Page 253 of Sweet Temptation

I hopped up to give him a kiss. “Now open that bottle of tequila and make us some margaritas.”

“Just one.” He kissed me, lingeringly. “I have to drive us to the party.”

“Oh, no you don’t. You’re off-duty tonight, which means you’re drinking so that I’m sure you’re not gonna try to play bodyguard. I’m getting you drunk and then I’m getting you into those slutty undies.”

“Alright,” he groaned, as I kissed his neck. “You win.”

“Oh, God… it turns me on when you say that.”

He chuckled and squeezed my ass. “I’ll be right back, and I’ll make us that drink.” Then he disappeared mysteriously upstairs, leaving me to my shopping bags.

I had oodles of wrapping paper, bows, tags, everything I needed to do this, spread out across the living room already. So I put on some Christmas music and while Eartha Kitt sang “Santa Baby,” I got busy unpacking gifts and laying them out on the couch.

They weren’t all humorous gifts. I’d chosen a gorgeous blouse for Danica, designer jewelry for Elle and my moms, a dress for Mia, and various cashmere and marino wool sweaters for my dad, my brother and some of my closest male friends. Since tonight would be the last time I’d see my friends before Christmas, I’d wrap the gifts and bring them with us to the party—where I’d play Santa’s sexy elf and pass them out to everyone to take home and put under their trees.

Tonight, we were celebrating Christmas with my band. And Elle’s band. Dirty was home from the road—including Ashley, who’d already been touring with them for a week before they came home for the holidays, because Jesse had come off the tour when Katie gave birth. Brody was throwing a big party at his house, and they were all coming—new baby included.

Andre was also coming, as were Ronan’s business partners, Naveen and Sebastian, and their dates. Jude would be there, as would Dirty’s entire security team.

The place would be thick with hard bodies. So I’d meant it when I said my man was getting drunk.

I adored drunk Ronan.

We were booking a cab tonight, and we were letting loose in a completely safe environment, among friends.

I knew Ronan was still worried about my safety. At all times. That it was hard for him to relax and completely leave my security up to someone else.

Almost two months ago, when Jude promoted him to head of security for my band, I was beyond thrilled. And when Ronan asked me how I’d feel about Andre being my new bodyguard, I’d told him that I’d give anyone a chance—if he and Jude and Brody thought he was the right man for the job.

I liked Andre, and besides, it seemed handy enough. Andre could guard my body, so to speak, and Ronan could be free to just enjoy my body.

While he bossed everyone else around.

Just the way he and I both liked it.

Since then, it had been pretty much fun and games, from my point of view.

But it wasn’t always that way for Ronan.

A few days after Halloween, he’d sat me down and told me what happened. Though I still wasn’t totally convinced that he’d told me everything.

What he did say was that Blair Sanchuk had showed up at the Halloween party. He said that’s why he took off that night and had Andre bring me home, and why he came home with his hands bruised and bloody.

He told me that he and Maddox had followed Blair to a motel. That they took care of things. With a little help from Piper Grayson and the West Coast Kings.

That part, I’d had to pry out of him with a persistent crowbar.

He also told me, a little more freely, that he’d managed to get some information about Blair. That he was a member of a notorious motorcycle club from down south called the Bloody Bastards; that Piper thought he’d been recruited to the club in their efforts to make inroads into Canada and try to take over the Kings’ territory.

Of course, I’d asked him what the hell any of that had to do with me.

Nothing, as it turns out.

That’s what Ronan had said to me.

He’d explained that Sanchuk had been arrested. That he was being charged with a whole lot of serious shit related to his involvement in organized crime. That he was very likely going to prison for a very long time. He told me that he’d thought maybe Blair was after me because of club business, that he seemed to be trying to make contacts in the local party scene. My scene. But that he’d been wrong about that.

As it turned out, Blair had been stalking me for “personal reasons.”

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