Aidan got up from his chair. “Jesse, are you contacting the PD, or should I?”
“I’ll handle it,” he replied. Then he turned to Adam. “We may need you to come back in. I’m sure the detective will want to talk with you.”
Was it wrong to admit I was looking forward to this assignment? He was so much fun to flirt with.
“Okay, sounds good.” Cole looked down and checked his phone. “Can you ride with Phantom? I really need to get home.”
Adam looked over at me, then he rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I can. Looks like I got my wish for a man-servant after all.”
I chuckled as Adam walked out, then put my hand on his shoulder to tug him back into my chest. This close, the scent of his cologne wafted up. “You wish, Rockstar. You get to help me pack. That’s what buddies do.”
He groaned, making Jesse and Aidan laugh, as I walked him out the door.
“Fine. Let’s go, He-Man. I hope you know how to cook. And you’re buying lunch.”
Yeah, I was looking forward to being his bodyguard.
CHAPTER3
ADAM
I was still tryingto figure out how I felt about all this as I climbed into Phantom’sTahoe. I could admit I’d had been anxious about the note on my door. Somehow, my mother had found me in Portland and knew exactly where I lived. She had never really threatened me before, just guilted me for not helping her.
What she didn’t seem to understand was my bad childhood reflected more on her than me, so her threats made no sense. But I was both angryather for getting herself involved with drugs again, and sadforher at the same time.
And then there was this situation. Shouldn’t a thirty-year-old man be able to protect himself? As much as I wanted to believe I could do it, my abilities would be incomparable to the gorgeous He-Man sitting next to me.
I’d objected to this plan because that’s what I thought I was supposed to do. Still, I couldn’t decide whether I agreed because I really wanted it over with, or because I was lonely.
“What are you thinking about over there, Rockstar?”
As I shifted my focus toward him, his hazel-green eyes met mine as he gave me a knowing smirk.
“Nothing. Why?” There was no way I was telling him anything.
He shrugged and draped his wrist over the steering wheel. “You seem to be caught up in your head. It’s not like you to be this quiet and not flirt with me.”
As he glanced at me and then back to the road, I couldn’t help but admire his tight body and strong arms. It had been so long since someone had looked out for me like that; the small, neglected little boy in me wanted all his attention.
“Maybe,” I replied with a smile as I gazed ahead out the windshield. “It’s too much to process in such a short time, and I’m not sure what I think about it yet. Somehow I went from zero to bodyguard in the blink of an eye.”
“It’s for your safety, Rockstar. That’s what I do.”
Phantom’s tone had gone from playful to caring with just enough edge for me to know he was serious.
I shook my head to try to stop the dirty images running through my brain.
“Shouldn’t I be able to protect myself? It’s not like she wants to hurt me. And I mean, I’m not weak. I’m a grown fucking man, and I work out. Why the fuck do I need protection from notes?”
I was failing at keeping myself together.
He-Man glanced over at me again as we made our way to his place. “I understand where you’re coming from, but the truth is, we don’t know how far she might go to get what she wants. But this isn’t the same thing. I can teach you all the self-defense out there, but that won’t change this situation.”
“Why not?” I asked defiantly.
The corner of his mouth edged up in an understanding smile. “Because it’s not about whether you can defend yourself, it's about precaution. Think of it this way. What if you ended up defending yourself and you broke your wrist or your fingers? How would you write or perform? You’re not a regular person anymore, Rockstar. You’re a celebrity. And celebrities have security in order to protect their ability to perform their craft.”
I blinked at him.
