“I’m her security. I’m always around.” I am trying to keep calm but I can’t stand that all this asshole wants to do is point fingers at me.

“I didn’t know she was working today. Seems like an odd place for a job, don’t you think?” He is assessing the flower now, taking a picture and then placing it in a clear Ziploc bag.

“How about you just do your fucking job and stop worrying about me and mine.”

The detective comes closer, his face only inches from mine as I angle Sam away from him. “I have a feeling that those two things are intertwining and I’m going to prove it.”

I want to smash his fucking face in but I hold onto the little restraint I have left. He begins to ask us questions about why we are here, what we were doing, and how we found the rose. Sam is visibly shaken and detective dickhead isn’t making this shit any easier.

“I think that’s enough for now.” I grab Sam’s hand and lead her toward my car. I can hear the asshole objecting but I just don’t give a shit. Sam is quiet the entire ride back to my house. It’s the first time she is coming here and I hate that it’s tainted by the psycho who is obsessed with her. I try to pretend like it doesn’t affect me when this shit happens but I’m scared.

Scared something will happen to her.

Scared I won’t be able to save her.

Scared that I’ll lose her.

I turn the car off once we are in my driveway. When I walk around to get Sam, she looks up at me. She looks broken. I slip my arm under her legs and the other around her back, lifting her out of the car. As I slowly walk up the steps, I place a kiss on her forehead. Once inside, I carry her upstairs to the bedroom. I can tell she is exhausted from everything and I think what she needs right now more than anything is some rest. I lay her down on the bed and she pulls the blankets up to her face. I sit there with her, providing the support and comfort I know she needs.

After a few minutes, she falls asleep and I walk over to the bathroom. I need a shower to wash this day and the memory of that damn rose away. That damn detective is probably too focused on me to even look at anyone else. The guy could be hiding right under our noses and he wouldn’t give a shit. I don’t get what the hell I did to land on his radar but its bullshit.

I step into the glass shower, letting the hot water run over me. My hands are pressed against the wall in front of me. I can’t believe this girl has crawled under my skin in such a short amount of time. I never imagined when I chose her that night that we would be where we are now. She consumes my every thought, my every decision. Love was not something I ever considered. It was nothing that I wanted. I still don’t know if it is.

When I open my eyes I jump; Sam is standing right in front of me, naked. Her arms wrap around my middle like she is holding on for her life.

“I woke up and you were gone.”

I take a deep breath and hold her close to me. “I’m here.” We stand there like that for the longest time before I loosen my grip, grabbing the soap and slowly  rubbing circles of it on her back. Once I’m done, I pull away from her and continue my path. I wash every single inch of her; the entire time she doesn’t let go of me.

When I’m done, I look into her eyes. “I will take care of you, Samantha Baker. I will protect you with my life. You are mine and no one will come near you.”

She leans up and kisses me, pouring her need into me. Letting me know what she wants from me. I pull away from her, not wanting to push her. Not knowing if she can handle this right now.

“Make love to me, Hunter.”

I still. Make love to her.

Every instinct in me wants to run.

The weight of her words seems to be crushing me.

Love.

Chapter Seventeen

Samantha

I need him right now. I need him to calm all the fears running through me. I need him to tell me that it will be okay. I need him to love me the way that I love him.

I can see the fight or flight instinct all over him. He is deciding on whether or not to run, to leave me here. I don’t know what I would do if he did. I’m sure my mother has heard by now; do you think she would call? Nope.

Hunter reaches around me, turning off the water.  I want to question him but I don’t. I’m hesitant to say anything. I feel like I might have scared him off with my request. He steps out of the shower and returns with a towel. He runs it over my body, drying all of the excess water without a sound. He throws the towel on the floor before turning back toward me.

I search his eyes for some clue to what he is feeling, what his plans are. But I find nothing. I want to run out of the room and hide from embarrassment. Hunter wraps his arms around me, lifting me up and I instinctively wrap my legs around him. We walk silently out of the bathroom until we are standing in front of the bed. I run my hand through his hair, trying to provide reassurance for him that I’m not going anywhere. That he won’t lose me. His mouth presses against mine as he lowers me to the bed.

“Samantha Baker, the way you make me feel scares the shit out of me. It makes me want to run. I have told myself for years that I wouldn’t let anyone in, that no one was worth the pain of possibly losing someone I loved again. You proved me wrong. You are worth it.” He pauses and I feel like he wants to say it.

“I love you, Hunter Stone.”

His eyes widen at my admission and his body once again stills. I hope my confession wasn’t a mistake, that I won’t regret what I just said to him. I break our eye contact, hoping to mask the hurt that is lingering beneath the surface. He lowers himself to me, kissing me with such intensity that it takes my breath away. When he pushes inside of me, I gasp. He moves slowly in and out of me. His eyes focus on mine and seem to say everything that he can’t. I can see the love in his eyes. I can feel it in the way that he is with me right now.

Hunter may not be ready to tell me he loves me.

Right now, he is showing me.

***

I wake up in the morning and for a minute, panic at my unfamiliar surroundings. When I remember coming to Hunter’s house I relax. He isn’t next to me anymore. After we made love last night, he held me in his arms until I fell asleep. He hadn’t said a word after I told him I loved him. I would be lying if I said it didn’t hurt, and that I wasn’t disappointed. His actions showed me how he felt but I wanted to hear it. Sometimes I think that maybe we just have a physical connection, maybe there is nothing more to it. That’s when I remember all the times he has been there for me without the promise of sex. The way he has comforted my fears and insecurities.

I grab one of his shirts from his drawer and slip it on, then go in search of him. I find him in the kitchen making a fresh cup of coffee and doing something on the computer. “Hey.” That’s all I could come up with. I don’t know how his demeanor will be. If last night changed things.

He looks up at me and smiles before walking around the counter. His arms wrap around me and I lean against him, enjoying this simple moment in my chaotic life. Then the doorbell rings. It was nice while it lasted.

“I’ll go get it,” he says before walking out of the kitchen. “Sam, it was Joe and he said you have a meeting in an hour.” I groan, not wanting to deal with life today. The meeting is with my entire team and I’m sure the stalker and Hunter will be the main topics of discussion.

“Okay. I’ll go get ready.”

We make our way to the meeting and I’m nervous. I really don’t feel like defending my relationship or rehashing the craziness that my life has turned into. Hunter’s hand is in mine and I feel like he can sense my uneasiness. We pull up to the building and take the elevator up to my label’s floor. Sitting around the meeting table are my mother, my publicist, my producers, and my record label rep. Every eye is trained on Hunter and me as we sit down. I feel like a damn zoo exhibit.