Page 19 of Sweet Temptation

“It likely wasn’t personal,” I added, gently. Maybe that wasn’t true. I really didn’t know yet. But right now, my main objective was to make sure she was safe, and making her feel safe was part of that.

I reached for the sugar bowl, and she watched as I stirred a shitload of it into my tea; I liked it sweet. When I set down my spoon, she was staring at me.

Since she held my gaze, I held hers.

“This is so rude of me,” she said, “but I’ve forgotten your name.”

“It’s Ronan.”

“So, this is what you do, Ronan? Drive around the city at night, waiting for calls from damsels in distress and rushing to the rescue?”

“Believe it or not, I’ve never rescued a damsel in my off hours before.”

“You got here pretty fast.”

“When Brody Mason calls, I answer.”

“Oh. Right,” she said, like she’d forgotten Brody had sent me. She was probably halfway in shock.

The adrenaline dump from fight, flight or faint would be fading off. Calling 911 and dealing with all the people in her house was her fight, and at this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if all she really wanted was a glass of wine and to sleep for a couple of days.

I eased back in my seat, tearing my gaze away from her blue eyes. I took a sip of my tea and tried to focus. I realized I’d been staring at her a lot.

“Did he trip the alarm when he was climbing on the windows?” I asked her, wondering when Brody was getting here.

“You mean the house alarm? I don’t have one.”

Okay… That struck me as odd.

Brody said she was a musician, and she must’ve been a high-profile one, if she was one of his clients. Brody Mason only managed seriously famous rock stars. But she didn’t have a locked gate on her property, or a home alarm system?

“What about your personal security? Is Maddox your bodyguard?”

“Maddox?” she said, like she was confused by that. Or like she wasn’t even sure who I was talking about. Then she glanced off, down a hallway where I could faintly hear him moving around. “Oh. No. I just met him. I mean, I think I’ve met him at a few events. He works for Brody, and Jude Grayson. Do you know Jude?”

“I do. Brody and Jude often consult with me, and they contract my guys for Dirty events.”

“Right. You said you run a security firm? I’m sorry, I’m a little out of it tonight.”

“No apology necessary.”

I sipped my tea, trying to look unconcerned, to give her the feeling that everything was under control here. I wasn’t gonna drill her with questions right now, and I definitely didn’t want to raise her concerns any more than they were already raised. But something wasn’t adding up.

Didn’t she have a bodyguard?

Who was this woman?

“How long have you worked with Brody?” I asked her, trying to connect the dots without outright admitting I didn’t know who she was. I didn’t want to insult her if she really was famous.

“I signed with him just a couple of months ago, actually. But I’ve known him for years. And I work a lot of Dirty events, too. Maybe we’ve crossed paths somewhere?” She studied me as I studied her.

And then it hit me.

“Are you, by any chance, DJ Summer?”

She smiled a little. “I am.”

And it all fell into place. I knew of her, by her stage name, but I didn’t know her.

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