AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Fifty-five minutes later, I carefully clipped down the hallway in sky-high heels and a clinging red sweater dress, feeling like ten kinds of a fool. I’d felt so gorgeous when I stood in front of the mirror, but something about walking down his cavernous hallway stripped all my confidence away. Every footstep felt like mocking laughter. Who do you think you are? This was Roman freaking Grier. America’s Boyfriend.
I stopped and stared at my feet. Maybe I should’ve worn the ankle boots. I bet they wouldn’t have mocked me.
An exaggerated wolf whistle rang down the hall.
I jerked my head up and met the eyes of Kingston Grier, ten feet away. He held a laughing Zoe in his arms as he grinned at me. “You look gorgeous, Sophia. Are you sure you want to waste all that on my fool of a brother?”
All my angst fell away as I laughed at his insane question and met the two of them at the end of the hall.
“What the he-heck is that supposed to mean?” Roman—Rome—asked with a scowl. He crossed the living room and stood next to his brother and niece.
I swear the sight alone of the two of them—one ready for date night and the other holding a baby—was enough to fill my mental spank bank for months. Kingston bounced his daughter in his arms and was just…relationship goals, you know? But Roman. Roman was all suave with his crisp button-up shirt and sexy stubble. I might’ve had a stray thought or two of what that would feel like against my thighs as he…
“Right, Sophia?” Rome asked me with a scowl.
“Uh, what? Sorry, I was thinking about…a story idea.” No way was I admitting what I was really thinking about.
Rome raised his eyebrows. “I said we’ll leave, and after an hour it should be clear for King and Zoe to slip out. Especially if they take the west gate. The Malibu restaurant is closer, but I think we’ll get more attention if we hit the LA one instead. And they moved shit around so we can get the private room.”
“Why would we sit in a private room, if the whole point is to be seen?” I shook my head.
Rome and Kingston laughed. After a few beats, Rome filled me in on the hilarity. “The point is to be seen, but not to be bombarded. If we were at a regular table, I wouldn’t be able to sit, let alone eat.”
I nodded along like I knew what he was talking about. The couple of celebrity spottings that I’d had didn’t involve mobs of people attacking them. Once I saw one of the Chrises walking his dog near Griffith Canyon, and another time I spotted Arnold walking to his SUV in front of a Starbucks. I guess both had been on the move, so maybe that was why no one mobbed them? I don’t know.
“Thanks for doing this, Sophia.” Kingston nabbed my attention as he turned to me, still smiling. “I know it’s not the easiest, especially given what you went through today, but it means the world to me that the two of you would do this to protect my daughter.”
And just like that, all my nerves fell away. “It’s no problem. And this time I won’t be alone.”
“That’s right.” Rome cut in. “She won’t have Captain America at her side, but she’ll have the next best thing.”
Kingston laughed. “You said it, not me. Second best.”
“You’re such a—”
“Boys, boys.” I interjected, fearing bloodshed at the spark in Rome’s eyes.
“Is she an only child?” Kingston asked Rome. Like I wasn’t in the room.
“What?” I asked. “Why?”
“Because you clearly don’t get the sibling dynamic,” Kingston answered.
Rome scoffed. “Yeah, I’d never hit him while he was holding Zoe.”
BecauseIwas the crazy one. Right. “No, I’m not an only child, but we really do need to go. Zoe looks like she’s ready for bed.”
The baby had been blinking tiredly throughout our exchange.
“Zoe’s fine. She can sleep anywhere.” Kingston smiled down at his little girl.
And my heart melted again. Seriously, these two were dangerous to womankind.
“But Sophia’s right. We should get going. Traffic will be a bi—big time mess,” Roman finished lamely.
They were so cute the way they avoided curse words around the baby.
See? Dangerous.
