Fuck.

Alexa was terrified. I didn’t have to know her long to see every glimmer of fear reflected in her eyes. I stared ahead at the road. The only thing that broke the silence was the sound of the cold air whirring through the vents as I drove us farther outside of Austin.

It had been a fucking ambush. Cameras. Questions. We were swarmed and I felt like a damn caged lion trapped while the shots were fired.

Every time Alexa’s phone beeped she tapped the side to silence it. I could tell the calls made her anxious. I caught her scrolling through some sort of newsfeed, but I couldn’t read it while I drove.

I clicked the button on the truck to open the double gates when we reached the ranch. I heard Alexa sigh, but maybe it was a whimper. I shook my head.

“No one followed us,” I announced. I had watched the rearview mirror. The press had been on foot. No one bothered to tail us once I peeled out of the hospital’s garage.

She threw me a nervous smile. “That’s good.”

I made sure the gates locked securely behind us before we were inside the garage. Levels of security were exactly what we needed. Layers that kept Alexa safe.

I hopped from my side of the truck and walked around to the passenger side to help her down. It was a big step for her small frame.

“Thanks.”

“No problem.”

I didn’t know what to say. I wasn’t meant for these kind of situations. I didn’t offer comfort. I’d never been a shoulder for someone. Hell, I’d never bothered with it.

I led her inside and walked straight to the bar. If there was one thing I knew, it was what kind of whiskey helped when everything was stacked against you. I poured two rock glasses full and handed one to the shaky girl.

“Here. This will put it in perspective.” I shoved it into her hand.

“It’s the middle of the day.” Her eyes were misted.

“Trust me.”

I didn’t know shit about being a friend, but I was everyone’s drinking buddy. Getting drunk I could do. I tossed mine back and felt the welcome burn coat the inside of my throat.

Lexi sipped it while grimacing. She leaned forward to deposit the glass on the coffee table. There was still a shot’s worth she left behind.

“You need to finish that.” I nodded at her. “Go on.”

She took a solid breath and chugged. Her eyes fixated on the bottom of the tumbler.

“Good girl.” I took the empty glass from her. “How do you feel now?”

“Like I should have had some lunch first.”

Shit. I did everything backward.

“I’ve got food.” I shuffled to the kitchen to find something to feed her.

I scoured the pantry. I had chips, salsa, and more protein mix powder than could fill a vitamin store. Damn it. There were eggs in the fridge and a couple of steaks.

“How does an omelet sound?” I called from the kitchen.

Alexa appeared in the doorway. “It’s ok. You don’t have to go through so much trouble because of me.”

“Scrambled better?”

I ignored her. She needed to eat something. I’d light up the grill and toss the steaks on if that was the only way to get her to eat.

“Really, Luke. I’m fine. I-I—” She reached for the countertop as her boot slipped on the hardwood floor.

I reached over just in time to hook my hand around her waist before she tumbled to her ass. Fuck. She was more shaken than I realized.

“Gotcha.”

I couldn’t help the sudden instinct that kicked in. The one that said I needed to protect her. I’d catch her if she fell. I’d hold her until she was back on her feet.

Her palms flattened into my chest. The only thing keeping her from wiping out was my arm. It was like one of those damn trust exercises we did in camp sometimes. And right now Alexa was telling me I had her trust. I was a place she could fall.

I snaked another arm around her and saw her eyes light with expectation.

“You keep rescuing me today.”

No one had mistaken me for a white knight. “You were going to bust your ass,” I reminded her.

She shook her head. “Not just that.”

By now I probably should have stood her upright, but I held her firm and close to my body. My cock twitched. Everything was fucked up, but I couldn’t control how my body wanted her.

We both remained motionless when her phone started to ring. It was in her back pocket.

“Do you want to get that?” I asked. It hadn’t stopped since we left the hospital.

“I don’t think so. I know it’s Jake.”

“Hmm.” I looked into her eyes. Truth was I didn’t want her to pick up the phone either.

I didn’t want someone else in the middle of this. Whatever in the hell this was. And Jake. Well, he was a dick.

The phone rang again.

“He’s going to keep calling.” Alexa twisted her lips together.

“Want me to talk to him?”

“No. I can handle Jake.”

I made sure she was standing and had her balance before I let go. She turned away from me to answer.

“Hey, Jake.”

I heard how sweet and soft her voice was for him. I wondered if that act worked.

She ran her fingers through her long hair. “I know. I know. You don’t have to say it like that.” She paused. I guessed he gave her an earful. Bastard. She didn’t deserve that.

“Jake, if you’d just listen to me for a second…”

I clanged a few pots while I looked for the frying pan. I kept one ear in Alexa’s direction.

“It’s not that bad,” she insisted. “Really, my fans aren’t going to care.”

She groaned and twirled on the heels of her boots. “I don’t think it happened like that … uh-huh … I know. You’re paranoid. It’s going to be ok. My fans are more forgiving than you.” There was a long pause. “Fine. I’ll be there. But you’re wrong. I know you are.”

She hung up the phone.

I turned the dial, lighting the gas burner. “What did he say?”

She slouched onto one of the stools. “Oh just that I’ve completely ruined my career and that all of my fans are going to turn on me. I should expect my social media to be filled with hate messages.”

I pinched my brows together. “What the fuck?”

“We have already made internet news and it’s only the beginning.”

I couldn’t believe I was going to give advice. “Trust me. I’m an expert here. I’ve been through this shit. It will die down.”

“When?”

“Give it a day or two. Everyone will forget when some other celebrity changes the discussion. Pray some famous fucker gets arrested tonight.”

“That’s terrible.”

“That’s reality, baby.”

I couldn’t tell her how many times I had been saved because some other athlete got a DUI. I wanted to distract her. Get her to stop thinking about how we were caught and get back to focusing on that kiss instead. I had been ready to strip her and take her in the back of my truck. Her tongue drove me wild. Her sweet little moans made my dick hard. We needed to get on that topic.

“Luke, there’s something else.”

“What’s that?” I studied her lips. I wanted them. Badly.

“Jake wants to me ask you if you set it up.”

I moved about as fast as I did when a linebacker was headed for me. “He did what?”

There was a slow blink, but she didn’t back down. “Luke, did you tip off the press?”

“That’s what Jake is worried about?”

“I told him I didn’t think that’s what happened. There’s no way. Absolutely no way you’d involve the press. Because who would do that to someone else?”

It sounded as if she was trying to convince herself.

Her elbows dug into the counter. “You wouldn’t. I mean you hate the way the media follows you around. You’d never.”

I hadn’t moved yet. I held the spatula in my hand.

“But I think I would feel better if I heard you say it yourself.”

The pan sizzled behind me with a pop from the butter splatter. Fuck. Her blue eyes held me. I didn’t like tests. Being tested—being slammed into the middle of a moral crossroads. I was in too deep to turn around from this place. But here I was. In this place where I had to decide what I should do about lying to this pretty girl.

“Luke?”