Page 53 of Divine

I knew he would never cross the line when it came to personal dealings. He was like a brother and treated me just like the boys. I knew he saw me as a cute little sister that needed protection. The only difference was he knew I was an adult.

“I’m sure you have enough trouble on your hands with all those women you’renotdating.”

He chuckled. “You’re probably right.”

“Does that mean you’re not going tonight? I’m sure I can call one of the guys. Who’s on call?” I asked, picking my phone up off the table. I had a text from Tremaine saying that she was on her way to the club where we were meeting.

“I was just fucking with you, Divine. Let me know when you’re ready to pull out.”

My cheeks rose as a smile stretched across my face. “Thank you, Lee Lee.”

Not that I was using Liam, but since he was already going to be hovering over me all night, who better to use as a designated driver? Syre didn’t require him to drive anywhere with me, but he didn’t mind. He told me that he would rather drive me somewhere than follow me around like a little fool.

“You can drive my truck,” I offered.

“I’m not driving thatBarbiejeep, and you know it,” he said, referring to my pink G Wagon.

“Suit yourself, He-Man. I hope you didn’t ride that bike up here.”

“Nah, I only ride my bike when I’m off duty,” he noted.

“Which is when? Because it seems like you’re here every night.”

His eyebrows shot up. “Oh, you’re tired of me? I can take some time off.”

“Stop being such a baby. I don’t think I could ever get tired ofyou.I wish Bobby’s annoying ass would take some time off.”

I rolled my eyes thinking about the day shift security detail. They didn’t stake out my house and store all day like they used to. Usually, they rode through in shifts and checked the inside of the store twice a day when I was there. Everyone did that but Liam and Bobby. Liam came in to talk and hang out with me during his shifts.

No one else went outside the line of their basic duties unless something happened. Nothing ever happened, but that didn’t stop Bobby from popping into the store every two hours when he was on duty. He made it painfully clear that he had a crush on me, but I was in no way interested. So far, he had the good sense not to press the issue about his interest in me.

Like I said, I was sure that lives had been threatened during the vetting process for my team. They were all probably gay or something knowing Syre. I didn’t get those vibes from Liam, but I was no expert.

“What did he do?” Liam asked.

“Who?” I replied with a frown.

Did I zone out and miss something?

“Bobby, Divine. What did he do?”

“Oh, nothing. He’s overzealous at best. He takes his job way too seriously. Every time I look up, he’s walking into the store. When he escorts me here, he wants to check the inside of my house before I lock up. I have to pop my trunk so he can make sure it’s empty. He just does too much. I understand wanting to keep someone safe, but damn. Plus, I’m pretty sure he has a little crush on me.”

“You can’t blame the man for wanting to do a good job.”

“But can’t I?” I countered. There was doing a good job, and then there was getting on my damn nerves.

“Well, yeah, you can.” He shrugged.

“Speaking of that, why don’t you go above and beyond and check the back seat of my car, my closets, and the toilet bowl like big Bobby?”

Laughing, he said, “If someone can fit in your toilet bowl, you should be able to kick their ass yourself.”

“What about the closet?” I questioned.

“Do you think there’s a monster in your closet, Divine?” he asked with a grin.

“You wouldn’t know because I don’t remember the last time you checked.”

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