Page 21 of Room Ten: Put on a Show

She broke off, shaking her head and returned her attention to the 24-hour news. The disappointment was obvious in her voice. That shooter had turned her life upside down. Music had been the one thing Kenna could always rely on. She thrived when she entertained an audience.

Now, that had been taken away from her. She was spinning in circles, confused, scared, and lost.

“Is that what you want to do?” I prompted softly, brushing my knuckles against Kenna’s cheek.

She fiddled with the hem of her shirt.

“No. I want to sing. But Baron has always kept me safe. He knows what he’s doing. And CeCe is a fantastic manager. She would never dream of pushing me to do something dangerous just for my career.”

Movement in the corner of my eye drew my attention. Merrick passed by the entrance to the living room, glancing in with a look of disapproval before he disappeared from view again.

Ever since I showed up, Baron and Merrick had been doing that—lurking, lingering in the shadows. For such big men, they moved as silently as death itself. It was unsettling to be in the same house, living under the same roof, knowing that they were around but unable to see them most of the time until they wereright there.As if they materialized out of thin air.

Kenna shifted on the couch to lean against me, tucking her head under my chin. I raised my eyebrows and slowly brought my hand up to stroke her hair.

It’s the adrenaline and stress,I told myself. Kenna didn’t usually exhibit this kind of emotional vulnerability around me, not that I was complaining. Our relationship had always been more of a no-strings-attached deal.

Although after Kenna led me into her home three days ago, we hadn’t engaged in anything remotely sexual.

I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath of Kenna’s faded perfume.

When did I start caring about this woman so deeply?I wondered.

The answer to that question stood out clear and bright in my mind.

In the bar. After that gunshot. Watching Kenna slip through my fingers as she was escorted away by her bodyguards. The crowd had funneled me away from her so I couldn’t catch up.

That’s when I knew. If anything happened to her, if she got hurt, it would destroy me.

At some point, Kenna dozed off, judging by the way her body went loose and soft, the tension melting out of her as she slipped into unconsciousness. Carefully, I reached over and tugged the remote control out of her grip, relieved to turn the television off.

Despite my encouragement, Kenna struggled to sleep in her own bed. She chose to stay with me instead, drifting off quickly as long as she knew she wasn’t alone. My gaze flicked toward the entrance of the living room. I couldn’t see Merrick but I knew he was there, just out of sight.

I kissed the top of Kenna’s head, lingering for a moment, before I settled deeper into the couch. I didn’t know if she felt the same way about me, but I would take the opportunity to cradle the woman I loved in my arms, even if I was nothing more than a gossip columnist to her—easy to forget, easy to replace.

***

By the fourth day, Kenna’s boundless energy got the best of her, locked up in this big mansion with nowhere to go. I was in the ensuite bathroom attached to Kenna’s bedroom, a towel wrapped around my waist, my skin still damp from the shower and my jaw covered in shaving cream.

Kenna had ordered everything I needed online—toiletries, clothes, food. At some point, I would have to leave and return to my regular life though. I was already burning through sick time at work like a wildfire through dry brush. Kenna seemed content to have me move in and stay forever. Baron and Merrick on the other hand would probably suffocate me in my sleep with a pillow if I did that.

“Hey, Troy,” Kenna called, her voice echoing as she drew closer. “I was thinking about ordering pizza for—”

She broke off when she appeared in the doorway. Her gaze swept over from me from head to toe and her pupils grew dark with want. I chuckled carefully as I swiped the razor over my jawline.

“You’re looking at me like I’m a piece of meat.”

Kenna practically tossed her phone on the bathroom counter and came to stand behind me. She smoothed one hand up my tattooed forearm, over my bicep. Her lips settled in a butterfly kiss between my shoulder blades. Then she peeked at me in the mirror.

“Are you saying I should look somewhere else?”

I shook my head. “Definitely not. Keep your eyes on me, darling.”

Kenna bit her lip, her gaze shining with excitement. It was good to see that old spark light up her face again. She skimmed her warm, soft palms down my torso, scratching her nails over my ribs with a deliciously sweet sting.

When her wandering fingers reached for the fold of my towel with a playful tug, I caught the fabric before it could crumple at my feet. My gaze flew to the open doorway, half expecting Merrick to be standing there with that damned scowl etched into his face.

While I wasn’t shy about getting caught by Kenna’s bodyguards—Merrick, at least, had already seen me naked at Club Sin with Kenna, much to his disgust—but I could tell I was balancing on a precarious tightrope here. If Baron and Merrick found any excuse in my behavior, no matter how meager and mild, to throw me out, they would do it in a heartbeat and rightly so.

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