“Got it.” He hit the End button and flopped back on the bed, covering his eyes with one arm. “Your parents are at the front door.”
Cheyenne tried to jump out of the bed, would have if she didn’t get hung up in the blanket, ending up on her ass on the floor with a painfully hard thud.
Brendon’s head appeared above her, an amused gleam in his eyes. “Excited to see ’em, are ya?”
She frowned, then forced herself to her feet. Pacing the floor briefly, gathering the blanket tightly in her fist, she tried to figure out what she would say to them.
“Get dressed,” Brendon instructed, and Cheyenne realized he’d already climbed out of bed, pulled on his jeans, although he hadn’t buttoned them yet, and was yanking his T-shirt over his head.
Damn. Seeing him naked could’ve possibly made this morning bearable. Now she’d just have to wait until later.
Shaking the thought out of her befuddled brain, she faced Brendon.
“How’d they find me?” Cheyenne asked, hearing the anxiety that sent her voice into dog-whistle range.
“It doesn’t matter,” Brendon said, moving to stand in front of her, his warm, callused hands cupping her naked shoulders. “They’re not gonna hurt you, Chey. Never again. Understand me?”
She nodded, although she wasn’t sure Brendon knew what he was getting himself into. Her parents were … She’d say they were evil incarnate, but she wanted to believe there was a little good in them. After all, they were her parents. Unfortunately, she was pretty sure the good gene missed them both.
“I’m gonna answer the door,” he told her as he pulled on his camouflage cap. “You get dressed and start the coffee.”
Cheyenne nodded, then bolted to the bathroom after grabbing clean clothes from the dresser drawer. Five minutes later, she looked presentable. Or she would have if it weren’t for the green tinge to her skin. The idea of seeing her parents made her want to hurl.
Knowing there was no place to hide, not to mention how unfair it was to leave Brendon to deal with her parents, Cheyenne pulled open the door to the guest room, stuck her head out to see whether the coast was clear, and then stepped into the living room. Sighing with relief, she noticed no one was inside, but she could see shadows moving across the front porch beyond the closed blinds that Brendon had so kindly installed.
Figuring coffee was the most important meal of the day—for her at least—Cheyenne darted to the kitchen and got that started before moving closer to the front door, hoping to hear what was going on.
Well, she got her wish the instant she heard her father’s angry baritone. “I don’t give a good god damn who you are. I’m her father! I have a right to see my daughter.”
Cheyenne rolled her eyes. Funny how he wanted to take credit for being a father now.
“Congratulations,” Brendon said tersely. “And when you start actin’ like one, you can see her. In the meantime, we’ll stand right here until you chill the fuck out.”
Brendon’s tone was hard, as though his patience had already been tested. Cheyenne knew exactly what he was feeling. She’d been dealing with her father’s belligerent tirades for years. When he wasn’t happy that things weren’t going the way he wanted, he made sure everyone knew it. At this point, she was pretty sure even her neighbors knew how disgruntled he was.
“Where is she?” her father questioned, his voice higher-pitched than Cheyenne’s had been when she realized her parents had shown up on her doorstep.
“Inside,” Brendon said sternly.
“I’m gonna call the police. You’ve kidnapped my daughter. That’s what this is.”
“This is her house,” Brendon snapped. “I’m not so sure that’s gonna hold much water.”
“If you don’t let me in, I’m gonna call them. They can do a welfare check. Make sure she’s all right.”
Good grief, Cheyenne thought to herself.
“Go ahead. But see that car right there? Those are Cheyenne’s bodyguards, and if shit doesn’t go the way they expect it to, I promise you’ll get to meet them face-to-face.”
There was silence for a moment and Cheyenne wished she could see the look on her father’s face. As it was, she figured her parents were lucky that Brendon was so calm—and yes, despite his firm tone, she knew this was calm for him. She was actually impressed with how well he was handling himself. The guy was known for his short fuse and Cheyenne would be the first to admit that her mom and dad were hell on a fuse.
Smiling to herself, she listened through the door when she heard Brendon’s gruff voice again.