AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Stop,” he grumbles. “Those are her words. Not mine. I don’t think of myself like that … I’m not trying to be a fucking Alpha Male.”
I let the F-bomb slip. I have too many questions about his publicist’s suggestions. “And how does Margaret propose that you transform into a soft and cuddly male?”
He runs a hand through his stubble. He keeps his gaze fixed on the floor, or the wall, refusing to look at me again. He’s already let me see too much.
“She wants me to settle down,” he mutters.
He’s on the brink of pulling back and shutting me out. If he does that, he’ll be completely alone. I can’t let that happen. When I was at my worst, Gavin came and put me back together.
“I’m going to help you fix this,” I promise. “Together we’ll make Alexandra’s threat disappear.”
“You have a plan?” He crosses his arms in front of his chest. But he’s looking at me again. That’s a good sign.
“I’m thinking.” What does he expect? It’s nearly one in the morning. I think. I haven’t actually checked the time since before Luna was shot. For all I know, she’s been in surgery five minutes. But it feels like we’ve been waiting for an hour. How long have we been discussing Gavin’s distraction? I was so caught up in his problem that I’ve lost all sense of time.
That’s the hallmark of a good distraction.
“That’s it.” My eyes widen as the pieces click together. “You need a bigger distraction.”
He shakes his head. “I thought of that too. But I don’t have a product ready to launch. And the next line of software won’t exactly grab everyone’s interest. It’s not like I’m releasing something sexy, like an iPhone.”
“Not that type of distraction.” I stand and start pacing the room. Some of my best thinking happens when I move. “I think your publicist was right about your personal life. If you announced your engagement, you could dismiss Alexandra’s claims as the wild antics of a jealous and scorned ex, whom you dumped when you fell in love at first sight.”
“Romantic,” Gavin says dryly. “But my last relationship led to blackmail. I don’t think I can be trusted to find a wife right now.”
“You don’t need to actually marry her,” I say. “Just pretend for a while. You can hire someone to play the part. Find an actress.”
“I think when physical intimacy and false engagements are involved, the actress is defined as an escort. Margaret will have a heart attack if word gets out that I hired a fake fiancée. And it will get out.”
“Then find a volunteer. Or, I don’t know, make it real? Propose to someone and then break it off.” I can hear the exasperation in my voice. But really, I came up with a solid solution to his problem.
“I can’t do that,” he says firmly. “It wouldn’t be fair to the woman. To trick her like that.”
“This is your best shot at controlling the story in my opinion.” I place my hands on my hips and steal another glance at the door to the exam room. “If you don’t like it, call Margaret. But think about this. You don’t even need to tell your PR Company that you were blackmailed. You could let them find out about the picture along with the rest of the world, if Alexandra follows through with her threat. They would also think you had a crazy, ranting jealous ex.”
He’s nodding now. “It would give me control over the story. You’re right.”
“Of course I am. Now you just need to find a woman willing to play the part of your fiancée for a few months.”
I hear sounds from the other side of the exam room door. Then the knob turns.
“Maybe I already have,” he murmurs.
I know he is looking at me. I can see him out of the corner of my eye. But I don’t have time to set him straight because the vet is walking through the open door. Dr. Marianne has my complete attention now.
“Is she ok?” I demand. “Did Luna make it?”
“She’s going to be fine,” Marianne assures me. “I didn’t see any sign of a bullet. There was an entry and exit wound …”
The vet continues, but I’m barely catching the words. Black dots cloud my vision. I place my hands on my thighs and bend over. My heart is hammering. I can’t seem to get enough air.
“You need to sit down.” I hear Gavin’s words and feel his hands on my shoulder. He pushes me back into a chair. His hand is at the back of my neck, pressing my head down between my knees. “Just breathe.”
“I was so scared,” I whisper.
“I know,” he murmurs. “I know, Kayla.”
But he can’t possibly know. He doesn’t have pets. There’s no room in his crazy city life for rescue animals that rescue you right back.
