Dream (Fighting Fate Book 5)

by Maree Green

  I bit my lip, thinking over what this could mean for me. “What does that mean? What will happen now?”

  Pain flashed in his eyes. “I’m hoping nothing. Unless someone’s been able to name you, I don’t think they’ll recognize you. You normally look so different than in those pictures.”

  I blinked at him. My mind was jumping back and forth between being relieved my identity had a chance of being kept safe, and heartbroken that Josh was so panicked about people finding out about me. Trying to breathe through the lump forming in my throat, I nodded. “Okay.”

  His jaw clenched. “Maybe just wear your hair up for the next few weeks if you go out in public,” he said, his gaze moving over my hair as it hung over my shoulders.

  I didn’t understand why I was suddenly feeling so devastated. I mean, at no time did I think or hope Josh would want more from me than what we’d shared. The sadness and disappointment that was coursing through me now confused me so much.

  Regret made his shoulders sag. As he shifted forward, he took my hands. “Liv, I’m a selfish asshole. I should’ve left you alone right back when I first saw you, but I couldn’t. You were intriguing and beautiful, and I wanted you for myself. You’re in this mess because my greed has dragged you into it.”

  I shook my head, needing this whole thing to be over. “You gave me fair warning, Josh. You told me what the paparazzi were like. You gave me a choice. I made it.”

  Emotions flashed through his eyes, faster than I could catch. His gaze flickered between each of my eyes, as though he was searching for an answer to some question only he knew. After another long moment, he swallowed hard. “That’s not everything,” he said. “I didn’t use protection last night.”

  My mind went blank. Why the hell hadn’t I thought of that? I’d come from living in a place where I was required to urge the girls to use protection every single day. I mean, I knew pregnancy wouldn’t be a problem because my period was due within the week, but it was still stupid of me. I had no idea what his sexual history was like. I swallowed. “Is . . . is there anything I should know?”

  “I’m clean,” he said, still searching my eyes. “That’s the first time I’ve ever forgotten.”

  I exhaled and gave him a small nod. This sucked. All of it. The seriousness. The sadness. The regret.

  “I’m really sorry, Liv,” he said, his voice rough.

  Pressing my lips together, I searched his eyes while I thought about the consequences of what we’d done. “What will happen if the pictures of us come out?”

  Sadness fell over him like a shadow. “The pap will follow you. They’ll pester you until they find out what you are to me and how we know each other.”

  A hollowness was starting to settle inside me. “How long will they follow me for? If they find out?”

  His eyes narrowed. “I don’t know. If they don’t see us together again, maybe a few months. Maybe longer.”

  I raised my chin, trying to be strong. “What will it mean for you if the pictures come out? Will it be bad for your career?”

  A tiny crease formed between his brows. “Not at all.”

  I stared at him as it all clicked into place. Pictures of us together wasn’t bad, but he’d prefer it if they didn’t get out. Dropping my gaze to my lap, I let it all sink in. “Okay,” I said, forcing myself to accept it. “I promise I’ll wear my hair up for the next few weeks.”

  “I really am sorry, Liv,” he said again. And I didn’t doubt it. Not at all.

  “Is it all right if I have a quick shower before I go?” I asked quietly, slipping from the bed.

  His hands clenched in his lap. “Of course. I’ve got Amy bringing some fresh clothes for you, as well as some makeup remover.”

  Oh my God. I’d forgotten about the makeup. I must look horrid. Striding to the bathroom, I tried to ignore the fact that I was naked, but what was the point in covering up, really? It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen me like this before.

  Stopping in front of the mirror, my eyes widened. Holy shit. I looked like I’d been punched in both eyes. If I wasn’t feeling so empty, I would’ve laughed. I looked ridiculous.

  As a knock sounded on the main door, I sighed and turned for the shower. It was time for me to get out of here. Stepping under the flow of hot water, I drenched my hair and tried my best to wash the crap off my eyes. Using the shampoo on the shelf, I washed my hair carefully, combing the knots out with my fingers.

  “Amy just dropped the stuff off,” Josh said from the doorway. “I’ll leave it here for you. And here’s the face wash stuff,” he added, placing a tube of something on top of the shower screen.

  I knew I should’ve been making more of an effort to make this situation less awkward, but I just didn’t have it in me. “Thanks,” I said quietly. It was all I had.

  Using the face wash, I finished up in the shower and hurried to dry myself. I didn’t worry about drying my hair. There wasn’t much point if I was only going to tie it up. Giving it a quick towel dry, I twisted it into a messy bun and wrapped an elastic hair tie around it.

  Grabbing the underwear and clothes Josh had left for me, I slipped them on and assessed myself in the mirror. Everything fit me perfectly. From the jeans, to the tank, to the pretty little flats on my feet. Sighing, I glanced at the handbag on the counter. I knew it had been left for me because I could see that my dress and shoes and been placed inside it. Sitting on top, was a pair of sunglasses and a tube of lip gloss. It felt very excessive, but I assumed there was a reason for it all.

  Applying the lip gloss, I slid the sunglasses to the top of my head and hooked the bag on my arm. If I was meant to be playing a part in this mess, this was the best I could do. I was no actress, after all. But maybe that was the problem.

  Chapter 50

  Josh

  I’d lain awake for most of the night after Liv had fallen asleep the night before. Guilt had set itself up inside my mind, reminding me of every little reason why I was a selfish asshole when it came to her—the biggest being the fact that I’d just drawn her into the media spotlight without so much as a second thought. The next being the fact that, for the first time in my life, I hadn’t used protection. I was single-handedly ruining her life in record fucking time.

  As I sat perched on the edge of the bed, waiting for her to come out of the bathroom, I knew I needed to man the fuck up and stop this shit with her. I needed to let her go, and leave her the fuck alone. Or I really was going to ruin her life.

  My breath caught as she stepped into the room. She was wearing a simple pair of jeans and a tank, but she looked so much more like the Liv I knew from the beach, it made me second-guess my decision to let her go.

  “I’m ready,” she said, pausing in the middle of the room. Her lips were curved up to indicate she was happy, but her eyes told a different story. It hurt to know it was me who had done this to her.

  Standing, I forced myself to move. All I wanted to do was pull her into my arms and tell her everything was going to be all right, but it wasn’t something I could promise. Coming to stand right in front of her, I searched her face, letting the memory of her burn into my brain. With gentle fingers, I brushed the stray pieces of hair away from her eyes. “I wish there was something I could say to make this better.”

  She met my gaze, drawing in a steadying breath. “Me too.”

  Each second that passed, looking into her eyes, caused my will to crumble a little more. “Go straight to the concierge when you get downstairs,” I said, needing her to leave. “His name is Michael. He knows what to do.”

  She watched me for a while, before she nodded her understanding. “Bye, Josh,” she whispered.

  Leaning forward, I placed a lingering kiss on her forehead. “Bye, Liv.”

  I made myself stand still as she strode for the door. Then for another few minutes after that. Because I knew if I moved right now, I would only chase her and beg her not to leave, and that couldn’t happen.

  After a while, I knew I couldn’t put
it off any longer. I needed to talk to the guys. But I’d barely taken two steps before my phone rang. I sighed when I saw Neil’s name on the screen.

  And so it began . . .

  “Neil,” I said, pressing the cell to my ear as I opened the door. Lance and Daniel straightened as I stepped out and closed the door behind me.

  “Josh, man. Trouble stirring?” Neil said casually.

  Pointing at Lance to follow, I motioned for Daniel to open the door to Corey’s and Cain’s room. “Not a bit, man,” I said lightly. “It’s all good.”

  Neil made a clucking noise. “My phone’s ringing off the hook, man. You sure you don’t want to make a statement or something?”

  As Daniel unlocked the door, I stepped inside, flicking the light switches on as I went. “I have nothing to say at this point in time.”

  Neil sighed. “Righto. Then I’ll just continue to brush them off.”

  Walking to the window, I threw the curtains open, glancing down at the screen of my phone as another call started coming in. “Thanks, man. I’ll let you know if I need you to run interception.” Drawing in a deep breath, I ended Neil’s call to answer the next. “Ian,” I said, making sure my tone of voice was stern and clearly not prepared for arguments.

  “What the fuck, Josh?”

  Taking a seat on one of the arm chairs, I leaned my forearms on my knees. “What’s the problem, Ian?”

  “What’s the problem? I’m negotiating with the studio about how you and Hannah can be seen together, and you go and get pictured picking up random girls at a fucking game premiere!”

  Anger simmered under my skin. “Firstly, this is the reason I keep refusing to commit to this bullshit dating crap, Ian. I have a fucking life, and I want to be able to date whoever the fuck I want. And secondly, don’t pretend to know enough about my dating life that you call any girl I’m with a fucking random.”

  “Are you serious right now, Josh? You know the studio has been hinting to the pap that you and Hannah are an item. Now the public think you’re out cheating while she’s waiting for you back on set.”

  I pulled the phone away from my ear and stared up at the ceiling, taking a few deep breaths before I resumed the conversation. “Well, you can tell the studio that because of their lies, I won’t agree to any more time with Hannah outside of filming, unless it’s promo work.”

  I didn’t wait to hear what he had to say next. I simply ended the call and called Neil back. “Neil, you can notify the press that Hannah Bryant and I are, and always have been, costars. We are not dating, and we never have been.”

  “Gotcha,” was all I got in reply before I ended the call and exhaled heavily. Tossing my phone onto the table in front of me, I looked up to see the guys watching me expectantly.

  Corey scowled at me. “You had to do it, didn’t you?”

  I sighed again. “Yes. Apparently, I’m determined to fuck her life up completely.”

  Daniel moved forward and sat in the arm chair across from me. “What’s going on? What do we need to do?”

  I rubbed my hands over my head. “I don’t know. I don’t know what I’m doing.” Sitting back, I drew in a calming breath. “I’ve thrown her to the wolves, and I’m about to get on a plane to go work on the other side of the country. I’m the biggest asshole on the planet.”

  Daniel looked me square in the eye. “Regardless of whether you’re an asshole or not, if they figure out who she is, you know she’s going to be swarmed. You need to put some kind of protection on her.”

  “I know. That’s what I want to talk about. I don’t want it to be just anyone. I want someone I can trust. And they need to be invisible. There’s still a chance her identity can be kept hidden.”

  Daniel nodded, his mind visibly ticking over.

  “I’ll do it,” Corey said, sitting on the arm of the sofa. “You don’t need all of us when you’re on set anyway.”

  Daniel rubbed his chin as he assessed Corey. “You’re too recognizable. You’ve been seen with Josh for too long now. We need someone with no prior link to Josh at all, and I know just the person.”

  Rubbing my hand over my mouth, I inhaled deeply. Liv was such an independent person, I wasn’t sure how she was going to feel if she found out I was placing a bodyguard on her. But it was something I couldn’t back down from. I knew from experience what could very well be waiting for her. It needed to be done. I just hoped, if it came to crunch time, she wouldn’t argue about it too much.

  Chapter 51

  Olivia

  From my perch on the sofa, coffee in hand, I watched Sam tap away on her computer. “I don’t know why you’re bothering,” I mumbled. “There are only so many pictures they could’ve taken, Sam.”

  I heard her huff as she continued to click away. She’d been like this since I’d gotten home and told her everything that had gone on since I’d abandoned her on the dance floor.

  Sam sighed. “It’s not the pictures you have to worry about, Liv. It’s the stories that go along with it. It’s the crap they drag up with their digging.”

  Taking a sip, I scoffed. “Good luck to them finding anything about me at all. I look nothing like I do in those pictures, and if they do find out who I am, there’s not much to dig up. Unless they decide to travel to Uganda. They could probably get a few cool stories from the villagers if they wanted to. Nothing too embarrassing, though. Not by Hollywood’s standards, anyway.”

  Sam sighed. “I just think it’s important for you be aware of what’s going on out there, Liv. Even if most of it’s crap.”

  I tried to hide my smirk as I pushed off the couch to go rinse my mug. Dumping it in the dishwasher, I closed the door and wiped my hands. If we didn’t hurry, we were going to be late for work. As I walked back into the room, ready to give Sam hell for making me late yet again, I froze. She looked like she’d just seen a ghost. Her eyes were wide as she stared at me, her mouth open in a silent O. “What’s wrong?”

  She opened and closed her mouth like a fish before she eventually found her voice. “They know who you are, Liv. Someone identified you.”

  As much as I’d joked about them not being able to dig up much dirt on me, her words still caused a wave of panic to hit me square in the chest. I’d seen the group of people waiting for Josh when I’d left the Montage yesterday. They were insane. I tried to swallow down the fear. “What does it say?”

  Turning back to the computer, she started to read. “Joshua Emerson’s mystery girl has finally been revealed. The sexy, blonde beauty has been identified as nineteen-year-old Olivia Maxwell, a journalist for the humanitarianism magazine, World Aid Matters. Not much else is known about Joshua’s stunning companion, including how the pair came to meet, but we’re eager to find out if we’re going to see her again. Stay tuned, folks.”

  Crap.

  “Shit, Liv. What are you going to do?” Sam asked, her voice mimicking the way I felt inside.

  Lowering myself down to the edge of the couch, I tried to breathe. “I don’t know. How bad do you think it’ll be?”

  She turned her palms up in a gesture of helplessness. “It’s hard to say.” Giving me a guilty look, she lifted a shoulder. “Maybe you should call Josh. I’m sure he’d help you if you asked.”

  Calling Josh was the last thing I wanted to do. I didn’t want to be a burden to him. He was obviously trying to distance himself from me, so calling him to beg for help like some poor, defenseless damsel in distress wasn’t on the cards for me. “Josh said that if they found out who I was, they would only be interested in me for a little while. I’m guessing they’ll leave me alone once they realize he doesn’t have anything to do with me anymore.”

  “You realize there will probably be people waiting for you at WAM. They know where you work, Liv.”

  Crap.

  Pushing myself up to stand, I straightened my shoulders. “Well, I guess there’s no point putting off the inevitable. I’m sure we can manage. There’s not likely to be that many of them.”

&n
bsp; She gave me a dubious look. “Okay, but promise me, if any of them try to ask you questions, you won’t answer, okay? You can smile, but don’t make eye contact, and don’t talk.”

  I frowned. I didn’t realize there were rules to this kind of thing. “Won’t that be kind of rude?”

  Her gaze hardened. “No. Just no, Liv. It’s not rude. That’s the way it works, and if you don’t believe me, ask Josh. He’ll tell you.”

  I inhaled, trying to make sense of it all. “Let’s just go. We’re already going to be late.”

  Collecting our bags, we locked the door and walked down the hall to the elevator. Sam pursed her lips as we descended, trying not to smile. But after a minute, she couldn’t help herself. “I’m sorry. I can’t stop it. I feel like I’m in some fictional story or something. You were pictured with one of the world’s most drooliest men, Liv. I know how you met, but how the hell did that happen?”

  I giggled at her delirious expression. “It is a bit bizarre.”

  Laughing, we stepped out of the elevator and made our way to the front doors. “You know what? We’re already late,” Sam said, pushing the doors open. “We may as well stop at Starbucks on our way.”

  I was all for it. Until shit happened.

  It started with one person with a camera in their hand, stepping in front of us. Then, before I could comprehend what was happening, there were three more.

  “Olivia! Look here!”

  “Olivia! How do you know Joshua Emerson?”

  “Olivia, over this way! Where did you and Joshua meet?”

  Panic spread through me like wildfire. I didn’t know what to do, where to look, or even how to breathe.

  “Olivia! How long have you and Joshua been seeing each other?”

  Sam grabbed my arm and squeezed tight, leaning in to talk into my ear. “Remember, no talking! Look down. Watch your step!”

  Taking a breath, I tried to mold my expression into one of being unfazed, and moved along with Sam’s steps. It was hard, because they kept stepping in front of us, shouting and clicking their cameras. Some of their questions were a little weird, if you were to ask me, but I tried to ignore them as much as I could. It wasn’t too hard when I focused on not tripping over. Which was a high possibility considering how close they kept getting.