Page 21 of (Un)Expected

A cold chill ran up my spine, and I wondered who else had seen the photos. Plenty of old friends had come out of the woodwork when the story broke, wanting to know all about Adam and me. Luckily, that seemed to be it.

My phone chirped in my pocket, alerting me to another comment about the photos. I shut it off without another look, not wanting to hear another stranger’s opinion of me. That was a lesson I learned in hour five of this situation, figuring out all too quickly how much vitriol people spewed when they hid behind a keyboard.

Not that it mattered. They were all words I’d heard before.

With a reluctant groan, I forced my way inside the resort, stopping to drop off my stuff before crossing into the lobby. Hopefully, it would be an easy day, one with minimal guest interaction.

That wish was quickly squashed when my name rang out before I even reached my desk.

“Thank God you’re here,” Adam said as he rushed to my side. “Calla said you were sick, but I had to see for myself. Please tell me you’re okay. The pictures, I swear, I had no idea–”

I shook my head, not ready to talk about the article. Instead, I arched my brow at him. “How did you know I would be here?”

He smiled sheepishly. “I might have bribed your counterpart a little bit: a bunch of signed items in exchange for your work schedule.”

Over his shoulder, Javier lets out a little wave. “Talk. To. Him,” he mouthed, emphasizing his point with a stern look.

Traitor.

“Adam…” I sighed, glancing around the room. This was not the place for this conversation. Too many sets of eyes were watching us, trying to listen in inconspicuously.

I grabbed his arm, dragging him into one of the event rooms off the main lobby.

Once he crossed the threshold, I closed the doors and turned the lock, but as soon as it was the two of us, my emotions started to get the best of me. Everything hit me at once. My skin was usually thick, but reading and hearing people’s comments over the past few days had unearthed past wounds, ones that had taken years to heal.

Adam came closer, placing his hands on my shoulders. “I’m so sorry, Alex. I had no idea…I didn’t think…” He cut himself off, taking a step back to run his hand through his hair. “You shouldn’t have gotten dragged into this.”

“It’s not your fault, Adam.”

“Of course it is,” he said. “How are you doing? Honestly.”

“I’ve had better weeks,” I chuckled, trying to push away the words eating away at me. Nothing had happened with Adam, but the assumptions hurt the most.Whore. Slut.Too many people had no problem slinging those words like weapons.

Adam stared at me, trying to read through my mask.Don’t break.His forlorn expression wasalmostenough to shatter my walls, but I refused to place my insecurities on his shoulders. Instead, I quickly wiped the corner of my eye. “I want to get back to work and pretend like this whole mess never happened.”

Adam dropped his gaze down to his feet. “Look, if this means you don’t want to hang out again, I get it,” he said, his voice cracking a little with each word. “If you don’t sign up for this life…I know it can be a lot. Shit, it’s a lot even if you did. It can be frustrating. Invasive. I…I’ve had people walk away for less.”

The shame and fear in his eyes almost made me stumble. It was as real as the paintings on the wall. The idea of Adam losing people because of things out of his control crushed me. Those bitter, self-conscious rumblings turned to anger, hating that he gave so much of himself for so littlein return.

I smiled up at him, and this time, it was a little more genuine. “Not gonna happen. We said we’re friends, so we’re going to be friends. Maybe no more kissing on public beaches?”

Adam breathed a long sigh of relief. “You’ve got a deal.”

He pulled me into a tight hug, his head nestling on top of mine. His strong arms enveloped me, holding me tight against his chest as I nuzzled into him, the smell of cedar and spice calming my spiraling feelings. It was soothing having someone hold me like this, something I didn’t even realize I desperately needed in the moment. My heart thumped loudly in my chest—not in desire, but in comfort. Adam was a fucking fantastic hugger. I pulled back, wiping a few errant tears from my eyes. “I should get back out there. Javier’s already pissed I’ve left him alone for three days.”

“Of course,” Adam said, but his eyes darted around the room.Uh oh.“So, listen…I need to ask for one more favor.”

My brow arched at his words and the sudden shift in his demeanor.

Adam continued, “My agent flew in to help with the media coverage and to get ahead of any stories about us. He wants to sit down with the two of us to discuss next steps.”

“Next steps? I figured this would be over as soon as another story broke.”

“Me too,” he said, “but I’m still dealing with some of the fallout from my last relationship. We’ve been working on cleaning up my image, but this kind of threw a wrench in that.” He took my hand in his. “I get it if you don’t want to meet with him, and I would never ask you to do anything if it made you uncomfortable, but I had to ask.”

“And this is important to you?”

He stared down at me with his picturesque blue eyes, and I was hit with the urge to soothe his pain again. Whoever his ex was, damn her for putting that sadness in his soul. Without thinking about the consequences, I nodded my head.

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