The older man’s face grew red as he sputtered, "Who do you think you are?"

  "I'm the man who loves her, and I’m not going to watch her kill herself trying to please you and fix a situation that's not her fault."

  "So, you're just going to fix it for her?"

  I curled then unfurled my fists, letting the anger course through me. I hoped I never got so defeated that I just gave up on everything, including my own daughter's happiness. "I would do anything just to see her smile. To remove any hurt or worry or pain from her eyes. I'd give my life to make that happen. So yes, since I have the means, I'm going to fix it. She's worth it."

  Her father staggered back. "I—I never meant..."

  "Save the apologies for your daughter. They're wasted on me."

  "I love my daughter."

  I chuckled. "If you say so."

  "I do. You wouldn't understand."

  I rounded on him. "I'll tell you what. If you love her, try being a father. Get yourself together. Sort yourself out. That’s what she needs, not platitudes you don’t mean. I'm giving you the means to pull up. Take it."

  "And if I don’t accept?"

  "You don't really have a choice. The counseling is a requisite of you getting any money. Silence is also a requisite."

  "She didn't know you were coming to do this?"

  I met a gaze I knew well. "Do we have a deal, Mr. Brooks?"

  We squared off for several minutes. Finally, Imani's father backed up. "We have a deal."

  Xander

  "You're not slick, you know."

  I took a sip of my wine as I studied Imani and my mother chatting away happily. Lex had taken a call, so that left Abbie free to interrogate me. "I'm not sure what you’re talking about, Abena."

  "And don’t think you can do that thing that you do with your brother. You can't just use my given name and make me back off."

  "Seriously, is this what having a sister is all about? Because I want a refund."

  She smacked my shoulder. "Shut up. I can see how much you love her."

  I gloomily stared into my wine glass. "Were you always this nosy? And I just didn’t see it before?"

  Abbie grinned. "Yep. You were too busy staring at my—"

  I sputtered. "Jesus, Abbie!"

  She blinked with mock innocence. “Pictures. What were you thinking?"

  Despite myself, I laughed. "My poor brother. He's doomed for an early grave with you."

  "Yeah, but he’ll be laughing the whole way, won’t he?"

  "Probably."

  She shifted from foot to foot before joining me on the window seat. "She has no clue what you did for her, does she?"

  Now it was my turn to pretend ignorance. "What do you mean?"

  "You're really going to lie to me?"

  "I think you seriously overestimate my brain’s capacity for intrigue. James Bond, I'm not."

  "Tell that to Alistair. And shit, tell it to Easton. I don’t think either of them will ever bother us again. Careful, Xander, or people are going to start thinking that you’re the good guy. You might even be a hero."

  "Bollocks. They'd be dead wrong. I'm a tosser. Completely."

  "Yeah, sure you are. You’re also the tosser who set up Imani’s sister so she'd be close by. And I suspect you're also behind her father suddenly turning over a new leaf that she was telling me about."

  I glanced down at my polished shoes. "I'm not that bloke, Abbie. You can try to make me out to be the good guy all you want. But that's just not who I am. Pub crawler, yes. Roguish photography professor, yes. I'm nothing more."

  She shook her head. "I don’t know why you like to pretend that you don’t have a soft heart, but I know you. It's too late now. Once I've seen that side of you, it's hard to unsee."

  I drained my glass and said the one thing likely to make her drop the subject. "So, you’re saying if I'd done a nude photography class first you wouldn't be able to unsee that?"

  Abbie sputtered and laughed. "Oh my God, you're impossible."

  I took a small bow. "Where have I heard that before?" Imani laughed at something, dragging my attention back to her.

  "My advice if you’re open to it… Tell her you love her. Don’t pretend with her. You deserve to be happy even if you don’t think so."

  Lex joined us and the lovebirds immediately intertwined their hands. "What are you two whispering about?"

  "Oh nothing, just how much Xander loves Imani and how she's already changing him for the better."

  Alexi raised his glass. "And they said it couldn't be done. Welcome to the dark side, brother."

  I liked it on this side. I liked how I felt about her. But I had to mitigate the lies I’d told, or they were going to kill me. I didn’t want to lie to her. But even more, I loved seeing her happy and carefree. I'd do anything to keep her like that.

  13

  Imani

  I wiped my sweaty hands on my robe. Relax, this is what you've been anticipating for months. You can do this.

  Three months ago, if anyone had told me I'd be the lead in this showcase and dating the hottest man I'd ever seen in my life, I'd have laughed. But this was it; I was so close to my dream. About to grasp it.

  Now if only I had some family out there. I shook my head and continued my pre-performance pep talk. I wasn’t going to worry about it. It didn’t matter that my father wasn’t there. Over the last week or so, he’d really been trying. He’d called to tell me he started an alcohol treatment program and he’d gotten another job. Facts Ebony verified.

  It was like overnight a switch had been flipped. I didn’t trust it. He’d disappointed me enough in the past that I was wary. But I was willing to believe in the possibility of change. He wasn’t thrilled that I was trying to move Ebony to London, but he was giving me less grief about it. So at least that was something.

  I didn't have the money to bring Ebony just for the weekend, so my sister couldn’t come either. Both Xander and Fe had offered to pay to fly her over, but I couldn’t justify the cost just for my show.

  I had friends, and they were my family now. And Xander, he would be out there. I smiled and slid a glance at the three dozen roses he'd had delivered. The first card had said break a leg. The second had pointed out all the places to shag in my dressing room. The final had detailed how he wanted to spread me out on the settee of my Fleet Street set and lick me until I begged for mercy.

  That man knew how to make me blush and laugh and, most frequently, throw things. He'd been acting strangely for a few days, but when I asked him about it, he said it was work with the trust. I couldn't figure out what was bugging him. He told me nothing was wrong when I asked, but clearly, he wasn't his seemingly carefree self. It was more of a feeling than anything else. In bed, we'd been just as connected as we always were when he made love to me.

  Even outside of the bedroom, things were good. We dated. When he had time, he met me after rehearsal to walk me home. When he couldn't, he made sure there was a car for me. We had dinner with Abbie and Lex and our friends. I was pretty relaxed, even though I knew we would eventually have to deal with Alistair and figure our shit out.

  We couldn’t just play house forever. We both had some shit to work out. But I enjoyed every minute together, not taking a second for granted. I still hadn’t told him how I felt about him, and I wouldn't be doing that anytime soon. He'd freak out and run.

  But I would tell him. Eventually. But I knew something was bothering him, and I just wished he would talk to me. He hadn’t had any more nightmares that I could tell, but he was off in some way. It was like he was trying too hard to keep something from me, though I hadn’t had time to work through it all in my head. I'd get to the bottom of it after the performances. For the time being, I still had to focus.

  There was a knock at my door, and I called out, "Come in."

  Fe and all his fabulousness sashayed in wearing a dark blazer, cashmere slacks and the loudest, brightest paisley shirt he could probably find. "Darling, you look smashing."

  I rolled my eyes and hugged him tight, careful not to rest my cheek with all the stage makeup against his clothes. "Thank you for coming."

  "Honestly. Where the fuck else was I going to be? You're my self-appointed little sistah."

  I laughed. "But it's appreciated all the same."

  "In that case, you’d better tear the roof off of this place, otherwise I’m disowning you."

  "Oh, I will, and good luck with that. I hang on, spider monkey style."

  "That’s my girl. Go on, tell me— Any jitters?"

  "Oh, you know, just the usual. Like there are hundreds of people out there who've come to see this, and I can’t remember a single line, and holy fuck, I’ll be naked on that stage."

  Fe grinned. "I don’t even like women, and I’m very excited about this proposition."

  I smacked him. "Fe!"

  He laughed and dodged another swat. "Relax, you'll be fine. You know this. You’re ready. And remember, your fiancée is in the audience with another bouquet of flowers. I believe in you, and he believes in you. And you've got Abbie and the whole crew out there. We're here for you. You’re not solitary Imani anymore. We are your family. You have this. I know this is a huge stretch for you, but you are incredible."

  I loved him. I could always count on him to keep my mind calm. "Thank you, Fe."

  "What are best friends for? Now, there’s a very hot man out there dying to kiss you good luck. Can I send him back?"

  My heart tripped into an immediate gallop. "Yeah, of course." The moment I saw him, I grinned. "I thought you were working late."

  He raised a brow. "I lied. There was something I had to do. But there was no way I was going to miss this."

  He wrapped his arms around me, and I finally relaxed. He was here. That was all that mattered. "What were you doing?"

  “I’ll tell you in a second, but first, a kiss.”

  One kiss from him and I’d relax… after he made me come half a dozen times. “Oh no you don’t. I know all about your kisses. I’ll be on the floor with my legs in the air before I know what’s happened.”

  The Xander smile was in full effect. “C’mon, I’ll be quick.”

  Laughing, I nuzzled him with my nose. “No dice. Besides, I’m all made up. I’ll take a rain check for after, though.”

  He made a pouty face but tugged me close and kissed the end of my nose. “Since you won’t let me have any fun, I have a surprise for you. Though I can’t take full credit. This one is from both Fe and me.”

  “What is it?”

  “Come on in,” he called.

  When the door opened, I held my breath, not sure what was happening. Ebony poked her head in. “Everybody decent? Fe warned me about the both of you.”

  Butterflies danced in my belly as my brain tried to reconcile what I was hearing with the truth I knew. “Ebony? What? How?”

  My sister grinned. “You’ve been withholding, big sister. You should have mentioned your boyfriend had a private jet.”

  I turned on Xander. “You did this?”

  He held his hands up. “Before you get all huffy, just know that Fe and I weren’t going to let you go on stage without your sister and your dad.”

  I turned back to my sister. “Dad’s here too?”

  Ebony nodded. “Yeah, he’s in the audience, but I couldn’t wait to see you. Besides, I didn’t want to take the chance you’d see us in the audience and forget your lines or something.”

  “That’s a totally good call because I would have.” I turned to Xander. “You shouldn’t have.”

  “Woman, for once, just smile and say thank you. You can yell at Fe and me later. I just want you to be happy.”

  God, I loved him. “Thank you. You don't even know what this means. Ebs, how long are you staying?”

  My sister slid Xander a glance. “Don't be mad at him. But I have an exam on Monday, so I have to go right back. We’re leaving after the show.”

  “What? But that’s not even fair. We have so much to talk about.”

  “I know, but at least I get to see you. And there’s more good news.”

  I didn't think I could take any more. “What?”

  “I got a call from Briarwood. I’ve gotten a special scholarship that will allow me to board. Full ride.”

  “Are you shitting me?”

  “Nope. London is calling. Woot!”

  I hugged my sister tight. “This is the best news in the world. We’re going to have so much fun.”

  “I know it.”

  There was another knock at my door. "Call time, five minutes."

  I didn’t want them to go, but I had work to do. "Be right there."

  I hugged my sister again and Ebony left me and Xander alone. He kissed me soundly, his lips crushing mine. His tongue slipped into my waiting mouth with sure strokes, and I immediately forgot to be nervous. All I felt was electricity, and energy, and humming need. He pulled back, panting, and his lips were covered in my red lipstick.

  "I’ll get out of your hair. I just wanted to tell you one thing."

  He had something else to tell me besides how much he wanted me? "Oh yeah, what's that?"

  "I'm proud of you."

  "Thank you, Xander."

  "You have no reason to be nervous because you’re going to kill it. I fell in love with you the moment you slipped into character, and the rest of the audience will too." He then kissed me on the forehead and walked out.

  My knees wobbled, and I braced a hand on my chair to steady myself. That idiot had love-bombed me and run.

  14

  Imani

  So this was what freedom and happiness felt like. Excitement coursed through my veins as giddy happiness skipped along my synapses. There was nothing like the high from a performance. The audience had given me a standing ovation. Me. Holy hell. Charles had been yammering about how I needed to gear myself up because I'd be too busy to even think over the next few months.

  With the music Jasper was spinning blasting out of every speaker and my new friends all dancing and laughing, I felt alive. At the bar, Xander spoke to Alexi, laughing at something his brother said. Suddenly he looked up and caught my eye. The grin he gave me was wide and unguarded. I finished my drink and leaned over to Fe. "Listen, I'm going to try to drag my boyfriend out of here for some wild sex. You okay here?"

  Fe whooped. "It's about fucking time. Go shag your brains out, miss theater star."

  I laughed and took a gulp of Fe’s drink. Since the crowd consisted of the cast and crew and our friends, people made room for me easily. When I reached the two Chase brothers, my stomach gave a hint of a flutter. "Excuse me, Alexi, but if you don't mind, I'd like to drag my boyfriend off for a shag."

  Xander sputtered, spraying his drink. Alexi's laugh cracked through the air like a whip. "Finally, a woman who knows how to take my brother well in hand. You two kids have fun."

  I reached for Xander's hand and threaded my fingers though his. "You ready to get out of here?"

  His lips turned up at the corners in that slight smile that drove me nuts with desire. "You realize you’d be running from your own party, right?"

  I nodded. "There's something else I'd rather be doing right now."

  "I'm not daft enough to argue with a beautiful woman. Let’s go home."

  That’s where my plan tilted on its rails a little. I had no intention of going home. I wanted to be adventurous with him. Wanted to be spontaneous. "Who said anything about wanting to go home?"

  Xander cocked his head as if needing clarification. But his eyes had darkened to almost black. He knew exactly what I wanted. "Imani." The way he said my name sent a shiver through me. It held promise of seduction and fun and satisfaction. But he still seemed hesitant when he leaned in to whisper close to my ear. "All your friends are here. And this is a very public place."

  "I don’t care. For once I want to throw a little caution to the wind."

  His gaze dipped to my lips, and I could feel the rumble of his chest against mine.

  “I don't want the possibility of anyone interrupting us. I want you all to myself."

  How could I possibly convey what I wanted? The alcohol was fuzzing my brain just a little, and I inhaled deeply to try to clear it so I could make him understand. "I want you. I want you to see me as sexy and spontaneous and adventurous. You've had—" I cut myself off and tried for better words. "I want to try something different. Give you something. You've implanted me into this fairy tale for weeks now, and I just want to show you how that makes me feel." Fuck, I was getting this wrong. "You've had a lot of women, and I know you—"

  He pressed his thumb to my lips when he lifted his hand to caress my face. "Would you stop? One woman or a hundred—not a single one has come close to making me feel what I feel with you. I don’t need you to try to be anything else. All I want is you. However you'll have me."

  I tilted my chin up. "And if I said I wanted you now? And it turned me on to sneak off with you? I want you so hot for me that you can’t be in control."

  Xander

  I was a coward, and I knew it. After I'd dropped my love bomb, I'd retreated quickly to the safety of the front row to avoid her response. If she didn’t love me back, I didn’t want to know, at least not right away. I wanted to pretend for the rest of the night. And if she did love me, well, then I'd feel even guiltier for not telling her I'd gone to see her father.

  But it was hard to think about anything as Imani danced in front of me. My semi-erect cock went instantly rock hard when she ground her ass into me. Fuck. Just thinking about my fingers slipping through her wet sex made me throb.

  The throng of people dancing around us and the knowledge in her eyes of what she was doing to me made me even hotter. We were in plain sight, but I loved feeling like that with her. Knowing that I could make her so needy she forgot who she was, where she was.