Page 27 of Wrecked (McIntyre Security Bodyguard #16)

I wake to the feel of warm lips skimming across my bare shoulder. Cooper’s hand is splayed across my belly. His index finger rims my belly button, and then his hand slips down to palm my dick.

“Good morning,” he murmurs when I stretch and moan.

A quick peek at the clock tells me it’s six-fifteen. He’ll be rolling out of bed soon and heading up to the penthouse before Beth and Shane wake up.

Part of me wishes he didn’t have to race off so soon. On weekends, we get to sleep in and have breakfast before spending the day together.

So much is perfect between us, but I can’t help wishing some things were different. He still insists we keep our relationship private. Only Shane knows. I have to bite my tongue half the time to avoid saying something to Beth that will let the cat out of the bag.

“You’ll never guess what Cooper said!”

“You’ll never guess what Cooper did!”

I can’t even gush to my BFF about the cute or sexy things my boyfriend did. There’s not one single person I can share those things with.

The other thought weighing on my mind is, after all this time, he’s never said he loves me. Of course, I haven’t said it to him either because I don’t want to put him on the spot.

I don’t doubt he has feelings for me. Dare I say it—deep down in my heart I believe he loves me. Actions speak louder than words, right? Well, I think his actions say it. The way he holds me at night says it. The way he makes love to me says it. The way he takes care of me says it.

But he’s never actually said the words.

Maybe it’s wishful thinking on my part.

Maybe he just likes to take care of the guy he’s fucking at the moment, and that just happens to be me right now.

Cooper rolls me to face him and kisses me. “I gotta go. I’ll see you soon. What do you want for breakfast this morning? I’ll make sure to have it ready for you when you come up to get Beth.”

“Anything you feel like making is fine with me.” I wrap my arms around his waist. “I miss you when you’re gone.”

“I know, baby. Me too.” He kisses me lightly. “We’ll do something special this weekend. Anything you want.”

“I’d love to take you back home with me to Dayton sometime. I want you to meet my mom and sister.” I don’t know what in the hell possessed me to say that. If I could take it back, I would.

When Cooper goes instantly silent, I realize I probably just crossed a line and knocked him out of his comfort zone. “I could tell them you’re a work friend,” I add hastily. “They wouldn’t have to know about us.”

Cooper moves to sit at the foot of the bed, facing away from me. He sighs as he runs his fingers through his hair. “Sam—”

“Never mind,” I say lightly, not wanting to put him on the spot. “It was just a thought. Maybe sometime.”

“Yeah. Maybe sometime.”

But something tells me sometime is never going to come.

As Cooper heads to the bathroom, I close my eyes and try to focus on the good things. He’s in my life. He’s attentive. He spoils me rotten . There are just limits to our relationship, that’s all. I’m sure there are limits in all relationships.

Before he leaves, Cooper comes to kiss me goodbye. He tastes like peppermint toothpaste. “Go back to sleep, baby,” he says as he gently brushes my hair back. “You’ve got another hour.”

Actions speak louder than words, right?

* * *

At eight, I head up to the penthouse to collect Beth. When I walk into the kitchen, Cooper sets a plate for me on the breakfast counter.

“Where’s Beth?” I ask as I take a bite of buttered toast.

“She’s finishing up. She’ll be out in a minute.”

I glance at a discarded plate sitting on the counter. The food’s hardly been touched. “She’s already eaten?”

Cooper frowns. “Yeah, but she hardly made a dent. She’s been off lately. Her appetite isn’t what it normally is.”

I swallow a mouthful of orange juice. “It’s probably the stress of Luciana getting to her.”

Cooper shrugs. “Maybe. I don’t know. Just keep a close eye on her, will you? Something’s not right with that girl.”

I salute. “Yes, sir.”

Cooper narrows his eyes on me. “I’ll give you something to yes, sir over. How about right over my knee?”

“Sam, is that you?” It’s Beth.

I shovel the rest of my scrambled eggs and toast into my mouth. “Yeah, boss. I’m here. Ready when you are.”

As we’re heading down in the elevator, Beth notices the fresh mark on my neck.

When I notice her staring at it, I cover it with my fingers. “Don’t ask, okay?”

She frowns at the defensive tone of my voice. “Okay.”

When she reaches for my hand, I squeeze hers gently. I try to smile, but I just don’t have it in me right now. I consider Beth one of my best friends now, and I can’t even tell her about the guy who gave me this hickey.

She seems to realize something’s bothering me because she holds my hand all the way down to the ground floor.

* * *

All morning, Beth seems kind of down. I imagine all the shit with Luciana is really getting to her. I don’t blame her.

At noon, Erin waltzes into the office, a welcome distraction. “Who wants pizza for lunch? Let’s walk over to Gino’s.”

I raise my hand. “Pizza? Hell yes. Count me in if the boss lady’s going.”

Beth laughs. “I think we’re a go then, because I’m definitely in.”

Just as we’re about to head out of the office, we hear a loud commotion coming from downstairs. At first, I think maybe Luciana the Skank is back, making trouble and pissing off the security staff.

The noise from below continues to grow and soon it’s punctuated by excited squeals.

Mack pops his head in the office. “Celebrity in the house,” he says with a grin.

We all race to the stairs and look down to see a huge crowd gathering just inside the main doors.

Even though he’s wearing dark sunglasses, there’s no mistaking the popular rock star with his dark manbun tucked up underneath a baseball cap.

He’s wearing seriously ripped jeans, a graphic tee, and his signature black leather jacket.

With his dark hair and trim dark beard, the guy’s hot as hell.

The small horde of screaming girls surrounding him agree.

Jonah Locke is at the center of all the attention, signing things for his fans—everything from books to newspapers to girls’ hands to the shirts on their backs.

Lia—now his full-time bodyguard—is at his side, rocking a pair of aviator sunglasses, khaki cargo pants, a black tank top, and chunky black boots. She may be tiny, but she’s a powerhouse. Without too much effort, she manages to keep the crowd at bay.

Beth waves down at Lia, who waves back.

I watch over Beth’s shoulder as she texts Lia.

Beth: We’re going to Gino’s for lunch. Come with?

Lia manages to do crowd control and send a text message at the same time.

Lia: God, yes. I’m starving. We’ll meet you there.

Lia whispers in Jonah’s ear. He nods, and then they made a quick getaway out the front doors, clearing the way for the rest of us.

We meet up with them at Gino’s restaurant. Thanks to Jonah’s presence, they’ve already managed to get us a table in a small private dining room. Also thanks to Jonah, we’re being waited on hand and foot by two smitten female servers who are practically tripping over themselves to be helpful.

We order a ton of food and drinks. It’s become quite an impromptu party.

Beth tries to call Shane, to invite him to join us, but unfortunately he’s not answering his phone.

When she calls his admin, Diane, to ask where he is, all Diane can say is that he’s out of the office. She doesn’t know where he went.

“That’s weird,” Beth says to me. “Diane always knows where he is. His phone must be turned off because my calls keep going straight to voicemail.”

“Maybe he’s in a meeting,” I say. “Don’t worry. He’ll call you the first chance he gets.”

As we sit around the table eating and drinking, Jonah tells stories about some of the crazy things fans have done.

I’m asked to tell—again—the story of how my stupid parachute malfunctioned, nearly killing me.

“I owe my life to a maple tree. If that tree hadn’t been there to break my fall, I wouldn’t be sitting here eating pizza with you all. ”

Everyone laughs, and then they feel guilty for finding it funny.

Everything is fine, until it isn’t. The first sign of trouble is when Beth’s phone chimes with an incoming message. She grabs her phone, probably thinking it’s Shane getting back with her. But no. The blood drains from her face as she stares at her screen.

“What’s wrong?” I ask. This is a whole new level of WTF!

She keeps staring at her phone, eyes wide.

Then her phone chimes a half-dozen times, rapid fire. Somebody is spamming her phone again, and I can guess who it is.

I lay my hand on her back. “Beth? Talk to me.”

She shoots up out of her seat and makes a run for the ladies room.

I stand, intending to go after her, but Lia beats me to it. “Beth, wait!”

When I join them in the bathroom, a concerned Lia is standing outside Beth’s stall door.

“How is she?” I ask.

Lia shrugs. “I don’t know. She won’t open the door.”

“Beth, it’s me, Sam. Sweetie, are you sick?” I’m about two seconds away from crawling underneath the door to get to her.

“Please, guys,” Beth says. She sounds gutted. Heartbroken. “Just go back to the table. I need to be alone right now.”

Oh, hell no!

“We’re not leaving you, Princess,” I say. “Please come out and talk to us.” I reach up to grip the top of her stall door, and when she reaches up and lays her hands over mine, my heart just about breaks. I can feel her hands shaking.

When Beth unlocks the stall door, I push it open.

She holds her phone out to us, showing us the screen. Lia grabs it to get a better look. I loom over Lia’s shoulder as she flips through a series of photos.

“Holy shit,” I say, feeling as shocked as Beth.

“No way,” Lia says, shaking her head adamantly. “No fucking way.”