Page 31 of On The Edge

All of my googling last night? Those pictures came from somewhere. The paparazzi that follow him around. The media’s fascination with him.

Sure, I wasn’t given a lot of time to wrap my head around this situation, but I’m intelligent enough to conclude that Cruz Navarro’s life is anything but private.

But I’m sure we could somehow fly under the radar and not stay in the same room.

“We could get adjoining rooms. No one would know—”

“Except for the hotel staff who could easily be paid off to tip something to the media.” He lifts his eyebrows. “Keep them coming and I’ll keep explaining away how anything and everything is possible when it comes to our fans.”

“This is . . . impossible,” I say as I shake my head in frustration and walk away from him, needing some space.

“It’s not that big of a deal.” He follows me.

“But it is. I barely know you and now I’m forced to share a room and bathroom with you? I mean, it’s one thing to pretend. It’s another to . . . live together.”

“You’re just realizing this?”

“No, it’s just . . . it’s a lot.”

“It is. You’re right. Again, it’s not my choice but then again it seems I don’t have one. I do this or I lose the deal.” Cruz chuckles and studies me. “How did you think this was going to go?”

“I guess I should have assumed but, I mean . . . I don’t jump straight into bed with men I just meet.”

“We’re not technically jumping. It would be more like sliding beneath the covers.”

“Aren’t you full of jokes,” I say wryly.

He holds a hand up. “Wait. Are you telling me you’ve never had a one-night stand, Maddix?”

His question flusters me when it shouldn’t. I’ve never been ashamed of that thought before and, suddenly faced by a man who clearly has, I feel juvenile. Naive. Goody two-shoes.

I swallow over the lump in my throat. “No.”

His grin widens as he smacks his hands together and rubs them. “New goal in our quest to sow those wild oats.”

“While I’m supposed to be dating you. Because that’s smart,” I say sarcastically and determine that’ll be the only way I can get out of his absurd idea. “We can’t sleep in separate hotel rooms, but I can sleep with a different man.”

Why is this man so determined to get me to step outside my comfort zone? We’ve only just met.

“I’ll find a way.” He winks and then yawns as he motions toward the bed I want to sink into. “Time for bed.”

“Can’t wait,” I mutter as I stare out at the city beyond with its lights twinkling under a darkened sky. It’s nearly six and the city looks so peaceful. I never expected to get the chance to go to a place like this. Maybe later in life when I’d saved enough money and felt comfortable, but not now. Not like this. And not in a situation where it’s for someone else’s benefit.

But you can make it to your benefit, Maddix.

“Look, it’s been a long day—,” he says. “Why don’t we sleep on it and figure shit out later once we have clearer heads. I have some time before I’m technically required to be at the track.”

The conversation from the car comes back to me. The slight snippets I overheard through the receiver. His dad’s words about getting into trouble because he had too much time on his hands.

The look on Cruz’s face. Part disgust. Part irritation. A lot of sadness.

There’s a motion in the window’s reflection that pulls me from my thoughts and back on Cruz. And his now very shirtless torso.

“What are you doing?” I whip around to face him.

Mistake. Big mistake.

I mean, from sitting on his lap, I knew he was hard and sculpted and had dents in the muscles at his hips where he has no business having dents—but to see it, him, like this. It’s just not fair.