“Still, I think we need to be careful. Skyler’s going to disguise herself a little, see if we can’t fool the readers for as long as we can. If things get out of hand, I want her out of there,” I say, trying to run through all the potential scenarios where my girl could get hurt. There really aren’t that many. As Rachel stated, these are romance readers, not homicidal maniacs looking to take down a celebrity.
“I’ll go now, check it out, scour the space and exits, and bring back some intel.” Nate states this to Rachel, not to me.
Rachel adds to the list of things for Nate to look into. “I’ve got the house. Find the best place to park and make sure the store owner knows who’s coming and has a roped-off area that we can hide Skyler away in.”
He walks over to his wife, grabs her hand, and squeezes. They just look into one another’s eyes, communicating something silently, which I imagine is something like “I love you. Be back soon. Be safe,” or maybe all of the above.
Suddenly he lets go of her hand, turns on his combat boots, and disappears out the door.
“Man of few words,” I say to fill the awkward silence.
“We’re on the job. The lovey-dovey shit does not fly on the job.” Her words are a declaration, not open for discussion.
“Good point.”
She winks, bringing back the easy levity we normally have. “I’m doing a perimeter check. You’ve got the inside?”
I can’t imagine that someone would be able to scale the gate and get into the house unnoticed, but as I recalled before, this team is hard-core about their security, and that means the woman I love will stay safe and sound at all times. “Yes, ma’am.”
She frowns. “Don’t call me ma’am. It makes me feel old.”
I chuckle and salute her instead.
“Now that I like.” She grins and takes off out the door.
I shake my head and stroll through the house to find the kitchen. Once there, I go through her cabinets, pantry, and fridge. There isn’t peanut butter anywhere, which is weird. Most every American household keeps peanut butter in stock unless someone inside is allergic to peanuts. Except we’re not in the States, which means . . . ah, yep. I find the white-and-brown jar labeled “Nutella.” Hazelnut. Which, to me, tastes more like dessert and less like a sandwich topping.
Going over to the fridge, I pull out some apples and set those on the counter. I also find some deli meats and cheese. Instead of pulling together sandwiches for the three of us, I make a meat, cheese, and fruit platter that could rival any charcuterie’s hors d’oeuvres if I do say so myself.
I find the wine chiller and pull out a crisp New Zealand sauvignon blanc to pair with the meal. Once I’ve got three glasses filled, I call up to the girls.
The two of them come giggling down the stairs. When they reach the bottom, I open my arms in a “surprise” gesture.
Skyler claps her hands and bounces a bit on her toes before rushing to me and kissing me sweetly on the lips. “You did all this for us.”
“I did.” I waggle my eyebrows, reminding her that she already owes me one, and this makes two.
“This looks amazing, and I’m utterly famished,” Geneva says, sitting at the bar in front of the food.
I pass her a glass, then one to Skyler, and grab one for myself.
“What should we drink to?” Skyler says.
“To finding the words that will write the story as it was meant to be.” I pull the elephant we’re here to wrangle right out into the open.
“Hear, hear!” Skyler clinks Geneva’s glass and then my own.
I do the same before focusing my gaze on Skyler’s and drinking in her eyes as I fill my mouth with a fruity taste, not unlike her kisses.
Geneva puts down her glass. “I just want to thank you guys for coming. I mean, I know you’re being paid, but today has been more fun than I’ve had in a long time.”
“Oh, Ms. James, the fun has just begun,” I promise on a smirk.
She smiles and pops a chunk of apple into her mouth, chewing thoughtfully while looking at Skyler, who’s leaning her body against mine. “Spending time with the two of you, I do believe you’re right.”
6
Geneva’s agent way underestimated the number of people waiting to see the author. As we roll up to the front of the bookstore, two security guards come up to the car. The second Geneva exits, the crowd starts screaming, waving books and posters in the air. I scan the street and note that not only has the line gone around the block, it’s doubled and looped around itself.
Geneva waves at the crowd as I place my hand on her back and lead her toward the store.
Her cheeks are rosy as she looks up at me. “I can’t believe this. I mean, I know the books sell well, but . . .” She loses her wording as the crowd gets louder. “It’s incredible.”
I grin and push her toward the door, wanting to get her out of the open. I guess being with a celebrity, I’m used to Nate’s rule of get the VIP under cover and out of a crowd as quickly as possible.
“You deserve this attention. The books not only are well written, they have a story that connects to people in all walks of life. Your readers find something in your words that speaks to them.”
She smiles shyly and looks down at her shoes, almost as if she’s pondering what I’ve said.
The security team follows us in and leads us to the table set up with stacks of Geneva’s newest books. There’s a six-foot-tall banner next to it with her name on it and a picture of the A-Lister Trilogy couple, once again with faces cut off.
Hmm.
I nudge Geneva’s shoulder. “What if you could have the right characters on the cover of your books? Who would be your perfect Simone and Dean?”
She smiles wide. “I told you. Skyler is the basis for Simone, and Dean would be a Henry Cavill type. Brown hair, blue eyes—though you’d work perfectly.” She taps at her bottom lip thoughtfully.
“Me?” I jerk my head back.
“Course. In case you haven’t noticed, you and Skyler make a beautiful couple. The entire world is going to swoon when you get married and start having babies.”
I choke on the lump filling my throat. “Whoa, whoa. Getting a bit ahead of things. Skyler and I are happy, but nowhere near marriage and children.”
She walks around the table they’ve set up for her and shrugs. “Things change, opinions change when you’ve found the right person to spend your life with.”
The bookstore owner comes over to Geneva and shakes her hand, going over the plan. While she’s doing so, Skyler enters from the back. I grin and bite down on my lip hard. She’s a vision hiding behind long dark curls and a pair of black-rimmed glasses. Her lips are a bubblegum pink I want to bite into like a sugary doughnut.
Nate leads her over to an area that’s behind the pop-up banner and a bookcase. She can hang out in her corner, still talk to Geneva and the rest of us, while pretty much hiding in plain sight. I find my way around the bookcase and loop an arm around her from behind. “Brunette . . .” I push aside her fake hair and growl against her neck. “This could be interesting.” I kiss my way up the side of her neck until she spins around, looping her arms around mine.
“It’s growing on me.” She smirks, and I lean down and take her bubblegum-colored lips in a hard, deep kiss. Our tongues tangle, and she presses her body against mine, aligning us from chest to toes. I slant her head and lick deep, tasting as much of her sweetness as I can get, knowing our time hidden away is limited.
Behind us, the sounds of voices and feet on the floor announce the first wave of fans. The rest of the store had to be shut down, but the owner doesn’t care. After the readers meet Geneva, they can shop and pay for the books they secured.
I pull away from Skyler begrudgingly and swipe the smudged lipstick under her bottom lip. “Time to work. Oh, but I have an idea I wanted to run past you.”
“What’s up?” Always so willing, my girl.
“What if I asked you to pose for the cover of Geneva’
s third book? Would you do it? Do you have any legal or professional conflicts?”
“Did she tell you that’s what she wants?”
I shake my head. “No, but part of her connecting with her characters could be seeing them come to life the same way they will on the movie screen. If she could start working on the first movie with the production company, maybe she wouldn’t feel so disconnected. I thought if we could get you posing with a model that looks like Dean, it might light a fire under her muse. What do you say?”
She grins wide. “I say hell to the yes! I’ve never been on a book cover before, but I’d do it for this series and this author. It could also help the higher-ups who are making the movie see me as Simone’s character.”
I nod. “True. I’ll talk to Amy and see what she thinks. Find out if she can get the model who was on the other two covers to come in and pose with you. Though you should double-check with Tracey and make sure you don’t have any conflicts.”
Skyler pulls out her phone. “Will do that now. Great idea, honey.” She lifts up onto her toes and kisses me once more.
“You check in with Tracey, also find out what junket you need to do, and we’ll get that set up with Nate and Rachel.”
She frowns and runs her toe along the beige floor, her smile slipping.
“Would you go with me? To the uh, press stuff? Usually when I do one, I go for the day and go from room to room and talk about the film. I’m sure it would be totally boring to you, but . . .” She shrugs. “I like being with you, spending time together even when we’re working. I don’t know; it feels as though maybe . . .”
“This is us. Doing what we need to do to spend quality time together and still be able to do our jobs and fulfill our career obligations.”
Her face lights up, and the glow that is solely Skyler comes back, pinkening her cheeks and making her brown eyes sparkle. “Yes!” she gasps. “Exactly.”
I grip her by the waist and run my hand down to her heart-shaped ass. I give it a little squeeze as I dip my chin down until I can feel her breath on my lips. “Peaches, of course I’ll go with you. If we can swing it while we’re here, let’s do it.”
“I love you, Parker Ellis.” Those words are said on a sigh, and I never tire of hearing them.
I nuzzle her nose with mine. “That’s good, because I love you, Skyler Lumpkin.” I say her name in nothing but a whisper, not wanting anyone to hear. With a quick peck to her lips and a firm squeeze to her ass, I move away from her body, hating the distance, but knowing I need to be on the job more than I need to be kissy-facing it with my woman in a crowded bookstore.
Leaving Skyler to get situated in her cubby space, I head to where Geneva is chatting with a fan.
“Oh my God, you’re my favorite author in the whole world. The way you made Dean catch Simone as she fell off the first-floor balcony . . .” The fan’s eyes go wild, and she pushes her hand through her hair. “I thought she was going to die, and then I would have been so angry . . .”
Geneva nods and signs the book for the quick talker. “I’m glad it all worked out.”
“I can’t wait to find out what happens. That ex-girlfriend is still after Dean, and Simone is going crazy thinking she might be pregnant . . . I can’t wait!” the fan practically screeches.
“Thank you so much for your support. The third book will come out . . . soon. I think soon.”
The next reader comes up with what looks like a scrapbook completely filled with what seems like typed lines from the book, and . . . what the heck? I lean over Geneva’s shoulder and see image after image of Skyler, from cut-out magazine advertisements to movie promos, pasted next to Henry Cavill.
Geneva’s eyes light up as she turns each page. “She is the perfect Simone.”
The reader nods frantically. “Do you think they’ll be able to get her? I mean she’s done romance before and suspense, and she’s just the perfect Simone Shilling. I can’t wait for the movies!”
“Maybe. My agent has put in the request for Ms. Paige, but you never know. Keep your fingers crossed, and so will I.” Geneva plays it off so coolly.
I place my hand on Geneva’s shoulder and lean down to her ear. “Looks like you’ve got a lot of happy readers here. Not one person has complained about the next book. You’re not letting anybody down. Every person here is thrilled to read your stories and share a moment with you. Pretty powerful.”
Geneva nods as the next person walks up with her books. “Yes, it is, Mr. Ellis. Feels good too.”
“Ms. James, I’m your number-one fan . . . ,” says the tenth person in a row.
I chuckle behind my hand and note that the table is getting low on books, but the line is still long. The bookseller is standing off to the side, talking to a couple of her staff, watching the show.
“We’re going to need some more books.”
“Already?” the owner gasps.
“They’re gobbling them up fast.”
“Ladies.” She turns to the two staff. “Can you get the big boxes in the back and roll them in? We’ll just set them behind Ms. James so we can refill the piles without any disruption.”
The two staff members move to the back of the store, and I head over to visit Nate.
“How goes it?” I ask. Nate’s currently standing like a Secret Service agent guarding the president. His gaze never leaves the crowd to make eye contact with me, but it does scan the space to assess where Skyler is and what she’s doing.
Right now, she’s chatting with Geneva from behind the pop-up. The two of them laugh as though they are lifelong friends.
Nate’s gruff voice fills the air. “It’s going well. Even though there are a lot of people, the readers are docile. They wait patiently for their turn; they’re not complaining and haven’t so much as attempted to approach the back portion of the store.” He continues to watch the patrons walk up, say a quick few words to Geneva, get their books signed, and carry on to the cash register.
I inhale fully for what feels like the first time. When Amy sent the warning of the crowd size, the fear for Skyler’s safety put a lock around my lungs, to the point where I couldn’t breathe easy. Now that I’m here and can verify that the fans are really very sweet and all seem to be extremely civil, I can catch my breath. Of course, they don’t know that the most sought-after actress in the world is in a disguise and sitting behind a bookcase twenty feet from where they stand. As long as we keep that under wraps, we shouldn’t have a problem.
“Since everything’s kosher, I’m going to head to the back and make a few calls.” I hook a thumb over my shoulder.
“We’ve got this under control.” Nate’s voice is confident and steadfast.
I clap the man on the shoulder and pull my phone out of my jacket as I go. As I pass Skyler, her gaze lifts to mine, and she blows me a kiss. Not wanting to bring attention to her, I just smile a shit-eating grin, head to a quiet back corner while pulling up IG’s number on my phone, and hit go.
Annie answers on the first ring. “International Guy, Annie speaking, how may I be of service?”
I roll my eyes and snarl internally, hating that it’s not Wendy’s sassy voice answering the phone.
“Hi, Annie, this is Parker. I need to speak with Bo if he’s in.”
“Hello, Mr. Ellis. So good to hear from you. I hope your stay in London is faring well.”
I grind down on my molars and force myself to be nice. It’s not Annie’s fault she isn’t Wendy. It’s a crazed woman scorned who put our girl in the hospital with a bullet wound to add to her list of things she’s survived. I close my eyes and remember that Wendy would nail me to the wall if I so much as thought about treating her temporary replacement poorly. “Very well, thank you, Annie. Is—”
“And Skyler, is she feeling better? I know when I last saw her, she was unhappy.”
“She’s fine. Thank you for asking. May I speak to Bo, please?”
“Sure. I’ll patch you right through, and don’t be afraid to call or ema
il requesting things. Wendy informed me this job is not a nine-to-five but more like a twenty-four-seven arrangement, and I’m happy to be your go-to girl.” Her voice even sounds sweet as she makes a very kind offer.
“I will let you know. Bo, please?”
“Yes, sir.”
I hear a couple of beeps and then my friend’s voice. “Tell me Geneva James is as cool in person as her books are?” Bo asks without any form of greeting.
“You’ve read her books?” I should have guessed that.
He scoffs, “You haven’t?”
“Well, I have now. Skyler and I read them together on the plane ride over. I read the first two of the A-Lister Trilogy.”
“Can you believe how he caught Simone when she was literally falling from the sky?”
“It was a second-story balcony, not a free fall to earth,” I respond dryly.
“Dean is the man. He’s cool, rides a motorcycle, and gets a Skyler lookalike. Which reminds me. How are things between you and hot pants?”
“Do. Not. Call. Her. That. Ever. You feel me?” My voice comes out in a gravelly, animal-like growl.
Bo laughs loudly, and I have to hold the phone away from my ear for a moment. Bo guffaws once more and says, “What are you going to do about it all the way in London? Hmm? And besides, you’re not blind. Your girl has a stellar ass. Four out of five moviegoers agree, according to an online survey I just read.”
I groan and press my thumb and finger into my temples. “Put down the gossip rags and keep your mind out of the gutter . . .”
“Can’t. Not possible,” he quips instantly.
“For a minute or two.” I let out an exasperated sigh and lean my elbow into a bookcase to hold myself up. All the late-night sexcapades are wearing me out. We need to sleep tonight. Sleep. Not fuck.
“What do you need from me? You sound tired. Ohhhhh, I know why. Because Sky’s keeping you up all night with a little brown chicken brown cow . . .”
I want to slam my head—or maybe the phone—into the nearest bookcase. Yeah, the phone. Wendy’s not here to get pissed if I ruin another one. Again, a knife prick of sadness wedges its way into my chest. Damn, I thought that pressure and pain would go away when I got Sky back. Turns out, being without anyone I love puts that damn dagger back in its lock within my chest.
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