“Oh,” I said. “I see.”
His lips were pressed into a thin line now. He was clearly used to hiding his tension, but he couldn’t really hide this.
My heart sank. Theo had been nothing but confident since I’d met him. A little self-deprecating at times, sure. But he certainly wasn’t afraid to be himself. The moment he mentioned his stalker, though, everything shifted so quickly.
Slowly, everything clicked into place.
The reason he hadn’t wanted a cab the other day.
The reason he seemed so wary of strangers.
And also the reason he seemed so happy that I didn’t recognize who he was.
“It’s been talked about a fair bit in the media, but I realize you don’t read that kind of stuff,” Theo said. He reached for his wine glass, then put it down, opting for a sip of coffee instead. “It started at the end of last year. In LA, I wasn’t exactly thinking about security. All I had was a dinky little camera system on the front of my house. I saw the guy walk past my front gate, once. Another time he jumped over it, but by the time I went out, he was gone. Then he started sending me things.”
“Like what?”
“Notes with bullets attached to them. Weird little keepsakes. Once, he sent me one of my own shirts with his kiss prints all over it.”
I furrowed my brow. “What the fuck?”
Theo nodded. “No, I still have no idea how he got the shirt. It should have been in my closet the whole time.”
I realized I was clenching my jaw. “And you have reason to believe this man has followed you here to Amberfield?”
“I don’t know yet,” Theo said. “He followed me to Paris, though. And recently, I had someone hiding behind a tree in my yard here in Kansas. When I went outside, he sprinted off into an SUV and drove away.”
“Have you involved law enforcement? How is this guy still out there?”
“I’ve tried, believe me,” Theo said. “Time and time again, they’ve said there’s not really much they can do. They couldn’t identify him by any of the evidence I turned over. And my security camera footage was weak. The guy always wears sunglasses and a hat. All I know is that he’s short and skinny. And maybe gay or closeted, if he’s so preoccupied with me.”
“Or potentially very homophobic,” Madeline added, cutting me a look. “Theo is the most prominent gay actor in the world, and a small percentage of people have an issue with that.”
Theo took a slow sip of wine.
“You need to be protected,” I said. “I’m not sure if the stalker sounds eminently dangerous or just deranged, but you are doing the right thing to hire personal security, Theo.”
He nodded once. He reached down, adjusting his scarf. “No other questions?” he said simply.
I glanced down. “Well, I guess I have been wondering another thing,” I said. “Are you really drinking coffee and wine at the same time?”
A smile spread over Theo’s face.
My heart started spinning like a top. He transformed from looking like a cautious, helpless animal into an enchanting ray of sunlight, in one instant. Perfect white teeth, a quirked smile, and a slight crinkling around his jewel-like eyes.
Fuck, he was radiant. It really did feel like I was watching some beautiful movie star, and being so close to him was like nothing I’d ever experienced in my life.
“Madeline,” Theo said, even though he was still looking at me. He had a faraway tone in his voice. “You can cancel the rest of the one-on-one interviews.”
She cocked her head at him. “But we have the guy from Chicago who was in the Secret Service—”
Theo shook his head. “I want you, Roman,” he said simply.
I knew how he meant it. He was just saying he wanted me as his bodyguard, no more, no less. But hearing those words come out of his beautiful mouth was almost startling. It took me a moment to process what it meant.
He wanted to hire me. Despite the lack of primary experience. Despite the fact that he could probably get someone ten times better.
“I’m—thank you—”
“Nothing is official until the background checks come through and you have signed all of the necessary documentation,” Madeline quickly interjected. It seemed like she was used to Theo making quick, rash decisions, and she was the one who picked up the pieces and handled the logistics.
“Of course,” I said. “Of course.”
I could barely string together two words. Theo was giving me a slight smile, and as usual, it felt like he was looking straight into my soul and playing around with it.
He stood up gracefully and raked his fingers through his hair.
“Well, I guess it’s time for you to see the house.”
6
Theo
“This controls everything,” I told Roman as we stepped into the living room of the house, gesturing at the big touchscreen on the wall. “You can activate it by voice command or by the touchpad. The window blinds, the alarm, the thermostat, the sound system, the telephone, ordering things, checking the weather. I have everything automated, and everything that isn’t will be able to be automated very soon.”