“Still, her word against mine,” Cid insisted.

“No it isn’t,” the girl said. She grabbed her cell phone off the table where the contents of her purse were still lying. She held it out toward Ramsey. “There were text messages. He erased them, but you hack phones all the time. Can you get them back?”

The phone went crashing to the floor. Cid had moved up while everyone’s attention was on the girl. He went to smash the phone with his foot, but Yoon spun around and sent him into the wall with a back kick that landed in Cid’s midsection.

Ramsey scooped up the phone. “You bet I can retrieve them.”

Cid was struggling to his feet, clutching his midsection. “I’ll countersue for assault.”

“You just don’t know when to quit, do you, mate?” Drake was suddenly across the room, sending his fist into Cid’s jaw. The road manager went stumbling, Drake following him. “Sue me. I dare you. Your career will be finished.”

Ramsey pulled Drake back, scuffling with his bandmate as Cid leaned against the wall, blood seeping down his chin from a split lip.

“You can have your severance,” Syon said, “and you’ll sign a gag order, or I’ll call Deputy Jenson and let him know we’ve got new developments in the case.”

“Full severance,” Cid snapped, “and a gag order on your side too.”

“Full severance only. Take it or leave it,” Syon said.

“Better than you deserve,” Ramsey added.

“Let me take it out of his hide,” Drake insisted.

“Deal!” Cid said, sending a cutting look at the girl. Taz stepped between them, the nunchakus back in his hand.

“Just so you know,” Taz said as he swung the weapon, “if she ever calls me, with say, even a small concern that you’re making grief for her…or her family…or…her dentist”—the nunchakus made a wicked sound as he twirled them in the air—“there’s going to be trouble.”

Syon looked at the team of polo-shirted crew. “Get him out of here, and keep him out of my sight if you all want your jobs.”

The team that had always hopped to Cid’s commands now jumped to haul him off the floor and out of the performers’ room. The members of his entourage stood frozen, like a pack of deer attempting to decide who was going to be the dominate buck. Syon pointed them toward the door. They went with a click of their spike heels, the one girl taking the time to scoop the contents of her purse off the table before she stood there, looking lost.

“The guy wanted us partying, because it covered his own love of the sport,” Ramsey said at last. “I swear one of those skirts is a dude.”

Kate’s emotions felt wrung out.

What just happened?

She needed to sort out her thoughts, but she was stuck on the admission Syon had made. He turned and looked at her, stirring up all the hurt that had been burning inside her for the last day.

Only a day? It had felt so much longer.

“When did we establish that I’m your fiancée?”

Ramsey groaned. He tossed his hands into the air and turned away. “Later.” But he cut her a wink before he disappeared into the hallway.

“On your six,” Drake said as he hurried to catch up.

“Don’t leave me behind,” Taz called after them. “You better come too, Yoon. They’re about to get lovey-dovey.”

Her bodyguard deserted her in a flash, taking only a moment to encourage Cid’s ex-entourage girl to join them.

Kate stood there for a moment, feeling like she’d been tossed up on the beach by a gigantic wave. She choked on a laugh. Syon. Only Syon affected her that way.

He raised an eyebrow. But she shook her head, suddenly completely unsure of him.

Okay, of herself.

Of them.

“Sorry about last night,” he said, trying his hand at explaining. “I should have told you where I was. It’s sort of hardwired in me to put the team first.”

She shrugged. “I was temperamental this morning.”

He flashed her a grin. “I loved it.”

“You did not,” she scoffed.

He nodded. “I did. Even if I owe you an apology for it. I just can’t help that I like knowing you cared enough to come after me, looking to tear a strip off my ass.”

“Well…I’d say you have it coming, but I saw the look on Taz’s face last night when we ran into that girl. I think she likes him.”

“She loves him.” Syon’s expression hardened. “And he’s got it bad for her.”

There was a hard certainty in his voice that made her ache for Taz.

“Looked like her family had big problems with that.”

“Major ones,” he confirmed.

Syon fell silent. But she could see his thoughts buzzing in his caramel eyes.

“It kills me to know I made you cry.”

She wanted to shrug it off. She started to, but he was suddenly there, clasping her in his embrace, and she lost her grip on everything except how she felt about him.

“I should have gotten rid of Cid sooner.”

She stiffened, trying to regain her composure. Syon pressed her back into his chest. “That was a dick move he pulled with the pictures. I should have let him have it.”

“You should have.”

He tipped up her head so he could lock gazes with her. “Percy might have threatened to bikini wax me over it.”

“I’d be disappointed if he didn’t.”

She felt like she was drowning. There was so much security in his embrace. It had the power to seal the entire world outside the circle of his arms.

“Does this mean Percy is going to be your maid of honor at our wedding?”

“We haven’t known each other long enough to get married.” The words were out of her mouth before she thought about what she was saying. She backed up, escaping a few feet as she scrambled to think.

“We haven’t been able to keep our hands off each other since we met.” He took a step toward her. She retreated, knowing she was going to lose all grasp on logic if he touched her.

“You didn’t ask me to marry you.”

He slowly shook his head, stalking closer to her. “It just happened, Kate. I’m as surprised by it as you are. I don’t need to hear you say you love me. I see it in your eyes. Tell me you don’t see how much of a slave I am to you? You saw it onstage. I felt the connection.”

She wanted to smile like a simpleton.

But she shook her head instead. Syon edged closer, his eyes glittering with mischief. She looked at him suspiciously, trying to gauge what he was planning, when he snagged her wrist. He stopped her train of thought, and a moment later, he bent over and she tumbled over his shoulder. He straightened up and smacked her butt with a satisfied grunt.

“Since I just fired Cid, no one will be paying off the paparazzi tonight.”

He carried her through the doors and backstage.

“Syon!”

He chuckled at her plea, walking out of the building with her on his shoulder. She lifted her head and ended up blinded by the camera flashes going off.

“Nice catch!”

“Me next!”

“Great ass!”

He carried her down to a waiting SUV and let her slide off his shoulder onto the seat. Syon paused in the doorway of the vehicle, maintaining his hold on her. He had an arm around her waist, and she’d ended up on her knees on the seat. He cupped her head, holding her steady as his eyes glittered with victory.

“‘Kiss me, Kate, we will be married o’ Sunday.’”

She laughed as the line from The Taming of the Shrew rolled off his lips a second before he claimed her lips in a hard kiss. The crowd cheered, cameras snapped pictures, and Syon kissed her senseless.

Yeah, completely senseless.

Love?

It was that too.

* * *

“Really?” Kate demanded. “Roadkill is getting first shot at our wedding pictures?”

The three cameramen were pulling on their suits, obviously ill at ease in formal clothing. Around their necks were the very coveted press passes into her wedding. They were happily dashing around the perfectly manicured lawn of the church grounds, getting shots of the celebrities in attendance. Spring was just coming to England, making the two-hundred-year-old church look majestic.