Page 5 of Protector

Just like that Ivy’s gone. After swinging alone for about thirty minutes, I find my brother but no Ivy. She bolted without so much as a goodbye.

But the joke’s on her. I’m a man obsessed.

And lucky for me, she just hired me to be her bodyguard.

CHAPTERTHREE

Ivy

All consuming embarrassment falls over me. Violet stands quietly by my side as I watch the video of me and a man I slept with just last night. After a year of loneliness, I caved and met a man from a dating app. It came with a background check, security clearance from my team, and an iron-clad NDA.

So why am I facing my worst nightmare and watching a recording of myself and said stranger on a gossip website?

I feel tears in my throat before they reach my eyes. Just moments ago, I felt warm and safe with a man I thought I felt a connection with. That’s not in the cards for me, though. With fame comes sex, drugs and rock-n-roll, or so the tagline of the video says. My life will never be as wild as they say it is, but now, I realize a normal relationship isn’t something I can have, either.

It surprises me how much my heart hurts to walk away from Harris.

“Who is that guy? Do we need to go teach him a lesson on privacy?” Violet says, punching her little palm.

I can’t help but laugh at the sweet redhead. My dear friend is not a fighter, but I love that she comes to my defense and doesn’t judge me.

“It’ll all blow over in a couple of weeks. Don’t worry,” she says in a softer voice.

“Yeah, I know.” I nod, hating how true it is. The next few weeks will be filled with damage control, press interviews to uphold my image, and a court battle with the douche canoe with the less than stellar bedroom skills.

But as much as I wish Harris was the only thing on my to do list, my time won’t involve the sexy beast on the porch swing..

With a heavy heart, I say goodbye to Violet and sneak out the back in order to avoid him. Truth is, that man evoked more feelings from me in the hour we hung out than any other a man has. From his protective presence to those soul-deep blue eyes, I wanted him to kiss me so bad. It’s as if I’m a teenager again, pining for the boy she likes to notice her. If he would just lean in.

But Harris didn’t kiss me.

I know it’s for the best.

I repeat it like a mantra as I climb into my rental car and pull out of the driveway. My current guard pulls out behind `me to follow in a black SUV.

Parking at the Salem Waterfront Hotel and Suites, my mood rises as I grab all the shopping bags from my trip with Violet. Most of the shit I got is for Luna. She’s been so sad lately. We’ve been here a week, and she’s only left the hotel once. She hasn’t told me why she’s so upset, other than she’s out of money and she fired her agent.

She groaned about Salem being a small town, and she missed the city. The tour will be moving to Nashville tomorrow, so that will put a smile back on her face and a boogie in her step. Until then, I have designer grunge she’ll love.

I’m excited to show her. I burst through the lobby and run upstairs instead of taking the elevator, all while carrying the bags myself and leaving a confused bodyguard to trail behind me.

“Luna!” I shout when I make it to my suite. Well, our suite now, I guess. At least, until her next gig when she gets paid.

I’ve loved having her around all week. Though she didn’t want to go anywhere, we had fun watching movies and ignoring our phones. Hopefully, my goodies will cheer her up.

“Luna!” I yell again, not seeing her in the large sitting area. The view is spectacular in the morning, but not so much right now. She must be in her room, so I head there, hearing the guard close the door behind me.

I kick my toe to her door just enough to knock.

“What?” she yells from the other side.

“Open up. I’ve got presents.”

Luna might be my big sister, but I’ve always been the calmer of us. Not that I’m great at being an adult, per se, but now, a successful singer and songwriter for a decade, I have people to help with that. For the both of us. It’s easier if Luna’s assistant is on my payroll. To say this isn’t the first time my sister has crashed into my room would be an understatement. Luna is great at a lot of things—singing, dancing, showing a stadium packed with rowdy people a great time—but she’s not good at gambling. She sure seems to think so, though. My dear sister will throw down at the wordbet.

After several minutes, she shuffles to the door and opens it wide for me. Her eyes light up when she sees the bags.

“Even though you didn’t feel up to coming today, I picked up a few things I thought you would love.”

---