Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 83986 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83986 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
“No,” I said, lifting my sunglasses, pushing them back in my hair and smiling at everyone and waving. “I’m the boyfriend. I want everyone to see me.”
His sharp exhale was not to be missed, nor was how tight he was holding my hand. The fact that everyone knew my name already and called it out to get me to turn and look should have been weird, but it was all right. I had agreed to live my life in the spotlight, and there was no going back now.
And then I had a thought that chilled me to the bone.
“What’s wrong?” Ash asked, concerned, stepping in front of me, hands on my hips. “Why’re you—”
“I didn’t call my mother or my sisters,” I barely got out.
His laugh was warm and husky, though I had no idea what was funny. “You can call them later.”
“No, you don’t understand. I didn’t call and tell them about us, and they’re going to see me and you, us, for the first time on some site and—”
“Is that it? You scared me for a second with—”
“I’m so dead.”
He squinted at me. “You look a bit off.”
I might have whimpered.
“We’ll call them from the car,” he promised, then retook my hand and tugged me after him. “I think Levi took care of that for me, but this is why I really need an assistant as—”
“Coop!”
The voice was familiar, and when I looked, there was Locryn Barnes. It was crazy that he was there, out of the blue, looking slightly pissed off like he always did. But that was normal, and at the moment, so very good. I was out of my element, nothing felt solid, and I needed to find a bit of balance.
“Get the fuck over here,” he yelled.
He was himself, so I had to be as well. Sometimes all you needed was the smallest adjustment to course-correct.
“Hey, isn’t that Nick Madison’s—”
“Come on.” I took the lead, drawing Ash after me.
When I was close enough, I got the smirk that passed for a smile from my former colleague and forever friend before he grabbed me. It hurt a bit because he was never gentle, but that was normal as well.
“What are you doing here?” I asked when he let me go and offered his hand to Ash.
“Picking up you guys,” he answered, and then said to my boyfriend, “Pleasure to meet you,” in that thick, low, gravelly tone he had sometimes when he was truly pleased.
“Thanks for dressing up for me,” I said sarcastically, noting the threadbare jeans, long-sleeve T-shirt that had seen better days, and a pair of motorcycle boots that I remembered being old when we used to work together.
“Anything for you, princess.”
Ash could only stare.
Occasionally, Locryn Barnes could be quite magnetizing. Mostly, everyone saw what Ash had—the dark jet eyes, the glower of displeasure, and of course his hard, heavy muscular frame that did nothing to make him appear approachable.
But when he was happy, as he was now meeting Ash, it was easy to understand why a superstar like Nick Madison had fallen hard.
“The pleasure’s all mine,” Ash finally managed to choke out.
Locryn moved then, like he did, in bursts of speed that could freak out people who weren’t used to him. He grabbed my bicep, put a hand between Ash’s shoulder blades, and got us both moving.
“So this morning, as he does once he has access to all areas of a client’s life, Owen did his regular check of security systems,” Locryn explained as he got us on the escalator going down to the arrival area. “And lo and behold, you had a breach at your home in Malibu.”
“What kind of breach?”
“An actual party I’m doubting you okayed,” Locryn informed him. “Do me a favor—you got a hat in your duffel there?”
“I do,” Ash said, smiling. “Would you like me in sunglasses as well?”
“Yes, please,” Locryn said. “And gimme the bag.”
Ash didn’t want Locryn to have to roll his suitcase, so Locryn took our garment bags.
“You don’t have to carry—”
“Leave him alone,” I told Ash. “Because really, you’d be better off arguing with your duffel bag than with Loc.”
“I’m getting that,” Ash agreed.
Once we were outside, Locryn explained that Ash had a lot of people at his house, using his pool, raiding his kitchen, drinking his booze, and snorting cocaine off his living room table.
“This is why wood is better. You have a lot of glass, which is just asking for trouble,” Locryn said with a shrug.
“I don’t—I hope you know that the drugs were not mine and—”
Locryn lifted his hand. “We know. The cops have the dealers in custody.”
“This is just—”
“I know what you’re thinking” Loc teased him. “It’s too early in the morning for that amount of hedonism, but according to your very annoyed neighbors, it started last night, hasn’t stopped, so really, not early.”