London buttoned his tux as he stepped from the limo. He eyed the red carpet warily, not sure if he was supposed to duck to the right with a group of onlookers or make his way into the El Capitan Theatre.

The whole street was blocked off to traffic. A long line of limousines drove on the wrong side of the road, and the red velvet ropes reached to the dotted yellow line to accommodate the press of fans and photographers.

And he thought game-day traffic was cray-cray.

An attendant in a red-and-gold jacket cleared his throat.

London glanced at him and realized he was blocking the man from shutting the car door so the driver could keep the line moving. He smiled as cameras flashed and made his way to the old-fashioned ticket booth. Before he could disappear inside and get his bearings, a small woman wearing a nondescript black dress rushed to his side.

“Mr. Wilder. We’re so pleased you could make it. I’m April, Maia’s personal assistant. If you could follow me.”

She seemed so sure of herself that London followed her without question. Even though he had a hundred questions. So this was the personal assistant behind the invitation … She was a tiny little thing, able to squeeze through gaps in the crowd that London had to shoulder his way through.

When they stopped, he was back outside, near the front of the line.

April flipped on him. “Your timing is incredible. Now, when that car—” She pointed to the limo second to the front. “—stops, you’ll hold out your hand to help Maia from the vehicle. Then, offer her your arm and escort her to the photo booth to the right. I’ll meet you two there.”

London didn’t have time to fully process what she’d asked him to do, nor did he have the chance to ask questions, because April disappeared faster than a grasshopper in a cornfield. Man, that woman was slick!

The cars moved forward and his moment had arrived. He stepped out of the group and made his way to the car. His heart pounded five times for every footstep, drowning out the screaming fans.

The attendant opened the door and London flung his hand in front of the opening, praying he hadn’t already messed up and picked the wrong car. He was standing off to the side, purposefully staying out of her way as half her dress exited before she did.

Maia’s delicate fingers landed in his, and all the buzzing and churning and pounding inside of him calmed like lake water in the early morning sun.

She set both feet on the ground and gracefully emerged, bringing to mind a bird about to take flight. Her hand tightened in his as the noise level tripled and hundreds of cameras momentarily blinded them.

Maia stepped forward and lifted her hand to wave. “What are you doing here?” she asked without dropping her smile.

London’s heart fell ten stories. “You invited me.”

She moved forward at a steady pace. “No, I didn’t.” She tugged at his arm. “Keep smiling.”

London did—though he felt like doing anything but smiling at the moment. He’d been played by that sneaky little assistant—and possibly his agent—and he didn’t like that feeling at all. They marched on. Since when did the red carpet grow this long?

“Maia, when did you start dating football players?” called a photographer.

Maia ignored the question, her eyes constantly traveling. “People are going to think we’re together.”

That wasn’t his fault. In fact, none of this was his fault. He’d followed his heart and it got him in a pickle. Fine. If April and Jay wanted a spectacle, he could give them one. “We are together,” he said out of the corner of his mouth. “You’re holding my arm.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“I know!” He winked.

She whipped her head around and wouldn’t look at him for the rest of the walk. Near the front doors was a section of children all dressed to the nines and all holding small autograph books. It was obviously a marketing ploy for pictures of the latest princess with her adoring fans. Maia stopped there and removed her hand from his arm.

London stood back, clasping his hands in front of him like some bodyguard. A little boy raced around Maia and slammed into his legs. “You’re London Wilder!” His blue eyes were huge as he looked London up and down.

London laughed, feeling some of his tension slip away. Let the world love Maia; he could hang with this kid all night long. “What’s your name?”

“Keeton.”

Maia hugged several little girls in princess dresses and posed for pictures. She was poised and perfect. London dragged his eyes off of her and back to Keeton. “I take it you like football.”

“I love football,” he corrected.

His mom came up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder. “Sorry. I know he’s supposed to stay behind the line.” She gave him a tug.

“Mom! I gotta get his autograph.” He held out his book and pen even as she dragged him away.

“Wait—it’s okay.” London got down on one knee and motioned Keeton closer. He complied, and his mom watched them with an indulgent smile. Keeton wasn’t shy at all. He came right over and sat on London’s knee. That wasn’t what London had in mind, but when the kid put his arm around London’s neck and held on, stretching his many freckles with his smile, London didn’t have the heart to make him move.

“Can you say: To Keeton, my best friend?”

London laughed because of his bravado. “You bet.” He wrote out a note, drew a block T for Titans, and signed his name. All the while, cameras clicked and photographers swarmed them like bees on nectar. “Here you go.” He snapped the book shut and handed it and the pen back to Keeton.

“You’ve made his year,” gushed Keeton’s mom. Keeton nodded, clutching the book to his chest.

London ruffled Keeton’s stick-straight red hair. “Stay out of trouble.”

“I will.”

His mom sighed. “He won’t.” She hurried after him in the crowd, probably worried he’d disappear.

London signed a few more autographs, but mostly he hung back, letting the spotlight shine on Maia. April appeared as if out of thin air, her gray hair only adding to the image that she was some sort of magical creature. As small as she was, she was probably made of thin air.

“You!” London whispered menacingly.

April turned her nose up and stepped past him to Maia’s side.

“You!” he heard Maia whisper, making him burst out a laugh.

They both faced him and he wagged a finger at Maia’s assistant. “You’ve got a lot of explaining to do.”

April lifted her palms. She spoke fast and below earshot of anyone but the three of them. “You needed a date. You were so lost that night at the auction. And the two of you have to talk things out.”

Maia closed and then opened her eyes again. “We are going to have a very long talk about professional boundaries.”

April nodded.

“But I love you for having my back.” She gave April a quick, one-armed hug that negated any sharpness in her previous warning.

Maia picked up her dress and slipped her free hand into London’s. Her skin was velvety soft against his rough palm. Somewhere, in the vast realm of eternity, two cogs fit together and wheels began to turn. “Thank you for coming.”

“Thanks for sort of inviting me,” he teased.

Maia’s smile inched from princess perfect to just for London. “Do you wanna go see a movie?”

“Is there anything good playing tonight?”

She lowered her lashes, instantly shy. “You’ll have to tell me.”

He’d forgotten that she did that when she was nervous, and couldn’t believe that a woman of her accomplishments could be nervous. A protective instinct, one that he’d always had for her, jumped to the forefront of his consciousness. He used his knuckles to tip her chin up and waited until her vulnerable eyes met his. “Maia.” Her name came out rougher, huskier than he’d planned. “I feel blessed to be here right now, and I can’t wait to see your film.”

She leaned into him slightly, and he forgot about the cameras and the crowd and the sneaky little assistant.

“Miss Maia?” They turned to see an usher, dressed in the traditional short red jacket with tails and brass buttons, motioning them to move into the building. “If you’ll proceed into the theater, please. The next guest is about to arrive.”

“Right.” Maia moved herself to the side and picked up her dress again. “You ready to be dazzled?”

London winked. “As ready as I’ll ever be.” He walked toward the glass doors with Maia on his arm, wondering if he was ready to let her blow his heart wide open like only she knew how.