Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 62811 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 314(@200wpm)___ 251(@250wpm)___ 209(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62811 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 314(@200wpm)___ 251(@250wpm)___ 209(@300wpm)
And then they were jolted when the vehicle came to a stop and the driver spoke. “We’re here.”
“Shit.” Xander jerked himself off her, as if the driver’s words brought reality crashing back.
She didn’t have to look at him to know he regretted the kiss. Her lips still tingled from the brush of his beard; she still tasted his minty flavor in her mouth. And her body would continue to remind her of what she’d lost. He’d been so amped up from escaping the crowd, he’d forgotten how he really felt about her.
He exited the car first. She slid across the seat and stepped out, accepting the hand he offered. Xander Kingston was nothing if not a gentleman.
Then he slammed the door shut and she forced herself to meet his gaze. His closed-off expression told her all she needed to know, and she had no intention of prolonging the inevitable.
“Thanks for dinner and the information about Amanda. I’ll see you on set,” she said, turning to go.
“Wait.” He touched her shoulder, and she glanced back. “I’ll walk you to your room.”
She had no desire for a long goodbye. “Thanks but I’ll be okay.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You hoped for the same thing when we left the restaurant. Humor me,” he said, gesturing for her to go first.
She knew better than to argue, and they headed inside the hotel, walking through the lobby. They reached the elevators, and he stood beside her as she pressed the up button.
She glanced at him. “I’m sure I can get to my room without a problem.”
The doors opened and he stepped inside along with her, subjecting her to his heady body heat and scent in the enclosed space. With a deliberately loud sigh, she pulled her keycard from her purse and watched the floor numbers go upward, waiting in silence while wishing this awkwardness would end.
She had nothing to say and clearly he didn’t either. His one-word curse earlier had been enough.
The elevator stopped, the doors opened, and she strode to her room. She opened the door, planning to turn and tell him to leave, but the sound of familiar voices distracted her.
In the suite sat Cassidy with Rebecca and Dina Addams, her publicist, who was located in LA but had come to the city for meetings this coming week.
“What’s wrong? What is everyone doing here?” Sasha entered the room and Xander stepped in behind her.
“It’s about time you got back! Since when don’t you check your phone?” Rebecca asked.
“I… We were busy talking. What’s going on?” Sasha glanced at her team.
Rebecca, a dedicated career woman at sixty years old, still looked closer to fifty. She wore her hair in a short bob and was the epitome of New York chic. Dina was in her early forties, dressed like she was twenty-five, and handled some of the most famous people in Hollywood.
“Shut the door,” Dina said.
Xander immediately let go and the door closed behind him.
Whatever was going on, Sasha didn’t want him as an audience and turned his way. “As you can see, I’m here and I’m safe. You can go now.”
His scowl deepened and Dina spoke. “Let him stay. He’ll be on set. He should know what’s going on.”
“What is going on? Is someone going to tell me?” Sasha strode over to the cocktail table by the sofa and put her purse down before leveling her team, one by one, with a hard stare.
Cassidy looked the most worried.
“Cass?”
Her friend sighed. “I ordered dinner, and while I was waiting, I took a shower. When I came out, a note had been slipped under the door. I thought it was a bill they’d put for you to look over even though we weren’t checking out soon.” She twisted her hands in front of her.
“It wasn’t?” This came from Xander.
Sasha had almost forgotten he was there. Almost.
“No, it wasn’t.” Dina, who stood by the window, stepped in closer. “You received a note,” she said to Sasha.
“Can I see?”
The other women looked at each other before Dina pulled a sealed plastic bag from her tote. “Just preserving evidence as best I can,” she said.
“Evidence?” Sasha took the bag and looked at the paper with the words You’re Mine on the page. Each letter, individually cut out and pasted on the paper, had a different computer font.
“Jesus Christ,” Xander said from behind her, his big body vibrating with anger.
“Someone sent this to me?” she asked, unease rippling through her.
“Yes,” Dina said.
Sasha blew out a long breath, trying to be rational. “Okay, well, we all know celebrities get notes from obsessed fans all the time. It doesn’t mean–”
“It means someone reached your floor and got as far as your door. Which is why I said you need security,” Xander all but growled in her ear.
“We’ll get to that,” Rebecca said.
Dina cleared her throat. “Unfortunately, this isn’t the first note you’ve gotten that has this … possessive tone.”