Page 32 of Trust My Bodyguard

The blond, unruly-haired man looks across the room to me. From what I remember he’s Nick, the one handling the field investigation for HEY.

He smiles, showing off cute dimples. I’m taken aback by his friendliness. I remember to smile back. He waves me over.

I start to move but I pause. I’m mad and I want to stay mad. But something else is even more fun—making Brody mad.

Sucking in a breath, I square my shoulders and cross the space to welcome our guests. “Hello. I’m Ivy.” I offer Nick my hand.

“I’m Nick. It’s nice to meet you.” His hold is firm but gentle. “So, you’re the thorn in Brody’s side? You look too pretty to be as much of a problem as he says.”

Brody rumbles an annoyed sound, his gaze fixed on the place where my hand connects with Nick’s.

Huh.

“You know what they say. Don’t judge a book by its cover.” I drift closer to his friend. “But we’re talking about Brody here. It’s more likely than not that I’m just one of his many thorns, based on how prickly he is.”

Nick throws his head back and laughs loudly. “Are you sure you only met him a week ago? You’ve described him perfectly.”

“Oh, I know.” I meet Brody’s eyes. “He’s so obvious.”

Brody narrows his gaze in a subtle threat. He doesn’t intimidate me one bit. I’m surrounded by his friends. There’s nothing he can do to me here. And I doubt he’d want to ruin his special dinner by speaking back.

“I don’t think we’ve been introduced.” I turn to Zane. He has shaggy brown hair and deep, intelligent eyes.

“We haven’t. I’m Zane,” he says evenly and shakes my hand like we just completed a business deal and then he steps back.

“Ivy. Nice to meet you.” I keep my smile on even though his cool reception unsettles me a bit.

“Good.” Brody claps his hands. “We all know ourselves now. Let’s go eat.”

Iris and Sera walk side by side. Nick and Zane flank me on both sides. Brody is the only one unpaired, marching with his back straight and a tightness in his shoulders.Poor baby. I’m going to make him feel exactly how I did when my sister supported him over me.

The dinner table seats all six of us comfortably. Brody at one end and Nick at the other. I sit next to Nick with Zane beside me. Iris is opposite me with Sera beside her.

It’s a perfect position for me because I’m between Brody’s friends but with a clear view of his face, so I can see how tonight goes for him.

With the steaming pasta on our plate, we dig in. It’s so, so good. Everyone tells Brody this and his proud, self-assured smile grates on me.

“Could use a little more salt,” I say, just to bring him down a notch.

“You’re right. Just sprinkle from your reserve becauseyouare made from the same stock.”

Iris chokes on her meal. Because she’s laughing?

“Are they always like this?” Sera hands her a glass of water.

Iris drinks before speaking. “Not usually. They mostly just ignore each other. Today has been a bit different. We went skiing—”

“You did what?” Zane demands, his narrowed eyes fixed on Brody.

“I made sure to avoid all the busier areas,” Brody says drily. He doesn’t like the not-so-subtle criticism. “No one saw them.”

“And he taught us to ski!” Iris brims with excitement. “We never got to learn before. But you should have seen us out there today, we were so good.”

“Not,” Brody counters.

“You should have told me you needed lessons,” Nick says to me. “I’m a great skier and teacher.”

“Oh, really?” I lean in closer to him. “I’m sure it’d have gone a lot better with a better instructor.”

---