Page 136 of Blood Stone

Garrett held up his hand. “I’ll warn him.”

“Thanks.” She strode out of the trailer, jumped down the steps much the same way that Winter had skipped up them and was gone. The door slowly closed behind her.

“Roman?” Winter queried, with a raised brow.

Garrett grimaced. “Well, you didn’t tell her, then.”

Winter looked genuinely shocked. “Someone told her? Kate confronted you?”

“You could describe it that way.” Garrett hefted the iPad. “I’m wondering if these are connected.”

Winter shook her head. “Whoever told her was trying to drive a wedge between you. The media thing is feeding off you being together. The last thing the media want is you to separate.”

Garrett nodded. “Good analysis. That narrows the list down to the handful of people who knew we were involved…before this morning, anyway.” He turned on the iPad. “How bad is it?”

Winter grimaced. “Depends.”

“On what?”

“The truth and if you don’t mind it being shouted around the globe.” She turned away. “I’ll let you read it in private.”

“No, stay.” He sank down onto the sofa. “You’d better whistle up everyone else. Nial will have read my email by now and Patrick will be in make-up, so Nial will be here as soon as Patrick settles in his chair.”

He started reading. Winter had bookmarked and left open a dozen tabbed and starred items from different news sites. They all started with the same basic set of photos taken last night at Kate’s house. The guy who had taken the set must have spent the night selling it to the newswire for a small fortune, for everyone had bought it. Everyone had a slightly different spin on the same general theory –– Kathrine Lindenstream was openly involved with two men at the same time, apparently with their cooperation and collusion.

Depending on the supporting file photos the publication had to hand and the degree of sensationalism the publication was comfortable with, they took the theory a step further. Were Adrian Xerus and Calum Garrett closing the loop on the ménage? Were they also intimate with each other? Several had grainy night exposure photos of Roman and him standing and talking on the dessert location. True, they were standing closer together than usual and their expressions were tense and could be described as emotional. But they could hardly be called intimate.

Winter had already braced him for the photos of him and Kate, so it wasn’t the shock it might have been. Someone had taken photos of them having sex the first time on the set that night. Probably, they had more graphic photos they couldn’t publish, but the ones that had been released were explicit enough. Kate in just her bra and jeans. Garrett with his shirt and jeans open and Kate’s hands inside his jeans. There was no mistaking what they were doing, or the powerful lust in their expressions.

He sighed and flipped back to the photos of Kate and Roman and studied them – not the voyeur shots through the trailer windows, but the more public ones of Kate and Roman together, Roman’s arm was draped casually over her shoulder and while it had been a candid shot, he had looked surprisingly happy.

Happiness was a factor that had been long missing from Roman’s life.

Garrett tossed the iPad onto the seat beside him, guilt churning in his gut.

Winter picked it up. “Sorry,” she said. “The media can be bastards with your private life.”

He shook his head. “I got used to being dissected by the media a long time ago.”

“But Roman isn’t.”

Garrett shook his head in agreement. Fear had taken his voice.

Winter flipped through the tabs quickly, scanning them. “Roman is particularly sensitive about revealing himself to humans. Being exposed like this may test him in ways the average human doesn’t have to consider.” She looked up at Garrett. “You’re afraid he’ll hate you for this.”

Garrett pulled out his cellphone. “Let’s find out.” His voice was hoarse.