Needing Arella (Rockers' Legacy Book 6)

Mia: You okay?

I shot back a quick “Fine, talk later” reply and shoved the phone against his chest. “If I wanted an entourage of security, I would have told my sister, and Braxton would have taken care of it for me.”

“Then why the fuck haven’t you?” he demanded angrily.

“Because I don’t want my parents to stress over this!” I exploded. “It’s just some dumbass trying to freak me out. Which, I admit, I was. But now, I’m just pissed off.”

His phone rang, but he tossed it onto the couch across the room and cupped my face in his hands. “Baby, you are getting security.”

“No, I’m not.” I pushed his hands away and focused on Cathryn, who was watching us like we were her new favorite soap opera. “When will Detective Kirtner get here?”

“He’s on his way, doll. Shouldn’t be too long.” She got a text and picked up her phone to answer it.

“Arella, listen to me,” Jordan caught my wrist in his hand and tugged me around to face him once again. His eyes looked wild, his chest heaving, and I hated how much it affected me. How much I wanted to press up against him and feel his hardness as I gave him another reason to look so exerted. “If this guy gets within a mile of you again, I’m going to kill him. You need security, if for no other reason than so I don’t lose my fucking mind.”

“I said no.”

“Your parents don’t have to know. I’ll talk to Mia. We’ll do it all discreetly. No one but us, her, and Barrick have to know.” When I just shook my head, he jerked me against him. My free hand pressed against his chest to steady myself, and I felt how hard his heart was pounding. “Please, baby. I’ll take care of everything. Drake and Lana won’t be aware of anything.”

“No,” I repeated. “And if you can’t respect that, there’s the door.”

“You goddamn stubborn girl,” he growled. Releasing me, he took two steps back before raking his fingers through his hair once again. He inhaled deeply and slowly released it, as if trying to calm himself down, but it didn’t seem to work, so he did it again. “Fine. You don’t want security, then be prepared to have me shadowing you day and night. Twenty-four seven.”

I snorted out a laugh. “Yeah, okay.”

His dark eyes narrowed. “Why the skepticism?”

“You’ll be back in Italy no later than next week,” I reminded him.

Jordan shook his head. “I’m home full time now.”

“Really?” I felt my cheeks begin to warm at how happy his affirmative nod made me, and I quickly came up with another reason why the thought of this guy spouting nonsense about being my constant shadow was ridiculous. Really, there were hundreds, but as I stood there staring up at him, not a single one of them came to mind.

“So, you’re going to stay at my apartment with me?” I threw at him instead. “I don’t have a spare bedroom, and my couch is too hard to sleep on.” He’d complained about how uncomfortable it was every time he’d come to my place. Which, admittedly, wasn’t all that many times, but every single time, he’d had some wisecrack to make about my adorable—albeit more for decoration than comfort—couch.

He cocked his head to the side, gazing at me long and hard before grinning. The wicked hunger I saw deep in his eyes made me burn as his voice caressed my entire body. “Baby, if you think I’m not sleeping right beside you so I know you’re safe, you’re out of your mind.”

Nine

Jordan

My girl stared up at me with shock and need in her pretty blue-gray eyes for a long moment before smirking. “Sorry, I only sleep with guys who introduce me to their mothers.”

Jealousy struck me in the gut, and I took a step closer to her. I bet she’d met fucking Lyle’s mother. The thought pissed me off so much I wanted to punch something. “You’ve met my mom. She even went to your eighteenth birthday party.”

Her smirk disappeared, and I saw something that looked like hurt flicker across her face before she quickly hid it. “Yes, but you have never introduced us. I don’t share my bed with anyone who doesn’t think I’m good enough to meet his moth

er.”

“How many guys have shared your bed, Arella?” I gritted out. I needed to know how many, and their names, so I could fucking kill every last one of them. I would start with Lyle and work my way down the list.

Her eyes flashed fire at me. “How many girls have shared yours?” she countered.

Fuck, of course, she would turn it around on me. “Ever, or this year?”

“It’s only February, but I’m sure the number is still a high one for the year alone,” she sassed, but I saw the jealousy she wanted to hide before she lowered her lashes.

“Zero,” I informed her, and her eyes narrowed on me. “My number for the year is zero.” It was zero for the previous year as well, but she didn’t look as if she believed me for the current year, so I didn’t mention it.