Chapter 3
A Fine Pair
Whenever Sienna toured, sleep seemed impossible.
You would think after performing for thousands of people—singing, dancing, running across a stage for hours—her body would collapse the moment she crawled into bed.
Instead, the opposite happened.
Her body stopped.
Her mind didn't.
What needed to change?
What could've been better?
Which songs worked?
Which transitions didn't?
Had she missed a cue?
Had the audience noticed?
Tonight was no different.
The moment her head hit the luxurious hotel pillows, Sienna began replaying the entire performance from beginning to end.
An hour later, she rolled onto her side and glanced at the clock on the nightstand.
2:30 a.m.
"Seriously?"
She groaned and rolled onto her back.
Wide awake.
The suite was beautiful—less like a hotel room and more like a small luxury apartment—but Sienna had never particularly liked staying alone in enormous hotel suites.
Too much space.
Too much silence.
And lately, silence gave her mind far too much opportunity to wander toward things she'd rather not think about.
Like threatening notes.
Stalkers.
And the possibility that someone she trusted was helping whoever was behind them.
Sienna threw back the covers.
Enough.
She slipped into her robe and called room service, deciding a cup of hot chamomile tea might help.
Normally, a celebrity at her level would've had access to a private concierge.
Cole had killed that perk approximately five minutes after they'd checked in.
Of course he had.
The woman who answered the phone assured Sienna that her order would be delivered quickly. Somewhere during the conversation, chamomile tea turned into chamomile tea and her favorite dessert.
Sienna wasn't entirely sure how that happened.
She wasn't complaining.
After hanging up, she wandered into the living area.
The suite was dimly lit. A small remote sat beside the fireplace, and Sienna picked it up, pressing one of the buttons.
The curtains covering the enormous windows slowly parted.
Las Vegas exploded before her.
Neon lights.
Traffic.
Hotels towering over the Strip.
Thousands of people still moving through the city as though two-thirty in the morning were the middle of the afternoon.
Sienna stared for a few seconds.
Then closed the curtains again.
Too much.
She was restless enough without Vegas flashing through her bedroom.
A few minutes later, muffled voices sounded outside her door.
Then a knock.
Room service.
Sienna walked over and opened it.
Cole stood on the other side holding her tray.
She blinked.
"Have you been out here this entire time?"
Cole handed her the tray.
"Don't you sleep?"
"We rotate shifts."
Sienna looked him over.
He wasn't wearing the suit she'd grown accustomed to seeing him in. His jacket was gone, leaving him in a long-sleeved button-down shirt that somehow made him seem less like Agent Bennett and more like...
Cole.
She took the tray and placed it on a nearby table.
"Would you like something? I should've thought about ordering you food too."
"I'm good. Thanks."
Of course he was.
Sienna waited.
Cole said nothing else.
Apparently, casual conversation wasn't included in his skill set.
"Okay. Well...good night."
"Good night."
She gave him a small smile and closed the door.
Sienna carried her tea toward the sofa before stopping.
She looked back at the door.
Then at the dessert.
Then at the door again.
This was ridiculous.
She set the tea down and opened the door.
Cole immediately turned toward her.
"I hate eating alone."
His expression changed just enough for her to know she'd caught him off guard.
"Come in."
He hesitated.
"Unless standing in hotel hallways is your idea of a good time."
That earned the faintest hint of amusement.
Cole stepped inside.
As expected, the first thing he did was scan the room.
Sienna rolled her eyes.
"You've already checked it."
"Things change."
"Apparently."
She pointed toward the chair across from the sofa.
"You can sit down, Cole. I don't bite."
He looked at her.
"Usually."
That finally earned her a smile.
Cole sat.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Sienna settled onto the sofa and pulled her dessert closer. She didn't bother cutting a proper slice. She simply stuck her fork directly into it.
Cole watched her.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"You're staring."
"I'm not staring."
"You're a terrible liar."
That crooked almost-smile appeared again.
Sienna took another bite.
Without stage makeup, styled hair, designer clothes, and an army of people surrounding her, she knew she looked nothing like the woman who'd performed in front of thousands of screaming fans hours earlier.
She didn't care.
For once, she didn't feel like being Sienna Carlisle, international superstar.
She just wanted to be Sienna.
"I Googled you this afternoon."
Cole's eyebrows lifted.
"I didn't realize you were a Navy SEAL. Are the other guys on your team former SEALs too?"
"Most of them."
Sienna waited.
Nothing else.
She sighed.
"We're going to be around each other a lot until this psycho is caught. I'm trying to learn something about you."
"Ms. Carlisle, I—"
"Sienna. Remember?"
She smiled.
Cole nodded.
"Sienna."
"Much better."
He shifted slightly in the chair.
"I don't normally do this."
"Do what?"
"This."
Sienna looked around the room.
"Sit?"
"Socialize with clients."
She laughed.
"You don't have normal conversations with them?"
"Not usually."
"That's depressing."
"It's professional."
"That's still depressing."
Cole couldn't completely hide his amusement.
"So I apologize if I'm not very good at it."
Sienna studied him.
"Do you let all your clients call you by your first name?"
"No."
"Why am I different?"
That did it.
For the first time since he'd walked into her house, Cole Bennett looked genuinely uncomfortable.
His eyes shifted away from hers.
Sienna noticed.
And enjoyed it far more than she should have.
Cole cleared his throat.
"I'd like to discuss the show."
She stared at him.
"I made some notes about things we need to change."
And just like that, the moment was gone.
Sienna's fork stopped halfway to her mouth.
"Change? What now?"
Cole leaned forward.
"We're in Vegas for the week. If whoever is threatening you followed the tour here, there's a good chance he'll attempt to get close to you at one of the shows.
We need to change your routine after every performance.
And I'm not comfortable with the backstage passes the radio stations are giving away. "
Sienna slowly put down her fork.
She stood, picked up the tray, and carried it into the kitchenette.
When she returned, Cole was already standing.
"You can go now."
His expression changed.
"Sienna—"
"No. Seriously. Go."
"Look, my job is to protect you. That's what you're paying me for."
"I know what I'm paying you for!"
Her voice rose before she could stop it.
Cole went silent.
Sienna folded her arms across her chest.
"I don't have a lot of friends, Cole."
The anger disappeared from her voice almost as quickly as it had come.
"And I'd like to be able to talk to you just once without it being about my schedule or something you don't like about my show."
Cole stared at her.
The confession had clearly caught him off guard.
Sienna suddenly wished she hadn't said it.
"Forget it."
She looked away.
Cole didn't leave.
Instead, he sat back down.
Sienna glanced at him.
He motioned toward the sofa.
A reluctant smile tugged at her mouth.
She returned to her seat.
Silence filled the room again.
This time it felt different.
Neither seemed to know where to begin.
Finally, Cole broke it.
"So...what else did you learn when you Googled me?"
Sienna looked at him.
"You really want to know?"
"I'm sitting here, aren't I?"
"Good point."
She tucked one leg beneath herself.
"I read about your time in the Secret Service. All the awards you've received. Your military career."
She paused.
"I didn't find much about your family. Or where you're from."
Cole's expression changed.
Just slightly.
"My parents died when I was a boy."
Sienna's face softened immediately.
"One of the many things we have in common," he added.
"How old were you?"
"Ten."
Sienna swallowed.
"I was—"
"Fourteen."
They said it at the same time.
She stared at him.
Then it occurred to her.
Of course he knew.
Cole probably knew everything about her.
Where she'd grown up.
Where she'd gone to school.
Every public relationship.
Every scandal the tabloids had ever invented.
And apparently, the worst day of her life.
"It changes you, doesn't it?"
Cole didn't answer.
Sienna looked down at the carpet.
"Losing your parents that young."
She swallowed.
"I don't think you ever completely get over it."
Cole remained quiet.
He didn't offer one of the empty responses she'd heard a thousand times.
They're always with you.
Everything happens for a reason.
They'd be so proud.
He simply let her feel it.
For some reason, Sienna appreciated that more.
After a moment, she looked back at him.
"You said that's one of the many things we have in common."
Cole nodded.
"What else?"
"We both grew up in small towns."
Sienna waited.
"We're both only children."
"Huh."
She leaned back against the sofa.
"I wasn't expecting that."
"Why?"
"I don't know. I guess I pictured you being raised in some secret government training facility."
Cole stared at her.
She managed to hold a straight face for approximately two seconds.
Then she laughed.
He shook his head.
"You're hilarious."
"I know."
For the first time that night, the heaviness in the room lifted.
Eventually, Cole glanced toward the door and stood.
Sienna followed.
He opened it, then stopped.
She waited.
Cole turned back toward her.
"I don't have a lot of friends either."
The words were simple.
But they hit her harder than she'd expected.
For the first time in a very long time, Sienna felt genuinely connected to someone.
Not because he wanted something from her.
Not because she was famous.
Not because her name could open doors.
Just because, in some strange way, he understood.
"A fine pair we are," she said with a soft laugh. "I guess people like us have to stick together."
A crooked smile spread across Cole's face.
Not Agent Bennett's restrained half-smile.
Cole's.
It changed his entire face, making him look younger. Relaxed.
And ridiculously handsome.
Sienna's stomach fluttered.
"I guess we do."
"Good night, Cole."
"Good night, Sienna."
He stepped into the hallway.
Sienna closed the door behind him and rested her palm against it.
She stood there for several seconds.
Then she shook her head at herself.
"What are you doing, Sienna?"
She didn't have an answer.
By the time she returned to bed, exhaustion had finally begun to win. She slipped beneath the covers and closed her eyes.
This time, sleep came easily.
Her last thoughts weren't about the show.
Or the stalker.
Or tomorrow's security schedule.
They were about her bodyguard.
A man who, somehow, was beginning to feel like a friend.
A friend she was already looking forward to seeing in the morning.