Hailey woke up in a rush. Light was coming in—she’d pulled the blinds, but hadn’t closed the black-out curtains, she realized. Beyond that, though, something was just wrong. It took her a minute to figure out what, though.

She was in her room. That wasn’t unusual. But she realized she should not have been in her room. She was supposed to be in Cressida’s room, on Cressida’s floor. Not . . .

Oh, fuck. She’d fallen asleep. Here. With him.

Jake.

Which brought up wrong, number two: Where the hell was Jake?

She bolted up out of bed and headed out the door. The bathroom was empty. What the hell time was it? And where the hell was he? Had he left?

It might be better if he left, actually. She couldn’t remember anything about actually falling asleep with him the night before. They’d been talking about things she never talked about with anyone outside of her family, not even the close friends she’d made. It was strangely intimate. Most of the guys she hooked up with . . . well, it wasn’t like there was a lot of conversation going on there, beyond logistics and things like “more,” “harder,” or “my leg is cramping, switch positions.”

Last night, she may have snuggled with Jake, just a little, smelling his clean, masculine scent, enjoying his body heat, listening to the low rumble of his voice. Was it any wonder she’d fallen asleep, surrounded by that kind of hypnotic comfort?

She heard voices coming from downstairs. Male voices. Jake was still here. Must be talking to the bodyguard.

She knocked on Cressida’s door, thinking to warn her that their guests were up. Also, she wanted to explain about not showing up the night before.

And that she hadn’t slept with Jake.

Well, she had, but it was only sleep.

God, Hailey, you are a mess. Get it together!

“Cress?” she said quietly, knocking again. She realized Cress might’ve had a hard time sleeping with strangers in the house—she might still be asleep, with headphones on. Better to let her sleep.

She headed downstairs, peeking. Nobody in the store. There were sheets neatly folded on the couch. She thought she heard argumentative voices. Was that Jake’s voice rising? And . . . Cressida?

She bolted before she even thought about it.

“Are you kidding?” Jake said, hooting. “That movie is terrible. Seriously. It’s like one of the worst movies in the history of bad movies.”

“That’s what makes it so good!” Cressida said. She wasn’t angry, Hailey realized. She was giving as good as she got—and they were talking about entertainment. “Back me up, Hales. Tell this heathen that Buckaroo Banzai is a classic for a reason.”

“John Parker, baby,” Hailey responded immediately. “And Yoyodyne.”

“But it sucks,” Jake said, with baffled laughter.

Hailey rolled her eyes. “See? This is why you have no geek cred.” She high-fived Cressida, feeling relief flood through her.

The bodyguard was sitting there, looking long-suffering but vigilant. He had an unnerving intensity. Probably why he was a bodyguard, she thought. Then she realized her own state of dishevelment. “I, um, ought to go get changed.”

“Yeah, maybe you should,” Jake said, although he didn’t really look like he minded, either. His gaze on her was warm.

She motioned to Cressida, who followed her. “Sorry about last night,” Hailey said, feeling embarrassed.

Cressida just looked amused. “What happened?”

“We were talking, and I guess I just fell asleep.”

Cressida’s eyes widened. “Really? That’s it?”

“Yeah.”

“You just . . . slept with him,” Cressida repeated slowly.

“I guess I was more tired than I thought.”

“And you were okay with that.”

“I don’t always have to have sex with a guy, you know,” Hailey said, feeling a little stung. “I mean, he’s hot, but I don’t bring sex home. There was no way I was getting my freak on in Grandma Frost’s house.”

“No, I didn’t think you would,” Cressida said, worrying at her lip with her teeth. “But you kind of trust this guy, huh?”

“What? No!” That hit Hailey like a slap out of nowhere. “I don’t even . . . I barely know him.”

“You brought him home,” Cressida pointed out.

“He didn’t have anywhere else to go,” Hailey argued, even though some part of her thought that they could’ve figured something else out.

“You trust him,” Cressida repeated. “That’s not a bad thing, trusting people. Trusting men.”

Now Hailey goggled. Cressida, who trusted nearly no one? Really?

“I want you to be happy,” Cressida said, connecting the dots for her. “I just . . . I don’t want you to get hurt, is all.”

Hailey’s jaw dropped. “I’m not falling in love with the guy, for God’s sake,” she said. “I don’t believe in instalove in books, movies, and certainly not in my own damned personal life. This is . . . it’s a business transaction, basically.”

“Come on, this is me you’re talking to,” Cressida said, rolling her eyes. “Don’t con me.”

“I would never con you.”

Cressida crossed her arms. “Then don’t con yourself.”

Hailey huffed. “Whatever. I need to get ready. We have to get back to the Mystics convention.”

“You’re not working at the coffee shop?”

“No,” Hailey said, feeling the pang of getting fired again. “I’m supposed to spend all day with Jake. We made good progress with his Q Score yesterday, I think. Or at least with his rep among the viewers.”

Cressida was still staring at her.

“Cress, I love you, but stay off my ass, okay?”

Cressida sighed. “Okay. I will.”

With that, Hailey headed for her room to get changed. Rachel came downstairs in a rush. “What’s all the hubbub? I overslept. I’m going to be late,” she said.

“Um, we’ve got people downstairs,” Hailey said.

“Yeah. Hailey brought Jake Reese and his bodyguard home last night,” Cressida added, with a smile.

Rachel smiled absently. “Sure she did,” she said over her shoulder, putting a pair of earrings in as she headed downstairs.

Cressida looked at Hailey. “Wait for it. Three, two . . .”

There was a startled yelp. “Oh, my God, you’re Jake Reese!” they heard Rachel say.

They high-fived again. If nothing else, it was worth it to have Jake stay over just for that.

* * *

Hailey felt imprisoned. Constrained, at the very least. Vic was a subtly badass third wheel, scouting the area intently, like a Terminator that resembled Tom Hardy. She was only alone when she went to the bathroom, it seemed.

Jake was able to either ignore or at least deal with Vic easily. “My dad has bodyguards,” was his explanation.

“Yeah, well, I can imagine wanting to kill your dad, too,” she muttered back, and he chuckled.

It was the last day of the convention: the day they’d pay off the con they’d been running. She’d been handing out flyers the past few days, and Jake had managed to score her space on the goodies table for a sign. It had helped somewhat, but it wasn’t the game-changer Frost Fandoms desperately needed—not yet, anyway. She ought to be all business, helping him figure out how to sell the pitch: sweet and warm, just supporting his embarrassed “girlfriend” by mentioning her family’s bookstore. She ought to have him practice.

The problem: she was swirling in a tidal wave of conflicting emotions, and she was scared she was starting to buy the hype.

She enjoyed the atmosphere of the convention, and since they’d gotten rid of Pocket-Ripper, she’d loved the people they met. There was a feeling of camaraderie, of family. Like no matter who you were outside of the convention—an accountant, a stripper, a college student, a mom of six—in here, you fit in. You had the same love. There was no judgment. You were all Mystics. She liked that.

Now, she was looking at everyone as potentially someone who would slash up furniture. A coward. A psycho.

And then there was the sheer, compulsive draw that Jake presented. The kind that had her share a bed with him and share her stories, without sharing her body. She liked spending time with him, joking with him, talking to him. Her body craved his like chocolate.

He’s leaving. This is fake, remember?

“C’mon,” Jake said. “We’ve got one more panel today, with Simon and Miles.”

That was also weird. She felt like she knew Jake, at this point, but Simon and Miles were unknown quantities, other than her tidbits of fangirl knowledge.

They walked into the green room. She fist-bumped Rico the bouncer/security guard guy as she walked in.

“You okay?” Rico asked, stopping her briefly. “Heard about the room. Don’t worry, we’ve got our eyes out. Nothing’s going to happen to you guys.”

“Bet your ass,” she said, and he grinned. “Thanks, though.”

Jake smiled, nodding at the guy, and they headed in. Simon was there, telling a story to Miles.

“Hey,” Miles said immediately, as soon as he saw them enter. “Are you two all right? The convention organizers gave us a heads-up.”

Simon, usually jovial, also looked serious. “We heard what happened to your room—the knife work, the message,” he said, shaking his head. “That is seriously fucked up.”

“It was creepy,” Jake admitted, giving one of those man half hugs to Miles and then Simon in turn. “That’s probably as far as it’ll go, though.”

“Well, everybody’s on high alert,” Simon said, scowling. “Where you’d wind up crashing? You could’ve bunked with us, man.”

Hailey was looking at Jake’s face, so she figured maybe she was the only one who noticed how surprised—and touched—Jake seemed to be by the offer. He nodded brusquely to hide it, then flicked his chin toward Hailey. “Thankfully, Hailey let me, um, spend the night at her house.”

“Oh, really?” Simon looked over at her. “Hailey. We met earlier. How are you holding up?”

They really were nice, she thought. “Hanging in there,” she said. “We had Vic, after all.”

They all glanced at the bodyguard, who stood casually off to one side, a cross between a Secret Service agent and a piece of furniture.

“He looks badass,” Simon said.

“Don’t talk about him like he’s not there,” Miles said in a low voice, rolling his eyes.

“Okay.” Simon leaned back, addressing Vic directly. “Dude. You look like a badass.”

Vic nodded.

“See? Badass,” Simon said to them, gesturing to his proof. Miles shook his head in disbelief.

“He is a badass, actually,” Hailey admitted. “You should’ve seen him drop these guys at the casino who were giving us a hard time.”

“The casino in Snoqualmie? What were you guys doing there?”

“I work there,” Hailey said. “Blackjack dealer.”

“Shut up,” Simon said. “Really? That’s awesome. Why didn’t you stay at the casino’s resort? I hear it’s nice.”

“We were going to stay in the hotel,” she explained, her eyes glinting. “It sort of . . . fell through.”

“Fell through?” Miles asked.

She looked at Jake, who was staring at the ceiling, but still nodded. “I was working a late shift.”

“This guy was hitting on her, being a total disrespectful, drunk asshole,” Jake interjected.

“So Jake punched him,” she said cheerfully. He sighed.

“He deserved it.”

“And we all got kicked out,” she continued. “It’s been booked solid pretty much everywhere, and by then, it was midnight. And then Vic came. The drunk guy and his friend were waiting for us in the parking lot . . .”

“I could’ve taken them,” Jake pointed out.

“But Vic was there, and he was like a frickin’ ninja. I haven’t seen anything like it, and I’ve known guys who could handle themselves in a fight.”

They looked at Vic again for a second. Vic didn’t look at them, but she could see a very tiny grin ghosting across his face.

“So, what are you doing later?” Miles asked. “Where are you staying, I mean? The convention’s over tonight. You’re not driving back to Vancouver afterward, are you?”

Hailey tensed. That hadn’t even occurred to her.

What about their deal?

He hadn’t heard from his agent, so she hadn’t fulfilled her end of the bargain. So why should he help her?

She thought about falling asleep with him last night, after they’d talked. Just talked.

“I’m staying around tonight,” he said, and she felt her shoulders drop a little in relief. “I’m going to stay at this lodge by the falls.”

“Salish Lodge? Nice,” Simon said. “Swanky. Did you know they used it in Twin Peaks?”

“I heard,” Jake said, putting his arm around Hailey’s shoulders. “Anyway, I don’t want to leave Hailey alone until this stalker stuff’s settled.”

Hailey frowned. Did he have to make it sound like a chore, an obligation? “I’m staying at the Salish Lodge?”

“We could stay at your place again,” he teased, nuzzling her neck. “But I don’t think it’s fair to have Vic bunk on one of those small love seats of yours, do you?”

“I suppose I can force myself,” she joked back, feeling a little uncomfortable. “But you’ll owe me.”

He laughed, then straightened. “That actually reminds me. What are you guys doing tomorrow night?”

“We were planning on staying one more night,” Miles said. “Then maybe hanging out in Seattle, hitting Pike’s Place and doing touristy stuff or something.”

“There are a couple of old haunts I wanted to show off,” Simon said, with a grin.

“Think you could do a special appearance with me, instead?”

Hailey held her breath.

Simon looked at Miles, who shrugged. “Sure, I guess. What’d you have in mind?”

Jake smiled broadly. “How do you feel about bookstores?”

“Love ’em,” Miles said immediately, warming Hailey’s heart.

“They’re okay,” Simon said. “I read mostly on my phone, though, to be honest.”

“Hailey and her sisters have a bookstore that’s struggling,” Jake said. “I’m doing an impromptu special appearance promotion tomorrow. I’m getting a bunch of memorabilia signed, too. It’d help if you guys could make it. All three of us . . . that’d be a hell of a thing.”

Miles looked at Hailey, then nodded. “Helping an indie? Sure. I’m in.”

Simon shifted the weight on his feet uncomfortably. “This is in Snoqualmie, isn’t it?”

She nodded. “But you don’t have to . . .”

“It’s not that I don’t like bookstores, or that I don’t want to help you,” Simon said, and to her surprise, he looked embarrassed . . . and guilty. “But I, erm, don’t go to Snoqualmie.”

“It’s fine,” she assured him. “Really. You guys don’t have to do anything for me. I mean, you don’t know me, or my family. There . . .” She fought to figure out the right way to say the words. “It’s . . . there’s . . .”

“There’s nothing in it for you,” Jake said for her. “But I’d consider it a personal favor.”

Miles shrugged. “You had me at ‘bookstore.’”

Hailey felt her heart warm. She gave Miles a quick hug. “Thanks,” she said, giving him a peck on the cheek. He smiled back.

“Well, shit, now I feel bad,” Simon grumbled. “I’ll go.”

She smiled. “Thanks, Simon.”

“Where’s my kiss?”

Laughing, she kissed and hugged him, too.

“I like her,” Simon said to Jake, over her shoulder.

Jake wrapped his arm around her waist, tugging her to him, his smile warm, his eyes heated. “I like her, too,” he said, nuzzling her neck. Just like he would’ve if he was her boyfriend, she thought. At least, she assumed.

And she felt herself melt against him, letting him hold her, talking with Simon and Miles as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

She cared about him. She felt more comfortable with him than she could remember being with anyone—any man, especially—outside of her family.

A helper came in. “Excuse me, gentlemen. The panel’s starting.”

They nodded. Jake turned to the guys. “Give me a second, I’ll be right in,” he said. They walked off toward the door, and Jake turned to her. “Stay with Vic, okay?”

“You didn’t have to do the bookstore thing,” she said. “I haven’t helped you get your contract renewed yet.”

He smiled, and stroked her cheek. She curved her face into the palm of his hand before she realized what she was doing.

“I’m doing it because I like you,” he breathed. “Because you’re awesome, and your family’s awesome, and I want to help. Okay?”

She nodded.

He kissed her again, ignoring the helper’s throat clearing and “We need you now, Mr. Reese” announcement. When he pulled away, his eyes were gleaming.

“See you soon,” he said.

Her heart was beating so hard, she was surprised he couldn’t hear it. She simply nodded, watching him walk away.

God, she thought, feeling overwhelmed. He was helping her. He was helping the bookstore. He was helping her sisters, she thought, as she heard him announce the appearance from the panel stage.

She owed him so much.

She wanted more. She wanted everything he had to give.

And that scared the hell out of her.

* * *

Jake wasn’t sure how Rachel had managed to get all that Mystics memorabilia, but he, Miles, and Simon had dutifully signed everything put in front of them. He’d made the impromptu announcement at the panel yesterday afternoon, and people had been excited. Well, maybe not the promoter, but the fans had been. Now, the place was probably a fire hazard, there were so many bodies crushed in there.

Vic wasn’t thrilled, either, now that he thought about it. He was hovering by Jake and Hailey, who he forced to stay in proximity.

“I can’t believe this many people came,” Hailey said, for the fifth time.

“This store is adorable!” a fan said, coming up to Jake for an autograph. “How long have you two been together?”

“Not long enough,” Jake said.

“Feels like forever,” Hailey said, holding his hand. He struggled not to grin as she stared at him pointedly. He knew that part of that was because he was forcing her to stay safe. But the thought of someone doing anything to her—his shoulders tightened.

Not going to happen, he thought. Not ever.

He wasn’t sure how she’d gotten past his defenses so quickly and so completely, but he cared about her. He wouldn’t have wanted anyone to be hurt because of his actions, or because of him. But the thought of Hailey being hurt by anybody, for any reason, was enough to make him unhinged.

How could he care about someone so damned fast?

A bubbly, chubby, curvy blonde in a huge gray sweater and jeans came up, putting out more stuff. “We’re selling cookies and stuff, too,” the girl said to Hailey, giving her a hug. “How’re you holding up? Need a coffee?” Then she winked. “Something stronger?”

“Nah, I’m okay. Thanks, Kyla,” Hailey said, hugging her back. “How are you doing?”

“I sold three paintings.” Kyla beamed. “And the T-shirts, the ones with the Mystics designs, are selling like hotcakes. We’re doing great!”

“Oh, that’s fantastic!”

“All for the Frost Fund,” she said, and then shook her head when Hailey’s expression fell. “Oh, don’t you start. You are family, sweetie. I’ve loved you and Rachel and Cress like sisters for almost a decade now, so you’re just going to suck it up.”

“Yes, Kyla,” Hailey said, squirming.

Kyla laughed, her face beaming. When she smiled, she looked like a movie star, Jake thought, slightly stunned. He was even more stunned when she gave him a hug.

“And you,” she said. “Thank you! This is helping out so much.”

“No problem at all.”

“And you’re taking care of our girl,” she said with a contented smile. “That’s nice. She deserves a good guy to take care of her.”

“Hey! I take care of myself,” Hailey protested. Kyla waved it away with a hand gesture.

“Since she’s family, I’ll tell you the same thing I tell all the guys who date family,” Kyla said, her smile sweet as cotton candy. “Treat her right, and I’ll love you like family, too.”

He smiled at her. “Thanks.”

She leaned a little closer. “Hurt her, and things . . . will not go so well. Just sayin’.”

He was surprised, pulling back. But she still had that bubbly, happy smile. She even waved at Vic as she walked by. Vic, smart man, watched her carefully.

“Did she just threaten me?” he asked Hailey quietly.

Hailey was snickering to herself. “Um, yeah. She’s protective.”

He glanced at her. “Should I be nervous?”

“Do you watch The Walking Dead?” she answered. When he nodded, she smirked. “You know Carol? How she seems all sweet, baking casseroles and cookies and stuff, and then she kills like a platoon of guys all by herself? That’s our Kyla.”

He let out a low whistle. “Okay. Well. That’s something to consider.”

His cell phone vibrated. He glanced at the screen. “Shit. That’s Susie. I have to take this.”

She nodded. “Of course.”

He headed to the kitchen, staying in sight of Vic, who glowered at him. “Susie? What’s going on?”

“It’s crazy!” Susie said. “Your Q Score is through the stratosphere, kiddo. First, those crazy videos of you dancing so horribly? They went viral!”

He groaned, rubbing his eyes. “Of course they did.”

“But what really pushed you over the top were the stalker photos,” she continued, surprising him. “The pics of your torn-up hotel room? They got on TMZ. You’re getting on news—not just fan sites, actual news. They think they’ve got a suspect, by the way, and they’re bringing her in now.”

He leaned against the wall, feeling relief course through him. “Oh, thank God.”

“I’d still keep the bodyguard for a bit, to be safe, but you’re probably in the clear. Besides, you might want to kick that Hailey girl some money. She’s a sympathetic figure—normal, fangirl, everywoman type.”

“Yeah?” He glanced back into the crowded main room. Simon, for an inexplicable reason, had Miles in a headlock. The fans were chattering and laughing, hanging out, looking like they were having a great time. And Cressida was manning the register with an expression of grateful ecstasy.

It was a good day, he realized, feeling better than he had in months.

“So, since my Q Score . . .”

“Is through the fucking roof,” Susie said, with a raspy chuckle. “It’s been like Christmas. We have serious movie offers. One from Bernardo Vacquero. You know him?”

She didn’t wait for him to respond.

“He’s only the hottest auteur on the planet right now—he did that Oscar winner last year, the indie that made huge box office numbers. Remember? The one about the guy who talked to machines and stuff?”

Jake made an indiscriminate noise. He didn’t really remember.

“Well, the lead of his latest film just dropped out. Drugs, something, I don’t know. But it means that Bernardo’s in the lurch, and he wants you to come down and take over!”

Jake stood, stunned.

“Lead in an Oscar-winner’s film, Jake! With full studio backing!” Susie sounded like she was going to pee herself.

“Maybe I can fit it in on hiatus,” Jake said, feeling more relief. That ought to please his dad. Lord knows, Kurt put a lot of faith in that gold statue.

That seemed to bring Susie up short. “You don’t get it. The guy needs you now, Jake.”

Jake frowned. “How long’s the shoot? You know we’re supposed to go back into production for the show in a few months.”

There was silence on the other end of the line. “You . . . are you kidding?”

“No, I’m not,” Jake said, grinning as Simon told the story about when the three of them were fishing in Vancouver, and Miles caught . . . well, Jake’s line. Hailey was laughing along.

He was happy here, he thought. With these people. These fans. This show.

“I was hoping you’d have heard,” he said. “Contract deadline should’ve been tonight. When can we find out about the contract for Mystics?”

Susie sighed. “I thought you’d be happier about this. It’s a big break, Jake.”

Jake felt a tiny sting of guilt, but held his ground. “I want this show, Susie.” And everything that went with it.

Including the fact that Vancouver was only four hours from Snoqualmie.

“I’ll do what I can,” Susie said, still sounding disgruntled. “And I’ll call you the minute I find out. But I can’t promise anything.”

“Text me the minute you find out,” Jake said. “Please. And thanks, Susie, for everything.”

“I just want what’s best for you,” Susie said. “But you want to give some thought to your future.”

Jake hung up. Then he looked around. He liked the store. He liked Hailey’s friends.

He really, really liked Hailey.

Give some thought to your future.

He was, he realized. And he saw Mystics, and Hailey, in it.