Page 52 of The Fate of Us

He presses a kiss to my forehead. “There is just a case that has me on edge, babe.”

I wrap my hands around his back. “The one I saw on the news.”

He nods. “I just want to protect you.”

Those words make those butterflies I always get around him flutter to life. “I know.”

“I had a tip he might be here tonight.”

A chill goes down my spine. “You think it was him?”

“Nah. Doesn’t fit the description. But he was a creep and he deserved to be kicked out.”

I smile at him as I pull away. “Well I need to get back to work. You gonna be my personal bodyguard tonight?”

I finally look at what he is wearing. Jeans, t-shirt, boots, baseball cap. Very civilian.

He grins at me. “At your service.”

I reach up and press a kiss to his lips. “I love a bodyguard, Detective.”

His eyes smolder at those words knowing just what they do to him.

He pulls me back to him, whispering in my ear. “You are asking for trouble later by saying those words.”

My hand glides up his thigh and over the bulge in his pants. “I like trouble.”

With that, I walk away but not before he smacks my ass. I laugh as I walk to waiting patrons wanting drinks.

The rest of the night goes by smoothly. Noah sits at the end of the bar drinking water with lime, surveying the crowd. I just survey him.

* * *

“Happy Birthday, you old ass bitch!”Seraphina shouts as we all cheer with a round of tequila shots.

I wanted a low-key birthday. Nothing crazy. And with the serial rapist that Noah is trying to find, we both thought it best we have it at home. Not that I am worried about being attacked when I have my hunky bodyguard around and I am surrounded by all my favorite people, but it is safer for all of us.

And I am happy that Noah is home too. Do I find it extremely sexy that he is a detective? Hell yeah, just ask my panties. But I worry about him. He got thrown into his job immediately. And it comes with a lot of danger. Not that his job as a police officer wasn’t dangerous before but as a detective, he sees a lot more. But I know he loves his job and I am happy to see him so excited every day he comes home from work.

I take my shot of tequila and go to suck on a lime but Noah presses his lips to mine as my own personal chaser. I laugh as I pull away. He is so drunk right now and it’s adorable. “You know you are supposed to chase the shot with a lime.”

“Mmm,” he says as his hand snakes up my thigh and under my skirt into my panties. “But you taste so much better.”

I swat his hand away and walk over to a chair by the firepit. Mason is sitting next to me with a guitar in his hands. He starts playing a song I wrote and I look at him dubiously. He hums the first few notes and I shake my head.

Although I have gotten much more comfortable with writing and performing. I still only do it at the studio. Or in front of Noah. But there are about fifteen people here. That will be the biggest crowd I’ve played to since I was in The Sparrows.

“You know you are going to have to sing in front of people next week,” Mason says as he stops playing.

“I know.”

“Then it’s good practice.”

“But they will be strangers, it’s easier.”

He shakes his head at me and laughs. “I read over the entire agenda for this workshop. The first day is a welcome party. They won’t be strangers when you actually play.”

I bite my lip as my hand goes to my neck. It still feels like something is missing there without the rings. Seven years of grabbing onto those things created a bad habit I can’t break.

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