“I don’t give a shit what he says. One of the guys on our security team is on a plane heading here now. He’s going to finish the rest of the school year here, in the city. With you. This has been in the works for a few days, and now I’m more certain than ever that you need it. Between my disturbing conversation with my father and now Dex showing up, I just think they’re up to something,” he said as if we were discussing the weather and not the fact that he’d just hired a bodyguard to follow me around.
“No. I’m not walking around with security. Are you kidding me? I accepted a board position for the honor society, and I have my research position with Elaine, can you imagine what they’d think of me if I showed up with security? Like I’m so important that I need backup for God’s sake. No. Absolutely not.”
“This isn’t open for discussion, Jade.”
I came to a stop. “Excuse me? You don’t get to tell me what to do. Sorry rock star, you don’t own me,” I said, storming off ahead of him.
He walked behind me in silence and followed me inside the house. I marched back to my bedroom, passing Ari in the hallway on my way.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“Not at the moment,” I spewed, glaring over my shoulder at a smiling Cruz.
“Okaaaaay, I’m off to class. See you guys later.” I heard her chuckle as she walked past my boyfriend.
“Is this funny to you?” I shouted and dropped to sit on my bed.
“No.” He leaned his back against the wall facing me and stretched his long legs out, crossing them at the ankles.
“Then why are you smiling?” I tore the hat off my head, dropped my gloves beside me and unzipped my coat. Only then did I notice that Cruz didn’t even have a coat or gloves on, and his cheeks were pink, as were his hands. He’d just run out the door like some sort of crazed stormtrooper in a T-shirt and joggers.
“Because you’re fucking cute when you’re pissed.”
I rolled my eyes and tossed him the throw blanket on my bed. Even though he infuriated me, I didn’t like the idea of him catching pneumonia. “You’re being completely irrational.”
He tossed the blanket aside and dropped to sit beside me. “I’m the irrational one?”
“Did I stutter?”
He chuckled. “That motherfucker attacked you. He pinned you to the couch and chased you around a room, where he eventually yanked you by the hair and hit you in the face. He left you for dead on the floor. Am I misunderstanding something?”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m not saying I’m going to start hanging out with the guy. He came to apologize. I listened. We’re not besties. And I don’t need a freaking bodyguard. I already stand out on campus as the girl who dates the famous rock star. I don’t want any more attention.”
“And I don’t give a shit what anyone thinks. I need to know you’re safe.”
I let out a long sigh and fell back on the bed. “I don’t need a bodyguard. That’s absolutely ridiculous.”
“So, you think we just take our chances? Trust that that crazy motherfucker suddenly found God and has been saved? Not happening, Jade.” He fell back and turned on his side to face me.
“I survived a long time before I met you, Cruz.”
“You’re more at risk now,” he said.
I rolled on my side and looked at him. I put my hand on his rosy cheek, needing to give him some of my warmth. Was he right? Dex did attack me after all. Had he just put on an act today? I thought back to that fight I had with him in the hotel room. It was terrifying. I couldn’t fight him off. Was I just being stubborn for the sake of wanting to act brave? Wanting to be right?
“Please do this for me, baby. It’s hard enough being away from you. I can’t do it if I’m worrying about Dex. I have security and I barely notice them. I can tell him he has to stay out of sight and be stealthy. He’ll just be around. You’ll barely notice him.”
Cruz was so persistent and I really wasn’t sure what to think anymore. So I decided to relent since what the heck do I know. “Fine. I just prefer that he doesn’t enter the buildings with me because I’d rather not have anyone know he’s there. Is that fair?”
“Completely fair. Thank you.” He kissed me on the nose.
“We’re almost done with all of this. Soon, none of this will be an issue because we’ll be together.”
“Thanks for agreeing for once, ol’ stubborn one,” he teased before propping himself above me and tickling me.
Cruz Winslow was the master at distracting me. And when his lips trailed down my neck, I was done for.
Cruz and I went to visit Dad and Sara before stopping for pizza in Bucktown. I’d been going to see him more often since the fire happened. I always worried about him, but even more so now. They were both working the night shift so they couldn’t join us for dinner, but I was glad I got to spend an hour with him before heading back to campus.
I glanced over at the supersized bodyguard who sat two tables away from us, and pointed two fingers at my eyes, before pointing them at him, as if to say, I’m looking at you.
He smirked and Cruz laughed.
“I’ll just assume he’s here for you today?” I said.
“You know what happens when you assume, right?”
“I do.”
“Give Bernard a chance. He’s a good guy,” Cruz said.
“I just like giving him a hard time. He’s not bad at all, and so far he has kept a low profile so I can’t complain. Let’s talk about Cabo. I’m so excited about our trip.”
“You’re going to love it. We’ve been a couple times. The place we’re staying at is very secluded. I’ll get to have you all to myself,” he said, his heated gaze locked with mine.
“And then after that, we only have a couple weeks to go until you’re done. You’re not worried about your dad finding some legal loophole that would make you stay?”
“No. This is him having a temper tantrum because things aren’t going his way. The label has agreed to let me go. They want to move forward with the band as is, and I’ll write the music. Luke said there isn’t anything my father can do. Aside from having a hissy fit, like he’s currently doing.”
My phone vibrated and I studied the screen. “Oh my gosh. It’s a New York area code.”
“Answer it, baby.”
Cruz studied me as I spoke. “Hello.”
“Hello, is this Jade Moore?”