She pressed a button and the garage door silently slid open. She walked out of the garage, and once in the sun, she reached for the keypad attached to the wall outside the garage.
“What’s the code?” Jake asked.
Tempted not to tell him, she knew that was ridiculous, so she told him, then stepped back and let him punch it in. Then she got an idea.
Holding back a grin, she strode toward his Jeep, stopping beside the driver’s door. “We’ll take your Jeep,” she said, “but I’m going to drive.”
At the look on his face—eyebrows shooting upward as his mouth nearly fell open— she almost laughed, but knew that would get her a flat refusal. Instead, she schooled her expression, keeping her eyes on his. “Please. I hardly ever get to drive.” That wasn’t precisely true, but again, she needed to assert a measure of control over her life and this situation.
He sighed deeply, like his Jeep was his treasure and he didn’t trust her with it.
“I promise I’ll be careful,” she added with a smile she hoped would help convince him.
He narrowed his eyes like he knew she was trying to manipulate him, but then a muscle worked in his jaw as he reached into his pocket and withdrew a set of keys. Delighted that he was acquiescing, she snatched the keys from his outstretched hand, then turned to the Jeep. She unlocked the door before opening it. Then she realized something embarrassing. The Jeep was higher than she’d anticipated, and since she was just five feet two inches tall, getting in was going to be a bit of a challenge.
“I can get a ladder,” Jake said.
Chloe swiveled her head to look at him, but when she saw the smirk he wasn’t even trying to hide, she was more determined than ever to prove that she could manage on her own. Gripping the handle just inside the Jeep with her left hand and the frame of the Jeep with her right, she hoisted herself inside.
Pleased with herself, she turned to Jake, who was now at eye level. Startled to have him so close, when she looked into those unique eyes—blue with a hint of pale green—she caught her breath. She’d always had a thing for eyes, and his were particularly beautiful. Turning away, she got herself under control. She inserted the key and turned on the engine. Jake closed her door before going around to the passenger side and easily hopping in.
She’d never driven a Jeep before, but how hard could it be? After all, she drove her Ferrari without any problems. First, though, she had to move the seat forward. As it slid forward, she heard what sounded like a chuckle. With a glance at Jake, she verified that, yes, he was laughing at her. So what? Not everyone was over six feet tall. Yes, it was annoying when she couldn’t easily reach things on high shelves and that she had to be so close to the steering wheel, but she was used to it. She turned the Jeep around in the large space in front of the garage, then headed toward the security gate.
Though Jake was slightly concerned about the way the pop princess would drive his Jeep, he was right there to make sure she didn’t do anything crazy. Besides, if she damaged anything, she had the money to pay for repairs. His bigger concern was that she had no training in evasive maneuvers. What if paparazzi chased them? Would they end up wrapped around a light pole or run into another vehicle? Maybe agreeing to let her drive hadn’t been the best decision after all. Then he thought about how she’d relented and agreed not to take one of her fancy cars. Giving her this one concession had been the right thing to do.
We’ll be fine, he told himself.
Only a few paparazzi were stationed outside her gate, but when they saw the pop princess behind the wheel of the Jeep, they dashed to their vehicles to follow. Chloe punched the gas and Jake held on, clamping his lips shut against the demand he wanted to make for her to pull over and let him drive.
A few moments later he glanced at the pop princess, who was grinning, then looked behind them. Looked like she’d gotten enough of a head start on the paps to keep them from catching up.
Forcing himself to relax, he kept a sharp eye out as she drove, and when they reached the mall parking lot without incident and the pop princess pulled into a parking space and shut off the Jeep, Jake held out his hand for the keys. Wearing a smug smile, she handed them over, then she opened her door and slid out, landing on her feet.
With a smirk, Jake wondered if he should invest in a small step stool to carry with him for the times they took his Jeep. Amused at the thought, he shook his head as he got out of the Jeep and locked the doors. That’s when he noticed the pop princess striding confidently toward the mall entrance. Swearing under his breath, he had to hurry to catch up. When he reached her side, she glared at him under lowered brows. “I told you that you need to stay back.”
Thinking unflattering thoughts about her, Jake fell back several steps, but probably not as far as she wanted him to. Too bad. His job was to keep her safe, and dang it, he was going to succeed with or without her cooperation.
Only a handful of people were in the area outside the entrance to the mall and none of them looked the pop princess’s way. Good. Maybe she would manage to fly under the radar.
Then she went inside.
Maybe she couldn’t help herself, but the way she carried herself—like she was queen of all she surveyed—rendered the ball cap pretty useless as a disguise. Plus, with her skin tight jeans and sexy boots, many eyes followed her.
Then it happened.
“Hey!” someone yelled, “That’s Chloe Ross!”
Eyes belonging to every person within earshot zeroed in on the pop princess, whose stride had become decidedly less confident. Jake couldn’t see her face from his position, but her body language told him that panic was beginning to crawl up her spine and about to overtake her, and when the crowd surged toward her, she drew her hands against her chest like she was reflexively trying to protect herself.
Chapter Seven
Oh crap! Oh crap! Oh crap! What have I gotten myself into?
Chloe froze as at least two dozen people surrounded her, their shouts of “Chloe! I love you! Chloe! Take a selfie with me!” crushing every ounce of desire to assert control over her life, which had been an illusion from the moment the idea had entered her head. That part of her life was well and truly over and she had to accept it whether she wanted to or not.
Coming to the mall like this had been a mistake. A huge mistake. Where was Jake? Wasn’t he supposed to be protecting her? What kind of bodyguard was he? Useless, that’s what. She turned her head to see where he was, but only managed to get a glimpse of him. He was outside of the growing circle of fans pressing toward her.
Maybe she shouldn’t have told him to stay so far back.
The oxygen around her seemed to evaporate as complete strangers reached for her, grabbed her, insisted that she smile for their cameras.
“Jake,” she managed to squeak out, but the sound was drowned out by the excited fans.
A strong hand gripped her arm and began tugging. She screamed in terror. Someone was trying to drag her away. She tried to fight the person off, but then she heard a familiar voice in her ear saying, “I’ve got you.” It was Jake, and as he put an arm around her shoulders, relief, instant and sweet, poured through every cell of her body. She leaned against him as tears of gratitude pushed against the backs of her eyes.