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“Everything okay?” Beck asked. “You were both gone for a while.”
“Chloe has a shy bladder,” Owen told him blandly as he directed her to sit.
She stared up at him in shock. She couldn’t believe he’d just said that. Was he trying to embarrass her?
Beck groaned. “You went into the bathroom with her?”
“There could have been someone in there.” They sat on either side of her. “You shouldn’t have let her go in alone.”
Beck stared at him in surprise. “Owen. Chill. There wasn’t a reason to think she was in any danger going to the bathroom. I had eyes on her.”
“You weren’t close enough.”
“I still had to babysit Lord Fothersam.”
“She’s more important.”
Both of them gaped at Owen. But he refused to look at them. Instead, his gaze moved around the room.
Guarding her.
He wasn’t doing this to be intimidating. He was literally looking out for her.
She’s more important.
Those words ping-ponged in her head, gaining more and more momentum.
It wasn’t true.
“I’m nobody.”
She pulled in on herself. Why did she say that?
“Say that again, and we’ll do more than talk about punishment,” Owen told her darkly.
“Owen!” Beck reprimanded. “You cannot speak to her like that.”
Owen gave him a dark look which made her nervous.
“Please don’t fight.” Her voice was a wisp of a sound, but they both heard her, turning their gazes to her.
Shoot. She should have stayed quiet. She liked being in the background. But she couldn’t stand them fighting. Especially if it was because of her.
They were a team. She was just . . . white noise.
“Owen, stand by the door for a while,” Beck ordered.
She tensed, expecting Owen to argue. But to her surprise, he just reached into the bag and drew out her drink plus a bottle of water.
“Drink.” He pressed them both into her hands and moved to the doorway. The personal assistant tried to say something to him, but he barely spoke back.
The woman shot her another look. Sheesh, what did she want from her? If they weren’t interested in her, it wasn’t Chloe’s fault.
“Chloe?” Beck said quietly.
“Yes?”
“Can you look at me, please?”
She took a deep breath. She knew she needed to push her emotions deep inside her. Her Little side was just below the surface. For some reason, being around these guys brought that part of herself out. She wanted to hide behind Beck’s big body and let him protect her from the outside world. She wanted Owen to command the world to kneel at her feet, while he stood guard over her.
But she slid everything into the box inside her, locking it up tight. Then she glanced up at Beck.
“Yes?”
Something filled his face. Concern? Pity? Understanding?
“I’m going to tell Judd to pull Owen off your guard detail, all right?”
She blinked, unable to stop her confusion from shining through. “Why?”
It was his turn to look dumbfounded. “Uh, because he’s being inappropriate. Right?”
“Oh.” She should agree with him. Tell him that yes, Owen was being horribly inappropriate. But that would mean he’d be pulled away from her.
It would be a good thing, Chloe.
He must have taken her silence for agreement because he nodded. “Consider it done. If you have any complaints that you wish to make—”
“I don’t,” she said hastily. The last thing she wanted was to get Owen in trouble.
Because he wasn’t the only one being inappropriate. She became aware of the drinks in her hand. He’d gotten them for her. She was certain of that.
She took several sips of water. She really was dehydrated. When she lowered her bottle, she became aware of his stare. Glancing up at him, she received a nod of approval.
The flush of happiness that filled her was bizarre and unwelcome.
Yeah, you keep telling yourself that.
Shit. Was he going to be angry with her? Was he going to think that she’d told Beck he was being inappropriate?
She opened her mouth to take the words back. But before she could say anything, the door to the back office opened and Jonathan stepped out. He was all smiles.
Something had gone right. The knot in her stomach eased.
“Chloe?”
“Yes.” She jumped to her feet. Too late, she realized she should have moved slower as the world spun. Beck stood and grabbed hold of her arm. She was too busy trying not to vomit to pull away from him.
“You okay?”
“Is everything all right?” Jonathan asked. There was a sharp note to his voice. Shoot.
When she was confident that she wasn’t about to pass out or vomit, she glanced up to find his gaze on the spot where Beck had a hold on her. Jonathan’s hand started twitching. She noticed his gaze turn disapproving as he looked at her.
Shoot. She hadn’t had a chance to tidy herself up in the bathroom. Was her hair out of place? How was her make-up?
Panic started to well.
“Are you all right, my dear?” he asked, sounding all concerned.
