Chapter 27

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

S loan smiled at me over her shoulder, my hand in hers as she tugged me down the hall toward the bedroom of our suite. We'd arrived in LA earlier in the day, and it was official—my assignment was over. I was no longer Sloan's executive protection agent, and I was no longer employed by Hudson Security.

I still needed to turn in my badge, but soon, everyone at Hudson would know that I'd resigned. It was bittersweet—leaving the company that had given me purpose again after being discharged from the SEALs. But I knew this transition was a good thing, especially since it meant I got to work with Sloan.

And after witnessing yet another failure of the Huxley Grand security protocols, I was eager to get started on overhauling their systems. I certainly had my work cut out for me, but I was excited to have the power to make positive change.

Vaughn had already sent a team to the Huxley Grand LA where we were staying, and they would keep an eye on Sloan when I couldn't. We'd met her new executive protective agent, and Vaughn had promised us that Shea was the best. She'd better be, though I'd never let anything happen to Sloan.

Shea, aka Beef, had come from the New York office. I hadn't worked with her before, but everyone at Hudson spoke highly of her. Vaughn and I were on better terms. And while I knew he was still disappointed about my resignation from Hudson and the circumstances surrounding it, he'd congratulated me on my new job and wished me all the best.

Fortunately, Sheldon, Edward, and Amelia had been arrested. Sloan seemed a lot more at ease, though I could tell it still bothered her. It was understandable—she'd been betrayed and threatened. Blackmailed. Held at gunpoint.

I sighed. She didn't deserve it—any of it. But I also knew how resilient Sloan was. She had already bounced back some, and I knew it wasn't just a front.

If anything, the altercation with Amelia had made Sloan more confident. Both in her skills to protect herself as well as my ability to handle any threat.

"So…" Sloan draped her arms around my neck. "I have a few hours before I have to leave for Kendall's bridal shower."

"Mm-hmm." I placed my hands on her hips. "Did you have something in mind? Maybe a trip to the spa?" I teased.

"Maybe," she said, considering. "That does sound relaxing."

"I can think of something even more relaxing." I slanted my lips over hers.

"Mm." She smiled against my mouth. "So can I."

She tugged me into the bedroom, and I tore at her clothes, buttons flying to the floor. She yanked on my pants, and I kicked them off, nearly tripping on the way to the bed.

Our kisses were sloppy and heated as we fumbled to undress. I'd take my time later, but right now, we were both too desperate.

"God, I missed you. Missed this," Sloan said.

"Fuck. Yes." I yanked off her skirt, bringing her underwear with it in my haste. I couldn't wait to be inside her.

"You're gorgeous," I said. She was naked and stunning, and just as I crawled on top of her, I heard a knock at the door.

"Are you expecting anyone?" I kissed her neck.

She furrowed her brow. "No. Are you?"

I shrugged and went back to kissing her. We writhed against each other, her body slick and welcoming. Mine hard and eager.

"Need you," she moaned. "I need you—now."

Whoever was at the door knocked again, this time calling, "Come on. Open up, Sloan."

Sloan squeezed her eyes shut. "Jasper has impeccable timing. I thought he was going to stay in London until I returned."

"Can we just ignore him?" I joked. Sort of.

"Have you met my brother?" She laughed, pushing off the bed. "Hell, we're lucky he didn't simply barge right in."

I frowned. "But he doesn't have a key."

"I wouldn't count on it. He probably sweet-talked some poor staff member into giving him one."

"Argh." I groaned, going to the closet and tossing her a robe. "Here."

I pulled on my pants and undershirt, willing my cock to calm down. "I'll tell him to come back later."

"Good luck with that." Sloan smirked and covered herself with a robe.

I took one last lingering glance at her then went to the door. I peered through the peephole, and sure enough, Jasper was standing there, looking at his phone.

I swung open the door. "Jasper, hey. Sloan's in the shower."

Jasper leaned forward and frowned. "I don't hear any water running."

Damn. Busted.

"She, um, must have just finished."

Jasper gave me a once-over, lingering on my rumpled shirt. He arched an eyebrow, and I realized the innuendo only too late. I cringed. So much for making a good impression.

"I'll just wait in the living room until she's ready. Graham, Knox, and Nate should be here soon, so you might want to—" He pointed at me and made a circle with his finger.

Graham, Knox, and Nate were coming too? Shit.

"Help yourself to a drink," I said, feeling awkward as hell. "I'll be right back."

He arched one eyebrow, and I ducked back into the bedroom, closing the door behind me. Sloan had already pulled on a casual dress and fixed her hair. The sheets were rumpled, her lips were still swollen from my kisses, and I ached to climb back in bed with her.

"No luck getting rid of Jasper, huh?" She sounded equal parts exasperated and smug.

"He insisted on waiting. He said that Graham, Knox, and Nate should be here soon."

Sloan tilted her head back to the ceiling. "Why? Why do they all have to come now?"

"I don't know." I stepped closer, placing my hands on her hips. "But I hope it doesn't take long, because I have plans for us."

"Mm." She grinned. "Tell me more."

I gripped her chin, kissing her deeply and passionately. I slid my other hand up her ribs until I was cupping her breast, rolling her nipple between my fingers.

"How 'bout I show you?" I whispered.

"Yes," she moaned. "More."

"Sloan?" Jasper called.

"Coming," she chirped. She pulled her shoulders back. "If I'm not back in five, come out with some excuse."

"Okay. Deal." I smacked her ass. She winked at me over her shoulder.

I went over to my suitcase and pulled out a fresh shirt and pair of pants. I changed, and the door to the suite opened then closed again. I could hear more male voices join the conversation.

I waited a few more minutes, checked my appearance in the mirror, then went out to the living room. Nate greeted me with a warm handshake and a smile, as did Knox. Jasper gave a polite wave, and Graham stood.

"Ah. And here's our new chief of security now," he said, coming over to me. "Jackson." He shook my hand, his gaze assessing.

"Mr. Mackenzie."

"Oh, please—" Sloan waved a hand through the air. "You don't need to be so formal, Jackson. You can call him Graham."

"I heard there was an incident in Puerto Rico." Knox smoothed a hand over his beard.

"Graham," Sloan gritted out. "You promised not to mention that."

Sweat dripped down my back. I knew why she'd told him. She'd wanted to make sure all the photos of us were destroyed. I'd agreed. He was skilled and discreet. But that didn't mean I liked it.

Hell, if our roles had been reversed, if it were Greer we were talking about, I would've wanted to kill me.

"What kind of incident?" Jasper asked, frowning.

Sloan glared at Graham. "It's been taken care of."

Knox regarded us with concern, but Jasper wasn't ready to let it go. "As a co-owner, I'm entitled to know."

Sloan sighed and threw her hands in the air. "Fine. Edward's sister, Amelia, tried to blackmail me into giving her fifty million dollars."

"She what?" Jasper's voice boomed, along with similar expressions of outrage coming from Nate and Knox.

Nate frowned. "What kind of leverage could she possibly have on you?"

"Not just on me." Sloan linked her hand with mine, and I tried not to let my nerves show. "On us. Jackson and I are together." She explained what had happened, in PG terms.

"Unbelievable," Nate said. "Wow. Just when you think people can't get any worse."

Jasper nodded. "I'm sorry that happened to you, Sloan. That's bullshit."

"I'm glad Jackson was there to protect you," Knox said.

Graham said nothing. And while I knew he was a man of few words, his silence was putting me on edge.

Nate was the first to offer his congratulations, and Knox shook my hand, offering his as well. I appreciated their support. Two down, two to go.

Jasper spoke next. "This is actually perfect timing."

"It is?" I asked.

"Yeah. The four of us were going to hang out tonight." He turned to me. "You can join us."

"I don't think that's a good idea," Sloan interjected.

"Why not?" Jasper asked, a mischievous lilt to his smile.

"Yeah?" Knox furrowed his brow. "Why not? We want to get to know your new boyfriend. You should be happy."

Sloan narrowed her eyes at them, and I got the sense that this evening was going to be a test of some sort. Shit.

"Come on," Knox said, heading for the door. "We can go to my house since the bridal shower is at Nate's."

"You agreed to have the shower at your house?" I asked Nate. "Is the team?—"

He cut me off, placing his hand on my arm. "The team has it covered. Besides, you no longer work for Hudson, or me, remember?" He said it with a teasing grin.

"I—" I chuckled. "Yeah."

"You work for me now," Graham said.

" With us. " Sloan emphasized each word. "Jackson works with us as the CSO."

"Technically, he's still our employee." Graham wore an imperious expression. "Your relationship is a conflict of interest."

"Which is why we'd planned to disclose it to the board," Sloan said.

"Great. Sounds like it's settled, then," Knox said.

Nate clapped his hand on my shoulder and ushered me toward the door. "We'll leave you to get ready for the party," he said to Sloan.

"Wait. Stop." Sloan grabbed his arm. "Jackson and I had plans."

"Yeah, I—" I rubbed the back of my neck. "We had plans."

"You're not her bodyguard. You're no longer contractually obligated to spend every moment with her," Jasper teased.

"Besides, Sloan's going to be at the party," Knox said. "And she'll have Shea with her."

Sloan huffed, but we both knew it was a losing battle.

"Are you good?" I asked Sloan, my eyes locked on her. Because if she wasn't, I would fight tooth and nail to stay with her. "Shea's in the hall if you need anything. But if you'd rather I stay…"

"Beef has it covered," Nate said. "What's up with that call sign anyway?"

I lifted a shoulder. Shea was five foot four, which made her call sign all the more amusing. I'd heard it was because she'd had a grudge against her commanding officer when she'd been in the Air Force. But someone else from Hudson had told me it was because "beef" was her nickname for cactuses. Apparently, she was an avid collector of them. Whatever. I didn't care so long as she did a good job.

" Hayati?" I wanted confirmation from her.

Sloan had barely nodded when Jasper called, "See you later!" as he herded me out into the hall.

"Hayati?" Nate asked. "What does that mean?"

"Don't ask questions you don't want the answers to," Knox muttered, and I tried not to laugh.

I patted my pockets. "Wait. I don't have my phone." I tried to turn back for the room.

"You'll live." Graham marched down the hall. Then it sounded like he muttered, "Let's get this over with."

"Come on, big guy." Jasper draped his arm over my shoulder.

"What about Sloan and keeping her safe?" I asked, knowing nothing was more important to them.

"Like we said, Shea's got it covered," Nate said to the Hudson Security employee posted in the hallway. "Right, Shea?"

"Right, sir." She gave me a nod of understanding.

Another guy from Hudson—Nicholas—pushed off the wall, shadowing us as we proceeded to the elevator. With no more excuses, I followed Sloan's brothers to the VIP exit, where a black Escalade was waiting.

I started to open the door for Nate as I had always done when I'd worked for him, and he chuckled. "I'm sure this will take some getting used to." Nicholas, aka Ghost, opened the door for us instead, and Nate gestured for me to climb in. I did after a moment's hesitation.

This was all so strange.

It was one thing to be with Sloan while we were sailing or even when we went ashore. I was learning that being in a relationship with her was an entirely different thing when it came to her family. To real life.

I didn't know whether to talk to Ghost or her brothers. I wasn't sure where I fit in. It was as if I was straddling two worlds—my old one and the new. The bodyguard and now the billionaire's boyfriend.