She blinked at him. “Have you been watching too much television?” she asked, but she was nibbling on her bottom lip, which told him she was thinking about what he’d said.
So he went in for the kill. “I live on secluded property, I have a big dog, and the nearest house is my brother’s. If anyone comes around, we’ll see them coming. No crowds.”
“No room service carts?” Her lips twitched in a grin she tried to hide.
He couldn’t help but laugh. “Wiseass.”
“What about Cassidy?”
He gave the question some thought. “I think she’s safe in the city though I’d probably move her to a new hotel and put a guard on her. Just to be safe.”
“It’s just for the weekend, right? Because we’re back in the city for filming on Monday,” Sasha said.
He shoved his hands into his pants pockets. “For now, yes. It’s for this weekend. We’ll discuss what happens next on Sunday.”
She eyed him warily but remained quiet, obviously not ready to know what he had in mind.
His mouth quirked and he suppressed a smile. He still needed to come to terms with the fact that he planned to keep her by his side for the duration of her time in New York. All through filming.
“Does that mean you’re coming home with me?” He told himself he just wanted to keep her safe and all his reasons made perfect sense. So why was his heart pounding hard in his chest as he waited for her to answer? And why couldn’t he get that kiss, one he’d only indulged in after a panicked moment, out of his head?
She stared at him as if she’d find the answers in his expression before finally nodding. “I’ll come.”
He blew out a breath, relieved.
They headed back into the suite, and she got to work convincing her team they had a handle on things. Her agent and publicist left, promising to keep in close contact. Cassidy agreed to move hotels, and Sasha packed up her things. They dropped her personal assistant off at a new hotel and headed uptown, where they picked up Bella at his apartment. He hooked his dog up to her safety harness in the back of his SUV, and they started their trip to his Hamptons home.
Sasha was quiet as they drove. The satellite radio station played classic rock, and her silence continued for the duration of the trip. Assuming she was preoccupied with the sudden upheaval in her life and the stalker threat, he figured he’d get her talking tomorrow.
At close to ten p.m., Xander finally pulled into his driveway. It was dark, but the automatic lights turned on at his approach, and a car was idling in his extra parking spot.
“Probably your security,” he said.
Sasha nodded. “Yes. I just wish there wasn’t a need.”
The urge to pull her into his arms and reassure her was strong. Incredibly so. No sooner had he found out she was in danger than the anger he felt toward her had begun to soften.
Suddenly he was able to put emotion aside and think clearly about their past. She’d been all of twenty when they were together last, and it was hard to imagine she’d had a good grasp on life or relationships at that age. And he’d definitely expected a lot of her at a time when everything around her had been changing fast.
Maybe they both shared responsibility for how things ended.
But just because he was coming closer to forgiving her and providing her with a secure place to stay now didn’t mean he’d forgotten how badly she’d hurt him. Or the fact that their lives could never mesh. But he couldn’t deny the pull she exerted over him, either.
“Xander, what’s wrong?” Sasha put a hand on his arm, shaking him out of his thoughts.
He shook his head. “Everything’s fine. I was just thinking.” He opened the SUV door, climbed out, and Sasha did the same. She met him on his side as he unhooked Bella and let her off the leash. The dog quickly ran to do her thing on the grass.
A large man wearing jeans and a dark sport jacket stepped out of his vehicle. With his overall don’t-fuck-with-me appearance, he had personal security stamped all over him.
He joined them and spoke immediately. “Jared Wilson of Alpha Security,” he said. “And you’re Sasha Keaton.”
Smiling, she shook his hand and then he turned to Xander. “And you’re Dash’s brother.”
Xander nodded. “Xander Kingston.”
“I see the resemblance,” Jared said.
“You’ve worked for Dash?” Xander asked as he strode behind the SUV and raised the back with the push of a button.
Jared shook his head. “Others on my team have, but he’s out back in the pool with the rest of the band.”
“At this hour?” Xander groaned and pulled first one then another of Sasha’s suitcases out of the trunk. “I’ll talk to him about just showing up while we’re on guard.”
“Xander, no.” Sasha put her hand on his arm, and damned if it didn’t feel good. “Your brother should be able to come over any time he wants.”
He met her gaze. “You do realize that my brother lives a mile down the road, has his own house, his own pool, and just comes here to drive me crazy?” Xander loved the bastard, but he really didn’t understand personal space.
And Xander had no doubt that Dash had made it over here in time to see Sasha. Whether he behaved or not was anyone’s guess, but he’d better not cross a line. No matter Xander’s history with his ex, she wasn’t here so Dash could make her uncomfortable.
“As long as I know who’s allowed in and out, we’re fine,” Jared said. “I spoke to your publicity team, Ms. Keaton.”
“Sasha, please.”
He inclined his head. “They’re going to forward our tech guy the letters you received. In the meantime, given the fact that someone’s been close to you twice now, I’ll be switching off shifts with Tate Shaw. You’ll have someone on alert twenty-four seven.”
“Thank you,” she said, visibly relieved.
“Sasha, why don’t you go inside.” Xander handed her the keys. If Dash was here, the alarm was already unset. “I just want to talk to Jared for a few minutes.”
She nodded, grabbed the handle on her smaller bag, and rolled it toward the house.
As soon as she was out of earshot, Xander turned to Sasha’s new personal security. “My property already has cameras because, as you see, Dash comes and goes at random times,” he said of his famous brother. “But can your people do a thorough check and upgrade whatever you feel is necessary?”
Jared nodded. “Got it.”
“We’re only going to be out east for the weekend, and then we’ll be in Manhattan for filming, but we’ll be back on weekends.” Upgrading his security system was smart, regardless of how long Sasha would be here.
Jared nodded. “No problem. I’ll talk to Dan,” he said of the man in charge of the agency. “Where will you be staying in the city?”
“My apartment.” Not that Sasha was aware of his plans, but he figured he’d be able to talk her into it the same way he’d done today. “The building has a concierge at the front desk, and you can cover outside my door in case someone gets past them. And you’ll take us back and forth to the set.”
“Consider it done,” Jared said.