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I glare at him. “No.” I can’t explain why I’m being so resistant—maybe I’m overtired—but giving Ricky up is out of the question. “He’s not waltzing back into my life and telling me to get rid of people.”
Jackson chokes, his eyes widening. “The fact that you’re so defensive and attached to him is reason enough.”
His voice is raised, and he’s doing this in front of Ethan for a reason, hoping to gain support by playing on Ethan’s strict side—and it’s working.
“He’s got a point, Aurora,” Ethan agrees. “Listen for once.”
My temper flares. Listen? My whole life, I’ve listened and minded others.
“Says the man whose wife called while we were in bed together. Don’t lecture me on other people until you block her from your phone.”
“She’s not my wife.” His words are clipped and sharp, his tone a low growl. “And don’t forget what happens when you run that smart mouth, baby girl.”
Done with this conversation, I break free from Jackson’s hold.
“Where are you going?” he asks with an offended scowl.
“To take a nap,” I say over my shoulder. “This is leading nowhere. I worked this morning, andyou twoare not telling me to firemybodyguard.”
25
RICKY
My bodyguard.Fuck. Aurora has no idea what those words do to me.
Charlie gnaws on his lip. “He’s perceptive.”
“No, he’s insecure and threatened,” I correct, a grin still plastered on my face from her refusing to let me go. “He never wanted her to have friends.”
Friendswould convince her to leave. I would if it wasn’t for this case.
“Try to be nice to him.” Charlie raises his hands in a placating gesture. “You can do that, right? Otherwise, we’ll have to fabricate a scenario requiring your protection. Then, Daddy Dom Ethan will move them, and I’ll have to install mics again. Not to mention, command is breathing down our necks.”
I shake my head at his anxious ramblings while we ride the elevator to Aurora’s apartment. “Kyle’s threats are a reason for me to be here.”
“But they don’t know we know, you know?”
His nervous energy is palpable, and I grab hold of his shoulder.
“Take a breath. Your words are jumbling. Your only task is to sit there and look pretty.”
“I’m not pretty. I’m the opposite of pretty. Aurora and Jackson are pretty. They’re probably two of the prettiest people I’ve ever seen.”
Charlie was burned in a bombing while we were deployed overseas. His scars are hidden, but it’s something he’s self-conscious of.
“That’s not true.” The elevator pings, and in jest, I say under my breath, “Get your shit together, or we aresobreaking up.”
Unlike the stairs leading to the back hall, the elevator opens into a brick foyer, overflowing with designer clothes and shoes. I take a deep inhale of Aurora’s vanilla-and-jasmine scent, and my shoulders relax instantly. It’s bewitching.
“Jesus. Who needs this much clothing?”
Charlie hovers behind me. I think he finds comfort in being concealed from society as a special agent, locked in the van with his computer tech, watching and listening. I’m certain he only talks to civilians when he goes for coffee—that’s if he can’t get it delivered.
“She’s a model, remember?”
I hang my jacket next to Aurora’s. She’s clean and tidy. It’s one thing we have in common, perhaps our only similarity. Where I’m hard, she’s soft. I’m stoic, and she’s bubbly. I’m standoffish, and she’s affectionate.
I remove my boots and set them under the wooden bench, and Charlie meanders to the clothing, touching the more delicate items. He’s a starved kid in a candy store, and judging by his wide-eyed gaze at the lingerie, he might be a virgin.