Page 41 of Bodied

“What about staying professional?” she asked, teasing him.

“Professionalism is overrated,” he answered. “Let’s stop the act and make it a reality. I mean, would you… would you let me stick with you as a real boyfriend, rather than a fake one?”

Lauren sipped her hot chocolate and gave him a sideways glance. “Are you asking me out, farm boy?”

“Yes.” He nodded. “Yes, that is definitely what I’m doing. Just… waiting on your answer.”

The answer, to Lauren, was easy. She set down her hot chocolate, leaned over, and kissed him. She was safe and warm and kissing the man she was finally ready to admit she loved.

Once he had what she felt was a clear enough answer, she sat up on her knees to straddle him and kiss him deeper. She let her fingers slip over his buzzed hair and enjoyed the way it prickled against her skin. Finally, she sat back and looked directly into his perfect, blue eyes. “Is that answer enough for you?”

“More than enough,” he said, his voice low and husky. “But I’m greedy, princess, and I still want more.” He pulled her in and kissed her again, and she never wanted it to end.

“Stay the night?” she asked when she could catch her breath.

“Obviously,” he murmured. “Someone has to keep you safe.”

EPILOGUE

EIGHTEEN MONTHS LATER: WESLEY

Wesley Pierce was rarely nervous, but today he was having trouble keeping his breakfast down. He had a number of reasons to freak out, each one worse than the last.

Reason number one to freak out was that he had recently signed on long-term to work in Anne Bartlett’s security team. He was no longer assigned to Lauren specifically, but he wasn’t moving on to a new job either. The new arrangement was working out well in that he now had some stability. There would be no need to relocate any time soon. But being part of the team protecting your girlfriend’s mother was not a job you could fail at without earth-shattering consequences.

Reason number two he had to freak out was much more immediate. He was about to attend Lauren’s first feature film premiere, and he was still not comfortable in a suit. He doubted he would ever really be comfortable in a suit, but he had bought a brand-new one and had it tailored to fit him perfectly. Tonight’s event, he knew, would be the most important event he would ever attend in his life, second only to his wedding, and he couldn’t stop fussing over his appearance. It was a good thing his hair was impossible to mess up, because his shoes were far from shiny enough, and his tie was definitely crooked. Why had he never learned to tie a tie properly?

His third reason to freak out had everything to do with the surprise he was planning for Lauren. Planning this surprise had taken more coordination than any other event he had planned in his life, and that included surprise parties. There were so many people involved, and Wesley was depending on them to not only play their parts right, but also to keep their mouths shut and not ruin the surprise. In addition, he was stressing about Lauren’s reaction to this planned surprise. This could either go amazingly well or wind up being an absolute dumpster fire.

Tonight, Wesley was going to put himself out there in a brand-new way. It wasn’t just humiliation that worried him this time. It was rejection.

“You look good,” Lauren said, approaching him from behind. He disagreed, but he supposed it really was only her opinion that mattered. They had started living together in her apartment, which was much larger and nicer than Wesley’s was. He was glad for it because, ever since the kidnapping, he couldn’t sleep without keeping an eye on her. His mind would always wander to worst-case scenarios.

“I can’t get this tied right,” he said.

She turned him to face her and helped him adjust his tie so it looked like less of a mess. “No one’s going to notice if your tie isn’t perfect.”

“I think they probably will,” he said with a small laugh.

“Then I guess it’s a good thing you have me around to fix it for you. So, you can’t break up with me now. You need me. My evil plan has finally come to fruition.”

He laughed again. “Some evil plan you’ve got there.” Then he bent down and kissed her, being extra careful not to smear her makeup. She looked gorgeous as usual, wearing an asymmetrical white dress with so many flowing strips, it looked like someone had put it through a shredder. She had always looked like some kind of otherworldly creature to him, and tonight, she looked even more like an immortal, pixie princess.

“You’re the most beautiful woman in the world,” he said, staring down at her. “You know that don’t you?”

“What about Sophia Loren?” she asked with a wink.

“She doesn’t hold a candle to you.” Normally, he would have joked with her, saying, okay, you’re the second most beautiful woman.Then she’d bring up another Hollywood star, and he’d demote Lauren to third most beautiful, and so on. But tonight, he didn’t want to play the game. He wanted to tell her the truth. “Let’s go.”

On their way out the door, he took her favorite long coat from her coat closet and draped it over her shoulders. “You’re such a gentleman,” she said, nudging him. “I taught you well.”

He could tell she was nervous for the event. She always joked around more when she was nervous. And usually, he would play along. The problem was that he was probably even more nervous than she was, and he did not do well telling jokes when he was nervous.

All the way to the theater, he marveled to himself about how proud he was of her. She’d taken her life back into her hands, taken audition after audition. And she’d finally started getting roles. They were smaller ones at first, but with her talent, she had quickly won a role in a feature film, and now they were about to enjoy the fruits of her labor.

The theater was packed when they got there. Every seat was filled. Lauren’s mother was there with her entourage. Wesley’s old roommate, Jon, was in attendance, too. Even Jesse, Lauren’s out-of-state friend, the oldest one she still had, had gone out of his way to attend. Of course, some of them knew exactly what Wesley had planned for the night, and they had come to see that as much as the film itself.

“Why are your hands sweating so much?” Lauren asked, breaking Wesley out of his own head for a moment.

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