Page 15 of Chasing Christmas

I close the lid of her laptop in disgust and pull her off the island and into my arms. She wraps around me like a koala bear, burying her face in my shoulder. She doesn't cry. My little star is far too strong to cry over gossip, but I know she's hurting over it. The fuckers. As if her body isn't perfect exactly the way it is. My God. Men would kill just for a chance to be close to her.

Goddamn. What is with this town and its sick fascination with women's bodies? They're dying over this shit, and still, these assholes keep publishing this crap as if they have any right to comment. It's abhorrent. Laura is perfect exactly the way she is. And if she did have weight loss surgery, it wouldn't be any of their goddamned business.

I want to find everyone who has published this bullshit and rage. But I can't do that. I have to protect her. Going on the defensive will only add fuel to the fire. Instead of shutting the story down, it'll only grow. That's how it works in this town. The more you protest, the more they think you have something to hide. The more vicious they become.

No one deserves that, least of all the woman in my arms.

"What can I do?" I ask, pressing my lips to her temple as guilt washes through me in a flood. This is all my fucking fault, and she's been dealing with it alone to protect me. Fuck that. It's my job to protect her, not the other way around.

"Just hold me, Kaiden," she whispers. "Make it all go away."

As if she even needs to ask.

Whenmyphoneringsthree hours later, Laura is naked and sleeping peacefully in my arms. I made love to her softly, sweetly, until she couldn't take any more. She drifted off in my arms, unable to hold her eyes open a moment longer. I've been wide awake, my mind spinning in dizzying circles.

I need to fix this for her. But where do I even start?

I want to shout from the fucking rooftops that she's mine, and she's been too busy with me to bother with their inane bullshit. But is that fair to her? She's a goddamn knockout. I'm a washed-up has-been, a stuntman who can't stunt. One most people in this town can't even look at without flinching. She's lightyears out of my league, and everyone knows it.

What will being linked to me do to her professionally?

I don't fucking know. I never thought that far ahead when I claimed her. Part of me refused to think that far ahead, perhaps because I already knew the answer. It's not just the scar on my face that puts her out of my league. I'm a grumpy, reclusive bastard. I'm out of shape. I'm twice her age. She's sunshine. I'm dark alleys.

She's mine anyway. Mine to protect. Mine to claim. Mine to love.

But how the fuck do I do that without hurting her career?

Ironic that they accuse her of having body image issues when I'm the one with a whole fucking boatload of those. But the thing is, I don't even fucking care what people say about me anymore. I survived that storm once. I can do it a second time. I care what people say aboutherbecause of me.

My phone rings again.

I gently slide out from beneath her. Her brow furrows in her sleep, her lips pursing into a pout that has my cock twitching. Swear to God, every expression that crosses her face fascinates me. She's enchanting in her unguarded moments, so excruciatingly beautiful it hurts.

I grab my phone and slip from the room.

"Hello?" I growl.

"Mr. Huxley?"

"Speaking."

"This is Nick Saint. I spoke with Jackson Reed earlier in the day but wanted to speak with you as well," the man on the other end of the line says. "Heart & Soul Studios is putting together a last-minute production of a Christmas film I wrote, and we'd like to hire you."

"For what?" I ask, leaning against the wall outside of the bedroom. "I don't do stunt work."

"Oh, of course not," Nick Saint says. "Mr. Reed will oversee stunt coordination, but I understand that you do most of the training. We'd like to have you on hand to help with any training issues that might arise. It'll be a short production, filming right here in Hollywood."

"What's the name of the movie?" I ask, going completely still. There's no fucking way it's the same one Laura just told me about a few hours ago.

"The Naughty List."

Son of a bitch. Itisthe same movie.

I'm not one who believes much in signs from above or fate, but if I were…well, this would be a pretty big sign that it's time for me to get my head out of my ass. The universe is throwing me a bone here, and I'd be an idiot not to take it.

I haven't been on a film set since I almost died on one, but being with me is causing Laura problems she doesn't need. If this is how I fix it, then this is how I fix it. It doesn't matter if people stare or judge me. It doesn't matter if I'm uncomfortable as fuck or if turning to face the past is painful. All that matters is my little star.

She needs to know that she can count on me to have her back and do what is best for her, no questions asked. I'll face any discomfort and jump through any hoop. I can't hunt down every gossip that posts something negative about her, but I can make her life easier. Starting here and now.