Chapter 25

I glanced around. Sure enough, a good-looking blond guy in expensive-looking clothes was stalking toward us.

I glanced toward Jake. Draping a protective arm over my shoulder, he pulled me close. "Don't worry," he said into my ear, "the guy's a pussy."

I snuck another glance in the guy's direction. He didn't look like a pussy. Okay, so maybe he didn't have Jake's powerful build, but still, he didn't look like a wimp either. And from the expression on his face, I had the distinct impression that he'd like nothing better than to beat Jake with a nearby sculpture until there was nothing left – of the sculpture and of Jake.

When the guy reached the alcove where we stood, he barreled up to Jake and said, "You asshole!"

Around us, a few people turned to look.

Jake looked at him with a faintly amused expression. "Yeah?"

Although Jake's demeanor was easy, I could feel his hard muscles tensing at my side. If the guy wanted a fight, he'd probably get it, and then some.

The guy leaned in close. "Do you know how much money you cost me today?"

Earlier today, I'd asked Jake an eerily similar question. It boggled the mind. How much damage could one guy do in twenty-four hours?

Jake grinned over at him. "How much?" he asked.

"Half a million. You cocksucker."

"Cocksucker?" Jake frowned. "I thought I was an asshole."

"Stop fucking around," the guy said. "That video of yours, it just cost Dirk one hell of an endorsement deal."

I repeated the name in my head. Dirk. As in Dirk Leonard? The Chainsaw?

"Yeah?" Jake said. "Which deal?"

The guy practically spat the answer. "Power Shot."

"Eh, their product sucks," Jake said. "I did the guy a big favor."

"A favor?" the guy said. "You cost him ten million." His jaw clenched. "And you made him look like an asshole."

Jake's reached up to scratch his chin. "Wait. I thought I was the asshole."

"Go ahead," he told Jake. "Keep goading me. You think I'm gonna lose my cool? You think I’m gonna yank you out of your car? Start a fight? Make myself a laughingstock?"

Jake looked at him with mild interest. "You're not?"

"No." The guy's voice ground to a low menace. "That's not the way I work. But let me tell you something, when I hit you, it won't be with my car, and it won't be with my fist. But it'll hurt like a son-of-a-bitch just the same. So you remember that the next time you fuck with one of my people."

With that, the guy turned and stalked away, jostling his way through the crowd until he disappeared from sight.

I was still staring after him when I heard Jake's voice, low in my ear. "Want another drink?" he asked.

I whirled toward him. "What?"

He flicked his gaze to my empty glass. "You're out of champagne. Want me to get you a refill?"

"Forget that," I said. "Who was that guy?"

"Who?"

"Cut the crap," I said. "The guy who just left."

Jake grinned. "That," he said, "is Vince Hammond." His voice became sarcastic. "Agent to the stars."

I shook my head. "Movie stars?"

"Nah. Sports stars. You might say he's not my biggest fan."

"Really?" I rolled my eyes. "I had no idea." I lowered my voice. "Did you really cost him half a million dollars?"

Jake gave it some thought. "Five percent? His cut of ten mil? Yeah. Sounds about right."

"How can you be so casual about it?" I said. "I mean, that's a lot of money."

"Not my money," he said.

I bit my lip and gave it some thought.

"Don't worry," Jake said, "the guy can afford it."

"I dunno…" I said.

"Trust me," Jake said, "he had it coming. The guy's a dick."

I couldn’t help but wince. "Still…" And then I remembered something. "By the way, I saw that video."

"Yeah? Where?"

"At the mall. On some guy's cell phone. Thanks a lot for telling me about it."

"You didn't like the surprise?" he said.

"Oh yeah," I said, "I just love surprises like that. Do you know, someone actually asked me if I was your girlfriend?'

"Yeah?" His gaze drifted to my lips. "So what'd you tell 'em?"

Instantly, heat flooded my face. "Nothing. Which was easy, since I'm apparently the most clueless person on the planet." I gave him an exasperated look. "Seriously Jake, why didn't you tell me?"

"About the fight?" he said. "You were there, remember?"

"You know what I mean," I said. "You're like this big deal or something."

He shrugged. "I'm not so big."

"How can you say that?" I said, thinking of everything – his fans, his penthouse, his car. Or should I say cars, in the plural? "It's changed your whole life."

He moved away to lean against the alcove wall. "Has it?"

"Sure," I said. "You're rich. You're famous." I forced out a laugh. "You've got girls flashing you on the street for God's sake."

"And yet," he said, "A certain girl won't let me buy her a drink."

I looked around. "I bet any girl here would jump at the chance."

"But I didn't ask any girl," he said. "I asked you."

I leaned toward him and lowered my voice. "Is this about acting like I'm 'your girl'?"

"How do you know you're not my girl?" He reached for my hand. "Now come on."

As he guided me through the crowd, his words rang in my ear. Was this all part of some act? Or was he really flirting with me?

Instantly, I scratched out that possibility. He couldn’t be. Maybe his words meant something else entirely. Maybe I was his so-called girl because I was going to be his kid sister by marriage.

And yet, he hadn't been treating me like a sister. Or a kid for that matter.

The next time we stopped, he wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me to his side. His body felt hard and warm. I wondered what it would be like if I were his girl. A wistful sigh escaped my lips. That was like wishing for snow on the Fourth of July. Barring a miracle, it was never going to happen.

Still, the fantasy was nice, and I vowed to enjoy it. Against all my expectations, I was having a terrific time. Together, we snaked our way through the crowd, talking and laughing as went.

As the minutes passed and the champagne glasses came and went, I found it a whole lot easier to improvise. I felt his hand on my back and heard is voice in my ear. Maybe this wasn't a date, but it sure as hell felt like it.

The next time we stopped, I gave up trying to figure it out. Instead, I leaned into him, no longer caring if this was all part of an act or my own crazy imagination.

Soon, I heard his voice, low in my ear.

"Luna?

"Hmmm," I said.

"Kiss me."