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“What I think is that if the situation were reversed, I’d have shut that shit down. I wouldn’t have tolerated anyone talking smack about you.” The backs of my eyes burning as hot as my cheeks, I threw up my hands. “You know what? Forget it.” I spun on my heel and stalked off.
“Don’t walk away from me, Addison, we need to talk about this.”
I didn’t stop. Couldn’t. I needed space if I had any chance of finding some calm.
“I understand why you’re upset,” he went on, all reasonable, “but you have to let me explain.”
I didn’thaveto do anything.
“Wouldn’t you like to know who he was?”
Nearing the staircase, I shook my head and said, “I’d rather not talk anymore about your mystery friend.”
“He’s no friend of mine. His name is August Blum. The guy’s a reporter.”
One foot on the bottom stair, I stilled in surprise, my brows sliding together. He was a, what?
Dax didn’t say anything more, or try to catch up with me. He simply waited.
Placing one hand on the banister, I slowly half-turned and met his unreadable gaze, knowing my expression would be a mask of sheer skepticism.
“He was interested in getting the scoop on our recent nuptials,” Dax elaborated. “I can guarantee you he was somehow recording that conversation. I wasn’t going to give him anything to print, no matter how much he tried goading me. And believe me, they always try goading me,” he added a little tiredly.
I licked my lips. “He’s a reporter?”
“Yes. He waltzed up the driveway just as I was grabbing something from my car. He was friendly at first. But when I wasn’t cooperative, he started tossing out verbal bait. It’s easy enough for me to ignore the tactic—I’ve been dealing with it since I was a kid. That doesn’t mean what he said didn’t piss me off, though I doubt he meant a word of it—he just wanted me to jump to your defense; wanted a reaction.”
Flexing my fingers, I nibbled on my lower lip. Was his explanation believable? Yes. It even made sense. But I had so much anger and hurt powering through my blood that it wasn’t easy to quite simplyaccepthis story and back down.
Watching me carefully, he covered the space between us. His hand cupped my chin as he lowered his face slightly, snaring my gaze. “Do you really think I would tolerate anyone insulting you? That I would stay quiet unless I had a good reason?”
Well … no. No, I didn’t. It was far from his style. But if the dude was really a reporter, it begged the question: “Why didn’t you just tell him to leave?”
“I did. He ignored me. At first.”
“What finally made him walk away?”
Dax minutely flicked his head to the side. “I indirectly threatened to have his boyfriend fired and evicted.”
“Wal Stroeder?”
“Wal Stroeder,” he confirmed, releasing my chin. “There would be no sense in me putting together such a lie when you could easily do an internet search on Blum—his picture will pop right up, along with articles he’s written.”
True, I silently conceded as my anger and hurt began to steadily leach away. Rubbing at my face, I pulled in a long breath. And promptly coughed.
“The reason I didn’t ram my fist in Blum’s face is that the media … they know how I am, how I operate. He will have had a cameraman close by, hoping to catch something on film. They usually do.”
“That’s messed up,” I whispered.
He shrugged. “It’s my normal.”
“That’s why it’s so messed up.”
He dragged his gaze over my face. “If I hadn’t been positive he was recording that conversation, I would have handled the matter differently. To be clear, I have never once had fantasies about either of your sisters or considered marrying them. You should have known better than to think otherwise,” he added, a pinch of admonishment in his tone. “I also do not at all consider you even remotely vain or stuck up. Or too curvy, for that matter.”
“I wouldn’t have cared if you had thought me too curvy—I’d have considered it your problem.” I was happy with my body as it was. “I just didn’t like that you didn’t tell him to shove it. Though I get now why you didn’t.” I bit into the inside of my cheek. “Have any other reporters sought you out recently?”
“No. But it’s never a surprise when they do. They have a habit of showing up. Usually whenever Michael Bale is suddenly a hot online top.” He gave an aloof shrug, but there was really nothing to be aloof about.
