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Chapter 11
“You don’t have to do this,” Dax repeated for the fifth time since they’d left the house on their way to the Harper’s Crossing Women’s Shelter.
Glancing over, she saw his knuckles were white as he gripped the steering wheel. It was obvious that he was much tenser about the press event than she was.
“I know I don’t have to, I want to.” She tried to lighten the mood by using the inside joke. It didn’t work. He stared straight ahead and didn’t even acknowledge that she’d spoken.
It had been one week since she’d danced the night away with Dax. She’d never had so much fun in her entire life. He was a great dancer, but that wasn’t why she’d had such a good time. She’d loved it so much because he’d let his guard down. He hadn’t been professional Dax. He’d just been Dax. The guy she once stayed up all night long talking to. The guy that she’d dreamed about for months. The guy that had given her the courage to show up on his doorstep. To be fair, another reason she enjoyed herself so much was the fact that she’d been pressed up against him, moving and swaying to the music led by his strong, capable arms.
She obviously had zero experience with sex or all things sex-related, but to her, dancing felt like foreplay. It felt so intimate. Her body was tingling from head to toe by the time they finally left.
On the drive home all she’d been able to think about was what it would be like when they got there. Would they watch TV? Would they go to the kitchen and make something to eat? She’d worked up an appetite with all the dancing, she figured he was hungry too. But more importantly, would they have another moment on the couch like the one that had inspired her to write the song? Would they actually kiss this time?
Unfortunately all of her questions were answered before they even pulled up into the driveway. There were several cars parked across from his house, men loitering on the sidewalk and some hiding behind trees and in bushes. Before they made it to the driveway the entire windshield was blanketed with bright flashes of light. Dax handled the situation like the pro he was. He expertly navigated the vehicle around the paparazzi, opened the garage and closed it before they headed into the house.
As soon as they were safely inside he called Seth and let him know that her location had been breached. When he got off the phone she’d expected them to carry on with their night. Maybe even share a laugh or their frustration at the new development. She’d been wrong.
He told her that she should get some rest. She could see that a late night snack, TV binge session or romantic first kiss were not in the cards tonight so she’d gone to her room. She’d lain awake for hours and when she finally fell asleep, she still hadn’t heard him go to bed. When she came out the next morning for breakfast she found him in the kitchen drinking coffee.
From the first flash his entire demeanor had changed. Since that moment he’d been back to being professional. All business, all the time. He’d worked with local law enforcement and had been able to stop the paparazzi from camping outside his house, but they had made their presence known throughout the town.
Every day they were camped outside the studio. They’d also had some “deliveries” that were fake, just people trying to get into the building that housed other businesses as well. Several times they’d been followed, aggressively, as they left the studio. There’d been one kind of scary incident where someone had been hiding in the women’s bathroom. But all she’d done was gasp and just like the insurance agents in the State Farm commercials Dax appeared out of nowhere. He then proceeded to forcefully escort the intruder out of the building while the man desperately tried to get a pic.
Thankfully, none of the commotion bothered Chase. He was used to it. So their sessions hadn’t been affected by it. The album was coming together and she’d even agreed to let him send the song to Karina Black. She figured the worst she could say was no. In this new chapter of her life she wanted to use her voice and ask for what she wanted. She wished she could do that with Dax, but he’d been a different person since the paps had shown up.
She knew now that the reason things had escalated was because there was a video that had been leaked with Derek and the mystery woman. Her first instinct had been to issue a joint statement with Derek stating that they were no longer seeing each other due to their busy schedules and ask everyone to respect their privacy during this time. But when she’d contacted Derek he’d begged her not to do that. He was trending and his IMDB ranking was in the top ten. He asked her to give him two more weeks because he had an independent film coming out that he was hoping to get Oscar buzz for. He wanted to ride the wave of publicity and then be able to take their break-up on the press junket.
After talking it over with her mom, since she no longer had a manager to discuss it with, she’d agreed to Derek’s terms. It was kind of a pain for her, but he’d been sweet to her. When they’d first entered into their arrangement, he’d initially thought that they would be friends with benefits behind the scenes. But after he’d kissed her and tried to feel her up the first time they were alone, she’d kind of freaked out, pushed him off of her and told him that she’d never had a boyfriend and that she was still a virgin. He hadn’t laughed or made her feel bad, he’d been really nice about it and instead of making things uncomfortable, he’d treated the show they put on as an acting job and they’d kind of become friends, without the benefits, behind the scenes.
As they passed the front parking lot, Ginny could see that there were several news organizations and also about thirty photogs there. She cut her gaze over to Dax who had an unreadable expression. That didn’t stop him from looking so sexy, so swoon worthy that it was all she could do to hold in a sigh.
He was wearing what she was now mentally referring to as his trademark bodyguard uniform. He had his aviator glasses on. A long-sleeve black thermal that showcased the lines and bulges of his muscular upper body. Blue jeans that looked soft to the touch. And he was also rocking his trademark stubble, that was just slightly longer than a five o’clock shadow and every time she saw it her fingers itched to reach out and touch it. To run her fingertips over the bristly hairs.
Ever since their night on the dance floor, where she’d accidently brushed her palm against it when he’d dipped her, she was aching to touch it again. She could still feel the prickly sensation that his hairs had caused on her palm that traveled directly to the apex of her legs.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” He asked again as they pulled around to the back gate that was normally locked to the public for security reasons, but they’d gotten the passcode to so they could enter the building without incident.
“Yes. I am. These women and children have been through so much. A lot more than dealing with some bad headlines and cameras in their faces. If me showing up helps them, it’s the least I can do.”
When she’d spoken to Betty, the director of the shelter, she’d asked Ginny if she would be willing to do a press event for their New Day, New You program. Women at the shelter earned gift cards to local businesses by participating in programs ranging from self-defense to job training to counseling that were offered as part of their rehabilitation services. Then they were able to redeem their gift cards at the participating businesses in town for clothes, haircuts and groceries.
It sounded like an amazing program and when Ginny had offered her help, Betty had explained that a press event to spotlight the program would be the most beneficial. She hoped it would spread awareness of the shelter and the services they offered to women in need.
He pulled into the parking space closest to the back entrance and cut the engine. He turned towards her and lifted his glasses. When he looked at her his honey stare had pretty much the same effect on her body as the feeling of his stubble on her palm had. A tingling thrill raced straight down to her lower belly.
“Do you remember what I told you?”
“Yes. I do,” she breathed.
She might as well have added, Mr. President.
“Wait there,” he instructed firmly, totally ignoring her unintentional Marilyn impression.
She nodded. He insisted on opening her door even if they were in his garage. He didn’t want her to walk anywhere at any time without him by her side. Logically, she knew that he was just doing his job. It was obvious, painfully obvious, that he had no interest in anything becoming physical with them.
As he opened her door, he held out his hand and she closed her eyes as his large, warm fingers wrapped around hers. Why did his touch have to feel so good? Why did it have to feel so safe and so dangerous at the same time?
She took in a shaky breath as she stepped down and he fell in step behind her to her right. It was killing her that he was so close physically but emotionally felt farther away than he’d ever been. Even though she’d come here thinking that he would be the guy. The one that she could lose herself and her virginity to, it was time she faced the harsh truth that he wasn’t.
