Scanning for signs oftrouble, I thought. He was actually pretty good at his job, even if I’d initiallyhired him because he was… well,pretty.
Which was just as well, or Iwould have looked like an evenbiggeridiot now. Amanda was never goingto let me live this down when she found out.
“I’m thinking I should textFox and see if he’ll put your bookcase back together for you,” Gray saidsuddenly. “I know you’d probably rather not do it yourself.”
I blinked at him, surprisedhe’dread me so easily. He was right—the last thing I wanted was to do it myself,but… I didn’t want anyone going to any trouble on my behalf. I was a grown man,I could reorganize my own books.
Even if the idea of doing itmade me a little nauseous. Sometimes you just had to do things you didn’t want to.
“He’s a nerd,” Graycontinued. “So he won’t screw it up. I’d offer to do it, but I don’t think youwanna go back just yet, and I also don’t think I should leave you alone.”
What had I done to deservethis? Why was Gray being soniceto me?
“I can do it myself,” Isaid, cutting another mouthful of pie with my fork. It’d been in Gray’s mouth,but I’d also sucked his cock. Way too late to start getting worried aboutswapping bodily fluids now.
“Yeah, but you don’twannado it yourself,” Gray pointedout. “And this is what you get when you hire us. Full service. The point is tomake youfeelsafe. It’s not just aboutmaking sure you don’t actually die.”
I looked up again,surprised. That thought had never occurred to me. A bodyguard’s entire purposewas to keep people who wanted to hurt you away, wasn’t it?
“You can’t go through yourlife wondering what’s behind every door,” Gray said. “Or when the next awfulthing’s gonna happen. A good bodyguard is there to take that stress away. Andmost of us… most of us know what it’s like never to feel safe. Personally? Idon’t want that for you.”
Maneuvering a fork to mymouth was suddenly more than I was capable of. I set it down, took a deepbreath, and swallowed back a new urge to cry.
I wanted to feel safe, andright now, I didn’t. I was afraid to go back to my own apartment.
Gray was offering to make iteasier, the only way he reallycould. He probably didn’t like feelinguseless, either, and I didn’t want to make him feel that way.
“If you trust Fox,” I begancarefully, fighting to stop my voice from shaking. “I trust Fox.”
Which was true. I didn’t know Gray allthat well, but I did feel like I could trust him. If I could trusthim, I could trustthe people he trusted, too.
“Awesome.” Gray’s whole facelit up, and I knew I’d eventually made the right decision. “I’ll text him andthe building manager so she can let him in, explain the situation. When you gethome, everything’ll be just how you left it. How were the books organized?”
“Uh.” I picked up my forkagain, determined to give this wholeeatingthing anothershot. The pie was good, and I did actually want it.
Gray was getting good atreading me, which I wondered if I should be worried about. It wasniceto have someone anticipate my needs and not hesitate to fulfill them, but thethought that I was this transparent made me a little uneasy.
“Organized is a strong word,”I said. “They were just kind of… on the shelves.”
Gray chuckled. “Well, they’reabout to be organized. Any requests?”
I shoved a forkful of pie inmy mouth to save myself having to answer immediately. Whether or not it wasintentional, this was a really effective distraction.
“I always kinda wanted themordered by color? You see that on the internet sometimes and it looks reallycool.”
Gray lit up again, blue eyessparkling in the sunlight streaming through the window. “Fox is gonnalove that. I’ll tell him.”
Silence fell between us asGray coordinated the re-arranging of my bookshelf on his phone. The crowd inthe coffee shop started to thin out, people heading off to work afterfortifying themselves for the day.
I ate the rest of the sliceof pie, and wondered how undignified it’d be to lick the plate.
“So,” Gray tucked his phoneback into his pocket. “You told me you thought you knew what was going on. Doesyour theory still work?”
“It’s not a theory,” I said.“I mean, it doesn’t rise to the level oftheory, it’s just… a gutfeeling. Somewhere between a hunch and paranoia, I think.”
“Care to share?” Gray asked.
I sipped my rapidly-coolingcoffee, trying not to wince at how bitter it tasted after I’d had all thatsugar in my mouth.
