Can’t, not won’t?Libby could just imagine how well a guarded secret Isabella’s affair with Xav Hunter was.Hollywood royalty like Xav and Alicia were a multi-billion-dollar business.They wouldn’t let a newbie British pop star be a threat to their empire.If there were any leaks or whiffs of rumors, Team Hunter would have a steady strategy in place.Was Dan also a part of that strategy?
“I’m sorry, Libby,” he said.“But I’ve always hated people treating my love life like it’s public property.Who I date.Who I fall in love with.That’s my business.No one else’s.So, I’ll do your interviews, but on one condition.They’re to be kept an Isabella-free zone.”
Libby started to chop again.“All right.”She might be cooking with Dan now like they were old friends, but the reality was they’d only known each other seven days.If Dan really was part of some master plan to protect Isabella and the Hunters, Libby couldn’t get in the way of that.And who knew?With a bit more time, maybe Dan would confide the truth about his broken engagement to her, one friend to another.
“An Isabella-free zone,” she said.“Got it.”Then she tapped the spoon on the side of the pan and gave him her best smile.“Looks like we’re just about ready to eat.”
Afterdinner,aquickwash, and three Flumpy Monster stories later, Karim fell asleep.Libby tucked a sheet around him and, with a stretch and a yawn, padded softly to the kitchen.She stopped in the doorway, noticing that all the plates had been washed, dried, and were neatly back on the shelf.The worktop and table were wiped clean, too, and sparkling pots and pans drained by the sink.When she stepped outside into the mellow night air, Dan was at the little table, a book in one hand and a mug of coffee in the other.
“You did the dishes,” she said, sitting across from him.
“You cooked.Would you like some coffee?I left you some in the pot.”
She shook her head and nodded at his book.“What are you reading?”
“When Love is Betrayed.I found it on the shelf.”He held up the cover.A scantily dressed woman was draped against a long-haired man in a ripped pirate’s shirt that revealed an impressive chest.
Libby bit back a smile.“Is it any good?”
“So far it’s drawn me in.The writing is pretty good, and I’m interested to know what love looks like when it’s betrayed.”
Don’t you already know?
The words hovered on Libby’s lips, not that she’d ever speak them.Especially after the no-fly zone he’d put around Isabella earlier.Instead, she propped her head on one elbow and studied the bare-chested guy on the book cover.
Hot, ripped abs, hard pecs… Yum.
Dan was hot, ripped, and the owner of eight-pack abs and hard pecs too…but that was just her tired, sleep-deprived mind drifting down a path littered with warning signs.“So, our interviews,” she said, because staying focused on work was far wiser than searching for that fantasy world of heat and steam.“How comfortable are you in front of the camera?”
“Well…” Dan rubbed his chin.“It’s been a while since I was last interviewed.”
“You nervous?”
“A little.”
“Then don’t move.I’ve got an idea.”She rushed inside to fetch her phone and selfie stick.
“What are you doing?”he asked when she returned.
“Getting you used to my camera.”She rigged her phone to her selfie stick.“Consider this like the warmup before a big race.I’ll ask you a bunch of questions.Then we can expand on each one in separate interviews over the next few days.Are you okay with that?”When he nodded, she added, “Come closer.”He shifted his chair.She checked her settings and positioned the phone between them.“We’ll start on the count of three.Ready?One, two, and… Here we are, guys,” she said softly.“Guess who I’m sitting out with on this beautiful tropical night?”She angled the camera towards Dan’s face.“The legendary Daniel Jones!The Lightning Strike.British Olympic champion.Multi-gold medalist.The fastest man on earth.”
“Oneof the fastest men on earth,” he corrected.
“And super modest too, I see.And exactly how many Olympic golds have you won?”
“Eight.”
“How many silvers?”
“Three.”
“Any bronze?”
“Two.”
“That’s a lot of metal.Where do you keep it all?”
“At home, in a box.”
