Kristin nuzzles herself closer to me. My fingers continue to rub up and down against her spine as I lie here, trying to figure out what I’m going to do about our situation.

I’m in love with her.

She’s in love with me.

And we have every obstacle in our way between her dick of an ex, my job, her life here, and whatever the media could spin about our relationship.

The only thing I know is my life will include her. There’s not any other option.

“Hey.” Her voice is low and sleepy.

“Go back to sleep, sweetheart.”

She fell asleep about an hour ago, but I’ve been staring at the ceiling. My mind has been going in circles, working out how I feel. Talking about Tanya isn’t something I do, but I knew it was time to tell Kristin about it.

“I need you to stay a little longer,” she tells me through a yawn.

I need a lot of things, but we both know I can’t be here in the morning. “Just close your eyes,” I encourage her.

She listens as if she really didn’t have a choice. We’re both spent. Between the day she had and then my unloading all my fucked-up baggage, I don’t know how I’m awake. After twenty years of trying to forget the way her eyes looked, how she screamed my name as she fell, and the way it was to hold her as I searched for help, I’m not sure sleep is ever coming again.

I talked to my mother two days ago about whether I should tell Kristin. She was the one to tell me I had to and I needed to do it before either of us fell any deeper.

“Noah.” Kristin sighs, and her hand moves to my chest.

I smile at the fact that she dreams of me. I adjust her a little when my arm starts to go numb, and she hooks her leg under my calf. She’s a clinger when she sleeps. Her entire body is touching me in some way.

Her dark brown hair covers her face, so I push it back to see the curves of her cheek and jaw. She’s beautiful, and I don’t know how the hell I got so lucky. Finding Kristin was . . . unexpected.

As my fingers touch the soft skin, I tell her more that I didn’t say before. “I’m not sure how I’m going to leave in a few days. It’s been months since the show ended, and I need to get back to work, but I keep postponing. You’ve done something to me. You’ve given me back this . . . part of my heart I threw away. You have no idea how much it’s going to kill me to go.” I damn near break.

The thought of getting on that plane sends a stabbing pain in my stomach. She worries that I won’t want her when I’m right here, telling her daily, and I worry she’ll find an excuse to end it.

I close my eyes and let out a deep breath through my nose.

There’s no way I’m going to lose her, I just need to figure out a plan.

I tell myself to get out of bed and leave, but I want to hold her for a few more minutes. I would hold her forever if she’d let me.

“Mommy!” A bang causes me to pry my eyes open. “Mommy! Why is the door not opening?” Aubrey’s voice sounds muffled.

Fuck. I passed out and spent the night.

“Kris.” I shake Kristin a little, and she bolts upright.

“Huh? What?”

“Aubrey,” I whisper and point to the door.

“Mommy! I’m hungry, and Finn won’t get the milk. Are you in there?” Her little fingers poke through the gap on the floor.

Kristin’s eyes are wide as she scans the room with panic. “Shit.” She hisses as she covers her face. “Shit, shit, shit.”

I look over at the clock and curse myself. It’s almost seven in the morning. I knew better than to fall asleep.

She puts her hand over my mouth, even though I wasn’t going to say anything, and clears her throat. “I’ll be right out, baby. I’m getting dressed.”

“Are you sleeping?” she asks.

“I’m awake now,” Kristin replies. “Go in the kitchen, and I’ll be right there.”

Kris jumps out of bed, and I admire the view. Her see-through lace bra lets me see every inch of her perfect breasts, and the thong she’s wearing is sexy as fuck. I sit up a bit more, propping myself in the right position.

“Noah, what are you doing?” she whispers loudly as she covers her gorgeous ass with a pair of pants.

“What?” I smirk.

“Get up,” she instructs. “You can’t be here right now. How am I ever going to explain this?”

I love when she gets flustered. It’s when her guard is down and she isn’t worried about what flies out of her mouth.

“Relax, sweetheart.”

She stands straight, glares at me, and then goes back to digging through her clothes. “Relax? Right. Oh, I know,” she rambles on, “Mommy had a naughty sleepover, kids, ignore the big man sneaking out.” I chuckle, which earns me another look of death. “You weren’t supposed to stay the night.”

I know this much, but I am here, and I can’t exactly do anything now. “I swear, you were just so comfortable, and I needed to be with you. I didn’t mean to stay.”

That seems to stun her a little. “Don’t be all sweet when I’m supposed to be mad at you. You need to get up.”

“And go where?”

She throws a sweatshirt on and shakes her hands. “I don’t know. Why do you have to be so freaking hot that I forget that I’m an adult? Couldn’t you be . . . anything bad?” Kristin chucks my shirt at me, hitting me in the face. “I’m a responsible mother one day, and then you come along, and I’m dropping my panties like a stripper.”

“A very hot stripper with gorgeous tits and—”

Kristin glares at me, pointing her finger. “You are in big trouble.” Her voice drops low in an attempt to sound like me. “Sweetheart, I’ll just hold you until you fall asleep.” She shakes her head.

I smile unapologetically as I get to my feet. “I like holding you,” I admit as I move toward her. “I like that you drop your panties.” My arms wrap around her middle. “And I like that you love me.”

She starts to melt a little, moving her hand across my chest until another knock sounds. “Mommy. I want cereal, please!” Aubrey whines.

“Coming, baby! Why don’t you get a zoo animal to sit with you,” Kristin suggests and then turns back to me. “Clothes, and then you have to go.”

“Kris, there’s nowhere to go, we’ll handle it like adults.”

Her eyes narrow, and I realize that wasn’t the best thing to say. I clearly am in the wrong for not leaving last night, and she’s going to beat me with my own arms. “Remember the window? You’re going to use that.”

I’m not a small guy by any means. Sneaking out of windows was never really an option. “I’m not . . .” When I get a glimpse of her face, I stop.

Looks like I’ll be finding a way to make it happen.

“Go.” She pushes my chest. “And then you can ring the doorbell or something, but they can’t know you slept here.” I’m not even sure what’s happening, but Kristin is shoving me in the direction of the window.

“You want me to climb out the window, go around the house, and then ring the doorbell?” I ask for clarification.

“Yes.”

“Instead of just explaining to the kids?”

She huffs. “Explain that their mother had mind-blowing sex with the guy they met yesterday?”

“I wasn’t suggesting any details, but I’m glad it was mind-blowing.”

Kristin runs her hands down her face. “Less talking and more climbing.”

The things men do for women are ridiculous.

I lift the window open and look back to be sure she’s serious. She moves her hands and shoos, so I guess this is actually happening.

“You’re going to owe me.” I try to joke.

“You’re damn right you will.” She huffs. “Now, go before my six-year-old finds a way to pick the lock, and if you think I’m kidding, I’m not.”

Aubrey might not be able to, but I don’t doubt that Finn can. Instead of prolonging the inevitable, I do as she asks . . . demands. Yesterday was a crazy day for the kids, and she’s right to keep this a secret. Plus, I’d like to keep my current status with them both for a while.

“I’m going, sweetheart.” I kiss her softly.

Here I am, thirty-eight years old and sneaking out of my girlfriend’s room so I don’t get caught spending the night. I guess you’re never too old for this shit.

I sit on my ass, legs hanging a little, but because of my size, there’s no way that I won’t tear my back up. I flip around to my stomach, thinking if I can touch the ground first, it might not be as bad, it’s only a ten-foot drop. I look up, trying to get my toes to find the grass, and see Kristin standing there trying not to laugh.

“You’re lucky I love you,” I grunt as I feel around.

She heads to the window, takes my face in her hands, and kisses me hard. “Yeah, I totally am.”

The bang on the door causes us both to jump a little. “Go,” I tell her.

“Mom-my!” Aubrey’s voice is loud, and she keeps hitting her hands on the wood. “You’re taking forever!”

I drop out the window while her back is turned and lean against the siding.

“Sorry, sorry!” Kristin’s voice carries to me. “I’m here now.”

“What took you so long?” she asks her mother.

“I couldn’t get rid of a shirt I really love.” I can hear the smile in Kristin’s voice.

“Huh?” Aubrey sounds confused. “What shirt?”

“Nothing, honey. Let’s get you breakfast.”

“You made me throw away my favorite dress,” Aubrey continues. “Can I keep it, too?”

Kristin’s laughter starts to float away as I try to contain my own.

My phone rings, causing me to jump. I quickly silence it and pray no one heard it as I rush around the side of the house and make it to my car without incident.

“What’s up, Sebastian?” I answer when my agent calls for the second time in a row.

“I need you to get on a plane today.”

“Today?” I ask, looking at Kristin’s front door.

He sighs. “They need you to do a read through for the movie. I know they said a few weeks, but they changed the timeline.”

My hand grips the steering wheel, and I twist against the leather. “I can’t.”

“No, you have no choice.”

“It’s too short of notice,” I tell him. “I’ve got things here that I’m working on. There’s no way I’m leaving now.”

Kristin and I have a lot of things we need to talk about. I’m not getting on a plane today when last night I told her everything. I’m not a fool; it’ll look like I’m running away. Plus, I haven’t told her about this fucking movie. Six months of filming in France isn’t going to go over well, not when we’re this new.

Something makes a loud noise in the background, and I wouldn’t doubt he threw something. I frustrate the fuck out of him. “I hope it’s more than eight million reasons as to why you can’t get there.”

It’s his job to be the bad guy and to fight for me.

“This is the third project I’ve done with Paul, he knows I don’t dick around.”

Sebastian forgets that I’ve been a walk in the park until now. I’ve always done what was asked, and I’ve never fought back, but this is different.

“If you think you’re the only actor that can play this part, you’re out of your damn mind. Get on the plane, Noah. Don’t fuck this up.”

“I’ll call you back,” I say and disconnect the call.

Staring at Kristin’s house, I debate what to do. I think about everything that happened last night, and how the timing couldn’t be worse, but I know I should listen to my agent. I got a big contract, and that comes with a level of expectation.

A minute later she responds.

I see the curtain move to the side, and she smiles at me through the window.

She lifts her hand, presses it to her lips, and blows me a kiss.

I groan, wishing I could go to her, take her into my arms, and actually touch her lips. Instead, I put the car in drive and fight the desire to quit this fucking movie.

I have to find a way to convince her to come with me or I might be willing to give up the career I’ve built.