Page 72 of Fire

If he couldn’t allow himself to be with Gwen, he’d make damn well sure she was safe. And if his jealousy got in the way, so be it. Gwen was his. She belonged to him, even if he couldn’t claim her.

He traced her steps as she perused the stalls. The place was a fucking madhouse, and he had to jostle people to keep her in sight. He watched the gentle glide of her hips, and the stretch of her shapely legs as she made her rounds. She stopped at a florist, breathed in the scent of some red roses, a bundle of lilacs, and a few other flowers he didn’t know the names of.

She bought a jar of jelly, a bag full of avocados, nuts, and dried fruit.

She laughed with merchants and smiled at people she passed while he soaked it all in, knowing that it would have to sustain him through the long night without her.

He followed her until she went home.

Then stayed and watched her place, only leaving when he was needed at the club.

Yeah, that’s not fuckin’ crazy at all.

Chapter 18

“Time to pay up, buttercup.” Those were Allie’s words to Gwen as she walked through the door Saturday after work.

She’d had an exciting, emotional, but mostly scary week.

Her new resolve still firmly in place Monday morning, she’d called Frank Evans and told him she’d take the job.

“Perfect. Glad to have you on board. I’ll have the contracts drawn up and ready for you to sign sometime next week. Production won’t start for another couple months, so you’ll have plenty of time to get your passport and other things in order.”

Passport. That was part of the scary—the idea of actually needing one. She would be leaving home for who-knew-how-long stretches at a time. And for a girl who the farthest she’d traveled was Florida when she was sixteen for a cousin’s wedding, the prospect was daunting.

Giving notice at work had been another part of the scary mixed with part of the emotional.

Sheila, normally not a touchy-feely type person, had wrapped her in a hug, “I’m so proud of you. I always knew you’d be moving on to bigger and better things.”

They’d both had tears in their eyes by the time she’d let her go.

She thought sharing the news with her parents would be part of the scary. As an only child, she was the sole focus of all their attention, and that wasn’t always for the better. But dinner at her childhood home Thursday night had turned out surprisingly well. They’d been thrilled for her.

Telling Allie had been one-hundred percent emotional. Best friends since Allie had moved in next door when they were nine, they’d been inseparable ever since. Gwen had even picked a college close to home when Allie had said she wouldn’t be going so she could pursue an acting career. But in true best friend fashion, they’d cried, ate copious amounts of ice cream, and then got over it, knowing, though it was a new chapter in their lives, neither were being written out of the script. Their friendship would survive.

Gwen hung up her purse and kicked off her shoes before asking, “What are you talking about?”

“You promised me a night on the town. I’m calling in your debt.”

Gwen went to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. “I remember.” She opened the bottle and took a long drink. “When and where?”

Allie cringed before she answered. “Tonight. At Fire.”

Gwen set the water down on the counter. “Allie, no. You know I can’t go there.” What if she saw Blake? Or worse, saw him with another woman.

“Please. Dillan’s going to be there, and he hasn’t talked to me since our date. I really want to go, but I feel awkward. Besides, it’s a cast party, so you’ll be part of a huge crowd. Blake won’t even know you’re there.”

“Wait. What do you mean Dillan hasn’t talked to you?”

Allie’s shoulders slumped, and her face fell. “Guess he got what he wanted and moved on. And I guess I liked him more than I thought I did.”

Gwen went around the counter and pulled her friend into her arms. “I’ll go. And we’ll find you a hot guy to hook up with and then flaunt that shit in Dillan’s face.”

Allie giggled. “And we’ll do the same thing for you with Blake.”

Gwen thought about how her date with Jason had gone and Blake going ape-shit crazy. “Yeah, I’m not ready for that yet.”

Allie pulled away. “Still hung up on him?”

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