Never.
Chapter Six
#YouKnowYourFriendsLoveYouWhen
Min stepped out of her apartment, clutching her book to her chest. Two guys leapt up from where they’d been leaning against Logan’s car.
“Miss. Miss! What’s your name, miss! Look this way.”
“Over here!”
There were flashes and suddenly those men were right in front of her and she realized they weren’t that small. And they weren’t moving out of her way.
“Tell us your name, baby,” the first one wheedled.
“Where’d you meet him?”
“Are you Araminta?” A third voice came from the other side of the car, sounding more mean than challenging.
She heard a mumbled swear word from behind and suddenly Logan was at her side, his arm clamped about her shoulders as he pulled her close and started walking right at the two dudes blocking the path. “Let us past, guys.”
“Give us a photo first. Some smiles.”
Logan kept walking, lifting her suitcase in front of them to try to push a path through.
“A kiss.”
“Come on, Logan. Everyone wants to see how happy you are.”
“A kiss.” The guy hollered again.
“Not tonight,” Logan answered easily enough but was inexorably propelling her forward. She was pressed into his side, she wasn’t sure her feet were touching the ground.
He somehow unlocked the car and opened the door, practically pushing her into the front passenger seat. This time Min stared at the men holding long lenses to her window rather than watch Logan sprint round the front of the car like some bank robber on the getaway.
They’d followed them from his place—knew where she lived. And one of them had known her name?
“They followed us,” she said as Logan fired the engine.
“They still are.”
“Is it always like this for you?” Shaken she turned to look at him.
He was driving fast, but still looked relaxed. “Only sometimes.” His nose wrinkled. “I guess the Kardashians aren’t doing anything exciting tonight and they’re going for a z-lister like me. Because the machine needs feeding. It’s voracious.” He glanced over at her. “But you know that, right? You help feed it.”
“No.” She shook her head, appalled he thought that she’d think this kind of harassment was okay. “I help people take some control of what’s out there.”
And she so didn’t want to be a part of this. She didn’t want to be on anyone’s newsfeed.
“It would be worse on your own.” He warned, as if he’d read her mind. “They’d still hunt you. They can make your life hell. And what random people write can make it fifty times worse.”
“I wouldn’t read it.” She’d go offline and disappear for a while.
He snorted. “You’re human, aren’t you?”
He was right. It wasn’t that easy to hide. Wasn’t that easy to ignore what other people were saying about you. She knew exactly how much it could hurt.
She should have grown a thick skin years ago, but it mattered. The opinion of others still mattered to her.
Outside Logan’s building there was a pack of them. Definitely a slow internet-news night. Ed was waiting and pushed through to try to get them some room, but for a few alarming seconds Min couldn’t even open her car door.
The camera flashes blinded. But the comments and questions strangled.
They were all looking at her, all asking her questions. All wanting her to answer.
“You don’t mind the sex tape?” Some jerk asked. “You’ve seen the sex tape?”
“You guys gonna make another?”
Cruder questions followed. Shocked, Min stopped, like a silly headlight-struck bunny, not knowing how to fight her way through, how to run away.
She felt an arm hard across her back, a large, strong hand grip her upper arm hard. Logan. There was a shove from further behind. His arm tightened.
“Ed.” Logan called harshly as he drew her closer still.
The security man slammed the door to the building as soon as they’d entered. The sudden silence in the lobby was weird. Logan kept her clamped to his side, kept up the quick march across the marble tiled floor. The elevator doors were open and in a heartbeat she and he were alone. He released her from the tight grip and she took two more paces forward, turning to rest back against the elevator wall. Her legs wobbled. Hell, every organ inside her was shaking. All she could hear in the small space was the sound of her own breathing. Rushed, panicked.
“Are you okay?” he asked, pushing a button so the doors slid.
She didn’t answer him. Couldn’t. She was blocked.
“Min?”
She kept staring at the floor, trying not to think about the coarse words one of the guys had called out. The intensity of that crowd. There’d been no space.
Logan moved, stepping right in front of her, his body blurring her vision.
“You don’t have to say anything,” he muttered low. “Just look at me.”
For a moment she closed her eyes.
“Look at me,” he repeated, even softer.
But somehow there was no denying that demand. She lifted her focus. He looked concerned—was that pity in his expression?
“B-b-because you’re s-so hot?” Anger flashed, she tried to pull herself together.
“Totally.” He answered so easily, with such damn natural arrogance, no hint of self-mockery…
And yet. It was there in his eyes, twin flickers of laughter, willing her to join him.
Unable to resist that invitation, she half smiled. He instantly responded, the joke deepening. A beautiful, genuine smile flashed across his face, lighting him up from the inside. Self-deprecating, kind, honest.
It stole her breath.
In a second it had gone, leaving the razor-sharp edges and planes of a beautiful fallen angel. The laughter ebbed, leaving the bared soul in its wake.
An odd feeling of melancholy seeped into her, as if it were radiating from him. She had the weirdest urge to lean closer, to press her lips to his and take away that slight hint of sadness. Her gaze lowered from the intensely pale blue of his, to the wide slash of his mouth.
Her own lips tingled. She didn’t really want to kiss him. She couldn’t really be thinking about that. Shock, right? That’s all this was. But—
“Min?” A whisper.
The elevator doors opened with a muted chime.
Damn, she was going to need a louder alarm bell than that to stop her from doing something stupid. Embarrassment flooded her and she stepped sideways, out of his reach. That had been too close. She’d nearly been as easy as every other woman who’d crossed his path. She was going to have to work hard to shore up her defenses.
Logan might have thought he was going mad, but Min’s reaction to the paparazzi pack outside confirmed he was doing the right thing. Just for a few days. She’d been terrified and he didn’t blame her. They were like savage dogs, picking out the weak spots and digging their teeth under the skin. No, ironically the safest place for her through this time was with him. He’d been through worse. He had the experience to know how to hold them at bay.
Plus there was the fact he’d far rather spend this weekend playing the tour guide for her at Summerhill than having to actually spend time with his family.
Plus, he was having more fun than he’d had in months. Because the heat between them?
He grimaced as he pushed the code into his alarm system. Oh yeah, he was as self-serving as ever.
But he froze inside his doorway. Someone was here.
Annoyance bit, now wasn’t the time for outside interference. He needed to establish the ground rules with Min, and see if he couldn’t get her to take that one step further.
She was attracted to him, no hiding that. He wanted the space now to see just which way she was going to dance.
“Wait here a sec.” He quickly gave Min a small push into his office that was through the
first door off to the right. Then called out. “Who is it?”
“Finally, you’re home.” Rocco’s voice answered from the living room. “There was me thinking you were going to be my wingman at the pyjama party tonight but instead you’ve gone and gotten engaged.”