Given my ass is still intact, I think it’s safe to say he didn’t take me up on it.
After that, things are super fuzzy, but I do remember Quinn—the responsible one, bless her—ordering us pizza and putting us to bed.
Although I’m not quite sure which one I ended up in.
“Morning, party animal.”
I pry my eyelids open at the sound of Phoenix’s voice.
He’s standing over me with a cup of coffee in his hand.
Pushing up on my elbows, I peer down.
Yup, definitely a foot poking my side. Quinn’s foot.
I try to sit up fully, but I can’t because Skylar’s arms are locked around me…like I’m her personal teddy bear.
I have no idea how the three of us slept tangled up like this in one bed.
I glance around the room. A big body is lying on the floor…it takes me a second to realize it’s Storm.
“You guys slept on the floor?”
My voice comes out ten times raspier than usual.
Phoenix snorts. “I wouldn’t exactly call it sleeping.” He glances at his watch. “Think you can be showered and ready in the next thirty minutes?”
Ugh. That’s a tall order.
“Ready for what?”
My flight isn’t until ten a.m. tomorrow and the final concert was last night. Which means I have the whole day to recover. Thank the Lord.
A slow, sexy smile unfurls. “Ready for our date.”
Say what now?
I sweep my gaze over him. He’s dressed in a pair of jeans and a crisp black T-shirt that does spectacular things to his veiny arms.
Unlike me, he’s also freshly showered and shaved.
I blink up in confusion. “Date? What kind of date?”
“The one I’m taking you on.” He peers at his watch again. “We were supposed to leave for brunch two hours ago, but we can still do the other thing I had planned.”
I must still be drunk because Phoenix doesn’t do brunch, plan, or date.
“Fine. But only because you brought me caffeine.”
Stretching, I try to reach for the coffee cup, but freaking Skylar and her octopus tentacles are holding me hostage.
There’s an impish glint in his eye. “I got this.”
He walks to the door, and a moment later Chandler strolls inside…with a megaphone.
“Everybody get the fuck up. We leave for Europe in three hours.”
Wait…what? I didn’t think they’d be leaving until tomorrow.
Evidently our date will be a very short one.
Skylar springs up like a jack-in-the-box. “I’m up.” Seconds later, she slinks down, clutching her head. “I take that back.”
Quinn rolls over…a little too much though, because she falls on the floor with a loud thud. “Ouch. My perineum.”
I have no idea how she managed to hurt that.
“Fucking hell,” Storm mutters. “I hate you people.”
Digging in his pocket, Chandler pulls out a bottle of aspirin and hands it to Skylar. “Figured you might need this.”
And here I thought Chandler didn’t have a considerate bone in his body.
“You’re an angel.” She grabs the coffee Phoenix was attempting to hand me. “Don’t ever let anyone tell you any different.”
Clearly, Skylar’s still intoxicated.
After she pops her aspirin, I snatch the cup back.
And carefully guard it because Skylar, Quinn, and Storm are eyeing me like they’re hungry vampires and I have a paper cut.
“Get your own,” I grumble before taking a lengthy sip.
“Twenty-five minutes,” Phoenix grits through his teeth while looking at his watch.
My, how the tables have turned.
I climb off the bed. “I’m going.”
Never in a million years did I think Phoenix would be the one babysitting me.
“Where are we going?” I question as we trek through the streets of New York City. “And why are they with us?”
By they I’m referring to the massive guy walking ahead of me and the two following close behind.
Phoenix hates having security, so having them come along for our date is a bit peculiar.
He pushes his black aviators up his nose. “I wanted additional safety measures in place.”
That’s alarming. “Why? Where exactly are you taking me?”
I nearly ram into a woman passing us. Her eyes widen when she sees Phoenix, but then she shakes her head, as if telling herself there’s no way it’s actually him.
He’s wearing a dark sweatshirt—with the hood drawn up—in the middle of freaking August so he has to be sweating his ass off.
“You’ll find out when we get there.”
I don’t like the sound of that one bit. “Just so you’re aware, I hate surprises.”
I’m not saying that to get him to spill the details, either. I truly despise them. I’m a planner and the idea of having to deal with any curveballs or bombshells puts me on edge.
I can probably thank him for that.
Phoenix simply smirks.
“Fine. You don’t have to tell me where we’re going, but can you at least tell me why you suddenly felt the need for additional safety measures?”
He keeps his focus ahead, his expression indecipherable. “For you.”
Those words have my stomach twisting. “For me? Why?”
“The pictures only came out six days ago. It hasn’t fully hit you yet since you’re still in my bubble, but we’re everywhere. Hell, we’re even trending on Twitter…along with Memphis and Gwyneth fucking Barclay.” The muscles in his face tighten. “Most of our fans are cool, but some are batshit. I can’t take the chance that one of them would hurt you.”
As much as I hate to admit it, he has a point. While I’m well aware of the photos being splashed everywhere, they haven’t really impacted my life because the people I associate with daily are either famous or members of the crew.
It’s going to be different when I’m back in the real world again.
Just yesterday, Mrs. Palma told me three reporters showed up at the house asking to speak with me.
I open my mouth to tell him thank you, but his next words send me reeling. “Which is exactly why they’ll be escorting you wherever you go after you’re back home.”
Hold. The. Phone.
“No, they won’t. I don’t need bodyguards tracking my every move.”
“Relax. It will only be for a month…” A hint of a smile teases his lips. “For now.”
I glare at him. “No.”
A weird thought occurs to me then. While I do believe Phoenix’s intentions are good, I also can’t help but wonder if this is his sick way of keeping tabs on me.
Which will only make it harder for us to sever ties.
“I don’t want your security following me around.”
Amusement flickers across his face. “It’s cute how you think you have a say in this.”
I bump into another woman on the street…only this time she promptly snaps a picture with her phone.
Awesome.
In a flash, she rushes toward us while calling out Phoenix’s name, which draws lots of attention.
“Shit.” He moves in front of me. “I knew we should have driven.”