Page 20 of You Rock My World

“Would you still have wanted to work with me if I wasn’t single?” I ask on impulse.

Dorian’s answer is immediate. “Yes, because I trust you, and I don’t trust people easily.”

I absorb his last words. He trusts me. That means something. Maybe more than I’m willing to admit right now.

“What was your big plan, then, having us work together?”

Dorian studies me like he’s deciding how much to reveal.

“The plan was to show you that my life, while not normal, is manageable. That I’m not too out of reach.

I thought that it’d be for a shorter period and temporary, and that…

I don’t know, signing a module with HR would be enough if something happened between us…

” A small smile tugs at the corner of his mouth.

“If I managed to woo you a little in the process.”

Woo me. The phrase is so old-fashioned and charming that it makes my heart do an uncomfortable flip. I stare at the distant horizon as I bare even more of my soul. “You don’t need to woo me, Dorian, consider me thoroughly wooed.”

Dorian raises an eyebrow, his lips curving into that familiar, teasing smile. “Well, that was easier than I thought. Here I was, ready to pull out all the stops.”

“Yeah, like what?”

“Sorry.” He pretend-zips his mouth. “I can’t reveal all my moves, I might still need to use some.”

Curiosity gets the better of me, and I can’t resist asking, “When was the last time you even dated someone normal? You know, after Sandy Who-Didn’t-Let-You-Go-To-Third-Base Parker?”

Dorian laughs, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “I can’t believe you remember the name of my high-school girlfriend.”

I lock eyes with him. “I remember everything.”

He nods, serious again. “Post-Sandy, it was mostly celebrities. Not because I’m a snob, it’s more that I don’t run into non-famous people that often.

” Dorian reaches for my hand again, tracing a distracting pattern on my palm with his thumb.

“What matters now is whether you’d be willing to risk the fallout, the fans, the tabloids, and everything else you mentioned that night, to date me. ”

Frustration bubbles inside me, and I pull my hand away, breaking our contact.

“Even if I could manage all that, I can’t risk my job, Dorian.

I’m not a gazillionaire. My savings are almost non-existent and I have rent to pay, student loans.

” I swing a hand at the mansion surrounding us.

“I know it must seem peanuts to you. But I can’t put everything on the line for something that won’t last.”

“Ah.” His eyes flash. “Your statistics about celebrity relationships.”

I pin him down with a pointed look. “Tell me they aren’t accurate.”

Dorian considers my words carefully. “Fair enough. But don’t write us off on principle.

I hear you, I know this isn’t just about feelings.

You’ve got real risks, real consequences, and I’d never ask you to gamble everything just because I can afford to.

” Then, in a gesture that is confident yet careful, as if testing the boundaries between us, he takes my hand again and presses a soft kiss to the palm.

“How about this?” he proposes, his words unadorned, simple, genuine.

“We’re going to be around each other a lot until Missy comes back.

We can get to know each other outside of the balloon ride, see if it’s still real.

You can get a behind-the-scenes peek at what my life is really like: the security, the paparazzi, the crazed fans, everything.

And then you can decide if it’s too much for you. ”

I bite my lip, considering his offer. “And then what? Where does that road lead? To me quitting my job and becoming a full-time groupie?”

Dorian doesn’t flinch at my blunt question.

Instead, he holds my gaze steadily, his eyes filled with a determined intensity that feels like a tether, binding us.

“I can’t quit being famous, Josie. Even if I wrote no more music, I can’t control my fame.

” He speaks matter-of-factly, stating a reality, not using excuses.

“But my commitment to you? That’s something I can control.

I can do fewer concerts, fewer tours after I finish this one.

” His thumb brushes over my knuckles as he collects his thoughts.

“If this thing between us is real, Josie, it could be more important than a job. You could move to a different PR firm. Or I’ll simply go back to Missy when she returns and then your conflict will be gone. ”

“She won’t be back for another ten months, a year most likely,” I point out, wanting to be realistic despite the sensation that I might burst into confetti at any second.

Dorian smiles then, a sweet, open smile that has my heart tripping over itself. “Plenty of time to discover more about each other.”

I’m stunned. He’d wait an entire year for me? Is he serious? “Wouldn’t that be too long for you?”

He tucks a stray lock behind my ear, his fingers brushing my cheek and leaving a trail of tingles in their wake.

“I’ve already waited a year without you, Josie.

Dreaming of all the things I’d do with you, to you…

” His voice is low, intimate. “Being near you will make the waiting easier… and a hell of a lot harder. But totally worth it.”

“So you want to get to know me platonically?”

“No, I want to get to know you romantically ,” Dorian replies, his eyes locked on mine, “but if we need to take things slow while we figure each other out, we’ll do it.

If, with your job, you can’t be in a full relationship with me, we can leave the physical stuff out—no chances of being caught.

Pretend we’re Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy and live in an era when sex before marriage is not accepted.

We’ll be courting each other without any of the naughty stuff. ”

I groan, shaking my head. “You did not just use Pride and Prejudice against me.” He grins, and I lose the resolve to resist him. “So no sex and no kisses?”

Dorian seems outraged. “Not even first base, Monroe? Be careful of what will be put on your tombstone.”

I laugh, and I’m not sure it isn’t giddy, or hysterical. “You’ll have to work for that home run, Phoenix.”

He leans in just a little, heat simmering in his voice. “Then let me earn it. All I ask is that you don’t see anyone else while we figure this out—and I won’t either. I want to explore this connection properly. Just us.”

As if there could ever be someone else. “Just us,” I echo. “I like the sound of that.”

Dorian stands up, his tall frame towering over me. He offers me his hands with a boyish grin on his face. “Are hugs allowed?”

I beam back at him as he pulls me up. “Yes, hugs are allowed.”

He steps closer and opens his arms. I go to him, and he pulls me into a warm embrace that has me melting into his chest as I inhale his forest scent.

I’m confused as to what I’ve agreed to, but I know I never want to let him go.