Page 27 of Unguarded

He steps closer to her, dipping his cowboy hat in her direction. “Well, you wrote this song about me, so I don’t think there’s a point in denying it.”

“Allegedly,”she says.

She turns back toward him, lifting her head up slowly. The way she gazes into his eyes looks like she views him as much more than a friend. She lifts the mic to her lips, her raspy voice pouring out of the speakers.

“Oh, baby, I know I can’t change you, but I wish I could change the way I feel about you.”

Her voice captures the crowd, mesmerizing each fan as they sway to the music, along with the overall captivating aura that is Monroe Blue. Clint is barely a side character. He’s more like a prop or a part of the stage decor or the band.

My heart feels like a jackhammer in my chest. I watch as Clint pushes his guitar to the side and curls his hand around Monroe’s waist. He pulls her body flush against his, nuzzling her neck. A strange trickle of jealousy travels from my throat down to my stomach.

Zade is just okay with this? If she were mine?—

I stop myself right there.

She’s not fucking mine, and she never will be.

Her boyfriend is up on a platform to the left of the stage. I can’t see his expression from here until a camera pans over to his face. He appears on the big screen for a few split seconds. His mouth is twisted in disgust. He downs his drink before turning away.

Guess he’s not okay with it.

I try to focus back on Monroe, shoving down my own strange, twisted emotions. I have a job to do, and I need to man the fuck up and do it. Monroe Blue is laughably out of my league. Even if she weren’t, I don’t crush on superstar singers with Coke-bottle figures that could drag grown men to their knees.

Monroe’s legswobble as she walks onto the elevator. It’s past one in the morning here, and I have no idea what time it is back in Texas. I’m still jet-lagged. I can’t imagine how she feels after performing for three hours straight.

She slumps back against the elevator. Her hair is in a high, messy bun. She shuts her eyes, leaning her head back to rest against the wall. She’s wearing biker shorts and my hoodie. I’m beginning to think I might not get it back. It’s my favorite one, but seems to be her go-to thing to throw on when she’s tired now, which makes me feel warm.

Her phone starts to buzz in her hand. She looks down at it, firmly pressing the Decline button. She holds down the Power button to turn the device off. Her eyes drift over to me. Her face still has remnants of makeup on it, like it was mostly wiped off, but some was missed.

“What’d you think, cowboy?”

I stare back at her, wondering who called and why she didn’t invite Zade back to her room.

“I thought it was … impressive.”

She tilts her head, squinting at me. “Impressive,” she repeats.

The elevator doors open when we reach our floor. I sent Brooks ahead to clear the hallway and room and to ensure there were no surprises in her bed.

“I know you’re just here for the money. You don’t have to pretend to like the show,” she mutters, following me to the door.

Pretend?

I glance down both directions of the hallway before sliding my key card into the door. It swings open to revealBrooks lounging in a chair in the spacious suite. I step to the side to allow Monroe to walk in before me.

She collapses on the bed in her room, kicks off her shoes, and crawls underneath the covers.

“Please don’t make any noise for at least twelve hours,” she mumbles, her head slightly poking out of the hoodie and the cloud of pillows.

“I’ll be in the next room.”

Her eyes drift over me slowly before she pins me with them. “Promise not to leave me?” she murmurs, her voice barely above a whisper.

A mass forms in my throat. My head bobs up and down. “Yes, ma’am.”

Her bright blue eyes drift closed. I stand motionless for a few beats, watching her sleep like a creep. Finally, I step closer to the bed. I feel a surge of temptation to reach out and brush her hair back from her angelic face, but instead, I turn the switch off on the lamp.

Brooks is waiting for me when I silently walk back out to the main area of the suite.

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