She glanced at his notebook. “Did you write a new song?”
“No, I was reworking the one I sang you.” He suddenly grew nervous she would ask to hear it. He was feeling insecure at the moment and didn’t want to share it. He shoved his notebook into his bag.
“Oh.”
Her phone chimed again, and she picked it up, read it and sent a message off. He tried not to be too interested in it. “Another text from Jalen?”
“Yeah. He’s busy.” She scrutinized him. “Does he manage more than just you?”
He laughed. “More than just me? You think I’m not that hard to manage?”
Riley blushed and fiddled with her bag. “That didn’t come out right.”
She was cute when she was flustered. He smiled at her. “It’s okay. I know what you meant. No, he doesn’t manage anyone else. I guess I’m just a handful.”
“Well, you are popular.”
Before he could respond her phone rang. She answered, and her face drained of color. “Mrs. Lewis? What’s wrong?”
She shot up from her chair. “Is he going by ambulance?”
Jalen’s heart twisted, and he stood as well. Riley nodded, thanked Mrs. Lewis for the call, and hung up.
“Your father?” he asked, his throat tight.
“Yes,” she said. “Dorothy found him passed out on the floor. She doesn’t know what’s wrong, so she called the ambulance. He’s being transported to the ER.”
Jalen pulled her into his arms. “Oh, no. I’m so sorry. Do you need to leave the island?” He hated to ask, but knew how serious her father’s condition was. He couldn’t hold her there. Not if there was a chance this was the last time she’d see her father. Not even if it meant he might never see her again.
Chapter 17
Thoughts and emotions swirled around in Riley’s head as she tried to process what to say. Did she need to go home? This wasn’t the first time her father had passed out. It was part of his heart condition. Still, if it was something more, she should be with him.
Shadow held her, his strong arms encircling her. She inhaled, taking in the masculine smell of him. It comforted her for some reason.
“If you need to go,” he said quietly. “I can schedule you a flight.”
She took in a shaky breath. The last several times this happened, the doctor said there was nothing he could do. Her father had a weak heart. He sent him back home. “It could be nothing. I’d feel stupid if I rushed home and there wasn’t anything I could do.”
“What if it’s not nothing?”
Her mind raced. “Then the doctor will tell me after he gets checked out at the ER. I can book a flight then, if I need to.”
Shadow frowned but nodded. “I understand.”
Riley let out a breath and pulled back from him. “I’ll call the hospital and let them know he’s on his way. Then I’ll just have to wait for him to be checked out.”
“All right.” He kissed her forehead. It was a quick gesture—it looked like he didn’t even think about it before he did it—but it melted her heart.
“Thank you for being there for me.”
“Of course.”
After she called the hospital and spoke to the doctor on call, she paced the room, her nerves tied up in knots. She didn’t know what to do with herself.
“Do you want to have some time to yourself?”
“And pace the floor alone in my own room? No, thank you.” That would just be depressing.
He put a hand on her shoulder. “Here. Sit. You are super tense. You need to relax a bit.”
He guided her to a chair and took position behind her. He began working his thumbs over her shoulders. The pressure felt both painful and amazingly good at the same time. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, trying to relax, as he’d said to.
“Good. I can feel you loosening up.”
As he worked his hands over her muscles, she tried not to worry about her father. This wasn’t his first trip to the ER. He would be okay. The doctor said he might have some fainting spells. She knew this could happen.
“Tell me about your father. What did he do for a living?”
“He was an engineer.”
“Oh? What kind?”
“Mechanical engineer. He helped develop HVAC systems.” She smiled. “Kind of sounds boring when I put it that way.”
He changed massage techniques, working her back muscles. “No. Sounds like he is a brilliant man.”
“Yes, he is.”
“He also taught you about cars?”
The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. She’d told Jalen that. “Yes,” she said, carefully.
“I mean, Jalen told me.”
Why did he sound so odd? Like he’d been caught? Did they gossip about her or something? “I don’t know a lot. He just taught me how to change a tire, change the oil, stuff like that.”
“Those are good things to know. I have to pay people to do that stuff because I’m clueless.”
“Well, if you need an oil change over the next day and a half, you know who to call.” She laughed and then sobered. She only the rest of today and tomorrow with Shadow. That thought didn’t sit well with her.
He chuckled. “You’re the best assistant I’ve ever had.”
That was probably a lie, but she took it anyway. “Thanks.”
He switched to massaging her neck, his touch lighter. The contact with her skin made her realize just how attracted she was to this man. She jumped out of the chair. “I think that’s good.”
“Better?”
“Yes.”
“Then let’s think of something else that will get your mind off things, at least until the doctor can call.” He trailed his hand down her arm and laced his fingers through hers. Man, if he didn’t stop, she was going to be a puddle on the floor. “Do you want to sit with me?”
“Okay.”
“Why don’t you tell me about your novels?”
Oh, just great. Anything but that. She gave him a lame smile. “They’re not very good.”
“What are they about?”
Gah. Was he going to keep pestering her until she made something up? She couldn’t even think right now. How was she supposed to come up with the plots for five paranormal romance novels? She balked, and then an idea came to her. “I’m a little uncomfortable talking about my books. Why don’t you ask me yes or no questions, and I’ll answer.”
He grinned at her. “All right, that sounds like fun. Let me think. Are the books set in contemporary times?”
“Yes.” She would die if she had to make up stuff about historical fiction.
“Are the novels a series?”
“Yes.” That would be easier to keep track of.
He shifted and ran a finger over the back of her hand. It sent a wave of tingles over her skin. “Is your main character a ghost?”
Well, that would be fun. “Yes.”
“And is your main character in love with a living person?”
She couldn’t say yes to every question, or it wouldn’t take long at all for him to figure out she was lying. “No.”
“Hmm. Okay. Is your story set in a big city?” He moved closer to her and put his arm around her.
She snuggled into him. He really was being an amazing support. Who was she? A temp? A nobody. He could have dismissed her with a wave of his hand, yet he treated her like she mattered from the very first time they’d met. “Yes.”
“A fictional city?”
“Yes.”
They continued, back and forth, while her fake story unfolded before both of them. A half hour later, she had three characters who were ghosts, two werewolves, a demon, and a car salesman who were all trying to solve the mystery of who killed the main character. The romance part was still shaky, but that was fine with her. She didn’t really know much about romance anyway. Her phone rang, and her heart leapt into her throat.
She answered her phone with trembling fingers. The ER doctor who had checked out her father sp
oke with her for a few moments, and then hung up. She turned to Shadow, relief making her shake. “My father’s okay.”
He pulled her to his chest and held her tight. “I’m so glad.”
“They’re going to keep him overnight for observation, but the doctor said his condition hasn’t worsened.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to go home?”
“There’s nothing I could do at home anyway. I’d like to stay and finish this job.” She swallowed. The job she was there for was different than the one he was thinking, and it made her guilt rise again. But what could she do? She needed to do her job and get back home. She couldn’t afford to have feelings for the man in the mask. And she was running out of time.
She had to get Shadow to take off his mask.
Chapter 18
Jalen closed his guitar case and clicked the latches. He’d sung his songs for the lunch crowd and they were packing things up. Riley quickly grabbed the guitar case before he could lift it. “I can carry this for you.”
“You don’t have to carry my—”
“It’s okay,” she interrupted. “I want to help.”
He held in a smile. That was Riley. She had a take-charge attitude that he liked. “Thanks.”
She headed out of the restaurant. Evan was on security detail and followed them. The sun blinded him when they got outside into the courtyard. Riley looked up at him, shielding her eyes with her hand. “Don’t forget to give me your laundry. Jalen specifically said to get it from you.”
“Yes. I’ll get that for you when we get to the room.” Too bad she needed to do his laundry. He wanted to spend more time with her. Being with Riley was like a drug. The more time he spent with her, the more he needed her.
“It’s a lovely day,” she said, looking up at the sky before heading into the main building where their rooms were.
“It is.” They got to his room, and he unlocked the door. “I’ll go get the clothes.”
After he gave Riley his laundry bag, he stood there awkwardly shifting. He didn’t want to send her away.
Riley must have read his mind, because she paused and looked at the carpet. “Do you…want to come with me?”
He smiled. “Yes.” Did he answer too quickly?
She lifted one eyebrow. “Really? It’s probably going to be boring.”
“I’ve found that being around you is never boring.”
She grinned at him. “All right. Challenge accepted. Let’s go make laundry not boring.”
Evan followed them to the laundry room and stood outside as they went in and picked a washing machine. Riley filled the machine and started it. Then she turned to him. “Okay, you got to ask me twenty questions about my book series. Now it’s my turn.”
He stepped closer to her. “But, I don’t have a book series.”
She rolled her eyes. “About you, silly.”
She wanted to ask him questions? Personal ones? Maybe that wasn’t a bad idea. He did want to get closer to her. He slowly nodded. “All right.”
She nodded and hopped up onto the table set in the corner for folding laundry. She looked quite pleased. “Okay. First question. I think I know the answer, but I’ll ask anyway. Have you ever dated anyone as Shadow?”
“Besides you?”
She nodded.
“No.”
Was that a smile she was hiding? He couldn’t quite tell. “Do you live alone?”
If he didn’t count Sir Barks, he did. And he was pretty sure she meant humans. “Yes.”
“Are you a morning person?”
The washing machine switched from filling with water to churning, and he stepped closer to Riley to hear her better. “No.”
“Do you like to read?”
He nudged her leg. She’d figured out why he was so interested in her books. “You caught me.”
She pushed her glasses up, suddenly acting self-conscious again. He wasn’t sure why she was so embarrassed about her books. Even if they weren’t any good, every writer started somewhere. She glanced away. “Do you watch a lot of TV?”
“No.”
“Do you listen to other genres of music, besides pop and jazz?”
He put his hands on her knees. “Yes.”
She stared at him, and bit her lip in a tentative way before asking the next question. “Does anyone else know your identity?”
He sobered. He probably shouldn’t answer that question. If he were being smart, he would stop this game right here. But his pulse quickened, and he suddenly wanted to answer her truthfully. “No.”
Her eyes widened. “But, Jalen knows, right?”
Great. Now what was he supposed to say? He was Jalen. No one besides him knew. His heart pounded as he tried to think of how to get out of the situation. Finally, he just shrugged. “No one besides Jalen.”
“Oh. Okay.” She paused, as if she were thinking about what he’d said. He didn’t really want her to piece it together, so he reached up and pulled off her glasses. He was curious if she had a strong prescription.
He slid them on over his mask. Everything looked normal. Riley grabbed at them, but he stepped back, not wanting her to accidentally grab his mask off as well. “These aren’t prescription glasses?”
Pink colored her cheeks as she once again reached for them, but he managed to thwart her moves. “Hey,” she said. “Give them back.”
“Are these fake glasses?” Why would Riley be wearing glasses that she didn’t need? It gave him a funny feeling.
She buried her face in her hands. “All right, fine. You figured it out. I wear designer glasses.” She peeked through her fingers. “I’m sorry. I just feel more comfortable with them on.”
He took them off and handed them to her, feeling like a jerk. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pulled them off. I was just curious.”
She shoved them back on her face and dropped her gaze. He wasn’t sure, but he thought he saw another look of guilt cross her features. “No, it’s okay. I shouldn’t be so sensitive.”
He lifted her chin until she looked him in the eyes. “You’re beautiful, with or without glasses. But it’s easier to see your lovely green eyes without them. Call me selfish, but I like to look at them.”
She blushed again. “Hey, how did we get back to talking about me? I was asking you questions.”
“Oh, right. Go ahead.”
“Does your mother know what you do for a living?”
He paused, trying to figure out how to answer her. His adopted mother knew he was Shadow’s manager. She didn’t know he was Shadow, also. He slowly shook his head. “No.”
A sadness entered her eyes. “Do you ever want to brag about your success to someone? Like, I would be so frustrated not being able to tell people I was actually a really successful singer. Do you ever feel like that?”
He chuckled and cupped her cheek. She was the only person who had ever thought about how it might feel to hide your success from the world around you. As Shadow’s manager, he often got treated like he wasn’t an important person. Sometimes it did make him frustrated. But not enough to reveal who he was. “Yes, I do sometimes feel like that. But it passes. There are many advantages to my anonymity. It’s much better than having bragging rights.”
She thought about that for a moment, then slowly nodded. “I can understand that. Have you ever wanted to tell anyone who you are?”
His heart thumped in his chest. He did. Just last night. He lightly ran his thumb over her lips. “Yes.”
She closed her eyes at his touch. “What would happen if the world found out who you are?” she asked quietly.
“My career would be ruined.”
Her eyes flew open, and she pulled back in shock. “Really? Why?”
Conflict arose in him. He wanted to tell her. It would be simpler if he could tell her he would never be accepted because of his ugly scars. But he hesitated, still uncertain of how she would react. She would know right away who he was if he revealed that. He picked up her hand and put it to his
lips, gently kissing her fingers. “That’s not a yes or no question.”
She blinked, then her features softened. “Do you know for sure that your career would be ruined?”
He didn’t want to be cynical, but he had his whole life as proof that people didn’t react well to his scars. Pretty people went far. People like him were cast aside. He sighed and put his hands on either side of her on the table. “Yes.”
She reached out and put her hand on his jawline, a heavy look in her eyes. “I think I’m done asking questions.”
Had he ruined the mood? He didn’t want to leave such depression between them. “Then it’s my turn.”
She nodded.
“Have you always wanted to be a novelist?”
A look crossed her face, and she shook her head. “No.”
This surprised him. He’d figured that writing was her passion, and she’d wanted it all her life. “Is being an author your dream?”
She paused for what he thought was a long time before answering. “No,” she said quietly.
No? Had he just assumed she wanted to be an author? How had he gotten that so wrong? Maybe that explained why she didn’t ever want to talk about her books. Maybe she wasn’t that into writing anymore. “Interesting,” he said. “I like a good mystery. Let me try to unravel the mystery that is you.”
He smiled, trying to be playful, but Riley stiffened. “You don’t have to.”
He stared at her, observing the shift in her mood. Maybe he wasn’t the only one with secrets. The thought unnerved him, but he couldn’t be too upset. He was hiding who he was, which was a pretty big thing to hide from her. Could he really ask her to give up all her secrets if he wasn’t willing to do the same?
A woman entered the laundry room, followed by Evan. Jalen stepped back from Riley, self-conscious of how close he’d been with her. Riley patted her hair and smoothed it back into her bun.
“Oh, hello,” the woman said. She plopped down a basket of laundry on a washing machine. Then took off her oversized purse and set it down next to her basket. “You’re Shadow Walker.”
He nodded. “Yes.”
Riley squinted at the woman and hopped down from the table. “I’d better check on our laundry.”
A Deception of Massive Proportion: A Romantic Comedy (The Billionaire Club Book 3) Page 11