Page 53

I huff out a laugh. “And the black clothing? I can see why you’d stick your nose up at it.”
His chest rumbles with laughter, and it’s a welcome distraction from everything. Magnum’s like a chameleon. He can change his persona to suit what others need, it’s just that they usually need him to be an ass-kicking security guard. Who knew this nice, funny guy was lurking inside him somewhere? “Let me make you some tea. Or hot chocolate.”
“Ohh,” I say, stepping back. His mood must be rubbing off on me. “You had to throw in the hot chocolate. Why? Because I’m so young?”
He shrugs. “Figured that’s what kids your age liked to drink. I don’t have any chocolate milk.”
I glower at him, but all it does is make him laugh harder. “I’m not the one who has hot chocolate in my place.”
Lies. I actually requested hot chocolate when Johnny had me put together a grocery list when I was staying in his suite. Considering how observant Johnny is, I’m sure if I went through the cupboards in my new place, there’d be some hot chocolate there, too.
Magnum lifts a single shoulder like he’s a tough guy and can take everything I throw at him. I definitely agree with that. He’s already saved my life once. I would like to know how he keeps all these muscles hidden under his shirts though. Brawler’s got a bit of size on him, but Magnum’s build is more the quick and deadly type. Lethal. Agile. I should know. The way he diffused the situation with Johnny last night was awe-inspiring from a tactical point of view.
I sit on Mag’s couch as he busies himself in the kitchen. I expected his place to be squeaky clean since he always looks so put together, but his apartment looks so lived in. Johnny looks like he’s barely there. Mine already has clothes strewn around it, and last I knew there were dishes in the sink, though I’m sure those have already been taken care of by housekeeping, but Mag’s place looks homey despite all the stark lines.
In a few minutes, he joins me on the couch with his own mug of cocoa. We sit back, and I take a sip. I don’t know where he got this hot chocolate, but it’s ten times more chocolatey than the stuff I have. I take another sip. The steam rises in front of my nose and billows toward the ceiling.
“You’re sure you’re okay?” Mag asks. He lifts an eyebrow as he studies me. “He didn’t hurt you, did he?”
I shake my head.
Relief is palpable on his face. “I didn’t think he would, but I was worried all night. I almost didn’t want to leave, but I know staying wouldn’t have calmed him down.”
My cheeks heat, and it has nothing to do with the temperature of the drink I’m swallowing. “Has he done that before?”
Mag quirks a brow. “Asked me to sleep with his girlfriend?”
I burst out laughing, almost spluttering the hot chocolate out of my mouth. “Well, no. I would hope not!”
“He hasn’t even had a regular girl before.”
“Regular?”
Magnum looks away. “You know, someone he keeps around. Someone he asks us to watch. Someone that if something happens to, he’d lose it. He threatens us daily that if you get hurt, we’re done, and he doesn’t mean he’s firing us, Kyla.”
I nod, feelings welling up inside. I can’t dwell too much on that sentiment because I don’t know what to do with it. My gut tells me it’ll likely be impossible to get Johnny to go against his father. Even if it is for me. Plus, I can’t shake the feeling that I’m going to be doing the same thing to him that his father did to me. At the end of all this, I am killing his loved one.
What kind of person does that make me?
“Well, I was hoping he hadn’t done that before,” I tell Magnum honestly. “I meant has he ever freaked out on you?”
“On me?” Mag shakes his head, taking a sip of his hot chocolate and setting it down on a coaster on the coffee table in front of us. I glance around the room, noticing one weird thing. There’s no TV in here. That’s just…odd. “That’s not to say I haven’t seen him do other questionable things.”
“Will he hurt me?” I have a gut feeling I know the answer to this, but I want to make sure my feelings are correct.
Magnum shakes his head slowly. “Everything in my gut tells me no. You’d have to do a lot to get him to hurt you. I mean, physically. There are a lot of ways people can hurt you that aren’t physical pain.”
“Like banging a girl in a fitting room?”
His expression turns serious as he nods. “And like ordering someone to have sex with you.”
It’s hard for me to wrap my head around that. If I had to analyze what was going through Johnny’s head last night, I’d say he was trying to help in some fucked up way. He felt bad that he kept bringing me to the brink only to pull away at the last minute. He so badly wants to follow his father’s rules that he was trying to solve a problem. Girlfriend needs relief, and he can’t do it? Grab the closest person he could find.
I shift in the seat, and Magnum puts his hand on my knee. “I hope you don’t feel uncomfortable with me now.”
I take a deep breath and meet his eyes. “It wasn’t your fault, but it was awkward as fuck. Not to mention scary. Don’t you agree?”
Again, Mag focuses on my eyes even though it feels as if he’s peeling the layers of my clothing off. My body flushes, and I finally put the hot chocolate down, so I can disseminate if it’s Mag who’s giving me hot flashes or the drink itself. “I would rather he hadn’t freaked out while you were in the room.”