Barrett stepped out into the hallway. “Addison, this is Ty Frasier. He’s my bodyguard.”
Refusing to look at Ty, I held my hand out to shake his. “Nice to meet you.”
“It’s nice meeting you, too, Miss Monroe. Now that you and Barrett are together, I won’t just be his bodyguard, I’ll be yours as well.”
Oh man, that accent. It wasn’t fair to women anywhere that someone so good-looking should also have a sexy accent. Add in the fact that he was there to protect me, and holy freakin’ swoon. With both Ty and Barrett around, I thought I should probably check with Everett to see if he could order me some Shamwow-strength panties to wear.
“Ty tends to take his job a little too seriously,” Barrett remarked.
“Oh?” I questioned as I glanced between the two of them.
Barrett nodded. “He likes to stick to me like a wet shirt.”
I licked my lips at the thought of Ty in a wet shirt—the way it would stretch across what I imagined was a perfect six-pack. I wondered if he was one of those guys who had the perma-hard nipples. There was something about a man with diamond hard nipples that made me weak-kneed and wet-thonged. Earlier, when I had been rubbing myself against Barrett’s chest, I had begun to feel his nipples. We won’t even begin to comment on what state mine had been in.
Get a grip, Addison, and not on Barrett or Ty’s cock. You’re acting like some vapid sorority girl whose only major goal in life is pinging from one hot guy to another.
I cleared my suddenly dry throat. “It’s nice that he takes such good care of you.”
“You have my word that I’ll take just as good care of you.”
Trying to ignore the blatant innuendo racing through my mind, I plastered a smile on my face. “I appreciate that very much.”
Ty’s gaze zeroed in on Barrett. “Are you two going somewhere?”
“Just down the street for some Italian.”
“Okay, I’ll come along.”
Barrett rolled his eyes. “Ty, I think the greatest danger awaiting me at Russo’s is gluttony or heartburn.”
“I’m still coming,” Ty insisted.
“Fine. Have it your way. I’m not paying for your pizza or beer though,” Barrett replied with a grin.
Ty laughed. “We’ll see about that.”
The three of us headed down the hallway and then onto the elevator. It was probably the first time in my life I’d ever been alone in an elevator with two so impossibly good-looking men. I was pretty sure the scenario qualified for some porn fantasy.
When the doors opened on the ground floor, Ty hopped off first, I supposed to shield us from any nut-jobs. Barrett and I trailed behind him through the hotel lobby and I started for the revolving doors, but Ty stopped me. “Go through the regular door.”
“Let me guess—like Barrett, your favorite movie is The Godfather?”
Ty’s brows scrunched in confusion. “No. Why?”
“Oh, I just thought you didn’t want me to go through the revolving doors because of that part where the guy gets trapped and shot.”
Ty held open the door for me. “While it has nothing to do with a movie, you’re right that it is a safety precaution.”
“Ah, I see.”
Once we got outside, Barrett took my hand in his. “Do we really have to do this now?” I asked.
“Take it from me and my vast experience, you never know when and where a lens will be. What better way to sell our relationship than if the first picture taken of us has us holding hands?”
I sighed. “Good point.”
With Ty walking a discreet few steps behind us, we made our way across the crosswalk. Glancing over my shoulder at him, I observed how Ty’s gaze swept back and forth like he was always on alert for someone to come tackle Barrett. It was both bizarre and comforting.
“Have you always had a bodyguard?” I asked.
“Not one personally, but my family has always had one, mainly when we went on vacations. When I started becoming well-known outside of my family, I would occasionally bring someone out with me when I was partying, but I didn’t warrant anyone full-time until Dad announced his candidacy.”
“And since you’re always surrounded by attractive people, you had to go and hire Thor?”
Barrett laughed. “Ty’s looks had nothing to do with it.”
“Mmmhmm.”
“For your information, we’ve been friends since prep school. After he was wounded and discharged from the army, he started working in security.” Holding the door to Russo’s open, Barrett questioned, “Besides, if I was truly that superficial, wouldn’t I have hired someone unattractive who wouldn’t take any women away from me?”
“You do have a point.”
As I started to the counter to order, Barrett grinned at Ty. “She thinks you look like Thor.”
While I threw a death glare at Barrett, Ty had the decency not to gloat. “Thank you, Miss Monroe. I’ve gotten the Hemsworth comparison a few times before. It’s always nice to hear.”
“Uh, well, you’re welcome,” I mumbled before focusing on the menu above me.
When Ty leaned forward, I fought the urge to back away—though I feared if I didn’t, I might throw my arms around him. Why must he smell so good too? “Just ignore Barrett. He hasn’t quite achieved emotional maturity yet.”
A laugh erupted from my lips. “I’ll keep that in mind.