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We hadn’t discussed this.
So what the heck was he doing here?
A man I assumed was his bodyguard stood nearby, a sentinel just outside the doorway. His beefy muscles bulged from the sleeves of his t-shirt, and his presence alone was intimidating.
I swallowed and pulled back, ending the hug and glancing behind me to where Penelope flashed me a look that said I owed her details.
“Hey, babe,” Thorne drawled, drawing my attention back to him. With a grin, he curled one hand around my waist and buried his face in the hair behind my ear. “Miss me?”
“What are you doing here?” I hiss-whispered with my heart beating out of my chest.
Amusement glittered in his big green eyes before he lifted his gaze, pointedly taking in the crowd, which was when I remembered everyone was watching.
Some stared with wide eyes and bated breath. Others watched unblinking, like we were a movie brought to life, while the rest snapped photos with their phones. All of which meant I needed to be careful.
Crap.
“Excuse me a moment,” I said over my shoulder to P, and when she started to protest, I held out a finger. “Soon, I promise,” I whispered, before I reached out and grabbed Thorne’s arm, yanking him out of the doorway and into the hallway, where I could breathe a little easier and hear myself think.
His bodyguard, God bless him, moved to block the exit, arms crossed to give us a moment of privacy, while the students inside scrambled to watch from outside the giant glass windows instead.
“Surprise!” Thorne’s grin broadened once we were out of earshot.
“Seriously, Thorne. Why are you here? Don’t you have a movie set to get to?”
“We’re on hiatus, but then, you know that.” He shrugged. “I still need some credits to get my diploma, and my tutor needs a break, so I figured, why not spend a few weeks catching up in person somewhere? Once we start filming again, I’ll go back to virtual.”
“And you chose Lakeview Prep why?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” His smile turned serpentine as he leaned in close—so close I could smell the scent of his cologne on his skin—something earthy and fresh, like freshly mowed lawn, paired with a salty ocean breeze. It was surprisingly enticing, which annoyed me.
“Why wouldn’t I want to attend school with my girlfriend, hmm?” He tucked a lock of hair behind my ear, and I shivered.
With a hardened resolve, I thought of all the reasons this was an awful idea. Maybe I hadn’t given our deal proper thought? Maybe I made a mistake. But then, I hadn’t expected him to show up here. At least at school, I thought I’d have a reprieve. It was the one place I’d be free. The one place where I could get away from the spotlight of whatever it meant to be dating Thorne Roberts.
A thump on the glass beside us drew my attention, and someone’s phone camera flashed. I took in the sea of faces, whispering and chattering, no doubt about his reasons for being there and whatever their assumptions may be about our relationship. And I realized how dumb I’d been. Even if he hadn’t shown up, I wouldn’t have escaped this. Eventually, word would’ve gotten around, and once it did, my bubble of privacy would’ve soon popped. His presence at Lakeview only sped up the process.
I felt the blood drain from my face as the ramifications of what I’d done hit me full force. I wasn’t a private person per se—not like Penelope—but this was an entirely different situation. One I knew with certainty I wasn’t prepared for.
But it was too late to back out now. Though we hadn’t discussed the details of our fake relationship at length, I’d signed a contract and an NDA. Which meant I was stuck.
The oxygen choked inside my lungs while the walls closed in around me and my pulse vibrated.
I’d never had a panic attack before, but there was a first time for everything.
As if sensing the swirl of emotions churning inside of me, Thorne placed a palm on my lower back and dipped his head even closer. Until his lips grazed the shell of my ear, and my heart skittered at my feet.
“Careful, Scarlett,” he whispered. “You look like you might puke. Or faint. But we’re mad about each other, remember? You should be happy to see me.”
Then he straightened, and just as fast, his lips vanished, along with the scent of the ocean.
THORNE
The skin on my palm burned from where I’d placed it on Scarlett’s lower back. I shook off the sensation before I shot a hand out to right her as she stumbled and the sensation returned.
She blinked up at me, completely dazed, and I should probably feel sorry for unnerving her, but I wasn’t. I’d met supermodels, actresses, grown women from other countries on my travels, and entertained girls from some of Hollywood’s wealthiest, most prominent families, but I couldn’t recall any of them ever being so unaffected by my presence before. Her cool indifference toward me was unrivaled, which made getting a rise from her—good or bad—all that more enjoyable.
Her gaze darted around her to the bodies staring just outside, and she took a step closer. I had no idea what time first period started, but my guess was Big Joe wouldn’t be able to hold them off much longer.
