Brooke Roberts

Ethan Hart is gorgeous. That’s the first thought that crosses my mind when the man enters the room, his blonde hair shaved close to his head and the short, well-groomed beard framing his face, but what truly captures my attention are his eyes—green, or were they blue? The color was so light that depending on how the room's light hit them, they seemed to shift in tone.

I set my Kindle down on the couch and reluctantly rise from Seth’s arms. He pauses the show we were watching and stands up as well, his hand resting at the base of my spine, reassuring me of his presence, of my safety.

"Brooke, this is Ethan Hart," Kyle introduces, as if I didn’t already know he was coming today, or hadn’t seen his file this morning. "Ethan, this is Brooke, my girlfriend."

Girlfriend? My brain keeps repeating that word over and over, and I only realize Rafael has joined us when he lightly touches my arm, bringing me back to the present—just to throw me off again with his next words:

"Our girlfriend," he corrects. My eyes dart to him as he smiles and winks at me, and Seth’s hand squeezes my back in response, as if agreeing.

My heart does three flips in my chest, and I feel my cheeks flush at how casually they call me their girlfriend, as if it were obvious. Just yesterday I felt insecure about referring to them that way. I try to get annoyed—I don’t even know the man standing in front of me, and I know society doesn’t take kindly to nontraditional relationships—but it’s impossible when joy drowns out every other feeling, and I feel my lips curve into a smile.

But despite my fear, my new bodyguard smiles back and extends his hand to greet me.

"It’s a pleasure to meet you, Brooke."

"The pleasure is mine," I say, shaking his hand. "What did you do to get punished by becoming my shadow?"

"It’s not a punishment, it’s an honor." His gaze shifts to my boyfriends—my inner self cheers at being able to confidently use that word—and I see the admiration for them written all over Ethan’s face. Still focused on his bosses, he continues, "I promise to guard her with my life."

"We know that, Ethan," Kyle says, squeezing his shoulder.

"We expected nothing less," Seth adds.

"But, as we’ll explain, it’ll be a pretty smooth job," Raffi says, throwing an arm around Ethan’s shoulders and guiding him into the adjacent room, offering one of the chairs around the long table.

"Girlfriend, huh?" I whisper once it’s just Seth, Kyle, and me.

The blond turns to me and raises an eyebrow.

"Was I wrong?"

I twist my lips, pretending to think.

"I was just caught off guard," I reply, turning to face Seth. "You’re okay with this?"

His response is to slide his hand up my spine, sending shivers down my body until he reaches my neck and pulls me to him. His mouth crashes against mine and his tongue pushes between my lips. My whole body ignites from the simple touch of his tongue against mine. It’s a quick kiss but devastating, Seth exploring every corner of my mouth before pulling back, taking my bottom lip between his teeth and biting down just enough to send a jolt of pain straight to my core.

"I’ll take that as a yes," I murmur, and he gives a small smirk.

"You should." Seth gives me a quick peck. "Shall we?" he invites, taking my hand and leading me into the room.

He pulls out a chair and waits for me to sit next to Kyle before taking the seat on my other side.

Raffi is summarizing the events from the start of the summer, and I force myself to breathe normally. In. Out. In. Out. I’m home, I repeat to myself. Kyle’s warm hand squeezes my knee under the table, and instantly, I feel myself relax.

They talk about the gifts, the suspicions, and why they decided I needed a bodyguard. Hearing what happened to me from their perspective makes everything feel more threatening and, in a way, more real. It’s liberating to have my fears and feelings validated.

No wonder I can’t sleep.

They continue discussing the tasks that will be Ethan’s responsibility, and his focus and determination are clear. Like the guys, he also has combat experience. His record is exemplary, and he received numerous honors when he left the military.

Kyle’s phone ringing makes me jump in my seat, startled.

"Sorry, it’s work. I need to take this," he says, standing and kissing my temple before answering. "Thorne."

"Any questions?" Seth asks.

"When do I start?"

Raffi and Seth look at me, but another phone ringing saves me from having to answer. It takes me a few seconds to realize it’s mine. The caller ID says it’s the guardhouse.

"Excuse me." I stand and take the call. "Hello?"

"Good afternoon, Miss Brooke," Damien, one of the guards, greets me. "Miss Jones is here to see you."

"Olivia?"

"Yes, ma’am." I’ve asked him a thousand times to call me Brooke, but he insists on formality. "She said she came to pick you up, that you have plans today. May I let her in?"

I can hear my best friend yelling in the background, "It was a surprise, Damien, my god!" She keeps complaining, but her voice is muffled, like the guard walked away from her.

"Let her in, Damien," I reply, though my mind tries to recall if I made any plans with Olivia. I can’t remember anything except the day I said I’d think about going to the mall with her.

She wouldn’t come pick me up personally—who am I kidding? Of course she would.

"What is it, babygirl?" Raffi asks, concern in his voice.

"Who was it?" Seth presses.

"Liv. I think she got tired of my excuses and empty promises and came to drag me out of the house," I inform them.

"That might be a good idea, Brooke," Raffi says, encouraging me. "I’ll call HQ and ask someone to cover my classes today," he adds, already pulling out his phone.

"I’ll talk to Tristan, I’m sure he can reschedule my appointments today," Seth adds.

"Are you crazy? Of course you're not canceling anything. You just introduced me to my new bodyguard, precisely for situations like this. I’m going with Liv, and you two are going to work."

"Tattooing is a hobby, I don’t need to go today," Seth protests.

"Do you have clients booked?" He shakes his head. "Is Tristan counting on you?" He nods again, resigned. "And you’re going to let him down to go mall hopping with Olivia for hours?"

"For you? I’d go anywhere, Bee."

My heart skips a beat at the conviction in his words, in his expression, taking me back to the day of my rescue and the promise he made then: “From now on, whenever you feel lost in the dark, reach out and I’ll be there.”

I turn to Ethan before my boyfriends manage to change my mind—I know I need to do this. "How about starting today, Ethan?"

"My schedule’s clear, Miss Roberts."

"Brooke, just Brooke," I correct. "Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to greet my best friend."

I head to the entrance hall, hearing the barking of the dogs that had been left outside so we could meet Ethan. Seems they found Liv before I did. When I open the door, she’s crouched down, her hair covering her face as she tries to pet all three at once.

Apollo is the first to notice me and run over.

"Hey, boy."

"There she is! I’d almost forgotten what you look like," Liv greets, standing up and hugging me just as Cerberus and Toothless come to sniff my legs.

"Drama queen, we talked on video call yesterday." My arms wrap around her, and I realize how much I missed the brunette.

"It’s not the same," she mutters into my hair.

"I know," I agree, squeezing her tighter.

"Your ribs are all healed, then?" she asks as we step inside, and I nod.

She sighs and grabs my hand.

"I know you’re anxious about going out, but you can’t hide from the world forever, B. Let’s go out, and I promise if at any moment you want to come back, we’ll get in the car and head home. No judgment, no pressure. We can just hit the drive-thru at that downtown coffee shop. Whatever you want!"

Her eyes are full of determination, but more than that, I see acceptance and love.

"Alright," I agree, and she looks surprised by how quickly I said yes. The truth is, I really did spend the past few days thinking it over like I said I would. And the fact that she came all the way here... I can’t disappoint her. And knowing I can come back anytime is a relief. "But we’re not going alone."

"Okay, the more the merrier. Which of your protectors is coming with us?"

I smile, not answering, eager to see her reaction to my new bodyguard.