His leg began to bounce with anxiety. Was he doing the right thing? He’d lived with this kind of attention his whole life, but how would Ellie cope? Alex knew it was wrong of him to put such a burden on her. After all, he had experienced how hellish it could be, how the constant scrutiny and speculation could wear down even the most resilient of people, break them.
He hadn’t been joking when he’d said there was no one else he could trust to pull off this facade. The first girl he’d ever kissed had sold her story and bought herself a car with the proceeds. She hadn’t been the last romantic interest or close friend to betray him like that – he’d just never expected his brother to be one of them. His celebrity friends were as fickle as the wind. They’d all quickly chosen Savannah and Liam’s side. After all, he was the lesser brother, the less likely to get them any further onin their career. Not only that, but his parents had been quick to take ‘no sides’– which may as well have been a public pardon.
But was he being fair to Ellie? She had no idea of the burden it would place on her and her family.
Would everything in his life turn to shit like it always did? And would he unwittingly drag Ellie down too?
He opened his messages and texted Ellie.
You probably won’t see this until after your nightshift. Did you see my earlier txt? You might see a photo of us online from our theatre night. It looks like the news of our dating will break soon… are you still okay with that? I understand if you wanna call it off.
To his surprise the message was read immediately, and she began typing a reply. The three dots flashing caused his heart to thunder in his chest.
Oh, that? Yeah, Mum showed it me. She’s practically your stalker now – soz. I’m just on my way to work. But I’m still up for it… If you are? I wasn’t sure about giving you my bank details. Not because I don’t trust you, LOL. But wanted to be sure you were still okay with it too?
Alex took a deep breath, relief and guilt washing through him in equal measure.
I’m 100% sure, he replied.
Ellie responded straight away:London flats aren’t cheap though. Look, I’ll send you the link of the flat I like. Feel free to back out.
She posted a link and he clicked through. The flat was just as she had described, and the price didn’t faze him. With a smug smile, he typed his reply.
I think we can do better.
Chapter Ten
‘Christ, this is a house. Like a properhousehouse – actually no, it’s a bloody mansion!’
Ellie rifled through the pile of housing brochures Alex had received from the estate agent. Martin’s cab turned down a side street, causing her to grapple with the papers to stop them from sliding off her lap. The two had been texting over the week, and there had been something marvellously exhilarating about receiving text messages from Alex during a dull night shift. Every time she had a break, she’d sneak off into a quiet corner and check her messages. He was a bit of a night owl himself and would usually sign off from their little chats at around 1 a.m. They had chatted about everything and anything – how her shift was going, the tweaks he’d made to his characters and script and, of course, house-hunting.
‘The realtor did say there was a wide variety in my budget.’
‘This is huge!’ she exclaimed, only half-listening, tearing through the pile like a maniac as she flicked through them. ‘And this one. Bloody hell! Is that the price?’
Each property had a sales price above two million pounds, but this one was double-figure millions. She wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry.
Alex leaned towards her to take a closer look.
‘Yeah, I wasn’t sure about that one.’ He was so close she could smell his intoxicating aftershave. Sandalwood, rich and musky, spiced with the tears of a thousand heartbroken virgins. She tried to stifle a moan of pleasure as she drank in the scent of him.I really need to cool my libido!
She caught Martin’s raised brow in the rear-view mirror, and immediately burst into flames of embarrassment.Busted!
Why did Alex have to hire Hannah’s dad as his driver for the day? Although, she had to admit, it was kind of sweet of him to remember Martin from the paparazzi incident. In fact, according to Martin, Alex had been hiring him regularly after that day, and, as he paid so well, Martin was more than happy to be at his beck and call.
‘I’d have to sell my property in New York and my house in LA if I want this house,’ Alex continued. ‘I’d rather not do that, but if it’s the one…’ He shrugged his shoulders miserably, the epitome of indecision.
‘You have a house in New York?’
‘No, an apartment. I have a house in LA, but that’s not really mine.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Well, my parents bought me and my brother a house when we turned twenty-one. They weren’t big on spoiling us with cars or credit cards, but they wanted us all to have a solid start.’
Amazing, her lifelong dream, handed to him in a twenty-first birthday card. ‘I forget your parents were successful actors too.’
‘Yeah, they’ve pretty much retired now. They only take on a project if their hearts are a hundred per cent in it. Plus, their production company takes up a lot of their time.’ He avoided her gaze and shifted in his seat. ‘Their production company pretty much launched all of our careers, and I’m so grateful for all they’ve done for me. But it’s a bit weird living in a house your mum and dad picked out for you. That’s why I moved to New York. I wanted – no, I needed to go it alone, you know?’
