"You look like you need a ciggie." Declan prowls onto the balcony and plops a stick between his lips. He lights it up and offers it to me, then lights his own.
Yeah, I know, I shouldn’t be smoking. But desperate times, and all that.
We smoke in silence, then he jerks his chin in my direction. "All okay?"
"That was Knight on the phone."
"Oh?" Declan turns to me. "How’s the bastard doing?"
"On another tour of duty. He had just enough time to give me his blessings to marry Abby before he got cut off."
Declan laughs. "So, the guys were right then—"
"It’s purely an arrangement. This way, I get to salvage my reputation and I can keep her safe."
"Did something happen to her?" He frowns.
"She has a stalker, something she omitted to tell me about. Motherfucker broke into her apartment."
"Fuck, is she okay?"
"She’s better now—" I rotate my shoulders. "But she was in a state when I found her. I’ve had Axel Sovrano look into the security arrangements." Axel is Michael’s brother and runs one of the leading security agencies in the country. "I now have someone on her twenty-four-seven."
"I’m assuming she’s not aware of it?"
"Of course, not. Woman would be pissed if I told her I had someone trailing her wherever she goes. But it’s the only way to keep her safe. Something her brother agrees is a priority, too."
"Hmm." He turns, stubs out his cigarette and drops it in the ashtray. "Are you going to tell her that you spoke to her bother and got his blessings?"
I rub the back of my neck. "Should I?"
"It’s best to come clean with her. It’s the only way you can make this marriage—"
I glare at him.
"—fake marriage work," he corrects himself. Smug bastard doesn’t even try to hide the air quotes around fake.
"And I should take advice from you, why? Considering you haven’t been able to hold your own relationship together."
His jaw tightens, and his shoulders bunch. I’m sure he’s going to deck me. Hell, I’d welcome the chance for a fight, if I’m being honest. But then, his features relax. "It’s true." He chuckles and the sound isn’t pleasant. "Right now, it’s not just my relationship, but my career is also in the gutter."
I tilt my head. "Wasn’t your last movie a big hit?"
“That was eight months ago. The next one was a flop. It did so badly, it was pulled from the cinema and onto the streamers in less than a week.”
I wince. "That sucks, man."
"It does." He leans back against the railing. "That’s showbiz, eh? Things can go to seed overnight."
"Doesn’t have to be that way when it comes to relationships."
"If you mean Solene, that ship’s sailed." He scowls into the distance. "We haven’t spoken to each other in weeks."
"You’ve both been busy," I offer.
"Yeah, so busy she hasn’t called or texted."
"Have you called or texted her?"
"Why should I? Clearly, she doesn’t have space in her life for me. And considering her last album flopped, she has a lot on her plate, too."
I whistle. "So, both of you are going through a rough patch, huh?"
He narrows his gaze. "What are you trying to say?"
"Nothing." I raise my hands. "And for the record, it was wrong of me to cast doubts on your ability to handle your relationship."
"Nothing that wasn’t true, man."
"Still." I crack my neck. "It’s unwarranted. And I don’t hit men when they’re down."
"Speak for yourself."
"What do you mean?"
"Didn’t you say you had to be at a press conference?"
I glance at the time on my watch, then swear. "Fuck, you’re right." I push away from the balustrade.
He smirks. "Isn’t this where you announce your engagement?"
I ignore him and keep walking.
"Don’t forget the ring, you hear me, King?"
39
Abby
"You sure you don’t want me with you?" Penny scowls at me from across the bar table.
I asked her and Mira to meet me, knowing full-well I’d have to be at the press conference where the twathole is going to announce our fake engagement.
He texted me the details earlier today. The least he could have done was call me to inform me. Of course, if he had called, I wouldn’t have answered, or maybe, answered just for the satisfaction of hanging up on him. No doubt, he expected that and opted to text me instead. And I don’t have much choice but to turn up. If I don’t, I fully believed he’ll follow through on his threat to tell Knight about what happened to me. Doesn’t mean I have to be on time…or sober. I reach for the glass of wine and drain it. I know I’m putting off the inevitable, but anything to avoid looking the alphahole in the eye.
"Easy girl, or you’re going to get drunk," Mira murmurs.
"That’s the general idea."
After that evening at the nightclub, Mira and I have hung out a few times. She’s asked me about Cade, and each time I’ve tried to pretend, and failed to convince her, that he’s ‘just’ my boss. While I’m probably not going to take her up on the offer of joining her knitting club, our conversations are always amusing, and she makes me laugh. Which is why I decided to meet her along with Penny. I chose them because I don’t want to meet or talk to anyone else who knows Cade, which means I can’t call and cry on Solene’s shoulder. She has too much on her plate, anyway. And I couldn’t involve any of the wives and girlfriends of the Seven and the Sovranos. Which ruled out Zara or Isla or any of the other women. Hence, my attempt to form a new girls’ circle—one in which the others are single, too.
"He’s an asshole." I grab the bottle of wine and refill my glass.
"He is," Penny agrees, then talks out the corner of her mouth to Mira. "Who’s she talking about again?"
"I think she means Cade Kingston. At least, I guess it’s Cade," Mira mutters under her breath.
Penny’s eyes round. "You don’t mean, Cade Kingston, the captain of the English cricket team?"
Mira’s eyebrows knit. "Yep, that’s him."
Penny swings her head in my direction. "I know this is our first meeting and all, but girl, how did that happen?"
"By mistake. It’s my mistake, actually." I scowl into my wine glass. "If I hadn’t been a dick to him in high school, he wouldn’t have been a cock to me when we re-connected. Not that I have anything against his cock. In fact, it’s just the opposite, you know?" I hiccup, then reach for the glass of water and take a sip.
"Spill, girlfriend. I knew there was a reason I liked you even before I met you." Penny leans forward. She places her chin in her palm, her stance that of a person settling in for the evening.
"I had crush on him in high school. I hoped if I ever met him again, I wouldn’t be attracted to him, but unfortunately, that was not the case. Jerkface is even more gorgeous, and his body—?" I sigh. "His body is to die for."