Page 33 of Home Coming

“How do you feel about Axel being seen leaving a club and getting into a limo with two women last night?”

Bailey winced at each question lobbed at her, pulling herself in until her shoulders were by her ears in an effort to disappear. Hide. Make herself a smaller target.

In contrast, Quinn seemed to expand in the face of the confrontation. Growing larger as he appeared to be immune to the din from the crowd.

Like a football player heading for the end zone, he cut a path forward. With one hand out in front while the other gripped her arm tight, he pulled her, making slow but steady progress toward the car.

She could see his determined and impossibly calm, intensely focused expression didn’t waver as he kept glancing back occasionally to check on her. Then one reporter reached out and grabbed her arm and Quinn’s demeanor changed.

He yanked her close with a force that had her crashing into his hard body. He held her tight against his side, his arm around her as he put himself between her and the photographer.

In a deep, low voice Quinn leaned in toward the photographer and said, “Touch her again and you’ll regret it.”

She felt his growled words vibrate through her.

The photographer must have felt the truth of Quinn’s threat as well. He took one step back, but the encounter caused an increased flurry of shutters snapping. By tomorrow—forget that, probably by tonight—Quinn’stouch her and dieexpression was going to be plastered across every media outlet.

Given the number of paparazzi here, they’d be lucky if the story was contained to just the tabloids and they didn’t end up in the traditional press.

What would Quinn think then?

The wholeBailquinnthing had been bad enough, but he’d seemed to roll with that just fine, brushing it off like it was all ridiculous. But that was when it was confined to comments on social media.

Would he feel the same when his name and picture was onPage Six, the infamous, world renowned, celebrity gossip column of theNew York Post? Or worse, on TV onEntertainment TonightorTMZ?

As he dragged her toward the car, she supposed they’d soon find out.

CHAPTERTWELVE

“Is it always like that for you? With the paparazzi?” Quinn asked.

It took Bailey a second to digest the question. The fact that Quinn was currently sitting in the living room of her apartment devouring some Chow Fun was so surreal that it made it hard to concentrate.

Of course he’d only sat down to finally eat after he’d checked and secured every window and the door. That included literally nailing the windows shut. Her expressed concern over the nail holes and her security deposit had earned her two raised brows and a growledfuck the landlordfrom Quinn.

“It wasn’t before Axel. I mean yeah, I had tons of followers on TikTok and Insta, but they were online. They didn’t literally follow me around…until I was first seen with Axel.”

“Then it was game on?”

She nodded.

Quinn let out a snort. “I googled him. Doesn’t seem like he was worth all that trouble.”

“Uh, thanks? I guess.”

His gaze met hers. “I mean you can do better.”

“Says you. Quinn, girls like me don’t end up with guys like Axel.”

“Well, for one, you did. And two, why not?”

Bailey snorted. “Quinn. Look at me.”

He shook his head and shrugged, still looking confused.

“I’m not a size two,” she elaborated.

And she wouldn’t be one anytime soon since she’d downed half an order of dumplings in spicy peanut sauce, one egg roll and had now moved on to her entree.

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