A wicked smile hit his face. “Can you now?”
I blushed.
“Are you warm?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Do you need anything?”
“Well, if it isn’t a big deal. I would love my clothes. I still feel a little cold.” My feet shivered in response.
“Let’s get you in warm water first, wrap you in hot towels to dry off by the fire, and then cover you in something.”
I just stared back in shock with nothing to say. He’d been on my television screen for as long as I could remember doing celebrity things in a world that I had never been a part of—partying with stars and cruising in expensive cars, selling out concerts all over the world, and dining with the most breathtaking women.
But in all those times, never would I have figured he’d be a great nurse.
“Are you ready?” he asked as he began to lift me.
“Oh, I can do all of that myself.”
He wasn’t having it as he carried me into a bathroom the size of my living room. It looked like something for a queen—marble here and there, crystal and gold fixtures.
I gasped.
He paused and looked at me. “What’s wrong?”
“This is the most beautiful bathroom I’ve ever seen. Are all the guest bathrooms this way?”
“No, and this is my bathroom. I wanted you in my bed last night...” The way he said his bed did naughty things to my body. He cleared his throat. “So that I could watch over you, of course.”
I wanted to protest and tell him he didn’t have to, that I would’ve been fine, but it wasn’t the point. It was sweet and caring, and I instantly felt safe with him. So, all I could mumble was, “Thank you so much.”
“We’re going to be together forever, so we have to see each other as more.”
I opened my mouth and stuttered. “W-what...t-together?”
He placed me on the edge of a huge jacuzzi tub, one that could have fit five of him, and laughed. “I’m sorry that sounded like a declaration of love. What I’m saying is, we’ll be working together. Once an album goes out, that music is attached to us for the rest of our lives.” He leaned over and turned a crystal knob. Steam rose from the water as it poured into the tub. “We make money from the songs until we die.”
“True.”
He grabbed an elegant jar, yanked out the top, and poured purple liquid into the water. Lavender rose and mingled with the steam.
“Even if we’re eighty years old, they’ll want to wheel us out, put us in front of a piano, and have us sing the song. This partnership,” he pierced me with his gaze, “is forever, so we have to think of each other as something more, if it’s ever going to work out.”
“Is that how you saw Jason?”
His forehead wrinkled as he put back the pretty jar. “Yes. Jason was my best friend and brother. When he left, part of me went with him. And when I saw you last night in that car, I almost broke down thinking that I would have to bury someone else, someone I hoped to develop something more with.”
I balanced on the edge and held the blanket to my chest. “I’m sorry about that. I really shouldn’t have driven in the snow last night. I was just so excited.”
“Ru should’ve handled your travel arrangements.”
“I wouldn’t let him.”
He frowned. “He said the same thing, which struck me as odd.”
“Why?”
“No one stops Ru from doing anything. We haven’t hung around, but I know his reputation. He’s not so much a bully, but he has a reputation of being an alpha boss. You know his history. He’s a kid that has gotten his way most of the time and turned into an adult that demands his way.”
“I see what you’re saying, but I can’t believe that. Ru’s always gentle and caring with me. He never bosses me around.”
“Hmmm.” He watched the water rise in the tub. “How else is he?”
“What do you mean?”
“Are you happy with him as your manager?”
“Yes. He’s gotten me a contract with you. For that, I owe him everything.”
“I would’ve found you regardless. Talent doesn’t hide.” He lifted his hands slowly. “Talent rises high above the clouds for all to see.”
I smiled.
He dropped his hands, walked to a cabinet, opened it, and pulled out two solid white plastic pillows. “What else does Ru do for you?”
“He makes sure I’m taking care of myself, although I see it as an interruption, but he’s nice. He brings me flowers and gifts all the time. Sometimes, he tidies up my place. I can get obsessed with a song and have my apartment a bit disorganized.”
Gio raised his eyebrows. “Ru cleans your place and brings you flowers?”
I giggled. “When you say it like that, it sounds shady, but seriously, I feel like he does this with everyone.”