Luckily, she had gotten permission from the sheriff to allow Connor to leave the state and go back to Hollywood with her. Having him there with her seemed the perfect way to handle anything that might come up. Frustratingly, Connor seemed to want to stay in Texas, at least until his parents arrived home, in order to be the buffer for what they might be walking into.
Damn his integrity and honor.
“Connor, can you come back in here?” she called out.
He’d made his escape as much as thirty minutes ago, claiming he’d make breakfast for everyone. She could tell all the meeting and strategizing wasn’t his deal. While they’d spoken with her team this morning, he’d fallen asleep twice, then again after the sheriff had arrived and lingered.
“If I have to,” he yelled back and didn’t immediately return to the living room.
“We have a plan; I just need you to be okay with it,” she said, waiting to see him in the doorway that separated the two rooms.
“If you’re good, I’m good.”
She couldn’t hold back her laughter as she heard an exaggerated display of pots and pans banging against each other. Based on the lengthy time he’d used to make their brunch, and all that noise, she decided that should be some magnificent, tasty breakfast he’d created.
“Please?” she asked again.
Finally, he appeared from the kitchen doorway, wiping his hands on a dishtowel.
“Short, quick facts. I promise.”
“Let me,” Liz, her publicist, said from the video feed. Julia pressed the volume button higher as Connor reluctantly moved toward her. “We’re going through with the story pretty much as it happened. Julia was with a decorated war hero—”
“I’m not a hero,” Connor said, interrupting her, but Liz just waited for him to finish before she continued with her statement.
“Your record shows something different. You two were robbed at gunpoint. The incident resulted in a loss of life, and for that, we’re deeply sorry—”
“I’m not sorry,” Connor interjected. “They planned to hurt Julie.”
“Connor, just let her finish,” Julia said, resting a hand on his forearm. His words were alarming, yet sweet, and he didn’t seem to understand that ninety-nine percent of the world would never see it the way he did.
“We won’t release your name, but they’ll eventually find you. Until then, we’re explaining you as a friend of Ty Bateman’s. His people are ready. Our hope is, by including Ty, this will keep the focus off you and Julia dating—”
“You don’t want people to know about me?” he asked Julia, turning his concerned eyes directly toward her. The same vulnerability he’d had last night when she’d pulled away to process everything was back on his face right now. She reached for his hand, threading her fingers with his as Liz waited to continue.
“Shh, let her finish,” Julia said.
“At least long enough to get her home and back under the watch of her people,” Liz finished. It appeared Connor hadn’t heard, but they both looked over at Bruno, who’d sat silently, in a side chair across from Julia, all morning.
“You don’t have to leave. I can clearly take care of you,” Connor added quietly.
“Neither of those are the point right now,” Bruno said, giving a disgusted grunt. “This is different than anything you understand, Con. All those photographers will make you wish you were dealing with the robbery at gunpoint again.”
“Bruno! Stop saying those things to him. I want him to live with me. You’ll scare him off,” Julia said, taking a decorative pillow off the sofa and throwing it at Bruno. She’d planned to ease Connor into her world in small baby steps. Let him adjust slowly to all the craziness that followed her around. What she hadn’t anticipated was the complete silence from her staff. Bruno’s concrete, stern face morphed into humor as he stared back at her, since he would be the only one who understood the magnitude of her feelings for Connor because he’d witnessed them firsthand.
The four people that split the screen stopped what they were doing, and all their eyes focused on Julia.
“I guess I haven’t made that clear. He’s leaving the military, and I want him to come to LA with me permanently. I’m not sure I’ve even suggested that to him.”
She could feel the heat staining her cheeks and cast a sideways glance in Connor’s direction as he scooted out of the view of the screen. His expression turned to one of shock in an instant. She narrowed her eyes and looked down at everyone on the screen. Had he never seriously considered their future? No, that wasn’t possible. He was just as into them as she was.
“We’ll keep that on the DL for right now,” Liz said, decisively. Her face morphed into something as she bent away from the camera and then came back. “Yeah, based on the google alert I just got, he’s out in the world. Did you two have dinner out last night? Your pictures are trending on social media… Hang on, let me blow it up… He’s kissing you. Yeah, it’s out.”
Julia glanced over at Connor, all the worry she’d just had faded as she laughed out loud, speaking to her staff. “Connor’s turning pale.”
“Connor, here’s the important part. When you’re asked questions, stay silent or say no comment. Don’t acknowledge them no matter what comes out of their mouths. And for God’s sake, do not say you’re not sorry and don’t hint to how strong your feelings are for Julia,” Liz instructed.
“We’ll see,” Connor muttered while rising off the sofa. She watched him walk away, torn between his statement and the sensational way his ass bounced in those well-worn blue jeans as he strutted away in those cowboy boots.
“The other thing is that I’m going home now,” Julia called out when he disappeared into the kitchen.
He came right back through the doorway. “What? I thought tonight.”
“I need to be at home in case this blows up, and it may if that family goes to the press,” she explained, unreasonably happy he looked upset at the prospect of her leaving sooner. He came back across the room and sat right beside her.
Connor leaned into her, whispering, “I don’t want you to leave yet.”
“I have to,” she leaned closer and whispered back, even though she knew the others could hear.
“I don’t want you to go. I’m not ready,” he said again as if she may not have understood.
The collective sighs from the computer made her smile as she stared at her guy. He was just so unknowingly sweet and romantic.
“Come to LA tomorrow. Tell your family, then come stay with me. I have a small place in back if you aren’t comfortable in my house. You can work from there on everything you and the guys talked about at dinner.” When she could see the reluctance coming into his expression, Julia lowered her voice even further. “It’ll give you time to iron out the details with Reed, see if you’re interested, and we can spend private time together. I won’t be able to move around as freely as I did before.”
Connor seemed the one to have more sense. He looked around and her gaze followed. All eyes from the screen and Bruno’s were on them. Connor shoved off the sofa, looking down at Julia. “Finish up and come to the kitchen. We’ll talk.”
He didn’t wait for her answer or give her any clue what he thought about her idea. Looking down at the screen, she itched to go finish the conversation with Connor and abruptly said, “Are we done?”
“I am,” Liz said, and Julia didn’t hesitate in shutting the screen, severing everyone’s connection since she’d been the one to initiate the call.
“I’ll go pack,” Bruno offered. Julia nodded at what amounted to an offer for privacy and went for the kitchen.
~~~
Connor washed his hands in the sink, the brunch he’d prepared completely forgotten as that all too familiar roil in his stomach intensified. He’d never been on this side of things before, he was always the one to ship off, and more than anything, he didn’t want Julie to leave.
He’d dreaded the idea of her leaving ten hours from now. This pushed everyth
ing up too fast.
“What did you make?” she asked from behind him. He looked over his shoulder. She stood about two feet away.
“I…” Holding her gaze became too much and he turned away. It intensified the exact reasons he didn’t want her to leave. Her presence balanced him. He thoroughly enjoyed every minute of her company and that spoke volumes for both his head and his heart since he’d been a man who’d spent most of his adult life completely alone.
“Just a little bit of breakfast and some lunch,” he finally said and reached for the hand towel. He worked to school his features, making sure his go-to expressionless look blanketed his face before turning back toward her. She looked worried, biting at her lip as she leaned a hip against the counter. When he leaned back against the sink, she moved, walking toward him, trailing a fingertip along the counter until she stood in front of him. She hesitated before taking the final step between his parted thighs, wrapping her arms around his midsection as she lifted on her tiptoes to kiss his lips.
“I move around freer than Ty, but I don’t have a lot of room when the press targets me,” she said, still on her tiptoes. “I know this could really complicate things between us.”
“We’ve been complicated from the beginning,” he answered, not entirely sure where she was going with this conversation. His heart feared words like ‘too complicated’ and ‘it’s me, not you’ coming from Julie.
“We haven’t talked about you and your future since I arrived, but if you come to my place, we’ll have some privacy and can figure everything out. I can help, Connor. I have access to a lot of resources. And before you say anything, I really want to be involved in your future. I want to be your future.”
The relief was strong as he stared down at her upturned face. He loved this woman too deeply, too quickly. The vulnerability left him more on edge than normal, but if she wanted him with her, trying to help, talking about the future, she must be experiencing all these same emotions. For some reason, that helped his heart. His fingers trailed along her cheek as he bent to kiss her lips before he answered.
“You make things better for me.” Honestly, he seemed more steady and stable in everything he did than ever before. Before Julie, the idea of civilian life scared the crap out of him. Now, he was seriously considering running his own business and trying to figure out how to keep this woman in his life. Who would have ever thought?
“I can…” she started. Connor placed a finger on her lips, silencing her.
“No. You already do. I’ve carried worries my whole life. They weigh on me. No matter what anyone sees on the outside, they’re always in my heart. Then I’m with you and you make everything lighter. Those worries fade away. I know I have head issues, but not like what they’re saying.”
“Good, then come to my house. Spend time with me there where we can be alone and really get to know each other,” she encouraged, and there was a pleading in her eyes and her voice.
“Julie, I want to say yes. I do, but this between us is moving very fast,” Connor said.
“Then think of it as a getaway. We’ll take it slow. You can have the pool house out back. It’s private and away from the house. I won’t force you into my bedroom. Let’s just see where this takes us,” she explained. It wasn’t her words that made him chuckle, but the way she said them. She was funny. She smiled brightly as she spoke, nodding, showing him that she thought she’d made a brilliant plan.
Connor truly didn’t see himself as sexist, but he still had a thing for being a man. If nothing else, he needed to be an equal, and he wasn’t when compared to her. On the flip side, staying at her house didn’t mean he was giving up his living space, and he had more than enough leave saved that he could live quite a while as they processed him out of the military. He could use the time to iron out the details of a start-up company. He’d never done anything like that before. He was certain he’d experience a learning curve. He could use some of the clear-headedness that seemed to come when Julie was around. But what if she wanted him to go out in public with her? Oh lord. He couldn’t imagine that.
“What’s the fierce look for. What’re you thinking?”
He untangled from her hold, moving away. He couldn’t think straight with her so close.
“I can’t see that I’ll do well in your world,” he said, placing a pan in the sink to soak.
“Sure you will,” she said from right beside him.
He turned to her, rolling his eyes, letting her know the absurdity of her thought. “No, I won’t. Just like saying I’m sorry for yesterday. I’d never do that.”
“Babe, no. You’ll be perfect at my world. You just need to do what you do best. Less is more. Don’t speak, no matter what’s being said. And that’s the true benefit of you coming to my house. They can’t get to you so easily. Because, trust me, if this blows, they aren’t going to leave you alone. Connor, you’re too stunning of a man,” she explained, stepping into him again, and his arm automatically hooked around her waist.
There was his biggest problem. He didn’t want to let her go. Even when he created distance, he didn’t really want the space. Damn, he was in so much trouble. It was even hilarious that he thought he had a choice in any of this.
When he didn’t say anything, she smiled and patted his chest. “Yes, be quiet, exactly like that. Tell me you’ll think about it and let me pretend you’ve said yes, otherwise it’ll make leaving you too hard.”
Leaving. Yes, she was leaving. Damn. He yanked her hard against his body. The idea of her leaving had his heart plummeting. “I don’t want you to go.”
“I know. Me either, but this happens from time to time. I have a lot of baggage you’ll have to put up with to be with me. I know it’s not fair, but it’s true. It’ll either tear us apart or make us stronger. It’s a choice you’ll have to make,” she said seriously.
“I already don’t feel worthy of you before and now that’s magnified,” he said, bringing his forehead down to hers.
She tilted her head up and pressed a lingering kiss on his lips before inching back, looking him directly in the eyes as she spoke. “You need to hear me. That’s exactly how I feel about you. I’m not worthy.”
“That’s absurd.” Connor scoffed at that nonsense. When she stood there, looking serious, he rolled his eyes, stared at her a second, then rolled them again. She just continued standing there, very solemn, staring at him. They were at an impasse, and honestly, he couldn’t see himself staying away from her. He needed Julie like he needed his next breath. She’d painted such a pretty picture of seclusion for them to spend time together. He closed the distance she created by wrapping an arm around her, moving her from the kitchen.
“Let’s get you packed. I can call Cole and see if I can borrow his truck to drive you to the airport,” he offered, walking toward his room.
“They’ve already sent people to get us,” she explained, glancing over at him, giving him an apologetic look. This was one of those sticking points they were going to struggle with. He saw it as his responsibility to get her safely on that plane. He bit back the retort and started walking to the bedroom. This would have to be something they discussed in the future. He didn’t want to be left out of her safety. He didn’t trust anyone like he did himself. “They’re anticipating it getting crazy. I tend to agree, so I need to get on the road and out of here.”
He nodded and forced himself to continue to his room. Their time together had come to an abrupt end. The real world waited. Anger simmered right under the surface as his heart cracked, the very heart Julie had mended and made whole. He hid all that from Julie and began helping her pack while she dressed.
Not thirty minutes later, he heard the front door open and Bruno talking to people. She was leaving and he hated it more than anything.
Chapter 14
Julia sat on the back patio, waiting for Bruno to do his thing and sweep the inside of her house for threats. For her, Bruno’s relentless task of following every procedure was nothing more
than the formality he lived his day-to-day life by. Her complete security team had stayed on duty at her home for the entire length of their time in Texas. Her sister had also been around all weekend. On top of all those people being present, OverWatch had also sent backup after Connor’s run-in had hit the national news.
The events of last night had broken the entertainment news world wide open, fueling the fire of the paparazzi. Her statement this morning had only fanned the flames of their intrusiveness. Those so-called reporters were like dogs with a bone. They had all the facts, she hadn’t hidden anything of importance, yet they had rehashed each word, now playing judge and jury over a story they had contorted into something that didn’t even resemble the truth.
Instead of dwelling on any of that, Julia sat in her sanctuary by the swimming pool and wore a huge grin on her face, pulling up another picture and passing her cell phone to her sister, sharing all the details of her action-packed and life-altering weekend.
“He’s good-looking,” Tina said, her knees bent, her bare feet resting on the edge of the patio chair as she sat staring at the picture of Connor now posted as the lead story on TMZ.
“That one isn’t even that good of a picture. He’s better-looking than that. You can go to my gallery, find the one of him at our picnic. He’s gorgeous.”
“Hard to believe he’s better-looking than this,” Tina said, lifting her gaze briefly to Julia before moving a finger over her phone. “They also found pictures of him and Ty together and three other guys. There’s not a bad-looking one in the bunch.”
“No, there’s not,” Julia said, laughing. “You should see them in person. It’s hard to keep your thoughts straight.” After a second of Tina’s finger moving back and forth across the screen, she sat there quietly reading. “Don’t read the tabloids. Hand me the phone.”
“Hold on. I found your statement.” Tina stayed silent, her eyes scanning back and forth until she asked, “Did you tell him about you before this robbery?”
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