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“Is there any other way?” And as I scooped him up into my arms and he curled into my chest, something caught my eye, a glint of light from the building across the street. When I looked again, though, there was nothing there.

15

Arlo

The ground lurched under my feet as I stared down at the phone in my hand, like I was on a boat, cast about by waves. My heart seemed to stop for a moment, before picking back up double-time, each punch to my chest making it harder and harder to breathe. Before my knees could give out, I dropped into a chair at the table in Max’s hotel room.

PC: This is your last chance.

And the text was accompanied with a picture… one of me, eyes closed in bliss, head thrown back, Max’s hand around my throat.

The very air seemed to press in around me. “I-I don’t understand,” I finally managed to say, my words tripping over each other on the way out. “What’s that supposed to mean? Last chance to what? How did he even…”

“I’m so, so sorry,” Max said. He sat across from me and dropped his head into his hands, elbows propped on the table between us. “He must’ve been camped out in the building across the street, just waiting for a money shot.”

I glanced uneasily at the windows, wondering if he was watching us even now. “But what is he asking you to do?” I asked again, the pressure building behind my eyes as a headache began to form and giving my voice a sharp edge that made Max flinch.

He peeked up at me, his expression pained, his eyes red-rimmed. “He wanted me to give him dirt on other actors and celebrities, but I couldn’t do it. These people are my friends and colleagues, and I didn’t want to be responsible for ruining their reputations. And honestly, I didn’t think there was anything he could do to us, not really. Not the way my fans have taken to you. They love you! And I…” He seemed to think better of whatever he was going to say, then reached across and took his phone back from my limp grip. “Maybe it’s not so bad… We’re two consenting adults in the confines of our hotel room. What’s wrong with that?” He grimaced like he didn’t believe his own words.

“Except for the fact that it looks like you’re choking me? Not very boy-next-door of you.” A surprised laugh slipped out before I could slap a hand over my mouth. “Sorry, it’s not funny, except…” I pinched my lips together to keep the giggles contained.

Max’s eyebrows jumped. “I thought you’d be mad.” He blew out a long, relieved breath and laughed shakily.

I wiped a few mirthful tears away from the corners of my eyes and forced myself to sober. “Oh, I am, but probably not for the reasons you think. I’m mad that this guy thinks he can manipulate and take advantage of you.”

“Thinks? I’m pretty sure he holds all the cards now. He has not just one set of compromising photos of us, but two. He’ll post an article about you being a stripper, maybe even hint that you’re a prostitute. What if he digs into your financial records and finds out that I’ve been giving you money?”

“So?” I blurted, frustration and anger prickling at my skin and making my cheeks warm. “You can’t give in to his demands. If you do it now, he’ll never stop. He’ll just keep pushing for more.”

“I know,” he whispered, his eyes glistening. “But your gran is going to see whatever trash he publishes. I never wanted to put you through this. I wasn’t thinking…”

I watched him for a long moment. He was devastated by the prospect of that rumor of me being leaked, and it was for my sake instead of his own. “Hey, Max,” I whispered, reaching across the table to hook my finger around his, needing that contact. “Don’t worry about me. It’s not ideal, but my gran will believe me when I tell her it’s not all true. Seriously, though, even if it were, she would still love me. All she cares about is that I’m happy. That’s how family is supposed to be. And honestly, her opinion is the only one that matters—and yours, of course.”

He smiled sadly. “Thanks.” His eyes dipped down to where our hands were entwined, and he stroked his thumb over my index finger. I saw the way his Adam’s apple bobbed in a hard swallow.

I knew with a significant amount of dread that I was only half of this equation, and with his level of fame, this kind of gossip could ruin his career. This was the whole reason we’d been posing as a couple in the first place, to avoid this exact scandal. Except now, it was worse. Now there were lurid pictures.

Max had begun to cave in on himself, and I didn’t like it. He was always so vibrant, so full of life, and now it was like someone had just switched off the lights. I squeezed his hand, trying to get some kind of reaction out of him. “What about you, what are you going to do if he publishes the story?” We didn’t know for sure that Patrick Carson would follow through with the threat, but why wouldn’t he? The sales it would bring made it a sure bet.

He huffed, his lips twisted. “Is moving to Siberia an option?”

“No,” I answered sharply, without a doubt in my mind. “There’s no hiding, Max. You haven’t done anything wrong. You’re an incredible actor, and what you do in the bedroom doesn’t change that. And frankly, it’s nobody’s business. Right?” I prompted, and he nodded glumly.

“You’re right, of course, but I don’t think the producers will see it that way. They don’t make millions by involving themselves in scandal, not even secondhand.”

“Maybe not, but who says rom-coms are your only option? You’ve said it yourself, you were typecast as the clean-cut heartthrob. And now you’re not. This might be your chance to show the world what you can really do.”

He gave me this smile, half sweet, half hopeful, but too soon it drifted away. He let go of my hand and leaned back, and it felt like pulling up the anchor and being cast adrift. I felt untethered, floating farther and farther away. The distance between us seemed too great to cross, but I desperately wanted to.

I wasn’t sure when I’d grown so attached to him. It had been a gradual thing at first—the way his eyes burned with such intensity when he watched me, the tilt of his lips when he smirked, his laugh, but more than that, his kindness toward me, my gran, and even total strangers who approached him for an autograph. Just like running down a hill, though, momentum took over, faster and faster, until, with a shock, I realized I’d fallen in love.

The realization was the lifeline I’d needed, and I opened my mouth to tell him how I felt.

Before I could say anything, though, he said, “I guess this is it, then.” His voice was gritty, and he refused to meet my eyes. “It’s over.”

“I—what?” Another shift in the world around me, and my stomach twisted.

Max seemed totally oblivious to my confusion. “This was always going to happen, but I let myself believe…” He rubbed his hands over his face, the rasp of his day-old whiskers loud in the silence. “This is all my fault. I never should’ve roped you into this. I’m such a selfish asshole, and in that moment when we were caught in the parking lot, I never once gave a thought about you or your life. The only thing running through my head was about my stupid fucking image—as if that every really mattered. I promise to make it better. I’ll do whatever I can to keep the cameras off you. Give it a week or two and the rumor mill will move on. Then you can get back to your life.”

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