Billionaire Bodyguard
Page 22
He wondered who Allison would turn to in Denver if she had a problem. Obviously, it wasn’t him. The answer stared him in the face, in the form of Devon’s empty seat. Devon wouldn’t side against him.
Would she?
A muscle ticked in his jaw. He grabbed his coat, yanked out his car keys then hit speed-dial on his phone.
Only one way to find out .
*
“One night, Devon. That’s all I’m asking.” Allison tried not to sound desperate.
She hated turning to anyone for help. However, she needed a safe place to mull over recent experiences—not alone in her apartment. Right now she didn’t know which way was up, or how to find the light at the end of this dark tunnel.
“I’m not ready to face Logan yet.” Or what will happen when he changes his mind about me . Her ex-husband had driven it into her like a stake through her chest that no man could tolerate her, except him.
Devon sighed. “I’m not good at playing the go-between. I have too much of an opinion.”
“I respect that,” Allison said. “I’m not trying to put a wedge between you and Logan. I just need time.”
“How much time?” Devon asked as she poured herself a glass of red wine.
“Until I have it figured out.”
“That may not happen.”
“I’ll be closer to the answer tomorrow.” She needed a buffer between Logan’s strong-willed personality and her own uncertain stance. Why couldn’t he be a jerk, denied paternity and left her free and clear?
The warm white furball that was Devon’s little Yorkie put its head on Allison’s lap, staring up at her with big, dark, soulful eyes. He nudged her hand with his wet nose, then dozed blissfully as she petted him. “See? Peanut believes me.”
“Peanut’s loyalty lies with whoever has bacon or pets him.” Devon’s cell phone buzzed across her kitchen counter like a Mexican jumping bean. “It’s Logan again.”
“Don’t answer it.”
“I have to before he wears out my charge. You know how stubborn he is.”
“I’m well aware,” Allison said wearily.
“Then own up to it and make your own demands. He doesn’t have to call all the shots.”
“He can’t help himself.”
“If you don’t talk to him, nothing will be solved.”
Allison clenched her hands in the fleece. “Fine, give me the phone.”
Devon tossed it to her like a hot potato. The second it buzzed in her hand, Allison flinched. Hesitantly, she answered. “Hello.”
“Do you have any idea how worried I am about you?” Logan stormed out of the gate. “Where have you been?”
“I’m hanging in there, thanks for asking.” Disdain dripped from her tone. “It’s nice to hear from you, too.”
“You and I need to have a conversation. Now.”
“I don’t take well to commands,” she replied crisply.
“It’s a lot better than what’s coming.”
Rising stomach acid left a sting in her throat. “Don’t threaten me.”
“I meant I’m a better alternative than your ex-husband.”
“Sure you did.”
“Allison.” He exhaled. “Don’t you know by now I’m on your side?”
“That remains to be seen.” Didn’t he understand by now she failed at relationships?
“What the hell do you want from me?”
“Space. Time. Sorry, is that too much to ask?”
“You’ve had twenty-four hours to process this pregnancy bombshell, and you’re running scared. I’ve had two hours and I’m totally fine with it.”
“You’re special. Congratulations.”
He ignored the sarcasm. “Give me a chance, Allison. We can make this work.”
Tears collected behind her eyes. “How?”
“That’s what we have the next nine months to figure out.” A smile tinted his words. She didn’t share his amusement. Then he added, “Trust me.”
The absolute wrong thing to say. Her defenses shot up, a storm gathering inside her. “Trust you? After you sided with Rick against me? You threw me under the bus, Logan. Like you did last night.” She swallowed hard. “You didn’t even talk to me before you took a Rototiller to my past and dragged out the skeletal remains of my marriage. It never occurred to you to ask?”
“Any time I did, you shut me out.” Logan’s temper was rising. “I made a mistake. I didn’t know the whole story.”
He had a point. She was good at shutting down when a man came too close or meant too much. Her defenses didn’t care to debate the issue. “When I decide to trust someone, I’ll know that trust isn’t conditional.”
After a pause, Logan stated softly, “Stick around, and I’ll prove it to you.”
“We’ll see.”
He scoffed with disbelief. “So you won’t talk to me. You won’t give me a chance to figure things out with you.”
“Tonight? No.” Dead silence met her statement. The pause lengthened to the point of uncomfortable. “Logan?”
“Oh, I’m here.” He was not happy. “You know what? You go ahead. Take all the time in the world. I’ll just do what I have to do.”
“What does that mean—?”
Click . Dial tone.
Allison stared at the phone, then at Devon. “He hung up on me.”
Devon released a dramatic sigh. “I admit it’s frustrating to sit on the sidelines watching the game being played all wrong. On the other hand, people have to figure the rules out for themselves.
Allison nodded. “Thank you.”
Devon pushed away from her kitchen counter. “Now what? We sit around shoving our faces with popcorn and watching chick flicks all night?”
Nerves relaxing, Allison gave a cheeky grin. “Sounds perfect.”
Rolling her eyes, Devon set her wine on the coffee table and plopped down on the couch. “Can’t I sell you on an intergalactic space battle?”
“Nope.”
“What about a good down and dirty thriller?”
Allison cringed. “No way.”
“Chick flicks it is.” Devon grabbed the remote. A wink ruined her scowl. “The things I do for friends.”
*
The next morning, Allison shut her car door and stood before her apartment building. The pale November sunrise leaked through the clouds like puss from a bruise. A shaky feeling started in her gut and radiated to every limb. She shivered uncontrollably.
Would she?
A muscle ticked in his jaw. He grabbed his coat, yanked out his car keys then hit speed-dial on his phone.
Only one way to find out .
*
“One night, Devon. That’s all I’m asking.” Allison tried not to sound desperate.
She hated turning to anyone for help. However, she needed a safe place to mull over recent experiences—not alone in her apartment. Right now she didn’t know which way was up, or how to find the light at the end of this dark tunnel.
“I’m not ready to face Logan yet.” Or what will happen when he changes his mind about me . Her ex-husband had driven it into her like a stake through her chest that no man could tolerate her, except him.
Devon sighed. “I’m not good at playing the go-between. I have too much of an opinion.”
“I respect that,” Allison said. “I’m not trying to put a wedge between you and Logan. I just need time.”
“How much time?” Devon asked as she poured herself a glass of red wine.
“Until I have it figured out.”
“That may not happen.”
“I’ll be closer to the answer tomorrow.” She needed a buffer between Logan’s strong-willed personality and her own uncertain stance. Why couldn’t he be a jerk, denied paternity and left her free and clear?
The warm white furball that was Devon’s little Yorkie put its head on Allison’s lap, staring up at her with big, dark, soulful eyes. He nudged her hand with his wet nose, then dozed blissfully as she petted him. “See? Peanut believes me.”
“Peanut’s loyalty lies with whoever has bacon or pets him.” Devon’s cell phone buzzed across her kitchen counter like a Mexican jumping bean. “It’s Logan again.”
“Don’t answer it.”
“I have to before he wears out my charge. You know how stubborn he is.”
“I’m well aware,” Allison said wearily.
“Then own up to it and make your own demands. He doesn’t have to call all the shots.”
“He can’t help himself.”
“If you don’t talk to him, nothing will be solved.”
Allison clenched her hands in the fleece. “Fine, give me the phone.”
Devon tossed it to her like a hot potato. The second it buzzed in her hand, Allison flinched. Hesitantly, she answered. “Hello.”
“Do you have any idea how worried I am about you?” Logan stormed out of the gate. “Where have you been?”
“I’m hanging in there, thanks for asking.” Disdain dripped from her tone. “It’s nice to hear from you, too.”
“You and I need to have a conversation. Now.”
“I don’t take well to commands,” she replied crisply.
“It’s a lot better than what’s coming.”
Rising stomach acid left a sting in her throat. “Don’t threaten me.”
“I meant I’m a better alternative than your ex-husband.”
“Sure you did.”
“Allison.” He exhaled. “Don’t you know by now I’m on your side?”
“That remains to be seen.” Didn’t he understand by now she failed at relationships?
“What the hell do you want from me?”
“Space. Time. Sorry, is that too much to ask?”
“You’ve had twenty-four hours to process this pregnancy bombshell, and you’re running scared. I’ve had two hours and I’m totally fine with it.”
“You’re special. Congratulations.”
He ignored the sarcasm. “Give me a chance, Allison. We can make this work.”
Tears collected behind her eyes. “How?”
“That’s what we have the next nine months to figure out.” A smile tinted his words. She didn’t share his amusement. Then he added, “Trust me.”
The absolute wrong thing to say. Her defenses shot up, a storm gathering inside her. “Trust you? After you sided with Rick against me? You threw me under the bus, Logan. Like you did last night.” She swallowed hard. “You didn’t even talk to me before you took a Rototiller to my past and dragged out the skeletal remains of my marriage. It never occurred to you to ask?”
“Any time I did, you shut me out.” Logan’s temper was rising. “I made a mistake. I didn’t know the whole story.”
He had a point. She was good at shutting down when a man came too close or meant too much. Her defenses didn’t care to debate the issue. “When I decide to trust someone, I’ll know that trust isn’t conditional.”
After a pause, Logan stated softly, “Stick around, and I’ll prove it to you.”
“We’ll see.”
He scoffed with disbelief. “So you won’t talk to me. You won’t give me a chance to figure things out with you.”
“Tonight? No.” Dead silence met her statement. The pause lengthened to the point of uncomfortable. “Logan?”
“Oh, I’m here.” He was not happy. “You know what? You go ahead. Take all the time in the world. I’ll just do what I have to do.”
“What does that mean—?”
Click . Dial tone.
Allison stared at the phone, then at Devon. “He hung up on me.”
Devon released a dramatic sigh. “I admit it’s frustrating to sit on the sidelines watching the game being played all wrong. On the other hand, people have to figure the rules out for themselves.
Allison nodded. “Thank you.”
Devon pushed away from her kitchen counter. “Now what? We sit around shoving our faces with popcorn and watching chick flicks all night?”
Nerves relaxing, Allison gave a cheeky grin. “Sounds perfect.”
Rolling her eyes, Devon set her wine on the coffee table and plopped down on the couch. “Can’t I sell you on an intergalactic space battle?”
“Nope.”
“What about a good down and dirty thriller?”
Allison cringed. “No way.”
“Chick flicks it is.” Devon grabbed the remote. A wink ruined her scowl. “The things I do for friends.”
*
The next morning, Allison shut her car door and stood before her apartment building. The pale November sunrise leaked through the clouds like puss from a bruise. A shaky feeling started in her gut and radiated to every limb. She shivered uncontrollably.
