Afterglow: A Brother's Best Friend Romance, page 16
“Like I told you on the phone, I don’t want to live my life in fear. We used to do weekly lunches, and it’s time for us to start that again. Besides, I start school next week, which will make things a challenge. I don’t want our friendship to fade because of my crazy life.”
She rolls her eyes, and I chuckle.
“Good thing Briana isn’t here. She’d spank you good for rolling your eyes,” I whisper as I lean across the table.
Caidance laughs. “You’re not wrong, but you know I like it.” She winks. “How have you been?”
“Besides my crazy ex, who surprisingly has fallen off the face of the earth, really good,” I say. “I’m happier than I’ve ever been.”
Caidance claps, her face lit up with pure joy.
“I’m so happy for you. You’re literally glowing right now. You never looked like this with Leo. It was like you were settling with him.” This is not the first time she’s told me this.
“I didn’t want to hear that while I was dating him, but I agree now. I never felt this way about Leo. I love Dax.”
Caidance’s eyes go wide, and she gasps.
“Holy shit. I can’t believe this is happening. Have you told him yet?”
“Not yet. It still feels too soon. What if he heads for the hills if I say it now?”
She shakes her head. “I highly doubt that will happen, but I get your concerns. It would be nice if he said it first.”
A waitress comes to take our order, and I notice Nixon keeps looking at a table to our right.
“Something wrong?” I nudge him with my elbow.
“The woman at that table keeps watching you. I also think she’s recording you.”
My eyebrows shoot up, and I try to get a better look, but Nixon pushes me back.
“Don’t draw attention. I’m trying to get her picture. If she realizes we’re on to her, she’ll bolt before I can do that,” he instructs.
I want to argue with him, but Caidance reaches across the table and grabs my hand.
“Listen to him. Your boyfriend is paying him big bucks to keep you safe.”
I blow out a breath and nod. “Fine,” I murmur, trying to relax, but of course, that is hard to do now that I think someone is watching me.
“She’s gone,” Nixon tells us after a few minutes, and it’s like a weight is lifted off my shoulders.
I was never able to get a look at her, but Nixon places his phone on the table and slides it over to me.
“Does she look familiar to you?”
I stare at the woman I met at Afterglow the night after the Shibari class.
“That’s Dax’s ex-sub.” He takes his phone back and starts typing away.
“Why would his ex-sub be recording you?” Caidance asks.
“She looked jealous when Dax told her that we are monogamous. She wanted more from him, but he wouldn’t give it to her, and now he’s giving it to me.”
“Do you think it’s possible she was the one to break protocol and record you at Afterglow?” Caidance asks, and Nixon looks up from his phone.
“I was thinking the same thing,” he says. “I’m going to reach out to the club owner. Do you know her name?”
“Not a last name, but she introduced herself as Noelle,” I tell him. He nods again and turns his attention to his phone.
“So maybe Leo had nothing to do with that, but that doesn’t explain the flowers,” I muse out loud. “Noelle wouldn’t know those were my favorite, and sending them wouldn’t make sense if she just wants Dax to herself. I mean, the text did say for us to break up.”
“But how did she send the message from a number no one can trace? That seems like something that would have to be thought out, not just a jealous ex wanting something she can’t have,” Caidance adds.
“I suddenly don’t feel hungry anymore,” I whisper.
“Let’s get it to go,” she suggests, and I nod as my stomach turns.
“We should be careful as we head back to the car,” Nixon tells me. “I just don’t want to take any chances, so stay close.”
Once we flag down our waitress to get our orders to go, we wait anxiously.
“I’m sorry this is happening,” I say to Caidance.
“This isn’t your fault. And it’s not canceling our hang-out time. It’s just changing the location.”
I nod, but it doesn’t feel like that. I’m the reason all of this is happening, and I’m not the only one affected anymore.
The conversation goes quiet as I try to figure out what to do. Would breaking up with Dax help solve any of these problems? Noelle would back off, at least.
“Whatever you’re thinking, stop it,” Caidance says, giving me a knowing look.
“I’m not thinking about anything,” I lie, but she sees through it.
“Breaking up with Dax isn’t going to fix anything. I promise. You need him right now, and besides, I doubt he’ll let you go.” She smirks, and I roll my eyes in response.
Fuck her for being right all the time.
Her phone rings, and she answers as our waitress brings over our to-go boxes.
“I’m sorry, hun, I’ve got to go home,” she whines after she hangs up. “I just got a call from our contractor that they are coming over to get started on our pool.”
I smile and stand to hug her.
“It’s okay. You’ve been looking forward to that for almost a year now. I’m glad they are starting early.”
“You make sure she gets home safe,” Caidance tells Nixon.
He nods. “It’s my job,” he replies before she rushes off.
Noelle didn’t pop out at the bistro, and no one followed us. Not that I thought that would happen, but I’m obviously a little paranoid now. And thankfully, the drive to the apartment is uneventful.
“Would you mind if I stayed until Dax gets home?” Nixon asks.
I raise a brow at him. “Why would you need to do that?”
“I let Dax know what was going on, and he asked me to stay. I like to get permission from the person I’m guarding, but in the end, I have to stay.”
I sigh but nod as he parks the car.
“Stay close,” he says as he places his hand on the small of my back.
“What’s going on?”
“I’ll tell you when we’re in the apartment.” He pulls out his gun, and my brows shoot up.
What the fuck is happening?
I don’t say anything, but I walk hurriedly with Nixon to the elevator, rushing to put my code in.
“Okay, what the hell was that?” I question once the door is shut and we are on our way up.
“There was a vehicle that has never been in the parking garage before,” he informs me, and my stomach knots.
“Was it a black Mercedes?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “If it were Leo’s car, I wouldn’t have let you out. But I wanted to play it smart. He could be using another vehicle so we don’t catch on. It’s my job to be hyperaware of everything. That’s why I noticed the out-of-place car.”
My head hurts with all the information, so I nod instead of verbally responding.
“Could you please check out the black Land Rover in the parking garage,” Nixon says into his phone when we enter the apartment.
“I’m going to take a nap,” I tell him and head to the bedroom.
“Are you okay?” Dax whispers as my eyes flutter open.
He’s lying next to me on the bed, stroking my hair.
How long did I nap?
I stretch my hands above my head as I try to fully wake up.
“I think so,” I murmur. “What time is it?”
“Six. I tried to get off early, but work was crazy.”
I sit up, and a giant yawn slips past my lips. “It’s okay. I just can’t believe I napped for four hours. I’m never going to sleep tonight.”
“Well, good thing it’s Friday, and I don’t work tomorrow, so I can spend all night trying to tire you out.” He winks, making me giggle.
“That’s one way to get my mind off the shit show that is my life,” I mutter.
Dax gently grips my chin, forcing me to look into his eyes.
“Your life is not a shit show, and I’m sorry that this is happening. With Noelle being involved, I feel personally responsible for this.”
“You can’t control what your crazy ex does.” He lifts a brow at me, and I sigh. “Just like I can’t control what Leo does,” I grumble. He chuckles and leans down to kiss me. “Are there any leads on anything?”
“The club can’t confirm that Noelle took the pictures. They went over the cameras several times, and Noelle is in the room, but the way she is standing, they can’t see if she’s holding anything. How she knew how to do that I’ll never know.”
“What about the Land Rover?”
“They don’t know who it belongs to. The person driving was wearing a hat and sunglasses. The video is so distorted they can’t tell if it was a man or a woman. There was a cover on the license plate, so it didn’t show up on the camera. The code used to get in belongs to Mrs. Manna, the ninety-year-old lady who lives a few floors below us. She has no idea how someone stole her code. They’ve changed it and have issued us an apology, but seeing as nothing happened, they won’t be upping security.” Dax huffs out, clearly frustrated.
“Why don’t we order takeout and watch some movies?” I suggest.
He nods with a small smile. “After that, I’ll tie you to this bed and fuck you raw.”
That sounds amazing.
Chapter 21
Izzy
“How was your first week of school?” Mom asks. I light up inside with excitement.
The week flew by, and we’ve had no incidents since we saw Noelle at the bistro. Dax won’t allow us let our guard down, but I hate always looking over my shoulder. It’s getting tiring.
“Great,” I say. “I can’t wait until we get to start working in the field. You know me, I’m more of a hands-on person. I’m sure these three years are going to fly by.”
Mom presses her lips together, stealing some of the joy I was feeling. “Are you sure you need to spend all that time going to school? Don’t you think you should start thinking about starting a family?”
I can’t help but sigh, feeling deflated. We’ve had this conversation so many times I’m done with it already.
“Izzy is going to make a fantastic occupational therapist,” Dax says, standing up for me. “She’s still very young. There is a lot of time for her to have a family. Most women these days don’t have babies until they’re in their thirties. Izzy isn’t anywhere near that age. Aren’t you proud of her for following her passion and wanting to help children?”
If I thought I loved him before, this solidified it.
“Of course, we are proud of her.” Mom scoffs and places her hand on her chest, acting mortified that Dax would suggest otherwise.
“Well, then, support her in the decisions she’s making. She isn’t a child anymore. She deserves to be treated exactly how you treat her brothers.”
My mom gasps, and Dad reaches his hand around her, squeezing her shoulder.
“You’re right, Dax,” Dad says, and both Mom and I stare at him with wide eyes. “Isabella, you’ve always been the baby of the family, but you’re all grown up now, and we should treat you as such. We’re extremely proud of you for following your heart. You’re going to make a fantastic occupational therapist.”
“Thanks, Daddy,” I whisper, tears welling in my eyes, and Dax squeezes my knee under the table.
“Okay, if we’re done telling Izzy how proud we are of her, can we talk about how hot Nixon is?” Marcus breaks the tension, and we all laugh.
We invited Nixon in with us, but he refused, not wanting to crash our family dinner, so he’s sitting outside in the car.
“Isn’t he a little old for you?” Mom says.
“Dax is eight years older than Izzy,” he argues, and I giggle.
“I’m pretty sure Nixon is in his forties,” I add, but that doesn’t faze Marcus.
“I like older men. Maybe he’ll let me call him Daddy,” he jokes, his eyes shimmering with mischievousness.
“I actually think they’d be a good fit,” Dax whispers in my ear, and I nod.
I’m not sure if my brother is into kink. Honestly, I pray I never know. We do know, however, that Nixon is a brat tamer. Marcus has brat written all over him, and I could see Nixon enjoying putting him in line.
Once dinner is over, Mom pulls me to the side before I can bolt. It’s not that I don’t want to talk to my mom, it is just that this conversation is probably going to be awkward as hell. Why is no one saving me from this?
“I’m sorry,” she says, shocking me a little, but she’s apologized before and still nothing changes.
It’s time for us to have a long-overdue talk. I take a deep breath, trying to figure out what I want to say.
“I know you love me, Mom, but you have to stop pushing your choices on me. I need you to understand I am my own person. I’m not making reckless decisions here. Just because I’m living a life different from the one you dreamed of doesn’t mean I’m a failure.” I pause, wondering if I’m going too far.
“You’re right,” she admits. “You’re my baby girl. I guess I was clinging to this vision I made up in my head, but that isn’t fair. I’m proud of the woman you’ve become, Izzy. I’m sorry if I don’t act like it. I promise I’m going to do better in the future. I’m going to work on letting my own fantasy go and allow you to live the life you are more than capable of living.” She wraps her arms around me and pulls me in for a perfect hug.
“I love you, Mom,” I whisper.
She nods, pulling away to stare into my eyes, her hands resting on my shoulders.
“And I love you too, baby girl.”
My heart bubbles with love and joy, ecstatic we were able to have this moment.
The thing is, I’m not sure it ever would have happened without Dax. I’ve never been the best at standing up for myself. I’d probably have let my mother continue to push her agenda and let it eat away at me. But Dax spoke up for me and gave me the strength to say the words I had left unspoken for far too long.
“Your bodyguard is hot,” Rachel, a transfer student, states.
“He’s also gay.” I giggle.
“Of course he is.” She sighs.
Rachel has made being at school fun. Her energy is contagious, and I can’t wait until Friday for a girls’ night so I can introduce her to Caidance. I’m certain they will be fast friends.
“Oh, I almost forgot, some chick gave this to me to give to you.” She reaches into her bag and pulls out an envelope with my name on it.
Curiosity takes over me, and I open it without a care. However, I immediately regret that decision. As my eyes roam over the piece of paper in my hand, the air is pulled from my lungs, and my heart starts to race. Phones begin to ring in the room, but it’s almost as if I’m hearing underwater.
“What is it?” Rachel asks, but I can’t talk.
Nixon is instantly by my side, concern written all over his face as he glances at the paper in my hand.
“Who gave this to you?” he barks at Rachel.
They talk, but I don’t make out the words. Instead, I’m reading the four words written on the page over and over again.
You should have listened. That’s all they wrote, but there is a picture taped to the top. It’s a still of me from a video I made with Leo.
My head spins as whispering from people around me fills the room. All eyes are on me. Why is everyone staring at me?
I hastily grab my phone, which went off at the same time as everyone else’s, and bile rises in my throat as the video plays.
Rushing to the corner of the room, where a garbage can is, I empty my guts.
“Everyone shut your phones off now,” Nixon yells as I throw up.
“Isabella,” my teacher whispers while I’m hunched over, clutching my stomach as I dry heave. “Maybe it would be best if you went home for the day.”
I hum in agreement and move to a more upright position. Nixon is already standing beside me with my bag and guides me out of the school.
“Did everyone get the same video?” I ask Nixon.
“I’m not sure how he did it or how many people got the video, but for sure, everyone in your class did,” he informs me with a sad expression. I feel like I’m going to be sick again.
Once we are in the car, I break down. Everyone in my class has now seen me naked. Nixon had them shut it off while I was there, but there isn’t anything to stop them from watching me get fucked later.
My head spins, and my heart races the fastest it ever has, my breaths coming in short pants as the world goes spotty.
“Are you okay?” Nixon asks, and I shake my head. “You need to slow your breathing, or you’re going to pass out.”
I try, but it’s like my body is fighting me.
Nixon grabs my hands, squeezing them tightly, the sensation almost grounds me, but it isn’t enough.
“In… two, three, four,” he guides me. I listen to his words, slowly sucking in a deep breath. “Good,” he says, squeezing my fingers. “Out… two, three, four.”
I exhale my breath, and we do that for a few minutes before I finally feel calm.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
“I hate hospitals, so it was purely selfish reasons that I helped,” he jokes, bringing a small smile to my lips.
After letting Dax know what’s going on, Nixon takes me to the office of his security company instead of home. He wants to figure out what exactly happened today, and so do I.
I’m sitting on a comfy couch in Nixon’s office, reading a gay detective romance when Dax shows up.
“You’re supposed to be at work,” I say.
“Do you really think I wasn’t going to show up?” I shake my head. “What have you found?” he asks, turning his attention to Nixon.
“Somehow, Leo was able to send the text to the entire school,” Nixon informs him, making me want to cry again.
