Wilde at Heart (Wilde Security, #3)(16)

As water soared into the air in synchronized bursts, he caged her against the balustrade and used his bigger body to hide her distinctive appearance in the crowd, just in case the guy got any stupid ideas about circling back and trying again.

She was shaking, little trembles racing through her, and yet she smirked up at him. “Nice roundhouse, Hershey.”

He backed away just enough to meet her gaze while still keeping her shielded. “What was that all about?”

“It was…nothing. No big.” She lifted a shoulder and tried to shrug away from him, but he was not letting her get away so easily. He banded his arms around her and lowered his face to hover inches above hers. To anyone nearby, it’d look as if they were lovers stealing a romantic moment in front of the fountains.

Hah. Couldn’t be any further from the truth.

“That was not nothing,” he said. “He had a gun. What’s going on, Shelby?”

She licked her lips. “I…” For a heartbeat, genuine fear showed in her eyes before she dropped her gaze. “I think he wanted something from me.”

“Like?” When she didn’t respond, he added, “You’re not carrying a purse.”

“I dunno then.” Her tone was casual, as if a near mugging was something that happened to her every day. “But he’s gone. You scared him off. My hero. So why did you come looking for me anyway?”

Okay, she wasn’t ready to talk about it. Yet. But he’d get it out of her sooner or later, so for the moment, he let the subject drop. “Besides the fact you left me tied to my bed?”

Her smile was the picture of innocence. “Besides that.”

Grumbling, he lifted his head to glance around. Didn’t see Baldy anywhere nearby. Good. He led her away from the crowd, his hand entwined with hers. Just another happy couple taking in the sights and sounds of the Vegas strip together.

Shelby swung their joined hands and oohed and aahed over all the lights like nothing had happened. Her ability to deflect was astounding. Even better than Cam’s, and that was saying something since Cam was the master.

But Reece didn’t have the luxury of ignoring his problems. He had to deal with them, and fast. He waited only until the crowd thinned out enough that he could talk without being overheard, then drew a fortifying breath. “I came to find you because I’m being blackmailed.”

Her mouth actually dropped open, and she pulled him to a stop. “What?”

“Technically, we both are, because someone has video footage from the security cameras at The Bean Gallery.”

She scoffed, shook her head. “No, that’s not possible.”

“Then it’s a damn convincing fake, because it sure looked like us. I received the video with a demand for money unless I wanted the video leaked. And I don’t.”

She said nothing for several beats, then turned away. “Who can blame you?”

The note of dejection in her voice caught him completely off guard. “Shelby—” He had to run to catch up to her and grabbed her hand, pulling her to stop. “Hey, the reason I don’t want it leaked has nothing to do with you.”

She arched a brow. The ring there glinted in the neon of a sign promoting a burlesque show. “Oh no?”

“No!” When she remained unconvinced, he pushed out a breath. He had not expected this, hadn’t expected the hurt she was trying so hard to shrug off. He closed his hands around her shoulders and waited until she met his gaze. “Look, I’m in the middle of a very delicate negotiation and any…indiscretion on my part will ruin it.” And possibly ruin both DMW Systems and Wilde Security in the process. He needed this deal to keep both of his companies going, but telling her on this busy street felt too much like exposing his jugular and inviting everyone to come slice it open, so he kept his mouth shut.

“Indiscretion?” she echoed.

He winced. He was screwing this all up, wasn’t he? “Uh, not that I think what we’ve done is, but—”

“Forget it.” She shook her head. “I know you’re way out of my league and tonight and the other night—they were lapses of judgment on your part. I get it, really. So what can I do to help?”

“Nothing. I only told you about it to warn you. If that video or the photos I received earlier tonight go public—it could tarnish your reputation as well.”

She snorted. “Oh, Hershey. You can’t tarnish something that was never polished to begin with.”

“Stop.” He caught her chin between his fingers before she turned away. “Someone massively f*cked with your head, didn’t they?”

Her lips tightened, and stubbornness shone in every line of her face. “I’m stating the obvious. Everyone might think I live out in la-la land, but I’m a realist. I know what I am. I know what you are. ‘Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet.’”

Surprise coursed through him, and he dropped his hand. “The Ballad of East and West. Kipling.”

Color stained her cheeks. “I can read. In fact, I enjoy it.”

He blinked. This woman had the ability to throw him off like nobody he’d ever met. “I-I didn’t mean to insinuate—”

“Like I said, forget it.” She waved a hand dismissively, turned away, and froze in her tracks. “Oh, shit.”