Page 29 of From LA to London, With Love

I’d taken Elliot from Chris, and Chris was now giving Alfie, who seemed intent on licking Chris’s face off, an enormous cuddle. Damn, they were so cute together. Chris’s broad, buff, six-foot something frame a stark contrast to the small, goofy golden puppy in his arms. This was just painfully adorable. And I thought Chris couldn’t get any more attractive.

Laura came back with Alfie’s belongings, still sneezing. I translated Chris’s request to her, but she refused to take any money. “It was completely my fault. And I’m sure in a few days, I’ll be laughing about this and telling everyone about the time I stole Chris Trent’s dog! Thank you for being so nice about everything.”

“What do you think was in the box?” I asked, giggling, as we made our way down the stairs. Thankfully, going down was much easier than up. “Did you see her face? She looked mortified.”

Chris laughed. “She most definitely didn't want us to see whatever it was. Maybe something else to keep her company?” He winked at me with a wicked grin on his face, setting off a throb between my legs. God damn. “But I’m quite happy remaining in blissful ignorance. Well, I guess I should cancel the private investigator, then. Now, back on the topic of careers. Have you ever considered a career as a pet detective?”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHRIS

“WOULD you like a complimentary upgrade to our penthouse suite, Mr. Trent? It has two bedrooms,” the receptionist asked, smiling over the marble desk in the hotel's foyer, completely oblivious that Alfie had just destroyed someone else’s apartment.

Thankfully, all the excitement seemed to have caught up with him, and he was now sitting obediently next to me, looking as if butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth. Perhaps he’d exhausted himself wreaking havoc in Laura’s apartment.

I looked at Sophie. God, she was hot when she spoke Spanish. And I loved the way she’d thrown herself into finding Alfie. Her quick thinking had saved poor Laura from being further terrorized by Alfie and reunited us in record time. I was also having so much fun making her laugh with my stupid accent, although I might have gone a bit too far with my arrogant duke comment. I hadn’t meant it to sound flirtatious, but I’d just got carried away in the moment.

The sensation of whispering into her ear, breathing in her scent, my body itching to be closer to hers, kept coming back to me. Damn it. This trip was not helping with my crush on her. I was more into her than ever.

With my attraction to Sophie growing even stronger, I wasn’t sure sharing a suite together was a great idea. But Sophie’s eyes widened at the mention of the penthouse, reminding me that most people weren’t as jaded by luxury hotels as I was. And it’s not like we’d be sharing a single room.

“Would you be happy to share the penthouse suite? I’m happy either way. If you’d prefer two separate suites, that’s fine with me. I don’t want Alfie to disturb you and Elliot.” I looked at her, trying to keep my voice as neutral as I could in my British accent.

“The penthouse sounds amazing to me!” Sophie said, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “If you’re okay with sharing with Elliot and me, that is…” Her voice trailed off.

“Of course.” I smiled, happy and apprehensive that we were all going to be suitemates for the next few days.

When we opened the door to the penthouse, Sophie let out a gasp.

Okay, this was nice, even by my standards. The suite was massive. Two rooftop terraces with sweeping views over the Barcelona skyline. In the distance, I could make out the iconic church, La Sagrada Familia. Two living areas, with comfortable but stylish cream sofas and rugs. Each bedroom had its own bathroom decked out in marble with gold fittings. They had set a cot up in one bedroom. I was pleased it was the larger of the two rooms, so Sophie couldn’t protest when I insisted she take it. There was even a water bowl and a dog bed for Alfie.

“Wow! This is incredible, Chris. The view, the furniture, the bathrooms, everything! I can’t wait to enjoy it properly, but first, I should give Elliot a feed and put him to bed. It’s pretty late for him, and he’s had a big day.” Sophie disappeared into their room, holding Elliot who was rubbing his eyes vigorously.

I stood on the terrace, watching the sunset and waiting for Sophie to finish with Elliot. Seeing the hotel room through her eyes was a welcome reminder of just how lucky I was. I felt a twinge of guilt that I’d been so miserable the past few months when I was so privileged. Not many people could decide, at the drop of a hat, to fly to Barcelona and stay at a hotel that cost more per night than most people’s monthly rent.

Sophie walked over to me and leaned against the railing. “He went out like a light. He must have been exhausted. How are you? Everything okay? You look very serious.”

“Yeah, I was just feeling embarrassed about how sorry I felt for myself before moving to London. I have so much to be thankful for. I don’t need to worry about money, I’ve got a job millions of people would kill for, I’m healthy and so are my family and friends, but despite all that, I’ve spent the last few months wallowing in self-pity.” I was surprised at how easy it was to confide in Sophie.

Sophie looked at me, her brown eyes soft with concern. “You’re being too hard on yourself. Breakups are difficult no matter how much money you have, or how successful you are. And most people can at least deal with their breakups privately. I can’t begin to imagine how hard it must be having it plastered all over the news and social media. And those photos being made public must have made the whole thing even more difficult. You’re allowed to wallow, even if you are rich and famous.”

“Thanks for saying that.” I paused. I’d wanted to ask her if she’d seen the photos since Cynthia had blown my cover, but it always felt too awkward to raise. Now was my chance. I wasn’t sure why it was so important to me, but I wanted to know. I swallowed. “Have…have you seen the photos?”

Sophie shook her head. “No.”

My chest released some of its tension. “Well, it seems like you’re in the minority. Most people I know who have seen them have told me not to worry, that I look good. But even if they are flattering, I just feel so…exposed having them out there. They were private photos that I never expected anyone but Vanessa to see.”

Sophie nodded, looking sympathetic.

“And then there are those people—some people I know, but mainly people online who I’ve never met—who say I should have been more careful, that it was my fault for taking them and sending them to Vanessa. But I trusted her. She was on tour, we hadn’t seen each other in person for over a month, so she asked me to send her some pics, and I did. I never thought for a minute that she’d share them with the world. I also thought she had enough integrity that she would have at least broken up with me before hooking up with someone else. And that obviously didn’t happen either.” I blinked tears away, hoping Sophie hadn’t noticed.

Get it together, Chris, and just enjoy this lovely evening with Sophie by your side and Alfie safe and sound.

“It’s not your fault. You were the victim here.” Sophie rubbed my back with her hand.

Mitch was the only other person I’d confided in, but I knew I could trust him. Could I trust Sophie? That familiar sensation of paranoia crept through my body, setting me on edge. As I’d just been telling her, I was clearly a terrible judge of character. Just because I felt confident Sophie was trustworthy didn’t mean she actually was. I shook off my thoughts.

Sophie has done nothing to make you doubt her, Chris. You need to snap out of this before you spiral.