"When we get off the plane, Stewie will be waiting for us with a limo. He'll be disapproving and standoffish—he always is when I make his life more difficult. Sometimes he's a downright ass, but he means well. You'll meet Rudy and Nathan. Nathan will be next to you at all times from now on." My eyes widened drastically. "He's your bodyguard."
"I don't—" I could feel the pressure of the plane descending quickly and reached out to grab his other hand.
"You will not argue with me about your safety, Morgan. I'll listen to you about everything else, I swear, but not about your safety. Nathan is Rudy's younger brother. He's a nice guy, but he's really quiet and shy. I'm not even sure he's ever had a girlfriend. He's almost as loyal as Rudy, so I know I won't have to worry about you when he's around. My driver—we call him Nacho." As the plane touched down, I relaxed a little, letting loose of the death grip I'd had on Sean.
I raised an eyebrow. "Nacho?"
He shook his head, smiling. "I'll tell you about that another time. He's also trained as a bodyguard, but he rarely sees any action. Stewie's also trained, but I know you saw that firsthand."
I thought back to the night at the club. "Alvin," I said, remembering out loud the reason I got to see Stewie's training. "He was so quick, and Alvin was bigger than him. It was impressive."
"I'm surprised you weren't too drunk to remember." The disapproval in his voice was clear as the plane taxied down the runway, and he stared out the window.
I tugged on his hands. "What's with the tone?"
He looked back at me and his forehead relaxed as he kissed my fingers. "I don't like hearing about Alvin."
It was possessive, but he wasn't accusing me of anything or even pointing the disapproval at me. He pressed his cheek to my hands and closed his eyes, looking annoyed.
I put my palms to his cheeks and lifted his face until he looked at me again. "He didn't like hearing about you, either. And he really didn't like the look on my face when Stewie was talking about prom girl."
The way his eyes warmed up and the affectionate expression on his face completely thrilled me. To have that effect on him was so unbelievable. I thought back to his comment about Stewie being trained. "Do all your guys go for training as a bodyguard?" He nodded and pulled out his cell phone, still holding my hand with one of his. I thought about what Stewie told me about them. "Stewie said they're all your friends. It sounds like a lot to go through to be friends with you. You must be a pretty likable guy."
He nodded and replied, but it was an absent-minded response. Something on his phone was distracting him. "Been friends for a long time, but training is fun. It’s usually some beers, some laughs, and a lot of teaching in my gym at home."
"Male bonding, huh?" I smiled. "The poor trainer must have fun trying to get all of you to focus."
He looked up at me, his forehead wrinkled and smiled. "I train them, love."
"You? But—"
"I've studied Martial Arts for years. It's—It helps me relax and get away from the craziness—keeps me focused."
Remembering our phone conversation, I nodded. "You told me that once. Fourth degree black belt—"
He chuckled. "No, only second degree."
"Oh, so sorry." I put my hands up dramatically and smiled. "Training since you were seven, right?"
He smiled brightly. "You were listening."
"Of course I was."
The plane stopped. "Welcome back to Los Angeles, Mr. Wilder. You and your guest are now free to move about the cabin. And your car has arrived. On behalf of the entire crew, I'd like to thank you for flying with us today."
Sean grabbed our bags and shook hands with the flight attendant, pilot, and co-pilot. As we walked down the stairs, I saw Stewie looking concerned with two big guys behind him and a smaller guy at the door to the car. I was prepared for him to be standoffish like Sean had said, but the second I stepped off the stairs and onto the tarmac, he pulled me into a tight hug.
Sean Freaking Wilder's Bedroom
Stewie held me so tight that I started worrying about my circulation getting cut off. "I'm sorry, Morgan. I didn't know what it meant. I didn't have any idea—Annalisa—she yelled and screamed at me—I didn't know. I really didn't know what they were like."
I patted him on the back. "It's okay, Stewie. I'm okay."
Sean patted Stewie on the back. "Get your hands off my girl, Stew."
Stewie glared at him for a second, but then took a step away from me. I looked back at Sean, who was standing behind me and saw the fierceness in his eyes, the rigid way he was standing. He was very intimidating. But then he looked down at me and smiled, kissing me on the forehead.
Sean put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me toward the two big men near the car. They looked like NFL linebackers only really mean. "Morgan, this is Rudy and Nathan." He kissed my cheek. "This is my Morgan."
Rudy put his hand out and smiled warmly at me. I shook his hand and was surprised at how gentle he was. He pointed at Sean. "If the beauty queen there gives you any trouble, you just tell me. I've kicked his ass—sorry— his behind once before. I'd be happy to do it again."
"You got one hit in, Rudy." Sean punched him in the arm. "That does not count as an ass kicking."
I looked at Sean as I responded to Rudy. "I don't need you to fight my battles for me, Rudy, but he's pretty big." I poked Sean in the chest. "I might call you to hold him down while I kick his ass."
"Ooooooh, I like her!" He slapped me on the back then reached for his back pocket. I watched him pull out his wallet and hand Stewie a twenty dollar bill.
Stewie stepped forward and smiled at me. "I bet him that you'd win him over in under ten minutes. I just won."
I blushed, and Sean put his hand on my cheek, holding me still while he leaned down to press his lips briefly to mine.
Nathan smiled, but didn't say anything. Rudy nudged him in the arm and nodded in my direction. Nathan put his hand out. "Oh—sorry, hi."
I shook his hand and noticed the smallest blush touch his tanned cheeks. He immediately looked back to the ground. Sean was clearly right—he was very shy.
With his hand on the small of my back, Sean guided me toward the limo. Nathan sat in the front with Nacho, who waved as Sean sped through the introduction, and Rudy sat in the back with the rest of us. Stewie was talking a mile a minute. I tried to listen, but it wasn't making much sense.
"You can't. I've tried. I talked until I was blue in the face, Sean. It's not gonna happen."
"I can't accept that. There must be some way to break it."
"There isn't!" Hearing Stewie really angry was weird. He had been so easygoing at the inn with Annalisa. Sean didn't seem the least bit affected by it, though.
"Then get the lawyers on it. There has to be a loophole or something."
"They're the ones that created the damn thing, you idiot! You wanted it this way!"
Sean stared out the window for a few moments as Stewie sat with his arms folded across his chest, glaring.
It got really quiet inside the limo. Rudy turned to me. "Sean told me you own an inn."
I nodded and smiled at Rudy for saving me from the awkward silence. "Yes, uh, in Vermont. It's an old Victorian home. Have you—uh, ever been to Vermont?"
"No, but we've been to New York a hundred times. Have you ever been to New York?"
I shook my head.
"You know," Stewie began calmly, but he was loud enough to interrupt Rudy's attempt at a conversation. "There is one way out." Sean kept his eyes on the window. "All you have to do is—"
"No." The firmness of Sean's voice startled me. He hadn't been angry when Stewie was yelling and screaming at him, but whatever Stewie was talking about was clearly not something Sean wanted to discuss. "You know how I feel about that."
"Well, it's the only way to break—"
"No."
"All I'm saying is, if you're not ready for that, then what's the big deal about the contract?"
"I didn't say I wasn't read
y, Stew."
Rudy turned to me again. "So have you been to LA before?"
I shook my head, but watched the argument between Stewie and Sean. Rudy must have sensed this and stopped trying to talk to me.
Stewie leaned forward a bit, staring Sean down. "Well if you're ready then let's just tell her that—"
"No. Drop it."
"Hey." Stewie had this arrogant smirk on his face like he knew exactly what was going on in Sean's head and was pushing him on purpose. "I'm just trying to help by giving you a solution. Just—"
"Stewie!" Even Rudy turned at the deadly tone in Sean's voice.
But Stewie didn't stop. "I just want you to admit that you're not ready for that."
Sean leaned forward, but in the small space, I could still hear what he was saying. "It's not about me. Just drop it."
Stewie looked confused and worried. "You're saying you are? Really? Really, Sean?"
Sean's glare was so powerful I could practically feel the tension coming off him. "Yes," he said very clearly.
I thought Stewie's jaw was going to drop right off his face. "Sean? I mean…" Stewie looked over at me shaking his head. "Shit, Sean."
Sean stared back out the window. "I know."
"I don't get it. If you're ready to—"
"Stewie!"
Rudy nudged me and pointed out the window. "Take a look, Morgan. Bet you haven't seen the craziness of the LA freeway system."
I got closer to the window and looked out, but I felt Sean lean toward Stewie again beside me.
He was whispering so I couldn't make out exactly what he was saying, but I did catch the words "She's not." Stewie looked speechless. He just stared at Sean with his eyebrows raised and his mouth slightly parted.
I stayed in my spot, staring out the window. I felt like a third wheel. It was really uncomfortable. If they were going to have some private conversation I wasn't supposed to understand or hear, why didn't they just ask me to ride up front?
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Rudy kick Sean and tilt his head in my direction. Well at least someone noticed my existence.
Sean wrapped his arm around my waist. "See anything interesting out there?" I shrugged, and he kissed my shoulder. "It probably looks pretty crowded compared to Vermont." I shrugged again. He leaned close to my ear, touching my earlobe with his lips. "I'm sorry, sweetie. I'll explain it all later when we're alone. I promise." I nodded, but still didn't say anything. "Have you ever seen the ocean before?"
"Of course," I said softly.
"From your bedroom?"
I pulled away from him and looked wide-eyed at him. Was he kidding?
He chuckled and leaned close to my ear again, his nose sending chills up my spine. "I'd say you'll see it tonight, but I'm pretty confident that you'll be doing other things." I could feel my cheeks get hot, and Sean kissed each cheek and my forehead.
"You really live on the beach?"
"Mmm hmm. With big glass walls and a nice big bed, several in fact—we'll have to try each one out."
I poked him in his ribs. "Stop."
He chuckled. "We're almost to the beach. You can see it in some places along the highway."
Stewie stayed quiet the rest of the way to Sean's house, and Sean kept his arms around me, looking out the window. It wasn't long before we were pulling into a gated community. Sean had to say something to the guard as we entered. I couldn't see much of anything at first, but we soon pulled into the driveway of a pretty, but modest home. I was actually really surprised that it wasn't some monstrosity. I imagined Sean Wilder lived in a massive home with fences everywhere. Instead, it looked like a regular home—two story with a small but manicured front lawn. The limo pulled directly into the garage where we got out. I went to grab my bag, but Sean beat me to it, pulling his and mine out of the trunk. I was sort of surprised the driver or someone didn't do it for him, but they weren't babying him at all like I would have thought.
Rudy disappeared and Sean walked to Stewie. He slapped Stewie on the back before Stewie pulled him away from me, and I couldn't hear what was being said. With no other choice really, I watched them. Stewie wasn't angry like before. He was calm and a little too quiet. It was weird. Then Sean clenched his jaw tight.
"No!" Sean practically yelled.
Assuming it was a return to the same argument, I looked around the garage. There was a shiny black BMW with dark tinted windows next to the limo and a small car underneath a car cover on the other side.
"I don't need that shit, Stewie. I'm fucking serious. Don't bring it up again, you hear me?" Stewie nodded and ran his hand through his hair. Sean stormed away from Stewie in my direction. I took a few steps back without meaning to. There was this violence to his words that scared me. My stomach rolled at the possibility that he could be abusive. He was a black belt. What if he was just like—no. I tried not to think about Brent.
My thoughts must have been written all over my wide-eyed face because when he reached me, he set the bags down and kissed me so softly that my mind was lost to what had just happened. He pulled away too quickly and gently grabbed my hand.
Rudy appeared in the doorway and nodded at Sean before signaling to Nathan. The two of them left through a different door.
"Where are they going?" I asked as I stared at the door they'd left through.
"Man shed." I tilted my head at him, and he continued. "There's a cottage out back. Rudy lives there and Nathan just moved in to the extra bedroom."
Stewie finally walked over to us. He looked so tired. He hugged me. "I hope you like Malibu, Morgan. The beach is really beautiful." He turned to Sean. "I'll try again with the contract."
Sean nodded, and Stewie turned away from us. I nudged Sean in the ribs and nodded in Stewie's direction, not liking the way he let Stewie leave.
"Stew?" He turned, but didn't look Sean in the eye. "You know you're still my favorite jackass."
Stewie smirked. "That's just cause I'm the only one who'll put up with your dumb ass. Have a good night." He added a wink in my direction and got into the front seat of the limo with Nacho.
Sean grabbed my hand again and pulled me inside. "He doesn't live with you?"
"He stays with me sometimes, but he has a house not far from here."
I was going to ask more about Stewie and his lifestyle for the sake of Annalisa, but I was too distracted by the inside of the house to think about anything. We entered into the kitchen first, which was incredibly modern and clean with wood floors, stainless steel everything, and black granite countertops. Through the kitchen, Sean pulled me into the living room, dropping our bags at the foot of the stairs. Pristine white couches with brown wooden accents and deep, rich colors made the whole place look masculine, but still warm. There was a massive wooden dining table not far behind the living room.
Beyond that, there was a narrow, but very long office area leading at least a couple hundred feet down the house with one entire wall of rich wooden built-in bookcases, and the opposing wall was completely glass. Through the glass, I could see a patio area very well shaded with trees and a high wooden wall that surrounded the long side of the patio area and crossed in front of the house on the beach side. With the nearly full moon outside, I could see the ocean. In fact, you could see it from anywhere in the house, but the height of the wall hid the beach itself from view, offering some privacy from onlookers.
When I looked back at Sean, he was leaning against the banister of the stairs looking incredibly sexy. "Would you like to see the upstairs?" The depth of his voice made the giggly excitement bubble in me.
I nodded and walked back to him. He grabbed our bags and took my hand to lead me upstairs. We walked past two rooms—one was a gym and the other was a guest bedroom. Down a long hallway, we arrived at Sean's room. The first thing that told me it was Sean's room was that it smelled like him, or at least, it smelled like his cologne. The next most obvious was my painting hanging on the wall beside the bed. He had a large mirror on the same wall with a thi
ck, black, wood trim. At least twenty pictures of me were pushed into the trim. Biting my bottom lip, the giggly feeling increased. I was in Sean Wilder's bedroom where he had pictures of me shoved in his mirror like I used to do with the stars I obsessed about as a teen. Surreal didn't cover it.
He walked over to me and pulled my hair to the side, kissing my neck. I shrugged away from him, laughing. "Sorry, sorry." I stopped giggling and scooted back to him. He kissed my neck again, but after only seconds of his touch, I started giggling again.
"Morgan?" His tone was serious, but so incredibly warm.
"I—I just um, I—this is your room—in your beachfront home—I—"
He pulled me into his arms, pushing my cheek to his chest. "Just relax. This is your home now, too. It's all yours, especially the piece of furniture holding you in his arms right now." I nodded, but I could feel myself keep nodding like I had no control over it. He leaned down to look me in the eye. "How about a bath or a hot shower—maybe a glass of wine? Flying cross country can mess with your internal clock a bit. It can make you a little jittery."
I nodded again, but managed to control the action this time. He pulled me into the bathroom, which was huge. The shower alone was pretty much the size of my whole bathroom back home. He set the temperature on a digital screen in the middle of the shower-head panel then turned the water on.
"It's warm. Why don't you take a shower while I go grab us some wine?"
I nodded and turned to take my bag from his hand, digging out my shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. "Are you joining me?" My voice sounded so incredibly shy.
He chuckled deeply. "No, love. I want you to relax, and trust me, I wouldn't allow that if I was naked with you in a shower."
I could see the super blush on my skin in my reflection. He winked at me again before leaving and closing the door.
As soon as Sean left the bathroom, I stared at myself in the mirror. This was crazy—Sean Wilder's bathroom. I pulled my clothes off, smiling like an idiot. The water temperature was perfect, and I just stood underneath it for several minutes trying to ease away the anger, excitement, panic, stress, confusion—everything I'd felt all day long.
Accidental Texting: Finding Love despite the Spotlight Page 17
