“Don’t act cute.” He lowers his hands from my shoulders, dragging his fingers through his short hair. “Don’t you know how worried I was? I’ve been frantic, searching everywhere for you.” He glares at me, and I can tell he’d love to throttle me right now. “You have a lot of explaining to do, Sierra. Your father will not be pleased.”
I almost choke on my tongue. “Please tell me you haven’t spoken to my father,” I splutter, flopping onto the edge of my bed.
He rubs the bridge of his nose. “Not yet, but he’s been blowing up my phone, and I need to return his call.”
I sit up straighter. “You can’t tell him. He’ll just ground me for eternity, and you’ll get fired.” I might be twenty-one, but I’m still living at home, and my father has numerous ways to make me suffer.
“Do you think your father pays me to protect you as some kind of joke?” he shouts.
“No. Of course not.”
“Do you have any idea how much danger you were in last night?” He shakes his head, staring at me with a mix of anger and concern.
Eh, yeah, buddy. I was aware of how close I came to being raped and murdered. I can’t say that though, so I press my lips together, happy to let him vent and hopefully get it all off his chest.
“Do you hate me then?” His brows climb to his hairline. “Is that it? You want to get me fired, or you were hoping to kill me?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” It’s not like Tony to be dramatic. “I might hate what you represent, but I don’t hate you personally. Giving you a few sleeping pills is not the same as poisoning you, which is what I’d do if I wanted to kill you.”
“Don’t you dare make light of this. This is no laughing matter,” he snaps, and it’s uncharacteristic because Tony is always calm and he’s always been nice to me. “I didn’t wake until six a.m., Sierra. I was knocked out cold for twelve hours. Anything could have happened to you in that time. I had no choice but to take Pen’s word that you were safe. Knowing you were out there with some guy I hadn’t vetted, without your purse or your cell—” Scrubbing a hand across his stubbly chin, he shakes his head, pinning me with pained eyes as he sighs. “I’ve been worried sick.”
I’m instantly chastised because I see the truth written all over his face. I lean forward on my elbows, looking him straight in the eye. “I’m really sorry, Tony. It was a totally shitty thing to do. This wasn’t anything personal. I swear. I just wanted to let loose and have fun without you watching my every move and reporting it to my father.”
“And did you?” he asks.
I frown. “Did I what?”
“Have fun?” His features soften a little as he looks at me expectantly. Reading between the lines, I can tell he understands why I did what I did, maybe even approves on a subconscious level. Warmth spreads across my chest. I’m glad Tony is my bodyguard. Because he knows me, understands me, and while he still wants to throttle me for putting myself at risk, he gets it.
I smile, nodding. “I did.” Mostly.
He crouches over me, and his brow puckers as he gently brushes his fingers against my neck. His eyes narrow as he zones in on the slight finger-sized bruising around my throat. “Did someone hurt you?” Anger and fear replace the previous emotion in his eyes, and he looks ready to flatten someone.
“No. It’s not what it looks like.” I inwardly cringe. “It was consensual.”
“You’re sure I don’t need to beat someone’s ass?”
I cough out a laugh at the very idea of Tony trying to take on Ben and his gun-toting friends. “I’m sure.”
He stands. “This can’t happen again, Sierra. I’m charged with protecting you for a reason. There are plenty of crazies out there who would love to get at your father through you. If anything had happened to you last night, I would never have been able to live with it. Your safety is more than just a job to me.”
Without hesitation, I jump up, flinging my arms around him. He doesn’t hesitate to return my hug, and we enjoy a rare, brief embrace. “I care about you too. And I am really, genuinely, honestly sorry. I promise I will never do that again.”
“Okay.” Air whooshes out of his mouth, and the last vestiges of his anger disappear.
“So, we’re gonna keep this between us. Yeah?” I offer him my best puppy-dog eyes.
“Yeah.” He sighs, running a hand across the back of his neck. “But don’t make me regret it. If your father finds out what happened, and that I hid it from him, he won’t just can my ass.”
“He won’t find out. I promise.” I know Pen and Esme will carry the secret to their graves. The other girls are never at my house, and Father doesn’t even know their names, so we’re good. I breathe a sigh of relief. At least that’s one problem diverted.
I follow Tony out, joining my two best friends in the living room, watching as he exits the suite to stand guard in the corridor.
“I didn’t know what you wanted, so I ordered a bunch of things,” Pen says, waving at the array of cold and hot foods on the long coffee table.
My stomach rumbles appreciatively, reminding me I haven’t eaten since dinner last night. “What time is it anyway?”
“It’s just after two,” Esme says, pulling me into a hug. Holy shit. I guess I got more sleep than I thought. “Pen woke me at eight to tell me what happened.” She holds me at arm’s length, staring at me with tears in her eyes. “Are you okay?”
