He nods. “And yours is right across from it.”

  When I give him a surprised look, he shrugs. “I went through the house and checked all the windows and locks. You have a good security system.”

  I blink. “Yeah, my brothers insisted.”

  His jaw tightens. “Okay.” He crosses his arms over his chest. “We going to talk about this?”

  I shake my head and fake a yawn. “No. I’m tired, and I think I should go to bed.”

  He comes to stand next to me. “I have to protect you, Sky. That’s what I need to focus on right now.”

  What else is he going to say? “Right, I get it.” I back away from him. “Thanks for doing the dishes. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  “What’s your schedule tomorrow?”

  I stop at the entrance of the kitchen. “Uh, I have some content to film, and then I need to prepare for this weekend. I have a brand trip.”

  He tenses. “A brand trip?”

  I nod. “Yeah, Whisked Away invited me. It’s at a mountain retreat three hours north of here.”

  He puts his hands on his hips. “Okay, tomorrow, I need access to all your social media, your emails, and Sky… I’m going on the brand trip with you.”

  I put my hands up and wave my hands. “No, no way. I’ll be fine.”

  He walks toward me. “It’s happening, Sky. You wanna go, I’m going with you.”

  I stomp my foot, and instantly I feel like a child. But I still poke my thumb in my chest. “I’m an adult, Zach. You can’t tell me what to do.”

  He growls. The man literally growls. “When it comes to your safety, yes, I can.”

  I open my mouth to argue, but being this close to him is too much for me. I slowly back away. “I’m going to bed. We’ll talk about this tomorrow.”

  He leans in the doorway of the kitchen, and I can feel his eyes on me the whole way up the stairs. I’m almost to the top when he calls out, “Sweet dreams, Sky.”

  I roll my eyes and then walk into my bedroom, slamming the door behind me.

  I’m not sure how I’m going to sleep tonight because all I can think about is Zach and how absolutely irritating—and irresistible—he is. This is not going to work. In one night, my life has been turned upside down. And now I’m just supposed to go on with him in my house, sleeping in the room across from me, after he just claimed me in front of my fans, my stalker, and my family. Yeah, there won’t be any sleep for me tonight.

  CHAPTER 7

  ZACH

  I’m sitting at the table in the kitchen drinking a cup of coffee when Sky walks in the next morning. She’s wrapped in a fluffy robe, her hair is up in a knot on the top of her head, and she’s rubbing her eyes. “Coffee. I smell coffee.”

  I stand up and go over to the coffee pot. “Have a seat. I’ll get you a cup.”

  She’s about to argue with me but stops and sits down across from the chair I just vacated.

  I take my time pouring the hot liquid. “Cream? Sugar?”

  She groans. “Nope. I need it black.”

  I chuckle and carry it over, setting it down in front of her. “How did you sleep?”

  She just grumbles, then blows on her coffee before taking a hesitant sip. I can’t seem to take my eyes off her. Even with the creases from her pillow lining her face, she’s beautiful. I clear my throat. “Can you give me access to your social and email today?”

  She huffs and rolls her eyes. “You’re not going to give this up, are you?”

  I shake my head. “Nope. Not until you’re safe.”

  I nod and gesture to my laptop on the end of the table. “It’s all in there. Everything is in the folder titled Sweet Temptations. You’ll have access to my social media and emails through that tab. If you need passwords, it’s in the notes folder, titled the same thing.”

  I grab the laptop, open it, and run a hand across my jaw as it loads. I start with her email first.

  The email app opens, and there’s a little over three hundred messages that arrived overnight. I glance at her and then start clicking, reading. I’m stunned into silence as I see all the fan mail she receives. So many emails from people thanking her for her videos or the recipes she’s shared. Another person thanked her for her support on her live the other night. My heart expands in my chest until it’s hard for me to breathe. “Wow.”

  “What?” she asks.

  I gesture to the emails. “This. You really make a difference here, Sky.”

  She blurts out a laugh. “Thanks, I mean, I know I’m just a baker and⁠—”

  I reach over and put my hand on hers. “Don’t do that. Don’t put yourself down. This is amazing. You’ve really touched these people.”

  She blushes and takes another sip of her coffee. Almost like she can’t sit still under the scrutiny, she stands up. “I’m going to fix breakfast.”

  I watch her until she notices me staring, and then I go back to the emails. The next email I open has me sitting a little taller. “Sky.”

  “Yeah?” she says as she opens the carton of eggs.

  “Do you get emails like this one a lot?”

  “What’s it say?” she asks.

  I read, my body coiled with tension. “Hey my sweet princess. You looked good tonight. So good I would like to spread that peanut butter icing all over your⁠—”

  “Hey, hey, hey!” she says, face red. “I get the picture. Yes, I get those all the time, but my assistant or I just delete them. It’s no big deal.”

  I pick up the laptop and move closer to her in the kitchen. She’s cutting bread and putting it into the toaster, and I set the laptop open on the counter. “Sky, I need to know these things. Every email like this could be a clue into who your stalker is.”

  She cracks eggs into a pan and avoids looking at me. “I got it, but in my defense, yesterday was the first time I’d seen you in forever, so don’t go getting your boxers in a bunch.”

  I know she’s right. I know I’m being ridiculous, but this whole thing is crazy. I’ve never felt this out of control before.

  I carry the laptop back over to the table and keep reading. I take some notes in my phone, sending a text to our IT guy to have him look into a few things.

  Sky plates the food and carries it over to the table. She points me toward it. “Dig in.”

  She brings over two more plates, and I’m about to ask her who the third plate is for when the back door opens.

  I stand up, pull my gun from my waistband, and have it pointed at some young guy carrying a stack of pink boxes. I see the Sweet Temptations logo as the boxes fall to the ground.

  “Oh my God, Zach, what are you doing? Put the gun down!” Sky screeches at me.

  I tuck it back into my waistband. “A strange man just walked in your back door. How did the door get unlocked? Who is this?”

  I’m glowering at the man that just walked into Sky’s house like he has every right to be here.

  Sky starts to walk over to him, and I loop an arm around her waist. “Who is he?” I demand.

  I know I’m being an asshole. Sky jerks from my hold. “Zach, you have to chill out.” She walks over to him, and my jaw is so tight it feels like it’s going to break. “Terry, I’m sorry about this neanderthal. Are you okay?” She looks at me. “You could have killed him.”

  I glower at her. “If you don’t take your hands off him, I still might.”

  The man is gasping, hand over his chest. “Oh my God…” He points at me and wiggles his eyebrows at Sky. “He spent the night?” He pulls his phone out and starts typing.

  “What are you doing? What’s he doing?” I ask them both.

  Sky puts her hands on my chest to push me back toward the table. I could easily resist her, but I let her lead me away. “He’s texting his wife.” She looks at the man. “Are you texting Janie?”

  He finishes typing. “You know I am. We saw the live last night. She’s going to flip.”

  Sky takes a deep breath, and it’s obvious she’s completely irritated with me right now. “Zach Campbell, this is Terry Stevens. He’s my assistant.”

  I freeze. “Your assistant? He works for you?”

  Sky shakes her head. “We work together. He keeps me organized.”

  Terry sits down at the table, laying his phone next to his plate. He picks up the fork and starts eating. He moans and then points at the plate with his fork. “You always fix the best eggs. Do you have any more of that apple butter you made?”

  Skyler laughs and opens the refrigerator. “Janie still have you eating low carb?”

  Terry groans. “Yes, and it’s killing me.”

  She puts down a jar of apple butter in front of Terry and then sits down next to me. They start to talk, ignoring me, and I know she said Terry is married, but I hate the closeness that Terry and Sky obviously have.

  I interrupt their conversation and point between the two of them. “How did this happen? How long have you been working for Skyler? How⁠—”

  Sky reaches over and puts her hand on mine. Then, as if she just realized what she did, she pulls back quickly. “He’s fine, Zach. Logan did a whole background check on him when I hired him.” She looks at Terry and points a thumb at me. “This one takes his job a little too seriously.”

  I open my mouth. I’m about to tell her that this is more than just a job to me but quickly shut my mouth. I need to keep this as professional as I possibly can, and I’m finding it’s going to be damn near impossible.

  I turn to Sky’s assistant. “What’s your take on the stalker?”

  Sky starts to choke on the eggs she just took a bite of. I reach over to pat her on the back, and when she’s calmed down, I keep my hand on her.

  Sky shakes her head. “I don’t have a stalker.”

  I lean toward her. “Honey, he’s definitely a stalker. Just in the few emails and messages I’ve seen, it’s obvious he knows your every move.” I sit up a little taller. “He had flowers delivered to your house.”

  Terry, with a mouth full of bread and apple butter, mutters, “He had flowers delivered? Here?”

  I nod and pull out my phone. “I need your cell phone number, address, full name, date of birth⁠—”

  Sky cuts me off. “How about his blood type and first born?”

  She’s trying to joke, but I just level her with a look. “That would be great.”

  She points a finger at Terry. “Look, Terry checks out, and I’m not going to have you⁠—”

  Terry interrupts us both. “Hello. I’m sitting right here.” He turns to me. “Do whatever you need to do. Just keep her safe.”

  I nod, giving some respect to Terry. “Thanks.”

  Terry shrugs and points between Sky and me before asking her, “So, uh, you going to tell me what’s going on with you and Zach here? I mean, you know when I go home, Janie’s going to ask.”

  Sky blushes. “Nothing is going on. He works with my brother. He’s been assigned to protect me until Logan gets home.”

  I interrupt her. “Until you’re safe, I’m not leaving until you’re safe, sweets.”

  Her face lights up for all of a second, and then she quickly hides it. She clears her throat and points at Terry. “I have the brand trip this weekend. We need to go over details for it.”

  Terry looks between Sky and me before picking up his phone. “Okay. I’m ready.”

  They start discussing the weekend, and I take notes. Sky may not be happy about it, but I’m about to be her plus one.

  CHAPTER 8

  SKYLER

  Four days. It’s been four days since Zach showed up at my door. Four days of having him by my side, and I’m going crazy.

  I wish I could find a huge flaw in him because then maybe, just maybe I could talk myself out of this attraction brewing between us. But the man is making it hard. It’s like he anticipates my every need. He’s helped me work, cleaned with me, cooked for me, and talked to me, and even though he’s asked me a thousand questions, I have secretly loved every minute of it.

  But now that we’re out in public with people, it’s time to rein it in.

  “This is not going to work,” I tell Zach for the tenth time in the last hour.

  His big hand slides across my back, hooks around my waist, and pulls me closer to his side. “It has to.”

  I open my mouth, but he turns me so we’re facing each other, and I lose all train of thought. The man is too good-looking, and he’s making me crazy.

  I try to look away, but he gently puts his fingers on my chin, holding my face so that I have to look at him. “I’m not leaving your side, sweets.”

  I grumble, “Quit calling me that.”

  He tilts his head to the side, looking at me. I hate it because when he does that, I feel so vulnerable that it freaks me out a little bit. His hands move to my shoulders, and he starts to gently massage them. “What’s wrong? Talk to me.”

  I lean in to whisper because for a brand trip, you never know where the cameras are going to be lurking. “Where should I start? We’re lying to these people. They all think we’re together.” I gesture between the two of us. “This is too much.”

  Zach looks around, and when he spots a door, he grabs my hand and walks us to it. He pulls me outside and leans me against the wall, putting one hand beside my head. “Look, I know this is a lot. You have all kinds of stress on you, and I don’t want to add to it.”

  I look at him like I don’t believe him. Since the second he walked back into my life, it’s been one surprise after another. Just like this brand trip. I know he said he was coming with me, but I didn’t realize it meant we were staying in the same room and sharing a bed. I’ve told myself that I need to keep my distance and my heart guarded, but the more time I spend with Zach, the harder that is.

  I shake my head. “I just don’t understand. We can have separate rooms.”

  He rubs his hand through his hair. “Look, I know this isn’t ideal, but in order to keep you safe, I am not leaving you by yourself.”

  I look out at the mountains over Zach’s shoulder. “And did we really have to tell everyone I was your girlfriend?”

  He searches my eyes. “They all knew anyway. All these people watch your channel, and really, is it such a bad thing that they know we’re together?”

  I avoid his gaze, not trusting myself. He’s hinted a few times about this being real, but I just ignore him. I can totally see me throwing myself at him and really embarrassing myself.

  Zach shifts so that I have no other option than to look into his eyes. He’s trying to figure me out, and his question rattles me. “What’s really going on here, Sky?”

  I roll my eyes. “You know what, you want to do this, we’ll do it, but no one is going to believe it.”

  He tenses. “Believe what?”

  I point a finger between the two of us. “This. Me and you. No one is going to believe we’re really together. This is going to create even more drama, and that’s the last thing I want. This is my business, Zach. It’s my livelihood that we’re messing with, and I can’t just… muck it all up.”

  He cups my cheek, and my heart starts to race. His voice dips low. “Do you trust me?”

  I nod instantly because regardless of anything else, I do trust him.

  For just a second, I think he’s going to kiss me. I wait for it. Hell, I lick my lips in anticipation of it. I’m so ready for it that there’s a pull in my lower belly from wanting it. And just when I’m about to go to my tiptoes to get closer, I come to my senses. This is fake, Skyler. This is not real.

  I force a smile to my face and pull away. “Come on. It’s show time.”

  I am about to walk away, but Zach grabs my hand, threading our fingers together. We walk back into the resort and follow the signs for where the dinner is being held.

  There’s a cooking segment where the chef is showing off all the Whisked Away cooking and baking utensils. We’re supposed to be able to watch while enjoying dinner.

  I’m sure Zach is going to be bored out of his mind.

  We walk in and are welcomed by the staff. I was originally so excited about this, but now there’s a dark cloud hanging over it. This strange man, my stalker as Zach calls him, has wreaked havoc on my life for weeks now. But tonight, I’m determined not to think about him.

  I’m smiling as we’re led to a table with four other people. I give them a wave. “Hey, everyone. I’m Skyler with Sweet Temptations.”

  Zach puts a hand at my waist. “And I’m Zach, her boyfriend.”

  I tense but keep smiling as we sit down.

  The woman next to me introduces herself and her husband. “Hi y’all! I’m Cindy, and this is my husband, Mark. We own Southern Food.”

  I nod real big. “Yes, the food blog. I love that. It’s so nice to meet you both.”

  I look to the two women next to Zach, and they’re both staring at him. My voice is strained, but I give them a little wave. “Hello.”

  The one looks at me, but the other keeps staring at Zach. I glance at him, and he’s oblivious to it all because his eyes are completely trained on me.

  The woman that can’t seem to take her eyes off Zach says, “Hello. I’m Patty, and I own Patty’s Pudding. This is my best friend, Kathy.”

  Clueless, I keep a smile on my face. “It’s really nice to meet you both.”

  Finally, the woman looks at me. “You know, Patty’s Pudding. It’s on TrueFans. I do live recordings of me making pudding nude.”

  I had mistakenly taken that moment to drink some water, and when she says it, I start to choke.

  Zach is on me instantly, patting my back, asking me if I’m okay.

  I barely recover before Patty is shoving her business card and her cleavage into Zach’s face. “Here you go. There’s a QR code if you want to check it out.”

  He doesn’t even reach for the business card. With a smirk on his face, he shakes his head. “No thank you. The only baking I watch is Sky’s.”

  My whole body goes hot. I don’t know if it’s the fact that he’s turning down an obvious flirt or the way he says my name or what it is, but I feel it all over. For the rest of the evening, Zach turns in his seat so his back is to the voluptuous blonde.

 

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