The authorities arrived within minutes of my phone call. Security at the gate shut the entrance down to residents only while the police investigated Desiree’s condo. After speaking to Houston PD for a little longer than thirty minutes, I left the condo to check on Desiree who was waiting in her car. I wanted to make sure she was okay. The late evening had arrived, and neighbors stood outdoors, along the walkway across the street, and off to the side. I doubled down a few steps and was at the passenger door of Desiree’s car in a blink. I reached for the handle opening it, and crouched to get a good look at her. A faraway expression sat in Desiree’s eyes with her vision fixed directly in front of her.

“Desiree…”

She turned her head slowly to look at me, and I folded my hands around hers.

“Is there anything you’d like to get from the apartment before we leave?”

Finally, she blinked as if coming back to the here and now. Desiree cast a quick glance around.

“What did they say?”

Her voice was different, and I was wary about her state of mind.

“They don’t want you staying here for a while. I’m going to take you back to the hotel with me.”

She didn’t respond. I pulled her soft hand to my lips and placed a gentle kiss on the back. She turned back to me and tried to offer a smile.

“You’re very kind,” she said. “But I’ll call Santana. It looks like we’ll both need somewhere to stay for a while. So we can stay together.”

“Okay,” I said. “You can both stay at the hotel with me.”

“Don’t be silly. You’re a busy man. I don’t expect you to sit around and babysit us. Besides, we’re capable of taking care of each other.”

“I don’t doubt it, Desiree. However, I want to take care of you myself. And furthermore, you’re a part of my busy days for the next several weeks. Remember?”

I waited for her to give me more resistance. But to my belated surprise, she didn’t.

“We’ll stay at the hotel, but not in your room.”

“That’s fine.”

I kissed the back of her hand again.

“I can’t go back in right now. I’ll go to the mall or something, I need to gather some things for our trip to Dubai anyway.”

I smiled inside and released a deep breath, rising to my feet. As I rounded the car, I couldn’t help but look out at the people still gathering and wondered whether the individual responsible was watching. It didn’t sit well with me that her life was in danger, but I would make sure to keep her safe at all costs. Sliding into the driver’s seat, I reached over and pulled Desiree close, laying a kiss against her temples. There were no words that came between us, and she allowed the embrace that I gave. This felt like home, in a way, going home to see my father had never felt. My breathing was easy and my mind relaxed as we sat there content in our world. Why I never wanted to let her go was beyond me, but I was willing to see this thing through to the very end. Either this powerful attraction between us warranted something much deeper, or my carnal lust had gotten the best of me. Yet, as I held on to Desiree, somehow, I knew it was the former.

Starting the engine to her Honda, we made our way through the growing crowd as onlookers stepping into the street to get a closer eye on Desiree. It was rude and disrespectful, but I kept in mind that these were her neighbors; probably wanting to make sure Desiree was unharmed. I’d thought that would be our biggest issue until we exited Manchester Cove and came face to face with a flash of cameras from various news stations around the city. Reporters and cameramen ran up, throwing out questions as we passed by. I reached over and pulled the seatbelt over Desiree. Someone hit the window harder than I cared for and the urge to pull over and get out to teach them a lesson was palpable. Instead, I hit the gas, putting as much distance between Manchester Cove and us as possible.

Desiree moved to reach inside her handbag pulling out her cell. Wordlessly, she sent a text to whom I’m assuming was Santana. After sending her message, Desiree laid her head against the headrest and closed her eyes. She was stressed out, and I’d been given a thought.

“What would you say if we started our trip earlier than Friday,” I said.

When her soft gaze met mine, the tug in my chest made me clear my throat.

“Are you sure?” she asked quietly. “I don’t want to disrupt your plans. You’ve been nice enough as it is.”

“Desiree,” I called holding her gaze. “I wouldn’t ask if it would present a problem. Nothing is set in stone. A little rearranging will be fine. I want to get you out of the country. There’s something I want you to experience with me.”

I glanced to the road stopping at a red light.

“What is it?” she asked.

I reached for her hand intertwining our fingers. “I’d rather show you, Bella. Say you’ll come.”

I felt a shiver run through her.

“I do,” she backtracked. “I am, you know that already.”

Her nervousness was sexy. The light turned green, and I pulled off headed for the hotel.

“I know, what I meant was, say you’ll leave early with me.”

Desiree held her tongue for a moment. “I will.”

That was all I needed to know. Everything else I would take care of. When we arrived at the hotel, I opted to let the valet park instead of heading for the private entrance. Holding Desiree’s door open, I reached in to help her out. We strolled inside hand in hand and headed straight for the elevator. Desiree turned to me.

“I need to stop by the front desk and get a room.”

The elevator doors dinged, and I pulled her inside cuddling her to my chest.

“I’ve rented out the top floor, Bella. I have everything you require.”

Desiree shivered again, and I loosened my grip. It was becoming harder to keep my hands to myself. The doors closed and we moved towards the top floor.

“I’m sorry about Jasper.”

“Me too,” she said. Her downcast expression gripped me again. The doors dinged, and I slid my arm around Desiree’s shoulder as we walked to a suite two doors down from mine. I pulled out a key card and opened the door. Desiree stepped inside and turned to me.

“This is a master keycard,” I told her. “It will get you in anyone of these rooms on this floor including mine. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”

As much as I wanted to stay with her, I needed to give her the space she seemed adamant about receiving.

“Thanks,” she said. “For everything… You didn’t have to do any of it, and I’m grateful.”

Hearing this was a welcomed change from Desiree. It was painfully evident that she was independent by choice, and receiving help from others wasn’t high on her list of things to accept.

“Anytime, Bella… anytime.”

She offered me a small smile.

“Try to get some rest,” I said turning to walk away.

“Julian…”

I paused turning back to her inquisitively.

“Will you stay with me until Santana gets here?”

It had taken me two seconds to cross the threshold. The door closed behind me and latched with a snap.

“Come here,” I said grabbing her hand leading her to the balcony. I unlocked the double doors and we stepped outside. The air held a light breeze, and from our floor, we could see the city of Houston stretching around us. I pulled Desiree into my arms with her back flank against my chest and held her there. Her head rested against my throat, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Glancing at the skyline revealed a trail of stars that appeared to hover right above us.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen stars that close,” she said.

I chuckled. “I was just thinking the same thing.”

“There’s that saying about great minds ya know.”

“Riiiigght,” I drawled.

“So, tell me Julian, when you were growing up, did you always want to model?”

She was attempting to take her mind off Jasper. I was more than happy to help her do so.

“When I was younger, my brothers always messed with me about being in the mirror or wanting to take care of my appearance. In school, I was labeled a pretty boy and most likely to become a model. It was always the running joke that they couldn’t get enough of.”

“I guess the jokes on them,” she said.

I smirked. “Yeah, I’d say so.”

“Why did you decided to move to Houston, Desiree?”

She shrugged. “I needed a change of scenery I guess.”

“How old were you when you left?”

She inhaled a deep breath. “Twenty years old. I was full of inspiration and was determined to take the world by storm,” she chuckled.

“And did you?”

She glanced up at me questionably.

“Take the world by storm, I mean.”

Her lips twisted. “Not exactly.”

“What happened?”

“For starters, I was young. I had no idea what taking the world by storm would entail, but I soon found out it wasn’t easy or as fun as I thought it would be.”

“You spoke earlier about having a blueprint mapped out before moving here. Was your world domination included in those schematics?”

A saucy laugh found its way from her mouth, sounding like a soothing melody I could listen to over and over.

“Not exactly, well,” she said. “I thought it did at the time. It involved me getting a position at the Houston Report and writing breaking news stories that would make me one of the youngest top reporters in town. My mission was pretty simple. I’d only go after the biggest stories and be the first one to report on them. Sooner rather than later, I’d gain the attention from prestigious companies, and they’d all be vying for my attention.”

She laughed again.

“Boy was I naive, although I’ve gotten some pretty big stories wrapped. I’m in the same position today I started out in, and I’ve been with the Houston Report for what, six years.”

“And that’s why you want to leave.”

“That’s why I am leaving. This assignment will be my last.”

“You never know, it may be a blessing in disguise,” I said.

“Hmm, maybe, maybe not. Either way, I’m getting out of here before I end up in jail for strangling Fredrick.”

I tossed my head back and laughed.

“Did I say that out loud,” she asked with a grin on her face.

“Yeah you did. But don’t worry, your secrets safe with me.”

“Hmm, time will tell,” she said.

My arms grew tighter around her and the heat from our bodies wrapped us in a blanket of warmth. Desiree cleared her throat, and an overwhelming fever crawled down her skin onto mine. I didn’t know if I’d ever get used to the way my heart sped up or how my body reacted to her closeness. But it was becoming my new normal.

“I saw you on the news today,” Desiree said.

This brought another smile to my face.

“I think that reporter followed me to the barbeque joint. I remember seeing the news van behind me about a mile down the road. Then, while I was inside, they circled about three times before finally deciding to pull into the parking lot and wait for me to come outside.”

Desiree shook her head and laughed. “That sounds about right.”

I peered at her sideways. “Don’t tell me you’re stalking people for interviews, too.”

She shrugged. “It’s what has to be done to get the goods sometimes.”

“So, you’re stalking people, too?”

I released her and took a step back. “Maybe I chose the wrong person to do this piece after all. I mean, stalking is a form of crazy that I don’t—”

“I would never stalk you!” She cried, mortified.

I couldn’t contain my laughter for a second. I fell against the door with one arm thrown across my abs with my head held back in a howl. When Desiree realized I was kidding, she swatted me. Her petite hands landed what was supposed to be an assault on my chest.

“That is so not funny!”

I continued to laugh.

“You should’ve seen your face,” I said. “Girl, you looked like a deer caught in headlights.” My laughter grew, and she beat me some more, unable to keep her seriousness intact as laughter fled from her also.

I reached out and grabbed her swinging arms and tossed them around my neck sliding my arms around her waist. Still laughing, I bent down to accommodate her height and snuggled my face into her neck and shoulder. The move came naturally, and I didn’t refrain my lips from pressing against her face. With my mouth, I moved to her temples, forehead, then nose; hovering over her lips. Desiree didn’t put up a fight, so I moved in, needing to taste her mouth again. When the knock on the door came, she jumped and pulled back, but I held her in place not allowing her to escape. I pulled my lips between my teeth my eyes going from her mouth and back up again.

“That’s probably Santana,” she said.

The sultriness in her voice didn’t help her current situation, it only further riled me up. There was another knock and reluctantly, I pulled away. Desiree ran to the door like the devil was on her heels. But he was the least of her worries.