Wicked Force (Wicked Horse Vegas #4.5)(14)

Chapter 7



Kynan



I don’t let Joslyn mesmerize me too much. I’m on duty and she’s on stage, and while she’s captivating in a way I’ve never known, I am more interested right now in making sure she’s safe. I’ve changed the shift schedule to just two twelve-hour shifts. Jayce was moved to cover 6AM to 6PM and I cover the other 12 hours. I chose the evening shift so I could watch over Joslyn when she’s at her most vulnerable—which is anywhere away from the apartment but most importantly when she’s performing.

Selfishly, I also chose this shift because after her shows or the nights she has off, we come back to the apartment and hang out. I’m still on duty and most properly, I should probably be standing outside the door in the hallway, but sitting in the living room with her is just as good. I have line of sight of the door, a security system someone would have to bust through, and a 9mm gun on my hip.

We’ve taken to playing board games, which usually ends up being about 90 percent talking with each other and only about 10 percent of gameplay. The first time Madeline witnessed this, she gave me a funny look. Not quite disapproving but definitely uneasy with the way Joslyn and I were sitting on opposite sides of the table as we discussed our favorite classic rock songs. Joslyn has an amazing variety of music that she listens to, which is something we have in common.

I don’t care what Madeline thinks. I’m protecting her daughter and fulfilling my secret crush at the same time. I could no more stay away from Joslyn out in that hallway than I could decide to give up oxygen. In just a little over a week, she’s become that important to me.

Or I’ve become that obsessed with her.

My gaze sweeps the audience, cuts to Joslyn for just a minute as she croons a love song while sitting on a stool center stage with a spotlight illuminating all of that gorgeous silvery hair.

Back to the audience for only a moment as I feel someone step up beside me at the edge of the stage. I twist my neck and see Jerico standing there. He’s dressed in a business suit and lifts his chin in greeting.

“You’re back,” I say as my gaze returns to the crowd.

“Got in a few hours ago but thought I’d come catch our first personal client’s show,” he explains to me. “Also wanted to meet her mother.”

“She’s in Joslyn’s dressing room,” I tell him.

“Yeah... already been there and introduced myself.” Jerico slips his hands casually into his pockets and adds, “She’s an um... intense woman.”

“She’s dedicated to Joslyn’s career,” I mutter, wondering sometimes what’s more important to her. Being a mother or being a manager.

My eyes slide to Joslyn. It’s something she struggles with understanding as well. Late at night and long after Madeline retires, Joslyn stays up and keeps me company until the wee hours of the morning before I have to leave. We’ll push the board game aside. She settles back onto the couch while I stay perched on the edge of the guest chair, always facing the front door. Over the last four evenings I’ve been with her, we’ve probably wracked up a good twenty hours of one-on-one conversation.

Let me tell you... you can learn a lot about a person in that amount of time.

On the flip side, I opened up to her, which is incredibly odd. I’m not overly close with my family but there’s no drama there. I spend most of my time telling her about my military service, and although I know it distresses her to learn some of the harrowing things that have happened to me, I can’t seem to stop myself from sharing. She’s the only person in this world that knows I almost pissed my pants one night when I was out on a patrol and a grenade got tossed over my head, landing just about twenty feet from me. It landed in the middle of some of my closest friends, killing three of them and throwing me several feet away from the force of the explosion.

When I told her that story, her eyes got a little misty and she made a move to get off the couch.

To come to me.

I gave a slight shake of my head, not because I didn’t want her touch or comfort, but because I was afraid I wanted it too much.

“So I was thinking about hitting a strip club after the show,” Jerico says and it startles me because I was so lost in my memories.

“Huh?” I ask, snapping my gaze from Joslyn to him.

“Strip club,” he reiterates. “I’ll get someone to come cover the rest of your shift. I want to get drunk tonight, ogle some tits, and then hopefully take a beauty home to fuck. And you’ve always been up for that type of fun, so let’s do it. We’ve been working our asses off and deserve it.”

Yeah, I love a good titty bar. Love good pussy too.

My eyes drift back to Joslyn and I know that I would have better with her.

“No, thanks,” I tell him and then straighten my spine a little more, letting my attention turn to the crowd again.

Doing my job.

“You need to cut that shit out right now,” Jerico growls and I turn to face him.

“What do you mean?”

Jerico’s eyes cut to Joslyn out on stage and he merely nods at her. “I can see it. You might be hiding it from everyone else but not from me. You can’t get involved with her.”

“I’m not,” I grit out.

“She’s a job,” he tells me pointedly. As if I didn’t understand what he had just said.