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“I thought so,” I say through gritted teeth.
“I’ll be biding my time, you know. At some point, I will snatch a picture of you outside.”
I punch the button to close the doors, and Preston presses the one that will take us to the seventh floor.
“Summer, are you okay?” he asks gently. I realize I’m shaking, picking at my torn sleeve.
“Fine! I’m fine. I can’t believe that idiot.”
“That was a very good answer. It wasn’t even on the list.”
I stop picking at the sleeve. It’s no use anyway, I’ll have to toss the shirt away.
“No, but a few years ago the press was practically stalking everyone named Bennett. They always bank on people not knowing their rights or being afraid to exercise them. Is Alex in his room?”
“Yes. He’s waiting for you.”
I take a deep breath, gathering my wits about me.
***
Alex
I realize something is off the second Summer and Preston step inside the room. Preston looks even grimmer than in the past few days, and that’s saying something, since he’s been sulking like he’s trying to win an Oscar for it.
Summer walks right into my arms. I melt against her sweet body, then freeze when I see the torn sleeve.
“What happened?” I inquire.
“A pap got in the hotel,” Preston answers. “Tried to touch Summer’s arm as she was stepping back. But Summer knows her stuff.”
“What do you mean?”
“Basically told her I’d sue the crap out of her, because she’s on a private property and I’m not a public persona,” she explains.
“I’m going down to the reception to file a complaint anyway. Paps aren’t supposed to come inside. Why the hell do they have security for? We have another problem. The pap was Tara Delaware. She knows who Summer is. She won’t give up.”
I swear, pressing Summer closer to me. “Go and talk to her right now. Promise her an exclusive story.”
Preston raises his eyebrows. “What exclusive story?”
“Doesn’t matter. Promise her that we’ll give her something big as soon as we have it.”
He glares. “Exclusive stories are important Alex, you can’t just give them away. We don’t even know from which publication she is. Could be some fifth-hand—”
“I don’t care. I want this issue buried before it escalates.”
What I’d like to do is make sure Tara Delaware never gets her hand on another story, exclusive or not. But I get what they say about losing a battle to win the war.
“Fine, I’ll go find her,” Preston says.
The second Preston’s out the door, I lower my mouth to Summer’s. I kiss her until I feel the tension unwind from her muscles, and then I kiss her some more, because I can’t bring myself to stop. It’s insane how much I’ve missed her.
“I’m so happy you’re here,” I confess when I pause for a breath. “But this was a crazy idea. We’ll get some of my security guys around you when you go out.”
“I don’t want that. It’s just going to attract attention. I can take care of myself.”
“I know you can. Still want to keep you in a glass globe or locked up here with me.”
