17. June 15th
JUNE 15TH
Sylvan
When TB returnedto the lounge, she was sitting hunched over, forearms leaning on her knees, a tissue being crushed and worried in her hands. Kubrick was sitting next to her, an arm around her shoulders, whispering in her ear, assuring her everything was going to be okay, but to be honest, Sylvan wasn't really listening.
Were things really going to be okay? She had a stalker and writer's block, and now the man who'd given her the greatest experience of her life, then unceremoniously dumped her, was suddenly back in her life.
Kai got up from the couch with a squeeze to her hands, then crossed the room to TB. She fisted his tee, twisted it tight, then pulled him out into the hall, and Sylvan realized that TB was about to get the lecture of a lifetime. She was glad she wasn't him. Those one-sided discussions never ended well. You spent the next day or two feeling like you'd disappointed a parent and that you'd been sent to stand in the corner with a red-hot spanked bottom until you apologized and promised never to do whatever stupid-head thing you'd done to make her lose her ever-loving mind.
A nervous giggle boiled up from inside as she imagined Kai spanking TB and then standing him in the corner.
She was just trying to figure out how to stop Kai's temper tantrum when there was silence except for angrily clicking heels down the hallway. TB entered the lounge looking for all the world like he had not just had a run-in with Devil-Kai.
"Waters has assigned me to protect you from your secret admirer. I'll be staying with you until he's caught."
Stunned, Sylvan's mouth opened and closed several times like a fish, no sound coming out. No kind remarks asking if she was feeling better. No illusion, even, of her being involved in the decision-making process. Just threw the information at her like she would go along with it, no questions asked. "What do you mean, ‘staying with' me? Like guarding the outside of the house?"
"No, Nemo will be outside at night, watching the house so that I can get some sleep. I will be inside the house. Twenty-four seven."
"But you can't do that!" she exclaimed. "I have work to do. I have a deadline, which I am severely behind schedule on. I can't have you underfoot, in my space, and interfering with that."
"I won't be in your way. I'll leave you alone to your deadline. I just need to be inside to protect you in case the fucker manages to sneak inside."
"But aren't you busy looking for Kai's brother? She told me that's part of how she met all of you. That's far more important than my problem."
"If I'm needed, I'll be pulled, but right now, we're in a holding pattern with that. If I have to leave, then you'll come stay in an apartment at Tribe where we can lock you down."
She scrambled for another excuse. "But my deadline?—"
"Flame, you work from home. A laptop is all you really need, and you'd have one here if need be. But admit it. You'll be much more comfortable at home around your own things."
I hate being talked about instead of to!
"Why was all of this discussed without my input?"
"I wasn't there for the initial conversation, so I can't say. Apparently, it's been determined that my judgment on what's best in this situation is cloudy."
"But it's okay for you with your cloudy judgement to protect me? That doesn't make sense."
He rolled his eyes. "I'm the best choice for a number of reasons. One, we have an established relationship. Your stalker has been watching you, and he already thinks we're a couple. So it wouldn't surprise him.
"Two, we think my presence could provoke him into acting. When guys like this get angry or upset, they tend to make mistakes, making them easier to catch.
"Three…"
She prodded him. "Three?"
He looked pained that he'd gotten himself caught in something he didn't want to talk about.
"You said earlier that there was something you'd talk to me about later. Does that have to do with number three?"
He turned his head and looked out the window. "Yes," he finally answered. "But that's probably a discussion best left for a time when you're less overwhelmed, and I?—"
There was an awkward silence before she asked, "Won't staying with me be uncomfortable for you?"
"I'm not any happier about this than you are, princess."
Well, that wasn't what I wanted to hear.
After a moment, she nodded and looked down at her hands. "I get it. I'm sorry you all got dragged into this. I should never have called Kai and just sucked it up and not acted like such a ninny."
"His behavior is escalating. No one enjoys their privacy being invaded. And besides, there's no possible way you could have known that calling Kubrick would have put you back in my orbit."
Her eyes searched TB's, then she took a deep breath.
"Tell me the truth. Was it all nothing? Was it just teaching me BDSM language and philosophy? Or was there something else there? Because it felt like there was something there."
His lips pressed tightly together as if he was trying to keep words inside. She swore she saw a flare of regret in his eyes, but then it was like a shield dropped down over them.
Avoidance. If he says nothing, he neither admits nor denies. But really, it tells me exactly what I need to know, doesn't it?
She could feel tears wanting to come forward, but she vowed not to cry in front of him.
As if she hadn't asked those questions, TB informed her, "The guys are going to head over to your place ahead of us to sweep for cameras and microphones. They're also going to install some of our own cameras, inside and out, for extra protection."
She gathered herself together, stood tall, and masked her emotions as best she could. Two could play that game. "Won't that look weird if this guy is watching my place?"
TB shook his head. "No. In fact, it's what most people would do if they were having this kind of an issue or felt threatened in some way. And again, maybe it will piss him off enough to make a mistake."
She gave an involuntary shiver at the thought.
He headed for the door. "Come on. I have to head upstairs to my apartment and pack a few things. Then I'll take you home." He turned back when he reached the doorway. "I'll keep you safe, Flame. I promise. With my last breath, if need be."
Without acknowledging his vow, she stepped toward the door and followed him through the hallway to the elevator.
I'm not worried about you keeping me safe. I'm worried about you breaking my heart.