Page 20 of The Devil's Detail
“And Gary? Shall I light a neon sign up for him to find you?” Holy cow, he’s pretty pissed.
“Ummmm. No. I don’t want him near me if I can help it. He only wants to keep his career going. He was desperate to generate publicity and minutes in the limelight. He’s annoyed since I threw him out at Christmas. And he’s… well, he’s been following me around, making it look like we’re still together.”
“I know, which is why we fired the security. I don’t see why you’re paying people who didn’t keep you safe.” He’s exasperated, and it’s coming at me like condescension.
It’s as if he thinks I’m a little kid. I’m not. And it’s pissing me off.
My stubborn side kicks in and I aggressively state, “I want the three men I’ve asked to come back to stay in my detail. You can tell them what to do. But being here is non-negotiable, Jackson.”
Ash is looking at me like I’m crazy. They’re like the double act of doom. A version of good cop, bad cop. I know, I’ve played it before as a role. I was an amazing bad cop. But today I feel very ganged up on. My diva instincts kick in, and I’m about to demand it, when Jackson throws another security bomb at me.
“Why do you have final say on your events?”
I look at him quizzically. “What do you mean? Why wouldn’t I? They aremyevents.” I feel as if the mood has shifted and we’re getting down to the nitty gritty. I’m seeing a different side to Jackson, but I suppose that’s to be expected—before, he was a friend, now he’s an employee… of sorts.
“I need total access to everything. We’ll decide as a team what you’re going to do, not just you.” I open my mouth to object, but he holds his hands up to me. “We’ll work in tandemwith all your team—PR, agent, anyone and everyone—but we decide as a team, not you as an individual.”
Then he totally surprises me. I can hardly breathe as he sits beside me on the sofa. His scent fills my nostrils. His leg presses close to mine. It’s entirely too close. Too intimate.
“Carter…” He says my name like a lover would. I don’t know which way is up. “I need you safe. I need to know where you are so I can keep you safe. I could see you were scared in that crowd. That can’t happen again.”
I nod like an oil well pumpjack in full flow. I’d agree to anything when he’s sitting so close. Talking to me like this.
“I also need your agreement to add cameras for security,” he continues. “Is that okay with you?”
“Sh- sure. Anything. I suppose I can work with that. Anything you need to keep me safe, right?”
His smile explodes on his face, and I’m completely speechless. Not a single word enters my brain, or leaves my mouth. My eyes must have glazed over when he smiled, but I’m brought crashing back to reality when he taps my leg as he stands up. My audible inhale earns me a look from Ash, but he doesn't say anything.
I’m going to have to get my crush under control, or this could get embarrassing. For all of us.
16
Carter
“How would you feel if,instead of heading straight home to LA, we detour to Scotland?”
His voice has a slight cajoling feel to it, a caress. I’ve noticed he uses his voice to temper my moods. We’re sitting in the lounge area of my suite, my home away from home. I’ve been away from my real home for nearly two months, and I was looking forward to going back to LA, having my actual home comforts around me.
I long for the beach, the sun, the sound of the waves, and the breeze. May in London is either stuffy hot, or freezing with rain. I am not a fan of either. My house in Malibu has been in the process of being renovated, and I was glad to be out of the chaos, but I’m ready to go back.
At least I was… until he threw Scotland in the mix of options.
“Now that your house is finished, are you longing to get back? I’ve sorted all the security stuff on it, Jonno helped. So, you’re as safe as houses now.” He grins at the very English phrase. “I’ve got your schedule here,” he continues, holding uphis phone so I can see the screen. “We’ve time to fit it in. We could do a cheeky week.” He winks at me, his voice changing to playful. And I nearly keel over.
I was about to answer, but my speech deserted me as the smirk appeared.
“Sugar,” I manage to gasp out, looking at him from under my extremely long, thick lashes. “I’ll go anywhere you tell me to. I’m at your command.”
I see him grin. No peaked eyebrows or eye rolls—I'm taking that as a win today.
“Will Evie be okay with it? I mean, a new baby, a wedding… Won’t they want time on their own?”
I don’t mention the men in this scenario. There’s no reason to. We all know Evie Greystone rules the roost. If I’m green-lit from her, I go. No one will say anything negative to me if my friend okays me being there.
“They’re fine. I think they’ll be happy for more help with the kids, to be honest. Xander’s on cloud nine since the handfasting, so if me, you, and Ash go, it’ll be more hands on deck. And they might get more time to spend together.”
I smile. He’s clearly thought this through. And I can’t wait to see the new baby. He’s shown me pictures, but it’s not the same as holding her in person.
