“This is ridiculous,” I mutter, turning back to the stage.
Despite all that, I don’t let them ruin my night. I take a lot of photos, and when the set ends, Finn jumps down from the stage and wraps me in his arms, spinning me around.
“We fucking did it!” he shouts over the crowd noise.
“You did, and it was epic!” I scream as Kade joins us. “I got so many good shots. I just hope I have one where Kade looks like a gremlin.”
Finn laughs and Kade fake scowls. He can pretend he hates my content all he likes, but I know he secretly loves it.
They invite me to the after-party, but I decline. The rock-star lifestyle is not my scene, especially if I have to watch my brother get wasted while women throw themselves at him.
The drive home is tense. I’m in the back seat, my arms crossed as I stare out the window. I’ve been ignoring Rhodes since heoverstepped. The silence hangs heavy for several blocks before I can’t take it anymore.
“You didn’t have to do that,” I say.
“Do what?” Rhodes asks from the front seat, acting innocent.
“Go all caveman on that guy. He was only talking to me.”
Rhodes scoffs. “He was hitting on you.”
“So what? I’m an adult. I can handle being hit on without my bodyguards threatening people.”
“We didn’t threaten anyone,” Ace says calmly from the driver’s seat. “We intervened in a situation that made you uncomfortable.”
“I wasn’t uncomfortable. I was working, getting photos of my brother. Rhodes acted as if I couldn’t handle it on my own.”
“That guy was a sleaze,” Rhodes snaps, turning in his seat to look at me. “He had his hand on your arm and was standing way too close, then moved his hand to your waist. He clearly wasn’t taking the hint when you moved away.”
“I had it under control.”
“Did you?” Rhodes challenges. “Because from where I was standing, you were getting more and more uncomfortable and he wasn’t backing off.”
“You shouldn’t have to control it,” Ace adds. “That’s literally our job.”
“Your job is to protect me from actual threats, not every guy who tries to talk to me.” My voice rises, anger getting the better of me. “You can’t just intimidate everyone who looks at me. It’s suffocating.”
“Would you prefer we let random men harass you?” Rhodes’s tone is condescending. “Because that’s what it was. Harassment.”
“It was a conversation that I could have ended myself if you hadn’t swooped in like some possessive...” I stop myself before I say something I can’t take back.
“Like what?” Rhodes challenges, his eyes intense as they lock on mine.
“Nothing. Forget it.”
“No, say it. Possessive what?”
“You don’t get to act like this,” I shoot back. “You don’t freak out when Finn hugs me. Or when the barista flirts with me at the coffee shop. Why was Tyler different?”
Rhodes’s jaw clenches. “Because Finn respects boundaries. Because the barista doesn’t touch you. Tyler didn’t take the hint that you were not interested.”
“You didn’t give me a chance to say no.”
“You moved away from himtwice,” Rhodes points out vehemently. “You created physical distance, and he closed it again. You lowered your camera to tell him no, but I stepped in before you had to.”
The car goes quiet.
I don’t have a response because he’s right. I moved away, and Tyler followed.
