“Out of the way,” I snap. “Don’t talk to her.”
“I’ll talk to her if I want to,” the guy retorts, still filming. “Just answer, miss. Then we’ll leave you alone.”
I grab Millie’s hand, and we pick up our pace, weaving between the pushy paparazzi. The sooner we reach my car, the better.
“Are you in love with Callum?” the bearded guy repeats. He shoves the camera forward, but this time, he misjudges the distance and hits her face.
All I see is red.
I knock his hand away, sending his camera flying to the pavement with a sharpcrack. “You stupid—”
“Callum, it’s okay,” Millie says quickly, tugging my arm. “Let’s just keep going.”
“Ah, you’re still here, Callum,” someone else calls. “Thought we lost you for a minute.”
“Do you like bad boys, Millie?”
“Yeah, Callum. You play the nice guy, but the real you’s still hiding underneath, innit?”
Millie squeezes my hand again, but I barely feel her touch. All my senses are drowned out by their stupid faces and how much better they’d look smashed on the ground.
“You broke mycamera,” the bearded guy snarls, lunging forward again. “Why do you always feel the need to resort to violence? Were you messed up as a child?”
I stop dead in my tracks, my rage boiling over. “I’m—”
My words die in my throat when I notice the red spot on Millie’s cheek. “You’re bleeding.” I ball my fists. “I’m going to k—”
Millie’s hands are now cradling my face, forcing me to look at her. Then, without a word, she leans toward me. The second her lips touch mine, my world tilts, and everything else fades to nothing. The noise, the paparazzi’s faces, the flashing cameras. It all vanishes, replaced by the comfort and warmth of her kiss as all my tension melts away. She wraps her arms around my neck, and I hold her tight. This kiss is everything I dreamed of and more. It’s joy, it’s relief, it’s comfort. It’s peace.
But soon, too soon, she breaks away and looks at me with a knowing smile. That’s when I realise the paparazzi have stopped harassing us, too focused on filming the moment and snapping pictures.
The bearded guy pipes up again. “You broke my camera.”
Millie snaps at him before I can. “Back off, or I’m pressing charges. You’re going to let us leave—now.”
Still holding my hand, she hurries down the sidewalk. The paparazzi follow, of course, but the jeering stops.
“Sorry about that,” she says once we slide into the car. She exhales sharply, her hands trembling. “I really didn’t want you to break one of those guys in two. And we’ve already established that I don’t think well under pressure.”
“Right,” I murmur, starting up the engine. As it roars to life, my hands tighten on the wheel. Here, I’d given into the tiny hope that she kissed me because she wanted to. Not because she was worried about the press or my temper. “It’s fine.”
“Good. I didn’t want you to think I was assaulting you or anything,” she says, her laugh a little too high-pitched.
I pull into traffic, forcing myself to focus. “Yeah. Are you okay? I should take you to the hospital.”
“Don’t be silly,” she says, examining her cheek in the vanity mirror. “It’s just a little cut. I’ll clean it out at home.”
“Still…” I glance at her. “It might be better if we put an end to this fake dating thing. It’s not worth all this. Told you it could get nasty. You have no idea how far they went with my ex-girlfriend. That’s why I didn’t—” I cut myself off, my jaw clenched.
“You had a girlfriend?” sheasks.
“Yeah. A long time ago, but the press were awful to her. Followed her home, showed up at her job, printed things from her private life she didn’t want surfacing,” I say, swallowing hard. “She eventually left me—and London. I don’t want that to happen to you, Millie.”
She’s quiet for a moment, then bobs her head slowly. “You’re right. It’s probably safer to stop.”
I grip the wheel until my knuckles turn white. If only I’d had the sense to end this before it got this far. Or better yet, never started it at all.
Because now that I know what Millie’s lips feel like on mine. Now that I’ve held her in my arms…
