But—did she love him? Her head told her no. It was impossible to fall in love with someone that quickly. And yet, her heart wanted nothing to do with her head. Her heart yearned for the man on stage. All she wanted to do was take him in her arms and tell him it was okay, that she would love him no matter what. He didn’t have to be afraid of taking off his mask.
She groaned and turned from him. How could she have let herself fall in love with Shadow Walker? She was supposed to be exposing him, not wondering if their babies would have blonde or brown hair. This was such a mess.
Jalen stood from his stool and waved to the crowd. She stared at him, panic enveloping her. He was coming toward her. And now she was going to have to react to his confession. The closer he got, the more her mind shouted at her to do something. Say something. But she was rooted to the spot.
He stopped when he was in front of her, his jaw working like he wanted to say something, but couldn’t quite get it out.
“Here,” she said, shoving his bottle of water at him. “Drink.”
And now she was resorting to one-word communications. Nice. Maybe she could just grunt next time. You know, in case she didn’t look enough like a neanderthal.
Jalen took the bottle from her. “That was my last song. And since I worked the crowd last night, we’re free to leave.”
“Are we?” She felt the weight of his gaze on her as she shifted her feet. “Okay, then. Let’s go.” All of her courage from before had slipped away. Her heart thumped as she tried to think of an excuse to get away. She turned and climbed down the stage steps. “If you don’t need me for anything else…”
He fell into step beside her. “I think we need to talk.”
Oh, no. Not talking. That was probably not a good idea. Not when she was so unsure of what she was going to say or do next. Just his presence beside her was making her quake. She wanted to grab him by his shirt and kiss him again. It was totally a bad idea for her to be alone with him, talking or doing anything else.
She swallowed, then decided to make a joke out of it. “That sounds like you want to break up with me.” She laughed, only it came out a nervous giggle, kind of like an insane person.
“Quite the opposite.”
“The opposite? You want to break down with me?” Another insane giggle escaped. She was losing it.
He stared at her. “Did I make you uncomfortable?”
“No, no. Not at all. I’m comfortable.” Lie. She totally wanted to die right now. Like, literally. If a pit of eternal fire gaped open in front of her, she’d gladly jump in.
“Riley,” he stopped and turned to her. “Look at me.”
The sun had gone down, and darkness surrounded them as they weren’t quite to the buildings of the resort. She stared at him, his face shrouded in darkness.
“I’ve fallen in love with you.”
His words sent a zing of attraction through her, and she had to admit, pleasure. But she couldn’t feel that way. She swallowed as she tried to think of what to say.
“I just thought I needed to make it clear, in case the song hadn’t done it.”
“I—uh,” she sputtered. Why couldn’t she make actual words come out? Maybe because she didn’t know what to say.
“Look, the last thing I want to do is make you uncomfortable. But I kind of felt like we had a mutual attraction going on. If I’m mistaken, please let me know so I can go back to my room and be appropriately mortified.”
Her heart broke for him, and she shook her head. “You’re not mistaken,” she said, her voice barley coming out.
“Then, let’s go back to my room and talk.”
She knew what that meant. He’d warned her with his song. He was going to tell her he was Jalen. But she didn’t want that. She couldn’t let him reveal himself, only to be devastated by her story. Her betrayal. She wasn’t worthy of his love.
Still, she couldn’t tell him she had no feelings for him. That would break him. And it was a lie. She walked with him back to the resort, through the hallway and to his door, still unsure of what she was going to say when they got inside.
The security guard stood aside as Jalen swiped his keycard and motioned for her to enter. Sir Barks was particularly noisy, jumping on them as if he hadn’t seen them in a year. Nerves jumbled inside her as she stepped in and he closed the door.
“Hey, Sir Barks. Calm down,” Jalen said.
“Maybe he needs a walk.”
“We can take him out in a bit. Do you want something to drink?”
Yes. Drink. Anything to put off the conversation until later. She nodded. “Water would be fine.”
He walked to the fridge and pulled out a water bottle and handed it to her. The cold felt good on her palms.
Sir Barks ran to the closet and growled, then barked, clawing at the doors. “What do you want?” Jalen asked, stepping over to him. He patted his head. “There are no treats in there.”
The hairs on Riley’s arms stood on end, but before she could say anything, the closet doors burst open, and a young woman rushed out. She wore a housekeeping outfit, and she toppled on top of Jalen.
Riley screamed, dropped her water, and security burst into the room. The next few events happened so quickly it was a blur. The woman yelled, “I love you, Shadow!” Something flew through the air. The security guards pulled the woman off Jalen and dragged her out into the hallway. Jalen lay curled up on the floor, his face covered by his gloved hands. Riley looked down and felt the color drain from her face.
Shadow’s mask lay on the floor in front of her.
Chapter 21
Jalen’s heart pounded as he lay on the floor, his hands covering his face. That woman—how had she snuck past his security guards? She must have done it while they were cleaning the room, and no one noticed.
He heard the woman yelling, “Let me go! I need to see his face! I love him!” as his security dragged her out. At least he’d been able to cover himself right after she ripped off his mask. The door closed. Silence filled the room. He peeked through his fingers.
Riley stood near the couch, her back to him. Her head was down, and her shoulders hunched. “Are you okay?” she asked, her voice barely audible. His mask dangled from her hand.
He slowly rose to his feet. This was not exactly how he’d planned to unmask in front of Riley, but he was ready, nonetheless. He took a tentative step toward her. “I’m okay.”
She bowed her head lower and held the mask out behind her. “Please take it.”
Jalen couldn’t hear properly past the loud ringing in his ears. She was protecting his identity…even in this situation? She was an amazing woman. He didn’t know how he’d found her. It was fate. It had to be. Anyone else would be gaping at him, he was sure. But not her. She was faithful until the end.
He stepped up behind her, taking off his gloves. He ran the tips of his fingers down her arms. “Riley,” he said softly.
She didn’t move. He wasn’t even sure she was breathing. He kissed the spot between her neck and shoulder. He wanted her to know he was all right with what was happening. “It’s okay. You can turn around and look at me.”
She shook her head.
“I want you to know me—the real me.” Even though he felt extremely vulnerable, he had faith in Riley. She wouldn’t flinch before him. He knew her heart. He was ready to take the next step in their relationship. To show her his scars. He wanted to reveal his whole self to her.
“I can’t,” she whispered.
Wait, what? He was confused. He thought she was protecting his privacy. But now it sounded like something else. But what, he couldn’t understand. “Why not?”
“Put it on,” she pleaded, forcing the mask into his hand.
He ran his fingers over the skin on her neck, his face beside hers. If she would just turn a little, she would see him. “I don’t understand.”
“I know you don’t,” she said, her voice breaking. A tear slid down her cheek.
His heart jumped into his throat
. She was crying. What had he done to make her cry? He pulled her to him, hugging her back to his chest, his arms wrapped around her shoulders. “I’m sorry. Whatever I did. I’m so sorry for it.”
“Just please, put the mask on.”
He did as she said, slipping the elastic over his head. Even though he didn’t understand, and even though he didn’t want to, he obeyed. “It’s on.”
She buried her face in her hands. “I’m sorry. I think I need to leave.”
A cold rock formed in his stomach. “Why? Because of me, without my mask?”
She turned to him. “I’m just…not ready.”
She didn’t want to see him without his mask on. But what did that mean? Not ready for what? Maybe she wasn’t ready to progress their relationship? Had he come on too strong?
That had to be it. He’d told her he loved her. Not only that, but he’d revealed it to everyone at the resort with his song. He’d put her on the spot. Why didn’t he think that maybe she’d be uncomfortable with that?
“It’s okay.” He pulled her to him, and she buried her face into his chest.
“I’m sorry,” she repeated.
He didn’t understand what she was sorry for. She’d done nothing wrong. “Will you stay?” It was still early in the evening, and he didn’t want to say good-bye. Not yet. Tomorrow was the last day of performances, and then he’d be leaving the island. He didn’t have much more time with her. And she had admitted she had feelings for him.
“Okay,” she said.
“We can just sit and watch TV together.” He looked into her eyes. “Would that be okay?”
She nodded and wiped at her face, stepping back from him. “You must think I’m ridiculous.”
“No. I could never think that.” He grabbed the remote and then noticed her bottle of water that she’d dropped and picked it up. He sat down on the couch, and she joined him. “I don’t fully understand, but that’s okay. I don’t have to.”
She took the bottle of water from him and fiddled with the cap. “I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything.”
Her face flushed. “Yeah, I do.” She unscrewed the lid and took a sip of her water. When she was done, she didn’t meet his gaze. “I have some things going on in my life that I haven’t told you about. Things that make having a relationship with you…complicated.”
The cold in his stomach spread through him, creating ice in his veins. What did that mean? His mind automatically jumped to the worst scenario. Oh, no. She couldn’t be. “Are you married?” he asked, quietly, fearing the worst.
Her eyes widened. “No. What would make you think that?”
“I don’t know. From what you said. What am I supposed to think?”
“Well, I’m not married. Sheesh.” She ran a hand over her hair.
He was so relieved that wasn’t the issue that he let out a long breath. If it wasn’t that…then what was it? He searched for something else that might make a relationship difficult. “Are you wanted by the police?”
“Holy crap. That’s where you go? No. I’m not a wanted criminal. I didn’t murder anyone. And I’m not hiding a body anywhere. What kind of person do you think I am?”
“I’m sorry. You tell me that you’re hiding something from me, and now all I can think are the worst things.”
“Well, it’s not that.” She huffed and shifted her back to him.
He put his arms around her and pulled her back to his chest. “Hey, whatever it is, we can work through it. Right?”
Seconds ticked by as he waited for her to say yes, they could work through it. But it didn’t come. Worry seeped through him. “Riley?”
“I don’t know that we can,” she said softly.
His mind raced as he tried to think of what could be so terrible that it might destroy their relationship. He just couldn’t come up with anything besides the two she’d already shot down. “Do you have feelings for me?” he asked, closing his eyes. She’d already said she had, but he needed to hear it again.
“Yes.”
“Then, that’s all I care about right now.” Even if she wasn’t in love with him, he could wait to see if that developed. Nothing else mattered to him.
She relaxed, settling into him. “I wish things were different.”
“Maybe they can be.”
She paused for a long time, before nodding. “Maybe you’re right.”
He picked up the remote. “Should I turn on the TV?”
“Sure.”
He clicked it on and found an old sitcom that looked funny. He didn’t really care what they watched. All he wanted was to be close to the woman he loved. And maybe she would get brave and tell him what she’d been holding back. He wanted her to trust him more than anything. It broke his heart that she felt like she couldn’t.
Chapter 22
Riley closed her eyes, letting the sound of the television lull her. She’d been terrified when Jalen’s mask had come off. She’d forced herself not to look at him. Even though she knew who he was, the last thing she wanted to do was confirm it. She couldn’t let him reveal himself to a tabloid reporter.
Not that she had decided to write the article. She’d been thinking a lot about it, especially after Jalen had said that maybe things could be different. If she quit her job, then things would be different. She could date him, and there would be no issues. The only remaining problem would be that she’d be out on the streets, and her father wouldn’t survive the year.
She sighed, heavily. Man, why did life suck sometimes? She hated the position she was in. She couldn’t hurt Jalen. And she couldn’t let her father die. Neither one was something she could allow to happen.
The sound of soft snoring came from behind her, and she turned to see Jalen had fallen asleep. He looked so peaceful, so vulnerable, slumped against the couch, his head back. If she really wanted to confirm it was Jalen, all she had to do was lift the mask a tiny bit.
But she didn’t. She already knew it was him. She didn’t need to see for herself. Instead, she snuggled into him. No matter what she decided to do about her job and the article, she had to leave the island on Saturday. Just one more day with Jalen, and then she had to return to real life things.
She hadn’t meant for things to progress with Jalen like they had. She’d only been trying to get to know him. Dig up information. She hadn’t meant for the crazy chemistry between them or for her heart to get all tangled up in everything.
Jalen made a small noise, and she looked up at him. His mouth pulled down into a frown. Was he dreaming about something sad? He flinched and made another sound, like he was trying to talk, but couldn’t. She patted his hand, to let him know it was just a dream.
He jerked his head to the side and called out, “No!”
Riley thought for a moment he’d woken up, but he continued to make noises, and his eyes were closed. He was still dreaming. She felt so bad for him. She’d never seen anyone have a nightmare like that. It seemed to go on for too long. She rubbed his shoulders. “Hey, it’s okay. You’re dreaming.”
He sat up straight, his eyes flew open, and he gasped for air. His hands shook, and he dragged in air. She pulled him to her. “Are you okay?”
“I’m okay,” he said after a moment. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”
She could barely breathe, she’d been so scared for him. “You don’t have to apologize. I was just worried about you. It looked like you had one heck of a nightmare.”
He turned from her. “I get them, sometimes.”
“Nightmares?”
He nodded, but something about the way he was acting told her it wasn’t an ordinary dream. “Is it a reoccurring nightmare?” she asked.
“Yes,” he said, looking down at his hands.
“Do you want to talk about it?” The television still droned on in the background, and she picked up the remote and turned down the volume.
He leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees, exhaling. “I
told you my parents died in a house fire.”
She slowly nodded, her throat suddenly tight. His scars. The fire. Nightmares. It was all starting to make sense now.
“What I didn’t tell you was that I was in that fire.”
Reaching out, she placed her hand on his, and he leaned back and threaded his fingers through hers. Neither of them spoke for a moment. Riley couldn’t hardly breathe. She’d never once thought about where Jalen’s scars had come from. And now, he was going to tell her.
“It wasn’t anyone’s fault. They told me an electrical cord had frayed and caused some sparks. We were all asleep. My father woke up and smelled the smoke. He went downstairs to investigate, and he found the den on fire. They said he tried to put the fire out, but the smoke inhalation made him pass out.”
“Oh, no.”
He swallowed, obviously trying to get his emotions under check. “My mother woke up next. She saw the bed was empty and assumed my dad had grabbed me, and we were outside, waiting. She had to fight her way outside, the stairs were consumed by then, but she made it, even though she had badly burned her feet. The fire trucks had just arrived, but she couldn’t find me or my father anywhere outside.”
Riley knew where the story was going and sat, horrified, as she blinked back tears. She squeezed his hand.
“They told her not to go back inside. That the fire fighters would try to save us, but she didn’t listen. She went back in to get me.” His voice broke, and he hung his head. “I was rescued, but she didn’t make it.”
Riley’s heart shattered into a million pieces for him. She wrapped her arms around him, and pulled him to her. He buried his face into her shoulder as tears streaked down his face. How heartbreaking. She didn’t know how to comfort him, other than staying there, with her arms around him.
“My heart hurts for you,” she whispered. There were no words she could say that would make it better. Nothing she could do, except continue to hold onto him.
A Deception of Massive Proportion: A Romantic Comedy (The Billionaire Club Book 3) Page 13