Dropping The Ball - A New Year’s Billionaire Romance - Weston Parker Page 0,50

put on the alarm once you were here, and went to get some.”

“He had to go out to get some?” She lifted her brows before flashing me a knowing smile. “Funny. I thought he could get some right here.”

“Ha. You’re hilarious.” I turned, getting plates out of the cabinet behind me to hide the heat I felt spreading on my cheeks.

If Tani saw me blushing, she’d know right away that he had gotten some here. Usually, I wouldn’t have minded telling her about it but I’d promised him just days ago that what happened between us would stay between us. I wouldn’t break that promise, even if I was a little confused in the aftermath.

Even though I’d tried to stop her from seeing it, she still studied me curiously when I stacked the plates on the counter after turning back to her. “So, he ran out to the store for you, huh? Isn’t that more of a boyfriend thing to do than the duty of a bodyguard?”

I shrugged but averted my gaze to rummage around for cutlery in the drawer in front of me. “He offered, and since I only realized it a few minutes before you were going to arrive, I took him up on it.”

“I don’t think that’s all there is to it.” She put her elbows on the counter and rested her cheek in her palm. “Out with it, Rylee Naples. What’s really going on between you two?”

“I’ve been sworn to silence,” I said. “I don’t want to lie to you, but I also can’t tell you everything.”

She blinked a few times in rapid succession, obviously surprised before she nodded slowly. “I guess I can understand why that might be. Want to tell me whatever it is you can without breaking your vow of silence?”

Smiling a little at the last words, she shook her head before adding, “If there’s anything you can tell me. You know I won’t tell anyone anyway.”

I glanced at the door before turning my wrist to check the time on my watch. Bart would be here any minute for his usual Sunday shift, but he knew we were all having brunch together today. If I talked fast, I might be able to get some insight from my best friend without saying anything that would break my promise to Carter.

“It’s starting to feel like we’re a real couple,” I said, “but I’m worried, and honestly, I’m confused too.”

“Let’s start with the worry. What are you worried about?”

I sucked my lips into my mouth while I tried to put my thoughts in some kind of logical order. “I’m not sure he knows what he’s getting into if we eventually become a real couple. No one in their right mind wants to date someone famous. It’s a pain in the ass.”

Tani’s gaze held no judgment when I brought my eyes up to meet hers. “I think he probably has a much better idea of what he’d be getting himself into than you might think. His line of work is directly responsible for the safety of famous people. He knows what celebrities go through and what the risks are.”

“It’s not just the risks I’m talking about, though. He’s a pretty private person, and nothing about my life is private once the vultures descend. What if he doesn’t like it?”

“What if he can live with it if that’s what it takes to be with you?” she countered.

I sighed. “What if I don’t want to ask him to make that kind of sacrifice?”

“What if you don’t ask him? What if he just does it, exactly like he already is?” She twisted a strand of her loose hair around her finger, her gaze darting at the door. “He’s out getting you cream for Sunday brunch. He’s already pretending to be your boyfriend in public. If you think about it, not much will change in that respect if you guys really got together.”

She winked. “In fact, you’d be free to hump then, which means he’d even get the actual benefits of a relationship with a gorgeous celebrity and not just the sucky parts like he is now.”

I held her gaze but ignored her comment about sex. I wanted to tell her how awesome it’d been with him, but I couldn’t betray his trust. Those details were just ours, like I promised him they would be.

“He’s only pretending to be my boyfriend for now.” I added emphasis to the last two words. “It’s one thing knowing you might be in the limelight