Sammy and my other security ushered us out of the low-key back entrance and into my waiting car as quickly and effectively as they could, given the situation I’d created inside. I’d messaged Kelvin to pick us up right after I’d lost sight of Charlotte. I didn’t want her coming back, looking for her phone – I needed it as an excuse to see her again.

“Now what?” Jasper inclined his head towards the gold phone I’d sat on the seat next to me.

“Now I wait for it to—”

Ed Sheeran’s ‘Shape of You’ blasted out of the phone, interrupting me. I made a mental note to change her ringtone to one of my songs before I got it back to her.

I smirked at Jasper. “Ring,” I finished smugly.

I picked up the phone, ‘Hannah Banana’ was flashing across the screen. I swiped right to accept the call.

“Hello?”

“Oh, thank god,” her soft voice sighed. “You found my phone.”

I settled back into my seat. “You could say that,” I replied, anticipation already pulsing through me.

“Okay… so I’ll just come back inside the club and pick it up?” she asked, her voice a mixture of confusion and hope.

I grinned.

So far, so good.

“Actually… I’ve just called it a night and headed home.”

“And taken my phone with you?” she asked quizzically.

“I can meet up with you tomorrow for a coffee and get it back to you?” I offered.

The line went quiet for a moment.

“Who is this?” she demanded.

I chuckled. “Who do you think this is?”

“Rock star,” she ground out, obvious irritation in her voice “Jesus, do you have a problem with speaking your own name out loud?”

I couldn’t help but laugh again. My heart was racing and excitement was coursing through my veins, all just from talking to this girl on the phone.

“Why do I have a feeling I didn’t lose my phone at all?” she snapped.

“What exactly are you accusing me of, sweetheart?” My barely concealed laughter did nothing but anger her further.

“I told you, my name is not sweetheart. And you know what? Keep it,” she stated angrily.

Shit.

“I’m not keeping your phone, Charlotte,” I replied quickly, slight panic seeping into my voice.

“Well, then you’d better turn your off-the-charts crazy ass back around and return it to me,” she half yelled down the phone.

Fuck.

I glanced at Jasper for help. He grinned and shrugged, giving me a ‘what’d you expect’ look.

I was torn. She seemed completely and utterly serious about leaving her phone with me.

“Might be the only shot you get to see her again,” Jasper offered quietly.

He was right, she could disappear and I might never find her. The thought of that bugged me more than I knew it should.

“Alright,” I agreed. “I’ll bring it back.”

I held the phone away from my ear. “Kelvin, back to the club,” I told my driver.

“Right you are,” Kelvin answered quickly, pulling over to turn around.

“I’m not saying thank you,” she stated in a pissy voice.

I huffed out a laugh. “I wouldn’t have expected you to…” I glanced out the window. “Where are you right now?”

“Out front.”

Dammit.

I only had minutes left before we got back there and this game was all over.

“I’ll give it back if you let me take you out tomorrow,” I bargained, desperately clutching at straws.

She growled. “You’re a sociopath, you know that, right?”

It wasn’t the answer I was hoping for, but I thought I could hear a hint of humour in her voice… and she hadn’t said no, so I clung to it like a lifeline.

When did I get so god damn desperate?

“You do realize you’ve left me out in the cold, dark night, without a phone to keep myself safe?” she asked dramatically, pulling me back from my thoughts.

“You’re with your friend. You have her phone,” I stated, not buying into her guilt trip one little bit.

“She went off talking to some guy.” She huffed dramatically. “I’m out here all alone.”

I knew the club well – there was no way she was alone, there’d be at least twenty people hanging around out front, most of them with cameras, and I was willing to bet that her friend was right there next to her… but still… my skin prickled with unease at the thought of her out in the dark night on her own.

“Stay there,” I growled against my better judgment. I couldn’t stop my eyes looking out the window again to see how far away we were.

Not long now.

“Ooo look!” she exclaimed. “A dark alleyway.”

She wouldn’t…

“Charlotte,” I warned.

“Oh! There’s some men down there, they look friendly… I might go say hi.”

I could hear the clicking of her heels on the sidewalk.

She can’t be serious…

“Charlotte!” I barked at her as we rounded the corner to the front of the club.

She didn’t answer.

I tossed the phone on the seat and swung the door open before the car had even come to a complete stop.

“Parker, what the fuck?” Jasper called after me.

I leapt out of the door and my eyes searched frantically left and right before landing on her, right outside the club door, friend at her side and phone still at her ear.

She winked at me. “Gotcha, rock star,” she called as she handed Hannah back her phone.

“Dammit, woman,” I cursed under my breath as I prowled towards her.

She sat her hands on her hips dramatically. “Where’s my phone?” she asked at the same moment I heard the first call of my name.

“Parker!”

“It’s Parker Sloan!”

“Hey Parker, can you sign this?”

Cameras started flashing.

“Shit,” I mumbled. “Come on.” I reached for her arm, but she shrugged me off.

“Just give it to me already,” she demanded.

“It’s in the car,” I argued.

“Go get it.”

“I swear to god, woman, if we don’t get out of here, you’ll get trampled,” I begged.

“They don’t want me.” She smirked knowingly.

She was right. The only way I was getting her into my car was if they wanted her too.

I grabbed her arm and pulled her flush against my body. “Challenge accepted,” I murmured before pressing my lips firmly against hers.

The surprised, breathy gasp she made before I felt her warmth did nothing to ease the hard-on I’d been sporting since she’d come onto my radar. I imagined her making that very noise as I fucked her six ways to Sunday.

My hands gripped her neck and jaw lightly as I kissed her. Her lips were soft and sweet, just the way they looked.

Perfection.

Cameras flashed liked crazy behind me.

Her breath hitched as though she’d only just realised what she was doing and she pulled back abruptly. “What the hell are—”

I cut her off with another kiss, more persistent this time.

I felt the exact moment she gave in to me. Her grip tightened on my arms – before she was pushing me away, now she was pulling me closer. Her lips opened and moved against mine. I slipped my tongue into her mouth, teasing and probing hers. She tasted like lemon and vodka.

All the noise, the grabbing and the cameras fell away. It was just me and her and it wasn’t for show anymore. I backed her up against the block wall and pressed the length of my body hard against her.

She moaned in my mouth and I was totally and utterly lost to her.

“Ah, Casanova… might wanna move this party somewhere more private.” I heard Jasper’s voice, right behind me.

Charlotte sighed into my mouth. I got a thrill knowing she was as disappointed as I was about stopping this.

I begrudgingly looked around – J was right. The crowd was closing in and this mess was about thirty seconds away from getting out of control. There was no way I was having that happen – not with her here.

I’d made a mistake coming back here without Sammy and his team, Kelvin may have been more than just a driver – I wouldn’t be stupid enough to go without any form of protection in a situation like this, but still, he was only one man and there was only so much he could do with this swarm of idiots.

“Let’s go.” I tucked her under my arm and pushed through the crowd towards the car. Surprisingly, she let me lead her without putting up a fight.

“Parker! Who’s the girl?”

“Is she your girlfriend?”

Shit.

The questions fired rapidly at us. I felt like a total asshole. I’d just intentionally put her in the middle of my media circus, and all just to get her to take a ride in my car.

Idiot.

“What’s your name, honey?” some douche asked Charlotte, shoving his cell phone in her face.

No fucking way.

“Don’t even fuckin’ think about it. Don’t even look at her,” I growled. I gave him a murderous glare and he backed up quickly.

Jasper had already got Hannah into the car and he and Kelvin were doing their best to clear a path for me and the tiny woman next to me.

“Get in,” I murmured in her ear.

She slid in, with me right behind her.

“And my name is not honey!” Charlotte yelled over her shoulder at the dickhead that had gotten in her face.

I slammed the door shut behind us with a chuckle.