Hollywood Playboy (Hollywood Royalty 1)

I shoot off the table, the chair flying back as I turn to run up the stairs to grab my keys and my wallet. “Where the fuck are you going?” Ryan asks me, meeting me at the bottom of the steps and ripping the keys from my hands. “You just drank half a bottle of whiskey, and no matter what Kellie says, having you dead right now isn’t going to be a service to America.”

“I have to go to her,” I tell them, trying to get my keys from him.

“What you need to do is calm down,” he says. “You need to fucking shower.” He grimaces. “I’ll get a plane ready, and you can sober up.”

“She’s there,” I whisper. “Is she really there?”

“I think so,” Ryan says, “but getting to her isn’t going to be easy.” I nod, then make my way upstairs. Taking a shower sobers me up, and I run my hands through my hair. I grab my black jeans and a gray shirt, buttoning all but the top three buttons. I put on my black boots, then grab my jacket, and make my way downstairs. I walk into the kitchen and see that Ryan is the only one there. “Edward left. He did say not to fuck shit up. He also said that your parents have called you fifteen times, and your father said that if you don’t call him back, he’s getting on a plane.”

Grabbing my phone from him, I nod as a headline comes in and look up at Ryan.

Tyler Beckett shaking down his inner circle.

“That is the same person who broke the story of me and Jessica,” I tell him, and it finally clicks into place. “Oh my God.”

“What?” he asks me.

“I don’t know why I didn’t put two and two together before. That is one of Cassie’s best friends.” I shake my head. “Motherfucker.”

“Doesn’t matter,” he says as we walk out of the house. A black Escalade waits for us with Joseph behind the wheel. I get in after Ryan, and we take off. “I have a house rented for you right next to Kellie’s.” I nod, then send my father a text telling him I’ll call him tonight. “Whatever you do, please don’t get arrested.”

“I’m not making any promises,” I say to him and turn off my phone. “I’m not leaving there until she talks to me.” The rest of the ride is quiet, and I look out the window when the plane finally takes off with just me in it. A rental car is ready when I land, and I put the address in the GPS and make my way toward her. I start to get anxious, my thumbs hitting the steering wheel while I turn down the dirt road. Wooden fences all along with big trees. I pull up to the house and see four cars parked in the circle driveway. The crunching of the rocks under the tires makes it impossible for them not to know I’m here. I turn off the car, getting out and slamming the door. I walk toward the steps but stop when the front door opens and a man steps out. He’s wearing jeans and a shirt with a menacing look on his face. He must be about six-foot-four, maybe even six-foot-five.

“It would be in your best interest to turn around and leave.” His voice is firm as he stands at the top of the stairs, blocking the door.

I shake my head. “Man to man, my woman is in there, and nothing will keep me from her,” I say. “You could probably take me”—he smirks—“but in the end, there will only be one outcome and that is me getting to my girl, no matter what.”

“Is that so?” he asks, folding his arms over his chest. “I find it interesting that you show up here four days later.”

“I didn’t know where she was,” I tell him. “The minute I found out, I came right here.”

“The difference between a man and a boy is the ability to protect what’s his.” It’s a cheap shot, but it’s true. “You weren’t able to do that now, were you?”

“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” I tell him.

“Oh, trust me, I know what I’m talking about because I had to carry a woman who couldn’t stand on her own.” The thought shoots through my heart. “A strong, independent woman who now walks with her head down and her shoulders slumped a bit, but she’s strong, so she’ll get back up there.” I don’t answer him because I hear the door behind him open and then close. My heart speeds up, thinking it could be her, and at that moment, I would take anything she has to give me. To just look into her eyes if only for a minute. But once the figure steps forward, I see it isn’t her but Kellie. She walks to the man’s side and glares at me.