Page 30 of Nothing to No One

Except when he offered the phone, hesitation lingered. “I shouldn’t—we shouldn’t. I’m not your responsibility and—”

“I got you into this mess, didn’t I?” They got into it together. In that basement. In the dark. Alone. “Trust me, Fawn, please.”

That was what scared her. She did trust him. Misguided or not, she did. The instinct that pulled them together the night they met still magnetized them. While that was at work, trying to resist him was pointless.

Taking the phone, she did as asked and handed it back. “Maybe I’m an idiot, but I do. I do trust you, Struan.”

Exploring him as he scrutinized her, their need held them together. She didn’t want to walk away. In all of this, it was only with him she felt safe.

“The energy…” he said, showing his own vulnerability. “It only happens with you, Fawn.”

She could argue. Tell him that he was attractive and plenty of women would desire… except she couldn’t. His twin shared his face; looks meant nothing. She’d never felt anything in Roman’s company, not like the power fizzing around this guy.

“I have to…” Gesture, she should gesture, but damn, she didn’t want to walk away. “Will I see you later?”

“Guarantee it.”

ELEVEN

“I KNOW THIS IS A LOT.”

Mieux’s voice stole her awareness from… somewhere. Who was she kidding? Only one thing played on her mind. One man.

“Yeah.”

In the provided car, on their way to work, she needed something normal to invest herself in or this would consume her.

“Brooker will do what they can to keep you safe, keep you comfortable.”

“Except Roman’s paying for it, right?”

“Yes,” Mieux said with enough confusion to draw her eye. “Why wouldn’t you trust your boyfriend wants the best for you?”

Right, her boyfriend. That again.

“I’m not accustomed to this, any of this, it’s… exhausting.”

“I can imagine. If there’s anything you need or concerns, don’t worry about bringing them to me. It’s my job to look after you.”

“It’s like stepping into a movie halfway through,” she said, shifting to lose some of her slouch. “Listening to you and Struan… There’s this whole world of… so many names, and people, and alliances. I don’t belong in this.”

“Being with Roman, there are only two names you need to know. Magnus Anders and Struan Lowe. They’re Roman’s closest confidantes. They’ll never steer you wrong. They care about what he cares about.”

Except Roman didn’t give a crap about her.

“You have an unusual name. Do you spell it M-E-W?”

That was how it was said.

“It’s French, M-I-E-U-X.”

“Makes you stand out.”

“Which isn’t always a good thing.” The assistant unlocked her tablet again. “Do you want to go through some of these interview and appearance requests? I don’t have to send any hard yeses or nos right now, but it would be good for me to know your gut reactions to them.”

“Why?”

“Because at some point, if you don’t do it, someone else will tell me to approve or reject each of these requests. I can only argue your side if I know what it is.”

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