Page 31 of Tortured Tones

What the fuck was wrong with me?

I’d never faltered in being professional, but Cole Tanner had gotten under my skin. His mix of arrogance, compassion, struggle, and charm made an intriguing yet lethal cocktail. One I never wanted to taste. I’d fallen for a charmer before and had sworn never to do so again.

I had to reset. Cole was my client. My paycheck. The last job before I got Josh back.

I was counting down the days until I saw my son again. The hours couldn’t pass quickly enough.

Inhaling the fresh ocean air, I drew it deep into my lungs and erased the divine scent of Cole that had lingered in my head. I lifted my chin, savoring the sun on my skin and the warmth on my cheeks.

I loved being outdoors. I loved the wide stretch of sand leading down to the shoreline. The lazy waves hitting the beach. Clear, blue sky overhead. The palm trees catching the breeze.

I’d miss this when I had to work behind a desk. It was a gorgeous mid-October day. I was glad I didn’t have to go into the water like the guys did for their photos. The ocean would be freezing. I’d only be diving in if I had to save Cole’s ass if he couldn’t swim—or his sexy comments went too far, and I wanted to fucking drown him.

What was with that?

The guy had more mood swings than there were colors in the rainbow. His world had been altered by taking custody of Charlotte—I understood that. He was terrified about being a parent. Who wouldn’t be? But he had to step up. He’d been so good with Charlotte during their first meeting. He’d cared and taken the first step toward being a father, even though he probably didn’t realize it.

Beckett came across the parking lot with a tray of coffee and handed me one. “Ava? You okay? It looks like you need this.”

“You’re a lifesaver.” I grabbed the cup and took a long soothing sip. Heaven.

We stood on guard a few feet away from the trailer, surveying the crowd, monitoring movement, and were ready to jump into action to keep the fans at bay if needed.

The problem was, when we were on duty, dressed in uniform, we attracted as much attention as the band but for different reasons. We were like homing beacons. The minute people saw us, their interest piqued as they glanced around, often in a fluster, curious and hopeful of spotting a celebrity.

Beckett took a gulp of his coffee, then wiped the corner of his mouth with his fingertips. “Ava, is Cole giving you a hard time?”

“He’s tried to but failed. I had to show him again during our run I’m no pushover. He gets up in my face, pastes on that fucking charming smile, and drops sexy innuendos like they’re on tap. If he thinks I’m going to fall for it, he’s got another lesson coming his way.”

“You go, girl.” He kept his eyes on the growing crowd as he talked to me. “But you don’t need to put up with his shit.”

“It’s nothing I can’t handle.” I had this. Yep . . . absolutely.

“I’ll swap if you want.” Humor touched Wyatt’s eyes as he grinned over the rim of his coffee cup. “Last night, Tia and Lewis invited me to join them for a threesome on the way home after they’d had dinner and way too much to drink. If it wasn’t for our strict policy against getting involved with the client, I’d gladly join them.” Wyatt was our party boy. He always went out on our days off and entertained us with tales of his hookups.

“You sly dog.” I giggled but quickly stopped when a group of girls ran over to the edge of the parking lot. Guessed word was getting out the guys were here. “Crowd’s growing. We’d better get into position.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Sloane drained his coffee. “At least you didn’t have to put up with Flint fucking Sutton in the car on the way home like I did. The privacy screen wouldn’t shut properly. I’m not deaf.”

I laughed. Neither was I. Listening to Cole getting a blowjob at the club had been entertaining. We’d certainly seen and heard it all. We were paid a fuck-load of money to look the other way in some situations. Most of the celebrities I’d witnessed getting down and dirty weren’t anything to get excited over. But after spending time with Cole, he might be a different story.

I finished my coffee and tossed the empty cup into a nearby trash can. “Never a dull moment, right?”

“No. Never.” Sloane grunted. He was the quietest member of our team, but probably the most lethal. Like a special forces operative, he moved silently, blended into the shadows, and could take ten people down without drawing a breath.

April stepped out of the trailer. “Okay, folks, your mothers’ meeting is over. The guys are on their way out.”

“Copy that.” Beckett straightened his baseball cap. “Let’s go.”

As we formed a line in front of the trailer, the guys emerged dressed in black clothing. All wore jeans but Slip had on a leather vest, Flint, a silky button-down, Lewis rocked a mesh T-shirt...and Cole? Hot damn. His ripped jeans clung to his long legs and a tight muscle tank top showed off his cut arms. Every drop of moisture in my mouth disappeared. I licked my lips and swallowed hard. Okay, I could see why he attracted so much attention. He had that whole good-boy-bad-boy vibe going on that made you look twice...or maybe just stare, unable to drag your gaze away.

I cleared my throat, straightened my sunglasses on the bridge of my nose, and stepped closer to him. My team and I flanked the guys and headed for a small portable gazebo that had been set up near the shoreline where the photographer and Blake were waiting. Behind us, the makeup artist, Penny, the wardrobe assistant, Cassidy, and a growing crowd of fifty onlookers and a handful of paparazzi followed.

For an hour, I stood beneath the gazebo with my team as the guys had photographs taken. Music blared from a portable speaker as Kris, the photographer, directed them to stand, sit, lie, run, or jump in the sand. Many shots resulted in the guys pissing themselves laughing as they shoved each other around, moved into position, and held their poses.

It was hard not to be caught up in their energy and fun. My line of work didn’t accommodate much social time. When I had rare time off, I was with Josh, spent time with Dad, or hung out with my sister or my team. One good thing about having a desk job soon was that I’d have more time to catch up with my family and friends. No more shift work did have some merits...but I’d also possibly be bored to fucking tears. I’d miss the action and my team when they traveled. But Josh came first.

The guys ripped off their shirts and headed into the water. Buffed bodies glistened in the sunshine before me. Oh yeah. This job did have some perks. Flint outshone the others, performing and posing for the photographer, but my eyes were set on Cole.

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