Don’t let anyone get under your skin
DON’T LET ANYONE GET UNDER YOUR SKIN
Brynn
There was something so attractive about this man’s mouth. If only he wasn’t being a domineering asshole.
For the last hour, all he’d talked about was what I couldn’t do, where I couldn’t go, and who I couldn’t see unless he was with me.
Any attraction I’d felt had dried up, slowly but surely the longer he talked.
I understood he was here for my protection, but for fuck’s sake, couldn’t he at the very least discuss it with me instead of laying down the law like I was some petulant teenager on house arrest?
Yes, he was the expert, but it was my life.
“Could we add additional security personnel instead of cutting out the meet and greets? Those are important to my fans, and I don’t want to disappoint them.”
“I think they’ll understand if you tell them it’s a safety concern,” he answered.
“You didn’t answer my question.” I held firm.
Truth was, those meet and greets reminded me why I put myself out there the way I did.
Meeting people who shared with me how my words had gotten them through a bad breakup, depression, or even saved their life was the only thing that made giving up my privacy worth it.
They were the reason I kept recording music instead of hiding in a cabin in the mountains.
I needed that reminder or else I was afraid the loneliness might eat me alive.
“You don’t just do what you’re told, do you?”
He wasn’t going to like this, but it was better he learn early.
“I’m not a puppet. I will work with you but I do not work for you.
I would appreciate if we could discuss things instead of you just laying down the law.
I understand and respect that this is your area of expertise, but at the end of the day it’s my life and I’ve only got the one.
I will not completely surrender my independence because of this psycho.
Nor will I compromise what my fans have come to expect from me. ”
I wasn’t going to needlessly sacrifice my safety. He probably thought I wasn’t taking this seriously, but I was. There were just some things I couldn’t give up if I wanted to keep my sanity intact throughout all this.
“We can hire additional security personnel and limit the number of the people in the room with me,” I stated, making clear this was my decision to make.
Stella piped up. “Oh, we could even pitch it as an exclusive one-on-one instead of the usual groups. Each person can be vetted prior to entering the room.”
My heart lifted with hope and I glanced back at Wyatt. His prominent brows were furrowed, his dark gaze staring intently at my face. “This is really that important to you?”
“Her fans live for it,” Stella said, likely thinking that would sell the idea.
But I heard him clearly. He’d picked up on what I hadn’t said—it wasn’t just for the fans, but for me. If he was that observant, then he deserved honesty. “Yes, it’s that important to me.”
He scrutinized me, and despite always getting picked apart by the press, I’d never felt so exposed as I did sitting across from Wyatt.
He dropped his gaze to the tablet he’d brought with him. “Fine. I’ll add additional security, background checks for all VIP guests, and screenings prior to entry with you.”
Stella stood up. “I’ll go call the tour manager and explain the changes.” She left the room, leaving Wyatt and me alone together for the first time since I’d met him.
Silence weighed down the air.
“Thank you,” I said quietly, my gaze intent on his rugged face.
And just like that, the initial attraction was back.
Maybe he wasn’t as domineering as I’d thought.
He was precise in his work and intent on making sure all areas where my safety was concerned had no gaps.
I couldn’t really fault him for that. I appreciated how seriously he took his job.
His focus and determination were a turn-on, even though I knew without fail a guy like Wyatt would never mix business with pleasure.
Truthfully, neither would I. I’d never found a previous bodyguard, personal trainer, or any male I worked closely with as attractive as I kept finding Wyatt.
I was going to have fantasies about that sharp jaw and what it might feel like beneath my lips. Or how his callused hands would feel running over the silky softness of my skin.
And that was going to be a problem.
He set down the tablet and then his brown eyes stared intently into my own. “Your safety is the most important thing here. We’ll try the meet and greets, but if at any point your safety is at risk, I’ll shut them down.”
“Understood. I appreciate your willingness to discuss it.”
The corner of his mouth tilted up in a smile, and my heart stuttered in my chest. If I thought this man was handsome before, it was nothing compared to what he looked like with the faintest hint of a grin.
“Believe it or not, you’re not the most difficult client I’ve ever worked with.
What you’re asking for is fair and you were right.
I should’ve opened it up as a discussion instead of—how did you put it? —laying down the law.”
A smile split my face. “I appreciate that. I hope you’ll come to realize I’m not a diva.”
Damn it, he was even man enough to admit when he was wrong. His attractiveness just skyrocketed.
His subtle grin faded as a seriousness washed over his handsome face. “I already know you’re not.”
For some reason, his comment hit me harder than it should’ve, and the smile I wore slipped off my face.
My throat got tight as my nose tingled with the potential of tears.
It had been a long time since I’d felt seen for who I really was instead of just the pop star persona that was pushed in the press constantly.
It had also been a long time since a man looked at me like a person instead of with dollar signs in his eyes.
This time the silence that passed between us wasn’t heavy like it had been before. It was electric, causing my skin to tingle and my stomach to tighten with all the things I shouldn’t want.
Like his lips on mine.
His hands on my body.
His gaze locked on my face, seeing into the depths of my soul while he thrust inside of me.
I broke our stare off first, afraid of what he might see in my gaze. He was too observant. It was already becoming painfully clear I couldn’t hide in plain sight with Wyatt like I could with everyone else.
My biggest concern now was how long it would take for him to see through the composed and professional businesswoman to the lonely and scared woman I hid underneath. I would rather he caught on to how attracted I was to him before he caught on to the truth of how close I was to breaking down.