Page 84 of Protect Your Queen

I wanted to whisk her away to a safe location, where she was surrounded and protected.

My instinct was to take her out of the public eye entirely and tell her to find her way to other music venues, like her brother, who ran in more classical circles. She’d be happier there anyway.

Then I got to the studio and saw her through the glass. I watched her sing our song. She smiled as she leaned forward to the pop filter, the headphones dwarfing her small features. I heard the joy in her voice. It was subtle, like the flutter of a bird’s wing, or the vibrato of a violin.

I knew that she’d never be fully mine. That the world, in small ways, would always own her, and she would own them. Like all of us behind the glass - the soundengineer, Leo, and the numerous assistants who whisked in and out getting coffee - we were in a supporting role, while she was the leading lady.

Chapter thirty-one

It’s Not What You Think

Jestiny

“I thought that we had time to spare…” I sang, the microphone hung above, the song in Chris’s handwriting on a music stand in front of me. We weren’t in the same studio as before. This piano was much nicer, though not a grand. But it was good enough. The chords were simple, and clean. Maybe that was to accommodate his right hand, but I like to think that he had chosen it on purpose. Simple accompaniment makes the song ride on the back of the singer.

It was just me and the microphone, the pop filter gauze was my only focus until the very last long fade of the melody.

When I looked up to the control room, a lump formed in my throat.

Michael Dryden was there, his large fists on the table, his face red.

He stormed out of the room after he caught my eye. It was strange to watch himstompout of the room without actually hearing the slam of his shoes on the ground, but I was certain the others could hear it. He wasn't being subtle about his dislike for what was happening. But Gavin and the engineer didn’t care. They smiled at me, nodding in approval.

Beside them was another face – one that I had been longing to see.

Chris had a slight smirk on his lips. He had liked it too. That was worth much more than any review I could have gotten.

“We’ll take a quick ten, okay, Jes?” Gavin said, leaning a finger onto the intercom.

I nodded, taking off the large headphones at my ears and hanging them on the corner of the music stand.

“You did great,” Gavin added, before picking up his jacket from the back of the chair and walking out, the engineer heading with him.

I stepped out of the booth, into the control room, vaguely wondering if Chris would kiss me now that we were alone. He didn’t.

“I need to talk to you,” he said as I walked toward him, his face somber.

My smile immediately fell.

Was he already regretting last night? Was all of that a huge farce? Was it over before it started? More importantly… did he hate the song?

“I need to know about what’s between you and Dryden.”

My jaw clenched. “Stasia and I are working together.”

“You know I mean Michael Dryden.” His eyes narrowed.

“We’re not sleeping together, if that’s what you’re implying.”

“Obviously not, Songbird, but why does he hate you?” He stepped closer to me until we were almost chest to chest. I had to crane my neck to look up at him. “He looked at you like he wanted to kill you. If I’m going to keep you safe, I need to know why.”

I bristled at his accusation. He had no right to my life. Not to my deepest, darkest secrets. He’d been here for a week, and now he wanted everything? Well, he had another thing coming. Secrets were the Barkada way, and some bodyguard with a cute face wasn’t going to be my problem.

“You need to know what I say you need to know,help.” I didn’t miss the sudden hurt in his eyes when my words spilled out.

I wanted to stop it. I really did. I wanted to collect myself, and be reasonable, and say something less terrible… but it all fell out so naturally. I was pushing away the first man I ever made love to the day after he gave me the best night of my life.

We stood in tense silence, our breaths the only thing in the booth. His jaw flexed and he looked at me with steely emerald eyes so expressive that I could see every feeling - surprise, hurt, then eventually resignation.

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