Page 17 of Unguarded

“Nice view.” He pulls out a chair and settles his big body into it.

I grin. “It’s the only way I can possibly survive California—a view and a little distance from the neighbors.”

He doesn’t respond, simply nods and keeps his eyes moving over every object in the area, except for me.

Ember is chewing her lip, eyes still on the iPad.

“Ember?” I nudge her with my foot under the table.

She jolts, looking up at me. “Oh! Right. Sorry, emailing Vogue. Okay, Clint asked if you would grab dinner with him the night before the tour starts.”

I pick up the fork and spear a slice of strawberry with it. “As friends?” I ask, popping it into my mouth.

She shrugs. “He didn’t specify.”

I chew slowly, debating her words.

Clint Clyde is my ex-boyfriend. He’s another rising country star, although the peak of his career was when we were dating and performed a hit single together. We’re singing the song together as an opening act to the tour.

“Let’s put a pin in it, and I’ll decide later.”

She nods. Cash shifts in his seat. My eyes trail up his thigh until reaching his eyes.

“Hungry?”

He shakes his head.

“Are you excited to leave? For Seoul, I mean.”

The potential of him dipping out and leaving the tour in general in a few weeks fills my stomach with a lead ball.

He finally lifts his eyes to meet mine. “I’m ready for it.”

I’ll take that as a … sort of?

The fact that he makes me question every word that comes out of my mouth is strange and unnerving. I’m not an insecure person in general, but Cash Redford makes me feel like there’s an electric current surging over the surface of my skin, about to spark fire at any second.

The fact that I have no makeup on and am still butt naked under my flimsy robe makes me feel even more vulnerable and exposed under his piercing eyes. I glance up at Ember, who is observing me closely, a smirk barely touching her lips. She knows me too well.

I square my shoulders back, planting my elbows on the arms of my chair. “Well, I need to shower. I shall return in twenty minutes. Don’t have too much fun without me!” I reach for my latte.

I move to stand, but the sash of my robe gets caught under my elbow, pulling loose. The forces of nature and the gods must have conspired against me because at the exact same moment I realize the mishap, a gust of wind from the canyon sweeps across the patio, ripping my loosened silk robe wide open, exposing my naked body to Ember and Cash.

A high-pitched squeal erupts from the back of my throat. I drop the cup in my hand, splashing coffee all over the table.

Cash jumps up from his chair, as if he didn’t know the source of my squeal until it was a second too late. His gaze melts over my skin, leaving a trail of heat and need.

Wetness seeps from me through my lower lips, even as he steps away, squeezing his eyes shut and turning his head to the side.

“Are you all right?” he chokes out, fists clenched by his sides.

My hands finally obey me, and I grab for the edges of my robe and cinch it tightly closed around my waist, attempting to steady my trembling body.

“Uh, um, yes, I’m good! I’m A-okay today,” I say with a nervous laugh.

My eyes briefly meet Ember’s to see that she’s gaping at me. Her hand slams over her mouth as her eyes widen. She shifts her gaze from my face to Cash’s stoic frame. He looks like he’s poised for an attack, ready to fight for his life, face turned away from me.

Southern gentlemen are something else.

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