Page 23 of Noel

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He’s my bodyguard, not my anchor.

But the heat of his palm seeps through the thin fabric of my blouse, and suddenly my heartbeat has more to do withhimthan the threat.

As we pass through the service hallway, the hum of hotel chatter fades behind us.It’s just the two of us now, his presence swallowing up the space.

I should be terrified.Iamterrified.But every time he says my name, every time he looks at me like he’s ready to take on the world, that fear twists into something else—something hot and restless.

I’m not a virgin.I don’t swoon.

But with him, my body doesn’t seem to care what my brain is saying.

And it’s not just attraction anymore.

It’s the way he moves around me, protective but never possessive.The way he looks at me like I’m important.Like I matter.

And maybe it’s not because I’m a job.Maybe it’s because I’mme.

When he glances down, the barest ghost of heat in his eyes, it hits me—I don’t want to pretend anymore.

I don’t want to act uninterested.I don’t want to waste time on fear when life has clearly decided to get messy.

Not when every instinct I have is screaming that Noel Kane is both the danger and the safest place I’ve ever stood.

And that realization?

That’s the scariest thing of all.

Chapter6

Noel

The Stargazer Hotel—Studio B

The second I get her behind the heavy oak door, the noise from the ballroom fades.

My pulse doesn’t.

I sweep the room—conference table, curtained windows, a kitchenette, emergency exit.

Empty.Good.

Then I pull the radio from my belt.

“Jack, you’ve got the feed.Ego, question every staff member who came in before eight.Get me eyes on the service corridor.Copy?”

“Copy.”

“Yes, boss.”

The replies come crisp and clean, but the knot in my gut doesn’t loosen.

Whoever left that package wasn’t just playing games anymore.They’d been close enough to the stage to smell the flowers.

Behind me, Holly perches on the edge of a folding chair.

She’s pale, her hands trembling even though she’s trying to hide it.

“Hey.”I crouch in front of her so she has to look at me.“Breathe.You’re safe right now.”

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