Page 24 of Bright Lights and Summer Nights

Is he flirting? I think he is. I hope he is.

“You haven’t asked for it.”

“Emma, since you’re my girlfriend, can I have your number?”

“Only if you say it’s because you want it and not because I’m pretending to be your girlfriend. You’re living on the same property as me; you don’t need my number.”

I look down at my feet, needing a break from his intense gaze for just a moment.

He doesn’t give me long. His pointer finger and thumb find my chin, coaxing me to look at him once again. “I want it,” he says, his voice deep and casual, doing funny things to my body.

“Okay,” I respond, unable to come up with some witty remark.

Preston nods, letting his fingers linger on my chin for a few more seconds before dropping his hand. “We met at Alexander’s a little over a month ago. We’ve been spending time together since—keeping it low-key so the press doesn’t find out.”

I nod, thinking about the articles I stumbled upon of the women Preston had been seen with years ago. The comments—and even the articles—were harsh on the women he was with. I’d like to think I have thick skin, but I don’t think I’d ever want to open myself to that much scrutiny. The handful of hateful comments I got from people made me realize I may not want to have strangers hating on me on the internet.

In less than five minutes, I was able to locate the workplaces of five of the people who were nasty in my comments. It took all of me not to send over the rude things they were saying to their boss.

I can’t imagine the scale of what it’s like for Preston—and the women he’s seen with. I’ll stick to playing his girlfriend at a private event where the worst thing that can happen is having his grandma divulge facts about her sex life.

“You still with me?” Preston asks, bringing attention to the fact I’d spaced out for a moment.

I blink, trying to clear my head. “Yes. That sounds good to me. I’ll keep it vague today and gear the conversation away from us.”

This finally gets Preston to smile—an actual one. He even shows the slightest amount of his perfectly straight, white teeth. “It’s like you’ve been through media training.”

I laugh—not a cute, sexy giggle, but a full-blown laugh where I’m horrified to admit that even a snort comes out. “I’m the furthest thing from being media trained…trust me,” I add, thinking about the video of me circulating right now where I’m admitting how much of a mess I am. “But I promise not to spill your lie to your family. I’ll do my job of keeping Marsha—and any of the other women that flock to you—away.”

Preston keeps the smile on his face as he cocks his head to the exit. “Good girl. Now, let’s go.”

CHAPTER 13

PRESTON

“Am I underdressed?” Emma asks from my side. She loops her arm through mine, giving everyone who looks in our direction a small smile.

My jaw flexes, annoyed by anyone who’s looked at her and given the indication that she looks anything but perfect. “Not at all,” I say through gritted teeth.

I feel her gaze against mine. “Good. I know I look hot in this dress, but it’s hard not to think about the fact the dress I’m wearing is off a clearance rack when everyone else’s here…” She pauses for a moment, her eyes moving from me to travel over the different groups of people. “Well, when everyone else’s here doesn’t look like that at all.”

I stop, tugging on Emma’s arm slightly so she’ll turn to face me.

“Why are we stopping?” she asks.

“Because I want to tell you something,” I get out, running a hand against my mouth. “You look beautiful.” I try to keep my words slow and steady, not wanting her to know that my heart pounds with that admission. It isn’t the first time I’ve called a woman beautiful, but something is different about Emma. Something I don’t want to think too deeply about.

She presses her fingers to her upturned lips. “Thank you,” she responds under her breath. It’s quiet for a few beats before she fake tosses her hair over her shoulder. “But I didn’t question that. I just questioned if I was underdressed.”

“And I’m telling you it doesn’t matter—and that you aren’t.”

Her smile gets even wider. It’s the first time I’ve noticed she has one dimple on her right cheek. It’s adorable. “Thanks for the pep talk.”

“Was it a pep talk, or was it you fishing for compliments?” I tease.

One of her hands flies to her chest as her mouth falls open. “I’d never fish for compliments.”

My head cocks to the side, and I lift an eyebrow. “Are you sure about that?”

---