“You’re looking sleepy.” Tae strokes her cheek. “You should rest.”
I don’t know how Jagger could have walked out on her after a few days of this. I’ve only been in her presence a few hours, but I already know that I don’t want to leave her side again.
Tae’s gaze meets mine. We don’t say anything as Delilah’s breathing slows for fear of waking her, but I know we’re thinking the same thing. We can’t lose her. Unfortunately, there’s still one problem, and I can see him creeping down the stairs from across the room…
Jagger.
TWENTY-THREE
Jagger
Silence has descended, so I finally dare to sneak out of my bedroom and tiptoe down the stairs. I try not to make a noise, cursing these damn old floorboards that groan as I go.
The smells of her satisfaction and the lingering effects of an amazing night cause a lump to form in my throat. Delilah’s asleep, naked in front of the fire with Nash and Tae on either side of her, a blanket draped over the three of them. My chest tightens. They look so good together. So complete. So much better without me.
Tae snores in his sleep. He can sleep through pretty much anything, but Nash twitches, carefully repositioning to look at me. Nash usually likes to keep busy. He never sleeps in or wastes any time, but right now, he looks like he never wants to move again. When he sees the obvious anguish on my face, his smile fades.
“Jag—”
I raise a finger to my lips and hold up my keys. “I’m going to get some food for when she wakes up.”
“But—”
I ignore him, eager to spare myself from another security lecture. Luckily, Nash is trapped under Delilah, so there’s nothing he can do to stop me.
When I slip into the driver’s seat of the car, my cell vibrates in my pocket. I ignore it, just like I did the other fifty missed calls from Valerie. No doubt she’s heard about me running offstage, but all that’s important to me right now is Delilah. The least I can do is make sure she has a decent breakfast. I bash my fist on the wheel, realizing I have no clue what she likes.
Who can possibly help me? I don’t have anyone to ask about omegas. Sure, my mom is an omega, but we don’t exactly have a great relationship. We occasionally see each other on the red carpet, but it’s all for publicity. She and Dad are too busy traveling around the world while she shoots movie after movie. Mom has enjoyed living under the spotlight and was the one who pushed me to do the same. Sometimes I wonder whether she only had a child so she could show me off as a trophy.
That’s when a crazy idea comes to me.
I hit dial before I get too chickenshit and change my mind. I’m pretty sure I’ll be the last person he wants to speak to right now—especially after his mate made her feelings about me very clear—but I have nothing to lose.
“Calder Soren,” he answers after two rings in a clipped voice. “Who is this?”
I forgot that I always call on a blocked number.
“Uh… Hi…”Maybe this was a stupid idea.“It’s Jagger. Jagger Knight.”
“Jagger?!” I hear a crash somewhere in the background. “I wasn’t expecting to hear from you, especially after what happened tonight.”
“Yeah, running out on my show probably did attract some attention.”
“You haven’t heard?” Calder’s voice turns sharp. “Or gone online?”
“I’ve kinda been a little busy. And I try to avoid social media.”
“It’s you and Delilah,” Calder explains. “Someone posted a photo of you, and it’s gone viral. Everyone wants to track down your mystery girl. Thankfully, they didn’t get a good shot of her face. Kady’s pulling in every favor with her father to make sure any paps with more photos hand them over to keep Delilah’s identity protected. We’re both atThe Valley Voiceoffice doing damage control now.”
“Fuck.” I brush a hand down my face. This is exactly what I was hoping to avoid. “What can I do to help?”
“We’ve got a handle on it,” Calder tells me. “When Kady’s on a mission, she’s pretty set on how she wants stuff done.”
“This is my mess,” I groan. “I should be the one to clean it up. I can put you in touch with my manager to help? And I can pay you for your time.”
“We’re doing this for Delilah.” His voice is firm. “But having their number wouldn’t hurt.”
“I’ll send it over right after this call.” My head is now reeling.
