L.A. proved to be Danni’s most successful trip to date. With Vincenzo’s backing and social media support, she’d become even more recognised than ever before. Elle magazine listed her as one of the up and coming faces to watch out for the following year. The morning it was announced, she threw the article onto our bed and jumped down beside me, squealing. I watched as all her happiness and excitement poured out of her.

Within a few hours of the magazine being published, Roberta was knocking on our hotel room door, telling Danni about all the calls she’d been filtering for the last week. There’d been offerings of work—enough to keep her busy for at least twelve months—not to mention the multiple invitations to functions, parties, and premieres. Danni was on that perfect precipice of stardom, where people didn’t know enough about her to recognise her everywhere she went yet, but the world was curious enough to pay attention to every little thing she did.

Life as we once knew it was changing. In its place, a new world was forming—a world where you could be on top one minute and at the bottom of the pile the next. It was my job to make sure that, if she ever fell, it would be into my arms, not into despair.

The night of her Elle confidence boost, we headed to the famous Chateau Marmont restaurant on Roberta’s advice. The three of us slipped by the unexpected paparazzi that were always lingering there to spot any celebrity they could get their lenses on. While drinking beer and looking around at the beautiful architecture, a little lost for words, we spotted Matt Damon and his wife in one corner, while Danni squealed in my ear with excitement at spying a freshly restyled Kristen Stewart hanging at the bar with her girlfriend.

“Oh my God,” she screeched so only I could hear, pressed against me and tugging on my arm. “Bella Swan is here.”

“Who?” I frowned.

“Bella freakin’ Swan!”

“Isn’t she a fictional character?” I asked, scrunching my nose up, trying not to laugh.

“Don’t you ever say that anything Twilight related isn’t real ever again. Do you understand me, Marcus Anderson?”

“Oh, shit. You’re a Twi-hard.” I gulped.

“How did you not know this about me already?” She planted her hands on her hips for just a moment before something caught her eye again and her whole face lit up again. I followed her gaze, watching as Kristen Stewart got up to leave, turning our way and offering a flat, yet friendly smile right at my Danni.

“Fuck me in the arse, did you just see that?” Danni gasped, her hands landing on her cheeks as she watched her idol saunter away without a care in the world. “Bella Swan just…”

“She totally smiled at you.” I beamed, catching Roberta’s eyes over Danni’s shoulder, the two of us trying not to burst out laughing again for fear of Marston’s wrath.

“Is this real life?” Danni whispered.

“It is now,” Roberta said, leaning in and looking proud as punch of her protégé. “And it’s only going to get better, Danni, because you’re working so hard and you’re staying focused.”

Roberta’s eyes flickered to me on the words staying focused, and I heard the usual threat there. I didn’t react that time. I was getting used to not reacting. I think it bothered her more when I pretended I didn’t care what she thought.

“That’s my girl,” I said, putting my free arm around Danni while my other hand clung to my fifteen-dollar beer like it was part of the crown jewels. Fifteen freakin’ dollars for a Budweiser. “One day soon, Bella Swan will be screaming your name and almost passing out when you smile at her. You mark my words. You’re going places.”

Danni’s cheeks blushed before she lifted her Pornstar Martini to her lips and downed it in one. You could take the girl out of Leeds, but you couldn’t take Leeds out of the girl.

We partied hard that night, celebrating another not-so-small career victory for Danni before we finished the night off and headed to a place called Birds for a nightcap. Compared to Chateau Marmont, Birds was a bit of a dive, but Danni seemed more at home there than anywhere else. As soon as she was away from the gathering of flashing cameras and highbrow clientele, she relaxed, and out came the Danni I got to see in the privacy of our own bedroom… whatever continent that bedroom happened to be in.

We woke the next day to Roberta banging on our door at seven a.m., just four hours after we’d gone to bed. Three hours after we’d fallen asleep, given our sexcapades.

“Demon. Demon!” I cried, throwing my arm over my head to avoid the morning light as I rolled around in bed. “Tell them to go away.”

“Someone better be dying,” Danni grumbled as she stomped out of bed, making her way over to the door with harsh feet on soft carpets. “Or I will kill her myself just so someone is…”

Roberta whirled into our room in a flurry, her floaty, floor-length dress swishing around as she spun in circles with the most genuine smile I’d ever seen on her face.

I closed my eyes again and hid them under my arm, not wanting to see any more daylight until I was forced to.

“Berti,” Danni grumbled. “What the hell? Do you know what time it is?”

“Yes. Yes, I do. It’s I-Have-Something-Wonderful-To-Say-About-Marcus-So-You’d-Do-Well-To-Listen time.”

I froze in bed. Not that I’d been moving much, anyway, but I stopped breathing, wondering if I was dreaming, or if I’d heard her right. Turning my head slowly, I peeked out from under my arm, only one very sleepy eye visible to Roberta and Danni as I stared at them.

Danni rubbed her forehead. “Has Hell frozen over?”

“More like social media is on fire!” Berti chuckled, gliding over to the bed until she was hovering over me. “You, my boy, are the talk of the town. Or world. Whatever.”

“Huh?” I frowned harder, not sure if it was the daylight that was blinding me or the sight of Roberta’s unusually large smile. Happiness on her terrified me.

Roberta jabbed her phone screen. “Your name is everywhere.”

“What the hell are you talking about, Berti? For Christ’s sake, spit it out,” Danni said, moving closer.

“Well,” Roberta started, sighing happily. “It seems like your little boyfriend here has his very first sex story in the press.”

“What?” Danni and I cried in unison.

I moved like lightning, pushing up in bed, grabbing the duvet to cover my misters.

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

“Berti…” Danni’s voice was a whisper beside her. “What’s going on?”

“Don’t panic,” Roberta answered, holding a hand in the air, her face calm and light. “This is a good thing.”

“How is this a good thing?” Danni snapped.

“Can someone explain to me what’s happened before we discuss if it’s good or bad, please?” I urged, feeling sick to my stomach.

“Budge up.” Berti pushed on my shoulder, forcing me to scooch over in bed so she could perch on the edge. She glanced between Danni and me constantly, and it was only the calmness of her face that was keeping me from flipping the crap out. “Okay, so, as you know, the UK is several hours ahead of us, so they got the exclusive on this before we did. Normally, we get warned of stories that are about to leak. But that’s only when it’s our clients that are the focus. Nobody will have thought to warn us about the things people will say about Marcus because he’s not represented. Something I want to come back to you about later.” She shuffled on her bum, dropping her phone into her lap before she pulled up the story that had been leaked on my behalf.

As soon as I saw Tasha’s tear-stained face staring back at me, I thought I was going to throw up.

“Oh shit,” I muttered to myself.

“Who is that?” Danni asked, leaning over.

I looked up to catch her eyes. “That’s… that’s the one-night stand.”

Danni turned pale. Pure white. Her sadness took over as she stared at me, unmoving and unspeaking.

Berti glanced between the two of us again. “No, no. No sad faces. This is a good thing.”

“If you tell me that all publicity is good publicity, Roberta, I think we might be about to have our first agent/boyfriend fight,” I warned, my eyes still locked on Danni’s.

“Always so dramatic.” Roberta sighed. “Read the damn thing before you become all doom and gloom. Marcus, this woman has just made you known for all the right reasons.”

I didn’t see how being known was a good thing, given the fact that I very much wanted to stay unknown—the man behind the formidable woman. The one solid, true-to-home thing she would have in her life for always.

But I grabbed the phone and started reading it out loud anyway, for Danni’s benefit more than mine. I didn’t want her waiting any more than I wanted to wait to feel the heat of the flames myself.

“Can’t believe this,” I muttered under my breath.

“Just get on with it.” Berti sighed again.

“He’s not like other men,” I began, clearing the lump in my throat before carrying on. “That’s what Natasha Wilson had to say when asked to describe Leeds born Marcus Anderson. Looking tired and dismayed, Natasha spoke of rising star Daniella Marston’s new beau with unexpected fondness throughout the whole interview, exposing this unknown man’s character to the world for all to see. ‘I only spent one night with him,’ she told us, her eyes fixed on her hands in her lap. ‘But it was, without a doubt, one of the best nights of my life.’”

I paused and looked up at Danni, feeling the stab of betrayal in my heart.

“Go on,” Berti said, nudging me.

“I’m not sure this is a good idea. I wouldn’t want to read this shit about Danni’s ex, so why should she have to—?”

“Just do as you’re told, Marcus.” Berti groaned.

Glancing back at the phone screen, I drew in a breath and began reading out loud again. “‘It had nothing to do with what we did. It was the way he made me feel.’ Natasha struggled to get her next words out, the emotion clearly taking over in front of our reporter. ‘He’s the kind of guy that wants to save the world and has a real chance of doing it. Marcus isn’t just good. He’s rare. Before that night with him, I’d done things with people and for people that I’d been ashamed of, but I’d never had the guts to admit to myself that they were wrong until he came along. Marcus made me face up to what I was doing wrong in my life and promised me of everything else that was out there waiting for me—all the good things I’d never imagined existed before. After just one night, he made me believe that I could be happy with someone. That I could settle down and experience true love. What I didn’t realise was that not everyone thinks like he does. Marcus treated me better than anyone else ever has done, and I left his apartment high on hope. A week or two later, I met Terry, my ex-boyfriend, and my naivety was chasing this dream that Marcus had dangled in front of me. I was chasing stability. Respect. A fairytale. Terry sold me his version of that daydream, only it ended up being a nightmare.’”

“Jesus,” I whispered under my breath.

“Terry?” Danni spoke up. “Is that the guy who hit you?”

“Yep. Shit, do I have to read this?” I asked, turning to face Roberta.

“You do.” She nodded, smiling lightly.

“Fine. Natasha went on to describe the physical and mental abuse she suffered at her ex-boyfriend’s hands, and how a second-chance encounter with Marcus just a few days ago before he flew out to America with Miss Marston gave Natasha the strength she needed to break free. ‘I saw Marcus in Calverley. He was buying shampoo for Danni.’ Natasha laughed, rolling her eyes and wiping a tear away. ‘Sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? You think about these people you see in magazines and newspapers being above all that. But he was there, acting normal, doing the most normal thing in the world, and we accidentally knocked each other as we reached for the same bottle of shampoo.’ The interviewer told Natasha it sounded like the beginning of a love story, but Miss Wilson was adamant that couldn’t be any further from the truth. ‘If you knew Marcus, you’d know that he’s a one-woman guy. I was only in his company for a few minutes, but I saw the love he had for his girlfriend. Was I jealous? Yes. The second I saw him, I knew I wanted him. But he’s not one of those men who needs his ego stroking. What you see is what you get. But Terry, my ex, was there and he didn’t like Marcus the second he saw him. That was my fault. I’d not really let go of Marcus, and I spoke about him with so much reverence. I told Terry that he’d been my ex-boyfriend, just so I had a reason to speak so intimately about someone I’d only known for half a day. It made me feel closer to him. Sad, really. As soon as Terry saw Marcus in the store, I knew it was all going to go wrong. The minute Marcus stepped outside, Terry attacked him and Marcus only fought back when he was forced to. He threw one punch and walked away… And I haven’t been able to sleep at night for the guilt that is tearing me apart. The world needs to know how good he is. The world needs to know that angels really do exist. And he’s one of them. The most genuine man I’ve ever met. I almost can’t believe he’s real…’”

I trailed off, not wanting to read or hear the words anymore.

“A modern-day hero in a time where gentlemen are hard to find.” Roberta peeled the phone out of my hands, her voice filled with amusement as she rose to stand beside Danni and blew out a breath. “Now the national newspapers are going to want to hear your side of the events, Marcus.”

“What?” My head snapped up to Roberta. “No.”

“I know, I know.” She nodded. “We’re not going to give them anything. I just wanted you to be prepared. It’s hardly international news just yet, but there’s British press over here, and it won’t be long before the paps aren’t just shouting Danni’s name when we go out. They will be shouting yours, too. You might want to think about how you’re going to deal with that.”

“I don’t have a fucking clue how to deal with that!”

Danni was barely moving beside us, but I was lost, looking up at Roberta for help for the first time since I’d met her.

“I can take care of it.” She smiled.

“And what’s that going to cost me?”

Berti huffed out a small laugh, rolling her eyes again as she began to walk away. “We’ll talk contracts later. Your fee was set back in Greece the very first time you waltzed out onto my set and interrupted Danni’s meeting with Vincenzo. You’re in charge of looking after my girl now. If you mess up, it’ll cost you thousands. Don’t you worry about anything else.”

With that, she walked out of our hotel room without a care in the world, leaving me to glance at Danni as I waited for some kind of reaction from her.

She stared at the bed for a while before she moved. When she did, she tiptoed around the bed in her silky nightdress, walking over to the patio doors before opening them and stepping out onto the balcony.

I should have followed her straight away, but I was as stunned as she was and had no idea what to say.

All I could do was stare at her as she leaned on the railings and the soft Californian breeze blew her hair away from her face, exposing her stunning profile to me. She’d warned me to never underestimate her again, and I wasn’t stupid enough to ignore that threat. Eventually, I peeled back the covers, went into the bathroom and showered, taking some time to close my eyes and bathe in the heat that rained down on me. The sound of the water tried to drown out my thoughts, but it was an impossible task that morning.

I didn’t know which feeling to cling to the most.

Disgust at Tasha for going to the press about me, putting our night together in front of the world without even thinking if it was the right thing to do.

Fear that Danni was hurt, and I didn’t know how to fix it.

Shame that my parents would probably read a story about their son and a one-night stand.

Humiliation that my friends would read it.

Worry, however misplaced, for Tasha after she’d exposed the nature of her ex-boyfriend’s abuse.

And uncertainty for what the future would bring, and if this was just a small pebble in the ocean compared to what could come from living a life next to a soon-to-be-global fashion sensation. I was all-in with Danni. There wasn’t anywhere else I’d rather be. I just didn’t know how to handle the stuff that was coming my way, being a simple guy from West Yorkshire who happened to fall in love with a girl that shone so brightly, everyone wanted to bathe in her glow.