“I’m serious, Brian,” I pleaded. “Dominic is coming unglued and I’m afraid of what he’s going to do next.”
“I’m not afraid of him, Ava,” he replied. The look on his face was one of determination mixed with good old-fashioned annoyance. “Men like Dominic are cowards. They think that if they control people through fear, they’ll make up for their own self-loathing and insecurity.”
“It sounds like you know something about these kinds of guys,” I observed.
“Yeah, well—” he trailed off as his phone buzzed with a text from headquarters. “Shoot, they didn’t get him this time.”
“I’m sure he’ll be back,” I sighed. I wondered why I was so intent on playing up the danger of the situation. I didn’t know any more if I wanted to get rid of Brian or if I really was concerned about his safety. “I just don’t like this at all. And your nonchalant attitude doesn’t give me confidence that you’re taking this seriously. He could hurt you.”
“Ava, he is not going to hurt me,” he said. “And I resent the fact that you’re questioning my skills as a bodyguard. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
“I’m not questioning you,” I said defensively. “I’m just saying that he’s not going to play by the rules and that makes him dangerous.”
“I’ve known a lot worse danger,” he muttered. “And I’m definitely not going to let that little weasel get to me. Happy now?”
“Weasel, is he?” I laughed weakly as I tried to break the tension between us. “Yeah, he’s kind of low to the ground and slippery, although I think that calling him a weasel is kind of an insult to weasels, don’t you think?”
As Brian flashed me a grim grin, I caught a glimpse of him dropping his hand to check the gun concealed under his hoodie. Maybe he wasn’t as unconcerned as he said he was.
*****
“So, what are you going to do about him?” I asked as I began pacing the small room. The realization that Dominic might truly be a threat to my safety and that of those around me was sinking in, and it made me anxious.
“We’re going to try and figure out where he is, and then neutralize the threat,” Brian replied.
“But how are you going to find him if I can’t keep him on the phone long enough for you to locate him?” I countered. My anxiety was starting to ramp up as I started thinking about all of the things that Dominic had done during our relationship and the ways in which I’d been lulled into believing that they were for my own good. Who was acting in my interests now? Sure, Brian was there to protect me, but he had been hired by my father, whose number one interest was himself and his own reputation, not me or mine.
“Look, chill out will you?” Brian’s aggravation was apparent, but it didn’t stop me from wanting answers.
“Chill out? You chill out!” I shouted. “This is my life we’re talking about! Dominic is a psycho who is going to do whatever he needs to do to get me back! You have no idea how insane he is!”
“Oh, I think I’ve got a pretty good idea,” he mumbled.
“What?” I had worked myself up into a frenzy as I pictured all of the awful things Dominic would do to get to me as all the awful things he had done loomed over me like a dark cloud. Would he hurt Lara or Jessie? The panic was rising to a new level when Brian crossed the room and grabbed me by my shoulders and shook me lightly.
“Ava! Stop!” he commanded. “Dammit, I’m here to protect you, and nothing is going to harm either one of us. Now, would you please drop it?”
With wide eyes, I stared up at him, trying to make sense of his words so that I could stop myself from panicking. He lightly shook me again, and as I gazed up into his eyes, I leaned forward as I raised a hand to touch his cheek. His eyes softened for a moment, and then he pulled back and shook his head.
“No,” he said. “You said there isn’t going to be anymore sex. I respect that, and you’re right, Ava. I’ve been hired to protect you from Dominic, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do, but beyond that, it’s a no-go.”
“I’m sorry,” I mumbled as I dropped my head and stared at the floor. I was embarrassed that I’d tried to cross the line that I’d drawn, but it didn’t change the fact that I still wanted him. Images from the night before flashed through my mind, and my cheeks burned with both shame and desire. I looked up at him, searching for some recognition of what we’d shared the night before, but there was none in his eyes.
“I need to be vigilant about protecting you, and in order to do that, I need to be on my A game,” he looked up at me and pointedly said, “and there’s really no room for mistakes.”
I nodded as I dropped my eyes to the floor again. How could he say this after what we’d done last night? How could he be so businesslike and not be torn up about wanting and not wanting? And then I remembered, Oh, that’s right. This is a job for him. I swallowed hard, looked up, smiled and said in the brightest voice I could muster, “Then do you want to go to dinner?”
“Well, sure. Whatever you want,” he responded. “Do we need to stop and pick up Lara and Jessie?”
“No, I mean, how about you and I go have dinner together? Sit at the same table and talk?” I suggested. “I just don’t feel like having to explain myself to other people and you already know the situation, so…”
“Okay, then dinner it is,” he agreed. “What are you in the mood
for tonight?”
“I’m thinking Italian,” I said. “I could go for a huge plate of spaghetti and meatballs to wipe the memory of today out of my mind.”
“That sounds good to me,” he nodded, though I realized that he would have agreed to go anywhere I’d suggested even if it didn’t sound good; after all, it was his job.