“Sam, right?” Nick held out his hand. The other guy stared at it before shaking it, reluctantly. “I’m Nick Alexander—”
“I know who you are,” the big guy said, interrupting him. “I hope you have a plan. Because this is getting ugly.”
Nick sighed. “I have a plan, but Raina probably isn’t going to like it.”
Sam moved aside. “Anything is better than this.”
Nick walked across the stage until he stood next to Raina. “Okay, folks. Sorry I’m late.”
He was glad he’d come straight from work. If he was going to be photographed, at least he knew he looked good.
Armani didn’t have a bad side.
The crowd quieted for a moment, then flashbulbs started popping again. Nick wasn’t famous like Jackson, but he was well-known in Virginia as both a businessman and a philanthropist. He’d been named as one of the Virginia Chronicle’s most eligible bachelors for the past three years in a row.
“Mr. Alexander! Mr. Alexander! Is your family going to be involved in the reality show now that your siblings are engaged?”
“Nick. What are you doing up here?” Raina whispered. Her voice came out husky. Nick couldn’t help comparing it to the last time it had sounded like that. The night they’d spent together was as fresh in his mind as if it had happened yesterday instead of months ago. She’d cried out his name so many times she’d gone hoarse. Her voice had sounded much as it did now.
He straightened his tie and flashed the crowd a grin. “Whatever I say in the next few minutes, just go with it,” he whispered back.
Raina tensed when he slid his arm around her waist and pulled her to his side. He turned to the photographer who’d yelled the question.
“Actually, I’m just here to support Raina. You kept asking her about her fiancé, so I figured we might as well not try to hide it any longer. Right, baby?”
As flashbulbs exploded around them, Nick could hear people calling out questions but it was all a blur. All he could see was Raina’s confused expression as he dipped his head to whisper in her ear.
“We might as well give them something to talk about.”
Then he yanked her against him and covered her lips with his.
* * * * *
“WHAT THE HELL was that?”
As soon as they were in his car, Raina whipped around in her seat to face him. Nick didn’t even look disturbed, just put the car in gear and pulled away from the restaurant.
“Thank you, Nick, for saving my pretty ass back there. That was such a selfless and kind thing for you to do,” Nick parroted in a high, feminine voice.
“Thank you? You want me to thank you for lying to everyone that we’re engaged?”
“Ridley told me what happened. That crowd wanted a story and they were going to keep digging until they got one. I figured if we just gave them what they wanted, maybe they wouldn’t keep pushing. Although I’m not entirely sure it worked.”
“Ridley told you what happened?”
“Well, she only told me that you were having a rough time. And that your engagement is off.”
“I can’t believe she did that. I told her that in confidence.” Incensed, Raina couldn’t even think of anything else to say. She’d never held anything back from her sister. It wouldn’t even occur to her not to tell Ridley something. But she’d never had to worry about her sister blabbing her business before.
It felt like she’d been slugged in the stomach.
“Don’t look like that. She didn’t mean to. I found one of those brochures for the sperm bank and I thought it was hers and Jackson’s. After an incredibly awkward conversation in which I offered to be their sperm donor, she might have let a few things slip. Although, you can’t really blame her. She was probably just flustered. I think I’m permanently scarred by that conversation, too.”
Raina tried not to smile. She was still pissed at him and was determined not to let him joke his way out of it. “Oh, well. Good. I mean, it’s really none of your business.”
“You’re right. It isn’t. But that doesn’t mean I don’t still want to know if you’re okay.”
Raina didn’t answer, just looked out the window as they raced along the streets and then pulled out onto the highway.
“Wait, where are you going? Town is the other way.”
“I’m not taking you back to town. I’m taking you to my place in Virginia Beach. Just hang tight—we’ll be there in about thirty minutes.”
“Are you crazy? First you take over my press conference. Now you’re kidnapping me?”
“You want to go back to your house right now with all those vultures watching?”
“I have to at least let Sam know where I am.”
Nick frowned. “Oh yes, you can’t make a move without letting your loyal watchdog know where you are. Will he be jealous?”
“Don’t be an ass. It isn’t like that with us. I’m his boss.”
“Hey, I’ll let you be on top if that’s the way you like it.”
“Ugh, you are such a pig.” She turned her back to him and typed out a text to Sam. He immediately replied.
- - - Where the hell are you? Tell Alexander I’m going to kick his ass.
Raina rolled her eyes. She was surrounded by machismo. Although, she figured Sam did have a point. His livelihood was keeping her safe and she paid him very well to make sure that nothing happened to her. Jumping in a car with a guy she wasn’t even sure she liked probably wasn’t the best move.