Page 89 of Stormswept Colorado

Hell.

No. That could not be it. Ayla was incredible, breathtaking, every superlative. Butme, falling that way? After one weekend together and then two weeks of sheer misery without her?

Could a weekend be that life-changing?

The muscle in my chest reacted, thumping out an answer that I felt in my bones, my skin. My face fell into my hands.

“What’s happening to me?”

I didn’t do this kind of thing. Chase a woman who was unattainable. I didn’t chase women at all.

I’d spent the last ten years devoted to causes bigger than myself. That hadn’t left room for anything else. But now there was suddenly a hole in the middle of my life. A lack I hadn’t even realized was there. Until Ayla Maxwell filled up that space for a few life-changing days and showed me just what I’d been missing. Laughter and connection and intimacy. Plus epically hot sex.

Did I just need to find a girlfriend? A more realistic prospect than a superstar?

The very thought of touching some other woman made me nauseous. No, this was about Ayla. The most incredible woman I’d ever met.

A better question: what the hell was I going to do?

“Maybe it’s just an infatuation,” Callum said. “You wouldn’t be the first guy to fall for the girl on the cover of the magazine. She must have men chasing after her all the time.”

Remain seated, I commanded myself.Do not launch across thisbar and strangle your friend. “Stop talking about her with other men. Unless you want me to lose my shit.”

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry.” Callum held up his hands. “That was a test, by the way.”

“And?”

“You’re an intense guy all the time, Teller, but you’re extra intense about her. Seems like it’s something real. Look, it’s a long shot, the two of you working out.”

I scowled. We’d both dropped the fiction that this wasn’t about Ayla. “I don’t need a reminder of that fact.”

“But, if you feel that strongly about her, you shouldn’t give up. Just don’t jerk her around. Or yourself. Only do this if she’s worth it to you.”

My response leaped to the tip of my tongue without a moment’s hesitation. “She’s worth everything.”

I had no idea what I was doing or where this was going. But Ayla was the kind of woman who was worth burning down the world for.

THIRTY

Ayla

Ricky,my makeup artist, spun me around to face the mirror. “What do you think, lovely? The green shadow with touches of gold and matching eyeliner, which I call Naughty Forest Spirit, or the darker Va-Va Vixen palette?”

“Um, what was the first thing again?”

He bowed his head. “You didn’t hear a word I said, did you?”

I bit my fuchsia-painted lip. “Not a single one. Sorry.”

Ricky’s boisterous laugh filled my bathroom. “You’re probably writing a song in your head right now. Which is totally fine. Don’t mind me. I’ll take lots of pictures and let you decide later which palette you prefer for which event.”

My neighbor Hayleigh popped her head into the room. “He’s right. You’ve been super distracted lately.” She gave Ricky a look. “We had a brunch date last Sunday, and I had to drink three mimosas waiting for her late ass to show up.”

“I said I was sorry. You guys make me sound like the worst. Also, how did you get in here?”

She shrugged. “Bryan let me in since Ricky was already here. Your security guys love me.”

We were in my house in Malibu. Ricky had come over todayto test out some new makeup looks. My assistant had been in and out, doing the things she always took care of for me.

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