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“You’ve been through hell, Sterling.But you’re still standing.”

He looked at me with a piercing gaze.You make it sound so simple."

“It’s not,” I admitted.“But it’s the truth.And that’s what this book is about, showing the world the man behind the scars.The man who’s still fighting, even when the odds are stacked against him.The man who’s more than his past, more than his family’s reputation.That’s who you are, Sterling.And I’m going to make sure the world sees it.”

He was silent for a long moment, his gaze locked on mine.Then, he reached across the counter and grabbed my notebook.“You really believe that?”

I leaned my elbows on the counter and watched as he flipped through the pages.“I do,” I said firmly.“And I think deep down, you do too.You just need someone to remind you of it.”

“You’re not afraid of me, are you?”

I raised an eyebrow.“Should I be?”

He chuckled, a low, rumbling sound that sent a rush of warmth through me.“Most people are.My family, my reputation, the wolf, it’s enough to send any sane woman running for the hills.”

I met his gaze head-on, my voice steady.“I’m not most women.And some would argue that I’m a bit crazy.Besides, I’ve seen the man behind the growl.He’s not so scary.”

“Careful,” he said, his tone teasing but with a hint of warning.“You might just start liking me.”

“Would that be such a bad thing?”

He didn’t respond, but the look in his eyes said more than words ever could.

Chapter 9

STERLING

The flood of tabloid gossip continued to flow onto my phone even after our public attack on Violet.Now that we had public sympathy on our side, the tone had changed.My relationship with Ariel was now framed in a positive spin.I swiped at another headline that popped up in my notifications,"Billionaire’s Secret Romance!then“All about Ariel Hayes’s Super Sexy Romps With Soccer Superstar!”After so many years in the spotlight, I was used to the public dissecting my life, but I hadn’t expected the fury I felt at Ariel being caught in the crossfire.

I found her in the kitchen, wearing her pajamas decorated in books and Jane Austen quotes.She looked like she just rolled out of bed, with her blonde curls piled high on her head in a messy bun.An unfamiliar, but not unpleasant warmth filled my chest at the thought of her being comfortable enough in my home to walk around without a care about how she looked.Her purple glasses were slightly askew as she stared into her coffee like it held the answers to the universe.At that moment, I realized that I wanted every morning for the rest of my life to start like this.There was no one else for me.Ariel Hayes was it.Dean was right.I had to claim her as mine.My wolf purred in approval.

She glanced up at the sound.Sleepy soft gray eyes met mine, but they shimmered with a mix of amusement and annoyance.“I take it you’ve seen the news already?You’re famous now.”

I let out a snort at her awful joke.“Don’t quit your day job, Hayes.”Then, I became serious again.“I’m sorry for dragging you into the public eye.”

She set her mug down and walked across the room to me.Wrapping her arms around my waist, she looked up at me with those big doe eyes.“I knew the risks when I signed up for this job.”

Bullshit.“You signed up to write a book, not to become the subject of one and have a bunch of vultures pick apart your private life.”

“All jobs come with occupational hazards, Sterling.And if this is what it takes to make us work, then in my opinion, it’s a small price to pay.”

I gathered her closer.Somehow, this tiny woman who foolishly burst into my life and had shown me what it was like to have hope again.

The rest of the day was spent drafting PR statements and dodging calls from Ariel’s friends and family.It seemed like news of our relationship had reached every corner of the country.Each time her phone screen lit up, she frowned and shoved it aside.

The reporters were relentless, camping outside my building like they were fighting for front-row seats at the World Cup.There was no telling how long Ariel and I were going to be prisoners in my home.As evening fell, we ordered takeout again, sushi, this time.We ate in the living room, and I opened up my prize bottle of sake which I received as a gift the last time I played in Tokyo.

Ariel curled up on the couch, typing away on her laptop in between bites while I sat on the floor next to her.Her brows pinched in concentration whenever she got stuck at a particularly challenging bit of prose and had to stop and think.Whenever her glasses slipped too far down, she would scrunch her nose adorably.

“You’re staring again,” she muttered without looking up from her screen.

“I’m observing,” I corrected her before picking up a piece of uni sashimi and popping it in my mouth.The sweet creamy flavor and fresh salty scent of the sea melted on my tongue.“You’re the one who’s always studying me like I’m some kind of scientific specimen.It’s only fair play that I get to watch you for a change.”

She glanced up at me over the rim of her glasses.It was an innocent gesture, but it made her look like a sexy librarian who was going to scold me for misbehaving during quiet hours.I bit back a groan at the unexpected image.My cock throbbed against my zipper.Fuck.Focus, damnit.Those purple glasses should be illegal.

“Sterling, it’s my job to figure you out.It’s not like you’re an open book.”

Her phone rang again, breaking the moment.Ariel glanced at the screen and groaned.“It’s my mom.Again.”