Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 72543 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72543 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
My gaze lifts to Adam’s again, which means I tilt my chin all the way up. The man is incredibly tall, even more so than I’d thought before lunch, which lends itself to a concern. I twist around to face Damion. “He’s a very big man. And noticeable. He’s going to get attention. He’s going to be all over the press, right along with me.”
“High-profile people have bodyguards all the time,” Damion argues. “He’ll stay in the background every occasion he can.”
“What am I supposed to tell my producer?” I counter.
“It’s already handled,” he informs me. “I made that call and told them you have a stalker.”
I bristle at this information. “Do you think you should have talked to me first?”
“Baby, I’m trying to protect you.”
“I get that, but talk to me first,” I chide.
“If this wasn’t necessary—”
“Damion, talk to me first.”
His expression tightens. “Understood. In my defense, I just want you safe.”
I soften with this admission and catch the lapels of his jacket. “I know. I do, but there are assumptions about me and my career that come with my relationship with you.”
“We talked about this—”
“I know. I do. I just know how gossip will fly.”
“I promise to be discreet,” Adam interjects. “And keep you safe. Do you know how to shoot a gun?”
I rotate to face Adam again. “I don’t, and I really don’t want to, either. The idea of holding a weapon that could kill someone scares me.”
“We should teach you to shoot and get you a handgun,” Adam says as if I said nothing at all, his attention shifting to Damion. “I can take her to the shooting range and teach her.”
“I’ll teach her,” Damion replies. “We’ll go tomorrow.”
I cut Damion a stare. “You shoot?”
“Yes.” That’s all he says, but his jaw flexes, and he cuts his gaze as if there’s something in his eyes he doesn’t want me to read.
Unbidden, a chill races down my spine. He’s warned me that there are bad things in his past, and for the first time, I wonder just how close to hell Damion got before he came back to Earth.
Damion’s hand settles on my lower back. “Grab your stuff, and let’s hit the road.”
There’s this edge to him now, near coldness, I see for what it is. His wall he uses to protect himself and me. The problem is, I think he’s protecting me from himself, and I don’t know how that works out well for either of us.
It’s trouble.
The kind Adam can’t save us from.
Chapter twenty-eight
We exit the building to a chilly afternoon that contrasts the heated frenzy of the press, way beyond anything I’ve ever experienced. Once Damion, Adam, and I have escaped the craziness and are safely tucked inside the vehicle, with Adam in a seat facing us, I pant out a breath. “What is happening?” I say, exasperated by just how deep the reporters had stood. “I’ve never had this kind of press. Ever.” I twist around to face Damion. “It’s because we were caught on camera last night, isn’t it?”
“I’m fairly certain that’s accurate,” he says tightly. “It’ll wear off after a bit.”
“You see what I mean? Our relationship is going to haunt you, Damion.”
Shadows dance across his features, and he reaches up and strokes my cheek. “You’ve been haunting me my whole life, and I like it.”
“Damion,” I breathe out, overwhelmed with emotion at his response and awkward at Adam’s presence. It’s weird being watched and having someone in our intimate space.
“Baby, I promise you I’m up for this, if you’re up for the ride I’m about to take you on, too.”
I forget Adam and slide my hand into his. “I am, and I wish you knew that.”
“You’ll show me. We got this. I promise.”
I swallow the new wave of emotion he’s stirred. We got this. I hope so, is all I can think. I really, really hope so. Those words, and this man, slide inside me, settle deep in my soul, and fill me up where I have been empty and alone for a very long time. All my life, I’ve been battling an uphill battle and doing it alone. But I’m not alone anymore. And maybe I never was. He was out of sight, but never out of mind or reach.
“We do,” I promise, and already the vehicle is approaching the studio.
Adam turns to the driver, saying something to him before he addresses me. “We’re going to get out at a coffee shop down the road. I know the owners. We’ll slip out the back door before they know we’re gone. You’ll need to leave us there, Damion.”
“I’d rather drop her at the door,” Damion argues.
“I know,” he says, “but this is the best way to throw them off your trail for the rest of the day.”
I squeeze Damion’s hand. “I’m fine. I have Adam to keep me safe, because you made sure I have Adam.”