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  “I do. The moment you first met him.”

  “Not possible.”

  “I knew it then. You didn’t take his wallet and run like usual. You stayed. When you got home that night, I could feel the change. For the first time in a long time, you looked forward to something.” A sob shook her. “But I’ve ruined it.”

  “Nothing’s ruined.” I rocked her back and forth in my arms like Mom used to do. “We can fix it. But first, we have to deal with Pauly.”

  “I’m scared.”

  “You’re safe here. Just stay in your room. I’ll be back right after the party.” Because Willis won’t want to see me anymore. The ache in my chest popped open like a can of biscuits.

  “All right.” She nodded and pulled back, her red-rimmed eyes weighing heavy on my already sunken soul.

  I tucked her hair behind her ear, hoping my calm movements would soothe the both of us. “It’ll all be over soon. I promise.”

  Her gaze faltered. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

  “Have I mentioned how amazing you look?” Willis spoke in my ear as we walked up the carpeted stairs to the Vanity Fair party.

  “Only five times or so.” I smiled as the cameras clicked around us.

  “Just five?” He scoffed as we reached the top step. “I need to up my game.” He gave me a long look, taking in my black gown that fell to my ankles. The slit rose to my upper thigh, and the strapless bust cut a straight line across my chest, giving it an almost corset-like appearance.

  “Ready?”

  “To rip that dress off you?” He grinned. “Yes.” He wore a formal black suit, not as dressy as a tux, but almost. His tousled hair tickled his ears, and, thankfully, the welts from the bath bomb had disappeared from his neck. With his tall frame and Clark Kent glasses, he was a showstopper.

  We entered the venue. Large vases decorated the sides of the walk, but instead of flowers, they were filled with busts on sticks. One appeared to be a bunch of multicolored Julius Caesars, the next a cotton candy-colored arrangement of Darth Vaders.

  Willis shook his head. “Artsy types. Jeez.”

  Music drifted from a room to our right, and we followed the flow of people into a wide ballroom filled with glitterati. Bigger than the prior events, the Vanity Fair people held nothing back. Waiters circled with full drink trays, and several round tables laden with food were scattered throughout the room. Jewelry everywhere. Men with fat wallets desperate for female attention. So many people.

  “Be strong.” I wasn’t sure if I was pep-talking Willis or myself.

  “I am. I work out three times a week.” Willis eased a hand to the small of my back and guided us through the crowd to the nearest food table. He picked up a cheese tart and popped it into my mouth. So creamy and good.

  “How did you know?” I said around the tasty treat.

  “You get kind of jittery, and food always seems to take the edge off.” He snagged a chocolate bonbon and downed it. “Too bad they don’t have any chicken wings.”

  “If it isn’t Scarlet Rocket!” Jina, wearing what could only be described as the carcass of a giant peacock, walked up and air-kissed my cheeks. “I was so hoping I’d see you here this evening.”

  “Yes.” I smiled and hoped there wasn’t any cheese stuck in my teeth. “Have to keep hyping up the book, you know.”

  “No rest for the wicked, my dear.” She winked. “I have an advance copy of the book on my desk just waiting to be opened. But I would like to see one more live demonstration before I take the plunge.”

  No pressure. “I’d be happy to take a few questions.” I eyed the food that I wouldn’t get to eat.

  Willis grabbed two glasses of champagne from a passing tray. Handing one to me, he edged closer. “You’ve got this.”

  I drank half the glass as Jina turned and announced, “Does anyone have a question for Scarlet Rocket?”

  “Pushy,” Willis whispered.

  A few people turned to look, but no one volunteered. Relief coursed through me, and I grabbed another cheese tart and wolfed it down like a linebacker at a team dinner. Maybe I could do a guest blog entry for Willis entitled “Stress Eating: Yeah, It’s Deffo a Thing.”

  The live band kicked up a notch, and a dance floor cleared in front of them.

  “Want to dance?” Willis held his hand out in a formal request.

  “Jina, would you mind if I—”

  “Go ahead, dear. I’ll have some questions lined up for you when you return.” She smiled and shooed us away.

  “That’s comforting,” I grumbled as Willis pulled me onto the dance floor where only two other couples swayed to the music.

  “You’ll do great.” He gripped my waist, and I wrapped my hands around his neck like we were at high school homecoming.

  “Do you think Jina is planting crazy questions for me. Like maybe someone’s going to ask, ‘If I have a dick in my ass, my pussy, and my mouth, and I sneeze, will that cause my vagina to explode?”

  He laughed. “Well, we all know the answer to that question is yes.”

  I giggled and rested my forehead against his lapel. “This feels so good.”

  “I know.” He kissed my crown.

  I closed my eyes and pretended it was just the two of us. No room full of strangers, no Pauly, not even a Hannah at that moment. Just Willis and me, dancing without any hard realities bearing down on us. We moved together slowly, each sway drawing our souls tighter and tying them together with a double knot. I couldn’t pull away from him without damaging us both.

  “What are you thinking about?”

  I turned my head so I could hear the steady thump of his heart. “Us.”

  He hugged me tighter. “I was thinking about us, too.”

  “Yeah?”

  “About us ditching this party early so I can strip that dress off you and make you scream.”

  My knees weakened, but he held me up.

  “Sound good to you?”

  All I could do was nod.

  “Good. Let’s get to work and then get out of here.”

  24

  Willis

  The third person in line stepped up, her wide smile verging into Toothy Todd territory. “Hi, Scarlet?”

  Scarlet smiled and took her hand. “Yes, what can I do for you?” She’d answered the first two questions with spot-on accuracy as Jina made notes.

  “I have sort of a more personal question.” Her eyes darted to mine.

  Scarlet turned to me. “Willis, could you give us girls a moment?”

  “What?” This was a bad idea. The worst.

  “She clearly wants to just tell me.” Her smile strained the slightest bit as she cut her eyes toward Jina, who continued her furious typing.

  “Okay.” I stepped back and grabbed another chocolate bonbon, my fourth, and downed it.

  The woman leaned closer to Scarlet and whispered her question. Jina leaned in, getting an earful. Scarlet thought for a minute, didn’t so much as give me a glance, then whispered her answer to the woman.

  I returned and gave Scarlet a fresh glass of champagne as the woman walked away. “What was the question?”

  Scarlet crooked her finger at me to come nearer.

  I had no problem doing that. Her vanilla scent was like a constant demand for me to get closer.

  “She said that she has a major problem with queefing. Always queefing, even when she hasn’t had sex for a while.”

  “Oh.” I actually reddened a bit at that. “What did you say?”

  “To check with her gynecologist. But that kegels might be the best way to help tighten the muscles down there to stop air from getting through.”

  I raised my eyebrows in appreciation. “Well done.”

  She smiled, my praise lighting her up, which in turn gave me a bit of a glow as well. “Who’s next?”

  Jina tapped a large man, possibly a basketball player, on his arm. He turned and walked over, giving Scarlet a shy smile.

  “Hi, I’m Scarlet.” She o
ffered her hand, and his meaty palm engulfed it.

  “Drake.” His low voice was more of a feeling than a sound.

  “Nice to meet you. Do you have a question for me?”

  “Yeah.” He cleared his throat, shyness seeming to overtake his enormous frame. “I’ve been dating this girl for a few months. We hit it off really quickly. Whenever I’m in town, we go out and do things. She’s smart, funny, beautiful, has it going on in so many ways. Great in bed, great out of bed, all of that.”

  “Got it. So what’s going on?”

  “She’s sort of—I don’t know how to describe it—but she seems like she’s always waiting for the other shoe to drop. She’s so confident in her job and with me on most things, but she doesn’t seem sure that we’ll last. And I feel like she’s holding back from me because of it.”

  Scarlet’s cheeks began to turn a cute shade of pink as this hulk of a man more or less described her to herself.

  “Great question.” I chimed in before draining my glass. Jina hummed her agreement as she tapped away on her phone.

  “Thanks, man.” He nodded at me, then returned his attention to Scarlet. “Got any advice for me?”

  “Maybe she has secrets, and maybe she’s afraid if you find them out, you won’t want her anymore.”

  He cocked his head to the side. “What kind of secrets?”

  “Maybe she, I don’t know, has a shopping addiction, or a weird family, or”— Scarlet cast me a sidelong glance—“she’s spent her whole life being this one thing. And when you came along, you made her hope that she could be more than that, you know? You gave her this idea that she could have a happily ever after with you. That maybe she could outrun her demons and be the woman she saw reflected in your eyes.” She took a breath. “But the thing is, she can only run for so long before they catch up. And she dreads that moment, because she doesn’t want you to look at her differently when you find out about the real her—the one that isn’t so put-together, or happy, or good. She’s afraid she’s not good enough for you, and even more afraid that you’ll agree with her.”

  All the breath left me. Is this how Scarlet saw herself? Saw us? It took every bit of willpower I had in me to keep myself from dragging her into my arms right then and there. I didn’t care about her secrets, or her past, or whatever darkness she wanted to hide from me. I knew her. And the real her—the one who’d captured my heart—could never let me down, no matter what skeletons danced in her closet.

  Drake scrubbed his chin as he thought about her words. “I see what you’re saying. I do. And it definitely helps me. Because now I see that I need to give her that reassurance. Show her that she can trust me to be there for her no matter what. Because I will be.” He smiled. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” She sort of upturned the end, as if unsure she’d helped.

  “Thank you, darling.” Jina stowed her phone. “This was perfect for me.” She hurried through the crowd, her peacock feathers tickling noses as she went.

  “Come on.” I grabbed Scarlet’s hand and pulled her toward the entrance.

  “Wait. We’re not done with—”

  “Oh, we’re done here.” I wrapped my arm around her waist, intent on carrying her out if I had to. “But your night’s just starting. I’m going to worship every inch of your body until you open up to me—and I meant that as a double entendre, obviously.”

  “Willis,” Jason walked toward me, then stopped and saluted once he got a look at my face and the fact that I was practically caveman carrying Scarlet. “You two are the best.”

  “Put me down.” She slapped at my forearm.

  “Why?” I had her almost to the front door.

  “Because I need to tell you something.” She tried to pry my arm free.

  “Can’t you tell me in the car on the way to my place?”

  “No.” The iron in her voice stopped me.

  “Okay.” I put her down and crowded her into a corner of the entryway. “What do you need to tell me?” I rested my palm on her chest, the rapid beat of her heart matching mine.

  “I think”— she closed her eyes slowly, as if trying to gather her thoughts, then opened them—“I think you have the wrong idea about me. I’m not who you think I am.”

  “Who are you, then?” I rubbed my thumb over her collar bone and enjoyed the goosebumps that rose beneath my touch.

  She peered up at me, a strained look in her eyes, as if something momentous was about to roll off her tongue. I didn’t care what it was as long as it ended with us tangled together in my bed.

  “I’ve been conning you all along.” She straightened her back, her words rough. “You’re just a mark.”

  “Is that so?” I moved my hand up to the back of her neck and cupped her there.

  Her breath hitched. “Yes.”

  “What’s the end game?” I didn’t believe her for a second. This was just another attempt to deny her feelings and push me away.

  “I—” Her chin trembled as she stared into my eyes.

  I softened my hold on her and stroked her cheek. “What’s wrong?” Seeing her hurting opened a matching wound inside me.

  “I can’t do it.”

  “What?”

  “This. You.” A single tear rolled down her cheek.

  I wiped it away gently. “I’m going to need more to go on.”

  “I had this all planned out. I intended to blackmail you. To threaten to tell the world that you were pretending to be Scarlet Rocket. That’s why I agreed to do this whole thing. It’s what I’ve been working toward.”

  Taken aback, I simply stared at her for a few beats, her words not making sense. Then a ripping pain shot through me. “Why?”

  “I need money. Fifty-thousand dollars.”

  Everything inside me went cold, and I let my hands drop from her. She was serious. This wasn’t just a ploy to make me back off. “Blackmail?”

  “Yes.” More tears fell, streaking her cheeks.

  “The flirting, the sex?” I stepped back. Unsure of her. Unsure of myself.

  “No. That was—”

  “What? Just part of the con? You wanted me to fall in love with you so you could shake me down for money.” I shook my head, trying to clear it, but the pain thudded in every molecule. I couldn’t escape it. “But I guess I should have expected it. Given the first time I saw you, you were stealing from innocent people.”

  “Please.” She reached out. “I’m sorry.”

  My eyes stung. “It worked.” I held my arms out at my sides. “I’m in love with you. Well played. You made a fool out of me.” Rage and pain weaved a dark pattern inside me.

  “Willis, please—”

  “Do you still intend to go through with your plan?”

  “No.”

  “Why not?” I ached to hear the truth, but feared it just as much. How could I trust her?

  “Because I fell for you, too.”

  What should have been a happy moment was, instead, murky. “Is this the finishing move of your con?”

  “No.” She moved toward me, but I backed away.

  “Tell me you love me, and you’ll get the money from me that way? Is that it?”

  “No.” Her eyes glistened with tears, but I couldn’t bring myself to comfort her. Not when everything inside me was ripping to shreds. “I’m sorry.”

  “Everything all right?” Jason approached, concern lacing his voice.

  “No, we’re done here.” I turned my back on her, though it ripped out my already bleeding heart. “Do me a favor and make sure Scarlet gets home. I’ve got to go.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yeah.” I glanced to the right and saw Jina standing ten feet away, her fingers flying on her phone. She’d heard it all, no doubt. Fuck.

  Scarlet stepped closer. “Willis, I can explain. Hannah got in deep with Pauly and I…”

  Her voice faded as I walked out into the rainy night. I didn’t look back. If I did, I wouldn’t be able to walk away from her. Despite what
she’d done, I still wanted her, still loved her.

  She’d conned me right out of my heart.

  25

  Scarlet

  Hannah stroked my hair as I lay curled up in a ball. The morning sun streamed through the tiny window at the back of my bedroom, the never-ending dust swirling through the rays. I hadn’t slept, just lain awake and cursed myself for all I’d done.

  “He’ll come around.” She lay down beside me, the big spoon for the first time in her life.

  “I don’t think so.”

  “He loves you.”

  “I know.” I sniffled. “But it wasn’t enough. He saw me, the real me, and he hated it.”

  “That’s dumb.”

  “What?” I wiped my nose with a tissue.

  “What you just said was dumb. He saw the real you lots of times before you did your big ‘look at me, I’m an asshole’ reveal.”

  “I am an asshole.”

  “That’s the thing. You aren’t. Not at all. Not even a little bit. He knows that. He fell in love with the real you. Not the redheaded Scarlet Rocket imposter with the balls of steel and the mouth of a sailor. He fell in love with the same you that I love.”

  “But he ran.”

  She scooted closer and draped one arm over me. “Yeah, that was dumb, too. I’d tell him he was dumb if he were here.”

  I hiccupped. “But he’s not dumb. He’s smart. God, he’s so smart, Han. He writes these amazing words that help so many people. And he actually cares about them. Like, really cares. And he knows all this pop culture and comics and movies. Like, he’s a big dork, but he’s also a teddy bear, but then he’s got this built body, but then he glues tampons to action figures, and—”

  “Huh?” She giggled against my back. “Never mind. Doesn’t matter. He’s perfect for you.”

  “Yeah, he was.” I squeezed the tears from my eyes, letting them drip to the pillow.

  “He is.” She sighed and pressed her ice-cold feet to my warm ones. I was so used to it I didn’t even complain. “I knew when you left here last night that you wouldn’t be able to go through with it.”