”

She slashes her arm in the air, the knife inches from me. “No, you don’t! I was there! I was the only one who was there! He only picked me!”

“I know, I know. I’m sorry. Let me make it right. Let me help you.”

“No.” She shakes her head and her bright red hair flies. “You won’t help. Nobody helps. Everyone just hurts.”

“Brinley, it’s going to be okay.”

She shakes her head and chants, “No, it’s not; no, it’s not; no, it’s not.”

I didn’t see it. God, how did I not see it? How did I not realize who she was? She wasn’t just homeless; she was hurting. I got to leave, and she didn’t. I got a family, and she’s alone. I could be her right now. And she could be me… “Brinley, please let me help now.”

“Nobody can help me.”

“Rinny girl.”

A voice I haven’t heard in forever floats into the kitchen. Brinley’s skin goes pale white, almost green with shock.

“Come to me, Rinny.” Noble slowly walks into the kitchen with Royce and Erik on either side of him.

Royce sees me, and I watch as his entire body relaxes. The anger painted on his face is going nowhere, and neither is he as Erik puts his arm out, holding him back from passing Noble. I inch myself back as Brinley is shaking so bad her hand continually bounces off the island.

“Rinny girl.” Noble approaches her from the side. “Look at me, Little Red.” She drops her head, and he slowly reaches out toward her. The second his finger grazes her left arm, she screams and swings her right one around.

The one with the knife. The blade slashes across Noble’s white t-shirt and crimson immediately dyes the fabric.

He efficiently grabs her wrist, and Erik and Royce both rush to her.

“Back up,” Noble commands. They stop, trusting their friend’s abilities enough to leave him with the knife wielder.

“Shh.” The strength in his hand is more than her entire body as he overpowers her. “I’ve got you, Rinny. I’ve got you now.”

Her fingers open, and the knife clatters to the ground. Noble kicks it away, and she collapses against him. Instead of lifting her up, he sags to the floor right along with her. His arms around her, she turns and crawls into his lap.

She’s so petite. She looks like a child curled up with his big strong body around hers. His lips find the top of her head, and he gently kisses her. “I’ve got you.”

I expect her to cry or do something, but she doesn’t move a single muscle. He continues murmuring into her ear and gently rocking her. The scene before me has me paralyzed in a completely different way than before.

“Come here, precious,” Royce quietly calls to me, and I gingerly step around the cold and sardonic man who cradles a lonely soul. His eyes closed and his touch gentle, he holds her just as tight as she does him, and I wonder if he’ll ever let her go.

Royce Paisley rubs her belly, and my teeth grind together as I try to remain calm.

After what she went through earlier today, the last thing she needs is for me to lose my shit in front of her. I told myself I’d wait until she fell asleep, but the longer Erik talks, the more pissed off I become.

“We’re still gathering information, information I should have fucking gathered before I let her in my goddamned home, but from what Q managed to get the past few hours, it’s bad.”

“And do you think I give a fuck?” I pinch the bridge of my nose and count to ten. “I don’t care, Erik. She threatened my—” “She needs help,” Paisley whispers.

Her head is on my chest, and I drop my hand to run through the soft strands of her hair. “She’s not my problem. How many times do I have to tell you that. I don’t give a shit about anyone else.”

“It was bad.” She sucks in a shuddering breath. “I heard her, Royce. I heard her crying and screaming. I saw the bruises and the… the welts he left on her. And she was there before me for God only knows how long, then I left. I got to go home with a loving set of parents.”

“Thank God for that.”

“But nobody saved her. Ever. We can’t hurt her anymore. She needs help.”

Erik clears his throat. “It seems Noble is taking care of that.”

“Did he tell you any more than what he told us before?” When he recognized her after Q pulled up a picture, Noble tore out of Royal faster than I’d ever seen him move. We managed to find out that she was his daughter’s best friend growing up, but that’s it.

I got out of Erik’s house with Paisley and brought her home while I left Erik to deal with that mess. Landon feels fuckin’ awful because he let all that happen when he was standing outside. But when it comes down to it, we’re all at fault.

Nobody suspected a tiny, frail homeless woman to be the one who managed to elude an entire security company. I was convinced it was Chad and was obviously proven wrong. But just because it was a woman doesn’t mean she should get away with it.

“No. After you guys left, he wouldn’t even let Polly wrap his cut up.”

Erik huffs as he shakes his head. “He scooped Brinley up and walked out the door. I tried to say something, and he growled at me. I think everyone was so fuckin’ astounded to see Noble like that nobody even tried to stop him.”

“She’s not gonna think she can do that and get away with it. She threatened Paisley and wasted a shit ton of hours and resources. I don’t give a fuck if Noble used to know her or not.”

“Royce, please just stop.” Paisley sits up and puts her hair in a messy knot on the top of her head. “She didn’t hurt me. Yes, she scared everyone, but she didn’t hurt me. She’s the one who’s been through hell. If Noble can help her for whatever reason, then just let him.”

Fuck that. Fuck some chick holding a knife up to my girl and getting away with it because of Noble. No way. “I won’t—” “Yes, you will.” Polly walks into the living room and sits next to Erik.

“You will because that poor girl has scars covering her body. Yes, she threatened Paisley, and yes, she happened to have a knife in her hand when years and years of abuse finally caught up with her mental state, but I will personally hold you back if you even think about going after her.”

“I’ve never touched a woman in anger my entire life, Polls.”

“And you’re not about to start now.”

“Poll—” She jumps up and points at me. “You don’t know what it’s like.” Her voice raises an octave, and Erik stands. “You have no clue what it’s like to be completely alone with nobody to help you. Nobody to trust and certainly

not anybody to have your back. She’s not crazy, and she’s not a criminal; she’s a goddamn victim, and I promise you right now you don’t have to worry about getting through Noble to get to her because you’d have to get through me first, and I’ll die before I let anybody hurt that girl again!”

Both Paisley and Polly burst into tears at the same time. I take my girl in my arms, and Erik does the same with his. The violence I feel toward Brinley is at a level I’ve never experienced before. Walking into the house and seeing her with a knife… We had no clue we were walking into anything, we just thought we were going there because Noble knew Brinley, but by the way he darted out of the office, we should have known better.

Polly’s right in more ways than one. I’ve never been without anybody at my back. Even when I wasn’t talking to my father, I always knew he was there. I couldn’t imagine a little girl being scared and alone and beaten and God only knows what else. “Okay.” I put my lips to Paisley’s temple.

“Okay, precious. Nobody’s gonna hurt her anymore.”

Chapter 18 Royce The little girl with pigtails and a kitten in her hand greets me.

“Hi.” She smiles, exposing a missing tooth. “Hi.” “Hi. Is, uh, your dad home?”

“Are you my brother?”

Air gets knocked out of my lungs, and I clear my throat. “Why would you ask that?”

“Daddy talks about him all the time. He has pictures, too. They look just like you except there isn’t hair on his face. Wanna see?”

“Sure.”

She pulls the door open all the way, but I don’t enter. “Are you coming?”

“Does your daddy know you open the door to strangers and invite them into your house?”

She cocks a hip and puts a tiny fist on it. “I never open the door to strangers. But you’re not a stranger; you’re my brother.”

“Still, I’d feel better if you went and got your dad.”

“Okay.” She tears off down the hallway, and I hear her screaming, “Dad, my brother is here.”

Christ, she’s cute. If my calculations are correct, she’s about eight years old… but with that attitude, she acts like she’s going on sixteen. Makes me want a boy even more. Then again, a little Paisley running around would be amazing.

“Royce.” My… our dad walks down the hall the girl disappeared down a minute ago. She’s holding his hand and still has the cat in her other arm.

“What are you doing here, son?”

“I knew it! You really are my brother!” She drops the cat and runs to me, giving me a hug.

I awkwardly pat the top of her head. “Yeah, I guess I am.”

“Oh, wow. Royce, hi.” Kim, the homewrecker. The whore. The reason my life turned to shit after it was already scraped off the bottom of a shoe shit.

“Kim.” I nod at her.

She doesn’t move from her place at the bottom of the stairs. Agony written in her features and unshed tears in her eyes. She sniffles, and my dad turns around, immediately pulling his wife into his arms. He murmurs something in her ear, and her head bobs up and down.

He grabs her chin between his fingers and tilts her head up. Then he kisses the corner of her mouth, and I watch as her entire body relaxes. A soft smile pulls her lips, and she glances at me before she holds her hand out to her daughter. “Come with me, Mercy.”

We watch them walk away, and then my dad motions for me. “Please, come inside.”

I follow him in, and sure as shit, there are pictures of me on the wall.

When we get to the kitchen, he takes a hard left and opens a door that leads to a basement. Or a man cave is more like it. Leather chairs, a theatre-size screen, bar, pool table, darts. You name it; it’s down here.

“Beer?”

“Yeah.”

He opens the glass bottle and hands it to me, tapping the lip of his to mine before taking a pull. “What’s up, son?”

“I don’t know. I just…” I trail off, unsure of why I’m even here. What made me come to my father. Things between us at work have been… fine.

Superficial and more business-oriented, but after everything I’ve gone through with Paisley, I feel like I want to try to make things right. “Your daughter is cute.”

“She is. Too friendly for her own good. I’m gonna have to get a lock she can’t open for the door. She’s never done that before. I saw it was you on the monitor, so I gave you guys a minute. I get she thinks she knows you, so that’s the only reason she opened the door, but she still should have known better.”

That makes sense because there’s no way my dad would be cool with letting his little girl open the door and talk to someone without him knowing about it. I think it’s just a side effect of being born into a family where the head of the house owns a security company. You grow up precautious.

“Is Paisley doing okay?”

“Yeah, she’s doing great.” I walk around the large space checking out some photos and articles he’s got on the wall. Some from my childhood, some newer. When I come across one of my mother and me, I almost drop my beer. “I’m trying to understand,” I tell the wall. “I’ve been trying to put myself in your place, and no matter how much I do that, I just… I still don’t get how you could do it, Dad.” I could never want anyone as much as I want Paisley, and if she got sick, there is no way I could even think about another woman while she was fading away before my eyes.

“Do you want to hear the story? The truth?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

He leans on the bar and I on the wall. “Despite what you think, I loved your mother. I will never utter an ill word about her. She was a good woman, and she gave me you.” He pauses. “You were a child, Royce. She wanted to protect you and give you what she had growing up. But before she got sick the first time—” “What are you talking about the first time?”

When he doesn’t answer, I finally make eye contact.

“The last time wasn’t the first. You were too young to remember the details, just a little boy only about nine years old, and she never wanted you to know the real reason things were the way they were. But Royce, before even that, things between your mother and I were shaky. I’m not placing blame, but the only reason we got married is because she got pregnant. We loved each other but we weren’t in love.”

Part of me, when I dig deep into the recess of my memory, knew my parents weren’t in love. Even as a child, I thought it was weird that they never sat next to each other when we would watch a movie or hold hands when we went to the park. Things I’d see other people’s parents doing.

“It had nothing to do with her being sick. Neither of us were happy, but she insisted we stay together for you. To make you happy and give you a happy family. She had me convinced it was the right thing to do. And yes, there were some good times, but as time went on, those got outweighed by the bad. Then she got sick. Do you remember? Have you ever thought about why she went on ‘trips’ with her friends so much when you were younger?”

“No, I, uh… I guess I didn’t.”

“She would go get treatments and didn’t want you to know. I’m not saying what she did was wrong, but I thought you should know. She just

insisted on keeping you in the dark. She got better, and I think things between us did as well. Not like it made us fall back in love, but we… respected each other more. And when it came back again, which we knew it would, you were too old for her to hide it from you again.”

A small part of my hostility falls away, and I cross my arms, waiting for more from him. I’ve never allowed him to explain. Didn’t think he deserved a chance to.

“What kind of man would I have been if I’d left her the first time she was sick? Regardless of why we got married, I loved her as the mother of my child. Christ, Royce, she knew she was going to die young and begged me… she fucking pleaded with me to just stay with her until then for your sake. So I did that.”

“No, you didn’t.”

“I did, though. She knew. Fuck. She knew, Royce. When the cancer came back when you were seventeen, she set me up with Kimberly.” He blows out a breath and blinks a few times. “I thought I was meeting your mom for dinner, but she set up a date with a woman she’d handpicked for me, who turned out to be the right one.”

I huff in annoyance. “You expect me to believe Mom set you up with Kim?” “Yes. She was one of your mother’s nurses, Royce. She saw something was between us whenever we were in the same room together, and before her disease took over her mind, she arranged it. Kimberly and I fell in love instantly, and I don’t think any of us, including your mother, expected that. I swear to you, Royce, I was faithful to your mom until she literally gave me the okay. It happened fast, and I am very ashamed that your mother knew I was in love with someone else while her health was declining.”

I shake my head. No way would she have done that. “Bullshit.”

“I wish I were lying. I was never going to tell you but dammit”—he pounds his fist on the bar—“I miss my son. I never went looking, but when she knew it was almost over for her, she made the choice for me. Your mom wanted the best for you, and she thought it would be best to pretend we were still a happy family. Honest to God, it was what she wanted. She didn’t know that you knew I was seeing Kim. And I didn’t want her to find out that you knew. Hell, she didn’t even know Kim got pregnant.”

I remember vividly seeing them in the stairwell of the hospital kissing. I had never been more angry in my life. But because I knew it’d upset my

mom, I didn’t say a word to her.

There’s a restriction in my throat, and I take a swallow of beer to push it down so I can breathe again.

“I know it doesn’t make sense to you.” He sympathizes. “And the only reason I tried to hide it from you was because I didn’t want you to tell your mom and have her plans ruined. She wanted to die knowing… or at least thinking that you thought we were a happy family. And I did everything in my power to grant her that wish. Including let you hate me.”

“I don’t hate you.”

He doesn’t say anything in response, but the emotion that crosses over his face tells me we’re on the right path. His conscience is clear, and I understand things a little better.

“Daddy! Can I come down and play with you guys?”

“We good?” he asks me. I nod, and he smiles then turns toward the stairs. “Sure, sweetie, come on down.”

Her feet pitter-patter down the stairs, and she grabs a stick then stands by the pool table. “Do you wanna rack ’em?”

Yep, she’s definitely my sister.

***

An immediate panic hits me, and I slam the door and rush through the quiet house. Even though the threat is eliminated, I’m still on edge. When I get up to our room, I find Paisley on the bed. She’s sitting in the middle with her legs crossed and her bear on her lap surrounded by a bunch of fluffy white stuff.

“Hey,” I slowly approach and squat down next to her.

“I forgot.” She’s holding her bear and looks over at me with a tearstained face. She doesn’t wear a lot of makeup, but the area around her eyes is dark from whatever she had on wearing off.

“Forgot what?”

She holds up a baggie with something shiny inside. “When they came to get me, there was a police officer who took pity on me. He sat on the couch

next to me and handed me my mother’s wedding rings. When I went to say something to him, he held a finger up to his lips.

“I was so scared. I remember that. I was scared and didn’t know what was going on. He told me that I’d want these someday.” She wiggles the bag. “He said I needed to keep them someplace safe and never tell anybody that I had them because they would want to take them from me. He said one day I’d find someone special who I would want to share them with, but until that day came, I was supposed to pretend I didn’t have them.”

“Paisley.”

“I asked him where I could hide them, and he helped me stuff them inside my bear. This guy”—she laughs—“was big and intimidating with his gun and handcuffs, but he sat there and sewed the back of my bear, and before he left, I’ll never forget what he said to me.”

I can feel my eyes softening, and I tilt my head. “What’d he say?”

“If it’s dirty on the outside, nobody will want to see what’s on the inside.” Her lips quirk up, and mine part as I laugh. “So I never washed it.

But when I moved here, Polly did, so it doesn’t smell anymore. I can’t believe the rings aren’t messed up or anything.”

“That’s good.”

“When you asked me… when you said something about wearing your ring a while ago, it reminded me. And then everything happened and I forgot. But I found the bear in the closet today… I can’t believe I even forgot about them.”

I hold my hand out. “Can I see them?”

“Yeah.” She opens the baggie and dumps them out into my palm.

She watches me as I quietly test their weight in my hand. They’re perfect. Simple and elegant. Just like something I’d choose for her myself.

“My dad was a mechanic, so he barely wore his ring. I don’t know where it ever went to. But I have these.”

“Did your dad pick these out?”

“I don’t know.”

“They’re beautiful.”

“I think so, too.”

“You’re beautiful.” I push up to one knee and take her left hand in mine.

Looking into her watery eyes, I slide the ring onto her finger. “I fell in love with you when I shouldn’t have. I knew it was wrong. But it didn’t matter.

Nothing else mattered but you. There is nothing else that will ever matter as much as you. Marry me, Paisley.”

“Okay.”

I wait until she drags her gaze from her hand to my face. “Just okay?”

“The entire time I’ve known you, I’ve loved you, Royce. It was never wrong. Not for me. The only thing it was and ever will be is right. So yes.”

She smiles. “Okay, absolutely, definitely… yes.”

***

“Don’t you even laugh right now.” I walk into the living room to find Paisley wearing a sports bra and a pair of my boxers that rest below her huge baby bump. A bucket, not a bowl, a bucket of ice cream is resting on said bump, and she’s spooning its contents into her mouth.

My lips lose feeling as I press them together, and she throws a gob of ice cream at me. I dodge it and walk to her. “Hi, precious.”

“Don’t. Don’t precious me. The only thing I want you to do is something to get this baby out of me!”

She’s overdue by four days, and as each day passes, she gets more and more… uncomfortable. The doctor assures us nothing is wrong, but he’s monitoring closely.

“Just tell me what you need, and I’ll do it.” I sit next to her and push some hair off her face. “I hate seeing you like this.”

“I hate being like this. God, Royce. I’m tired, I’m sore, I’m hungry. I just want it to be over.” She whines as she continues to eat the ice cream, and as much as I want to pull her into my arms, I know better than to touch her when she’s like this.

“It will be soon. And then you’re going to hold that baby and forget about how shitty you feel right now.”

She groans, frustration laced with the sound. “Can we go for a walk?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“If that doesn’t work, then you need to go buy spicy food. And if that doesn’t work, we’ll have to have sex.”

I drop my head and groan. It’s been weeks without her, and I know, God, I know why, and I understand. But my dick is not a happy camper right now and just the thought of sinking into her wet, tight pussy makes me hard.

“Help me up.”

I stand to grab her hands and help her off the couch, but she drops them.

“Are you hard right now?”

“You said sex.” I shrug. “Give me your hands, baby.”

She shakes her head and squirms on the couch. “Let me see.”

“What?”

“Let me see your cock, Royce.”

Jesus shit. I drop my pants, and she immediately reaches out. I hiss at the contact, and she whips her head up at me, letting go. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t let go.” I close my hand over hers. “For the love of God, don’t let go.”

She strokes me slowly, her hand tightening and twisting. She sparks fire inside of me with just a touch.

“Damn, babe. I’m gonna come already.”

“Wait.” She freezes, and I feel my balls turning blue. “Take my shorts off.”

I raise a brow. “What?”

“Take them off,” she practically growls at me.

“Dang, girl. Okay.” I reach over and grab the waistband of the boxers and pull them down.

She drops a leg off the couch. “Touch me.”

I don’t hesitate and slide my fingers through her wetness. “You’re soaked.”

“I haven’t been horny up until like right now, and I’m scared it might hurt if we have sex so—” “I’ll get you off, baby. What do you want? Fingers, mouth, or both?”

“Fingers. Please.”

My thumb circles her clit, puffy and pink while I slide two fingers into her where she immediately clamps down.

“Oh. God,” she chants over and over.

I grab my cock and stroke it in time with my fingers.

She doesn’t tell me she’s coming, but the long, loud moan and lack of circulation to my fingers tells me she is, and I can’t hold back anymore. I

come on her stomach, and we both watch as it slides down her belly.

“Why is that so hot?” She pants.

“Fuck if I know.” I lean down to kiss her, my body feeling like it just ran a marathon, and then grab the boxers and clean her up. “You okay?”

She smiles up at me, her face definitely softer than it was when I got home from work. “Yeah. I’m great now.”

“You still wanna go for that walk?”

Her laughter fills up the room. “I don’t think I can move. That was incredible.”

“It always is with you, Paisley. Always will be, promise you that.”

Chapter 19 Royce “You’re doin’ great, precious.” I kiss her forehead and then tilt my head down to look into her eyes. “So strong, you’re almost there.”

Her breath hitches on a strangled cry, and her hands squeeze mine so hard I wouldn’t be surprised if she snapped a bone. She throws her head back into the pillow and grunts as she pushes through another contraction.

I want to do more. I wish I could do something other than just stand here cheering her on.

“This is your fault,” she yells. “You made me have an orgasm. You started this whole damn thing yesterday!”

She had just fallen asleep last night when her water broke, and now she’s been in labor for fourteen hours. “I’m sorry?” I look over my shoulder to see the doctor and one nurse with small smiles on their faces.

Her breathing slows, and her grip on me tightens. “God,” she whispers.

I hold her sweaty face in my free hand. “You’re almost there.”

“I don’t think I can do it anymore.” Her eyes well up with tears and roll down the side of her face, mixing with beads of sweat. “I can’t do it again.”

“Yes, you can.” I press a hard kiss to her dry lips and then rest my forehead against hers, looking into her eyes. “You can do it, Paisley. I know you can. You’re so strong. You’ve done so good so far, baby. Almost there.”

“It’s coming again.” She shakes her head back and forth, pushing it into the pillow. “Oh God, I can’t do it, Royce. It hurts so bad.”

“You can, baby. You can.”

She grits her teeth together and screams as her entire body tightens.

Wetness streams down her face, and her knuckles are white as she grips the bedrails. Somewhere in the distance, I hear a nurse counting and the doctor’s deep voice encouraging Paisley.

“I can see the head.”

I peek between her legs, and sure enough, a fuzzy head sits between her thighs. A baby. My baby is right there.

Her eyes widen, and she blows out a breath as the contraction subsides.

She throws an arm over her eyes, and her whole body shakes as she sobs.

Goddamn, my heart is breaking. “Paisley, honey. It’s almost done.” I take her arm away and hold her hand. “The head is right there. I can see it.” I smile at her, but she doesn’t stop crying.

A nurse comes over and encourages her. “Once more, mama. Get ready.

Bear down and push.”

I feel her hand clamp tighter, and she grunts as she squeezes her eyes shut and pushes.

“Keep going, Paisley, last push. Almost there,” the doctor cheers her on.

“Daddy, do you want to see?”

I take a step away from her head, and as soon as I peek over her knee, I see the baby come out. All slimy and tiny. It’s freaking amazing. Holy shit.

“It’s a boy,” the doctor says, a smile in his voice.

Paisley falls back on the bed and breathes heavily. The itty-bitty miracle opens his mouth and wails louder than I’d think possible. I grab Paisley’s face and kiss her all over. “You did it. I’m so proud of you, precious. You did it.”

She smiles. “It’s a boy.”

“It is. God, I’m so proud of you. You did so good.”

“Would you like to cut the cord?” a nurse asks me as she thrusts a pair of scissors in my direction.

“Yeah.” I take the metal shears and put it where she tells me but hesitate when she nods at me to cut. “It won’t hurt him?”

“No. Not at all,” she reassures me.

I take a breath and slide the sharp blades through the tissue, gasping in awe when it’s done. “That was so cool.”

“Mommy, want to meet your son?” The nurse brings him over and sets him on Paisley’s chest.

She runs her finger along his face. “He’s beautiful.”

I touch his little hand with my pinky, and strong fingers grab it as his eyes pop open. My heart stops a beat, and my throat burns as my mother’s eyes stare back at me. Paisley smiles at me, and I wrap my arms around her and my son, then kiss both of them. He makes a cooing noise, and the nurse comes over to take him to bathe and dress. I follow her and watch closely.

She takes great care and hands him to me, where I don’t hesitate a moment to hold my boy.

“He’s so tiny,” I whisper in awe.

“He is,” Paisley agrees. “Thank you, Royce.”

I gently bounce him as I walk over to the side of her bed and sit on the edge. “I didn’t do anything, precious. This was all you.”

“No.” She sniffles, and I lean over to kiss her. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”

He starts to fuss, and Paisley reaches out for him. I hand him over to his mama.

“I’m going to grab Erik and Polly.”

“Yes.” She smiles. “Please. I want them to meet him.”

I walk out of the room and make my way to the waiting room. They both stand, excited and nervous. Polly fights back tears, and Erik doesn’t blink.

“It’s a boy. Perfectly healthy. Paisley’s doing good. She was a damn rock star.”

“Yay!” Polly squeals and jumps over to me, hugging me tight. “Can we see him?”

“Yeah, come on.”

They follow me, and when we arrive at the room, Polly goes in first.

Erik grabs my shoulder, so I turn around and raise an eyebrow at him in question. Without saying anything, he pulls me to him and hits me on the back. Finally. I copy the gesture and step back to allow him room to meet his grandson.

Once we’re all gathered, I clear my throat. “We’ve decided on a name.”

I look at Paisley, and she nods. “Meet your grandson. Anderson King.”

Erik makes a strangled noise, and Polly just cries more. Erik’s last name is Anderson, and as a way to honor him, we decided on using it for the first name.

“No middle name,” Paisley continues. “Just Anderson King.”

“Strong name for a strong boy,” Erik finally says. He rubs the top of Anderson’s head and then kisses Paisley’s. “Proud of you, kid.”

“Thanks, Derik,” she whispers. “Do you want to hold him?”

“I’d love to.”

Erik and Polly take turns holding the baby, and when he starts to become fussy, they leave so Paisley can nurse. I call my dad with the news and invite him to come to the hospital.

“You don’t care if my dad comes, do you?”

“No. Not at all. He should meet his grandson. And your sister should come too so she can meet her nephew.”

I shoot him a text real quick and tell him to bring Mercy and Kim. While we’re waiting for them to arrive, I climb in the bed with the two halves of my heart and hold them both in my arms, soaking up every single second of this because nothing has even been more perfect.

“He’s perfect, Royce,” she whispers, her fingers slowly tracing his face.

“He is.” When I look at him, when I hold him, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is exactly what was supposed to happen.

The waiting, the years of fighting the pull she had on me finally gives me reason. Anderson coos, and with her eyes closed, Paisley smiles. “This doesn’t feel real.”

“I know, baby.”

“Can I come in?” my dad asks with a gentle knock to the door.

I get off the bed and round it to meet him. Kim stands shyly off to the side with Mercy, who’s not so shy with a blue teddy bear. “Can I see him?”

“Yeah.”

She runs in, and Kim reaches for her, but I tell her it’s okay. I know she’ll be gentle. She sets the bear next to him and touches his cheek. “He’s so cute,” she says, in only a voice that an eight-year-old girl can, making everyone kind of melt a little.

Dad walks over and looks at the baby and then Paisley.

“Congratulations. He’s beautiful.” He admires him for a moment, a softening of his face that I haven’t seen since I was a little boy, then holds his hand out. I take it, and he pulls me to him. “Congrats, son. I’m so proud of you. He’s perfect.”

I squeeze my eyes shut and nod, silently agreeing.

“He really is. Congrats you guys,” Kim agrees.

“Thank you.”

Kim smiles, and at this moment, for everything that she did… or at least everything I thought she did, I forgive her. Life is too short to hold grudges, and I want as many people in my son’s life who love him.

Anderson cries, and everyone looks over at him. His head is turned and his eyes open. My dad lets out a chuckle and looks back at me, grasping my shoulder and lowering his voice. “He’s got your mom’s eyes.”

My gaze drifts to my boy, and I nod at what I already know. “He does.”

***

My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I pull it out to read the text from Q. I reply and thank him for working his magic and tell him I owe him one.

I gently take my other arm out from under Paisley’s head and quietly get out of bed. My fingers drift over Anderson’s head, and I tiptoe out into the hallway. It takes a quick second to adjust to the bright lights, but when I do, I unlock my phone screen and dial a number.

“Hello.”

“It was a girl. She’s in first grade now. Her adoptive family is very prominent in North Carolina with no record of said adoption. Regardless, she’s happy and healthy and living a good life. You should do the same.”

Then I hang up the phone and forward the picture of Chad’s daughter to him.

Paisley Maybe it’s something you learn if you grow up in a loving family your entire life. Maybe if my parents wouldn’t have died, I would have known because my mom would have told me as I got older. It could also just be something you don’t know until it happens to you. Or maybe… I’m just lucky.

Because I’m sitting here, cradling our perfect, beautiful baby, and my feelings are almost indescribable. I don’t know what they are. Happy isn’t even something on the radar. Elated doesn’t cover it. For sure, blessed is in there somewhere. Lucky. Overjoyed. Ecstatic. Maybe if you could combine all the good words, it would come close to defining how I feel right now.

I’ve barely slept since giving birth yesterday. Between visitors coming in and out, and Anderson eating and changing his diaper and nurses checking in on me, I think maybe I’ve gotten two hours of sleep. But it doesn’t matter. I’m exhausted, but I’m so content that it doesn’t even matter.

Royce is taking a nap in the living room, and I’m sitting in our bed holding my son, who’s just nursed and fallen asleep. A faint knock on the

door has me looking to see Derik walk in. “Hey,” he whispers.

“Hi.” He comes in and sits down, admiring his grandson. “How’s he doing?”

“Really good.”

“He’s amazing, honey. You guys did good.”

“I think so, too.”

He fiddles with something in his hand and clears his throat. “Polly and I tried to get pregnant. It was devastating when it wouldn’t happen, and I tried to encourage her to see a doctor. I’d have gone to one of those voodoo ones if it meant being able to see her carry my baby.

“I was on board with the decision to adopt, and when she said she wanted to adopt a teenager, I didn’t hesitate because it was what she wanted, and all I wanted was to make her happy. But when we were talking to the social workers and they were explaining all the risks of problems one could come with, I seriously reconsidered. I tried to talk her out of it, to be honest.”

Anderson’s arm flails, and we both wait until he settles back down.

“She was determined, so stubborn, and so sure that it was the right thing to do, but I was worried we would get a child with problems who was angry and bitter and would end up hurting her.” He shakes his head, his lips tilting in a loving smile. “We saw you… and I knew that I’d never been more wrong about anything in my life. Because you were, you are perfect.”

“I am not.”

“For us, you were. For Royce, you are. And I knew… the second I saw you two together, I damn well knew this was going to happen. The idea that this man would be the one to take care of you when you got older, ideally, made sense.

“But in that hospital, when I saw it, when I saw the way you two were looking at each other and the realization hit me that I was losing you already… I wasn’t ready. I barely had you, and I wasn’t ready to let you go yet.”

I grab a tissue off the bed and dab my eyes. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“I hated it, Paisley. Hated that it was happening already and it fuckin’ scared me.”

“I was kind of scared, too,” I admit.

He holds up a gold band between his fingers. “This was my father’s. I want you to have it. To give it to Royce. If you want to.”

“Of course, I do.” I take the ring from him and fall in love with it immediately. “Derik, I… I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything. I just want you to be happy. Polly has my mom’s ring, and I know you have your mother’s, so this is the next best thing.”

“I love it. Thank you. Royce will be so happy, too.”

He leans over and gives me a hug. “I love you.”

“Love you, too, Derik. And thank you. This really means a lot to me.”

He stands and wipes his hands on his jeans. “You mean a lot to me and always will. Don’t ever forget that, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Now I’m gonna go drag my wife out of here so you guys can have some time alone. If you ever need anything, call me.”

“I will.”

“And I meant what I said before. If he does something to piss you off, as much as I like the guy, you’re my daughter, so I’ll take great pleasure in kicking his ass every now and then.”

Chapter 20 Paisley “Have you guys picked out a date?” Polly asks as she rocks Anderson.

“No. We will eventually, but we’re just happy with things right now how they are. No drama. The past couple of months since Anderson’s birth have been really good; we just want to enjoy that.”

She smiles a little bit. “Yeah, I suppose it’s been a rough start, huh?”

“When Royce told me how he felt, I never imagined we’d be where we are right now. I mean, it’s been what, a little over a year, and look at everything that’s happened.”

“You guys survived all of that, so anything from here on out will be a cakewalk. Yes, it will. Your mommy and daddy are troopers.” She talks baby talk to Anderson.

“Hey, have you heard anything from Brinley?”

She presses her lips together and shakes her head.

“Has anyone heard from Noble?”

“Erik says the only thing he said is he’s got her. I don’t know what that means. I wanted to go to his house and check on her, but Erik told me no.”

“And you listened?” I laugh.

Her smile brightens when Anderson opens his eyes. “Yes. This time I did because I have to trust that he trusts Noble enough to leave her with him.”

“Polly, were you… In foster care, did anyone ever hurt you?”

“Not like how she was hurt.”

I sympathize with that. “God, I can’t imagine how long she endured… I should have said something.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“But if I’d—” “Not your fault.”

I drop the conversation because there’s nothing I can do now, and I don’t want my negative energy to rub off on Anderson. But I will forever

feel guilty that I was so selfish at that time in my life.

“I want to get married in your backyard.”

Her eyes light up. “Really?”

“Yeah. That’s the first place I saw Royce.”

“Aww, that’s so sweet.”

“What’s sweet?” Erik and Royce come into the living room.

Royce runs a finger along Anderson’s face and then sits next to me. I lean into him and answer Derik. “I was just saying I wanted to get married in your backyard because it was where Royce and I met.”

“That’d be great.” He sits next to Polly and puts his arm around her.

When she leans into him, he kisses the top of her head and I can’t help but smile.

There was a part of me that envied what they had because I thought I’d never have it. But the truth of the matter is, I have more than I ever thought possible.

I like to think my birth parents would be proud of me. I’m pretty sure they would. The older I get, the less I remember about them, and it sucks. I do know they were great parents, but they would have been amazing grandparents.

The sensor from the driveway goes off, and since I’m tucked into Royce, Erik gets up to open the door for Mitch and Kim and their little girl Mercy.

“Hi!” She hurries over and stops in front of Polly. “Can I hold him?”

“Sure.” She pats the cushion next to her. “Hop up here.”

She climbs up on the couch, puts some pillows around her, then holds her arms out. As gently as she can, she hand him over and makes sure he’s supported before she fully lets go.

Mitch and Kim walk over, hand in hand, and look down at their daughter and grandson. “That is so cute. Here,” She holds out her phone.

“Mercy, smile.” After snapping a shot, she tucks her phone back in her jeans.

“Text that to me.” I say. “I always forget to take pictures. I’m so bad at it.”

“I used to be too, but when I realized how quickly Mercy was growing up, I became a little obsessed.”

Mitch chuckles beside her. “Just a little?”

As they’re bantering, I lean into Royce and tilt my head up. He’s smiling at his dad but must feel my gaze on him, because he looks down and kisses my forehead. “Are you happy?” I ask him.

“Unbelievably.” He answers immediately.

“Me, too.”

I’m so glad he and his father have moved past their differences and have a strong relationship again. I love that I have this great big extended family.

And I am so grateful that I get to experience what it really, truly means to be given a second chance in life.

The moment Polly and Erik walked through those doors, I had no idea what my new life would look like. I hoped it’d be better. I wanted it to be happy. But I never thought in a million years it would be what it is right now… absolutely perfect.

Royce Anderson sleeps on my chest, and Paisley relaxes next to me with my arm around her shoulder. Everything that I love, all the things I hold close to my heart and would die to protect are in my arms right now.

I seem like I’ve got my shit together, but the truth is, I’ve never been more on edge than I am right now. Fear like I’ve never felt keeps me up at night and unease causes me to look over my shoulder constantly.

Being a bodyguard has always made me be cautious, but the precious cargo I hold tight makes me paranoid. I’m like a caged lion just ready to maim.

“Royce?”

“Have we talked about all the things?”

“What were they again?”

She puts a finger to her lip as she thinks. “I can’t remember all of them, but I know one was how things were going to be when we came back here from New York.”

I smile. “Yeah. That was one of them. I didn’t see it playing out this way, but I think it’s better than anything I could have imagined.”

She gives me more than what my dreams were. And by giving me my son… she doesn’t even know. Waiting for her was torture, but finally

having her and having a family with her is the absolute sweetest prize in the world.

“Royce?”

“Yeah, baby?”

“I want to add something to the list?”

I raise a brow. “You do?”

“Yeah. You need to relax.” She sits up and runs her finger along my jaw.

“I know on the surface you’re putting on a good show, but don’t forget I know you. And I know deep down you’re freaking out and being even more overprotective than normal.”

This is why I love her. Because she’s right. She does know me. “I’m tryin’ to keep my cool, but I can’t even imagine this world without you two, and… precious, we both know loss. And it scares the shit out of me that now that I have everything I’ve ever wanted, something is going to take it away.”

“If there’s anything we can learn from that loss, though, it’s to live for today. We can’t worry about everything that could happen.”

“You might not, but I will.”

“Royce.” She breathes my name.

I kiss her soft lips and hold her face in my palm. “Paisley.”

She sighs, knowing it’s not something I’ll ever be able to budge on. Not their safety. Ever.

“You’re gonna give yourself an ulcer or something with how much you worry. It’s like having another full-time job.”

“Taking care of you, making sure you and my son are safe and happy and loved is my responsibility as your man and his father. That will never change. But my job, precious, my job is to love you for the rest of my life.”

She turns her head and kisses my palm. “I’m just a job to you?” She teases.

“You never were a job and you never will be. What you are, is my life.

My world.” I rest my forehead on hers and look deep into her eyes. “You’re my everything.”

Click to order the next book in the Guarding Her Series, Drift

I could tell this girl was lost.

She was also scared and alone. This life was going to destroy her… If I let it.

She refuses my help and protection until she realizes the audition she’s attending isn’t an audition at all.

It’s an auction. And she’s about to be sold to the highest bidder.

I’ve got the money to buy her, but better than that, I’ve got the power to save her.

Notes and stuff.

First, I want to say a huge thank you for taking a chance on Surface. I hope you enjoyed reading Royce and Paisley’s story as much as I loved writing it.

When I wrote the original first draft of this book, it started out when Paisley was fourteen and Royce was twenty-one. But I got to the end and just wasn’t happy with how the story developed, so I trashed that storyline… all sixty thousand words! (I still have several of the original scenes that I’ll be sharing in my newsletter, so be on the lookout for those!)

Then I started over.

And I am so happy I did.

I absolutely love that we jump right in with Royce being all protective over Paisley… I didn’t want to wait for that side of him any longer than necessary, so I’m glad it starts where he can be awesome like that right away! He’s one of my favorite guys ever, so this isn’t the end for him. He’ll be making appearances in the future for sure! (You can actually find characters from different stories making cameos in almost all of my books.

It’s seriously one of my favorite things to do!)

Since this is a brand new series (technically a spin-off of Steady) there were a lot of new characters that needed to be introduced. It was so hard not giving away too much of what’s to come for the men of Royal Ace Security, but I hope you’re ready for more, because they’re coming for you!

Carter is next, then Wesley, followed by Gio, and finally Noble. And yes, Brinely will be back and you’ll find out who she is to Noble (or you can read the synopsis ;)). I’m not sure I’ll stop there, but it’s all I have planned for the series… for now.

I love hearing from readers and talking books, so feel free to send an email or contact me via social media. I’m @annabrooksauth everywhere!

Thank you again for reading, and I hope to see you after Drift.

Love, Anna P.S. Follow me on Bookbub to be notified when I have a sale!

A preview of Steady, where you can read Erik and Polly’s story. (Plus a little more Royce, which is never a bad thing!)

I open my door, and before I even have my feet on the ground, Erik is there, grabbing me by my waist and hoisting me out of the truck. He slams the door and turns to face me. Oh, he’s pissed. His nostrils flare and his jaw clenches.

Predator, prey. He stalks me until my back hits the brick wall of the club. He puts his forearms on either side of my head, caging me in. The fury in his eyes should scare me, but it doesn’t. At all. In fact, I’m feeling the absolute and complete utter opposite of fear.

His nose actually brushes against mine. “What. The hell. Are you doing?”

“Excuse me?”

“You seriously got into a truck with a man you don’t know. Alone?

Jesus Christ, Polly.”

My justification flies out of my mouth because I don’t want him thinking I’m an idiot. “My car died, and when he came, he offered me a ride since it was on his way. It’s really not a big de—” “Oh, yes, it is. You were alone with a guy two times your size. He could have touched you, taken advantage of you… He could have hurt you.” He ends the statement on a whisper and drops his forehead to mine, his warmth sinking into me.

“He didn’t. And I was fine, Erik, perfectly safe.”

“Don’t ever do that again. Please. If you need a ride, if your fuckin’ drain is clogged, anything, don’t call another man. Call me.”

“Why?” His lids close slowly before he opens them. The unrest swirling in his eyes makes them darken a shade, turning the amber jade specks the color of evergreens. “Because if something happened to you, and I wasn’t there…”

Continue reading for an excerpt from Bulletproof Butterfly, Jay and Livvie’s story.

Bulletproof Butterfly “Jay.” Livvie slaps my stomach. “Stop it.”

Ignoring her, I continue, “And she was unable to answer her phone last night because—” “Enough,” she snaps. “I’ll be right back, Paxton.” She puts both of her hands on my chest, shoves me back into the apartment, and then slams the door behind her. “Stop it. Right now.”

“Not gonna let another man stand there, right in front of my face, and spit lines at my woman.”

“He’s not.”

“You got a dick, baby? ’Cause I do, and I know the game he’s playing.

I’m not going to be a participant in this shit. It ends, Livvie. Now.” She shakes her head and points at me. “He’s my boss, Jay. He gave me a job when I needed it. You don’t need to be a dick to him just because yours is threatened.”

“Oh, my dick ain’t threatened, darlin’.” I grab my junk and saunter up to her. “What it is, though, is hard. So fuckin’ ready for you.”

I grab her waist, pulling her to me. My hands palm her ass, and I rub her against the object of our conversation. Her lips part on a quiet moan.

“Get rid of him, Livvie.” I slide my palm up her back and rest it just above her panty line and bring the other one up to the back of her head to fist her hair. She gasps and sways into me, right where she belongs. “If you don’t, I will.”

When she starts to protest, I take advantage and cover her mouth with mine. My tongue dominates, seeking the control I feel I lack right now. The fact that this guy thinks he has a claim to her amps me up in a way I know isn’t fair to her.

But if she cared, she’s certainly not acting like it right now because her fingers inch up my sides until they’re at my shoulder blades, and her nails sink into my flesh. I grab her by her ass again and back her into the door, lifting her up and pinning her there with my hips against hers.

She moans against my mouth, and I slide her core up and down, her pussy hot even through her yoga pants and my shorts. The heels of her bare feet dig into my lower back as she grinds herself against me. Her chest

heaves, and she drops her arms, slamming them against the door and arching toward me as pleasure rips through her.

I’m evil enough that I pull my mouth from hers so when she calls out my name, I know he’ll hear it on the other side of the door. After a moment, her breathing evens out, her legs uncross and fall, and she glares at me.

I smirk back at her, not at all regretting what I just did.

Her hand comes at me, and I don’t stop it as her palm whips across my face. She pushes me, but I don’t budge. “You’re such an asshole.”

“An asshole who just proved his point.” I put my hand on the knob.

“Get rid of him.”

Other Books It’s Kind Of Personal Series Make Me Forget Show Me How Prove Me Right Tell Me When Remember Me Now Give Me This Pleasant Valley Series Fixing Fate Love, Me Steady Standalones Not Your Hero Easy Sacrifice Bulletproof Butterfly Heartbreaker Guarding Her Series Surface Drift Edge

Closer Roam Sign up for Anna’s mailing list and get a free book!

Acknowledgments I have made the absolute best friends the past few years, and it wouldn’t be right to start my acknowledgments without thanking them for their support.

In order to avoid me being my normal scatter-brained self and accidentally leaving someone out, I’m going to say this to those women I’m lucky enough to call my friends; thank you for being there for me. I know you have your own life, your own books, your own family, so when you take the time out of your busy schedule for me (or listen when I overload your inbox with voice messages), from the bottom of my heart, I love you and am forever grateful for your friendship.

Thank you so much to Emily and the rest of the amazing team at Social Butterfly PR. Em, I am incredibly lucky to have you and am so appreciative of your friendship and all of your hard work.

To my beta readers! Elizabeth & Nicole (even though I completely scrapped the draft you guys read, I appreciate you taking the time to read), Kim, KC, Crystal, Shannon, Jennifer, Megan, Nikki, and Samantha, thank you all so, so, so much for your feedback and helping me make this story the absolute best it could be.

Anna Croswell from Cover Couture, thank you so much for the brilliant and beautiful (and hot!) cover.

Jenny from Editing4Indies, I am so happy to still be working with you.

Thank you for being so great.

Kim, I’m so lucky to have you and am continually amazed with your attention to detail.

Stacey from Champagne Formats, there aren’t words to describe how much I appreciate you, so I’ll just say, thank you for everything you do for me.

Ena from Enticing Journey, thank you for the fantastic job you always do.

Colleen and your fabulous team at Itsy Bitsy Book Bits, I’m continually impressed with everything that you all do, thank you!

Kylie from Kylie’s Fiction Addiction, I’m so thrilled to be working with you. Thank you for all of your hard work.

To all of the readers, bloggers, and reviewers, from the bottom of my heart, thank you, thank you, thank you.

And of course to my husband and two boys, you give me space when I need it and you make me smile when I want to cry. Your support through this journey is nothing short of amazing, I love you guys.

About the Author Anna began writing when she thought the world would want to hear her sick lyrics through song. Since then, she's realized her childhood dream wasn’t so far-fetched, just misguided. Now she writes romance with real emotions and happy endings. If Anna isn’t writing or reading, she can be found by a space heater drinking a ridiculous amount of Diet Dr. Pepper.

She also likes to hang out with her husband and two boys. If it weren’t for them, she wouldn’t ever leave the house. Anna was born in Wisconsin but now lives in the Evergreen State.

Want to stay up to date with new releases, sales, and more?

Sign up for Anna’s mailing list and get a free book!

Follow on Bookbub She’d love to hear from you. Please visit her website for contact information.

Or send an email: annabrookswrites@gmail.com She can also be found on social media as @annabrooksauth.

Please consider leaving a review for this, and any other books you read.

They are appreciated more than you can possibly know. <3