Chapter 4
SKYLER
As soon as I say the words, I know exactly how it sounds.
My mind travels back to the days when I was crazy in love with this man.
My cheeks turn red just thinking about the twelve-year-old girl that told everyone Zach Campbell was going to marry me someday.
I cringe just thinking of all the times I wrote out Skyler Campbell in my notebooks.
I lower my eyes to the table. “I want you to go.”
He acts as if I didn’t say a thing. He picks up a cookie and takes a bite. He moans and then shoves the rest of it into his mouth. “Damn, that’s good.”
“Zach, did you hear me? You can’t stay here.”
He shrugs and picks up another cookie. “I’m staying.”
“There has to be someone else.”
He sits back in his chair and crosses his arms over his barrel of a chest. He tilts his head to the side and looks at me. “What’s wrong with me?”
I clench my eyes shut. Can this get any more embarrassing? “There’s nothing wrong with you, but you have to see why this is a bad idea.”
He leans toward me. He’s across the table, but he’s a big man, and I feel his closeness like he’s touching me. “Why is this a bad idea?”
I hold my hands up. “You know what? Forget it. You want to stay here, you’re welcome to, but I figure you’re going to be bored out of your mind by tonight and then you’ll be going home.”
He just smirks at me, and that look makes me crazy.
I stand up. “Okay, well, I need to get ready. I have a taping in thirty minutes.”
He stands up too. “Where is the taping?”
I walk toward the kitchen. “Right here.”
He follows right behind me. “All right, what can I do?”
I go to the sink to wash the few dishes there. “Nothing.”
I’m drying my hands when I turn around, and if I didn’t know better, I would think I just caught Zach Campbell looking at my ass.
He slowly raises his eyes up my body, and that same smirk is still on his face. “Uh,” I stutter, “are you planning to sleep here?”
His eyes darken, and he licks his lips, and that’s when I realize how that sounded. “I mean, are you staying here in the guest room? Don’t feel like you have to. As a matter of fact, maybe this can be a nine-to-five protection or something.”
He walks over to me and puts his hands on the counter, one on each side of me, caging me in. “Okay, let’s get a few things straight.”
I suck in a breath, my head tilted backwards so I can look up at him. He’s so close I can smell his woodsy cologne. God, is it cologne, or does he just smell like that?
He leans down, and his nose is just a few inches from mine. “Until we find the creep, you and I are going to be joined at the hip. I’m staying here in your house. I’m going to monitor your emails, messages, and visitors. Until I know you’re safe, I’m not going to let you out of my sight.”
Speechless, I just stare up at him.
He looks almost pained as stands up to his full height. He’s still close but no longer leaning into me. His hands are fisted at his side. “Sky.”
I croak. “Yeah?”
“Do you have a boyfriend?”
My throat feels as if it’s closed up. “What?”
His jaw tightens. “It’s best if you tell me now instead of me finding out later.” He backs up, leaning on the counter behind him. “You know what? Let’s just make this easy. Break up with him.”
My mouth drops open. “Wait. You want me to break up with my boyfriend?”
He growls. “Yes. Now. Today.”
I blink in surprise and then shake my head. “Uh, if I do have a boyfriend, you can’t just tell me to break up with him.”
He gives me one terse nod. “Yes, I can.”
Confused, I shake my head. “What is happening right now? Look, I agreed to protection, but I’m not going to just let you boss me around.”
“Do. You. Have. A. Boyfriend?” he asks, enunciating each word.
I shake my head. “No, but that’s not the point.”
He points toward the front of the house. “I’m going to finish checking windows. I’ll let you get set up.”
I stare at him open-mouthed as he walks out of the kitchen. What just happened? I swear for one second there, it was like Zach was jealous. But just as quickly as the thought comes, I shake my head. Nope, there’s no way. I’m sure it’s wishful thinking on my part.
My phone dings, letting me know I have fifteen minutes until my live starts.
I finish cleaning up, wiping down the counters, and then I get all the ingredients out for the cupcakes I had planned to make tonight.
I’ve done this so many times, I don’t even have to think about it. I grab all the ingredients, thinking about Zach.
Salt, baking powder, egg, brown sugar, oil, vanilla, baking soda, butter, sour cream, powdered sugar, peanut butter, flour, heavy cream, milk, and a bag of peanut butter cups. I measure everything out and put them in aesthetically pretty bowls so I can just dump it all in on the live.
My five minute till live time dings.
I set up my camera, make sure the lighting is up and ready, and then turn on my microphone. I spend the rest of my time pacing back and forth until it’s time to go on.
I’m wondering where Zach is, but I’m thankful that he hasn’t made his way back to the kitchen. I’m not sure if I can do my show with him watching.
Right on time, I turn the camera on and push the Go Live button.
“Hey, Cookie Crew, I’m back, and do I have something sinfully sweet for you tonight. I looked at all your votes, and I’m excited to say that peanut butter cupcakes had the most.”
I pump my hands in the air as if I’m cheering.
Right at that moment, Zach walks into the kitchen.
I try not to stumble, but there’s no way I can’t look at him. It should be a sin to be as handsome as he is.
I force my eyes to the camera. “So let’s get started. As you know, we’re going to get everything stirred up and in the oven, and then we’re going to chat.”
I go through measurements of each of the items, dumping the ingredients into the bowl.
Zach is staring at me, but I don’t dare look at him.
I smile into the camera, walk them through all the steps, and once I’m opening the oven and putting the cupcakes in, I finally take a breath.
I lean down to read the comments. I read one, answer the question, and then move on to the next. This part used to scare me, but now it’s almost as much fun as the baking.
“Hey, Leena, thanks for joining in.” I hold up the bag of candies. “No, we didn’t add these to the mix because we’re saving them for after the cupcakes are iced. We’re going to put one on each and every cupcake. Yum, amiright?”
Question after question, I go down the line until I see that bakersking has commented. I start to stutter and look over at Zach. It’s as if he is completely attuned to me. He knows something is not right because he stands up from the stool he was sitting on.
I skip the bakersking comment and go to the next.
But bakersking keeps commenting.
The more I see his handle, the more I stutter.
Zach comes toward me, and I should stop him, but I don’t know how. He comes to stand right behind me, hands on my shoulders, and leans over my phone to read the comments. He tenses, and that’s when I realize that I’m live… with Zach Campbell standing protectively over me.
I turn and look him. “Ha, ha, big guy! What’s up? I know, I know. You want a cupcake, but you’re going to have to wait until they’re done.”
He realizes his mistake almost instantly. He was concentrating on protecting me and didn’t realize what he just did.
He gives me that smile of his, and my knees turn to jello. I smile back at him, but I don’t miss a thing. The way his hand squeezes my waist. The reassuring smile that he gives me. Or the way he leans in to whisper, “I’m right here.”
He walks away, and I can feel the heat in my cheeks as I look back at my phone. It’s blowing up with hearts and comments.
“Ooh, girl, who is THAT?”
“Is that your boyfriend?”
“Is he single?”
“Dang, he’s handsome.”
“Girl, it’s getting hot in here.”
I put my hand over my mouth and keep reading. I glance at Zach, but he’s staring down at his phone. I look back at my screen. Comment after comment of people thinking that Zach is my boyfriend. Oh my God, this is so embarrassing.
I put my hand on my chest, right over my heart. “Wow, Cookie Crew! That woke you up, didn’t it? To answer all your questions, he is my friend. He, uh, was excited about the cupcakes tonight and—”
I stop when another comment from bakersking comes up. You are mine. No one else can have you.
I’m just staring at the screen, and for some reason his words fill me with fear. I can feel the blood drain from my face, and I’m frozen.
Zach steps up next to me, rubbing his hand on my back soothingly.
I lean into him with a smile frozen on my face.
What the hell is happening right now? He looks straight into the camera.
“Hey, Cookie Crew, Sky is just being bashful. Or maybe she doesn’t want to answer because we haven’t talked about it, but I’d be a fool to let this moment pass me by. ”
He pauses and then puts his hands around my waist. “Sky. I know we haven’t been together long.”
I gulp. Oh my God, where is this going?
He smiles at me and gives me an encouraging nod. “But will you be my girlfriend?”
My whole body jerks. Is this a joke? What is he doing? What’s he thinking? Does he not realize how many followers I have? I laugh and try to make a joke out of it. “Zach, do you realize you just asked me to be your girlfriend in front of my two million followers?”
He nods, still smiling. The number of people that could be watching doesn’t even faze him. “Yes, what do you say? You wanna be mine?”
I’m saved by the timer going off, letting me know the cupcakes are done. I’m about to get them when Zach grabs the oven mitt off the counter. “I’ll do it.”
As he does that, I look at the comments coming in.
“Yes! Say yes!”
“If you don’t want him, I’ll take him.”
“Girl, you’re loco if you don’t claim that man.”
“Wow, he wants you. I can feel the heat through the screen.”
I raise up and clear my throat. “All right, Cookie Crew, we’re getting off topic.”
I show Zach where he can put the pan, and as soon as he takes the mitt off, he faces me and puts a finger on my chin. “Well, what do you say?”
Oh my God, this again? He had the perfect out. I throw my hands up with a shrug of my shoulders. “Sure, I’ll be your girlfriend.”
I know it’s fake. I know it’s because he’s trying to catch my stalker or scare him off, but the satisfied smile that Zach gives me makes me wish it was more. He leans toward me and kisses my forehead. “Okay, sweetness, I’ll let you get back to work.”
He looks at the camera. “You heard it here, Cookie Crew. You’re my witnesses. She said yes.”
I get back to my cupcakes, going through the motions, but the whole time, I’m on edge.
Not because of my stalker, who is still watching on the live, but because Zach just claimed me as his girlfriend in front of everyone.
There’s no doubt about it. I’m not getting out of this without a broken heart.