The signing room was filled with people running around like lunatics. Curses could be heard as they struggled with banners and other things that needed to be put together. Becca kept her eyes down and made a beeline for Dimitri’s table. She was shocked to find Henry there, arranging banners.
“What are you doing?”
He paused long enough to wink. “I’m arranging these so you won’t be bothered by anyone. I’m making you a cocoon of banners. That way, you won’t feel crowded.”
That was the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for her. Dimitri grumbled, but she ignored him. “Thank you, Henry.”
The model finished what he was doing before coming out from behind the table. “It’s nothing.”
She put down the box she was carrying and hugged him, really hugged him. There wasn’t anyone else around their table, and she didn’t feel at all crowded. “Yes, it is. It means more than you know.”
“Anything for you, baby girl.” He hugged her back. “I don’t know what I would have done last year without you, so anything you need, just ask.”
He was referring to when his brother died. She’d talked to him for hours every day for weeks. He’d been in a bad place, and she’d done everything she could for him. Henry was a sweetheart, and she considered him a good friend.
Dimitri’s growling broke them apart. “Sorry about the Neanderthal.”
Henry glanced at him, his eyes twinkling. “He’s only doing what I would if you were mine.”
“She’s not yours, so get your fucking hands off my woman.”
“See?” Becca rolled her eyes and slipped out of Henry’s hold, knowing Henry was only egging him on. “I can’t take him anywhere.”
“Woman…”
“Man.” She winked at Henry and went behind the table to start organizing the boxes so she could easily get to them. The books for sale were each in their own boxes, some titles two to a box depending on popularity. Dimitri was going to have to help keep the book rack full.
“Do you do that just to drive me nuts?” Dimitri whispered by her ear, his tongue darting out to swipe the soft skin of the lobe.
“Sure do.” She turned and nipped his bottom lip. “Now, get to work. We have to have this done in about half an hour, thanks to your not waking me up.”
Henry stuck around, helping them both organize the boxes and swag. He and Dimitri struck up a hesitant conversation and were soon talking about fishing. Fishing. She didn’t understand what people saw in it. You sat there for hours, hoping some unsuspecting fish would take the bait. Hours, sometimes, without even so much as a bite. Men loved it. She shook her head and set up the iPad so people could sign up for Dimitri’s newsletter. She’d thought about a signup sheet, but she had no desire to try to decipher people’s handwriting. This way, they could type it themselves. No stress later.
“I fired your brother.” Sara Jane’s angry comment brought all their heads snapping round. “He’s insufferable.”
“I thought you said he was hot as fuck?” Dimitri teased.
“Oh, he is, but his attitude cancels any lustful thoughts I might have had.” She looked ready to hit someone. “Seriously. That man is a control freak.”
“Yes, he is when it comes to the safety of his clients,” Dimitri agreed, “but he’s never failed at a job of protection either, and I think you both need his help.”
“He’s bossy.”
“He has to be bossy, doll.” Dimitri’s expression turned serious. “He has to keep you and your daughter safe. Sometimes that might mean telling you how to do something, when to do it, and where to do it, but he’s not doing it to be hard or a bastard. He’s doing it to protect you. Let him help you keep Delia out of her father’s crosshairs.”
“You had to go remind me why I needed help to begin with, didn’t you?” Sara Jane looked cross enough to keep any random passerby from attempting to come over to their table.
“That’s what friends are for.” He kissed her forehead. “Now get yourself set up. I see your PA waving frantically.”
“I’ve got to get over to Heather’s table too.” Henry picked up one of Dimitri’s cards. “You ever want to a model for a custom book cover, shout at me. I’ll give you a discount.”
“He’s not so bad,” Dimitri admitted as they finished stocking the book rack.
“He’s pretty awesome.”
“You know him well?”
“About as well as you do Sara Jane.”
“Point taken.” Dimitri smiled, finally giving up. The guy was cool, and he understood Becca was taken. He wouldn’t stick his nose in their friendship. “How are you? Everything okay?”
“So far.” She gestured to the wall of banners Henry built around them. “This helps.”
“You’ll tell me if it gets to be too much?”
“Yep.”
“Promise me, Becca.”
“I promise.” She rolled her eyes.
“Why are you being so blasé about this?” Dimitri couldn’t wrap his head around the change in her. Last night she’d been on the verge of a nervous breakdown, and today she was acting like nothing was wrong or would go wrong. He was on pins and needles, himself.
“Because you’re here with me.” She smiled shyly. “That’s the difference.”
His entire being swelled with pride.
They announced the group picture and she shooed him away, assuring him she’d be fine. Not that he trusted that. He’d seen the faces of everyone eyeballing them with speculation. They had to be eager to gossip. It was the one thing he knew about the Indie community. They were gossips and could rip each other apart as soon as defend each other. He didn’t trust the other PAs not to try to chat her up.
Becca sank down in her chair, relieved when Dimitri finally left. He was getting on her nerves worse than the actual thought of crowds with his hovering. That was as bad as crowding her, but she knew he did it out of worry.
“Hey, Becca!”
Stacey Jamison approached the table, all smiles. Becca knew her from Facebook. She was author H.L. Harper’s PA, and a gossip monger. She knew it was coming, but she’d hoped the signing would start and they’d have to wait until at least lunch to start in on the questions.
She took a deep breath and steeled herself. It was just Stacey. No one else. She could do this.
“Hi, Stacey. You and Heidi all set up?”
The girl bounced on her feet. “Yes, I was worried we wouldn’t get finished on time since we didn’t get in until late last night. We missed early setup.”
“That sucks.”
“So…um…you guys all ready?”
“Yeah, we’re good.” Becca watched, fascinated as the girl tried to get up the nerve to ask her about the crazy ex. She seemed to really want to ask, but was almost afraid to. Might as well put her out of her misery.
“If it wasn’t for Dimitri’s crazy ex, I’d be peachy this morning.”
“Oh, yeah? The woman posting all that stuff about you?”
Becca nodded. “Dimitri broke up with her, and she seems to blame me for it, but he dumped her last week.”
“So, are you and Dimitri a thing?” Stacey lowered her voice conspiratorially.
“Dimitri’s my best friend, and aside from that, it’s really no one else’s business.” She kept her voice cheerful, but made sure the bite in it was enough to get the girl’s attention. “I hate gossip and the drama rumors produce.”
“Oh, sure.” Stacey nodded a little too emphatically. “Not that I believed you’d do anything to wreck their relationship, but some people might be thinking that.”
“Then they can keep on thinking it.” Becca pulled out the money box and started filling it up with change. “I don’t give a rat’s ass what other people think. If they want to be as ugly as to think any of her hateful spiel is true, then that’s on them.”
“You tell her, girlfriend!”
Jacqueline Crantz pushed Stacey out of the way and started looking over all the swag. Jac was a blogger and one of the first people to showcase Dimitri’s books. They’d gotten to know each other pretty well over the last few years.
“If you’re getting all sweaty in the sheets with the eye candy, good for you. If not, good for you. It’s none of anyone’s business.”
“Eye candy? Is that all I am to you? I feel so dirty…I think I need a shower. Perving on the eye candy. Shame on you!”
Dimitri stood behind her, laughing while Jac blushed three shades of cherry.
“What? You’re pretty to look at. Sue me.”
Dimitri turned on his sexy as sin smile. “Is that all you want me to do?”
Jac blushed harder and fidgeted. “No, I want you to give me my damned pre-orders and stop flirting before Becca stabs me in the eye.”
Becca relaxed her grip on the Sharpie she held. She’d had a moment of extreme jealousy until she realized Dimitri was only playing a part. It was in his eyes. He wasn’t the least bit interested in Jac. He only seemed to have eyes for her, and that made her heart speed up.
She dug out Jac’s pre-order and handed it over to her. “Hey, hun. Why do you read Dimitri’s books?” It was a question she planned on asking every reader today to prove her point to him.
“Oh, my Lord, what don’t I like about them? I’m a sucker for paranormal, and you add in those sexy-ass alphas?” She waved her hand in front of her face. “You manage to bring those people to life in a way most authors can’t. I’m invested in the characters, and I get pissed off with them sometimes, but the story is what keeps me reading. You write so that I’m hooked. By the time I’m done with one of your books, I need a week to recover.”
“So, you read his books for the story and not because he’s gorgeous?”
Jac laughed. “Girl, I remember the first time you convinced me to read one of his books. I had no clue who he was. I read it and was floored. I cried at the end. Silver Stars, that’s the book I read. I’ll never forget that book. I had no idea what he looked like until I looked him up to friend him.”
Dimitri’s shocked expression made Jac laugh, unaware of his preconceived notions about readers. After five hours of this, there was no way he could say his readers only cared about what he looked like.
The event coordinator called time for the event to open, and Jac wasted no time in grabbing a picture with Dimitri before hightailing it back to her table. She was sponsoring the event and had a table set up for her blog.
Dimitri barely had time to blink before the readers poured in the room, heading straight for him. He looked at Becca, his eyes wide, and she smiled. Poor guy. She wasn’t budging out from behind the table, though. Not a chance.
The people swarmed, and thanks to the planning she and Sheila had done, Dimitri’s table kept an orderly line. Becca had taken the chair behind the book rack, which partially hid her from view. Between that and the wall of banners, her anxiety wasn’t as bad as she feared. She blocked out the sounds of the crowd, focusing instead on handling cash, credit cards, and pre-orders. A few people talked to her, but for the most part, Dimitri was the star of the show.
He flirted, he thanked people, and took pictures, always listening when Becca asked a reader what they loved about his books. Slowly, but surely, he started to let himself really hear them. None of them gushed about him, except for his ability to tell a story. They read his books because they loved his words. It blew him away how many people stood and talked about their favorite book or series and spoke like they cared about the character the same way he did. So, maybe Becca was right and it wasn’t only about his face or his money. It was about his books.
There were still plenty who stopped just to get a picture with the hot guy, but Becca always nudged him to give them a bookmark. Why, he didn’t know. Not like they were interested in his books, anyway. She rolled her eyes when he got irritated.
He was exceptionally proud of Becca. She hadn’t let her anxiety get the best of her. Two hours of constant readers, and she’d held her ground. He could see the strain in her eyes, though. It was more than she was used to, but she was handling it.
His legs, though, were not only burning like he was standing in a pit of acid, but the pain started about half an hour ago. It raced up and down his legs, settling as a dull ache in the small of his back. He needed to sit, but there were so many people swarming, and he’d have to get right back up for photos.
When they called lunch a few minutes later, he had never been so grateful for anything in his life. The chair wasn’t exactly comfortable, but he was glad for the small relief it provided.
“You okay?” Becca handed him a cold bottle of water.
“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” He winced when he tried to rub a particularly sore spot on his leg.
“I’m not good, but I think I’m doing better than you.” She gave him a wry smile. “You need to sit down and finish signing. If you keep standing, I don’t know if you’ll be able to walk later.”
“No. People will know…”
“Haven’t you figured it out yet, D?” Becca resisted the urge to smack him. “People don’t care about your physique or if you’re the sexiest eye candy ever. They care about the books, about the words, and in turn, they care about you. If you let them in, no one is going to judge you. That’s the best thing about this community of readers. They rally around their favorite authors. Give them a chance.”
“I don’t know…”
Becca took his hand. “Trust me, Dimitri. If you keep this up, you might do some real damage to your legs. You haven’t had PT in almost a week. Don’t screw up your recovery because of your own insecurities.”
“Recovery?”
They both saw Sara Jane frowning down at them. “Sorry, I wasn’t eavesdropping—well, I was, but it was accidental eavesdropping. Are you sick or something?”
When Dimitri didn’t say anything, Rebecca kicked him.
“Ouch! What the hell did you do that for?”
“Because you’re being an ass. If I can sit here and face my very real fear of crowds, then you can damn well ’fess up about your legs.”
“That’s private and my business.”
“Do I need to kick you in the balls again?”
“You kicked him in the balls?” Sara Jane’s head kept turning back and forth between the two of them, eyes wide.
“Why did you kick him in the balls?” This from the author at the next table. Dimitri groaned, but Becca ignored him.
“Trust me, he deserved it.” She nudged him with her knee. “Go ahead and tell them. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, and I think you’ve seen for yourself your preconceived notions are bupkis.”
“Preconceived notions?” Sara pulled up a chair from one of the other tables, now empty as the author had gone to lunch. The signing room would be closed for the next hour, so they didn’t worry about anyone interrupting them. A few other authors had wandered over, wanting to meet Dimitri.
“Uh-huh.” She spotted Henry and waved him over. “Henry, can you check to see if the hall is still crowded?”
“Do you want to go eat?” Dimitri asked, trying his best not to wince at the idea of standing up.
“No, I really, really need to pee, but if there are people out there, I’ll wait.”
“I’ll go with you.”
“Nope, you sit right here and rest while explaining to Sara Jane about your legs and your idiotic ideas about why people like you.”
“All clear, Becca.” Henry called from the doorway, and Becca stood, careful to not to get near any of the authors crowding around the table. She’d been fine all day behind her private barricade, but out in the open, one simple touch could send her spiraling. She inched around them and all but ran across the carpeted floor.
“Can you wait outside the door for me, please?” She kept her voice low as they walked towards the ladies’ bathroom. “Knock on the door or something to warn me if someone comes in?”
“Sure thing, baby girl.” He leaned against the wall. “Take your time.”
Becca walked into the bathroom and turned on the tap, splashing her face with water. She hadn’t worn makeup because she didn’t have water resistant makeup and she’d sweated enough in there already to have lost a good pound. Her makeup wouldn’t have survived.
She took deep, steadying breaths. Small dots danced in front of her. Her panic was crawling up her back, purring. She’d beat it back all morning, but it was finally starting to wear on her. She could feel it curling in her stomach, ready to spring at a moment’s notice.
The test had been going well, other than that. She wanted to make sure she could be a part of Dimitri’s life without worrying about flipping out every other second. Today had shown her she could control it with enough planning. Psyching herself up the last few days had helped tremendously.
Maybe she really could do this.
“Hello, my little sixpence whore.”
She froze. The rage in that voice.
Standing behind her was Dimitri’s ex.
Looking ready to do her serious harm.
Well, hell.