Work In Progress (Red Lipstick Coalition #3) - Staci Hart Page 0,100
at her.
She laughed again, that cold, heartless sound. “Of course he didn’t tell you. I lost my job because of that failure. But I have a feeling you’ll do just fine, won’t you, Amelia?”
In the wake of that shock was shame at her rightness. The story had landed in Janessa’s lap, and like the opportunist she was, she’d snapped up the chance.
For a breath, I felt nothing beyond the futility of my situation. Janessa wanted the exposé, as she’d said. The one Vivienne had tried to get and dropped the ball on. Because Tommy was too smart for her.
But he trusted me.
My stomach rolled.
“It’s always so nice to see you.” His words were saccharine, dripping with sarcasm. “If you could do us both a favor and go to hell, that would be a real help.”
We brushed through the exit. She didn’t follow.
“It’ll eventually come out, whether you want it to or not, Tommy. And I intend to be the one to pull the trigger.”
Tommy shot a rude hand gesture over his shoulder without looking, hurrying us to the Mercedes. A few people paused, looked, whispered as we passed, but we were a blur of motion that didn’t stop until he deposited me in the backseat.
A moment later, he slid in next to me, and the door closed with a thump.
He sighed his relief.
I inhaled against tight lungs.
He saw my discomfort immediately, his eyes tightening at the corners with worry.
“Hey,” he said gently, pulling me across the bench seat and nearly into his lap. “Don’t let her get to you.” Tommy kissed my crown and held me for a handful of heartbeats. “She was only right about one thing.”
Something in my chest twisted. “Oh?”
“Controlling the narrative. Right now, we’ve got control. And besides, Melia…there is nothing fake about this.” Rumbling and earnest and quiet were his words.
I shifted to look up at him, tears stinging my eyes and nose.
God, he was beautiful, his wide lips and Roman nose and those dark, daunting eyes that smoldered with adoration and desire. And I felt like a thief.
Vivienne was right about more than that. The truth didn’t matter. It only mattered what people thought.
It was the whole reason we’d gotten married in the first place.
I had to find a way out, and quitting was the thought that arrested me. I imagined Janessa’s reaction, and dread lit fire in my guts.
She wouldn’t let this go. She wouldn’t let Tommy go. And if I didn’t write the story, someone like Vivienne would. Someone who wouldn’t protect him. They’d set him on fire and dance on his ashes.
It had to be me.
Control the narrative.
The urge to tell him overtook me, the words climbing my throat, resting on the tip of my tongue. But before I could speak, he kissed me.
His ardent lips were an anchor, tethering me to him for a long, lovely moment, one that hushed my thoughts and slowed my galloping heart.
When he broke the kiss, those lips were smiling down at me. “Let’s shake her off. We’ve got work to do. You have two chapters to edit, and I have two to write.” He settled back in the seat with a happy sigh. “I can’t believe I’ll be finished in less than a week. And it’s all thanks to you, Melia.”
I shook my head, glancing down. “Oh, I didn’t do much.”
He caught my chin and lifted my face to his. “You did everything. You gave me something to write about.”
My brow quirked.
“Love,” he said simply.
And then he kissed me again.
Love.
Could it be true? Could it be our future?
Could this be everything I’d hoped for? All that I wanted?
As he kissed me, as I searched my heart for the answers, I knew them. I’d known them long, long before.
I knew I could love Tommy.
I already did.
The admission spilled in my ribs, filled me with warmth and hope and relief and a spark of fear. Because with that admission, I had everything to lose.
I could lose him.
The second he sent his book to the editor, I’d tell him. We’d come up with a solution together, figure out how to handle Janessa, the exposé…everything.
The article was the least important thing to any of us. The book was what the publisher needed, and as long as he didn’t hit any snags, that would be finished in a matter of days. But Janessa had the power to do more than take Tommy down. If I’d learned anything, it was that Tommy would be fine, no matter what.