Page 8 of Loving the CEO

When he put those strong arms around me, I could finally breathe again.

Chapter Three

Leo

I held her tightly as she started to sob. Something was dead wrong. Canal Street was bustling with passersby, so we weren't attracting any attention. This was New Orleans, after all—there were far more interesting things going on than us.

I put my hand on her upper back, rubbing in slow circles. I didn't say anything at all; I simply wanted her to feel safe.

After several minutes, she straightened up, her blue eyes wide as she looked to the left and the right. Her gorgeous blonde hair was messy around her face.

"Oh my God, did anyone see us?" she murmured.

A few hundred people, at least, but I knew what she was asking: if anyone from her guest list had noticed us.

"Not that I could tell. Want to move away from here?"

"Yes, please."

"How much time do we have?" I asked.

"We're not in a hurry."

This was worse than I’d thought. Much worse.

We turned right on Canal Street and walked down Camp Street.

"Where are we going?" she asked as we turned left on Decatur Street.

"Café Du Monde. Some beignets woulddo you good."

She smiled. Not quite the megawatt I was used to, but I took it as a win anyway.

"Oh God, yes. I haven't had one in half a year."

I raised a brow. "Why? You love beignets."

"I wanted to look great in my wedding dress." Her eyes filled with tears again, but she didn't say anything. She simply took my arm, like she'd done when I first arrived at the hotel, and led the way.

We walked down Decatur, past a shop selling burlesque outfits and another one selling all sorts of music trivia.

"You probably want quiet, but as you know, I'm very bad at that," I said.

"Oh, I remember," she murmured.

"Want to tell me what's going on?"

"Let's have some beignets first."

"What the lady wants, the lady gets," I said.

She was silent all the way until we reached Jackson Square. Then she looked up and groaned.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"We were supposed to meet the photographer. Nancy is blowing up my phone. I’m putting it on Do Not Disturb." Then she fell silent again.

Patience was not my virtue, but I did keep a clear head and stayed calm in a crisis situation. I was famous for it at the office and, to a certain extent, in the family. Although Nick would probably disagree. Then again, he disagreed with me on principle just to rile me up. I returned the favor as often as I could. You know, brotherly love and all that.

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