by Casey, Ember
Mick smiles, looking between Pax and me. “You two can handle that, right?”
Pax
Honestly, I think it sounds like the best plan we have—if it’s too late to stop this, then we might as well use it to our advantage. I trust Mick to make it happen.
I’m ready to agree right this minute, but when I look over at Sophia, I realize I’m the only one. She still looks like she might be sick.
Again, I feel a surge of something—a sudden, warm protectiveness of her. It was me who pursued her, me who practically begged her to come back to my place last night. It was my computer that got hacked. I might not be responsible for what happened, but it’s my fault she’s in this position at all.
My fault. Just like the last time.
But I push the painful memories aside. The past might still haunt me, but I need to focus on the present right now.
“Can I have a moment alone with Sophia?” I say.
Mick shrugs and turns to go back into my bedroom. Nicholas, on the other hand, glares at me as if he’s debating whether to punch me in the face or just chop my balls off and be done with the whole thing.
“You’re mad if you think I’m leaving you alone with her,” he says.
This is what I get for hooking up with a woman with overprotective brothers. I should have known better. I do know better, but something about Sophia makes me ignore my better instincts.
“Fine,” I say. “You can stay. It’s not like it’s my apartment, or like you barged in uninvited or anything.”
Nicholas’s hands curl into fists at his side, and I brace myself, ready for him to come charging at me, but Sophia steps between us. She puts a hand on my chest, and even though it’s not a sexual touch, I feel a charge move through me.
“Why don’t we talk over there?” she says, nodding toward the far corner of the room. To her brother, she says, “Just stay where you are. I have a few things I need to say to Pax.”
I’m not sure whether this is a victory or not, but I’ll take it. I follow Sophia over to the corner of the room, and I can feel her brother staring daggers at my back.
I definitely need to get that guy out of my apartment fast if I don’t want to get murdered.
When we’re as far as we can get from the glaring prince, Sophia shakes her head at me.
“You’re even more talented than I thought,” she says.
“Really?” I say, pleasantly surprised.
“Yes,” she says, crossing her arms. “It takes a special sort of gift to make Nicholas lose his temper. He’s the calm one in my family. Any of my other brothers would have given you a black eye by now. If not worse.”
I glance back at her brother. He looks like a bull ready to charge.
Yeah, you definitely know how to pick ‘em, I think. My eyes drift back to Sophia, and I remember the problem at hand.
I reach up and cup her cheek, turning her gaze away from her brother and up to me. I don’t care what her brother thinks or feels. I want to know what she thinks and feels.
I’m not an idiot—I know that men get off way easier when it comes to things like sex tapes—and men with a reputation for being womanizers probably even do well for it. But no matter what people think of this sex tape, Sophia’s future is changed forever, and probably not for the better—I can’t ignore that.
“What do you want to do?” I ask her gently.
She’s quiet for a long time, staring up at me with those enchanting blue eyes. From the moment I met her, she’s been self-assured and confident, a woman comfortable in her own skin. But now, despite what I’m sure are her best efforts to hide it, I can see fear and uncertainty in her eyes. She presses her lips together, her eyes searching mine. I’m not sure what she’s looking for—I sure as hell don’t have any answers.
“Whatever you want to do, I’ll do it,” I tell her. “If you want to walk out of here with your brother, then I won’t stop you. If you want to do what Mick suggests and try and take control of this, then I’m all in. Your friend works at Celebrity Spark. It’s not like we don’t have resources on our side.”
She’s quiet for a moment, then says, “Do you really mean that? That you’ll do what I want?”
“The way I see it, I’m not the only one involved in this, which means I can’t be the only one making the decisions,” I say. “This tape is going to do a hell of a lot more damage to you than it is to me.”
“Yeah,” she says softly. “It is.” Her eyes flick in the direction of her brother, then move back to me. My hand is still curled around her cheek, but she makes no effort to pull away.
“My family is going to kill me if I go back,” she says softly. “Or at least throw me in the dungeon and never let me outside ever again. Andrew’s probably losing his mind, and my father is still recovering from his heart attack, and I…” One side of her mouth curls up wryly. “I’m not the sort of person to run away from my problems. But in this case, I’m not sure which path would be considered running away. Do I go home to face my family but hide from the world? Or do I face the world and the media but avoid facing my family’s disappointment?”
I know she’s not really asking me for the answer to that question, but I can’t help but provide one. “You do what you want. Because the next few days and weeks are going to be hard enough without you forcing yourself to do something that makes you miserable. Don’t think about what your family wants or even what I want—what do you want?”
“Me? I want to hunt down whatever bastard did this and punch him in the face.”
The humor in her voice makes me smile. “Punch him in the balls. Trust me, it’ll be so much better.”
I’m pleased to see her return my grin, in spite of everything. “I’ll have to remember that. In the meantime, you might want to cover yours.”
Instinctively, my hand moves to cover my delicates. “Are you going to punch me in the balls? Because trust me, my junk is still a little tender after everything we did last—”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I wouldn’t do that. But my brother might. In fact, you might just want to leave the room altogether.”
“What? Why?”
She steps back, finally pulling away from my touch. “Because I’m about to tell him my decision, and it’s not the one he wants. You should go tell your manager that reservation is still on for tonight.”
“Really?” My surprise is obvious in my voice. I want her to stay, but deep down, I never thought she would—not after Prince Grumpy showed up.
“Yes, really,” she says. “But don’t read too much into it. It doesn’t mean anything. If I’m going to ride this out, I’d rather not do it by myself. My family has my best interests at heart, but they don’t know how to deal with something like this.” Two pink spots appear on her cheeks. “And honestly, I’m not sure I can look at any of them right now, not if they’ve seen… This is not how any of this was supposed to go. My brother Leo slept his way around half the world, and somehow he never ended up naked on the internet. Why me?”
“Believe me, I’m as pissed as you are. And trust me—I’m going to do whatever it takes to find that fucker and make him pay.”
That hint of a smile is back. “I know. And thank you.”
“For what?”
She shoots another glance at her brother, but we’re still speaking too low for him to hear. Still, she steps closer and drops her voice again.
“For being the only person I know who isn’t judging me for this.”
I laugh sharply. “I can’t exactly judge you when I’m in the video, too.”
“Still. I think…I think if I’m going to get through this, I need to be around someone who doesn’t think I’m a whore. Or a problem to be solved.” She glances at Nicholas once more. “I don’t want anyone’s anger, but most of all, I don’t want anyone’s pity. If I go home, those are the only two things I’m going to get.”
“Oh,” I say, starting to understand.
“So I’m going to go tell my brother,” she s
ays. “And you go tell Mick. You may want to lock yourself in the bathroom for a little while. I can’t guarantee what his reaction will be.”
I size up Nicholas out of the corner of my eye. “I’m not afraid of him.”
She shrugs. “Suit yourself.”
I give her brother another good, hard look as I head toward my bedroom to find Mick.
On second thought, maybe I should try not to provoke him, I think, noticing how wide his shoulders are. I still think I could take him, but it would be a hell of a fight, and I’d rather not start my tour with a bunch of bruises. I’ll fight when a fight is needed, but I’m not some sort of hotheaded idiot who goes looking for that sort of trouble.
I’ll let her deal with her brother, I tell myself. In the meantime, I’ll celebrate the fact that she’s decided to stay, even if it’s only for a little bit longer.
Sophia
I’ve never been one to think much about my status as a celebrity. Certainly, I was raised to understand that my family represented our great country, that every action represented something larger.
Perhaps because of the Montovian laws protecting its citizens against violations of privacy—especially from the paparazzi—I haven’t had to worry much. When I’ve traveled outside Montovia, I’ve been more aware of the constant snapping of photographs. But never could I have imagined that something I did in the privacy of a bedroom would be shared with the world.
My stomach is still sick—I feel as though there is a hollow place in my gut where my dignity has been sucked from me. Nicholas is still glaring at Pax, and my brother’s gaze follows him to the bedroom door.
Pax looks…worried. Perhaps that isn’t the right term. His privacy has been violated, too, of course. But if memory serves me, the public always forgets who the man was in a sex tape. It’s always the woman involved who gets the most scrutiny—the most judgment.
Nicholas lets out a long breath as I walk back over to him. “Do you have all your things? The plane is waiting for us.”
“I…I’m not leaving.” I cross my arms over my chest. “I think it would be better if I stay.”
“Nonsense.” He looks at me as if I’ve gone mad—and perhaps I have. “Going back to Montovia is the best way to deal with this. Father and Andrew will—”
“That’s the problem.” I shake my head. “I don’t want Father or Andrew to handle this. It’s my burden. My responsibility.”
“Sophia…” He almost clucks my name. “This is bigger than anything you’ve ever been involved in. Bigger than anything Leopold was ever involved in.”
He’s right, of course. Leo has dealt with some nasty tabloid stories, but never one of this magnitude. “I know. But I don’t think hiding in the palace is going to solve my problem.”
He throws his hands in the air. “And flaunting yourself about Los Angeles is? There are paparazzi on every corner here. It’s going to be a fiasco…a disaster. And it isn’t as though our laws are going to protect you here.”
“Victoria will help me.” I force a tiny smile. “She’s already—”
“Are you mad? Have you gone insane?” He leans toward me, pulling his phone from his pocket and waving it at me. “Would you like to see the texts? She’s already gone back to work at that bloody magazine. She is not going to help you.”
“Oh.” I take a step backward, refolding my arms over my chest. “Then I suppose I’ll handle things myself. It isn’t as though—”
“Sophia.” Nicholas barks my name as he steps toward me, placing his hands on my shoulders, giving me a small shake. “You can’t.”
“I can’t what? Handle things myself?” I give him a wry look. “I’ll be fine.” Even as I say the words, I know it’s a lie. Pax has his manager here. Mick will protect him—make him look as good as possible. But there’s no one here to protect me except myself.
“You won’t be fine.” Nicholas shakes his head. “I don’t know what’s wrong with you. You haven’t lost your head over…him, have you?” He motions toward the bedroom door. “He’s nothing, Sophia. He’s—”
“Not nothing.” Part of me knows my brother is trying to protect me, but the other part is disgusted at his behavior. “Why would you say that? You really think the two of us are so much better than—”
“Yes.” He gives me a vehement nod of his head. “Yes, I do think we’re so much better than that…that…piece of shit.”
Something turns in my chest at his words, and my jaw drops. I’m not sure what’s come over me, but I don’t want anyone speaking of Pax like that. Not even my brother. “You can’t be serious. You, of all people—”
“Me?” His eyebrows draw together. “Sophia, think of what he’s already done to you. A decent man doesn’t film his escapades. Particularly not with a woman he’s just met.” He shakes his head. “What is the matter with you? Why are you protecting him?”
“I…I don’t know.” And I don’t. I only know there’s something about Pax that makes me want to stand by his side. At least for now.
I look up into my brother’s eyes. “I don’t know,” I repeat. “But I do know I’m not going to run from this. I’m…I’m going to stay and fight.”
His eyes widen. “There is nothing here to fight, Sister. Nothing. You’re acting…crazy. The only way to deal with this is to come back to the palace. I’m sure Victoria will help you if you come to the plane. And we’ll have the whole flight back to discuss your options.”
As good as that sounds, I know it isn’t the way I want to handle this. “I already told you. I’m not going back. Pax has invited me on tour with him—”
“Out of the question.” His hands ball into fists again at his sides, and I’m glad I sent Pax into the bedroom. Nicholas is the most mild-mannered of my brothers, and by far the least likely to start a fight. But if he feels his family is threatened, I know he’ll be happy to throw a few punches. And unlike my other brothers, his tend to do a lot more damage.
“Well, I wasn’t asking permission.” I tilt my head. “You may as well go. I’ve already made my decision.”
He shakes his head, letting out a long sigh of frustration. “I have my orders, Sophia. You know how Father and Andrew are about these sorts of things.”
I shrug. “I don’t think anyone in the family has been embroiled in this sort of thing before.” I’m not sure why I keep tempting fate like this—it isn’t as though Nick couldn’t pick me up and throw me over his shoulder and cart me away against my will. It isn’t his style, but he’s certainly big enough to do it.
“So what will you do?” He cocks his head. “Hide in this hovel?” He glances around the apartment. “You’ll hole yourself up here? And for how long?”
“Hardly.” I can’t help but smile. “I’m going to make the most of it. Pax and I have a very public dinner planned for tonight at some restaurant. Some place people go purposely to get publicity.”
Nicholas merely shakes his head.
“And then…” I should stop talking, but for some reason I can’t. “And then I’m going to go on tour with him.” I smile. “And we’re going to be very, very happy together.” Even as I say the words, I know they aren’t true. Pax and I might share some sort of chemistry, but he obviously has many secrets—many things he’ll likely never share with me. He’s made his disdain for any sort of commitment very clear, even if he did invite me to go on tour with him. I can’t forget the lyrics of his songs—the haunting words that reveal all too clearly that he has hidden pain within him that’s too deep to bear. I still don’t know what it is he’s hiding—and I’m still not certain I want to know. But I do know that he’s offered to stand by my side through this. That he’s willing to set aside his fears, at least for a time to be able to protect me. And that’s enough for now.
“You can’t stop me, Nick.”
My brother closes his eyes for a moment, clearly trying to contain his anger. He finally looks back over at me. “Father and Andrew…” He shakes his head. “They’re going to hate th
is.”
“I don’t care—”
“Let me finish.” His gaze narrows at me. “They’re going to hate it. But if it’s what you’re going to insist on doing, I’ll tell them.”
It takes me a second to realize he’s essentially given me permission to do as I please. And I can’t help but grin. “Really? Nicholas, I can’t tell you how much—”
“I wasn’t done.” His gaze is still narrowed, and his frown deepens. “I’ll tell them, Sophia. But only on one condition.”
“Whatever you want.” I smile. “I just really appreciate that you’re letting me do what I think is best for myself—”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Sister.” There’s still no trace of amusement in his expression—not that there usually is. “The one condition of you going on this tour—and even to this dinner—is that I will be accompanying you. You are not going anywhere alone with this Pax person. Ever.”
Pax
Mick is yammering on about whatever the hackers did to access my computer, but I’m not listening. My ears are strained toward the door back to the living room, trying to pick up the conversation between Sophia and her brother.
She’s agreed to stay—that’s the important thing. And in spite of what my instincts are telling me, I can’t help it—I’m damn happy about her decision. She might only be a distraction, but she’s not one I’m willing to let go of just yet.
What is it about this girl? She’s far too much trouble—between her stubbornness and her overprotective family, I should know better. Not to mention that the last time I let myself feel anything for someone, it ended in a nightmare. But I’m not willing to let her walk out of my life just yet.
