Page 108 of Booked on You
I stare into the darkness, pulse hammering in my throat. It happens again. “Yeah.”
Scarlett slides off my lap as we both stand, unease crawling under my skin.
I instinctively step forward, positioning myself protectively in front of her.
Another burst of light, and it’s unmistakable what it is now. A camera flash.
“Shit,” I mutter, dread twisting through me. “Scarlett, sweetheart, we need to get inside right now.”
She hesitates briefly but follows my instruction without argument. Her fingers tighten around mine as we hurry toward the porch. Shadows shift behind the fence line, and the sound of footsteps scatter along the sidewalk. My jaw tightens as realization hits me.
“What is it?” Scarlett asks, anxiety lacing her voice.
We move inside, and I shut and lock the door, then close the blinds behind us before I meet her eyes.
The word already tastes bitter on my tongue, but she has to know. “Paparazzi.”
CHAPTER 25
SCARLETT
“Oh my God.” Panic shoots through my body, and it’s ice-fucking-cold.
My eyes widen as I grip Ezra’s arm, fingers digging into his skin. “Ezra, those were cameras. Paparazzi—someone took pictures of us. Do you think they saw…”
Me completely losing myself on his lap.
“I don’t know.” Ezra curses under his breath, but when he sees my worried expression, the anger in his gaze fades away.
He rests his hands on my shoulders, facing me. “Hey, breathe,” he says, even if I can see the tension in his jaw. “We’ll figure this out.”
Memories from my past relationship flash through my mind. The internet was full of headlines with speculation about every relationship choice I ever made. My books were dissected. I felt like I had been ripped open for the vampires to feed on me. I was followed around the city like a celebrity and hated every minute of it. I wanted to write, not be in anyone’s spotlight.
The thought of reliving that humiliation makes me ill. It almost broke me.
“Who would even do something like?—”
Realization hits me, and our eyes lock.
We say her name at the same time.
“Sara.”
Ezra’s jaw tightens. He runs a hand through his disheveled hair. Frustration rolls off every rigid muscle. “Of course. That makes sense. She was pissed off this morning and knows how to hurt me. Wouldn’t surprise me if she’d called them when we were together, too.”
“Me either.” I shove my hands in my pockets. “What do we do? I can call my publicist first thing in the morning, but it might already be too late. Plus, I don’t know what to tell her.”
“I’m so sorry, Scarlett. I was reckless.” His voice grows apologetic. “It’s been years since I had paparazzi track me.”
“Because you and Sara broke up,” I mumble.
“Very happy about that.”
Our eyes meet, uncertainty flickering between us. “How much media training have you had?”
He lets out a weary laugh. “From the moment I could speak. My mom made sure I was prepared for a world that was too eager to tear me apart.”
I exhale. “Okay. So a lot.”
