I’m inside her before she finishes her sentence.
* * *
We’re an hour late.
Carly glares at us, but otherwise refrains from commenting as we step onboard. Felicity’s happy grin is all the proof she needs that our tardiness was due to a worthy cause.
“Have the lovebirds finally shown their faces?” Lincoln calls, walking out of the galley kitchen with a mug of coffee. His eyes drop to our intertwined hands and he grins. “Guess that’s a yes.”
We don’t bother responding. I load our overnight bags into an empty cubby as Felicity hangs her sparkly dress in a dry-cleaning bag inside the closet by the bathroom. Her eyes meet mine with pure heat as we walk into the lounge area where Aiden is reading. Claiming an empty couch, she leans back against my chest and closes her eyes as the bus engines rumble to life beneath us.
“Tired?” I murmur, planting a kiss on the side of her head.
“Mmmm.”
“Long night, huh?” Linc waggles his brows as he flops down on the couch across from us.
I shoot him a glare, but the girl in my arms merely giggles.
“Um, Felicity?” Carly’s tone is unusually rattled as she walks in, snagging the cushion beside Lincoln. Her eyes are glued to the tablet screen in her hands. “You might want to see this.”
Felicity pushes off my chest moves to her best friend’s side, worry on her features. “What is it?”
Carly’s eyes dart to me. “Actually, Ryder… this concerns you, too. You might want to look as well.”
A lance of unease shoots through me as I join the small huddle around Carly’s tablet, placing my hands on Felicity’s shoulders and rubbing soothing circles. I wince as Carly pulls up the screen to reveal a flashyTNZarticle. The headline is bad enough; the video is far worse.
WILDWOOD GETS WILD IN EXPLICIT ELEVATOR HOOKUP
“Oh my god.” Felicity’s murmur is strained. “Oh mygod.”
“Fuck,” I curse, watching as a grainy, black and white surveillance tape begins to play: Felicity’s legs around my waist, her hands in my hair, our mouths fused together as I carry her out of the elevator.
I’m filled with incalculable rage, hands fisting at my sides.
“How did they get this?” Felicity sounds pissed and pained in equal measure.
“I assume someone at the hotel saw it and sold the footage for a hefty sum.” Carly grimaces. “It’s shitty, but…”
“What do we do? Do we call the police?” Felicity looks at me, worry in her eyes. “Ryder?”
I nod. “We do. And if the police can’t track down who sold this, I’ll hire a PI to get to the bottom of it. One way or another, the fucker who did this will be held accountable.”
“Not to be the odd man out, here,” Linc interjects. “But why are you so pissed? It’s not like it’s a sex tape.”
Surprisingly, it’s Aiden who cuts in, closing his book with a bang. “Because, Lincoln, it wasprivate. It wastheirs.And now, everyone in the world has seen something that was supposed to belong only to them.” His eyes flash darkly. “Some secrets are worth keeping. Not because you’re embarrassed of them. Because they’reyoursto keep.”
We’re all totally silent, staring at him with varying degrees of curiosity. Felicity looks intrigued. Linc looks flat-out confused. Carly looks like she’s about to keel over.
Curiouser and curiouser.
Aiden seems to realize he’s just brought the conversation to a crashing halt, because he scowls and pins me with a severe look. “Isn’t that right, Ryder?”
“Uh.” I clear my throat. “Yeah. Right, of course.”
Carly’s cheeks are bright red and her grip is tight on her tablet. “I’m not sure how best to proceed, here. I already have a call in to Francesca, but she’s on a plane back to LA at the moment. I’ll keep you posted, once I hear from her.” She tucks a stand of blonde hair behind her ear. “We definitely need to speak to your security detail about stepping things up when it comes to vetting any hotel staff you come in contact with… and also dealing with the paparazzi. I have a feeling this video, plus your very public reconciliation on stage last night, is going to stir up a media storm the likes of which the Kardashians have only ever dreamed.”
“It’s that bad?” Felicity asks, horrified.