Page 20 of Kissed and Missed

Not that it matters, of course.

What is wrong with me?

This loaded question is interrupted by the sound of quiet footsteps and, without thinking, I turn just in time to see Honor creeping around the corner. She starts at the sight of me, standing alone in the darkened space.

“Hi,” she breathes, breaking the silence with a shy smile. Against the cool, minimalist space, she stands out vividly in her pink sweatshirt and cut-off shorts. Her feet are bare, andI can’t stop looking at her.

“You’re up early. Did you sleep alright?” I manage to croak.

Honor nods, tucking a lock of blonde hair back behind her ear. “I did, yeah. And you?”

“Yes, actually. Which isn’t like me.” I chuckle halfheartedly, drumming my fingers on the mug in my hands. For fuck’s sake, decades of experience in high level business negotiation, and my poker face is shit where this woman is concerned. Right now, I need to walk out of here and get my head on straight. She’s here as a guest, I could make any excuse, and yet, when I open my mouth, I express another sentiment entirely.

“I was going to go for a walk. On the beach, I mean. If you’re interested in joining me.”

Honor’s shy, polite smile widens to something full and genuine, just as the first light of dawn spills through the windows behind her, catching in her golden hair. “Oh! Yes, please. That sounds great.” She reaches for the hem of hersweatshirt and pulls it over her head, preparing to step out into the sun.

What she’s wearing beneath it makes my mouth go dry—a white T-shirt with a tiny blue, pink, and purple flag embroidered over her chest, accompanied by the wordsbi pride.

Oh, for fuck’s sake.

“Ready?” asks Honor brightly, already moving past me toward the back door.

No. I am most definitely not ready, but I follow her anyway.

12

JULIAN

PRESENT

Honor is shaking as she explains to me and Grey what’s happened, eyes huge on her chalk-white face.

“How did they know my name?” she whispers for the third time, allowing me to guide her onto the couch as Grey strides from the room, already barking orders into his phone. “I’m nobody. It doesn’t make any sense.”

It’s all I can do to keep my expression from reflecting the rage that exploded to life when I found Honor back at my hotel door, tears streaming down her face. “I don’t know.” I pull her close, keeping one arm around her shoulders as my other reaches for the phone in my pocket.

She doesn’t say a word as I fire off rapid messages to my staff, issuing orders and demanding answers. There’s nothing I hate more than being caught unprepared, and this time, it wasn’t me they caught. It was Honor, and the entire thing is my fault.

If I’d taken the time to prepare for this, if I’d stopped for one goddamn day to allow my security to develop a plan to keep this relationship private, then maybe this wouldn’t have happened.She didn’t choose to be a public figure, I did, but now because I acted so impulsively, she’s been sucked into it anyway.

When I got on that plane, the only thing I was thinking about was getting to her as quickly as possible. If I’d stopped for even a day, and allowed my team to put protections in place, this wouldn’t have happened.

“I’ll fix this,” I promise, kissing her temple, and it’s difficult to swallow past the guilt and shame crowding my throat. “My PR team will spin it. They’re some of the absolute best, Honor. I promise, everything that can be done, will be done.”

Honor stares at the coffee table. “It’s going to be on the news, right?”

The news? Maybe.

Every trashy celebrity gossip site, blog, magazine, and social media channel? Almost certainly. There’s nothing the internet loves more than a scandal, and Julian Ballard—notoriously single billionaire—getting caught in a hotel with his daughter’s ex-girlfriend might as well be blood in the water.

“We’re going to lay low here for a few days,” I tell her, doing my best to sound calmer than I am.

Her bottom lip trembles. “What about the gala? My work? God, I really need to go home and check on Leni—” Her head drops into her hands, and I want to tear my own hair out as she lets out a quiet sob. “I can’t believe this is happening.”

“I’m so sorry,” I croak, “Honor, I’m so goddamn sorry.”

She shakes her head, peering over at me through shining eyes. “It’s not your fault. You didn’t call those people.”

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