Page 62 of Veil of Lies

I stopped dead in surprise. “I thought the press were camped out by the gate?”

“They are, but I have some dark glasses and a hat for you in the car. You can pretend you’re an A-lister hiding from the paparazzi.”

“Err I pretty much am hiding,” I pointed out, but he pulled me along anyway.

“Even if they do realize it’s you, I don’t mind being papped with you. Nobody in my family gives a shit.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, Dad’s wife, Miranda, is too preoccupied with her charity functions and Dad is too busy boning his secretary.”

“Your family sounds almost as functional as mine,” I laughed.

“You have no idea,” he agreed. I heard the underlying hurt in his statement and squeezed his hand in response. He turned to me and smiled.

“Eh it’s not that bad. Dad throws money at me and Miranda mostly leaves me alone. I’m just grateful they haven’t spawned any more kids. At least my inheritance is safe!” he joked.

We walked up to the top level of the parking garage, where the most pretentious and expensive cars were kept. Like Brax, Harley drove a flash sports car, only his was a deep purple color instead of matt black. It screamed look at me in ten-foot-high neon lights. There was zero chance we’d fly past the press without being noticed.

I sighed. Maybe this was a bad idea. I was trying to avoid attention, not wave a big red flag.

“You better be taking me somewhere fantastic,” I griped, trying to ignore the feeling I was making a huge mistake.

Harley pressed a button on a key fob and the car’s lights winked, indicating it had unlocked. He opened the passenger door for me. “Trust me, you’ll love it.”

I climbed in, spotting a bag on the floor that looked suspiciously like mine. “What’s this?” I asked.

“We’re staying overnight, so I packed a few things for you.”

“Wait, what?”

He turned to me. “You’ve had a shit time, so I figured a night away from campus would do you good. My family has a cabin about a couple of hours from here. It’s private, nobody will know we’re there.”

My jaw dropped and tears pricked my eyes. Harley looked worried. “We don’t have to go if you’re not comfortable leaving campus,” he said in a rush. “It was just an idea, I don’t want to upset you!”

“No, I want to go!” I reached out and threaded my fingers through his. “I’m just not used to anyone being so…thoughtful.”

“Well get used to it, Stella.” He leaned over and kissed me, making me moan softly as the pressure of his lips on mine sparked a conflagration in my lower belly.

“That was a bad idea,” he grumbled when he broke the kiss. “Now I have to drive with a hard-on.”

I laughed. “Well if it helps, I have a lady boner too.”

“Don’t tell me that! It makes me want to fuck you in my car!”

“Not sure that’s physically possible,” I commented, looking around at the cramped cabin. “Whoever designed it didn’t take car sex into account.”

“True,” he chuckled as the engine blasted to life. I buckled up and we left the garage, heading toward the main gate. I pulled on some dark glasses and a hat, ducking down in the bucket seat. I tried not to look as we passed through the electric gates, but it was impossible to miss the reporters. There were vans and people everywhere, all of them training cameras on us as we drove away. Some of the most obnoxious reporters tried to block Harley’s car, but he revved the engine and pushed through, causing several of them to curse loudly and wave their fists in the air.

“How to make friends, eh,” I commented with a laugh. It wasn’t funny though. I thought the press presence outside our apartment following Dad’s arrest had been bad enough, but this was arguably worse. Back then, I had been protected from the worst of it, thanks to the security hired by Dad’s law firm. I hoped this lot would lose interest, but I had a feeling they were in it for the long haul.

“They’re parasites,” Harley snarled with venom as we left the press pack behind. I guessed they hadn’t realized it was me, as nobody followed our car. Thank God. The last thing we needed was a car chase along these winding roads.

Someone would end up dead.

Chapter 51

Harley

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