AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Dawson nodded and bit his lower lip. Was he nervous?
“Are you alright? You seemed jumpy at the end of our workout.”
Dawson stared at me and swallowed hard. “I’m fine. I was thirsty. I mean, I was dehydrated. I forgot to drink water when I woke up.”
He finally walked over and sat beside me, tapping on his phone. “I texted Zoe. It appears that question about your mom last night has created interest from the media. She’s already fielding calls and emails. She’s going to talk to you later today, but it’s fair to say there will probably be more news items about it.”
I let my head fall back against the sofa cushion. “Christ.”
“I’m sorry.”
Without thinking, I reached out and touched Dawson’s forearm. “Don’t apologize for something you didn’t do. This is all on Harlow. And maybe part of it is my fault, too.”
“Why you?”
“My mom—” I paused, a lump forming in my throat.
I looked at Dawson. Was I really going to tell him?
“You probably know this already from my bio, but my mom died when I was ten—an accidental drowning. But afterward, there was a lot of speculation around town that maybe it wasn’t an accident. She had mental health problems. Depression. I tried to ignore the gossip, but the older I got, the more I couldn’t handle it. And my dad, well, he’d checked out of my life since her death. As soon as I finished high school, the guys and I left town to start gigging.” I paused. “I don’t talk about her or what happened. So I think that probably makes people more curious.”
Dawson squeezed my hand. “You don’t owe the media, or anyone, any explanation. Your feelings and your past are your own.”
“They can write about my sex life all they want. But this family stuff? It just cuts too deep. And I don’t like to talk about it with anyone, not even the guys.”
“I can only imagine. I mean, Jaxon has gone through a lot these past two years, but at least he’s got me and my mom. And my sisters, even if they live far away. And a great therapist he can talk to.”
“He’s a lucky kid.”
“Iain, it’s not my place, but?—"
Dawson was interrupted by a knock at the door that startled both of us.
“Oh, it’s room service,” Dawson murmured and got up to answer the door.
I stared at his back as he walked away, and I studied him. Not just his body but the way he carried himself and the way he interacted with the concierge, Georges. I recognized him from our visit last year and waved. Georges smiled and waved in return, but he kept talking to Dawson. I heard Dawson ask abouthis family and then the mention of Jaxon. Dawson was smiling and talking in an animated way that was rare.
Who was this man? I mean, besides being my badass bodyguard.
And why was I suddenly intent on knowing everything?
CHAPTER 12
DAWSON
Iain and I shared brunch and spent a whole hour without arguing.
I should’ve been happy, relieved. Had our relationship turned a corner? Was I finally seeing the man behind the rockstar image?
Yes. Or maybe that was the problem.
I was seeing him, and I liked what I saw—a lot.
And it wasn’t all physical. Although, grappling in the gym earlier sure proved that, yeah, I wanted to get as close as possible to the sexiest man I’d ever met. Which wasn’t smart at all. Then again, my rulebook tended to fly out of the window whenever I was with Iain.
But there was still something he wasn’t telling me. And I wasn’t about to go one step forward and two steps back.
Patience. Watch and listen.
