Reid - Maddie Wade Page 0,27

of that she was sure, but did he want more than a roll in the sheets? That was the question she couldn’t figure out the answer to.

While she had been in New York, Ernesto, the photographer who had taken the shot of her and Reid, had sent her the proofs. To say the photograph was hot was an understatement. The chemistry between them practically burned the screen. In fact, he’d looked at her as if she was the only woman in the world. It made her hot all over and yearn for something she wasn’t sure she could have with him.

Turning her attention away from her sad love life and what may or may not happen with her and Reid, she concentrated on the here and now. “What happens now?”

Reid tipped his head and regarded her, giving her question serious consideration. “Now we head to Hereford. The best idea is to get on the road tonight while we still have the advantage of nobody knowing where we are.”

“I’ll need to have Mel put out a press release regarding what happened at my apartment. It’s only a matter of time before the press gets hold of it and links it to me.”

Reid nodded as he sat back in his chair that was way too small for a man his size. “Fine but keep the details out of it. We don’t want anyone to know who it was, or what exactly happened.” He turned to Mitch. “Can you check with Brant if it’s okay to release something? We need to make sure the family has informed before we do anything.”

Mitch nodded. “Yeah, I can call him now.” He stood and walked toward the back door, Bono on his heels.

“We also need you to have Sophia cancel your commitments. Are there any that can’t be rescheduled?”

“I have a video shoot for my new fragrance but not until the end of next month.”

Reid nodded. “Hopefully we’ll be done by then.” His jaw was hard as he said the words and Callie wondered what had pissed him off.

“I’m sorry to be putting you all to this trouble. Please tell your boss that I’ll pay for your time.”

“The fuck you will.” He stood from his chair and walked to the sink with his plate, the water splashing suds at him as he dumped the plate in.

She stood and walked towards him, standing beside him as he looked out the back window and off into the night. “Reid, I’m taking up three of his men.”

He slowly turned his gaze to her, and she saw heat and desire burning in his eyes but also something else she couldn’t place. “Clay is my oldest friend and has saved my ass more times than I can count over the years. I need to do this for him.” He paused for a second. “And for you, sunshine.”

Callie heard the door close behind her and guessed Liam had left the room. Reid angled himself so he was fully facing her and lifted his hand to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Her skin tingled where his fingers brushed against her. “I’ve never met anyone like you.” His words were spoken softly as if he was surprised by his own admission. “You care about everyone you meet. You make people smile or laugh and never let the tension get to you. Even now, with everything that’s happening to you, you still care about others.”

“Kirk,” she said his name as a plea, his words making her heart and body ache for him.

“Let me do this, Callie. Let me protect you and keep you safe.”

Callie watched the emotions play over his face. He needed to do this for whatever reason, and she needed him. Because despite what he thought, she was scared, and she didn’t trust any man as much as she trusted him. It made her wonder how she was going to let him go when all this was over. “Okay, but I want to pay for Liam and Mitch’s time.”

Reid smiled at her, and his dimples deepened, softening the stern handsomeness of the man. “Good luck with that, sunshine,” he said and then went back to washing the dishes as if the last few charged moments had never happened.

Picking up a tea towel, she began to dry them, a smile on her face.

After a few minutes of companionable silence, she spoke. “Can I tell Sophia and Mel where I’m going?”

“I’d prefer it if you didn’t. The fewer people who know,