Chapter 27
27
G ennie hauled her battered body into the parking lot. Every muscle screamed in agony from the gruelling shoot. Sure, it had been a small triumph – but her ribs felt like they’d been through the mill. Each step was like wading through quicksand, her limbs pleading with her to face-plant on the tarmac and call it a day. All she wanted was to throw herself into a scalding bath and pass out for a week.
She rounded the corner – and the world shrunk down to a singular, nauseating focus.
Leaning casually against her rental car, that infuriatingly smug smile turning her stomach, was…
Daniel?
Sheer electric panic shot through Gennie, a cold sweat broke over her skin. Her exhaustion vanished in an instant, replaced by a flush of dread.
What the hell?
She’d blocked him on every platform known to mankind. How did he even…
‘If it isn’t my favourite leading lady.’ His voice dripped with a satin charm that used to make her panties drop faster than the beat in a club. That smooth timbre still got under her skin, no matter how much she hated to admit it.
Her pulse quickened and anger boiled beneath her fatigue. ‘Dan.’ She struggled to keep her voice calm. ‘What the hell are you doing here?’
He pushed off the car and sauntered over. His cologne hit her like a wall. ‘I missed you, babe.’ His eyes raked over her, slow and deliberate. ’You’ve been dodging my calls for months. And I can’t figure out why. What did I do? Whatever it was, let me make it right.’
She crossed her arms to put a barrier between them. But an insistent tug in her chest longed to lower her walls. He looked so contrite. So familiar. As if he needed a hug. But that was exactly the look he was gunning for, of course.
‘It may be hard for you to understand,’ she said, ‘but there’s a good reason for it.’
‘Oh, come on, honey. Don’t be like that. Tell me and I’ll make you forget.’ He reached out, his fingertips danced along her arm, and she had to fight the temptation to lean into his touch.
His eyes darkened before the smile snapped back into place, all teeth and too much charm. ‘Let’s have dinner, for old times’ sake.’
Loneliness gnawed at her and corroded her guard. She could almost taste the saccharine affection he’d drown her in, the way he’d make her feel wanted, even if it was an illusion. ‘Not hungry, not interested,’ she forced out despising the slight tremor in her voice.
‘Gennie.’ He leaned in. ‘What we have… it’s special.’ He traced the curve of her cheek with the back of his knuckles. ‘I flew across the Atlantic for you. Just for you. I wouldn’t do it for any other girl in the world. That must mean something.’ He dipped his head and looked up at her through his lashes, like a dog begging for a treat.
Exhaustion, heartache, and loneliness tag-teamed her and chipped away at her willpower.
‘Come on, let’s get out of here. We’ll have a nice dinner, catch up, maybe even a few tequilas. Like the night we met. You remember, don’t you?’
For a split second, the lure of giving in nearly bowled her over. Let him take her out, let him ply her with words and empty promises. Get shitfaced on tequila and bad decisions. It might numb the pain, the soul-crushing loneliness. If only for one night. No doubt, he was beautiful as he stood there in the low sun with his dark hair. So pretty.
And so very toxic.
He was the scorpion, and she was done being the stupid frog.
‘Stop it,’ she snapped and swatted his hand away like a pesky fly. ‘I’m not falling for your ridicu—‘
He pressed a finger to her lips, silencing her. ‘Shhh, honey. You’re tired. You’re emotional. I get it.’ His other hand settled on her waist. ‘Let’s grab a bite. We’ll talk it out. You know you can’t resist…this bond between us…’ His voice dropped to an intimate whisper. ‘Gennie, I know I can’t resist you. Never could. Not for long. There’s a reason I always come back to you.’
Her body responded to his touch, to the magnetic pull of his charisma.
Nathan’s face swam before her eyes. His genuine smile.
Nathan, who was real, who saw her.
Who…thought she’d sold him out.
And yet.
She shrugged Daniel’s hand off and steel laced her voice. ‘Piss off, Dan. I’m not going anywhere with you.’
A hint of frustration appeared in his beautiful green eyes. ‘Gennie, honey. Please. I had a terrible fight with my mother and you’re the only one who…’ He broke off.
She fought the urge to scream. ‘Save it. Why are you really here, Daniel?’
He sniggered, a sound that sent a wave of revulsion through her. ‘You’re all over the papers. Thought I’d check in on my favourite rising star.’
Ah.
Her stomach twisted, and she shivered. Not with attraction, but with the sickening, cold realisation of his manipulation.
Of course. Publicity. That sleazy, opportunistic weasel.
Then it hit her like a ton of bricks. This… This was what Nathan must have felt, thinking she was using him for some cheap PR stunt. It wasn’t the same, not by a long shot. But she could taste that suffocating fury of being reduced to a pawn. The sense of betrayal and shame rammed into her like two fists to the temples.
As if she’d ever been more to Daniel than a distraction, an ego boost on demand.
Special connection, my ass.
She eyed his manicured nails, his carefully curated designer clothes. Everything about him screamed superficial. Like someone had taken a snakeskin and pumped it full of Hollywood hot air.
She filled her lungs to capacity before releasing the breath in a measured exhale, centring herself. ‘You know what? Go to hell. No, better still – go fuck yourself with a cactus.’
His eyes widened, then narrowed, the mask slipped and revealed the full glory of narcissistic anger. ‘Excuse me? Who the fuck do you think you are?’
‘Oh, you heard me.’ Her voice gained strength, fuelled by the fury and clarity that had been missing for far too long.
‘Don’t be stupid, Gennie. You need me.’
‘No.’ She released a joyless chuckle. ‘I honestly don’t.’ A swell of empowerment sang in her veins. ‘I see through you. You’re a hollow piece of dirt, Daniel. There’s nothing real about you. You need the admiration of others just to feel that you exist. You don’t even have the balls to get that stupid tattoo you’ve been blabbing on about for years. You’re full of shit.’
‘Gennie…honey, I—’
‘And how transgressive to stalk me all the way to Scotland, you sick bag of dicks. I’m done with your mind games. I’m done. And honestly? I hope you choke on your own foreskin scum. Leave – or I’ll make you. You know I can.’
He gaped at her, his mouth opened and closed like a landed fish. As if looking for a comeback. Finding none, he turned on his heel and stalked back to his rental car like the toddler he was. His angry footsteps receded in the quiet evening.
Relief and sorrow welled up inside her. She was tired, so tired, but she’d found a new strength tonight. She’d faced her past and come out the other side, bruised and battered, but standing once again.
Gennie turned back to her car, opened the door, and sank into the seat. Exhaustion still weighed heavily on her, but the ache in her chest had eased. She watched Daniel’s rental car roll off into the distance, and a cold emptiness settled in her chest. She’d stood up to him, thrown his horseshit back in his face, but the triumph tasted like flat champagne. He’d flown all the way to Scotland to piggyback on her tabloid infamy. Gross.
So, this was why Nathan guarded his heart and privacy like a dragon its hoard. His cold, cutting words on repeat in her mind, slicing into her like a rusty blade.
But she saw her own fault clearer than a neon sign.
Because what had her intentions been in this mess? Had she actually considered what she was getting into? Nope. She was too reckless, too thoughtless. Not capable of handling a man with wounds as deep as the Grand Canyon and responsibilities as high as the Rockies. And instead of standing up to him and holding her ground, she’d bolted like a scared rabbit the moment things got messy. She’d taken the easy way out.
Like mother, like daughter.
Gennie thought of Nathan’s protective nature, Abby’s innocence, and wondered if she’d had any right to disrupt their world.
Of course not.
How had she let herself get so tangled up in a life that wasn’t hers?
By deluding herself, that’s how. By thinking she could be what he needed to be able to trust again. By thinking Nathan could be a Band-Aid for the festering wound that was her life. An escape from the dumpster fire of her own making.
Her feelings for him had taken hold and swallowed her whole. Suddenly, she’d wanted more – a home, a family. All of it. With him.
With them .
When deep down, she’d known all along that she’d never be enough. That she’d never truly belong. She’d had no right to burrow into their fragile cocoon and smash it from within like a disgusting parasite.
Nope, she’d wrap this whole shoot up as quickly as she could and go back to the soul-sucking hellhole that was L.A. Back to the stinking swamp that was her life, trying to sort it out.
And maybe that was simply just the way it was meant to be. Maybe she was destined to be on the outside, looking in.
Sure, tonight she might have finally confronted a part of her past – but what if she was too damaged, too broken to ever have a real future?