“SHE’S ADORABLE,” Seb murmured and put his face near Indigo Grayling Rawlings, inhaling baby powder as he cuddled her. Pink beamed.
“And she has two”—Pink held her first two fingers up—“check it out, two color names to choose from.”
Seb didn’t trust himself to speak. Indigo was completely gorgeous. She had every one of Rawlings’s men wrapped around her little finger in exactly the same way as both her elder sister and her mom did. Seb felt a small movement at his feet and glanced down at the black retriever, who was sniffing at the bundle in his arms with apparent curiosity. “See, Bentley.” Seb tilted the baby so his dog could see her. “Isn’t she pretty?”
Pink’s new housekeeper patted him on the head in agreement in exactly the same way she had done all his life, before taking Tabitha’s hand and leaving the room.
He felt the other hand on his arm and jerked a little until he saw it was Rawlings looking at them both. His pale blue eyes darkened in understanding, even though Seb tried to cover his reaction. His longing for another touch.
Pink stood and reached for her daughter. “Come on, sweetie, nap time or you’ll get grouchy.” Seb felt the gentle kiss Pink dropped on his hair and watched her follow Mrs. P and Tabitha out of the study.
He turned to Rawlings. It was the first time he had seen the man in three long months. Deciding to take his new driver’s license out for a spin, Seb had driven up to the estate. Pink had visited him, but Rawlings had respected his wishes.
“He’s not here.”
Seb’s lips parted, and he sighed. Rawlings wasn’t going to run around the subject, then. It had backfired. Seb’s wonderful plan to meet Gray as an equal had been taken the wrong way, and when Rawlings had told Seb the courage it had taken Gray to come to the hospital, Seb could have cried, because he had effectively thrown it back in Gray’s face and told the stubborn man who loved him more than himself that he wasn’t needed.
A week after the shooting, the surgeons had hurriedly removed the tiny implant still embedded under Seb’s skin that he hadn’t been aware of. Rawlings had received Gray’s resignation letter but ignored it. Gray had turned up at the hospital to see his new niece when she was born but managed to do so when Seb wasn’t there.
And then this morning Seb had gotten an email from Ethan Devlin’s manager confirming that on Saturday, April 21, he would be opening for Mr. Devlin at the Philips Arena. Tickets were already completely sold out.
For the first time in three months, Seb had thought he was going to throw up. He’d stared at the email for what seemed the longest five minutes of his entire life and then replied cautiously. Ethan Devlin’s assistant—Randy—had confirmed his office had been in touch with Gray and Gray had asked that the email be forwarded directly to Seb to confirm all the details.
Which meant that somehow, even though Seb hadn’t been in touch with him, Gray must know at the very least that Seb was now very healthy and could easily cope with the concert.
Or at least Seb didn’t have any vertigo attacks anymore. Coping with the thought of singing one of his songs in front of thousands of people was making him feel decidedly nauseous. And did Gray asking Randy to speak to Seb directly mean he was letting Seb manage his own life as Seb had asked him to, or did it mean he simply wasn’t interested?
Which was why Seb was at Rawlings’s home. He felt he had one chance and one chance only.
He stared at Rawlings. “I want to employ your security company—one night only, April 21—as personal protection while I perform three of my songs.” Seb swallowed, willing Rawlings to understand everything he didn’t say. “I don’t need long-term protection, but as I hope this to be the start of a successful career, I may need you on a regular basis.”
Rawlings paused infinitesimally and then drew a large pad toward him. “Perhaps you can list your requirements, and I’ll see what I can do.”
Seb smiled. “First and most importantly, it has to be someone I can trust absolutely in my personal space. Someone who would protect me even if he thought I might hate him for doing his job.”
Diesel paused with the pen held in his hand. “I think I know just the man.”
GRAY STOOD in the wings of the stage. As soon as Rawlings had called him he had come, and fully intended on never being anywhere else. They were just doing an extra rehearsal to acclimatize Seb, and although the techs had seen Gray, he knew Seb hadn’t, not yet anyway.
He’d been stunned when Rawlings had spoken to him. Rawlings had quoted word for word Seb’s requirements, and Gray instantly agreed to take the job. He had taken various other jobs but he refused to leave the country. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Ringo, or that Seb was able to care for himself, he just wanted to be there if…when Seb needed him.
Quinn Armitage had recovered and was now facing prosecution, and Gray was thankful. Not that he cared if the man died, but he knew Seb—much as he had feigned indifference at the hospital—would be glad not to have that hanging over him.
Gray had spoken to his sister a few times. He forgave Seb as soon as he had calmed down, and he’d listened and agreed with her suggestions. Pink had insisted Seb needed time to start living his life and be allowed to grow up. If he went from being smothered by his father to being smothered by Gray’s overprotectiveness, it would come back to bite them both on the butt.
And then she’d played the best hand. Told Gray he would always wonder if Seb was with him because he was frightened of being on his own, not because he chose to spend the rest of his life with him.
Because he loved him.
Or at least she hadn’t said exactly those words, but the implication was there, and she had been right. It had killed Gray to stay away, but he needed to be sure, and so did Seb.
Gray fisted his hands, ashamed to find them jittery, and he stared out at the massive stage where Seb was singing and pausing every time the techs asked him to. He was so damn good. So beautiful, even if he had cut his hair a little, and he looked fit. Gray had never realized how much tension Seb carried around with him until he saw it gone from his face.
It was a good look.
The thought that Seb didn’t need Gray anymore nearly had him running from the stage, but then that was what Pink had meant, and Seb’s list to Rawlings had been pretty specific. There was only one man who would protect him like that, and Gray prayed that was what Seb had meant.
Rig stood up and caught sight of Gray. He paused and grinned, and Seb immediately whipped his head around to see what Rig had heard.
One of the researchers from the company that bought out Armitage’s was desperate for Seb to try some new hearing aids. But according to Pink, Seb declined for the present and said he had everything he needed, or almost everything; she had repeated the last words to Gray with an arched brow. Gray knew Seb hadn’t told anyone about his ability to hear at incredible distances or different frequencies, and neither would Gray or Rawlings. Seb just wanted to sing, and Gray wanted to make that happen. It wouldn’t be easy. He knew the record company had wanted to photoshop out the scar on Seb’s face when they took the photographs for the new single, but Seb refused.
Seb’s eyes widened when he saw him, and Gray stared into the warm green depths. Suddenly he couldn’t stand another second of being apart, and even if the first step toward Seb was so fucking hard, the way Seb ran to meet him made every other one worth it. Seb jumped as soon as they were within touching distance, and Gray opened his arms and caught him reflexively.
“Gray….” Seb’s words were garbled, his breath hitching, his face wet against Gray’s neck. Gray closed his eyes and opened his heart.
“You’re here,” Seb whispered.
“You look amazing,” Gray said when Seb lifted his head to look at him.
“I wasn’t sure you’d come.”
Gray huffed. “As if I’d leave this job to anyone else. No,” he said before Seb could respond. “Actually I do trust Ringo, Diesel, or Mac, but I couldn’t stand another second of being away from you.”
Seb beamed. “I know Pink will have kept you up-to-date on everything.”
Gray hesitated, not sure what he should admit to.
Seb bit his lip. “I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have to apologize for anything,” Gray said quickly. “It killed me not to be here for every rehearsal for no other reason than I like to hear you sing.”
“I had a lot of things to prove to myself. That if you were with me, it was because you wanted to be, not because you felt like I couldn’t live without you.”
“Why?” Gray’s voice sounded raw even to him. “I can’t be without you, so why would I not want you to feel the same?”
SEB SHOOK his head at the pain in Gray’s eyes. He hadn’t meant that. He hadn’t meant that at all.
Gray cupped his chin. “I love you. I know you can live without me, but I can’t live without you, so can this experiment be over now please, and can we just go home to that fancy new apartment you’ve bought?”
Seb laughed and stopped because if he wasn’t careful he would be crying. “I don’t need a bodyguard.” The words were confident but contained a question even then.
“Good,” Gray said. “Because you aren’t a job for me. You’re my life.”
It had been exactly the answer he was looking for.