6. Chapter Six
6
Mia
Just like I have each morning since the tour started, I meet the mail carrier sauntering up to the tour before he’s lifted his hand up to knock on the door. I give him a small smile, thank him for the delivery, then strut back into the open living space and flop onto the couch.
The bag this time is much heavier, which doesn’t surprise me in the least since their popularity is getting boosted from the tour, and I know I’ve got a lot of reading to do before I have to get ready for their concert tonight.
Thankfully, Evan decided not to approach me again last night and demand more answers from me. When I acted like I didn’t know what he was talking about, with a straight face I was surprisingly able to pull off, it seemed as though he was unsure of himself.
Which was exactly what I wanted.
The longer he thinks he’s got it all wrong, the more time I have to figure out what the hell I’m going to say to him.
The floor creaking under someone’s weight has my attention snapping up immediately and Carmen already has her hands up defensively as she walks closer to me.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you worry.” She takes a look at the bag in my hand and nods her head at it. “Mind some help?”
Normally I’d insist on doing this job alone, it’s the reason I’m here, but looking at the almost overflowing bag of fan mail is enough to have me nodding my head in agreement. Even I can admit defeat – sometimes.
“Sure,” I mutter.
She sits down next to me, quiet for a moment, then sighs heavily. “You think we’ll ever be able to figure this out?”
I shrug. “Only time will tell, there’s no clear indication of who the suspect could be.”
Before we can get further into this discussion, I dump the contents onto the small table in front of us and throw the bag onto the floor at my feet. Carmen leans forward, pressing her arm into the middle of the pile, and distributes it evenly between the two of us.
At least it’s going to take me less time to look through everything now.
“He’s a sweet guy,” she says softly while ripping open an envelope with hearts drawn all over the front. “I don’t understand what would make someone hate him so much.”
“I’ve seen it happen many times… people hate power and fame, and become too jealous of it.” I look at her and the sadness in her gaze. “It’s part of their life, even if they never thought it would be.”
“I guess you’re right, maybe we should keep you on even after the situation is under control. It’d give me a chance to sleep better at night if I don’t have to worry.”
For the first time since I arrived for the job, I chuckle softly. “As much as I understand that, I can’t agree to do more than this. I’ve got obligations at home.”
She nods and flashes a sad smile at me. “I understand, was worth a shot though.”
For the next two hours, we go through every piece of mail, even the smaller packages containing simple things like drawings of the guys and handmade items with each of their names on them, but nothing has stood out as dangerous so far.
My fingers are cramping, and I’ve managed to get multiple paper cuts along the way that are burning like crazy. Nothing will stop me until I find more evidence about who could be targeting Evan.
It’s odd that he’s the only one being struck, especially if fame is the trigger for our suspect – if there’s anyone in the group who should be targeted, it’s Brent.
“Look,” Carmen whispers beside me, eyes widened at the piece of paper in her hand.
I pluck it from her fingers and scan the words on it.
It’s not much, a simple message, but it showcases how much things are progressing.
I can’t wait to see you lose everything you love, just like I did.
“Evan!” I say immediately while clutching the piece of paper in my hand. “Get out here. Now.”
Instead of a single pair of footsteps rushing out to the living room, every pair in the bus shakes the bus until they all come to a stop inside the narrow doorway. Evan’s hair still has shampoo in it, and he’s got a towel wrapped around his waist, face red from the exercise and, I’m sure, the heat from the water he was standing under.
I swallow, not able to take my eyes off him, and someone clears their throat.
Right.
Get it together, Mia.
Julia smirks at me from behind Evan but doesn’t comment on my obvious pause, and right now, I’m silently thanking her in my head for that.
“You received another letter,” I choke out before darting my gaze away from his bare chest.
There’s water dripping down it, inviting me to lick the condensation from his body, but I’ve got a feeling that would be inexcusable to the people surrounding me. His heavy footsteps are much louder than necessary as he walks over to mine and Carmen’s place on the couch, his fingers pinching the paper in my hand to pull it away.
Except, I’m gripping it so tightly that he rips a small piece of the corner off. He chuckles, the deep sound of it making my heart race, and says, “I can’t exactly look at it if you won’t let me, darlin’.”
Oh God… that nickname.
I stop breathing for a moment, being taken back in time to when that nickname made me lose control like I never have before.
“Let me hear you, darlin’,” Evan growls into my ear while thrusting his hips in and out of me frantically.
My pussy clenches around his cock, pleasure building and building until there’s no possible way it can go any higher. I’m a mess, my legs shaking uncontrollably from the way he makes my body feel, and every time he moves, I can hear evidence of my arousal.
Every time he slams himself into me, my release pushes to the edge another inch until it’s teetering over it. One more thrust, and it’ll fall, I’m sure of it.
I’ve never been more thankful that I took a risk than I am right now.
“That’s it,” he rasps into my ear, pushing my legs back as far as they will go so he can get closer to me. I moan loudly as he grinds his hips into me in slow circles. “Come for me, darlin’.”
Just like that, I explode and scream out his name into the dark room. My vision whitens, everything around us but him fading into the background, and I watch as he groans before jerking with his own release.
A finger snaps in front of my face, pulling me from the memory, and I find Evan looking at me with a grin on his face. My face heats, and I glance around, becoming confused that it’s now empty.
Where the hell did everyone go?
I look down, noting that the paper is still in my hand and not in Evan’s, then I hurriedly shove into his chest before attempting to walk away. Instead of allowing me to walk away, Evan’s fingers wrap around my wrist and he spins me around to face him.
There’s a smirk on his face as he looks at me. “Like what you see, darlin’?”
He has no clue what he’s doing to me. I rub my thighs together as discreetly as I can, but his gaze dips down at the movement and he loosens his hold on my wrist. It would be wise if I backed away, put the necessary distance between us, but I can’t get my feet to move.
“Evan,” I whisper.
My phone pings, forcing me out of the moment, and I back away from him immediately with a frown. When I walk over to the device, it’s nothing more than a simple Apple News notification that I don’t care about – thank goodness it interrupted what would’ve been a mistake.
I clear my throat and look at him, my professional demeanor back in place where it should’ve been all along. “Take a look at that.”
He does, his eyebrows dipping at the message, then looks up at me. “What the hell is this?”
“I was hoping you could enlighten me.”
I crossed my arms, my mind already racing through possibilities. "We need to compile a list of everyone who's had access to the tour bus and venues. I'll need to interview the crew, maybe set up additional surveillance."
I met Evan's eyes, my tone serious. "And you need to start remembering every interaction, every fan encounter that felt off. No detail is too small.”
“If I could, Mia, trust me… I would.” He shakes his head, reading the words over and over again. “I don’t understand why they’re after me.”
"They mention losing everything they love. Has the band recently fired anyone? Any bad breakups in your past?"
Evan ran a hand through his damp hair, leaving it adorably mussed.
Focus, Mia.
"We let go of our old manager, Mack, a while back. But he seemed fine with it. As for exes..." He shrugged. "Nothing serious enough to warrant this."
“You have no idea who would want to come after you, even after seeing that?”
“Not a single one.”
He angles his body closer to me, chest rubbing against my arm, and I pull away with a frown. “Uh, why don’t you go finish up and we’ll talk when you’re more… presentable.”
Evan wags his eyebrows. “You could come join me if ya want, baby.”
Between baby and darlin’, I don’t know which is going to make me lose control first. I roll my eyes at him and flash him a rare smirk. “You wish, Goldie.”
His eyebrows jump and he chuckles. “Goldie?”
I shrug. “Fits the hair and golden personality that Carmen seems to think you have.”
“Not a fan, Mia?”
“You’re alright,” I mumble.
I’m more than a fan, but there’s no reason anyone but myself needs to know that. He starts to walk away, but I call his name to get his attention.
My job is to protect him, not fall for him... again.
How do I protect his heart when I'm the one who might end up breaking it with the secret of Liam?
“Listen, it’s time to start taking this seriously. You need to let me do my job, or else you’ll be in a lot of trouble.”
His gaze turns from heated to something but softer, and he nods in understanding. “I’m starting to think you’re right, baby.”
I groan, his chuckle echoing down the hall in response to it, and I recline back on the couch while rubbing at my temples. He’s only doing it because I’ll have a reaction, he just doesn’t understand the kind of reaction I keep having to it.
My pussy is throbbing, begging to be relieved by what I know Evan’s packing, but I quickly tamp the horniness to the back of my mind.
I might be Evan’s personal bodyguard, but making sure he’s safe is about more than that. I’m starting to realize he means much more to me than the job, which could be bad for me in the long run.
He’s a friend, that’s it.
Yeah, keep telling yourself that, I say to myself.
There’s only so many ways I can keep hiding my true identity from him and the reason I’m trying so hard to do so. Liam’s chubby cheeks pop into my head, making me smile, but it’s the green eyes that always seem to get me.
I know that he deserves to know who his father is, and he has asked me multiple times after hearing his friends talk about how their fathers practice sports with them, but I can’t bring myself to let Evan get that close.
The more popular he gets, the higher his bank account rises, and I’m not prepared for it if he decides that he’s going to try taking Liam away from me. Another image, one I’ve tried more times than I can recount to push away, floats into my head.
This time, it’s one of Evan and Liam running around the backyard together as they try to play football. Liam’s clumsy, so I imagine he’d probably fall a couple of times, and I’d look at Evan like he holds the entire galaxy in his hands as he leans down to help our little boy up.
What if he’s an amazing father and wants to be involved?
There’s no doubt that my feelings, which become more confusing as the days pass, would increase to tremendous heights, and I’m not sure he would ever forgive me for keeping something like our son from him.
I have to get through this job and figure out who the suspect is as soon as possible, and I won’t have to worry about saying anything.
It can continue being my secret.