Page 110 of Nathan
I tried to count heads but gave up. “I’ll never understand people’s fascination with celebrities. Why do so many people care who you date or don’t date?”
Serena propped herself up on her elbow and watched me with a worried expression.
“What’s wrong?” I asked and crawled up to sit next to her. “Why do you look so concerned? Are you afraid they’ll hurt us?”
“You want the truth?”
“Of course.”
“I’m scared they’re going to drive you away.”
“Who, those people down there?”
“Them and all the others.”
I shook my head. “Maybe I need to make love to you one more time for you to get how much I want you.”
Serena remained serious. “Maybe they won’t drive you away today or tomorrow, but eventually...”
“No way. We said that we weren’t going to let the outside pressure come between us. I’ve told you I love you.”
Serena still didn’t look convinced. “Relationships are hard enough, but when you add this sort of craziness to the mix, couples fall apart quickly. I see it all the time, and I’m terrified that you’ll get enough and leave me.”
I drew in a deep breath, trying to find the right words to reassure her. “It’s been three weeks of mental pressure, and I’m still here. Doesn’t that tell you something?”
“Yeah, but what happens when some stalker makes our lives miserable?”
“I’ll be there to protect you from danger.”
“I know, but what about the constant rumors that the magazines will undoubtedly create to sell papers? As soon as we confirm that we’re a couple, it’s just a matter of time before they’ll claim that I’m having an affair or you are. You saw how they blew up my hugs with Justin. If we marry, they’ll publish pictures of me walking into a random building and write that I was spotted meeting up with a divorce lawyer when I wasn’t. They fabricate lies to create drama. You don’t know the mind games they play, Nathan.”
I crossed my arms. “Actually, I’m somewhat of an expert in spotting mind games. Conor O’Brien was a raging psychopath, but he was also a masterful teacher. While he lived, he taught me to excel academically, and with all the therapy I’ve had after he died, I’ve gained a clearer perspective on my childhood. Growing up with Conor has definitely taught me to be critical and spot people’s mind games. He used every trick in the psychopath’s book on manipulation, from gaslighting to mental abuse. As I see it, those gossip magazines are run by people like him who are capitalizing on other people’s misery. I understand that better than anyone.”
“You think of the press as psychopaths?”
I leaned my head back against the upholstered headboard. “Not the press in general. That journalist who wrote the article in theNew York Timeskept to facts and did some solid research. I would never put him and his serious colleagues in the same boat with sensationalist journalists who outright lie and feel zero guilt about destroying people for a profit.”
“The vultures.” Serena moved over to place her head in my lap and I stroked my fingers through her soft curls. “There are actors who live on a farm away from all the drama. I’ve been thinking about doing that… well, maybe not a farm, but somewhere normal.”
“What about Britain? There are English actors who have their base in England and still do Hollywood productions, aren’t there?”
“I suppose so.” She looked up at me. “I’ve always wanted to do a West End show, but I’ve been too busy acting in movies.”
“You want to return to the theater?”
“I loved being on Broadway. It’s where I have my roots. It’s just that movies pay so much better.”
“River lives in London. I would happily move there if it means you and I can be together.”
“I don’t know. London sounds nice, but I don’t want to give up on making movies entirely, and that means I’ll travel to locations around the world, or I’ll need to be in LA to do studio work.”
My hands slid down her collarbone and under the fabric of her chemise to knead her breasts. “I don’t care where we live as long as you let me play with these at night.”
Serena laughed and reached her hands up to caress my face. “But what about your business in Dublin?”
“I’m not involved daily, it’s more like an investment.”
“Then what do you want to do with your time?”
