Page 25 of True Stars Collide
Her heart plummeted. He hadn’t even tried to change her mind. And wasn’t she a bundle of contradictions? He’d done what she asked. She should be relieved.
But she hadn’t been dishonest about feeling awful. Over the last few weeks, everything had become real between them. At least on her side. She was falling madly, deeply, irrevocably in love with Liam Jones.
Spending time with Liam was easy. Natural. His grouchiness had almost disappeared, at least with her. He still snapped and barked at Ian and the sound engineer if the sound wasn’t perfect. But now she recognized part of his gruff demeanor was tied to his quest to honor the music.
In the studio, they meshed better than she could have imagined. His talented fingers strumming the melody she wrote? Catnip.
Singing the words to a haunting ballad he’d penned and expressing the emotions he kept buried beneath his tough guy exterior? Kryptonite.
Laughing when they messed up, cheering when they hit the perfect notes.
And their nights, their forbidden perfect nights after the rest of the band had gone to bed. Hot, dirty sex and tender lovemaking. Steamy, slippery showers together. All of it combined packed an emotional punch.
Tonight’s media ambush was a sobering reminder of what was at stake. Not just her career, but her heart. And call her a coward, but right now, she had to protect herself.
What was that famous Maya Angelou quote? Something about when someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time. On day one, he had declared he liked his “Love ‘em and Leave ‘em Liam” nickname.
Because while Liam obviously cared for her, and shared their once in a lifetime chemistry, he’d made it clear love and marriage weren’t in the cards for him.
Well, real marriage, anyway.
She had to create some distance before her heart shattered. She’d believed she could pull off the fake marriage for her dream job. Hell, she’d given Oscar-worthy performances with the Baby Dolls for years. But playing a pop princess had been superficial––a masquerade that ended the moment she was in the privacy of her home.
Falling for her fake husband was a deep dive she wasn’t sure her heart could recover from. It had only been weeks––no way could she continue for a year or longer.
She picked up the phone and dialed Krissy’s number. Her BFF and agent was a night owl, so a 1 a.m. phone call wasn’t out of line.
“Zoe, are you okay? I saw the latest with you two getting mobbed at Nobu.”
“I am definitely not okay. And seriously? Already?”
“Of course, I’ve got alerts set up on you two so anytime you’re mentioned, I’m pinged.”
Zoe cleared her throat. “Well, that must be a nightmare. Anyways, I need your help.”
“Anything. What’s up? Congrats on finishing the album. Ian said the tracks are fantastic.”
She sank into the cushy softness of her bed, the one she hadn’t slept in for weeks, and closed her eyes. “The album is going to be amazing. It’s the rest of it. I can’t pretend to be married to Liam anymore.”
“What happened? I’ll kick his ass if he’s being a jerk to you.”
She choked out a laugh. “It’s not that. Liam’s incredible.”
“Really? So you two are getting along now?”
Time to confide Krissy about just how well she and Liam had been getting along. They had been living in a beautiful bubble at his home, safe from the outside world. But now she needed help.
“Okay, I’m speaking to you first as Krissy, my friend. Second as my agent. Promise me you will not reveal a word of what I’m about to say. To anyone.”
“Of course, I won’t. I can’t believe you think I would.”
Zoe released an unsteady breath. “I’m falling in love with him, and I cannot stay here any longer or I’m going to end up broken hearted. You need to help me figure out a way out of this. I just can’t do it.”
The line was silent for a moment. “Oh Zoe. So I take it this means you’ve been sleeping together?”
She threw an arm across her face. “Yes. But more than just mind-blowing, life-altering, ballad-worthy sex. He’s so intelligent and funny too. He stood up for me to Ian and insisted my song be recorded exactly as I wrote it. He insisted I’m part of the editing process. He brings me breakfast in bed. He listens to me. He sees the real me. And he’s protective and sweet. We’ve really connected. I like him. I’m falling for him. And I can’t handle it.”
Krissy coughed. “Sweet? I’ll take your word for it that he’s different behind his rocker persona. Have you told him how you’re feeling?”