Page 32 of Scorned Queen

I’m not sure if that says he’s all in, or if this threat from his father has him unnerved and acting out of character, or both.

Either way, the door opens, and I push to my feet to find Adam entering the room with Damion on his heels, no chair in sight.Which is probably for the best, as I have to go back to work.

I turn to greet both men.Adam inclines his chin in my direction.“Ma’am.”

“Hi,” I say, lifting my hand and then hugging myself.“I really hate this.”

“Understandable, considering trouble is the reason you’re stuck with me, but the good news is I’m really good at kicking trouble’s ass.”

Damion steps to my side and slides his arm around me, tilting his head low to speak to me and me alone.“I met with him before lunch and filled him in on everything.And everything meanseverything.Your father.My father.Your mother.”

“Oh,” I say, the soap opera that is our life is so damn embarrassing I want to crawl under the table.

My gaze lifts to Adam’s again, which means I tilt my chin all the way up.The man is incredibly tall, even more so than I’d thought before lunch, which lends itself to a concern.I twist around to face Damion.“He’s a very big man.And noticeable.He’s going to get attention.He’s going to be all over the press, right along with me.”

“High-profile people have bodyguards all the time,” Damion argues.“He’ll stay in the background every occasion he can.”

“What am I supposed to tell my producer?”I counter.

“It’s already handled,” he informs me.“I made that call and told them you have a stalker.”

I bristle at this information.“Do you think you should have talked to me first?”

“Baby, I’m trying to protect you.”

“I get that, but talk to me first,” I chide.

“If this wasn’t necessary—”

“Damion,talk to me first.”

His expression tightens.“Understood.In my defense, I just want you safe.”

I soften with this admission and catch the lapels of his jacket.“I know.I do, but there are assumptions about me and my career that come with my relationship with you.”

“We talked about this—”

“I know.I do.I just know how gossip will fly.”

“I promise to be discreet,” Adam interjects.“And keep you safe.Do you know how to shoot a gun?”

I rotate to face Adam again.“I don’t, and I really don’t want to, either.The idea of holding a weapon that could kill someone scares me.”

“We should teach you to shoot and get you a handgun,” Adam says as if I said nothing at all, his attention shifting to Damion.“I can take her to the shooting range and teach her.”

“I’ll teach her,” Damion replies.“We’ll go tomorrow.”

I cut Damion a stare.“You shoot?”

“Yes.”That’s all he says, but his jaw flexes, and he cuts his gaze as if there’s something in his eyes he doesn’t want me to read.

Unbidden, a chill races down my spine.He’s warned me that there are bad things in his past, and for the first time, I wonder just how close to hell Damion got before he came back to Earth.

Damion’s hand settles on my lower back.“Grab your stuff, and let’s hit the road.”

There’s this edge to him now, near coldness, I see for what it is.His wall he uses to protect himself and me.The problem is, I think he’s protecting me from himself, and I don’t know how that works out well for either of us.

It’s trouble.

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