I have to admit—they’re totally my style. A little funky and bohemian. Puffed silver squares with scrolled etchings in the metal that hang from a simple hook. I pick them up, surprised at how incredibly light they are.
“Put them in,” Kynan orders me. “And only take them out to sleep. Otherwise, they stay in at all times.”
“Why?” I put them on the counter for a moment so I can remove the tiny gold hoops in my ears.
“Bebe fit them with a tracking device.”
“Why would you need to track me?” I ask as I put the first one in.
Kynan’s eyes turn cold and hard. “God help me. I don’t even want to imagine it, but if for some reason that bastard was able to get his hands on you, I wanted a tertiary plan to be able to find you.”
“Tertiary? That’s the third plan. What’s the first and second?” The other earring slides right in. They’re so light I can’t feel them, and I’m immediately impressed with the technology.
“First is he doesn’t get his hands on you,” Kynan growls before pulling another small box from the package. “If he does manage to get past me, I’ve got trackers for your phone and for the inside lining of your purse. This guy is smart, though, and I imagine he wouldn’t let you keep those for long.”
And it suddenly hits me. While I trust Kynan implicitly, it’s become clear he’s not infallible. If my stalker gets me, it would mean Kynan was probably… dead.
“Whoa there,” Kynan exclaims as my legs turn to jelly. He steps in to wrap his arms around my waist before I fall. “Got a little pale there, Jos.”
I put my hands on his shoulders, my voice laced with a panic I can’t seem to quell. “You’re implying if he gets me, something terrible has happened to you. I can’t live with that, Kynan.”
“Nothing’s going to happen to me, love,” he murmurs, dipping just a bit to put his face right in front of mine. “I promise.”
“Then I don’t need these backup plans, right?” The hysteria seems to be rising as this question comes out sort of like a screech.
Kynan smiles before pressing his mouth to mine. When he pulls back, he looks me right in the eye. “I am ninety-nine percent positive nothing is going to happen to me or you. But hypothetically, let’s just say I was to have a brain aneurysm at the same exact time this guy tried to make a move. In that extremely specific instance, I want a backup plan as well as a backup plan to that plan, okay?”
“It’s not funny,” I grouse, trying to push him away. “It just suddenly hit me… you’re in as much danger as I am. I mean, he could be waiting in the bushes for me and have a gun. He could shoot you or something.”
“Joslyn,” he says softly, but the soothing tone isn’t working. I feel dizzy. “Take a deep breath, love. Nice deep breath.”
I do so, letting it out slowly.
“Again,” he urges me.
My lungs expand as I draw in a breath, hold it a moment with my eyes closed, then let it out again.
When I open my eyes, Kynan’s face is all I see. It’s awash with empathy.
“I’m sorry,” I murmur. “I don’t want to be a baby about all this. I just… it never hit me that we might not win, and—”
“We’re going to bloody well win,” Kynan growls. “I swear to fuck, Joslyn. I won’t ever let anything bad happen to you.”
My breath rushes out, some I’d been holding onto deep in my chest. I manage a smile, although it doesn’t really match how I feel on the inside. I even nod in agreement, because I don’t want him worrying about me.
I let myself lean forward—fall really—into his chest, and I take comfort in the way he wraps his arms around me. In protection. “I know. I trust you.”
I revel in the security only for a moment. Truly not wanting him to worry, I pull away and give him a confident smile. “I’m going to go grab a shower before I start dinner.”
“I could join you in the shower,” he suggests with a leering grin, his hands dropping to my hips to hold me in place. “Then help you with dinner.”
I like this idea a lot. Despite knowing this man for over twelve years and being intimate with him on countless occasions, we have never taken a shower or a bath together. My smile turns brighter. “Deal. I’m just going to check my email first. I got sidetracked earlier when you insisted on reddening my ass. Mom was going to send me a recipe I want to try tonight.”
“I’ll go get the shower running,” he says, giving a light slap to said ass. “Don’t keep me waiting.”