Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 62811 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 314(@200wpm)___ 251(@250wpm)___ 209(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62811 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 314(@200wpm)___ 251(@250wpm)___ 209(@300wpm)
“Fine.”
“Good.” He pulled his cell out of his pocket and got his brother on the phone. “Dash, I need a favor.”
“Talk to me.”
Xander heard music playing in the background. “Your security people. I need someone immediately for Sasha. She’s at the Gansevoort, but I’m bringing her to my place, where it’s quiet and we can see a stranger coming. Can you get me someone to protect her?”
“You’re bringing me where?” Sasha’s voice echoed in the room. Her pouty lips parted in shock, and Xander prepared himself for another fight.
On the other end of the call, his brother was silent and Xander knew why. It was only a matter of time before–
“What the fuck are you doing?” Dash asked. “Didn’t she hurt you enough the first time?”
“That’s not what this is about. Can you help me out or not?” Xander asked.
Xander glanced at Sasha, who was tapping her foot, her anxiety and fury obvious. He didn’t blame her. No more than he faulted his sibling for worrying about him. Xander would do the same if the situation were reversed.
“On it, bro, but I hope you know what you’re doing. Someone from Alpha will be in touch soon.”
“Thanks.” Xander disconnected the call.
“I’m not staying with you. That’s what a bodyguard is for,” Sasha said.
“That may be true but this is Manhattan. It’s crowded. Look how easily that guy got close to you today. And someone managed to reach your floor and slip a note under your door. What if the man shows up with a room service cart?”
She blinked at him. “Have you been watching too much television?” she asked, but she was nibbling on her bottom lip, which told him she was thinking about what he’d said.
So he went in for the kill. “I live on secluded property, I have a big dog, and the nearest house is my brother’s. If anyone comes around, we’ll see them coming. No crowds.”
“No room service carts?” Her lips twitched in a grin she tried to hide.
He couldn’t help but laugh. “Wiseass.”
“What about Cassidy?”
He gave the question some thought. “I think she’s safe in the city though I’d probably move her to a new hotel and put a guard on her. Just to be safe.”
“It’s just for the weekend, right? Because we’re back in the city for filming on Monday,” Sasha said.
He shoved his hands into his pants pockets. “For now, yes. It’s for this weekend. We’ll discuss what happens next on Sunday.”
She eyed him warily but remained quiet, obviously not ready to know what he had in mind.
His mouth quirked and he suppressed a smile. He still needed to come to terms with the fact that he planned to keep her by his side for the duration of her time in New York. All through filming.
“Does that mean you’re coming home with me?” He told himself he just wanted to keep her safe and all his reasons made perfect sense. So why was his heart pounding hard in his chest as he waited for her to answer? And why couldn’t he get that kiss, one he’d only indulged in after a panicked moment, out of his head?
She stared at him as if she’d find the answers in his expression before finally nodding. “I’ll come.”
He blew out a breath, relieved.
They headed back into the suite, and she got to work convincing her team they had a handle on things. Her agent and publicist left, promising to keep in close contact. Cassidy agreed to move hotels, and Sasha packed up her things. They dropped her personal assistant off at a new hotel and headed uptown, where they picked up Bella at his apartment. He hooked his dog up to her safety harness in the back of his SUV, and they started their trip to his Hamptons home.
Sasha was quiet as they drove. The satellite radio station played classic rock, and her silence continued for the duration of the trip. Assuming she was preoccupied with the sudden upheaval in her life and the stalker threat, he figured he’d get her talking tomorrow.
At close to ten p.m., Xander finally pulled into his driveway. It was dark, but the automatic lights turned on at his approach, and a car was idling in his extra parking spot.
“Probably your security,” he said.
Sasha nodded. “Yes. I just wish there wasn’t a need.”
The urge to pull her into his arms and reassure her was strong. Incredibly so. No sooner had he found out she was in danger than the anger he felt toward her had begun to soften.
Suddenly he was able to put emotion aside and think clearly about their past. She’d been all of twenty when they were together last, and it was hard to imagine she’d had a good grasp on life or relationships at that age. And he’d definitely expected a lot of her at a time when everything around her had been changing fast.