Scott shoved his hands into his pants pockets. "Fine. Any idea what we're dealing with?" Scott asked, obviously focusing on something he could control.

Grey met Tyler's gaze. The other man already knew about the Emerald threat, and now they'd have to tell Avery. He ran a hand through his hair, frustrated at how something seemed to thwart him every time he got close to her.

Avery caught the knowing look between Grey and her brother. "What's going on?" she asked, realizing at once they were hiding something from her.

"I got a letter from an obsessed fan. She made some noises about me belonging to her and making sure you knew that, but since you'd just dealt with the paparazzi and you had a bodyguard anyway, I didn't want to add to your stress." He winced as he spoke, obviously realizing his mistake.

"I'm a.s.suming you knew?" She glared at Tyler. "And you both decided to keep it from me?" she asked, her anger and hurt building. "What? You didn't think I could handle the truth?"

Grey reached for her but she stepped away. He flinched at her withdrawal, but she couldn't let herself care.

"More like he knew you'd come to your senses and run the other way," Scott muttered.

"Shut up!" she and Grey said at the same time.

Avery blew out a frustrated breath. More than her overbearing brothers, Grey needed to understand that while she might have an anxiety disorder, she was fully capable of handling any news that came her way. She might not like it, and he might not appreciate how she chose to deal with things, but it was her choice to make.

"I need to make sure your landlord puts a security system on the front door to the building," Tyler said.

Avery knew that was his way of diffusing the tense situation. "Fine."

"Doesn't change the fact that you can't stay here now," her brother went on. "Even with security, anyone can walk in right behind someone with a key card. It's not a fail-safe."

"A public breakup would be a good fail-safe," Scott muttered.

Grey stepped forward, and Avery braced a hand on his chest, stopping him from going after her brother.

"Go home," she said over her shoulder to her siblings. "Grey and I need to talk."

"But-"

"I have Rick sitting in his car," she reminded them. "He was with me when I saw the door, so I was never in any danger. And the police were already here, a report's been filed, and they dusted for prints. There's nothing more you two can do."

It took more arguing and longer than she would have liked, but she finally herded her brothers out the door, locking up behind them.

She pulled on her reserve strength and turned to Grey. Concern flashed in his green eyes, and though she couldn't read his mind, she knew for sure he was guilt-ridden that she was a virtual prisoner thanks to his life, confused at why she'd bailed on him this morning, and worried about what this new turn of events meant to them.

She wished she had answers for him, but she was just as confused, just as uncertain.

"Come here." He held out his arms.

Unable to resist, she stepped forward and walked straight into his embrace, burying her face in his soft tee shirt and inhaling his familiar scent. He wrapped his arms around her tight and held on. She wished it were just the two of them, that the outside world and all her worries would disappear. But that wasn't reality. It never had been. In her life, the outside world always intruded; something new always popped up to ruin the status quo in which she'd found a safe haven.

When she finally pulled free, he led her to the couch, and they sat down. He faced her, holding her hands in his. "Your brother is right about one thing. I'm the one who brought all this s.h.i.t to your door. I can leave and make it all go away."

"No!" She'd come home needing time to think. She hadn't counted on the turmoil that had waited for her here, and she hadn't yet had a moment to put her thoughts together, but she knew one thing. Panic struck her at the thought of losing him before she was ready.

His shoulders dropped in relief. "Good. I'd do anything to keep you safe, and I'd go if you asked me to ... but that's the last thing I want."

"I don't want that either," she whispered.

"Then why did you leave without waking me?" His roughened fingers stroked her skin.

She'd hoped for more time before having to answer this question. "Last night was intense," she admitted. "I'm feeling things that I can't afford to let myself feel for you."

He nodded, and she knew he understood without her having to explain more.

"Your brothers are right. You shouldn't be alone here," he said, changing the subject. "I understand if you want to stay with them."

"Oh h.e.l.l no," she said, shuddering at the thought. "They'd drive me mad. It would be like being in a cage. Their eyes would be on me constantly. And since I don't know what kind of threat this really is, I don't want to move in with my mom or sisters and bring trouble their way."

He squeezed her hands tighter. "Move in with me then."

"What?" she asked, shock racing through her.

"Move in with me." He met her gaze, his expression as serious as she'd ever seen it. "I'm not going to say something stupid like you can stay in the guest room, because we both know that's not happening. But if you really want your s.p.a.ce, you can stay in the apartment across the hall. Though let me go on record as saying that's not my first choice."

She blinked, trying to take in all the information he was giving her. "You own that apartment too?"

He nodded. "I live in Rep's old place. The other one was Lola's-that's how they met. I bought both, knowing I wanted to build a sound-proof studio, where I can work without bothering anyone."

He'd really planned out this notion of living in Miami. More so than she'd originally thought. "I had no idea."

"I was going to explain all this to you this morning. I wanted to have breakfast and show you the layout and plans."

"But I left."

He shrugged. "We can still have breakfast now, and I can show you the apartment later?"

Her head was swimming with information and with confusion. She wouldn't feel safe sleeping in her apartment knowing someone was out there ... in a sense, stalking her. But was she ready to move in with Grey, even temporarily? And if so, should she move into his place or across the hall?

She blew out a deep breath and said the only thing that came to mind. "Breakfast sounds like a really good idea right now."

He laughed, knowing she was avoiding any decisions. "French toast or pancakes? Either is my specialty." And obviously he was letting her take her time deciding.

She grinned. "French toast. That's all I have the ingredients for."

He leaned in and kissed her lips. "Then we go take a tour of my place."

"Only if, while we eat, you tell me about this email you received ... and who you think is behind it."

The happy light in his eyes dimmed at the reminder, and he hesitated before answering. "Fine."

"And as long as you promise no more secrets between us."

"Okay," he said, faster and with more ease.

She wasn't anywhere close to making a decision. In fact, she still wanted some s.p.a.ce and time before doing anything, especially now that the stakes were higher than just an emotional tizzy over falling in love. But she also knew she couldn't walk away from him yet.

She was afraid she would never be able to make that break. And waiting for him to be the one to ultimately walk away left her in an even bigger panic. So she'd eat breakfast and see his apartment and plans. Then she'd take a break and go visit with her mom or Olivia and get some much-needed perspective before making any huge decisions. Like whether or not to move in with Grey.

Chapter Nine.

After a breakfast of French toast and maple syrup and cleanup, which he also insisted on doing, Grey took Avery back to his place. His heart was racing, well aware that she hadn't made a decision about moving in with him, however temporarily. And also aware that every little thing that happened between them could change her mind. It was nerve wracking, but he accepted it. Told himself that the cops would connect Emerald to the vandalism, that his intended lifestyle would get boring for the press, the paparazzi, and the fans, and they could live a normal life.

He hoped he wasn't deluding himself.

After they took the elevator to his floor, he decided to walk her through Lola's old place first. He unlocked the door and gestured for her to enter.

"As you can see, it has the same layout as my apartment, but the decor is much different." Where he had dark wood accents, courtesy of the furniture Rep had left behind, Lola's was pops of color and huge pieces of comic-book-inspired artwork on the walls.

"Oh my G.o.d! Is that ... Superman and Wonder Woman kissing in midair?" Avery asked, delighted at the sight.

"Yeah. And it'll be the first thing to go when we start work in here," he muttered.

She laughed. "This is so great!"

He rolled his eyes and went on to explain the plans for turning this apartment into a studio. She listened intently, and he had the distinct sense she could see and appreciate his vision.

"And this is ... was Lola's bedroom. She left me with sheets and the bedspread so that if any of our friends visited, I wouldn't have to deal with buying stuff. So if you weren't ready to move in with me, you could stay here until it was safe for you to go home." He tried to keep the disappointment out of his voice, knowing she had to come to him willingly, not because the situation was forced on her.

Avery walked inside and looked around the also brightly decorated room. "Lola does love primary colors," Avery mused. "My bright colors are pale compared to hers."

He shoved his hands into his pants pockets and waited for her to finish peeking into the master bath.

"Grey, I don't know what I want to do yet."

He nodded in understanding, frustrated but determined not to let it show.

"Want to head next door?" he asked.

She bit her bottom lip, and he knew he wasn't going to like what came next. "I asked Rick to take me to meet up with Olivia. She's done a lot of fundraising for the Thunder, and I figured she'd have some ideas to help me get up and running with the prom for the kids. And Sienna wants to help, so she's going to join us," she said of her half sister whose life Avery had saved. Of course it made sense that Sienna would want to join in on the effort to help the kids.

Grey managed an easy shrug. "I have work to do anyway. I got a call from Chloe Mandrake, the lead singer of Night Madness. She wants to talk about me writing for their next alb.u.m."

"Grey, that's great!" Avery's eyes sparkled with delight at the news.

"She said she loved the work I did with Alden Mills on the Christmas alb.u.m last year."

Mills was a reclusive musician renowned for his time with Beyond the Lights, a band from the early seventies whose fame nearly matched the Beatles. They hadn't lasted long but had had a major impact on anyone in the music scene, old or new. And when he'd contacted Grey through Simon and requested him for his final solo alb.u.m, a combination of old work and new lyrics, Grey had jumped at the chance.

As it turned out, Alden had been extremely ill, and Grey had done the bulk of the writing on the final songs, allowing joint credit publicly. All Grey had wanted was the opportunity to work and learn from the man's genius. He'd been in awe of the older man, and they'd kept in touch until his death a few months ago.

"Aren't you excited?" Avery asked.

"It's a cool next step," he said, though his thrill didn't match Avery's, his mood tempered by the feeling that she was deliberately keeping her distance.

Then again, she had legitimate work to do, and he was being a selfish a.s.s, wanting to keep her close.

"How about we meet back here for dinner? I'm in the mood for seafood," he said, coming up with an idea to wine and dine her on the terrace later.

"I'd like that," she said, stepping closer and wrapping her arms around his neck. Her touch eased the tension that had been building all morning.

"I don't want my life to screw up yours," he told her.

"I know it's a part of you." She drew a deep breath. "And I'm really trying to deal with it."

He knew that. He just didn't know what or who was waiting around the corner to f.u.c.k with their happiness.

He dipped his head and slid his lips over hers, unable to stop with one kiss. He smelled his shower gel and shampoo from the night before, lingering. And though he missed her s.e.xy vanilla scent, knowing she was walking around with his scent on her did something to him, and a low growl escaped from the back of his throat.

She broke the kiss and slid her lips down his neck, nuzzling his skin and licking him there. He picked her up and had her back against the wall in a heartbeat. She didn't complain, so he lifted her skirt and cupped her s.e.x in his hand, her heat, her dampness seeping into his flesh and turning him on beyond anything he'd felt before.

He wanted to own her. To claim and possess her, to brand her so when she walked out that door, she wouldn't just smell like him, she'd belong to him. And come back to him.

She rocked into his hand, and he yanked at her panties, tearing at the lace until it ripped and the sc.r.a.p went flying across the room.

She pulled at his shirt and eased her hands beneath, sc.r.a.ping her nails against his nipples, a favorite play of hers, one that drove him mad.

He bit back a groan and slid two fingers into her tight channel. "f.u.c.k, sugar, you're wet for me."

She whimpered and tilted her hips forward. He pumped his fingers in and out, enjoying the sounds escaping from her throat. s.e.x wasn't the problem between them, and he wasn't above using whatever did work to bind her to him and make her remember where she belonged.

With each thrust, he curled his fingers against the soft, fleshy part of her that clearly had her grinding against him and begging for more.

"You, Grey, I need you."

"Need you too." He stepped away from her only long enough to shove his jeans down his legs, glad he'd gone commando so he could get inside her faster.

He kicked his shorts aside and lifted her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he lowered her onto his hard, straining c.o.c.k. She slid over him, wet and hot, coating him in her slick juices.

"f.u.c.k, baby. I love you."

She gasped.

Unable to take the words back, unwilling to, he drove into her, slamming her back against the wall, taking her harder with the next thrust, burying himself deep inside her until there was nothing separating them but the barrier of clothing. Everything else he'd stripped bare for her.

She shuddered and writhed around him before she cried out, "I'm coming, G.o.d, Grey!"

He lost it then. One last thrust and he exploded inside her, giving her everything he had and was, taking her over the edge along with him.