Page 32 of Sweet Temptation

He looked me over like he was making sure I hadn’t broken since he last saw me, his deep-blue eyes crinkling in his handsome, tired face—like a worried dad. Seriously; he was two years older than me.

“Good morning,” I said breezily, stepping into the house.

He greeted Ronan, shaking hands. “Let’s go on into my office.”

Ronan removed his leather jacket and his shoes. I pointedly left my ass-kicking boots on as I shrugged off my jacket. I tossed it on the coat rack and followed Brody without another glance at Ronan.

When we walked into Brody’s office, Ash and Xander were sitting in chairs facing the desk. Just a couple of gorgeous, tattooed rock stars in ripped jeans… with nothing better to do on a fine Saturday morning than worry about me.

I stifled a sigh.

Whatever they’d been muttering about had abruptly stopped. Ash jumped to his feet and gave me a hug. Xander got up and waited until I was free, then gave me a hug, too.

“Here, sit down,” Ash said, guiding me to the couch, like my bones were made of glass.

“Thanks. I’m good.” I sat down, and after Brody introduced Ronan to the guys, he sat down somewhat next to me.

The rest of them all took their seats, Brody behind his desk. And that’s when I noticed Jude—Dirty’s head of security, on the screen on Brody’s computer, via FaceTime or whatever… his tall-dark-and-handsome marred by the same expression of concern they were all wearing today. I was fucking surrounded by handsome, frowning men.

It was gonna start bumming me out.

“Hey, Jude,” I said.

“Summer,” he said. “Good to see you.”

“Is it?”

Jude chuckled. So at least someone here still had a sense of humor. Everyone else looked ridiculously morose.

But if Brody was looping Jude in on this, from the road, it was serious. At least, Brody sure seemed to think so.

“So, let’s get right to it,” Brody said. He cranked up the bossy manager routine, staring us down—kinda like a school principal addressing a bunch of delinquents. “Jude and I have asked Ronan to do a security assessment for the Players. He’s gonna help us expedite putting a security team in place for the band, due to the recent… security breach.”

Oh, no. No. He did not just look at me when he said that.

Security breech? That’s what I’d become overnight?

My mouth floated open to say something, when Xander spoke up. “So what the fuck happened, exactly?”

“Nothing,” I said, automatically. “A guy tried to break into my house last night.”

“That’s what Brody told us,” Ash said, leaning forward in his chair. His black eyebrows knit together, and that’s when I knew. I was not getting out of this gracefully. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I tried to call you last night. You didn’t answer.”

“Shit. The guy was breaking in when you called me?”

“No,” I said calmly, “the police were there when I called you. It was no big deal, you guys. The police arrested him.”

“Ronan?” Brody said, cueing Ronan to jump in.

“He was arrested,” Ronan confirmed. Because apparently they all needed to hear it from a man to believe it. “But we don’t know what’ll happen from there.”

I looked at him. In profile, and when he wasn’t staring me down, I had a chance to check him out more. He had his elbows resting on his knees, and his hands loosely clasped together, those damn sexy forearms showing again.

“Brody and Jude and I have discussed it,” he went on, “and our most logical course of action now is for Summer to get a restraining order against this guy, and meanwhile we tighten security around all of you.”

“Who is this guy?” Ash asked me.

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