Protective Shadows (The Protective Series, Book 2)

Chapter Fifteen

The following morning, I was awoken by a rough shake on the shoulder. I reluctantly peeled my eyes open, seeing Jarmo's face, and groaned, turning my face into my pillow.

"Who wants iced tea?" Janne's voice called from nearby.

I managed to pull myself up into a sitting position, witnessing him frowning at my cup from earlier, standing near the coffee table. I had long forgotten about that, since Izzy had distracted us.

Janne looked freshly showered, and wore a fresh change of clothes, choosing to wear a zip-up hoody, the hem hanging just over the thighs of his black baggy pants. His hair had a nice shine to it, and was pulled back into a neat ponytail, falling over his back.

"We're booked for eleven again," Jarmo explained, sitting on the edge of the bed. The mattress sunk under his weight, but only the slightest bit. "It's almost ten o'clock, Jed. Get up."

I mumbled something unintelligible into the pillow, not even something I understood, and rolled off the side of the bed straight onto my feet. I pulled off my white t-shirt from last night, instead pulling on my grey Protective Services t-shirt, followed by my leather jacket.

"Why do you wear your uniform when we go and record?" Asko asked, raising a thick brown eyebrow.

"Why did you cheat on me, prick?" I snapped, shoving past him and over to Janne, making my voice lower. "No one heard us in here, did they?"

He shook his head, padding into the kitchen, where he rinsed out my cup, turning it upside down on the dish rack. "Jarmo said that he, Asko and Izzy went to have a late dinner, and they came back like two hours later." He turned, leaning back against the edge of the bench, holding his elbows. "You were fast asleep by then, and I fell asleep shortly after."

I laced my arms around his hips, nuzzling my forehead against his shoulder. "I slept better, having you with me."

Janne wrapped me up into his arms, pressing his lips gently to the nape of my neck, feeling utterly exposed since I no longer had hair to cover it. "Me too. And hopefully we will be sleeping together a lot more, since things are A-okay."

The door to the room opened, attracting all of our attention. Izzy walked through the seemingly narrow doorway, wearing a black sleeveless top and white cargo knee-length shorts, shifting his gaze amongst the four of us.

"Guys, the limo's waiting," he said, his voice edged with a slight hint of blitheness. "After you're done recording, I'm going to take you all out to dinner, and it's on me, before any of you object."

An irritated groan rippled amongst the four of us. We were all thinking the same thing at that moment - Izzy shouldn't have to pay for everything. It was bad enough that I felt guilty, having him pay for the paintball, lazer tag and our studio sessions. I wanted to make it up to him in any way I could, if he would let me.

Janne and I filed out the bedroom door, followed shortly by Asko, Jarmo and Izzy. Once I locked the door, double checking the knob, we all walked quietly down the hallway to the elevator, spending the trip in silence. I felt heat rise to my cheeks, remembering the event that had taken place here the previous night. Janne smirked at me from the corner of my eye, scratching his shoulder aimlessly, also appearing to remember.

"I'm sending some security guards with you," Izzy explained, leading us through the elevator doors and out the hotel to the waiting stretch limo. "Corey was sighted hanging around, so just be careful. If you happen to run into trouble, please do not hesitate to call me. Remember, I am your friend, as well as your manager."

We nodded, filing individually into the back of the limo while two guards held the door open for us. It was an automatic process now, but it still put me on edge sometimes, having buff, suited men following us around, holding back screaming fans.