Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 68247 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 341(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68247 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 341(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Olivia narrowed her gaze. “I don’t want you hurt again, but I do want you to open your heart to possibilities. I did myself and Dylan a true disservice by not doing that.”
Nice words, Avery thought, but she’d learned the hard way that by opening her heart up to possibilities, hurt inevitably followed.
* * *
When Grey picked up Avery on Thursday evening, the weather was hot and humid, but the sun shone on the horizon, setting in a beautiful explosion of orange, red, and yellow. He’d let nearly a week pass without more than a few texts and little pressure, despite the fact that he craved her with every cell of his being.
Where she’d been a vague dream for the last three months, a goal and hope for the future, since he’d seen her again—spent time with her, kissed her—she was now so much more. He wanted a future, and not knowing if she’d come around ate at him more than he wanted to admit. Grey didn’t do nervous. Not before a show, not ever.
Yet as they drove over the bridge to Star Island, his stomach was in knots, and he knew why. This was his shot. Avery would meet his friends, see what his life beyond the stage was really like, and she’d judge whether or how she fit in. He had no doubt Lola and Rep would accept her and make her feel at home. But would she relax enough to give them a chance? He felt like a fucking pussy, worrying so damned much.
“Alex used to live here on the island,” she said of her half brother, former quarterback for the Tampa Breakers.
Grey was grateful to her for breaking into his thoughts. “It’s a great place for people who need privacy.” He glanced over at her as he drove.
She nodded. “He liked the area, but I think he was lonely. He and Madison have a smaller house now in a more residential area, and they love it.” She adjusted her sunglasses on the bridge of her nose.
He loved how she looked in a strappy, revealing sundress, her hair pulled back in a soft braid. Easy and casual, yet so beautiful she took his breath away.
“So who will be here?” she asked.
“No clue.”
She laughed. “That’s such a guy answer.”
He grinned. “When it comes to Lola, having friends over can mean anything from just me to a houseful of Rep’s football buddies. But she did say small.”
“Good.”
He agreed. The smaller the better. He hadn’t seen Lola since their visit with Milo in rehab, and Grey hoped she meant a very few close friends.
“So how was your week?” he asked Avery. He’d missed her, and he wondered if she felt the same.
“Good, except for a hassle with the blog,” she said, sounding frustrated.
“What’s going on?”
“Trolls. Hackers. I don’t know. I keep getting an influx of insulting comments on the daily blog. Same on the videos.”
He narrowed his gaze. “Is that normal?”
“Not like this. I’ve spent hours on the phone with my web people getting them to isolate and shut it down.”
A quick look and he caught her massaging her shoulders, her tension obvious. If he weren’t driving, he’d love to help her release some of the strain, but he tamped down on his wayward thoughts before they could travel the sexual road and make him any more aware of her in the enclosed car than he already was.
She sighed. “The tech guys explained something about someone spoofing IP addresses and things I don’t understand, but they’re monitoring things more closely now and removing the comments as they happen.”
“What do the comments say?” he asked. Lola and Rep’s house came into sight at the end of the long road.
“They’re calling me a bitch, a whore, and even . . .” She shook her head and shuddered. “Never mind. Suffice it to say, it’s foul.”
“What the fuck? Who’d call you names like that?” he asked, pissed off now.
“I don’t know. That’s why they’re called trolls.” She placed a hand on his shoulder. “It’s common in the blogging world. It’s just never happened to me before.”
He glanced over and winked, reassuring her he’d relax. But he didn’t like the fact that anyone was playing games with her, and he hoped like hell it could be shut down fast.
“It’s calmed a little. Hopefully whoever they are, they’ll get frustrated with the lack of visibility and go away.”
“Let me know if it doesn’t stop.” He’d call in the best people he could if someone was making her life miserable.
“I can always ask my brothers’ IT people to look at things, but when they get involved in my life, things get even messier.” She shivered, obviously not thrilled with the idea of bringing in her overprotective brothers who owned Double Down Security.
But her brothers were a solid choice, if it came to that. Even Lola had hired them when she’d moved back to Miami. Grey didn’t want a bodyguard trailing him everywhere he went, but the reality was, he never knew if or when he’d be ambushed, so he needed someone he trusted. He didn’t think the Dare brothers would want anything to do with protecting his ass, so he’d hired Marco to stay on the job. He wasn’t trailing them now, but Grey kept him on the payroll.