Leah exhaled. “So for now, I’m advising we don’t feed it. No more joint sightings. Stay away from each other until this dies down. At least in public.”
Emma nodded, disappointed but resigned. It was the smart move. “I should probably go back up. Get some room service and lay low.”
“Sounds wise,” Leah said.
“No. That’s not happening.” Darren moved toward Emma, stepping in as though shielding her from Leah. His hand brushed hers—barely, but enough to steady her. “I’m not letting you lock yourself up in that room again.”
“Uh, it’s a suite, actually,” Leah cut in from the side.
“What choice do I have?” Emma’s voice came out small. “I can’t be seen out there right now.”
Darren fell silent for a moment, but she could almost see the gears turning in his head. A slow, dangerous curve tugged at his lips.
“Well then. If you can’t be seen...I have a different idea.”
Emma’s heart tripped. His smile was conspiratorial, defiant. She gave him a wary look. “Should I be worried?”
“Almost certainly.” His grin widened. “But you won’t regret it.”
Leah stared, daggers shooting from her eyes. “I’mworried. You gonna make me file a restraining order, Cole?”
Darren reached out, fingers wrapping around Emma’s upper arm. Her breath hitched, but she didn’t pull away. He led her past Leah without hesitation, leaning in close as they passed. “Those things take time, Davies,” he mock-whispered. “She’s mine until it comes through.”
Mine.A shiver sparked deep in her belly.
She probably should’ve stopped him. Leah’s voice, the headlines, her own common sense—all shouting in her head that she was being careless.
But the thought of going back upstairs, alone with the silence and the shame, felt worse. Darren’s hand guiding her felt like being saved from something she hadn’t even realized was a cage.
Maybe this was reckless.
Maybe it was exactly what she needed.
“We’ll be careful,” Emma filled in over her shoulder, meeting Leah’s eyes. Guilt tugged at her, but she’d already made up her mind. She let Darren lead her away, pulse hammering, not even pretending to resist.
“Just FYI, you’re directly opposing my instructions,” Leah called after them.
“Yep, thanks, Leah,” Darren called back.
Emma’s judgment screamed at her to turn back. Her feet, however, were already moving with his. And the word still echoed inside her, molten and dangerous:
Mine.
He’d said it with a grin, but something deeper had glinted in his eyes. Half challenge. Half promise.
She couldn’t tell which thrilled her more.
Chapter 31
The ghosts of relationships past.
And of the ones that never were.
“You know, Leah does have a point,” Emma muttered as they crossed the lobby. Her nerves jumped as she scanned the crowd, half expecting the My Little Pony girl to spring out again. “We’re very visible right now.”
Darren had let go of her arm to text someone, but he stayed close enough that his shoulder brushed hers. “We’ll be safe in a minute. The car is just around the corner.”
“Where are we going?”
