"Don't turn this back on me, Bay."
"Why not when you accuse me of the same sins you and I both know you have too?"
"Because I'm not scared of relationships. I've simply never found anyone interesting enough to have one with for very long." He paused. "Until you."
Bailey blinked, the only sign of shock she would allow to cross her face. Her? He wanted a relationship with her? No freaking way. He had to be playing her. Her momentary shock passed quickly, and anger once again took its place. She let out a divisive laugh. "Right. And I'm the Easter Bunny." She turned and moved to get in her car when Everett grasped her arm, stopping her.
"Bailey, you already know me better than most people do. You think I'm lying?"
She didn't look at him, but she didn't try to pull away either. "Yeah, I do. You see me as a challenge, that's all. You're not interested in me as a person. As soon as I'm no longer a challenge, you'll move on to someone else. That's not a relationship, Everett, even if you want it to be."
"What if I prove you wrong?"
"But you won't. And I've done my time in the spotlight. I'm not going to do it again just to show you I'm right."
He released her arm, and she shivered in the chilly autumn air at the loss of the heat from his touch. She climbed into her car and waited for him to say something. When he didn't, she finally chanced a glance at him. His dark blue eyes were narrowed, but she couldn't tell if it was in thought or anger or something else. She felt a tightness begin to form at the base of her neck, and she rubbed at it, trying to ease the bunching muscles. "Goodbye, Everett," she finally said before shutting her door and pulling away.
The finality of her words hit him like a brick wall. He stood there in the dark, empty parking lot, and for the first time in a long time, he felt truly alone.
Chapter 14
‡
The piercing ring of her cell phone jolted Bailey awake. She rubbed her eyes before grabbing her phone and uttering a mumbled hello.
"Bay, you devious devil." Bailey sat up at the sound of her sister, Alexandria's, voice. Lexie didn't call often. She knew better. Ever since their fallout two years ago, Bailey had made it clear she didn't want to speak to her unless she apologized. She had yet to get Lexie's apology.
"Alexandria."
Lexie either didn't notice the warning in Bailey's voice or chose to ignore it, because she gushed on. "How in the world did you manage to snag Everett Parker? Talk about a catch. I'm envy with jealousy. Is he as hot in person as he is in the movies? I bet he's a beast in bed. You'll have to tell me all about it. Can we meet for dinner later this week? I think I'm free on Wednesday."
Sleep still fogged Bailey's brain, and none of Lexie's words were making much sense at that moment. "What are talking about, Lexie?"
"I'm talking about you and Everett Parker! I can't believe you didn't even tell your own twin sister about it first," she pouted.
Bailey knew she wasn't going to get back to sleep anytime soon, so she swung her legs out of bed and padded to the kitchen to start some coffee. "Tell you what first?"
"That you're dating a freaking movie star!" Lex shrieked. "Geez, Bay, I don't remember you being this dense. Is all the sex making mush out of your brain?" She laughed at her own joke.
Some of what Lexie was saying was finally starting to sink in. "I'm not dating anyone. Where did you hear that?" she asked her sister.
"Oh my god, Bay. Have you not watched the news? Or looked online? Or checked your damn phone? The pictures are everywhere."
"Pictures? What pictures?" Bailey thought the hubbub of her tackling Everett at his movie premiere had died out last week. Why was Lexie going on about it now?
Lexie sighed in exasperation. "The pictures of you two at some fancy event, dancing, touching, practically groping each other. Nice dress, by the way. I can't remember the last time I saw you in a dress."
Icy cold reality swept across Bailey's consciousness, and the need for coffee died. She ran to her laptop sitting on her kitchen table and flipped it open, still holding her phone to her ear. She opened a browser and typed her name into the search bar. The instantaneous list of links that came up was all the evidence she needed. "I gotta go," she told Lexie.
"Bay, come on," Lexie pleaded. "Just a few eensy teensy details?"
"I can't, Lexie."
"All right, you can tell me over dinner then. Wednesday?"
"Sure, sure." Bailey had no intention of going to dinner with her sister but was willing to promise just about anything to get her off the phone.
"I can't wait!" Lexie said. "See you then."
Bailey clicked on an internet link as she hit the disconnect button on her phone. She skipped the accompanying article and instead scrolled down to see the images of her and Everett at Sarah's wedding. Everett whispering in her ear while they danced. Everett's hand, low on her back, his fingers skimming just underneath the fabric of the backless dress. Bailey smiling up at him as he helped her out of her chair.
Turmoil roiled in Bay's middle, and she sunk her head into her hands. The pictures were damning. Everyone would believe they were an item. That's what they had meant to look like. Nevertheless, it wasn't supposed to get any further than the wedding. She couldn't tell people it was a hoax. Who would believe her after pictures like those?
Bailey's head shot up as another thought occurred to her. Those pictures. Who had released them and why? She could think of only one answer, and anger surged through her. Everett Parker was playing dirty.
*
"Find out who it is. I don't care what it takes," Everett shouted into his phone at his agent. Right as he disconnected, it rang again. Seeing the caller ID, he ran his free hand through his hair before taking a deep breath and answering. He'd known this was coming the moment he saw the pictures on the internet.
"Bailey, I know you're mad," he said without introduction.
"Mad? Mad doesn't even begin to describe it. Is this revenge, or is it blackmail, Everett? Even I didn't think you'd stoop this low."
Everett considered her words. He'd known she didn't want to be seen in public with him, but her anger seemed much deeper. He just wasn't sure where it was coming from. "What are you talking about, Bay? I didn't do anything."
"Didn't you? You wanted a relationship. Is this the only way you figured you could get it, by forcing me into one? I don't care what our agreement was. I can play dirty too. I'll tell everyone the whole thing was a farce, including your own family. Is that what you want?"
"Bailey-"
"Don't Bailey me! You are scum, Everett, for trying to use me like that. Screw you, asshole!"
She hung up before he could say anything else, and he cursed. Her going to the press would only make a bad situation worse. He was going to have to get her to listen to him before she did anything rash. Making a decision, he strode out of his apartment.
*
Less than thirty minutes later, he was knocking on Bailey's apartment door. She opened the door then tried to slam it back closed in his face. He stuck his palm out to stop it and stepped inside before she could shove it closed.
"Get out! I don't want to see you again, or didn't I make myself clear enough last time?"
"Bailey, I need to talk to you."
"No you don't. You need to manipulate people, manipulate me." Her voice cracked, and he saw tears threatening to spill from her eyes before she turned away from him.
Shutting the door softly, he stepped to her and rubbed her arms. "I didn't manipulate you. I didn't leak those pictures."
She stiffened against him before pulling away and dropping onto the couch. "Why should I believe you?" she asked morosely.
Everett sat beside her. He wanted to pull her into his arms and comfort her. Instead, he kept his hands to himself, giving her the space he knew she needed. "Because I don't have any reason to lie to you."
She glanced at him, and he saw the pain this had caused her in the tightness of her face and the thin line of her mouth. "You wanted a relationship, and I said no."
He nodded. "That's right-I wanted a relationship. Which can't be built from lies. Bay, in spite of what you might think, women do tell me no from time to time. It doesn't hurt my ego … usually," he added with a quirk to his lips.
"If you didn't do it, then who did? And why?"