Page 2 of Untouchable

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Three Weeks Later.

“This is ridiculous,” I snap at Porter. “I don’t need anyone else. I don’t want anyone else.” It’s the last leg of the signing tour, and for the past two weeks, anything that could go wrong has. It’s not so much that I worry I have a stalker any longer, it’s that someone wants to burn my world to the ground.

“You have a stalker,” my brother snaps.

“You do,” Ena reiterates.

Trusen crosses his arms while holding my phone, which is on FaceTime with Cage and Magnolia. “They’re right,” Cage growls. He’s not so concerned that I’m upset; he’s angry that my situation has his wife upset, and that won’t ever do for him. “I’ve already sent for backup.”

“No!” I shout, stomping my foot and immediately regretting it when the baby attached to Magnolia’s breast startles. “Sorry,” I whisper. “I don’t need more than Porter and Trusen. They’ve got this handled.” I have no idea who Cage has called, but whoever it is, I don’t want them here.

“He’ll be there by the time you wake up.” Cage hangs up before I can protest again.

Glaring at my brothers, they maintain their own dirty looks until I get fed up and storm to my room in the suite, slamming the door behind me.

I’ll concede I’m being slightly ridiculous. I’m exhausted and just want to go home, but I also know we’re nearly finished. We have one week left, four bookstores to visit in Colorado, and then I can go home. It should be fine.

Hanging onto my anger is what’s keeping me together if I’m being honest. Every other signing for the last two weeks, something has happened in the hotel, whether it's fire alarms being pulled, a canceled booking for our banquet rooms, or some other stupid thing. We’ve postponed or moved more events than I’m willing to accept.

The fact that someone has been in my hotel room at every event hasn’t helped my nerves any, either. All of my underwear was stolen once; rose petals were left on my bed another time. Threatening notes slipped under the door of every room we’ve rented, and now, someone is sending me text messages, graphic and obscene messages that make me want to throw my phone out the nearest window. We’ve also experienced phone calls with heavy breathing every single night, multiple times a night, and I haven’t slept a wink in over four days because, if I’m being honest, I’m terrified.

Ena was able to get me a prescription for a sleep aid, but I’ve been afraid of what might happen if I take one. Someone could break in, and I’d be entirely at their mercy.

I trust in my brothers’ abilities to protect me, which is why I’m against Cage sending someone to help; however, I’m just so damn afraid all the time. It’s like being on the compound again, never knowing when someone will explode or when I’ll be sent away to a husband I don’t want.

But that’s not my life anymore, and the reminder of it is always hard to believe. Freedom from the compound isn’t something I take lightly or for granted—neither do my sister or brothers. The farther I get away from my past, the easier it gets to forget the pain we lived through, but the harder it is to believe that I’ll never be pulled back into it again. It’s a fine line to walk, which is why I tend to work myself to exhaustion so I don’t get buried with memories.

Except, the stress over everything happening now has me feeling more than a little vulnerable, and I know the nightmares will start up again.

CHAPTER2

Braxton

I’ve waited years for this opportunity…a lot of years. I’ve been across the globe and back. Taken on jobs to keep my mind occupied and my body exhausted, and it’s finally here, finally time.

After a quick meeting with Porter and Trusen Marlowe, I was given the keys to Jossilyn’s suite, and now that I’m here, in her space, breathing the same air, I feel at peace.

Securing the door, I check the windows and the balcony doors leading outside before searching for bugs and shutting down her phone and tablet. She won’t be getting those back, and I know I’ll have a fight on my hands about it. Setting her laptop up with software to clear any bugs and search for data breaches, I finally make my way into her room.

A better man would stay out here and wait for her to come out. He’d wait for her to become awake and alert. But a better man hasn’t been waiting for her to explore the world and find herself.

I can still remember the day I met Jossilyn. How afraid and broken she was, hiding in the corner of that shelter like a lamb being led to slaughter. I had thought she was far younger than the eighteen-year-old girl she turned out to be. Terrified of her own shadow. And when I’d offered her food, I could tell she was starved, but she was too afraid to accept a kind gesture. Now, she’s taken the book world by storm with her memoir, exposing her family’s cult secrets and even writing a romance novel about the two of us.

When I read that, I had a lot of questions. Most were about the sex scenes she wrote because more than once, I’d had those same fantasies about her, and I’d like to know where she learned about them and if she actually wanted that.

Opening her door, my body moves without permission as I toe off my shoes, remove my belt, and pull my shirt over my head. The only light comes from the slice filtering in from the other room. She’s angelic in slumber, and as I lay down on top of the covers, my hip settling against her ass since she’s facing away, Joss immediately rolls over and cuddles into me.

“Braxton…” she whispers my name like I’m here every night for her pleasure. I will be in the future, but how she senses it this morning is a mystery.

Wrapping my arm across her back, I pull her in closer, inhaling at the top of her head, absorbing her scent into my flesh. Summer and rain. The perfect blend. Closing my eyes, we stay this way until the sunlight shines brighter through the curtained window.

Joss has always been more of a night owl, preferring to stay up past everyone else and sleeping when others around her are awake.

Staring down at my angel as I feel her body beginning to awaken, I clock the moment she realizes she isn’t alone and that she’s lying on top of me. Her body freezes, and her breathing grows heavy with fear. Circling her back with my hand, I pull away slightly and wait for her to open her eyes.

“Hi, pup.” Her eyes flare open, and tears immediately begin to fall.

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