AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I don’t know if I can do this again so soon.” Avalynn twisted away from the door leading to the press conference. This one bigger with even more reporters and photographers waiting to get a piece of the sweetheart of country music.
Julius only had to see that glimmer of fear in her eyes to act. Catching her by the hand, he towed her several feet away and around the corner to a private spot.
When he stopped walking, she turned to face him, head tipped back, her lip trapped in her teeth.
“Listen, it’s going to be okay. I’m going to walk you in there and stay right by your side the entire time.”
“Last time your team forced you to leave.”
“So I didn’t make things worse.”
“How can you possibly make things worse?”
He offered her a twisted smile. “I have a habit of runnin’ my mouth when I should stay quiet. You can ask my momma.”
She linked her hands. He watched the knuckles go white from squeezing them so hard.
“Let’s do it this way, honey.” He gathered each of her hands in his and held them gently while staring down into her beautiful eyes. “You’re nervous as a kitten.”
“Touching you helps.”
The admission punched him hard in the gut. So hard that for a moment, his mind blanked, any response lost in the thump in his solar plexus that could only be from his heart.
Footsteps sounded, and he quickly stepped in front of her, one hand still in hers and the other reaching for his weapon. The clack of high heels made him groan.
“It’s Heidi.” Of all the times for her manager to interrupt, this was one of the worst.
Or maybe it wasn’t terrible timing as much as it was him wanting to hear more about how his touch made Avalynn calm down.
Heidi rounded the corner sporting creased brows and the gleam of sweat on her forehead. She spotted them and threw up her hands. “There you are! What is going on? You”—she jabbed a finger his way—“were supposed to have Avalynn in that room three minutes ago!”
She stepped around him to face her manager. Battling the instinct to shove her behind him again, he retained his grip on her hand.
“It’s my fault,” she said to Heidi.
“Avalynn, you’ve never done something like this before. You’re always on time.”
“Well, my life isn’t exactly easy right now, is it? Three minutes is nothing in the scheme of life when some performers show up hours late to the stage, hung over or high!”
Heidi opened her mouth, but Julius cut across her. “She’s right.”
“I’msogetting you fired from this position.”
“Good luck on that,” he fired back.
You can’t fire me from being her husband.
His chest welled again with that bubble of emotion. Hell, he didn’t even know what to call the sensation, but he wasn’t going to ignore its existence either. Later, when he was alone, he’d analyze it more. Sit with the feeling and figure out where it was stemming from.
Avalynn broke up the tiff between them. “I’ll go with you now. I’m ready. Let’s not keep them waiting.” She took a step toward Heidi, and he pulled her back.
Heidi gasped in outrage.
He turned his back on the woman and placed himself between her and Avalynn. Taking her hands again, he gazed down at her. “You’re okay, Avalynn. I got you in this. Every step of the way.”
A masculine throat cleared, and Julius grumbled at the knowledge that now his boss was stepping in.
“I’m taking it from here, Abel. You go with Livingston.”
