Page 160 of The Keeper

I eyed my sister’s diary on the table. If she wrote about him again, I’ll know soon enough. Then maybe I’ll give this asshole a call and tell him what I think of him.

Xavier and Bennet were whispering much more animatedly now. I could tell Xavier was frustrated with whatever his friend was saying. I didn’t have much time left with my newly minted boyfriend before he went back to England and I’d rather not spend it like this.

“Alright you two,” I said, standing up. “No more whispering. We can put this discussion on hold for now.”

They both looked at me. Blue eyes filled with devotion, amber eyes filled with concern.

“What now?” I asked, exasperated.

Bennet cleared his throat and addressed me. “I’d like to, with your permission of course, provide a security detail for you. Nothing over the top. Just someone to keep an eye—”

“Whoa.” I put my hand up. “I don’t need a babysitter.”

“Told you,” Xavier snickered.

“Fine,” Bennet relented. “But I hope you’ll keep Maddox informed if anything out of the ordinary happens.”

“Like what?” I laughed. “A shadowy figure follows me to my car? Someone calls me and I only hear heavy breathing? This is real life. Not some crime drama.”

My defiance clearly ruffled Bennet’s feathers. The muscles in his jaw twitched. But he also regarded me with a small dose of amusement. I could see it swirling with the concern in his eyes.

“Bennet,” I said gently, placing my hand on his arm. “I appreciate you. I really do. But I doubt the ramifications of something that happened at a party twenty years ago are still in play. At least not on his part. This guy probably hasn’t thought twice about it.”

“Promise me,” Bennet paused and amended with, “us. Promise us you won’t do something silly like contact Jordan. Okay?”

I swallowed against the tightness in my throat. “I can’t make that promise.”

He exhaled harshly, cursing under his breath. Xavier leveled a stern look at him before turning to me.

“Tori,” he spoke tenderly, caressing my cheek. “Do it for me. Please? I know you have so many questions and I vow to find as many answers as I can. Please don’t try to talk to him.”

“I’m not afraid of him.” I asserted.

Xavier’s smile lit me up from the inside out. “I know. And I also know if I say you’ll be in massive trouble if you reach out to him, you’ll want to do it even more.”

I laughed. I couldn’t help it.

“So,” he continued. “I’m choosing to trust that you won’t.”

The weight of his statement hit me fully. Trust is as important as love and I can’t deny him this. I closed my eyes and nodded.

“Alright,” I acquiesced, glancing up through my lashes. “I love you.”

Our lips came together in a soft, passionate kiss.

“Love you, too,” he whispered.

I one hundred percent forgot Bennet was standing right next to us until he cleared his throat. I blushed in front of him. Again. Not from the kiss or even from the fact we declared our love for each other with him standing right there.

Nope.

I blushed because he looked at me like I’d managed to do something nobody thought possible.

“Looks like I’ve been doing it wrong all these years, Maddox,” Bennet quipped.

“Nah. Just not really into kissing you, Logan,” Xavier retorted.

“Do you boys need some alone time to sort out your feelings?” I asked.

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