Page 118 of Love In Hiding

“I’m scared too,” she whispered. “Scared of pissing you off again.”

“It’s going to happen.”

“Yep, it will. But now that I know you love me, I know you’ll make sure we work it out.”

He laughed, framed her cheeks with his hands, his lips landing on hers. “You’re the pro at fixing problems. It’s not about me making sure we work it out.”

“It’s about us,” she corrected.

She turned when she heard clapping. “Thank God,” Paris said. “If I’m going to get woken up this early after a long flight, at least it’s a make-up scene. Just go back to Spencer’s if you’re taking it into the bedroom.”

“You heard her,” she said. “Let’s go back to your place.”

“So I can shower and change,” he said. “Then we’ll come back and I can take you both to lunch. Maybe I need to let your sister know I’m not going to send London back here wound up again so that you keep her up with our problems.”

“I’d appreciate that,” Paris said. “Not that I won’t be here for my sister.”

Paris turned and went back to her room, shutting the door. “Thanks,” she said.

“I know she’s there for you. And I hope you know I’ll be there too.”

“I do know that. And I hope you let me be there for you now too.”

He pulled her close, his lips landing on hers. “I do.”

33

DEFENDED YOU

“Well, well,” Noelle said on Monday morning, setting her laptop on the conference table. “I saw pictures of the event West was at on Saturday night.”

Spencer lifted his eyes from his email. Braylon would be in soon along with a few other staff members for their weekly meeting.

“That’s nice,” he said.

“I wasn’t that surprised to see you there. Or even London for that matter,” Noelle said.

“Then what was the comment about?”

“It was the way you had your arm around London,” Noelle said, moving closer. “Did you see this picture?”

He’d seen several pictures of that night. There was one where his arm was around her waist, her leaning close into his ear. Before Ryker came over.

Before their fight.

It was even before West arrived.

What should have been a great night for them turned into one of his worst.

The only good results were the next day when he finally convinced himself that he could be open with the woman he loved.

He could be honest.

He could be raw.

He was accepting her and she did the same of him.

He hadn’t needed his mother to tell him what he already knew. But maybe he needed a reminder of it.