Page 30 of Hire A Cuddler

I don’t answer her because I can’t. I’m not sure what this feeling is because it’s all new to me. The obsession I have for her, the jealousy, the possession that haunts me when I think of her tells me that I’m feeling more for her than I’ve ever felt before. “Come on. Let’s go.”

Chrissy stands up. “Go? What about Haven?”

“We’re going to get her.”

As soon as I make the decision, I’m leading Chrissy toward the back of the room. I’m not sure if I can get backstage, but I need to see her. I am familiar with the look I saw on her face because I felt the same way when I saw her with Victor the first time.

As we get backstage, there’s a hush in the room, and then everyone starts talking at once. A woman that is scantily clad walks up to me. “Ridge Beckett, I’m Cathy. Thank you so much for coming to the show.”

I nod and angle my body to get past her without touching her and then I don’t stop until I get to where Haven is standing. She’s still looking between Chrissy and me, and I realize now I should have told her I was bringing my sister. I hold my hand palm up in front of her, and she looks at it in surprise. It’s like I’m holding my breath until she puts her hand in mine. “Haven, you’re beautiful.” I lean in and whisper in her ear, “She’s my sister. You have nothing to be jealous of.”

She blushes, and her eyes light up. I pull her against my side. “Haven, this is my sister, Chrissy. Chrissy this is Haven, my fiancée.”

Haven gasps when I introduce her as my fiancée, but I can’t ask her about it because Chrissy squeals excitedly. Thankfully, I’ve already told her about Haven’s aversion to touch, and she doesn’t reach for her. She gives her a little wave. “Haven, it’s so good to finally meet you.”

She nods her head. “It’s so good to meet you too. King has told me so much about you.”

“This is so amazing. I’m so over being the only girl, and I’m excited to finally have a sister.”

An emotion like I’ve never seen comes over Haven, and she murmurs, “Me too.”

I pull Haven into my chest, wanting to soothe her, and whisper against her ear, “Get dressed, peaches, so we can get to the party.”

She nods against my chest. “Okay. I’ll be ready in five minutes.”

“No rush.”

Chrissy is looking between us, and Haven smiles shyly at her. “You want to hang out here with me to get ready?”

Chrissy nods, and I leave the two of them with the promise I’ll be waiting for them. As soon as I walk out the door, cameras are going off, but I ignore them and stand off to the side. The flash ofthe bulbs is annoying, but I’ve learned that if I engage, it escalates quickly. So I pull out my phone and start returning emails that I’ve been ignoring.

Hardly any time at all goes by, and Haven and Chrissy are walking out laughing together. “That was fast.”

“I told you it would only take five minutes.” She turns side to side. “Do I look okay? I brought three dresses, but Chrissy and I thought this one was the best for tonight.”

I take the bag off her shoulder and put it over mine, and then I take her hand, bringing it up to my lips. I want to kiss her, but right now, this is the best I can do. I’m not sure how she’d react if I do what I want to do and kiss her lips instead. The flash bulbs are going off all around us, but I tune them all out because I’m one hundred percent focused on Haven. “You look stunning.”

She blushes and leans in. “Uh, King, we’re putting on a show.”

“Does it bother you? Being seen with me?”

She laughs, slapping her hand against my chest and tries to play it off, but something in my face makes her somber. “No, of course not. I couldn’t be prouder than to be seen with you.”

I bring her against me and whisper into her ear, “I wish we were alone.”

Chrissy snickers and leans in. “Well, you’re not. Now let’s get out of here. You two have the rest of your lives to be all sappy with each other. I’m ready to mingle.”

17

HAVEN

I knewthis was a bad idea.

I’ve been here for less than an hour, and it’s overwhelming the number of people that are here. The last thing I want to do is embarrass myself or King, but it may be unavoidable if this woman doesn’t back the fuck off.

I’m not sure how I ended up in this situation. One minute I was standing with King and Chrissy and the next, King got called away to meet with someone who wanted to speak with him, and then Chrissy went to the bar to get a drink. As soon as they left, these three women approached me, and they’re asking one question after another.

“I attended the women’s summit conference a few months ago. You were a speaker.”

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