Chapter 11
CHAPTER 11
GUS
G us was up at the gym for his usual morning routine and back before Brittany had even stirred from his room. He set about to get the coffee going and breakfast started. It was going to be yet another long day, assuming Brittany’s ankle was up for her schedule. And considering how stubborn she was, even if her ankle was bad, she would still find some way to insist on keeping her commitments.
As he was cracking eggs, the door to his room opened, and Brittany limped out, looking adorably disheveled and sleepy-eyed as she stared at him.
“Morning, killer,” he said. “Any requests for your omelet?”
She didn’t answer, and he was reminded that she was definitely not a morning person. He grabbed a cup and prepared her coffee, setting it in front of her just as she reached the kitchen. He slid a stool toward her, putting his arm out to help her perch on it. Satisfied that she was set, he turned back to breakfast.
“Last chance before I make the decisions for you.”
“Are you always like this in the morning?” Her voice was husky with sleep. Gus glanced at her, her coffee mug clutched in both hands near her face, her eyes still drooping.
“You mean a normal functioning human being as opposed to some sleep-deprived zombie?”
Her eyes narrowed at that, and she took a sip of her coffee. She sighed into it, her whole body seeming to unclench, and Gus paused just to admire her expression.
“I want to sass you back, but I’m so happy to have coffee I can’t find it in myself to complain.”
He smirked. “I’ll remember that for next time. How’s the ankle?”
She took another drink. “Not great, but not as bad as it was. I should be able to walk today, at least slowly, which is good. I’ve got more panels, and a livestream today that I have to be ready for.”
“No heels. Your ankle needs a break.”
She frowned at him. “Caffeine only lets you be a little bossy, Lozano.”
He placed her omelet in front of her, steam still rising from it, the smell of the peppers and eggs mixing with the toast to warm anyone’s heart. When Brittany reached for the plate, Gus pulled it back toward him, waiting.
She sagged. “Fine, no heels.”
“Good.”
He let her grab her plate and turned to slide his own omelet onto his plate, grabbed his juice, and plopped himself in the stool next to her. They both ate in comfortable silence for a moment.
“If you’re okay with it, I’d like to do a stream before we leave for the day.”
Surprised, he glanced around his condo. “Here?”
Brittany nodded. “You have great light, and your space is tidy. I can set myself up in a corner somewhere out of the way. And try to be the least annoying as possible. But only if you’re okay with it.”
“You’re never annoying, killer. Feel free to do whatever you need to do.”
After breakfast, Brittany went to get ready for her day while Gus cleaned up the kitchen, marveling at how natural and easy it felt to have her here. But Brittany had always been easy to be around, had always done her best to make others feel comfortable with her. Robbie, as outgoing and gregarious and likable as he was, wasn’t good at sensing when others needed space or reassurance, so Gus had always thought Brittany was a nice counterbalance to him. But now, knowing what had really happened when they broke up, Gus was starting to remember all the times they had been out together, plans that Robbie had made for all three of them that clearly turned into what should’ve been a date night with Gus tagging along, feeling uncomfortable and in the way. And he remembered how Brittany had always adjusted the plans on the fly to accommodate, because she could sense how uncomfortable he was being the third wheel.
But now he wasn’t a third wheel. He was practically the driver since he had to be certain Brittany was safe.
Gus cleared his head as he finished with the dishes, not needing to go down that path, and went over to the living room. He adjusted the furniture so that the comfortable chair was against the corner, with a few of his succulents framing the space on the wall. When Brittany emerged, she was holding a small tripod for her phone and a small ring light.
“Where would you like me to… oh.”
She blinked at the space he had created, and he felt himself growing uncomfortable with her reaction.
“If it doesn’t work, I can move stuff, but you should probably sit for the stream so your ankle can rest.”
“No, this is great, Gus. Thank you.”
She blinked those big blue eyes at him, and Gus felt like he was drowning. Which meant it was time to get the hell out of there.
“Gotta shower. Do what you need to do.”
He made his way to the bathroom, grabbing clothes to change into so he wouldn’t do something stupid like come out in a towel while she was live. Once he got the water hot and stepped into the stream, he scrubbed his face, giving himself a mental talking-to. Brittany was a client. She was Robbie’s ex. He had no reason to be thinking about how much he liked having her in his space.
But his mind wasn’t in the mood to listen, taking a nose-dive straight to the gutter. Images of Brittany’s long legs wrapped around his waist when he carried her out of the convention center. Thinking about the elevator, her pushing her cute little backside against his erection, his dick practically dripping with the need to be inside her. Gus had always been attracted to a woman’s confidence, but something about Brittany looking over her shoulder at him as the elevator rocked that sweet ass against his dick made his head explode with want.
His hand was on his cock before he knew it, stroking hard and fast as he thought about her hair in that fucking ponytail, the perfect height to yank toward him. About her sassy mouth and how beautiful it would look wrapped around his cock. When his brain presented him with the image of Brittany, spread out on his bed, naked, her pussy on display and dripping for him, he grunted as he shot his load onto the bathroom wall, his breath heavy, pressing his forehead against the cool tile of the shower.
Fuck. He had just jacked off to the thoughts of Robbie’s ex-girlfriend. To Brittany, of all people. The woman he had walked in on vandalizing his brother’s apartment. The woman with no impulse control, a terrible temper, a clout chaser, and a user.
But wait. Robbie had pretty much admitted last night that he had lied about a lot of details about their relationship. So it was hard to know what about Brittany was true and what wasn’t.
Confused thoughts swirled in his head. Gus didn’t know what was right to do in this situation, but he knew he had a job, and Brittany was the client. He had to focus on that and less on how fucking sexy she insisted on being at all times. Resolved, he finished his shower and dressed, steeling himself as he headed into the living room.
There he found Brittany in the middle of streaming. She had set herself up in the corner he had prepped for her, sitting in the armchair like a queen. She was dressed casually but nice in some sort of blouse with skinny jeans that he could see from across the room cupped her butt in illegal ways. She had gone a little bohemian with her look, light and airy and sunny in a way that made Gus want to bask in her energy.
Instead, he turned to the kitchen to grab some coffee, stationing himself at the bar there, pretending to read the news on his phone while he eavesdropped on her stream.
“Hey, Cassie,” Brittany said into her phone’s camera. “For the wedding, I would suggest something simple, elegant, that won’t outshine the bride but will definitely remind the groom that he lost something great when he dumped you. Pick your favorite asset and flaunt it. I know budget is an issue but check out the local thrift stores—a lot of women donate their old dresses after an event, and those are usually only worn a few times. And make sure your date is hot.”
She leaned forward to scroll through the comments, laughing at some, continuing to give advice and talk about her experience at the convention. She was good at this. Fun and charming and light, soothing enough to make a viewer have a good day just because they joined her stream. Brittany spent a few more minutes answering the questions in the chat, talking about her favorite fashion shows from the last few months, her favorite outfits she’d seen at Kickoff, and generally just conversing with people through a camera, until she finally wrapped it up with a smile.
“Okay, everyone, I have to sign off. If you’re here in Kimball, come join me for all my panels today! My schedule is posted on all my socials, and I’d love to see you.”
She finished her goodbyes and ended the stream, ensuring the camera was off and everything was over. Then she sat back in the chair and took a deep breath.
“I never realized how much work went into what you did,” Gus said.
Brittany shrugged. “The point is to make it feel like it’s not work. People like to have conversations with friends, and that’s the vibe I’m going for with my stream.”
“And you’re expanding, right?”
She had been talking on her stream about her upcoming collaboration with Champagne, some company Gus only heard of in songs or on red carpet coverage. She grimaced at the question.
“Yeah, I’m trying.”
“Why the face?”
“They’re not liking my designs so far. And they’re asking me to redo them all by Monday.”
“What did they say was wrong with your first designs?”
“They were aimed too much for my current audience and not enough toward the richer, more sophisticated buyer that Champagne usually aims for. I have no idea how I’m going to have time to sketch and swatch between now and Monday.”
Gus had no idea, either, considering what he knew of her schedule for the rest of the convention. But he didn’t mention it, since she already seemed to be stressed out. He glanced at the clock, calculating the times between her panels.
“If you want, there’s a fabric store near the convention center. Hole in the wall, family owned, the guy is grouchy as fuck, but they have a lot of interesting things to sell. People send them their scraps from the cosplay outfits and everything, so they tend to have a variety of things.”
Brittany blinked at him. “That would be perfect.”
“It’s not super close, but we may be able to slip away after your panels and hit it before it closes. Depends on the owner’s mood.”
“Gus, you’re amazing, thank you.”
He glanced away, not ready to make eye contact when she was complimenting him and checked the time on his phone.
“We should get going. The lines are going to be even longer today.”
She grinned at him, knowing he was trying to deflect from himself.
“You really gotta learn to take a compliment, Gus.”
He ignored her, pointing at the time on his phone. “Leaving in five. No heels.”
In five minutes on the dot, they were out the door, Brittany moving slowly with her ankle but otherwise claiming to feel much better than the day before. On the street, Gus took her hand, telling himself it was only to make it easier to keep her close in the crowd. They made it through the entrance of the convention center and were pushing toward the panel rooms when they heard someone shout. Brittany yanked on Gus’s hand to stop him, and they turned to find three women heading their way.
“Oh my god, it’s you! BrittKneeSocks! We’re huge fans!”
Brittany smiled at the women, who immediately asked for a picture, one of them stepping out of the way for the other two. Gus kept one eye on Brittany and scanned the room, keeping his senses alert. A crowded public area like this was the perfect place for a stalker to blend, and Gus was itching to get Brittany out of there.
“Are you her boyfriend?” He looked down to find the one woman who wasn’t a fan had moved toward him, flipping her hair as her eyes scanned him up and down.
“No,” was all he offered, checking on Brittany, who was still smiling through a photoshoot’s amount of selfies.
“Are you enjoying your Kickoff so far?” she asked, clearly not getting the hint that he wasn’t interested in a chat. Gus really looked at her. She was cute, with dark eyes and dark hair, olive skin. Her shirt proclaimed her love for superheroes, and if this were a week ago, her cheek dimple and obvious interest would’ve intrigued him.
Gus glanced up at Brittany, catching her eye. She had been watching them, and she quickly turned away. He turned back to the brunette.
“It’s going well. You?”
“It just got much better.” She winced after she said it. “Sorry, that was a cheesy line. I’m terrible at this.”
Gus couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re doing better than I usually do.”
She brightened, and Gus wished he felt a flicker of anything for this woman. Even a hint of the fire he felt for Brittany and he would be done.
But he didn’t.
“Ready when you are.” Brittany’s voice was light but was laced with tension. She had finished her photos with the other two women, who pulled the brunette to them and waved goodbye, the brunette giving Gus a regretful look.
Gus waved back and turned to find Brittany was already moving, faster than she had been before, and he strode to catch up.
“Whoa, where’s the fire, killer?”
“There’s no fire, but I have a schedule.”
“And you have time. You shouldn’t be pushing that ankle so hard so soon after hurting yourself.”
“Not that much time. Not enough for you to finish flirting with some girl. You’re technically at work, by the way.”
Gus stopped in his tracks, pissed at her words but also immediately realizing.
“You’re jealous.”
She whirled on him, her eyes on fire in a way that heated his blood.
“I’m not jealous,” she said, her voice dripping with acid. “I just have a schedule that I’d like to keep.”
Gus moved forward, crowding into her space. So far no one was really paying them any attention, but that could change at any moment, and he had no desire to cause a scene. But there was no way he was going to let this slide.
“You’re jealous,” he stated, loving the flare of rage in her eyes. “I’ve spent this weekend watching men drool over you and take pictures of you and make jokes with you without being able to say a word about it, and now one woman flirted with me and you’re pissed.”
“I’m not pissed,” she lied.
“Liar.”
They glared at each other, and Gus had never been so turned on in his life. Brittany opened her mouth to retort, probably something sassy that would make him want to both smack her ass and worship her, when a voice interrupted them.
“Hey, Brittany! Gus!”
Gus reluctantly looked away from Brittney to find Devery heading toward them, her smile big and genuine until she got closer and could focus on the looks on their faces. It must have been clear they were arguing, because she stopped a few feet away.
“Um, sorry, I was just heading to your panel and saw you. Thought I’d keep you company on your way there.”
Brittany was the first one to recover, plastering a smile to her face.
“Hey, Dev. Thanks for coming to the panel, you sure didn’t have to.”
Ignoring Gus, she walked with Dev, chatting away as if the last few minutes hadn’t happened. Gus followed, allowing them the space that Brittany clearly needed. As far as he was concerned, they weren’t done talking about this. Because Brittany had just revealed she was as affected by him as he was by her, and once his mind latched in
on to that idea, there was no way in hell he was going to let it go.
Brittany’s first panel went well, and the rest of the day was a blur after that, filled with rushing to panels, quick makeup refreshers, some photo-ops for her page, and a thousand other tiny things. Gus was tired and couldn’t believe Brittany was still standing since she had barely had a rest during the crazy day. At one point, he had shoved a protein bar at her with a bottle of water, just to be sure she wouldn’t collapse, but still. She had been on her bad ankle almost the entire time, and he could feel it like a timer in his head that she needed to sit, and she needed to sit soon.
Now they were in her last panel, thank god. She was speaking eloquently on how newcomers could start their own streams and grow their numbers, and on the surface, she looked happy and engaged and full of never-ending energy. But Gus knew her, better than he should, and he could see the strain she was holding back, how tired she was, and how she kept subtly shifting her ankle around. Brittany needed a break. Luckily, this was the last panel for the day.
“How’s it been going?”
Gus turned to find Val there, dressed in her form-fitting suit, looking like she walked out of a Dior ad, even as he knew she could throw him on the ground and make him regret his actions if he so much as looked at her funny.
“No word from the stalker since his last text message.”
Val nodded, her own eyes scanning the crowd of people sitting at the panel.
“Heard you moved her into your place.”
How the hell she knew that already was baffling, but Val had an ear to the ground. At this point, Gus was used to it.
“She got hurt yesterday in a fire alarm gone wrong. I didn’t want her laid up in that not-even-a-little-secure hotel room she was crashing in.”
“So she’s at your place for the job, is what you’re saying.”
Gus heard the irony in her tone and chose to ignore it.
“She’s at my place because she has a threat on her life, her mobility is compromised, and her situation is untenable. Are you here to tell me I made an error in judgment?”
Gus knew he had, but he dared Val to call him on it. Val, who broke up with a new girlfriend every other week, was the poster child for errors in judgment, and she knew it.
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t snap at me. I’m on your side.”
“Since when?”
“Since always. I just want to make sure you’re doing okay. I know this woman messes with your head.”
Gus certainly couldn’t deny that. And, since this was Val, he knew he had to tell her about the previous evening.
“Robbie came over last night and stumbled on her there while I was out getting groceries.”
Val’s eyebrows shot up. “That must have been quite the scene.”
“I came home part way through it. Turns out Robbie had been cheating on her.”
“Ouch.”
“For months.”
“Damn, Robbie.” Val had met with Robbie several times, and always commented on what a loose wire he was, not impressed with his insistence on hitting on her even though she had been out as a lesbian for several years now.
They watched Brittany for a moment as she answered an audience question that had people laughing and falling in love with her at the same time. Val sighed.
“Just be careful, Gus. This girl is bright and beautiful, and I know you got a weakness for her. She’ll mess you up if you let her.”
Gus nodded. Val was right. But he didn’t think he was actually going to be able to stay away from Brittany. She was becoming essential in a way that had him scared.