Page 1 of Protecting Mr. Fine

PROLOGUE

RYAN

Don’t let a bear’s aloofness fool you—they feel emotions deeply. They may act tough, wandering solo through the wilderness, but inside? They’ve got hearts as big as their appetite for honey.

—Bear Facts for Insomniacs, Episode 13

The moment I truly learned what hubris meant was the moment I first met Zane Hendley.

Correction, it was the day I first metZee Barlo,Grammy Award–winning rock star, headliner of sold-out arenas around the globe, and one of the Sexiest Men Alive… according toPeoplemagazine. I didn’t catch a glimpse of the real man behind the public persona until later.

“He’s the new Taylor Swift, if Taylor Swift was a beautiful man instead of a beautiful woman,” Violet explained as we made our way into the record label’s Los Angeles recording studio for our first client meeting. I was still getting used to seeing my new boss in person instead of on a Zoom screen, and I noticed a sparkle in her eyes whenshe referred to her newest client. “And this is a super-cush assignment. You’re welcome.”

“You mean there are no actual threats to his safety?”

Her heels made a clip-clip sound on the marble floor of the large corporate lobby as we crossed to the elevator bank. “No, no. There definitely are. But they’re from rabid fans wanting a piece of him more than sociopolitical agents hell-bent on his destruction.”

I must have winced because Violet immediately apologized. “Shit, Ryan. I’m sorry.”

After a deep, calming inhale through my nostrils, I attempted a reassuring smile. “It’s okay.”

“It’s not. Here I am discussing assassinations when your previous employer is still lying in state. Are you sure you don’t want to go back to Ventdestine for the funeral?”

My memories of Asger Salling and the rest of the Ventdestinian royal family were a mixed bag. While I’d deeply respected the king for the entire twelve years I’d worked on his security detail as a member of the royal guard, and we’d shared plenty of friendly moments, I hadn’t truly been his friend. I’d been more like very friendly wallpaper.

I’d also been skeptical of the king’s prediction that he’d be a target for assassination because he’d sensed “the winds of fate whispering ill tidings around the palace”—the kind of claim that only someone in the tiny, superstitious nation of Ventdestine could make with a straight face—but as it turned out, I’d been wrong.

My decision to leave the royal guard and return to the US had happened well in advance of his assassination, and the security failure hadn’t had anything to do with me. In fact, I’d already been comfortably ensconced at my sister’s place in Montana when I’d gotten the news along with everyone else that the king of Ventdestine had been shot and killed during a PR visit to the royal naval yard.

I still felt partially responsible for it, though. Maybe if I’d taken Asger’s concerns more seriously, if I hadn’t let my feelings about hissuperstitions affect my assessments, I could have better prepared my replacement.

In my new assignment, I’d make sure there were no feelings involved whatsoever.

“I’m sure,” I said, clearing my throat as I followed her into the elevator.

Violet grinned as she jabbed the button. “Good. Because I can’t lie, I feel like if you went back for a visit, you might end up staying. The new king is so eager to have you back his head of security reached out to ask if I’d subcontract you to them. And the salary the guy offered was… substantial.”

“I know,” I said gruffly. “Kasper contacted me directly, too. But as I told him, I’m not interested in going back to Ventdestine. I’m ready for a new assignment, and like you said, this one sounds great.”

Protecting a popular rock star from overeager fans when no one would be trying to take him out with sniper fire from across the red carpet… presumably? This would be a walk in the park compared to my previous assignment.

I was supremely confident about this. Perhaps, one might say, excessively confident. So confident I momentarily forgot that old expression about hubris leading to downfall.

Then I stepped out of the elevator and saw the most beautiful man I’d ever laid eyes on… and hubris literally knocked the breath out of me.

Gorgeous face. Long, sun-kissed hair. Honey-brown eyes that regarded me curiously. A mouth so soft and sensual my gut went painfully tight in an instant.

I needed no Ventdestinian mystical woo-woo to know “the winds of fate were blowing ill” in regard to my ability to do this job without complications.

In fact, the real reason I’d quit my job in Ventdestine and moved back to the United States was even clearer than before.

I wanted to have sex with men.

Ventdestine was a beautiful country, full of wonderful peopleand charming traditions, but their laws and cultural expectations regarding LGBTQ issues remained locked in an earlier, intolerant era. I’d spent twelve years closeted and practically celibate because I couldn’t afford to get caught breaking the ancient law. The scandal it would have caused to the royal family would have been devastating.

I’d known what I was getting into when Asger bestowed the royal guard position on me. At that time, the opportunity to travel and make more money than I’d ever imagined had been worth the personal sacrifice. But now… now I was ready to have a life outside of work. To live a little and fuck a lot.

A thought that should not have been at the forefront of my brain the moment I met my new client.

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