Page 72 of Awestruck at Dusk
The apartment went silent enough that I could listen to Jordan’s deep, heavy breathing and to how Tobias swallowed hard, his gaze still fixed on the bathroom door.
“I need to talk to her. Alone,” Tobias said, almost growling. “So you better leave Jordan, or God help me, I’ll drag you out of here myself.”
Jordan laughed. “As much as I’d love to see you try, bro, it’s in your best interest that you don’t. Wouldn’t want to ruin that pretty face of yours for the South America press junket.” Jordan’s features hardened up again as he looked over Tobias’s shoulder, glaring at Joel. Perhaps he’d forgotten that Tobias wasn’t alone, but he didn’t seem oblivious now.
Cecile walked out of the bathroom, fully clothed and showered. She freakingshoweredbecause she couldn’t give a rat’s ass about these guys going at it as she lathered, rinsed, repeated.
“Are you guys done?” she queried, her crisp and melodic French accent slicing through the silence. She took a seat on the edge of the bed, crossed a leg over another, and rested her hands elegantly on her lap. She looked a little pale and probably needed a big cup of coffee and a few more hours of sleep. Heck, I knew I did.
“Can we talk?” Tobias countered, his features unclear as if he’d rather seem like a heartless robot instead of showing an ounce of discouragement. These guys knew how to switch things up fast—actors after all.
“Yes,” she said coolly.
“Cecile, I thought that—” Jordan began to say.
“We have an understanding, don’t we?” she cut him off with such gentleness one wouldn’t imagine she was blowing him off. “And I have unfinished business with Tobias.”
Damn. I needed to get on my knees and beg to become her pupil.
Jordan snorted and grabbed his phone from the nightstand. “We’ve unfinished business too,” he said to her, heading out. Jordan bumped his shoulder against Tobias’s, who was somewhat blocking the way.
Tobias pivoted and followed Jordan with the intention of—something. His glower begged for release as if he were glad that Jordan had shoved him on his way out so Tobias would have an excuse to reciprocate the gesture.
But Joel caught up with that and held Tobias’s arm before he could reach Jordan, who apologized to me without turning back before he walked out my door.
That simple action of Joel grasping Tobias’s arm had made it worth it for him to be here. He stopped Tobias from doing something that would’ve surely gotten out of hand—that neither Cecile nor I would’ve been able to stop.
Tobias released himself from Joel’s grasp with a sharp sniff. He again said something to Joel in Swedish and disappeared into the guest room where Cecile was waiting for him, shutting the door behind him.
Tobias missed his flight.
Tone
JOEL LEFT ASsoon as Tobias joined Cecile inside the guest room. He said he’d go crash for a few more hours. I wasn’t surprised, and I envied him—the bad kind of envy. My mind wouldn’t allow for a morning snooze. I had too much shit going on in my head. But I was thankful that Joel stopped by to help out with the situation. He deserved to go back to bed.
I poured myself a second cup of coffee instead and texted Sophie and Nathan. I assumed Sophie stayed over with Ren, and I assumed right. Nathan was still asleep, or so it seemed, because he wasn’t texting me back.
I’d just put my feet up on my good luck couch and a book on my lap when the doorbell rang.
Aaron.
“Good morning, Miss Murphy,” he said to me. “Happy birthday.” He went in for a hug that made my throat feel tight. I’d been keeping a certain distance from Aaron ever since he came back from Caleb’s funeral.
It was so hard for me to look at him, and something told me it was mutual. His face was scarier than ever, not to me, of course. I knew what laid hidden behind that tough exterior. But I’m sure it was a threatening look for anyone else who didn’t know him as I did.
I had to take a slow, steady breath in through my nose to avoid falling into that dark, bottomless pit that kept luring me in all the time.
“There were unusual movements flagged on the surveillance camera about an hour ago. So I went back on the footage and saw Cecile coming in with a big guy at around four in the morning,” Aaron explained. “He wasn’t authorized to come up. Bruce told us he said he was headed to Tobias’s apartment, and since his name is on the Sjöbergs’ list, he was allowed to come up.”
“Ah yes, sorry. I was asleep when this happened, and I didn’t realize he was here until this morning. Will this—be reported?” I asked.
“It depends. The recorded video shows Tobias barging into your apartment after you’d gone inside, and then Joel also stepped right in without knocking or ringing the doorbell. Then the big guy walked out with a sour face. What happened, Miss Murphy?”
Damn it.
“Aaron, this had nothing to do with me. Yes, it unfortunately happened inside my apartment, but I’m okay. Cecile’s okay. Tobias is still in there talking to her.”
Aaron lifted a brow and looked down at me as he kept his bodyguard stance firmly in place.
