“You were beautiful up there tonight, and so damn good you blew me away all over again.”

The only way she could keep herself from blurting out how much she loved him, how much she missed him, was to say, “It’s not just the fame, Marcus. It’s not just how impossible our schedules are. I’m not good for you. If your community, your colleagues, knew about me...”

“I didn’t cheat,” he said, and just when she realized he meant he hadn’t looked her up on the Internet, he added, “But your fans talk. And they love you. They’re on your side. Just like I am. And I love you, too. We were all young and stupid once. We’ve all done things we aren’t proud of. We’ve all trusted people we shouldn’t have trusted. Yes, people are probably going to believe something they read or saw. Lots of people, even. But I can guarantee you that anyone who actually meets you and gets to know you will fall as much in love with you as I am.”

She could almost taste his kiss, was actually dying for it, when he said, “I promised you I wasn’t going anywhere and I’m not. But this is your decision just as much as it’s mine.” He took her hand in his and brought it to his lips to press a kiss to her knuckles. “Good night, kitten.”

* * *

Denver, CO

“Don’t tell me,” she said when she and Marcus were the only two people left in the meet-and-greet the next night. “There’s a winery in Colorado that you’re thinking of acquiring.”

“Actually, an old college friend lives nearby. I had a great day visiting with him and his family.”

He grinned at her and she couldn’t help but grin back. All day she’d been looking forward to seeing him.

And all day, she’d been having a harder and harder time convincing herself that being without him was the right thing. Marcus, she had started to realize, didn’t seem to care much for what people thought of him. If he did, he wouldn’t be buying the VIP charity meet-and-greet package every single night.

After only three nights of hanging out with her crew while she chatted with her fans, it was already like he was one of them, like he was supposed to be on tour with them. She was starting to suspect that was part of his plan...and she was more than a little amazed at the fact that he’d managed to pull this kind of schedule off in the first place.

Still, how long could he continue with it?

“Please tell me you’re headed back to Napa, Marcus. Back to your real life.”

“Actually, I’m on the board of a local event that’s taking place tomorrow night, so yes, I’ll need to head back for the next couple of nights.”

Her stomach sank down to her kneecaps. “Good. I know how much it will mean to everyone to have you there.”

She was surprised to feel his fingers beneath her chin, tilting her face back up to his. “Come with me, Nicola. I’ve got a plane chartered that leaves tonight. We could make it back by morning, spend the day at my winery, attend the event, and I’ll easily have you back at your next venue in time for interviews and sound check.”

“Marcus, I—”

His mouth was over hers before she could even figure out what she was going to say. His kiss was soft and sweet, but she felt as if her entire world had been upended by it.

“That’s not fair,” she protested in a breathless voice.

“I’m not playing fair anymore. I love you too much to stick to the rules.”

And then his hands were in her hair and her arms were around his neck and she was kissing him like she’d been dreaming of kissing him for weeks. If it hadn’t been for the many pairs of eyes burning a hole through them, she would have never stopped kissing him.

Forcing herself to pull away from his lips, she said, “How about I introduce you to my crew?” against his mouth.

“I think they’ve already got a pretty good idea who I am."

She was amazed to find herself laughing with him as they broke apart.

She’d been so careful to make sure she didn’t give anyone—even the road crew she’d grown to trust over the years—any potential ammo to use against her that she’d basically been living like a nun for the past six months.

Now, she had to wonder if the reason she’d cared so much what everyone thought was because it was easier to use the press as an excuse, rather than risk getting hurt again.

But maybe, she was just starting to think, some things were worth the risk.

“I’m going to grab my things off the bus,” she suddenly told Katie, who was standing a few feet away. “Turns out I’ve got a plane to Napa Valley waiting.”

Her tour manager looked between Nicola and Marcus, then nodded her approval. “Just as long as you have her back for her interview at noon in Dallas in two days.”

Grinning, Nicola said, “You guys can work out the schedule while I go get my stuff.” She was halfway out the door when she looked over her shoulder to see Katie and Marcus with their heads together over their smart phones.

But as she walked down the hall toward her tour bus, she knew that kissing Marcus in front of her crew had been the easy part.

He’d told her that her circus life didn’t scare him.

Now he was actually showing her that he meant it.

Unfortunately, the bigger question remained: What would his world think of her? Would they welcome her with open arms the way she was sure her crew was already welcoming Marcus?

Or would her youth and bad reputation hurt Marcus in just the way she feared?

* * *

There were so many things that Nicola knew needed to be said between them as she boarded the private jet, but when Marcus wrapped his arms around her and strapped his seatbelt over them both, she gave in to the warmth of his arms, curling into him the way she always had, with his heart beating against her ear, the feeling of being perfectly safe easing her into a deeper sleep than she’d had in weeks.

* * *

Finally, as Nicola fell asleep against his chest, Marcus let the breath he’d been holding go.

Nicola was back where she belonged. In his arms.

Now all he needed to do was convince her to stay.

This time, by any means necessary...

Chapter Twenty-four

“My God, this is beautiful.”

The sun was rising over the Sullivan Winery and the birds were just coming awake. Nicola laughed softly as a baby blue jay peeked its head up out of its nest to greet them. As they stood on his porch and looked out over the rolling grapevines, Marcus silently thanked his property for putting on its finest show for Nicola.