The Damaged (The Insiders Trilogy #2) - Tijan by Tijan

Matt was fun. Matt was no drama right now, at least with family. He was trying to forget how he’d had an affair with the wife of the husband that Quinn was having an affair with, and how that same husband had been a decoy in helping Quinn get me kidnapped.

Matt was really trying not to be that guy, again.

So because of all that, I didn’t answer.

Kash sighed. “You didn’t want to worry him.”

It wasn’t a question from him. He knew.

I shrugged. There wasn’t much else for me to say.

Kash nodded, putting his drink down. He motioned for me to come to him, so I did, and he put his arm around me, holding me, front to front. His head lowered. He rested his chin on my head. “You can always say something to myself or Matt, or even one of the guards. Never feel you need to remain in a place if it makes you uncomfortable.”

I fisted part of his shirt in my hand, pressing my forehead to his chest. “Ser and Cy were there. I didn’t want to leave them.”

That was the gist of it. I could avoid the estate, even though Chrissy was still there. Marie had been sent away. Seraphina and Cyclone were in school now, but I missed my little brother and sister. I wanted to see them.

Kash understood this. His arm only tightened around me. “We’ll have them to the apartment one night, or we can do a day with them on Sunday.”

I tipped my head back. “Yeah?” Warmth spread through me at that suggestion, all the way to my belly.

He nodded, smiling down, a tender look in his eyes. “I can send Theresa out with Payton for a spa day. We can have Ser and Cyclone all to ourselves.”

I wrapped both my hands in his shirt at that suggestion.

“Thank you.”

He bent down, his lips touching mine, and he whispered back, “I love you.”

A full body tingle went through my body. All my nerve endings felt caressed, and my body melted into his. That was still happening at hearing those words, and I said them back, meaning them with every cell in my body. “I love you, too.”

Kash picked me up and took me right to bed.

We didn’t finish the rest of our drinks.





SEVEN


Melissa and Liam were waiting to greet me the next morning.

Liam looked like he was sleeping standing up. Melissa was bouncing up and down on the backs of her heels, her book bag clasped in front of her chest. Fitz opened the door for me this time. Erik was still with me, just assigned to the car. Kash asked if I wanted a new guard. I knew I should say yes, but my gut was saying to wait and hold off, so that’s what I told him. He was fine with it, and now I had Fitz dodging me in the hallways. He was tall, too, but a bit lankier than Erik. He also had dark hair combed to the side, jeans, a hoodie to fit in, and a backpack like the other students’.

However, when he led first into the building, a few students were ahead of me, and he held the door open for all of them. Melissa’s eyes were glued to him. Hearts were forming in her head and I swear I could see red and pink glitter bursting out of the top of her skull.

She was in love. So in love that when I approached, her hand clamped onto my arm and she breathed out, her eyes huge. “Who is that dreamboat?”

Liam’s eyes opened—so he wasn’t sleeping, just stoned—and he looked around me, then grinned. “That’s Bailey’s security guard.”

Screech! Everything ground to a halt.

“Why would you say that?” That came out in a half whisper, half squeak from me, as Melissa’s eyes just got bigger, if that was possible.

She squealed, “Really?”

Another burst of bouncing from her.

My gaze was glued to Liam. “What makes you think that?”

Liam barely blinked, that half grin still plastered on his face. “Because the guy’s got a gun strapped to his hip. His shirt lifted up when he pulled his bag on him, and no guy has to pull their bag on them. You’re a student, graduate or undergrad. You throw that shit on like it’s a part of your skin. The bag’s not a part of his skin. He forgot to be chill, and his gun showed. Then you walked in and he got all alert-like before remembering his cover, and now he’s pretending he’s not listening to us, but he’s totally listening to us.” He lifted his chin up in a nod and raised a finger in the air, a half-cool salute to Fitz. “What’s up, dude?”

Fitz was trying to keep with his disguise, leaning back against the wall, a foot crossed over the other and his phone out in front of him. But he was waiting for me; his gaze was on me.

I debated …

Then Melissa breathed out, “You mean he heard me this entire time?”

I turned to Fitz. “The jig is up. They’re onto us.”

He sighed, straightening from the wall, and walked over to us. “Had a lot of eyes on me yesterday. Erik, too.”

“Erik.” Another breath whispered from Melissa. “He’s yummy, too.”

My eyes narrowed. This girl was boy crazy.

Liam’s grin just turned lazier, if that was possible. “Girl. We’re IT. Not a lot of newbies that look like your boys in here that haven’t already been around for the last few years, if you get my drift. They know me, and I’m the closest-looking dude like your dudes.”

I grimaced. “We’re first-year grad students.”

“We’re IT.” Liam said it like it made perfect sense.