“How was me running through the house stopping you from doing your job properly?”
“You could have hurt yourself.”
“By running?”
“The other day I saw you trip over your own feet and nearly bang your head on the coffee table. I didn’t think it was wise to let you run through the house.”
She buried her face in her knees, aware of how bright red her face had gone. That hadn’t been her finest moment. She hadn’t tripped up because she was clumsy. She’d tripped up because he’d stretched, and she’d got a mouth-watering glimpse of his abs and she’d had her eyes on him rather than watching where she was going.
“All right so if you’re not here to tell me off, what do you want to talk about?”
“Come out of there.”
She sighed then slipped out. To her shock, he held out his hand. He was voluntarily touching her? This was new.
She slid her hand into his slightly rough, warm one. A rush filled her. Jesus. She’d never been so attracted to a man in her life.
Why did it have to be him? Why couldn’t it be someone who actually seemed to like her? He let go of her as soon as she stood, moving back several steps.
Great. That was a boost for her self-esteem. He couldn’t even stand to be within a foot of her.
“What did you want to talk to me about?” she asked.
“We need to go over protocols again before we go to the recording studio tomorrow.”
She stifled a groan. Awesome. She slumped into her seat and prepared herself. The man sure did love his rules and protocols.
5
That had been terrible.
She pressed her fingernails into the palms of her hands, trying to fight off the impending panic. So it was one bad day, so what? She could salvage it. She knew she shouldn’t ha
ve gone into the studio today.
She was barely aware of Bain and Dominic. One walked in front of her, the other behind as they moved through the parking lot. She sped up, moving around Bain to get to the car. She just wanted to go home and forget today happened. All the expectations everyone had of her were weighing her down.
“What do you think you’re doing? You walk in time with us. Don’t fall out of formation.”
She turned to snap at Bain. The guy could be such an ass.
Not his fault. No need to take this out on him.
“Sorry,” she muttered. She moved back into place.
They’re just trying to keep you safe, Ari.
These threats were messing with her head. She couldn’t sleep at night and when she did sleep, she often woke with nightmares. Thank God, her room was soundproof so if she was making any noise in her sleep, she wouldn’t wake anyone else. When she woke, she couldn’t remember what the nightmares had been about. She hated that. It reminded her too much of the nightmares that had plagued her childhood.
All of which meant she was tired and out of sorts. When they got into the car, Dominic moved into the front passenger seat, while Bain got in the back, beside her.
“Seatbelt,” he barked.
She slid the seatbelt on. Her head thumped. She needed some quiet. She wished her stalker would make another move. But he hadn’t sent another letter since Bain and Dominic arrived.
“What was that just now?” Bain asked.
“What?” She’d stared at him through the sunglasses she’d put on as they were leaving the recording studio.