Page 49 of Sweet Virgin

“Wait, wait. . .” Marc waved at the crew, calling one of the team to run out with a copy of his precious contract. His fingers shook nervously as he flipped through the pages, his eyes searching desperately for the answer.

Garrett groaned again, lifting himself to his feet. Rubbing his eyes, he wiped his hand on his shirt. “I'm the one who was going to deflower that little whore, you took that from me! You stole my prize!”

Allie started to turn to say something, but I stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. He wasn't going to talk about her like that. Not now, not ever.

She wasn't just some piece of property or an object he bought in some store. She was mine, she was my woman. And now he was going to learn to never disrespect her again.

Lunging forward, I grabbed him by his throat, lifting him to the tips of his toes. “You want to say that again?”

Garrett's nose was already swelling, his eyes glimmering with a tint of purple. “Fred—”

“Don't.” I growled, baring my teeth. “You aren't winning shit, you got that?”

Nodding his head, Garrett held his hands out to the side, waving his white flag. Dropping him back down, I jerked my body in his direction, watching him jolt. I didn't have to do that, I already knew I had made my point loud and clear.

But it felt good to watch the fear paint his skin in white. He was an asshole, had been since I met him the first time during the auditions.

Allie came up behind me, wrapping her arms around my waist. I felt bad for not telling her the truth, for never letting her in on my little secret. I just didn't want her to think I was only after her for the sex, that my only goal was to have what every other man craved.

Her virginity.

“I'm sorry, I should have told you.” Dipping my head, I lifted one of her hands to my lips, kissing the back of her palm.

“You don't have to say a thing.” Her hands gently touched my chest, teasing my shirt. I felt the weight of her head against the center of my back and it turned my cold heart warm again.

I was afraid she was gone, but her touch held the answer I already knew.

She was never really gone. . . Just lost for a moment.

I loved having her wrapped around me, I loved having her close, and all I wanted was to keep her there.

But for that to happen, she had to hear the words, she had to know all of it.

“No, I do. I shouldn't have acted like I was oblivious to who you were. And I should have told you that I was on the show too. But, I just couldn't.”

“Kealen, stop. I didn't tell you either, we both left out bits of our past and who we were.”

“Yeah, but it wasn't fair to you. I knew who you were, you didn't know me, you didn't know that I had already seen you well before we met on that beach. I just didn't want you to run off, afraid that I wanted you just for sex.”

Twisting me to face her, Allie curled her arms under mine, holding herself as close to me as she could. “I don't think that, I wouldn't think that. You were too nice to me to just want sex.” Arching her back, she looked up into my eyes. “But I need to know, where do we go from here?”

“Alaska. . .” Saying her full name out loud for the first time sent shivers down my spine. I hadn't been able to say it before then, having to always pretend that she was just Allie.

But she was more than her name. Alaska was beautiful, she was amazing, and she was mine.

Pinching her chin between my thumb and forefinger, I whispered so only she could hear me. “As long as you're with me, I don't care.” Lowering my lips, I hovered over hers. “I don't know if this is love, Alaska, but I'm ready to find out.”

She had dusted my world for a moment in time.

And she had stumbled back in by sheer chance.

Now. . .

Now, I'm never letting go.