My beaming triumph lasted right up until I stepped off stage and saw the mob of reporters waiting for me.
“Mr. McCrae! Can you comment on the video circulating online?”
“Who was the woman you were with last night?”
“Is this behavior typical for you?”
The questions came rapid fire, each one hitting hard. I tried to keep my media smile in place, but I sensed my composure starting to crack.
“I appreciate your interest,” I began, “but as I said in my talk?—”
“Is it true you left with her? Where did you go?”
My face was getting warm. “I don’t think that’s?—”
Suddenly, Danny was at my side, his arm around my shoulders. “Alright, folks, that’s all the time we have for questions. Mr. McCrae has another engagement. Thank you for your interest!”
With his usual ease, he steered me through the crowd andout a side door. We practically ran down the street, ducking into the first pub we saw.
“Two pints,” Danny called to the bartender as we slid into a booth. “And whatever greasy food you’ve got.”
As the adrenaline wore off, I slumped in my seat. “Jesus Christ, that was intense.”
The beers arrived, and I took a long pull, relishing the cold liquid.
Danny leaned forward, scrubbing a hand over his face, which still looked a bit rough from his own late night. “Alright, look. That speech was pure genius. Turning your one-night stand into a TED Talk on authenticity? Fucking brilliant. You pulled that rabbit out of your ass like a master magician.”
I took a grateful sip of my beer. “Thanks, man. Couldn’t have done it without your advice.”
“But let’s be real,” he continued, his expression turning serious, though his eyes still held a hint of last night’s mischief. “And hey, I know I was the one who pushed you to go talk to her. To ‘live a little’. And I’m taking full credit for the masterpiece of a speech that came out of it.”
He leaned forward, his voice dropping. “But that was a one-time miracle, Sean. We can’t have you playing Russian roulette with your reputation every time we’re in a new city. I get to be the irresponsible one on these trips, okay? That’s my role. I’m the agent; it’s practically in my job description to have… let’s call them ‘debriefings’ with the local talent.” He gave me a sly wink. “You’re the star. You have to be Saint Sean, the motivational messiah, at least until this big Bright Futures gala is over.”
He pointed a finger at me. “So, for the love of God, no more mysterious, beautiful women who might be tabloid timebombs. Can you keep it in your pants and avoid becoming a public spectacle for, like, three more days? Please?”
I held up a hand, feigning solemnity. “I solemnly swear to keep it in your pants and stay sober. Scout’s honor.”
Danny snorted, shaking his head. “You were never a scout, asshole. And I’ve seen your version of ‘sober.’ It just means no shots after midnight. But fine. I’ll take it for now.”
We both laughed, and I felt some of the day’s residual stress finally begin to dissipate. The immediate crisis was handled. Yet, in the back of my mind, I couldn’t shake thoughts of Beth. The way she’d felt in my arms, the wit in her eyes. Who the hell was she? And, God, I hoped our paths would cross again.
.
CHAPTER FIVE
BETH
The hot watersprayed against my back, sluicing away the last lingering stickiness of last night’s decisions and the too little sleep that had followed. Steam filled the small bathroom, a temporary fog machine for my equally foggy brain. My head was definitely staging a protest against the amount of champagne I’d consumed, but it was the other ache, the one low in my belly and deep in my chest, that was harder to ignore.
Sean.
Just thinking his name sent a thrill through me as I finally turned off the taps. Images from last night flickered behind my eyelids: his laughing green eyes in the pub, the surprising intensity of his kiss in the hotel suite, the feel of his skin under my hands.Christ, Beth, what the hell were you thinking?It was supposed to be a one-night distraction, a way to thumb my nose at Stewart and my mother’s plans. But somewhere between the witty banter and the tangled sheets, things had gotten… complicated. He wasn’t just another regrettable hookup. There had been a spark, a genuine connection that had blindsided me. The kind that made a girl like me want to run for the bloody hills even as every instinct screamed to run towards him.
I stepped out of the shower, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around myself. As I dried off, trying to rub away the memory of his touch, my phone, discarded on the closed loo seat, started buzzing like an angry hornet.Now what?Probably Kinna, wondering where I’d disappeared to. I’d deal with her later.
But the buzzing was insistent, a rapid-fire series of notifications that set my teeth on edge. With a sigh, I snatched it up. A string of missed calls from Kinna. Texts. And then, a link.
My stomach dropped as I read her latest message: “OMG Beth, is that you inThe Sun!”
