Dirty Sexy Alphas (Twenty Book Box Set) - Hannah Ford Page 0,256

grandparents as an excuse to avoid commitment…”

My hand shook as I read the words. I knew Kait was low and cutthroat, but I didn’t know she’d spin things this badly. She was evil, plain and simple. I knew she was out to get Leo but why did she have to throw me out as well? What had I done to make her hate me so much? I looked through the crowd to see if I could spot Leo. The only good thing was, he was surely too busy on the red carpet, posing with his stars and answering questions from entertainment reporters to see this bombshell on some women’s magazine web site.

I’d only seen movie premieres on television and had no idea they were such frenzied, screaming affairs, and I’m not just talking about the fans who were pinned behind riot gates across the street. As I got closer I could hear the reporters yelling questions, jostling each other and cameras flashing, and it was all concentrated in one spot, on one person—Leo Armstrong.

“Where is she? Did you bring Sophie Scott tonight?”

“What do you have to say about your so-called mystery girl writing an exposé on you?”

“Did you use the same tactics on the other women you date?”

“Have you spoken with Sophie Scott since the story came out?”

The use of my real name made me realize it was all happening, and they knew who I was. I stayed laser-focused on getting to Leo, whose tight smile showed me that he was just trying to get through this thing, and safely inside the theater. I moved to the side of the crowd, hoping to catch him and pull him into some relative safety on the side of the building.

My heart went out to him, but my heart was also breaking at the same time. Why had it happened this way? Why hadn’t I just told him everything sooner?

He moved down the red carpet swiftly, and I couldn't help but notice how beautiful he looked in his perfectly-fitted tux, his hair combed back but the waves still there. The screaming reporters and flashing lights could not pull me out of my goal of getting to him, talking to him and trying to explain things. Even as they screamed his name mixed with my real name, I refused to believe I’d lost my chance until I was face-to-face with him. So I slipped through the edge of one of the police barriers, sucking my stomach in to fit through, and stood on my toes to try to get his attention. Only instead of Leo’s attention, I attracted the attention of the reporters.

“There she is!”

“It’s Sophie Scott, Leo Armstrong’s mystery woman!”

“The woman who exposed his truths!”

Well, that got Leo’s attention.

When he saw me, our eyes locked as the yelling and flashing continued all around us. Soon they were on both sides of me, surrounding me, screaming my name and shoving their cameras so close to my face. I felt like a fox trapped by hunters.

Leo moved swiftly toward me, pulling me close as he ushered me toward the theater. My hand covered my face the flashes, and he kept me close to his body protectively, my head against his chest, his hand on mine. As we raced through the safety of the door, I realized that he did care about me. The minute he saw me, he wanted to protect me. I would be able to explain everything.

The metal door we’d gone through banged shut behind us. Leo immediately released me from his hold. I pushed my hair back and tried to gather myself and calm my racing heart.

I’d never been publically persecuted, and it was not an easy ride.

Once I’d finally taken a breath, I looked at Leo, who stood away from me, leaning against the wall, his hands now safely in his pockets. He didn’t look at me. He kept his eyes firmly on the multi-colored pattern of the floor.

“Leo,” I said, stepping toward him. He stiffened, standing up straight. When he looked at me, those eyes that I’d grown to love so much, looked as if I were a scuff on the toe of his custom-made shoes. I disgusted him. My presence annoyed him. Worse, I was nothing special. My chin quivered as I tried to hold my emotions together. “I’m so sorry. I wanted to tell you. I came here to tell you.”

“Tonight you wanted to tell me?” he said.

“No,” I said, flustered. “I wanted to tell you sooner, weeks