Page 54 of Vain

His hands move to my hips as he pins me against the counter. “I’d marry you tomorrow if you’d let me.”

“I can’t tell if you’re joking or not,” I whisper, looking into his eyes.

“I’d never joke about this.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

AIDEN

She looks a little stunned, so I swoop in and kiss her while she’s distracted. She puts up zero resistance, melting into me as I slip my hands under her T-shirt. She freezes for a moment, like she always does, but as my fingertips skate over her scars, she gradually relaxes.

I pull back but stay close. “Are you doing okay after that scene?”

“That was nothing, trust me.”

I smooth back her hair. “Not sure I got the part about Daniel turning up with your mother,” I hedge the question, though I have my suspicions.

“She’s paying him to keep her apprised of all my comings and goings. I’m sure it goes beyond that. She’s probably paying him for all my dirty little secrets. Clearly, that’s dried up now he doesn’t work for me, though it isn’t a stretch to assume he’s had his team reporting back to him on more than just my stalker issue. And, just in case you were wondering, there is no way she didn’t know about you and me before she got here.”

“So she likely knows all about the Post-it notes and dead birds, not to mention the reason you hired me in the first place. Yet this is the first time she’s been here since I arrived on the scene. What the hell does that say about her?”

“Exactly. Here’s what you need to know about my mom. She doesn’t care about me. Not as a human, not as a woman, and certainly not as her daughter. My only value is in my ability to pad her bank account.”

“So coming here today had little to do with the scripts she wanted you to read?”

“She’s losing her insider knowledge about what’s going on here. That’s not going to make her happy. It makes it that much harder to control me. That’s why she came—to get me to bend to her will.”

“Like that would happen,” I huff.

“It’s happened before,” she admits with a sigh. “I used to think it was just easier to give in. If I was expecting the worst, then there is no sense of betrayal.” She shakes her head. “She’s the reason so few people have access to my home. She’s the reason I don’t trust anyone not to sell me out. She’s forever calling the paparazzi to places I am or calling media outlets with comments from an ‘insider source’. She firmly believes there is no such thing as bad publicity. My wanting to leave behind a legacy of doing something that makes me proud, or even happy, means nothing to her. It’s all about fame and money and what she can do to keep both.”

I lean my forehead against hers, wishing I knew what to say. I know what I want to say. Her mom’s a colossal bitch that needs a cold hard dose of reality. But that’s not my call to make.

“Do you think it was your mom who called the media and told them we were at the airport that day?”

She frowns. “She could only have heard it from Daniel, and he said he saw it on the news.”

“I asked Greyson if he told Daniel when our flight was due in and he said yes. He was worried he might have overstepped.”

“So Daniel knew when we were due to land, which would have given him plenty of time to tell my mother. And yes, she would absolutely call the media and have them waiting for me. Damn the freaking woman.”

“I did wonder why he lied about Greyson telling him, but it makes sense.”

She sighs before smoothing her hands up my chest. “I’d like to say my life isn’t always this dramatic, but I’d be lying.”

“If you didn’t have any problems, you wouldn’t have me here protecting you. So as sorry as I am that your life is kinda fucked-up, I can’t bring myself to regret the crazy when it’s the whole reason I’m here.”

“That’s both sweet and kinda dickish.”

“That pretty much sums up my personality.”

She shoves me away with a laugh. “Behave. I’m going to make these emotional support cookies, and then it will be about time to head to set. That okay?”

“Of course. I’m going to head down to talk to the guards at the gate and give them a heads-up about what’s going on. I’m also gonna call Blake and tell him what’s been going on with Daniel. I don’t want to bring anyone else in from back home because they have a lot going on, but he’ll likely know someone up here who can upgrade your security system.”

She looks reluctant. I can’t say I don’t understand why, but when it comes to her safety, I won’t compromise.

“Do whatever you think needs to be done. I trust you.” I kiss her forehead before she pokes me in the stomach. “Okay, stop distracting me and get out of my kitchen.”