Breaking Stars - J. Sterling Page 0,40

is Troy.”

I extended my hand toward the guy, who brought it to his lips and kissed the top of it. Laughing, I pulled my hand back and shook my head.

“It’s nice to meet you, Paige.”

Tatum’s face reddened. “Knock it off, Troy,” he said, glaring at his buddy.

“What? I was just saying hi.” Troy lifted his hands, palms up in innocence, but Tatum looked genuinely upset.

“You okay with all this?” Tatum whispered in my ear as his hand settled possessively on the small of my back.

“Yeah. I’m fine,” I said, loving the way his hand felt.

“Are you Paige Lockwood?” Troy asked, and the crowd around us grew quiet.

I nodded instead of saying yes, and he promptly asked if we could take a picture together. He pulled out his phone and I leaned in toward him, my head resting against his as he took a selfie of us.

Tatum looked around at the group that was now chirping with excitement and squabbling about who was next to take a picture with me. “Okay, listen up. Paige got a flat tire and she’s staying in town with us until I get the damn thing fixed. All we ask is that you don’t post about her being here. Not on Twitter, or Facebook, or InstaStupid or whatever the hell else you kids are playing on these days.”

The crowd laughed and one of the guys hollered, calling him an old man as Tatum continued. “Please don’t ruin this for Paige. If you post about where she is, she’ll have to leave.”

He leaned toward me. “Do you care if they post the pictures after you’re gone?”

“Of course not,” I said.

Tatum pulled me close, then addressed the group again. “Feel free to post the pictures you take with her after she’s left town. But not before. I don’t want to have to kick anyone’s ass tonight,” he finished, looking me in the eye before planting a kiss on my cheek.

What the hell?

Dear Lord, please make him do it again. And then again. And then he can move straight on to my mouth and never stop. Ever. Tatum may have lost his mind, but don’t help him find it. Not if it means he’ll stop kissing me.

I decided to address the crowd as well. I didn’t want Tatum to be speaking for me when I felt like I should be the one explaining myself to them.

“Like Tatum said, no one knows where I am right now, and I really want to keep it that way. I love your town and I’m enjoying spending time here. I’m not quite ready to leave, but if it gets out that I’m here, I’ll have no choice. So I just want to thank you all in advance for respecting my privacy. I really appreciate it. And once I do head back to LA, feel free to post our pics together wherever you want.” I smiled broadly, making eye contact with everyone who surrounded me.

The group immediately shouted their approval and then swarmed me for pictures and autographs. Everyone was incredibly sweet, but they were overwhelming as well. Hollywood was such a foreign concept to them, in the same way that their way of life was to me. They had a ton of questions that they weren’t afraid to ask. Anything personal I politely refused to answer, but questions about living in LA and my work, I happily answered. I understood the appeal and figured that I’d do the same thing if the shoe were on the other foot.

“Paige, do you want something to drink?” Tatum’s voice shouted over the questions being tossed at me.

I knew he meant alcohol, but I honestly didn’t want to let my guard down in this situation. “Do they have sweet tea? I’ve grown kind of fond of it,” I said as I gave him a huge grin.

“Sweet tea it is, Princess!” he shouted before taking off.

More laughter and shouting came from somewhere behind me, and I turned in time to see Brina and Celeste exiting a Jeep Wrangler. They both looked amazing. When Celeste caught sight of me, she waved like crazy and I waved back. The group surrounding me turned to see who I was waving to, and a few whispers accompanied the revelation.

“Hey, girl! So, what do you think?” Celeste asked with a big smile before giving me a quick hug.

“Is everyone here so good-looking? I mean, really!” I said, deliberately complimenting everyone within hearing range.

“It’s the curse of the South. Gorgeous people stuck in the