Chapter 7

 

It was all going too slow. Way too fucking slow.

Two days of installation, testing, and endless little tweaks had forced him to stay close to the house because Sven was needed to help calibrate and set things just how he wanted them to be. Geoffrey had tried once to give a suggestion of how he wanted things to be set up, but Sven had just frowned at him and sent him back to his office to work. That just made him want to throw a drumstick at Sven’s head. It’s my damn house!

Just when he was planning to march out and tell them all to leave, another bodyguard by the name of Dominic stepped into his office, asking to take his phone to Ward Security for Gidget. The redhead with the flirty grin winked at Geoffrey and casually let slip that he’d never seen Sven so demanding when it came to how a security system was set up. With that bomb dropped, he waltzed back out of Geoffrey’s office, phone in hand. He returned three hours later with Geoffrey’s phone but refused to say anything else about Sven’s behavior.

Was Sven acting differently toward him?

It didn’t really seem like it. He still kept his distance and didn’t talk much, but as Geoffrey watched him, there didn’t seem to be the same tension tightening his shoulders. And one corner of his mouth would drift up in a half smile when he’d meet Geoffrey’s gaze from across the room. But he couldn’t get anything more out of the man.

After lunch on Tuesday, he’d watched a movie up in the media room on the second floor just to get away from Quinn and Noah as they installed the security system. All the drilling things and running random wires were making him twitchy. His space had been invaded. It didn’t feel that way with Sven, and he didn’t want to look too closely at why Sven fit when the others were a nuisance.

They still weren’t done by dinner but were promising to finish the last of the installation before they left that night, so he ordered pizza to feed everyone. Sven had stayed nearby, switching between being his shadow and helping Noah and Quinn.

After the pizza was eaten, he slipped away to his home office and turned on some music to drown out the noise. It was all just a reminder that someone was watching him. Someone who knew his life, his routine, his friends, was following him and threatening him and it didn’t make any sense.

Geoffrey leaned back in the cool leather desk chair, his feet propped on the corner of the desk, and grabbed his phone to see a message from Finn that he’d moved their call again. He pulled up the picture Sven had taken at the restaurant. The people in that picture laughing and smiling were among those he considered some of his closest friends. Except for Brendon.

Fuck, he should never have dated that bastard. Sven had to be wrong about him wanting Geoffrey back. Brendon had been the one to end things—claiming that Geoffrey was too clingy, too needy, just because he wanted a monogamous relationship. Because he wanted someone who gave a shit about him.

Rolling his eyes at himself, he turned his attention away from Brendon to look at the others in the picture. Could any of them have drugged him at the club and then helped him home? He wanted to immediately take Abby and Veronica off the list, but Abby was the same height and stronger than most expected, while Veronica had an inch or two on him at least. They could have helped him out of the club. He hadn’t been totally dead weight, right?

He wanted to say that none of them could have damaged his car, but he and Sven had wandered around Smale Park for at least an hour after leaving Taste of Belgium, giving him time to calm down. That would have been plenty of time for any one of his so-called friends to leave the restaurant, snap a couple of pictures of them in the park, then sneak down to his car and slash the tires. It wouldn’t have been hard to find. Anytime he went down to The Banks, he parked in the same general area on the same level of the parking garage—that way he never had to remember a new level when he parked.

And with Sven’s massive size, he and Sven wouldn’t have been hard to spot at the park. An easy opportunity to snag a few pictures before returning to the rest of the group.

Or it didn’t have to be anyone from the picture. It could have been one of the other hundred freaking people that he knew around the city. That person could have waited until he appeared at the restaurant and then destroyed his car before waiting for an opportunity to take the picture. Hell, had he and Sven walked right past the person as he fumed away from the restaurant and not even noticed them?

He wanted to scream. His mind was turning in useless circles while his nice, normal life was being torn to shreds by this asshole and doubt.

The light flowing through the open office door was suddenly blocked and Geoffrey looked up to find Sven standing in the doorway, his lips pulled into a frown. Sven’s mood had grown more dour and worried with each passing hour.

“I can’t live like this,” Geoffrey announced. He set his phone back on the desk facedown, unable to look at the picture a second longer.

“The security system will keep you safe. You’ll be able to sleep easier at night.”

He wanted to make a joke about being able to sleep easier if a certain large Norwegian would crawl into bed with him, but he wasn’t up for making jokes, which just pissed him off even more.

“That’s not what I meant.”

Sven’s brows gathered over the bridge of his nose and his frown deepened. He took another step into the office so that the desk separated them.

Dropping his feet to the ground, Geoffrey shifted forward in his seat and grabbed his phone again. He quickly keyed in the password and held it up so that Sven could see the picture he took. “I look at them and all I can think is: Which one did it? Why would one of them do such a thing? Who’s obsessed? Did I do something to hurt one of them and not realize it? Do I deserve this?”

“You don’t deserve this.”

A little bubble of warmth formed in his chest, trying to spread and push away the chill that seemed to never leave him now. Not since waking up the previous day knowing that his trust had been violated. But he kept a tight hold of the bubble, not letting it grow.

“I can’t live with this constant doubt.” He shook his head and dropped his hands to his lap, clutching his phone tightly. “No, I don’t trust any of them completely. I would never trust them with Finn’s safety and well-being. But I never thought one of them would hurt me. Never stab me in the back. Now, that’s all I expect.”

“I’m sorry.”

Sven’s softly spoken apology drew his gaze back to the bodyguard. His shoulders were stiff and tense, hands clenched into fists at his sides as if he felt bad for Geoffrey as well. He wore his usual attire of casual jeans and a black Ward Security T-shirt.

Swallowing a sigh, Geoffrey leaned back in his chair and stared at Sven. His life might be a mess, but at least he had some attractive company for a short period. He had no doubt that Sven was looking forward to the day that he could finally get away from Geoffrey, but he was at least trying not to show his discomfort too much.

“I sent Gidget a copy of that picture and she called to say she’s started working through the people in the photograph and the names that you gave her. It’ll probably take a few days to sort through everything, but she says that those people in the picture are a good start. She sounded hopeful.”

“Do you guys ever sleep?”

Sven cocked his head to the side as if he were confused by his statement and Geoffrey just wanted to climb up him so he could kiss his wrinkled brow, the man was just so damn cute. “Noah and Quinn are still working out there and it’s nearly nine. They started on this security system on Sunday. Royce and Dominic have been in and out the past couple of days delivering stuff. Gidget is working on the people in the picture.”

“I think Gidget has several programs that are pulling together and sorting through data at night. She’s home with her son now. Noah is packing up and leaving for the night.”

“He’s gotta get to his sexy redhead,” Geoffrey said, wagging his eyebrows. Sven cleared his throat and tightly pressed his lips together as if he were fighting back a laugh, but he knew better. “What about Quinn?”

“Finishing up some of the programming of the system, but he should be done within the next few minutes.”

Geoffrey reached over and picked up one of the drumsticks sitting next to his keyboard. He balanced it between his thumb and index finger, steadily spinning it as an idea started to churn in his brain. An idea that Sven most definitely wasn’t going to like…and they were going to need at least another person. But if Gidget thought the picture of his lunch friends was a good start, then he had an even better option for her.

“What about after? Quinn heading home to a boyfriend…girlfriend?”

“No, probably not. He hangs out at the office late at night, playing video games. Why?”

Geoffrey dropped his drumstick back on his desk and leaped to his feet with a grin. As he swept around Sven and out the door, he called, “Let’s see if he wants to go out with us.”

“What?” Sven said and Geoffrey cackled at the slightly panicked edge in that single word. Sven was definitely going to hate this idea, but Quinn struck him as the somewhat adventurous type from what little he gathered from the guy over pizza. He could see it as a bit of fun.

“Hey, Q-Man!” Geoffrey said as he crossed the living room toward the dining room table where Quinn was packing up a black tool bag. It held an assortment of wires, tools, and three thick rolls of duct tape. A quick glance around showed that Noah was already gone for the night. That was probably a good thing. He was doubtful that Rowe would be so keen on his plan and he wasn’t sure the boyfriend of the boss wouldn’t shut him down.

The young man’s head instantly popped up and he blinked wide dark eyes behind a set of black-rimmed glasses. Pale with dark pink lips and slightly mussed hair, he didn’t look a day over twenty-four. He had a somewhat sweet, innocent look to him. Definitely not Geoffrey’s type, but they shared the young face problem in common. Quinn was a nice guy. Damn smart too.

“What are your plans tonight?” Geoffrey continued when Quinn just continued to stare dumbfounded at him.

“Oh, I was just finishing up. I’ll be back tomorrow to finish the last test on the outdoor sections of the system, but the house is completely secure now.”

Geoffrey waved off the comment before gripping the back of one of the dining room chairs with both hands. “No, I mean after work. What are you up to?”

“Oh…I…I don’t know. Junk food and some gaming, I guess.”

“How about you go with Sven and me to a club? Drinks. Dancing. Sexy men in tight shirts.”

“What are you doing?” Sven demanded. Geoffrey could feel him standing directly behind him, heat radiating off his body. He wanted to just lean backward into him, but he was afraid of Sven stepping away and then he’d just fall on his ass. Real freaking sexy.

“I like sexy men,” Quinn piped up with a grin that had Geoffrey laughing. Oh yeah, he liked Quinn.

“We’re not going to a club so you and Quinn can troll for sex,” Sven said, his voice a low grumble that rolled through Geoffrey in the most delicious fashion. He wanted to say that he didn’t need to troll for sex when what he wanted was standing right behind him, but he stayed on topic.

“Gidget said that the picture of my friends at lunch was helpful, right?” Geoffrey countered. He dropped his head back and smiled at Sven over his shoulder.

“Yeah, this is likely someone from your inner circle of friends,” Quinn said. When Geoffrey frowned at him, Quinn at least had the good sense to wince and blush. No one wanted to hear that someone they considered a friend was trying to harm them. “Sorry.”

“And more pictures of more people who I see on a regular basis would help, right? Particularly people that I normally club with.”

Quinn’s wide grin returned, while Sven groaned softly behind him. That was the “Yes, Geoffrey, you’re right” groan. He looked forward to making Sven groan for other, more wonderful reasons, but that would have to wait until he could convince Sven to join that program.

“We can’t do this on our own.”

Geoffrey turned around at Sven’s words and looked up at him. That wasn’t another no. Sven scratched his bearded chin in thought before looking over Geoffrey’s head at Quinn.

“Even a small club on a Tuesday night, that’s going to be a lot of people. Several potential exits,” Quinn said. He gave a shrug and a weak smile at Geoffrey. “I can try to help, but I’m not the kind of backup that Sven needs to keep you safe.”

“I don’t want you there to protect me. Just to take pictures,” Geoffrey admitted.

“I’ll still need help.” Sven put a hand on Geoffrey’s shoulder. “Someone to help watch your back and preferably one to watch out for Quinn.”

“Really?” Quinn’s voice jumped a few octaves in surprise.

“What if this person catches you taking pictures of Geoffrey and anyone with Geoffrey? The stalker doesn’t want to hurt Geoffrey but might have no problem going after Quinn.”

“Sorry, I didn’t think of that,” Geoffrey murmured. He didn’t want to put Quinn in danger. Sven was trained for that kind of stuff, and Geoffrey couldn’t imagine any of his friends actually being able to hurt Sven. But Quinn was different.

“Oh no! I’m still in. But Sven’s right, we need help.” He pulled his phone out of his back pocket and started quickly typing away. A couple of minutes later, he paused, chewing on his bottom lip and he slowly scrolled through…something. “Looks like Royce, Dominic…and Garrett are off tonight. We could call them. See if any of them can meet us at the club. I think they’d be happy to provide a little backup. Dominic would definitely enjoy the eye candy.”

Geoffrey turned so that his back was to Quinn and he could give his full attention to Sven. He was ready for a fight. This plan made sense. It gave them more of an opportunity to see the people who were closest to Geoffrey, watch them interact, and let Quinn snap some pictures. This could snag his stalker much faster than waiting around for their slow search through the thousands of his followers.

“Where?”

“Aura. It’s downtown at—”

“I know where it is,” Sven said as he grabbed his phone. Geoffrey opened his mouth, surprised since Sven definitely didn’t seem the club type and this place was the complete embodiment of a dance club. “I haven’t been there, but I know about it,” Sven quickly continued before Geoffrey could speak. “Dominic and Royce have definitely been there.”

Quinn chuckled. “I’ll call Dominic. You get to call Royce…and Rowe. I’m not telling the boss about this one.”

“Great!” He clapped his hands together and looked from Sven to Quinn. “You guys make your calls. I’m going to get changed and make the announcement that I’m gracing Aura with my glorious self.”

He started for his bedroom, already mentally rifling through his wardrobe. If he was going to draw out his stalker then he needed to look extra amazing. It also didn’t hurt that he was going to be in a crowded club with Sven. Maybe he could also wear something that caught the bodyguard’s attention. That certainly sounded more appealing.

“Two hours, Geoffrey,” Sven called before Geoffrey could reach his bedroom. He twisted around to find Sven holding his phone away from his ear. “We can stay at the club for only two hours. It’s Dominic’s and Royce’s night off.”

Two hours wasn’t great, but if it didn’t work, then he’d just have to drag Sven out to club after club until it did…or until the bodyguard finally caved.

 

 

 

###

Aura was a furnace. The light cotton shirt with the bold red and black print he’d chosen was now clinging to his sweat-slicked frame and he had little doubt that the hairstyle he’d worked on for nearly twenty minutes was now a disaster, but he didn’t give a damn. He’d looked good when he snapped the final picture in his closet that matched his social media post announcing he was heading to Aura. There had been a few snarky remarks from friends he’d seen at Taste of Belgium, but a couple of quick private messages smoothing ruffled feathers and they were sweet and ready to party.

But the best part had been Sven’s reaction when he stepped out. The bodyguard had opted for a black T-shirt that was stretched across his shoulders and somewhat snug dark blue jeans that perfectly hugged his thick thighs. The man had stopped mid-stride and his mouth had fallen open. His green eyes slowly swept over Geoffrey from his feet to his face. And when their eyes met, Geoffrey just saw raw hunger.

Fuck the stalker.

Fuck their plans.

Fuck the rest of the world.

Geoffrey had been ready to shove Quinn right out the front door and jump on Sven so that they could tear each other’s clothes off. He was dying to get on his knees and suck Sven’s dick down the back of his throat, feel his large hands on the top of his head, guiding him. He wanted to lick every part of his massive body, leave him quivering and needy.

But all of that was on hold. For now. There was no way he was giving up on Sven, not when he looked at him like that.

Now they were in the packed club. It was dark as hell, forcing Geoffrey to linger near the bar area, which had the most steady light source. Quinn had positioned himself at the bar with a drink and his phone. Dominic hovered at Quinn’s elbow. The tall, built redhead had a lean body and sweet face, but with just a turn of his head, he’d unveil the wickedest grin Geoffrey had ever seen. As if the man had countless dirty ideas categorized and alphabetized in his brain for every scenario in life. If Geoffrey hadn’t been completely focused on Sven, he’d be more than happy to work through Dominic’s top ten list of dirty deeds.

Royce had met them at Aura. He had a darkness to him that made Geoffrey shiver. He moved slowly but surely, his mysterious eyes missing nothing as he swept the area. He wasn’t as big as the other bodyguards on Rowe’s payroll, yet his slim, wiry body screamed danger. If Geoffrey had met him on the street, he would have never expected him to be a bodyguard. He looked like a man that you seriously didn’t want to fuck with. He moved steadily around the club, keeping his eye on Geoffrey and anyone around him, but staying out of sight.

Of course, Sven hovered close enough to grab him if something went wrong but he never touched him, which was amazing considering the crowd crammed into the large club. People came and went. Drinks flowed. Several friends from the lunch catastrophe arrived. He was a little surprised to see Will without his part-time boyfriend Todd, and he mentioned it to Sven when they had a moment so that he could be sure that Quinn got a picture of him. Patrick was also there without Sean, but that was normal since Sean never went out on a Tuesday night. Both Christian and Kody showed up at Aura with wide grins and hugs.

Sven leaned down, a faint hint of his cologne reaching Geoffrey’s nose. The man smelled like heaven. “I’m going to get some fresh drinks,” he murmured, his lips brushing against the shell of his ear. That little touch made Geoffrey instantly hard. Not great when his pants were practically molded to his body.

Before he could reply, Sven was already cutting through the crowd, his huge body moving like a snowplow through a blizzard. As the crowd shifted, he noticed that Dominic was closer, watching him. He couldn’t see Royce, but he knew the man was probably just behind his shoulder. They’d played this game a few times. Sven would get drinks and the other two would move to cover Geoffrey, then shift away when Sven returned. Geoffrey still hadn’t caught how they were signaling each other.

“You can’t tell me you’re not fucking him.”

Geoffrey groaned and closed his eyes. He thought he’d seen Brendon through the crowd, but he hadn’t been sure. His ex was now standing beside him, a beer in one hand as he glared down at Geoffrey. Of course, he looked good in his stylish white shirt. He’d opted for a pair of dark-rimmed glasses for the studious look when Geoffrey knew he had perfect vision.

“I’m not fucking him,” he simply replied.

“Whatever.”

“I know it’s hard to believe, but I don’t fuck every man I meet.”

He turned and looked up at ex. After nearly four days of constant companionship with Sven, Geoffrey couldn’t figure out what he ever saw in Brendon. Yeah, he had a model-kind of beauty with sharply defined features and thick hair, but there was something very cruel about his eyes. He was petty and mean and controlling. He liked things to go his way, regardless of what anyone else could possibly want or need. Brendon was a mistake.

“What do you even want?” Geoffrey snapped. “I’m assuming that you’re here for another reason than to just call me a whore.”

Brendon’s eyes widened. Geoffrey had never been direct with him, not when there were other friends about. He’d just tolerated him to keep the peace with the group. And that was his mistake.

“I thought we could talk.”

“Talk?” Geoffrey laughed, throwing his head back. “Talk in a nightclub? I can barely fucking hear you.”

“Then let’s go somewhere. You and me. We can talk and—”

“There’s nothing to talk about!”

He started to turn away so that he could face Patrick and Kody again, preferably forgetting about Brendon completely, when Brendon grabbed his arm. He quickly did a twist and snap of his arm, breaking free of the hold with a move he’d learned from Sven’s class.

“What the fuck!” he shouted.

“I want to give it another try.”

Geoffrey stared dumbfounded up at him, barely registering the smile that grew across Brendon’s face, as if he thought he’d honestly won Geoffrey over. He couldn’t believe it. Sven had been right.

“You dumped me,” Geoffrey said when he could finally speak. “You left.”

“I want to try again. I think we can make it work.”

“No. Oh, fuck no!”

Brendon’s smile disappeared in a flash and deep lines dug in around his mouth as he frowned. “Why? Because of that blond oaf?”

“No, because you’re a fucking asshole! I’d never date you again. I’m lucky I escaped you the first time!”

“Fuck you,” Brendon snarled. “You’ll wish you never said that. You’ll be begging me to come back to you. Begging!” He pivoted on one heel and shoved his way into the crowd, heading toward the front door. Geoffrey stared after him, stunned at his explosion. He’d never thought in a million years that Brendon would want him back. His parting words sent a chill through him. Brendon had never struck him as the violent type. He was prone to grabbing and shoving, but that was about it. Would he try something more extreme?

Dominic caught his eye, one eyebrow raised in question, but Geoffrey gave a tiny shake of his head, pasting his smile back in place. It was something for Gidget to look into, though he still struggled to believe it was possible.

As he turned, Patrick scooped up his right hand in both of his, pressing it to his sweat-damp chest. “Are you okay, Geo? What the hell was that about?”

“Brendon wanted to get back together,” Geoffrey said, knowing he sounded utterly incredulous.

Kody laughed. “I guess you said no.”

“I said fuck, no!”

“Good. He was horrible for you. You can do so much better. Someone who will treat you right.”

Geoffrey wanted to roll his eyes and laugh. He could do so much better, but the man he wanted wasn’t willing to admit that he wanted Geoffrey back. He knew in his gut that Sven would treat him right.

“Is that why you’ve got Sven? Because of Brendon?” Patrick asked and a chill swept through Geoffrey.

“What do you mean?”

Patrick at least had the sense to look embarrassed, his hands tightening on Geoffrey’s. “I…I might have looked up your friend after lunch today. He’s a bodyguard. He works for that Ward Security.”

“I know he’s a bodyguard.” Geoffrey forced a laugh while pulling his hand free. “You think I don’t know that? He’s not my bodyguard. Why would I need one?”

“Rich, single, famous,” Patrick easily counted off on his fingers.

Geoffrey just rolled his eyes and snatched up the drink he’d left on the small high-top table he was standing near. He paused for a heartbeat, his stomach churning as he remembered being drugged the last time he was at a club, but he forced himself to down the last of it. This time was different. Sven, Royce, Dominic, and Quinn were all there to watch his back. Nothing would happen to him.

The last of the drink was mostly water and he was already looking for Sven to return with his fresh one. But the truth was he was pretty sure that Sven had been watering his drinks down since they arrived. He’d just finished his third and he didn’t have even a hint of a buzz. It wasn’t that he wanted to get drunk, but a brief, baby buzz would have been nice to take the edge off.

“Sven really is helping me with a project. Nothing more.”

Patrick covered the hand Geoffrey was using to hold the edge of the table with his own. Geoffrey fought to keep from frowning. Was Patrick always this touchy-feely? Or was he just paranoid? Or maybe it was because he wasn’t usually this sober around Patrick and had never noticed before.

“I’m sorry,” Patrick leaned closer, his chest bumping against Geoffrey’s arm. “I’m just trying to look out for you.”

Geoffrey looked over at Kody, his smile small and tight. “You’re a nice guy and the world is filled with assholes.”

Patrick suddenly moved a couple of steps away from Geoffrey, releasing his hand. A second later, a larger hand wrapped around the back of his neck, squeezing and massaging tense muscles. He softly sighed and his entire body relaxed. He knew without looking that Sven had returned. His body just knew the Norwegian man, felt safe in his presence.

“Everything good?” he asked, putting a glass down in front of Geoffrey.

“Yep!” He grabbed the drink and downed half of it. It was supposed to be a vodka and cranberry, but he swore there was only cranberry juice in it. He was going to have words with the bodyguard when they got home.

Sven leaned down, lowering his voice so that only Geoffrey heard him. “We’re leaving in fifteen.”

At the same time, the DJ started up “Shape of You” by Ed Sheeran. He fucking loved the song and it was a good song to move to. He dropped his head back on Sven’s hand and smiled at the big man. “Then I’m dancing and you’re joining me.”