wing of glossy hair fell over her eye. He swept it aside.
“Why did you come to see me today? This meeting might have happened anytime in the past four years, or years in the future. Why today?”
Drawing a tense breath. “Wow, my turn in the hot seat.”
“You don’t have to answer.”
“But I want to. It’s important. I didn’t contact you sooner because Leonora discouraged it. Besides you were traveling the world as Wail’n Waya with plenty of responsibilities and distractions….”
Distractions was the operative word. In his first days on the road, a beautiful blonde materialized at his hotel room door. Funny and sexy as hell, she tumbled effortlessly into his bed. They spent an amazing three-day weekend together, fulfilling every one of his as yet unjaded fantasies. She fawned over him and never left his side. He thought he’d fallen in love. But just as he braced to ask if she’d be willing to travel the circuit with him, he’d walked in on Tex counting a stack of hundred dollar bills into her open palm. She didn’t even look surprised when he entered the room. Her only explanation? A quick peck on the cheek and a halfhearted, “I’m sorry. I thought you knew.”
“I turned eighteen in December,” Christy continued. “I’m an adult now. I didn’t want to cause trouble. I figured I should contact you now before you did a bigger disappearing act and dropped off the map.”
“I think I already know, but how did you find me?”
The line of her lips tensed. “I’d rather not say.”
“I understand.”
Shadows obscured her features. Only her eyes glistened in the dark. “I came here today because I needed to see you…again.”
“Why?”
She twisted the hem of the quilt between anxious fingers. “It’s personal. First, I wanted to thank you face-to-face for ending my nightmare. I saw you jog away the first time. You didn’t have to come back, but you did,” her voice trembled. “They were going to kill me.”
“You don’t have to thank me.”
“I know I don’t have to , but I need to. This is where I’m going to sound silly. Bear with me. I hope to God I don’t make you cringe.” She gulped a deep breath. “For the last four years, I’ve had this haunting, larger-than-life image of you in my mind. You can’t deny you were my hero that night. Then the media blitz hit. I saw your face on products and the sports channels. It sort of got out of hand.”
“And you’re looking for reassurance I’m just some guy who fucked up?”
“I wouldn’t say it that way. I needed to see you were human.”
He winced, unable to own the claim.
“My childhood ended prematurely, but this is my fresh start as an adult. I want to be like everyone else. Do what they do. Finish college. Get a job. Find a boyfriend.” Allowing the quilt to drop to her shoulders, she slid closer. “But I can’t because once I turned eighteen, someone released my full name to the public. Now everyone on campus knows I’m ‘that’ little girl. The past comes up all the time. But the worst part is I can’t go on a date or get excited about anyone because….” Her face collapsed.
He got nervous as hell.
“No one compares.”
“Oh God. I have to stop you—”
“Wait. I came to Los Lobos, expecting to be disappointed. I planned to sit down with you and talk, see the flaws, and get disillusioned. Then say a quick ‘thank you and good-bye.’ Cross my heart, I wanted to be free. Now, how am I going to move forward?”
“What do you mean?”
With skittish actions, she crossed and uncrossed her ankles. “You’re a great guy. Instead of wishing I’d find someone else like you, I’d like to get to know you better.”
His gut churned. They were headed toward disaster. The heroic thing to do would be to smother hope and allow her to move on. “Christy, I’m going to be honest with you. You should walk away. I’m not what you think. This would never work. I know this sounds like bullshit, but
“Why did you come to see me today? This meeting might have happened anytime in the past four years, or years in the future. Why today?”
Drawing a tense breath. “Wow, my turn in the hot seat.”
“You don’t have to answer.”
“But I want to. It’s important. I didn’t contact you sooner because Leonora discouraged it. Besides you were traveling the world as Wail’n Waya with plenty of responsibilities and distractions….”
Distractions was the operative word. In his first days on the road, a beautiful blonde materialized at his hotel room door. Funny and sexy as hell, she tumbled effortlessly into his bed. They spent an amazing three-day weekend together, fulfilling every one of his as yet unjaded fantasies. She fawned over him and never left his side. He thought he’d fallen in love. But just as he braced to ask if she’d be willing to travel the circuit with him, he’d walked in on Tex counting a stack of hundred dollar bills into her open palm. She didn’t even look surprised when he entered the room. Her only explanation? A quick peck on the cheek and a halfhearted, “I’m sorry. I thought you knew.”
“I turned eighteen in December,” Christy continued. “I’m an adult now. I didn’t want to cause trouble. I figured I should contact you now before you did a bigger disappearing act and dropped off the map.”
“I think I already know, but how did you find me?”
The line of her lips tensed. “I’d rather not say.”
“I understand.”
Shadows obscured her features. Only her eyes glistened in the dark. “I came here today because I needed to see you…again.”
“Why?”
She twisted the hem of the quilt between anxious fingers. “It’s personal. First, I wanted to thank you face-to-face for ending my nightmare. I saw you jog away the first time. You didn’t have to come back, but you did,” her voice trembled. “They were going to kill me.”
“You don’t have to thank me.”
“I know I don’t have to , but I need to. This is where I’m going to sound silly. Bear with me. I hope to God I don’t make you cringe.” She gulped a deep breath. “For the last four years, I’ve had this haunting, larger-than-life image of you in my mind. You can’t deny you were my hero that night. Then the media blitz hit. I saw your face on products and the sports channels. It sort of got out of hand.”
“And you’re looking for reassurance I’m just some guy who fucked up?”
“I wouldn’t say it that way. I needed to see you were human.”
He winced, unable to own the claim.
“My childhood ended prematurely, but this is my fresh start as an adult. I want to be like everyone else. Do what they do. Finish college. Get a job. Find a boyfriend.” Allowing the quilt to drop to her shoulders, she slid closer. “But I can’t because once I turned eighteen, someone released my full name to the public. Now everyone on campus knows I’m ‘that’ little girl. The past comes up all the time. But the worst part is I can’t go on a date or get excited about anyone because….” Her face collapsed.
He got nervous as hell.
“No one compares.”
“Oh God. I have to stop you—”
“Wait. I came to Los Lobos, expecting to be disappointed. I planned to sit down with you and talk, see the flaws, and get disillusioned. Then say a quick ‘thank you and good-bye.’ Cross my heart, I wanted to be free. Now, how am I going to move forward?”
“What do you mean?”
With skittish actions, she crossed and uncrossed her ankles. “You’re a great guy. Instead of wishing I’d find someone else like you, I’d like to get to know you better.”
His gut churned. They were headed toward disaster. The heroic thing to do would be to smother hope and allow her to move on. “Christy, I’m going to be honest with you. You should walk away. I’m not what you think. This would never work. I know this sounds like bullshit, but
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