Page 120 of Starcrossed Colorado

“Baby.” I kissed her on the nose. “Sounds like you’re still trying to blame yourself, and I won’t have that. Maybe it’s a good thing that you ran from me.” I couldn’t believe I was saying that, but I was pretty sure it was true. “Because it made me realize that I can’t live without you. I don’t mind chasing you. It’s worth it if I get to have you. You’re worth it.”

I didn’t mention the fact that she was still supposed to leave for her music program in a few weeks, assuming she got off that waitlist. After what had happened, I was more determined than ever that she get everything she wanted. Those music schools would be beyond stupid if they didn’t see her worth.

I could’ve sat there for hours, just basking in her glow, but Emma asked, “Will you tell me what happened with Ayla?”

“She showed up last night on my doorstep.”

“Does the media know? I’ve been trying to stay offline.”

If only I had been doing the same. But I was glad she hadn’t been subjected to all the rampant speculation that was going around. “Nobody knows yet except for you and my siblings. And Maisie, obviously. She and Ayla met this morning. She was excited to meet a celebrity. Especially when Ayla sang her latest hit. A personal concert for Maisie’s dolls and stuffed animals.”

“Oh, bringing out the big guns.”

I chuckled. “There’s no way the rest of us could compete with that. Except maybe you, when you play for us. You’re every bit as good a musician as her. Probably better.”

Emma poked me in the ribs, her face turning crimson. “That is so not true. Not even close.”

“I’m not entitled to my opinion? It’s you and the Beatles. With music, I only go for the very best.”

She laughed, tucking her face against my chest. “Go on. How did Ayla convince you to let her stay?”

I recounted what Ayla had told me. How she and Lori had reconnected. The secrets Lori had shared with her sister. “She suspected me of doing something to hurt Lori. Apparently that’s why Ayla wouldn’t tell me anything. And when she finally decided to reach out…”

“You didn’t want anything to do with her.”

“Exactly.”

“You trust the private investigator she hired? Maybe you or the local police could find thisLperson Lori was seeing.”

“It’s hard to say.” I had been racking my brain ever since Ayla had told me those details. I had also passed on the new info to Teller and Sheriff Douglas. But the file on Lori’s death had been closed for years now, and it wasn’t easy to reopen it.

Besides, the investigation into Lori’s death wasn’t even our most pressing concern. Not by a long shot.

“I need to get rid of the paparazzi that’s hanging around in Silver Ridge. If they get wind of the fact that Ayla is there, it’s going to get a hundred times worse.”

She nodded, sighing. “Do you need to head back?”

“Soon. But you’re coming with me. I’ll sneak you back into the Big Blue Monster.”

“I was thinking I’d stay on Dixie’s couch. If I go home with you, won’t it draw more attention?”

“Does that really matter at this point? I want you to be comfortable with this, but I also need you with me, and that’s not negotiable. Any reporter who messes with you had better watch out. But if they help spread the word that you’re mine? I don’t have a problem with that.”

She tilted her head to kiss me. I pressed her into the pillows, letting my weight rest partly on top of her. Just enough so that I could feel her beneath me.

“This bed was very cold and lonely the past two nights,” she said.

If I had actually slept in mine, it would’ve felt the same.

I kissed her more deeply, getting lost in the sweetness of her mouth as my tongue stroked inside.

She loved me. I hadn’t even had the time to relish that fact. I wanted to make love to her right now, knowing that we both felt the same. My cock firmed up as I imagined it. And she certainly seemed willing. She whimpered, her legs lifting to cinch around my hips.

Reluctantly, I turned down the heat on our kisses. “I would love to spend the rest of the afternoon in this bed with you. But I need to go back downstairs and properly introduce myself to your family.”

“You don’t have to. Uncle Aiden will be fine.”

“No, this is important.” Aiden had been trying to take care of her. He’d also served, and given the fact that we were around the same age, our time in the Army had probably overlapped. I needed a do-over on that first impression. Because I intended to be a part of Emma’s life and I wanted her family to know it.

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