Page 75 of Fake It For Glory

MERIDA

Taking Jensen’s hand, I led him out of the bustling tech conference and outside to the waiting limo. There were a few photographers waiting to get his picture. He waved but kept moving. I heard my name shouted a few times. They were asking about the Reid situation. Hattie told me not to answer any questions. Anything I said could be twisted and the viral video of me yelling at Reid would gain more traction. A little publicity was fine, but I couldn’t dominate the headlines and take away from Jensen’s tech launch.

As we settled into the plush leather seats, Jensen turned to me, his dark eyes intense. “You handled that like a pro.”

“Hattie told me to keep my head down and keep moving,” I said, laughing. “I have no intention of being the star of another viral video.”

Jensen chuckled and his hand found its way to my thigh, his thumb idly tracing circles on the fabric of my dress. “You always know how to handle things,” he said, his voice low and smoky. “That’s why I need you by my side.”

I felt a thrill run through me at his words, my body responding to his touch. I leaned in closer to him, my lips brushing against his ear. “And what else do you need me for?” I whispered, my hand sliding up his thigh.

Jensen’s breath caught in his throat, his eyes darkening with desire. “Everything,” he said.

I laughed and gently pulled his hand from my thigh. It was easy for us to get distracted. Tonight was not about that.

“How are you feeling?” I asked him.

“Good,” he said, nodding. “It wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be.”

“You seemed very relaxed,” I told him. “I think the crowd really appreciated you talking in a way everyone could understand. It was good.”

“Did you see any of it?”

“All of it,” I replied with a bright smile.

Jensen leaned in and pressed his lips against mine, the kiss deepening as he pulled me closer to him. I felt his hand slide up my thigh again, his touch sending shivers through me. I was about to lose myself in the moment when a knock on the car window interrupted us.

Jensen pulled back with a sigh, his hand still resting on my thigh. I turned to see Hattie standing outside the car.

“You need to get going,” she said, her eyes flickering between us and jerking her head toward the cameramen all clamoring to get a picture of us getting hot and heavy. Unlike the limo back home, this one didn’t have the blackout windows.

The driver pulled away, having to stop every few feet as people took pictures, waved, and shouted at Jensen. I kept my head down.

The throngs of people all wanting to talk to him and the buzzing excitement were exhilarating, but I wanted to create a different kind of memory for us tonight. One where we could just be ourselves, without the pressures and expectations of the tech world. I wanted Jensen to unplug. The tech conference was the last stop on our international tour. We flew home tomorrow. Before we did and he had to hit the ground running again, I wanted him to have some peace and quiet.

“We’re going to my room,” I said. “After the interruption last night, I think it’s safer.”

Unfortunately, an employee at the hotel had given up Jensen’s room number. A few fans managed to get by security and knocked on the door. There were people congregating outside the hotel as well.

Jensen sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t think we’ll be able to get in without drawing attention to ourselves,” he said. “Let me call Hattie. She’ll get security to take us in through the kitchen.”

“You do that a lot?”

He nodded as he held his phone to his ear. When we got to the hotel, we were driven around to the delivery entrance. I felt like a rock star as security quickly rushed us in through the kitchen. Once inside, we used the employee hallway to the stairs up to our floor. I was laughing and a little out of breath as we walked down the hallway.

“That was crazy,” I said.

“I should have warned you that can happen sometimes,” he said with a sigh.

As we entered my hotel room, I couldn’t help but feel a nervous flutter in my stomach. I wanted to surprise him, to show him that there was more to life than endless meetings and high stakes deals. Or AI. Not everything needed to involve technology.

I turned to him with a grin. “Welcome to my humble abode for the night,” I said, gesturing to the room.

Jensen chuckled as he looked around. “It’s not so different from mine, you know.”

We had slept in his room last night. It seemed silly to keep getting a room for me when we both knew I was going to end up with him, but Hattie booked the rooms before we left the States. And I supposed it was a safety net in case one of us decided to skip a night.

“It’s no different, but it’s not going to attract adoring fans,” I reminded him.