Chapter 46

 

 

Two days later and Ryan was on a plane to Tuscany, and Shannon. Anxious didn’t begin to cover his state of mind. Max had held a press conference, fully coming out and bragging he’d been with movie stars, other rock stars, and models. But he didn’t give out any names.

And he didn’t give a damn if Max spilled his secret. Hell, the whole situation would be easier if he did. However, Ryan had to imagine there were plenty on that list who would care.

Raven nudged his shoulder. “What is it?”

He tilted his phone to show Raven the current headline at SASS News. “People are offering that bastard money to give out names.”

“He can’t be that stupid. Especially if he put that app on other phones.”

“It was just a backdoor into my phone. It didn’t give him access to anything, according to Jonas.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Still not right. Asshole deserves to go to jail.”

“And if we all come forward, we all come out too.”

She rolled her eyes. “So, he gets away with it? And now he looks like a good guy since the story came out?”

Ryan lifted a shoulder. “I’m just wondering if Alex comes forward to tell everyone what really happened.”

Luke turned in his seat and shook his head. “Doubtful. You missed the short conversation I had with him. He’s worried about keeping his job.”

“Why?” Raven asked.

“He’s a teacher.”

Ryan sighed. “Well, hopefully they don’t figure out who he is. But it’s not like you see the guy’s face in those pictures.”

“Thankfully. Hey, now you’ll be in a better mood with your guy around,” Luke teased.

He couldn’t help smiling. “True.”

Leona turned. “And so far, there hasn’t been anything from the stalker since C&O showed up.”

“Nope, thankfully,” Raven answered.

“Maybe just having the bodyguards will be enough.”

“Let’s hope,” Raven answered.

Ryan sat back. “Either way, you’re safe now.”

She turned toward him. “What am I going to do with both of you busy all the time?” She pouted.

He put an arm around Raven and smiled. “I’ll still be here. He’ll be on the clock. Won’t be like Luke and Leona. You’re still stuck hanging out with me.”

Raven leaned her head on his shoulder. “At least he doesn’t mind us showing up on tabloids together.”

“He finds it amusing.”

 

* * * *

 

O’Neil waited at baggage claim for Ryan. And to do his job as the security manager for his team. This was C&O Security’s first contract of the kind. And if it went well, they could legitimately add the service to their growing list.

After the mess with Max, he hated to be so far away from Ryan. They had one amazing night. Then he had to leave. Luckily, after Alexa leaked the photos, Max and Rocco Snyder stuck around to deal with the press conference.

Thanks to Paul, he knew exactly where to find the slimy fucks. And after hearing what Rocco said to Raven, he decided he needed to pay them a visit and ensure they were both too scared to give out Ryan’s secret, or give either of them grief.

Ryan came down the stairs, next to Raven. Their eyes locked and a smile pulled at Ryan’s lips. Jonas tipped his head in Shannon’s direction.

He already knew about the app. Nothing more than a backdoor into Ryan’s phone.

Still, illegal as fuck. And Shannon threatened him with legal action should he ever leak Ryan’s secret. He also promised to make Max’s life hell.

Ryan glanced down, probably realizing they were in public. Shannon swept his gaze through the baggage claim, making sure nothing was out of the ordinary.

Shannon smiled as they made their way to him. “Hello everyone. The house is ready. No one will get in without our approval.”

“Good. And thank you, O’Neil,” Raven said. “I really do appreciate you taking us on.”

“I’m glad you hired us. I might not have looked at the facts otherwise.”

Her eyes danced with light. “After you cooled down, I don’t think you could have avoided it.”

He hoped never to find out. “As soon as we have your bags, we’re heading to the mansion. Food should arrive shortly after we do.”

“Food wasn’t part of the plan,” Raven said.

“My treat. I know Luke isn’t completely comfortable with having someone watch his every move. I owe you. And well, it’s the least I can do.” He met Ryan’s gaze. The air seemed charged, but O’Neil glanced away.

“Thanks, man,” Luke said.

Shannon nodded.

Ryan turned toward the belt, as the machine kicked up.

Shannon couldn’t wait to get Ryan alone. He missed him like crazy, even though they stole every second they could to talk, but his filming schedule had been crazy. And O’Neil had been busy with the preparations.

His men took the bags, and he led everyone to the parking garage. He had already moved a second rental as close as he could get to the first SUV.

Ryan climbed into the passenger seat and Shannon in the driver’s. Raven, Meeker, and Jonas climbed in, and he waited for Bricker’s SUV to get behind him before heading to their home for the next month.

As soon as they were on the freeway, Ryan took his hand. “Missed you.”

“You too,” Shannon answered, glancing over. “How was the flight?”

“Typical. I just wanted to get to you the whole trip.” He blew out a breath. “You see the press conference Max did?”

He nodded. “He’s not going to tell a soul who you are, or anyone else he’s been with. I pointed out I have a proof he planted an illegal app on your phone, then promised he didn’t want to fuck with me.”

Ryan smirked. “Tell me you didn’t hurt him.”

“No, but only because he pissed himself, and you had already beat the shit out of him. Although, Rocco’s lucky I didn’t put the hurt on him.”

A laugh burst out of Raven. “What did you tell him?”

“Well, Ryan told me what he said. I made it clear that if he ever came near you again, he was going to have to deal with me.”

“Thank you. But I can fight my own battles,” she said.

“I know. And he whined and bitched that you blocked his number. Look, I consider you a friend. I came up with this plan because you were in danger.” He glanced in the rearview and captured her gaze. “And I owe you after ensuring I took the time to really look at the evidence.”

“It may have taken time, but you would have. I saw the way you looked at Ryan when you first spotted him.”

“Yeah, but you helped mend what Max nearly broke. So thank you.”

Jonas chuckled. “At least the app was just a way into Ryan’s phone. Asshole could have done a lot worse, but I can always set him up to take a fall for that.”

Shannon shook his head. “No. Not right now. If he’s behind bars, he’s not going to care what he puts out about anyone else. And Max is the kind of slime who won’t mind ruining everyone’s life.”

Ryan sat back and stared out the window. “I’d rather not think about him ever again.”

“Yeah, same here,” Raven said.

 

* * * *

 

Back at the mansion, Shannon showed everyone to their suites. Then took Ryan back to theirs. The body guards were staying in the same wings as the one they were looking over, but in different bedrooms.

He had no intention of staying out of Ryan’s room, but he didn’t want to make their relationship too obvious to the studio.

“Which is mine?” Ryan asked, gravel in his voice.

Shannon pushed the door open. Ryan stepped past him, grabbing his wrist to pull him inside.

“Tell me you’re staying with me,” Ryan whispered.

“Nowhere else I’d rather be.” He caught the back of Ryan’s neck and brought him in for a kiss.

Ryan nipped his lip. “I missed this. Just having you to myself.”

“Me too.” Shannon pushed him toward the bed. “I need you, just you.”

“You have me. Let me show you.”