Page 58 of Unguarded

Brooks nods, pocketing the note. “I got it. We still need to tighten things up and decide on a plan of action from here on out to avoid any further incidents.” He turns to Danny. “No more flowers or deliveries of any kind. Where’d you get this?”

Fidel raises his hands. “Go discuss this elsewhere. Monroe needs to lie down. Ember, get her some crackers and Sprite.”

I let my manager lead me over to the white velour sofa in the corner of the dressing room. Franky is there, and he twists open a bottle of water before giving it to me. The decor is all sleek, modern finishes with gold accents and plush, soft furnishings. I catch a glance of myself in the mirror. Thankfully, my hair and makeup survived the incident. If I can shake the head-spinning feeling, I’ll still be able to perform.

Ember places the plate of crackers in front of me, along with a glass of bubbly Sprite with a straw.

Franky hands me one of them. “Try to eat something, dear.”

“Thank you,” I exhale.

All the curious eyes in the room are making my skin crawl.

“Can we clear the room?”

Fidel waves his hand. “Everyone, out! Take a break, but don’t go far.”

After a few crackers are in my stomach and I’ve sipped on the Sprite, I start to feel better. I stand up, walking around the room to see if the nausea comes back.

“I want to perform. We can’t cancel.”

Ember gapes at me. “Don’t you think you should see a doctor first?”

Fidel waves her off. “If she feels fine, the doctor can’t do much. It’s not like she has an injury.” He faces me. “If you’re sure, sweetheart, we’ll proceed.”

I nod. “I’m good. Let’s do this.”

Franky shakes his head, but doesn’t say a word.

When I wakeup the next morning, I hear muffled voices outside my bedroom door. It sounds like Ember and Brooks, but I can’t make out what they’re saying. I sit up, stretching my arms overhead. The bedside clock reads ten a.m.

I roll out of bed, naked, and get dressed in the silk pajamas I splurged on in Paris. The spaghetti-strapped top is a deep red-and-pink floral pattern, cropped to show off a few inches of my tanned stomach. The matching flowy pants hang low on my hips and feel like heaven on my skin. It’s chilly in the room, so I reach into the back of the drawer for the denim shirt he gave me the night we met. I gave Brooks Cash’s hoodie and asked him to put it with his stuff before he left. This is all I have left of him now.

I use the bathroom and brush my teethbefore approaching the door. I lean up against it to see if I can hear what they’re saying. My head is pounding.

“… went well last night, but I could tell she wasn’t feeling herself. She put on her dancing shoes and showed up for the fans, but something is definitely off with her,” Ember says.

The show?

I realize with a start that I don’t remember anything about the night before. I don’t even know what day it is. I open the door, feeling dazed.

Maybe I just need to eat something. I’ve been overdoing it.

Four pairs of eyes turn to study me. My mouth drops open at a particular pair of emerald-green ones staring at me.

I fold my arms over my chest despite the zip of giddy excitement surging through my stomach. His gaze scrapes over me, inspecting my body from head to toe and sending shivers down my spine. Goose bumps prick my skin at his sudden arrival and proximity.

“Well, well, well, good morning, beautiful. How’d you sleep, darlin’?” The Texas drawl sounds eerily similar to Cash’s, but just different enough to not be his.

I shift my eyes to the man who just spoke. He’s grinning from ear to ear. He has black hair, too, but it’s longer and wavy. His striking cerulean-blue eyes are studying me closely. He’s about an inch shorter than Cash, and he looks a whole lot like my former bodyguard, but with much more flirtatious charm.

Holy shit. He brought his brother.

“If you flirt with her one more time, I willliterallysaw your balls off in your fucking sleep.” Cash’s deep, low voicedrags my attention back to him. A shiver of awareness brushes across my skin.

The brother only smirks, winking at me. “He’s all bark, no bite. Don’t let him scare you.”

Cash stalks toward me. As he strides across the room, my heart beats faster with each of his steps. My nipples harden as he grows closer, and I know he can see it through my silk top.

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