Page 35 of The Stalker

He’s not beautiful, Tati. Well, he is. But you’re not allowed to think so.

She told herself off for the thought as they reached Hayden’s bandmates. He sat next to Sebastian, and Tatiana dropped onto the banquette next to him.

With her back to the wall, she was far more comfortable because there was no chance of being attacked from behind. She scanned the VIP area, and also the club below them. Nothing unusual, and she pondered who his stalker could be as he greeted his friends.

“Blake hasn’t bothered to come and say hello to us,” Gabriel said, sounding annoyed.

“I don’t know what to say, Gabriel.” Hayden shifted in his seat as he said it, looking uncomfortable.

Tatiana noted the awkward silence between them a second before Harrison spoke. “Hi, Tatiana. I’m Harrison. We didn’t officially meet yesterday.”

He smiled at her, and she smiled back. “Hey. Nice to meet you.”

“I’m Gabriel,” he added and waved at her.

“Hi, Gabriel. Nice to meet you, too.”

Sebastian perked up and grinned at his friends. “Well, here comes tonight’s entertainment.”

Heat rushed to her cheeks at Sebastian’s words as Blake walked toward them.

“Huh? Blake? Why?” Gabriel looked at Sebastian, seeming confused.

“You’ll see,” Sebastian smirked at him.

She only had a few moments to prepare herself before Blake was standing in front of her. He gave her a haughty look as he stood in front of them. Once again raking his gaze over her in a way that she was sure was intended to make her feel small.

“Can you move so I can sit next to my boyfriend? Thanks.”

It was phrased as a request, but it absolutely sounded like a demand. Tatiana fixed him with a level gaze and shook her head.

“Unfortunately not. In a place like this, I need to be by Hayden’s side at all times.”

“We can move up, and you can sit between Sebastian and me,” Hayden offered.

“Yes, please do,” Sebastian grinned at Blake before his eyes darted between the three of them.

Tatiana resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she shifted across so Hayden could make room for Blake. As he did, he moved himself much closer than he had been. His thigh touched hers, and their arms were pressed against each other’s. The fabric of his jacket rubbed against her bare skin, and his scent filled her nostrils.

ALERT! ALERT! HE HAS A BOYFRIEND! LOOK TO YOUR LEFT!

Tatiana looked past Hayden at Blake, who had just sat down. He was looking back at her with narrow eyes again.

“So, this is Tatiana. You’re Hayden’s new bodyguard. How does that work?”

Her jaw tensed and she forced herself to relax and answer civilly. “I stop him from being hurt.”

“How? You don’t look like you could stop anything.” Blake shrugged his shoulders.

Tatiana was seriously considering honoring Sebastian’s request for a demonstration of her skills on Blake, after all. However, she worked hard to maintain her professionalism as she replied.

“I assure you that I am highly capable of keeping Hayden safe, but hopefully, you won’t ever have to see me use my skills in person,” she smiled at him.

“You’ll have to excuse me if I don’t believe you. I want proof that my boyfriend is going to be safe under your care,” he scoffed.

“Wow, rude.” Gabriel shook his head.

“Blake,” Hayden said in a warning tone at the same time.

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