“Aw, don’t be mad at him, honey.”
“Walker, what did you do to her?”
“Why are you fighting?”
“What did he do to you, sweet Madison, honey?”
“Madison Myers, look this way!”
“Did you meet her at your agent’s office?”
That particular question almost stopped me in my tracks. How did they possibly know exactly who I was and where I worked?
“She does work for your agent, right?”
“How long have you two been dating under the radar?”
“Does everyone in the office hate you, Madison?”
“I bet they’re all jealous!”
When the valet pulled my car up in front of the painted curb, I rushed toward the driver’s side as cameras continued to flash in my face. “Seriously?” I cried out. “I can’t see. Please.” I was practically begging, desperate to leave. This night couldn’t possibly get any worse.
“Leave her alone. Let her get in her fucking car!” Walker’s voice boomed at the group of celebrity stalkers, and the ones nearest me took a step back.
I slid into the driver’s seat and slammed the door just as my passenger door swung open and someone jumped inside. Glancing over, I saw Walker straightening his shirt as I tugged my seat belt around me.
“What the hell? Get out of my car!” I shouted.
“No. I’m not going anywhere,” he said stubbornly. “Now get us out of here and away from these cameras so I can talk to you.”
“I don’t want to talk to you.” I closed my eyes, willing his body to magically eject from my car.
“Why are you so goddamned difficult? I’m not the incredible asshole you seem to think I am. Just drive, please, so we can talk this out.” The sound of his seat belt clicking let me know he had no intention of leaving.
Opening my eyes, I looked directly into his and decided to stop fighting the internal battle that raged within me. “Fine. But where am I supposed to go?”
“We can go to your place.”
I breathed out a half laugh. “Are you high? I’m not bringing all this chaos to my door. Hurry, Walker. Tell me where to go.”
“My house is gated. They already know where I live. We can go there,” he offered with a small smile and I agreed, even though the last thing I wanted was to be alone with Walker Rhodes…in his house.
I think.
“Fine,” I said again, realizing that I’d said that word more times tonight than I’d ever said in my life.
“It’s in Malibu, though. I hope that’s okay.”
Malibu . Shit, that’s far.
“Wait? Are you okay to drive?” He placed his hand on my thigh and gave me a gentle squeeze as I lurched the car forward. When I tightened my leg muscle and looked down at his hand, he quickly removed it.
“I feel okay. I must have eaten a whole loaf of bread in there. If I feel the slightest bit off, I promise I’ll pull over and we can call a cab.”
“Sorry,” he said and stared out the passenger window, although I wasn’t entirely sure what he was apologizing for.
“Malibu’s kinda far, you know.” I had no intention of driving forty minutes to Malibu through the dark and winding roads of the Pacific Coast Highway, only to have to drive back home later. I glanced in the rearview mirror, taking note of cars racing to keep pace with us.
He glanced back at me. “How far is your place?”
I shook my head wildly. “It’s close. But I’m not taking them to my condo. I don’t have privacy gates. They’ll surround the place.”
He nodded, tossing a glance over his shoulder and out my rear window. “They will. Shit.”
“There’s gotta be a way we can lose them,” I said as I pounded on my steering wheel in frustration.
The fact that Walker was in my car and that he’d left his at the restaurant hit me at that exact moment like a ton of bricks. I was suddenly worried that I’d have to drive back to the restaurant so he could pick up his car at some point. The last thing I wanted was to act like his personal driver. Hell, I didn’t even want him in my car right now.
“How are you getting your car?” I asked. “You left it at the restaurant.”
He shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. We need to figure out how to lose these guys.”
“You know that never works,” I said with a sigh. Our clients had recounted horror stories about how the paparazzi followed them relentlessly, almost causing accidents just to get a single picture that might or might not get sold. Their behavior was not only ridiculous, it was dangerous.
“Think, Walker!” I demanded. “Come on, you deal with this every day. I don’t. You have to be somewhat prepared.”
“They already know where I live,” he said with a shrug, “so I don’t try to lose them anymore. There’s no point. They usually follow me home and sit across the street until I go somewhere else.”
“We could go to my office!” I glanced over at him, thrilled that I’d thought of it. “It has pass-only underground parking. They won’t be able to get in.”
“No.” His voice was adamant. “I don’t want to go anywhere near your office, Madison.”
How could I have already forgotten what I admitted to him at dinner? Was it still considered dinner if you never actually got to the main course?
“Screw it,” I said before suddenly making the next right.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m going home. It’s not like they can get inside my building, and my condo doesn’t face the street.”
His hand landed on my thigh again. I tensed immediately but he didn’t move it. “Are you sure?”
I sighed. “Let’s just go before I change my mind.”
Ten minutes later, I pulled my car into my designated parking space, then quickly shut off the engine and clicked off the lights. We both jumped out in a rush and headed toward the locked building entrance. Cars screeched to a stop behind mine, paparazzi jumping from their cars and snapping pictures in a frenzy as the tinted glass doors closed and locked behind us.
Feeling unable to breathe until I was safely away from prying eyes, I punched the elevator button repeatedly and waited, shifting from one foot to the other. I peeked over at Walker, worried he’d be annoyed it was taking so long. “The stairs are all the way on the opposite side of the building and we’re on the fourth floor. This is usually quicker. Sorry.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’m fine. Are you okay?” He shielded my body with his, making sure only his back was visible. It felt strangely intimate to be protected by him. And I liked it. But I didn’t want to.
The elevator made a sound that was a mixture of a ding and a broken doorbell before the door shuddered open. He hesitated and I smiled. “It’s just old. Come on.”
He stepped inside and the doors closed behind us, leaving us truly alone for the first time since we’d met. His body inched closer to mine, closing the space between us, and I struggled to catch my breath at his nearness.
“What are you—”
My question was cut off by the feel of his lips pressed against mine. Before I could get lost in his lips, I shoved at his body, breaking our contact. “What the hell?”
He rested his palms on the wall behind me, trapping me as his body pressed against mine. “I need to kiss you. Not want. Need. And I’m going to do it again, right now. So don’t stop me.”
His lips were back on mine and I lost the will to fight. All reason escaped me as I instinctively wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him tightly against me. An overwhelming feeling of familiarity swept through my body and soul. The taste of beer still on his breath only served to fuel my arousal as his tongue teased my lips, begging for entry. I parted my mouth, allowing him in, and moaned as his tongue met mine for the first time.