He chuckled. “Why’s it pink?”
“That’s Sunshine’s fault,” I admitted. “Gopher asked what we wanted in it. Sunny said it should be pink because it’s her favorite color.” I leaned forward and lowered my voice. “And did you know that Sunshine and Kai have a love triangle going on? He’sgot a harem of honeys, so she flirts with the boys at school to make him jealous, even though she’s a strong independent woman and doesn’t want him anyway until he’s been in the Army and grown up some.” I gave him big eyes.
He laughed. “That’s Wyoming for ya. The stories I could tell ya are crazy.” He leaned down and nuzzled my nose with his. “Me and you are fuckin’ boring compared to those drama-filled fuckers.”
I deadpanned. “Well, we had a two-year separation. I wouldn’t call it boring.”
“We reconnected and had talked it out within days. No miscommunication, no bullshit. I told you where I was coming from, and you did the same. No fighting, no angst, and no daytime soap opera bullshit. Job done.”
“No thanks to you not telling me about the club girls,” I said dryly. “Oh, Heather’s lovely by the way, haven’t had a chance to talk to the others, but we had a chat and she’s very sweet.”
“They’re okay,” he acquiesced. “We did have a couple’a bitches in our midst, but we kicked ‘em out. Hendrix won’t have nasty shit goin’ down at the club, and neither will Anna.”
“I love it here,” I announced.
Jacob’s fingers curled around the back of my neck, and he touched his mouth to mine. “I’m glad.”
“Relocating to Virginia won’t be a hardship. I feel safe here with you.”
His eyes crinkled with his smile, but still, he seemed wary. “We need a quick chat, Saint.”
My stomach dropped slightly at his expression. “What’s happened?”
“Nothing. It’s just we found some shit on Jonny and Braden Hunt. Historical issues with ex-girlfriends. Did you know about it?”
“Braden, no. I don’t know him well at all. Is he even capable of that kind of crazy? He seems so together.”
“According to the profile, he hides the crazy well,” Jake confirmed. “Remember, we’re not dealing with an everyday Joe here, baby.” He sighed, his icy eyes boring into mine. “What about Jonny?”
“Yes,” I admitted. “Look, Jonny swore us to secrecy at the time, but he was honest about everything. He told us what happened with his ex-girlfriend back when he first joined the band in case Talia dug up shit from his past. He was open about it; he said he was young and stupid and fancied himself in love. She cheated and dumped him, and he went off the rails. He has anger issues and, as far as I know, got therapy, but I think all that’s fallen by the wayside recently.”
“How recently?” Jacob asked.
I shrugged. “I dunno. Maybe a few months ago.”
“When you started getting the letters and gifts,” he pointed out.
A sick feeling jolted through my stomach. “I never thought of that.”
“We’ll keep an eye on him and never leave you two alone. The entire place is covered with cameras, and there are men around all the time. Stick with me, and when I have to go off and do something, you stay with Diablo, Hendrix, Blade, or Gambit. They’re the brothers I trust the most, and they’re fuckin’ deadly. The good thing is, Jonny admitted to you he went off the rails, but the stalker justifies everything he does in his own head. Jonny fits a lot of the profile, but that part doesn’t ring true. I’ll talk to Colt about it and see what he says. In the meantime, we stay vigilant.”
His protectiveness made my heart swell.
I pressed my face to his chest and let the comfort of his body melt away all my worries and anxieties. It was crazy, but in a way, I just wanted thestalker to make a move. Living in limbo was beginning to take its toll. I was walking on eggshells constantly, and it was starting to have an effect on my mental health.
Jacob must’ve read my mind because he tilted my chin with his finger until our gazes locked. “Love you, baby,” he whispered. “I’ll die before I let anything happen to you.”
His words sent a cold shiver down my spine, but internally, I shrugged it off. Jacob was a professional bodyguard, and he knew what he was doing. I just had to do what he told me and play it smart until whoever was tormenting me slipped up. We could ride it out, and we would overcome our challenges; we just had to keep the faith.
The alternative didn’t bear thinking about.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
ICEMAN
The beer flowed, and the party raged on.
Saint downed an ungodly amount of the cocktails Gopher poured like a professional, but then, she was a rock star, so of course she could handle her booze. Sophie couldn’t keep up, and she had her two young girls, so she and Atlas bowed out early, along with Abe and Iris, who valiantly put Wilder to bed, which was good of them considering the kid was a lunatic.
