Page 15 of Body Heat

I hated the idea of someone else being in charge of his safety, but that was my heart talking and not my brain. “Yes.”

“Okay. I’ll switch things around, but only on one condition. You need to talk to Rowan about this first. If he’s the reason you feel like you can't do your job, then your feelings for him are deeper than you've been letting on. You shouldn't make a decision like this without talking it through with him first. All that’ll do is hurt your relationship.”

Brecken was right about needing to talk to Rowan, but he was also partially wrong. I didn’t think I had to worry about hurting my relationship because the stalker had already done enough damage to it. I highly doubted I was even in one anymore. And I wasn’t looking forward to facing Rowan after the scare his mom had been through today. She was the most important person in his life, and I’d let them both down.

Chapter 12

Rowan

When Devon came back from Kane Security’s office with my mom about thirty minutes ago, I’d been worried that more had happened than Whit had explained during the drive home from the stadium since Sera wasn’t with them. I was on edge after the shit that had gone down and more than a little pissed that the women in my life had decided to keep it from me until after I was done with practice.

I didn’t like being out of the loop, especially when this was happening because of me. It was difficult not to blame myself when it wasmystalker who’d fucked withmymom. My coach would’ve understood the interruption, even if we had a big game coming up in two days. Which was a point I’d made more than clear to my mom, Whit, and Devon. Now I just needed Sera to come home so I could lay it out for her too.

From what Devon had said, I was expecting her back any minute. He'd reassured me that everything was fine with her, even though she wasn’t answering her phone, and that she shouldn’t be too far behind him. Apparently, she’d had a few things to go over with her boss before she could leave.

I was seriously contemplating grabbing my keys so I could hunt her down when I heard the front door open. After turning off the stove burner so I wouldn’t burn the broccoli I was steaming, I headed into the living room. Devon and Sera were standing at the bottom of the stairs, and it sounded like they were wrapping up a conversation. “Sure, I’ll grab my go-bag from my place. I can be back in less than an hour. Let me know if the plan changes before then.”

“Will do.”

I didn’t understand the apologetic smile Devon flashed me as he headed for the door. Not until I caught the shut-down expression on Sera’s face before she started up the stairs. “What’s going on?”

I followed her into our room and then the master closet. She didn’t say anything until she pulled her duffel off the shelf. “I’m so sorry.”

“Sorry for what?” My brain must’ve been slower than usual because I didn’t understand what was happening here. Not until she started shoving some of her shit into her bag. “What the hell are you packing for? Is Brecken taking you off my case? Did he fire you?”

“I wasn’t fired, and he didn’t take me off the case.” Her fists clenched around the straps on her bag hard enough that her knuckles turned white. After sighing, she finally turned around and looked me in the eyes. “But Devon is going to swap out with me tonight.”

“For how long?” I glared at the clothes she was stuffing into her bag. “Because it looks like you're packing all your things.”

“When Brecken assigned me to your close protection detail, I was the best person for the job. But things have changed, and that's no longer true anymore. It’s better if someone else takes my place as your close protection detail.”

I was starting to understand what was going on with her. I wasn’t the only one feeling guilty over something I couldn’t control. “Are you beating yourself up over the letter so much that you can't stay here with me?”

“Of course I’m beating myself up,” she cried. “I don’t understand how you can even look at me after what your mom went through today. She could’ve ended up in the hospital!”

I moved closer and pulled her into my arms. “It’s not your fault.”

“If not me, then who?”

It’d taken my mom practically knocking me upside the head for me to accept that only one person was to blame for this mess, and it wasn’t Sera or me. “The asshole who’s doing this.”

She collapsed against me, her arms circling around my back to hold me tight. “I was so afraid you’d blame me as much as I had before Devon and Brecken talked some sense into me.”

“I don’t, angel. Not even a little bit. And neither does my mom.” I brushed a kiss against the top of her head. “If anything, I’m grateful you were here because without your help, I’m not sure what she would’ve done today. The whole thing scared her enough that she agreed to let Whit stay in one of her guest rooms until this is over.”

“I’m glad she’s got Whit to watch over her, but I’m still not sure it’s wise for me to stay on close protection for you,” she sighed. “Being personally involved complicates things.”

“You didn’t get involved with me all by yourself. I’m in this, too,” I pointed out. “The bottom line is that it's you, or it's no one.”

She tilted her head back to stare up at me with wide, green eyes. “But you need someone to stick close and keep you safe.”

“Then I guess you’d better put your stuff away.” When it looked like she was going to try to argue with me again, I tried a different approach. “Do you want another woman to come in here and pretend to be my girlfriend? To take your place in my bed.”

She was quick to snap, “Of course not.”

“Good, because if our roles were reversed and some man felt like he could sleep next to you, it would be the last thing he ever did,” I growled. “I might not be a whiz with guns like you are or trained in martial arts, but you can be damn sure I would put my muscles to good use in taking him down. I protect what's mine.”

With her lips curved up in a tiny grin, she didn’t look bothered by my threats of bodily harm against a figment of my imagination. “Am I yours?”

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