Page 181 of Sweet Temptation

He leaned in. “What? No. Why?”

“No reason. Just something he said. You never know with Brody…” I glanced over at my manager, but he was busy talking to Xander and not looking this way. “Do you ever plan to admit that I’m your woman, in public? To anyone?”

“Are you my woman?” he asked me, and he seemed damn serious.

I considered that. “Yes. You can try to put the brakes on, but that won’t rewind this.”

“I’m not trying to rewind. I’m trying to protect you.”

I got that. But it still bothered me.

I wanted a man to be a man. A man who was proud to be with me and didn’t give a fuck what anyone else thought.

“I’m not in any danger here,” I told him, gesturing around at all the people here who cared about me. And all the security, the bouncers.

“My job is to make sure of that,” he said simply.

“I am not gonna let that loser control my life.”

“And you shouldn’t.” Ronan held my gaze, looking deep into my eyes. And I wondered what this conversation would look like to anyone who might be watching. “Let me worry about it so you don’t have to.”

Worry.

That word snagged at me.

“Why are you worried? About Blair?” I took a step closer to him, studying his eyes. “What aren’t you telling me?” I glanced around. “Have you seen him around? Trying to get to me?”

“No.”

“Then what’s the problem? We have the restraining order.”

“We do.”

“So why are you worried?” I pressed.

“I’m not.”

“Don’t. Don’t do that. Do not lie to me, Ronan.” I held his gaze. And whatever he saw in my eyes…

He knew I meant it.

“Because…” He sighed. “I don’t like not knowing where he is.”

“What do you mean?” I demanded.

“I had a guy on him, Summer. A tail. Keeping an eye on him for me.”

“What?”

“He lost Sanchuk. No one knows where he is now.”

Well, shit. That was not welcome news.

But why didn’t he tell me about any of this sooner?

Did Brody know? Jude? Were they all keeping this from me?

“What do you mean, ‘no one’?” I asked.

---