“Divine, isn’t our girl?” Rico came up and smoothed down his lapels and then his tie, lingering on his chest. “Nice.”
“Recovered yet?”
Rico swatted him on the arm. “Oh my, what a night! And I wasn’t even drinking. Who knew you could have a great time and not drink?”
Brock grinned, unable to stop himself.
“Swoon!” Rico pressed a hand to his forehead. “What can I do to convince you to be in the shoot?”
“Nothing.”
“But it will be with Ash.” He moved around Brock and touched his shoulders. “Gorg! From the back would work.”
“No!” You can’t entice me!
The man leaned close. “It might help with your, um, current assignment.”
“He’s right, boss,” Felix blurted in his earpiece.
Silent until now, Brock cursed the usually handy device. He groaned inwardly; Ash’s words surely had been overheard, too.
How could he forget the fundamentals of his work when she was around?
Distraction. Physical and otherwise.
Handing this job off to his right-hand man may help keep his distance from her. However, he doubted if he’d remain sane in the process.
Set boundaries.
“Don’t you have someone already? A male model is on the call sheet.”
Rico waved a hand. “Oh, a cousin of Ash’s former classmate. You remember the horrible excuse for a wedding slash marriage at the museum, don’t you? Yeah, that family. Bride and groom are already broken up and filing an annulment. Ew!” He recoiled. “He, the local model, is over there. Pretty and blond, in his way, but nothing like you, Mr. Big Guy. I love—love—the contrast between you and Ash. And it will add fuel to the fire of speculation. Are you or aren’t you two hitched?”
The news feeds were having a field day with them. Thankfully, there were enough planted stories to cast them far afield of Dallas, scattering the paps to Vegas and beyond.
Still, always cautious, Brock continued to surround Ash and him with the upmost protection, secretly moving between locations. Bringing in utility or repair workers in the house—only they were his people—and Ash and him donning the uniforms and slipping out, hopefully undetected.
“He’s got a point, boss,” Felix agreed. “We can release a few practice shots when doubts arise. As they will.”
“Makes sense,” Brock muttered.
“You’ll do it, then?” Rico squealed, hugging him.
“What the hell?” Felix asked. “Talk about loud.”
“Tell me about it.” Brock spoke to his guy.
“Okay, we can discuss terms,” Rico said. “I’ll have Pegster whip up a simple contract and we’re a go.” He clapped. “Goody. I’ll be back in a jiffy.” The man raced for the tall, funny lady with her constant companion of a clipboard.
“What am I getting myself into?”
“Some deep—” Felix stopped himself. “Doo-doo!”
Brock chuckled, raw and gruff. “Jesus, it’s turning into a circus.”
“Already is, my friend—already is.”
Silence in his ear boomed. He waited for the obvious to come.
“I can take over from here.”
“If you think I’m going to agree, you have no idea who I am.” He’d see this to the bittersweet end.
“No doubt. Just throwing it out there.”
“Like a lifeline.” It wasn’t a question.
Felix hesitated. “She’s going to get hurt.”
By me? Looking over at her and the male model entwined in a romantic pose now, Brock’s insides twisted. “She’s vulnerable. I’m here. She’s confused.” Yeah, try to wrap it up nice and neat, Rockdale.
“Are you?”
That jolted Brock. Never had Felix had to check him, pull him back from that edge. Four years ago, no one dared. And look where that had gotten him.
“She’s different. This is an entirely different situation.”
“You think? ’Cause from here, it seems pretty damn close. When do you take something on without a price?”
“Favor.” The words tasted like sawdust, dry and gritty.
“He wasn’t who you thought he was. And he’s dead.” Felix let that sink in. “If that’s what you think, then…”
Another round of pregnant silence followed. How many times had his team tried to warn him about Simon while downrange? He’d let it slide off his back. That was out there, not on the field.
He blanked it out now; he had a job to attend to.
Brock sized up the area, watched the crew, and then dared to stare at Ash as the model—what’s his name from the wedding—finished up, but not before he twirled her around and dipped her in a dramatic end to a round of applause from the bystanders.
All except him, of course. A stab of envy jabbed him in the gut. “Felix, pull up that file from the Chetham wedding again, will you? Check out one of the groomsmen.”
“There were half a dozen. Which one?” Tapping keys sounded across the line.
“Bride’s cousin. He was bringing up the rear. Last-minute replacement, remember that one? Model. Six foot. Blond hair. One eighty.”
“What am I looking for again?”
“Track him throughout the wedding and reception. Look for anything unusual with his interactions with Ash. Go over his background again, too.”
“Roger that.”
“Get back to me as soon as you can.”
“Before or after you smile pretty?”
“I can fire you, you know?”
“But you won’t. Wife says you need me.”
True on both counts. “Getting cocky?”
“Just confident.”
Brock chuckled. “If it’s working, why mess with it, right?”
“Oh and she says, I deserve a vacation, too.”
“Not demanding at all, is she?”
“I just thought I’d throw that out there.”
“Soon as this job is over, you got it.”
“Sweet!”
Somehow, Brock figured they’d all require one. He just couldn’t picture himself relaxing anywhere anytime soon. Not without Ash in his life. The thought shocked him. Where had that come from?
The sound of her laughter drifting to him now tugged at him, causing his mouth to inch up at the corner. She held the flowy, silk gown out and twirled in front of a high-powered fan as the cameraman got down on one knee and continued taking photos of her alone. It clung to every delicious inch of her body that had been pressed against his last night.
He bit down hard on a bubbling groan.
“Say something, boss?”
Brock could not reply. He watched her with an intensity he’d reserved for far too long. This was personal.
Her strength impressed him; she’d held up longer than any other client under this brutal pressure. Her humor and playfulness poked at him, bringing out a side he’d buried while dedicating himself to his work. But it was the sweet devotion to her parents that clutched him by his heart, squeezing until he could barely breathe.
She’d worked and built her career all because she longed to take care of them. They were fragile and misguided and loving; he’d met with Eileen and Edgar and formed an immediate impression of them. And she, the only child, cared above and beyond. He had no doubt she’d do so to her dying day.
Just like he would have if he’d gotten the chance with his mom and dad.
Sucker punch!
Rockdale, you can’t escape this even if you wanted to. She’s in your head. Worse, she’s in your heart.
“Ah, hell no!”
Chapter 13
“Brock? I can’t believe you agreed to this.” Ash eyed him suspiciously as the photographer directed their poses.
“Plan whatever.”
“Not a rule?” She placed her hands on his big, broad shoulders. So close.
“No full frontal. How’s that?”
She giggled. “Damn! Rico will be so disappointed, too.”
&n
bsp; “And you?” He settled his hands on her waist.
His heat seared her instantly. Ash swallowed hard. These new feelings, fresh and confusing, couldn’t be tamped down. “Are you flirting with me?” She squealed as he lifted her so she was looking down at him now.
The sounds of a camera clicking, fast and furious, behind Brock penetrated her consciousness.
“Pefecto,” Andre called. “Hold. Hold. Hold. Got it!”
“I guess that means I can let you down.” Brock eased her downward, inch by inch, until her feet touched the ground again.
Only she felt as if she were flying. However, his words replayed in her head. “Twice in one day. A record for you?”
“I’m your bodyguard. Nothing more.”
“I likee!” Rico exclaimed, beside them to powder Ash’s face with a big, fluffy makeup brush. “The bodyguard and the bride. There’s a slogan we can use if there ever was one.”
She groaned. “Look what you’ve done, Brock. We’re a cheesy headline.”
Andre reloaded and began taking more, less formal, behind-the-scenes shots of them. Some of the crew joined him, taking them on their cell phones.
Brock’s grim features spoke volumes. “A title to go along with the pictures.”
Throwing up her hands and backing away, she said, “Why not, right? Who’s going to care when this all comes crashing down? No one will be hurt.” Her voice caught. Only you, fool!
“Ash, sweetie.” Rico looked from her to Brock and grimaced, pointing to another area. “I’ll just step over there.” He backed away.
“We go back to normal, like nothing ever happened.” Ash sucked in a shivery, painful breath. “I’ll know, though, Brock,” she whispered. “I’ll still care.”
Gathering up her gown, she stalked away.
Blinking away tears, she ran into Meg’s cousin at the draped changing area. “Hey, Lyle. You did a good job today.”
He tucked his cell phone in his backpack, scrunching down the rag papers sticking out the side, and jerked his head in the direction of the crew. “Not enough for them. I’m replaceable.”
“Don’t take it to heart, all right? I’ve been where you are now. Every ad is different.” She glanced up at the very handsome blond model with the piercing blue eyes and classic features. “It’s just a matter of time for you. Isn’t that what my agent told you a few months ago when I gave you her number?”
“Not fast enough for me.” He tensed, focusing on something over her left shoulder. “That’s him, isn’t it? The guy with you in the mags. Even he’s replacing me.”
“Let me guess. Brock.” She pasted on a smile and turned to see her appointed bodyguard less than four feet away. His eyes looked less fathomless and a shade of stormy. “Ah, honey! You’re so sweet to want to help, but I think I can change on my own. Dinner? Say,” she pointed to his watch, “in twenty.”
“Sounds good.” He nodded to Lyle. “Weren’t you in that Dallas ad campaign?” He snapped his fingers. “What was that for again?”
Lyle shrugged. “Local tourism spot. Like, some chick’s date. It was all right. Nothing big.”
“Overseas jobs?”
“Not yet. Looking, though. Know of anything? Ash and I can team up again. They’ll pay attention if she’s with me.”
Ash shot Brock a frown. What are you doing?
“I’ve got some contacts at modeling agencies. If you want, I can pass along your number.”
“Seriously?” His grin stretched from ear to ear. “That would be so awesome.”
Brock fished out his phone and punched in the numbers Lyle gave him. “Can’t promise anything, but who knows?”
He stuck his hand out and then shook Brock’s. “Thanks. Man, that would be so cool. Ash, see you at the next one. Just you and me, right?”
“Couple of weeks, I think,” she said, trying to recall her schedule. However, what Brock just did stunned her. After Lyle sauntered away whistling, Ashley faced her groom. “And what was that all about, may I ask?”
“Yeah, Felix. Let me know what you find out.” He spoke to the man in his earpiece.
Her belly flip-flopped when he looked at her that way. Serious and intense. Or was that panic? Lately, she didn’t know if she could tell the difference anymore.
“Routine intel,” he said. “He was a last-minute replacement here and at the cousin’s wedding.” He shrugged.
“Covering all your bases.” She released a pent-up breath. “I get it.”
“Your turn to cook, sweetheart.” He chuckled.
“I make a mean PB&J.” She figured the modest hotel did not have a restaurant and takeout was out of the question at the moment to keep their location top-secret, so provisions it would be until they snuck back to her parents’ house in a day or two.
“I’ll even cut yours diagonally for you.”
“Ah, you tease, Rockdale. What can I say? I’m spoiled rotten. My mom always does that when she makes me a sandwich.” Ash smiled, though, liking his flirty nature, but more so that he remembered that little tidbit about her.
“Your twenty is more like fifteen and counting down.”
“I’m going.”
She lingered for a few seconds, taking him in. This was a rare treat to behold.
The time until the charity event ticked down. And most likely your time with Brock, too.
Could she forget about the threat and just savor every moment with him until then?
***
“Anything?” Ashley asked, popping up from her yoga pose and peering over the top of his computer screen.
Her sky-blue eyes nabbed him. In the gut. Ignore, Rockdale! “Filling in the blanks still.” Brock added more information to the spreadsheet and then shot a quick text to Felix. “Update?”
“What was that all about with Lyle?” She was back on the spread-out towel on the floor and now lifting a very long leg and then the other one.
No, not the scissor move! Anything but that! Brock hit Save and minimized his program. “How did you meet him? Through Meagan?”
“No. Like I told you, Meg and I barely spoke at boarding school. She comes from money. She looked down on me for having to work. Lacey, Heather and I were besties and still are. As for Lyle, I meet him in Dallas on a shoot. He was part of the crew. He begged for advice and I gave him what I could—checked with my agent, Sheila, and she’s got him a few gigs here and there.”
“Ah, the agent. A very difficult woman to get ahold of. Where is she this week?”
“Tokyo, I think. Some new client needs handholding.”
“And last week?”
“Brazil?”
“For a wax?”
She chuckled. “Why, you do have a sense of humor! Sheila? Can’t remember the last time I saw her when I was in town.” She sighed, hefted herself up from the floor and dragged herself to the chair. She slumped down in the seat and hugged the pillow.
That exasperated sound clued him in. “Explain.”
“Lunch with Sheila in New York six months ago did not end well. Before you ask, I’ll tell you. She wasn’t happy I’m scaling back. Thank goodness I didn’t tell her everything.”
“Like?” His radar lit up.
“Half dozen mega contracts, on my terms, to keep my family and me set for life. I’m done with the rest of it. Ten years is a long time. And I’m not getting any younger in this business.”
“You think she suspects? You’re her biggest client and, let’s be frank here, her meal ticket.”
She couldn’t even look at him. “She was my mother’s best friend and a model herself at one time. Sheila changed from a dynamo to a desperate woman when she hit her thirties and people stopped calling. I was the project that got her over the hump.”
“And now she’s got fifty or so, by what we can tell. No one near your realm.”
“A fluke. Right time, right place. I just happened to be in both.”
“Luck? I don’t think so. You earned it.” He’d done his homework on her, sortin
g through page after page of her jobs. With each one, he’d seen how she’d crammed in projects before and after school, during breaks, long summers. Ashley Moore did not come by her supermodel status by chance.
Shoving aside the pillow, she stood abruptly. “We done? I’ll text her, inviting her to the King’s charity event. I’ll tell her then.”
“Good plan,” he said, catching her troubled stare. She stumbled upon something that he had at the same time. “She has motive.”
“Sucks to think that.” She stormed out and into her room.
Whoa! The last time she’d done that, she’d escaped. He sprang up, following close behind. She hadn’t closed her door. So he saw her kick aside several piles of clothes to uncover the yoga mat she couldn’t find before and then stoop to snatch it up.
No, not that! Anything but watching her twist her beautiful body in all kinds of poses and pretzel shapes again.
Hell, it was going to be a long, long night!
Chapter 14
The memory of typing in the message on her new cell phone Brock had replaced for her to her longtime agent two days ago still made Ashley shake. “How’s things? That wedding gig with King’s is going great. Can you make the charity event on Saturday? Holding a place for you.” Rereading it, she’d thought she had the tone down. “Here goes,” she’d muttered, hitting Send.
No reply came.
The dread built, bringing all kinds of thoughts to her mind. “She knows I know. She suspects I suspects.”
“Logistically, it doesn’t make sense,” Brock said, talking to Felix in the hallway.
Ashley scrambled in a one-of-a-kind King’s wedding gown. Layers of silk caressed her skin. The beads shimmered under the lights.
“Oh la la! That man of yours is so hot. To the max!” Rico exclaimed, smoothing down the fabric of the skirt.
“He’s really not mine.”
“Who says?”
“He does.”
“Ah, Ash. But you’re like perfect together.”
She heard the pain in his voice. “You’ll find yours before I’ll find mine.”
“Again?” Rico tsked. “I try. I fuss. I drink. It hurts.” He stilled.
Ashley frowned, turning to him. Tears glistened in his eyes. “No. Don’t go there.”
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