2
I WANNA HOLD YOUR HAND
“I’M SO SORRY, Mr. Locke, and if there’s anything we can do—”
I slammed the door in the manager’s face, annoyed at the endless apologies he’d been making while standing in my suite’s doorway for the last ten minutes. The police had also come and taken our statements, but since nothing appeared to be missing—and the fucker had gotten away—there wasn’t anything they could do.
Is it too early for a damn drink?
“So? How’d it go?” Dylan asked as he headed into the main room with our packed bags and dumped them on the armchair. “Did you guys come up with a game plan?”
Before the unnecessary conversation with the head of Syn, I’d had a long, drawn-out powwow with Roger and Martina about what should or shouldn’t happen next. And since neither could seem to agree, as was always the case, I’d decided on my own damn plan.
“I’m gonna say fuck ’em,” I said.
“Fuck ’em? Which means…what, exactly?”
“It means we’re already all over TNZ now, and since Martina doesn’t think at this point that we can deny, then there’s no point in hiding anymore. Is there?”
“I guess not.”
“So we’ll go out the front and let them get the shots they need.”
“Wait, what?”
“It’s either that or the alternative, and I’d rather the images that show up on the front of the rags not be the shots of us in our towels.”
Dylan stared at me and then shook his head as though he’d heard wrong. “So…you want us to leave here and go through all those people down there? Together?”
As I paced in front of the couch, it wasn’t lost on me that this had been the moment I’d been trying to avoid for so long. The fact that it was here now had a swirling mix of emotions flowing through me. Anger. Frustration. Resentment. Resignation. Sadness. But somewhere underneath all those things, I also felt the first taste of freedom, and that was what had solidified my decision.
“Yes,” I said. “If that’s okay with you, then I think what you said about facing them head-on with our middle fingers held high is the best option.”
Dylan let out a surprised laugh. “So literally go out there flipping off the press. Right. Good plan.”
“Okay, so maybe more your hand in mine, but the sentiment is the same.”
The amused expression on Dylan’s face dropped, and he looked down at his faded jeans and plain green t-shirt. Before he could say anything, I told him, “Don’t even think about changing.”
“But…I’m a hot fucking mess. I can’t go out there like this.”
Strolling over to him, I let my eyes rove down his body. “Pretty sure you’re just fucking hot.”
“I think I’d prefer the pictures of us in the towels.”
I fingered the hem of his shirt and then let my fingers slip underneath to feel the smooth, warm skin of his stomach. “You look perfect.”
“You’re crazy.”
“Probably.”
The side of Dylan’s mouth curved, and when one of his dimples appeared, I shook my head. “You have no idea just how magnetic you are, do you? They’re going to climb all over themselves for photographs of this face.”
“You’re slightly biased.”
“I thought that even before you were mine.” As the words left my mouth, I realized it was as close as I’d ever come to laying out just how strongly I’d felt for him. And it was something that wasn’t lost on Dylan, if the way his eyes darkened on me was any indication.
“You did, huh?”
“I did. On my birthday, actually. My first thought was that Russ was stupid for letting you out of his sight. My second was, some lucky fucker is going to make a pass at you before I get a chance.”
Dylan pressed his mouth to mine in a sweet kiss, and as his lips curved, he said, “They could’ve tried, but I was too busy thinking about the birthday boy.”
I traced the backs of my fingers down his cheek and asked once more, just to be sure, “Are you positive you want to do this?”
Dylan leaned into my caress and his eyes shuttered closed, his lashes thick and dark against his flawless skin. “No,” he whispered, and my heart just about stopped. Then he opened those gorgeous eyes and the expression there shocked me back to life. It was one full of apprehension, desire, and the same emotion I was feeling then—possession. “I’m not sure about any of this. But I am sure about you. I want you, Ace. And you come with all of this.”
I laid a kiss against his forehead and took a step back, trailing my fingers down his to take his hand in mine. “Okay, then let’s do this.”
Moving around him to grab our bags, I got two steps away when Dylan tugged on my hand and I looked back at him.
“I don’t have to, like…say anything, right?”
I laughed at that. “No. In fact, I think it would be best if neither of us said anything right now. The image of us hand in hand will be more effective than words anyhow. But you may want to put on your sunglasses.”
“Why?”
“You’ll see.”
* * *
I TOOK A nervous breath and shrugged my bag farther up my arm as Ace led us out of the elevator and into the private lobby that had apparently been cleared out for our departure. When it was clear Ace wasn’t stopping on his way out the door, Charles jogged up alongside us.
“May I have someone take your bags?” he said.
Ace didn’t spare him a glance. “I think you all have been helpful enough.”
“We’ll be comping your stay—”
“I fucking hope so,” Ace said with a disgusted snort.
“If you’re leaving now, I’ll have a driver pulled around immediately—”
“Actually, that’s been taken care of.”
The furrows in Charles’s forehead deepened. “But there’s not a car ready at this entrance—”
“Not going that way.” Ace took us left toward the main part of the hotel instead of going right, toward the back entrance.
Oh God, I thought, as the quiet hallway opened up to the bustling, vast casino floor. Ace didn’t hesitate as he walked us past the blackjack and roulette tables, even as I squeezed his hand for dear life. We’re doing this. We’re actually holding hands…in public…and everyone can see. But I barely noticed the faces of the people we passed because Ace was not stopping. However, once we passed the slot machines and neared the busy main check-in area, I heard the first murmurs with Ace’s name in the mix. And sure enough, as we passed through the lobby, the surprised shouts began.
“Is that Ace Locke?”
“Oh my God, look, I think that’s Ace.”
“Ace! Can you sign my shirt?”
“I didn’t know Ace was gay—”
“Is that his boyfriend?”
“Ace, can I take a picture with you?”
Ace moved us through as if he hadn’t heard a thing, and as we came to the entrance, Ace’s grip tightened on my hand. And as we took our first steps outside and the crowd descended on us, I realized why he’d said to wear sunglasses.
Flashes came from everywhere, so blinding that if it weren’t for Ace’s hand in mine, I wouldn’t be able to see where we were going. The shouts were deafening, every photographer and member of the press out there vying for Ace’s attention as the hotel’s security cleared the path for us toward the idling Town Car.
If I’d thought the crowd looked big from the forty-fifth floor, it was nothing compared to the reality of what awaited us. Bodies pressed in against us from all sides, and combined with the Vegas heat wave, it was a suffocating combination.
Don’t pass out in front of all these people, was all I could think, as the driver opened the door and Ace moved aside to let me in first.
“Ace, is this your new boyfriend?”
“Where did you two meet?”
“Is it true you eloped this weekend?”
As Ace slid inside after me, the door slammed shut behind him, and though the roar of the crowd had muffled somewhat, it was still like being in the eye of a tornado. Eerily quiet compared to the maelstrom happening on the outside.
“Are you okay?”
Ace’s voice was pitched low as his fingers tightened around mine. I glanced out my tinted window and could see the continued flash of cameras as the paparazzi took photo after photo, all competing for the ultimate money shot.
“Dylan?”
At my name, I turned to face the man seated beside me, and for the first time since we’d met I saw him in a whole new light.
Ace Locke was the real deal. He wasn’t just some actor a few people knew here and there. No. The man sitting beside me, with his hand wrapped around mine, was a fucking superstar. And somewhere along the way, I’d forgotten that.
“No one touched you or hurt you, did they?”
Ace’s blue eyes were full of concern as he inspected me the best he could. When it became clear that I wasn’t capable of actually speaking, he nodded once, satisfied that I was okay, and then leaned forward to the driver. “Take us to McCarran,” he said, and then settled back beside me.
As the driver slowly began to accelerate, I could see the throngs of people who’d gathered in front of the vehicle, for a shot inside the car, part like the Red Sea as to not get hit. My heart was thudding wildly and I knew my eyes had to be as big as saucers, because never could I have prepared myself for what we’d just walked through. I didn’t think anyone could.
When Ace had said I had no idea what I was about to walk into, I’d stupidly believed he was exaggerating. Ha, I thought, if anything, he totally underplayed it.
“Hey? Dylan, look at me.”
I took in a gulp of air, trying to calm my racing pulse, and then turned my head to face him. Ace’s brows were pinched together with worry, and his lips were drawn tight. He looked wary, as though he was worried I was about to bolt, and really, if I hadn’t been in as deep as I was with him, I just might have. That was a whole fucking lot to take in.
“Are you okay?” he asked again, and this time I nodded.
“That was… Wow, Ace. That was insane.”
Ace let out a bark of laughter, as if he hadn’t been expecting that. “Uhh, yeah. I told you it would be.”
“But…” I paused, trying to think of my next words. “It’s different seeing it. Jesus, I’ve never seen so many people in my life. And they all wanted your attention…I just…I guess I forgot who you were for a minute or two there.”
As my words lingered between us, I thought for a second I might have offended him, but then he brought my hand up to his lips and smiled before pressing a kiss to my palm. “That’s the best compliment I’ve had in a long time.”
I released his hand to draw my fingers under his chin. “You’ve obviously been hanging around the wrong people.”
“Obviously,” he agreed, and leaned across to brush his lips over mine. When he pulled back he asked me again, this time leaving no room for misdirection, “I totally understand if you’re freaking out right now. If you want to change your—”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “I mean, yes, that was crazy. And yes, I’m okay, but not once did it ever cross my mind that I wanted out…” I paused and then had a horrible thought. “Did it cross yours?”
Ace’s eyes held mine, and the sincerity there blew me away as he said, “Not even once.”
As the car pulled away from Syn’s elaborate entrance and the crowd faded in the distance, it occurred to me for the first time that I was dating Ace Locke. Really dating him. And if the way my stomach was somersaulting at the affectionate expression he was aiming my way was any indication, I had no doubt that I was precariously close to falling in love with Ace Locke.