“Then pick yourself up a teddy bear, asshole.”

Kyle stretched, putting his ridiculous muscles on display since he refused to ever wear a shirt, for all Brittany could tell. Kyle was a fitness influencer and was a big fan of “giving the people what they want” as he put it. From the floor, he put his hands behind his head and threw her a grin.

“I’m working on it.”

“Work faster because next time you’re getting a nut punch.”

Brittany grabbed her toiletry bag and went into the bathroom, only to find Sam already there, in the middle of filming a makeup application, their ring light blinding Brittany in the mirror. Sam’s eyes narrowed.

“A little busy here.”

Brittany rolled her eyes and wedged herself in front of the mirror next to them.

“There’s six of us and your videos take hours. You can’t really expect to hog the bathroom this whole time.”

Sam smiled. “Okay, but that means you’re cameo-ing.”

Brittany shrugged and then made sure to smile and banter for the video before turning to her own makeup. Sam talked through their application, doing take after take to get it right, but Brittany barely heard them as she thought about last night. She had been shocked to find Gus waiting for her at the train station, looking stubborn and frownier than she had ever seen him, which was saying a lot since he had caught her destroying computer equipment. When he had informed her that he wasthe security detail her mother had hired, she almost turned right around and took the next train back to Los Angeles. Her entire Kickoff was now going to be spent with her ex’s judgmental older brother glued to her side. What the fuck was her mother thinking?

But Brittany loved Kickoff. It was really the only time during the year she let her nerdy side shine. For the most part, being a fashion influencer meant following trends, looking her best, setting high expectations for the fashion world. But Kickoff was for fun, for exploring fashion that otherwise her mother wouldn’t allow her to stream. And Brittany got to meet her fans, something that was tiring but that she loved doing because it reminded her why she put together outfits online—it made people feel a little more confident about putting together their own outfits. And would change their moods for the day.

Telling Kathleen to cancel the bodyguard was a no-go. The latest “present” from her stalker had creeped her out more than the others. So far the guy had limited himself to the presents, but everything Brittany had researched online said that he could turn at any moment, so if Brittany wanted to enjoy Kickoff, it meant she had a babysitter whether she wanted one or not.

Even if that babysitter was Gus.

She was stuck with Gus, for better or worse. They were both at the very least professional, so Brittany felt like they could get through the weekend without drama. After all, Gus was the calm, cool-headed one. He was the one who always handled whatever trouble Robbie found himself in, so he was clearly used to the situation. Maybe it was why he got into personal security.

Glancing at her phone’s clock, Brittany hurried through her usual morning routine. Gus the bodyguard was probably already downstairs waiting for her, and she was eager to get her day started.

Once finished, she snapped a quick picture of her outfit to post, grabbed the small backpack she was using for the day, and quietly stepped over a few other sleeping influencers to leave the room…only to stop short at the sight of Gus, leaning against the wall opposite her door. In a well-worn T-shirt and old jeans that clung to his thighs, he looked tall and strong and capable, and suddenly Brittany, who always dated the wild child bad boys, found the sight to be a relief.

Not that she’d let him know that.

“I thought we were meeting in the lobby,” she said.

He gave her a mild look, like he had been expecting her surprise.

“The hotel has cameras, but there’s also hundreds of people going in and out of this place every day. Remember what happened to Min last year?”

Brittany did, of course. Min had come back to her hotel room to find it completely trashed. Her asshole ex had broken in and torn up the place, writing derogatory insults on the walls. More worrisome was that he hadn’t been caught until he outed himself days later.

“Am I paying you enough for the door-to-door service?”

“You’re paying me plenty, killer.”

She narrowed her eyes at the nickname. “I’ve told you not to call me that.”

“It’s how I remind myself to be careful when you’re around.”

Feeling her temper flare, Brittany closed her eyes and breathed in deep. It was going to be a long day if Gus was going to insist on being this annoying.

Before she finished breathing, the door behind her opened and Kyle practically walked into her. On instinct, he grabbed her around the waist to steady himself, pulling her back against his carefully sculpted hard body, and her temper flared again.

“What the fuck, Kyle?”

Kyle, the idiot, flashed her a grin.

“If you want to press that hot bod up against me, you just gotta ask, babe.”