Chapter 29 Paparazzi
Melissa’s POV
Jason moved through them with the ease of someone born to attention. That infuriating smirk played at his lips as he signed autographs, posed for selfies, made girls cry just by looking at them.
His eyes found mine across the chaos.
And something shifted in his expression. Something that made heat rush through my body despite everything.
“Warrior Girl!” His voice cut through the noise. “Fancy meeting you here.”
Every phone within a ten-foot radius swiveled toward me.
Oh God.
“You know him?” The girl beside me practically vibrated with excitement. “How do you know Jason ?”
My face burned hot enough to combust. This could not be happening.
Jason reached us, and suddenly the air felt thinner. He was tall…taller than I’d realized last night…and the way he looked at me made my skin prickle with awareness I absolutely did not want to feel.
“Mom” He turned that charming smile on my mother. “What a pleasant surprise.”
“Jason! What a coincidence.” Mom’s face was flushed, whether from the crowd or the attention, I couldn’t tell. “That’s quite the entrance you made.
“Just finished a meeting nearby, I hope I’m not too late for shopping .” His eyes slid back to me.
“It’s wonderful that you are here now…,” Mom continued. “We are almost don…”
She swayed suddenly.
“Mom?” I grabbed her arm, alarm shooting through me. “What’s wrong?”
“Just dizzy. Too much excitement, I think.” She pressed a hand to her forehead. Her face had gone pale. “I need to sit down.”
“There’s a café right here.” Jason’s hand found the small of Mom’s back, steadying her with surprising gentleness. “Let me help.”
But the moment Mom leaned on him for support, the crowd exploded.
Camera flashes went off like strobe lights. Bodies pressed closer, pushing in from all sides. Questions flew like bullets.
“Who’s the woman?”
“Is that his mom?”
“What about the other girl?”
“Hey , over here!”
Panic fluttered in my chest. Too many people. They are too close and too loud.
And then Jason moved. Fast and deliberate.
One second I was being jostled by the crowd. Next, his body was between me and them.
His back pressed against my front, solid and unmovable. One of his arms extended behind him, his hand finding my hip and pulling me tight against the boutique wall. His other hand kept Mom steady.
He was shielding me from the crowd.
His broad shoulders blocked the cameras. His height meant all those phones could only capture him now.
“Everyone back up!” His voice carried effortless authority. “Give us space. Now.”
Two men in dark suits materialized from the crowd…bodyguards I hadn’t noticed before. They formed a human barrier, pushing back the mass of people still trying to get closer.
But Jason didn’t move away from me.
His back remained pressed against me. I could feel every breath he took. Feel the heat radiating off his body through his thin black t-shirt. Feel the defined muscles of his back against my chest, my stomach, my…
Stop. Don’t think about it.
My hands came up automatically, pressing against his shoulder blades to steady myself. His skin was warm even through the fabric. I felt him tense under my touch.
“You okay back there?” His voice dropped low. Like it was meant only for me despite the chaos around us.
“I’m fine. You can move now.” My voice came out breathier than I wanted.
“Can I?” He turned his head slightly “You sure you want me to?”
“Yes,” I hissed, too aware of how my body fit against his. How perfectly his height aligned with mine. “People are staring,you’re making a scene.”
“The point is keeping you out of their cameras.” His thumb moved in a small circle against my hip bone. Deliberate. Claiming. “Or would you prefer to be all over social media tomorrow?”
He had a point. A frustrating, infuriating point.
“Fine,” I conceded. “But you’re enjoying this too much.”
I felt more than heard his laugh. It rumbled through his chest, vibrating against me. “Maybe.”
“Jason.” Mom’s voice cut through whatever moment was happening. “I think I need to sit down. Soon.”
“Of course.” But he still didn’t move. Instead, he turned his head more, and now I could see the sharp green of his eyes. “My guards will make a path. Stay close to me. Don’t let go.”
Before I could process what he meant, his hand slid from my hip to my wrist. His fingers wrapped around it…firm, possessive…and he pulled me forward as he moved.
The bodyguards cleared a path through the crowd. Jason kept Mom on one side, me on the other. But the way his hand held my wrist felt like he was staking a claim on me.
No. Don’t think like that.
We reached the café entrance. The bodyguards held the door. Jason ushered Mom inside first, then me.
The moment we were through, the noise cut off. The café was blessedly quiet, only a few customers who looked up curiously.
Jason finally released my wrist.
I could still feel the imprint of his fingers.
Mom sank into the nearest chair with a relieved sigh. “Thank you, Jason. That was… overwhelming.”
“No problem.” He gestured to one of his guards, who immediately went to get water. “You should drink something. You are probably dehydrated.”
“You handled that well,” Mom said, smiling up at him with genuine warmth. “Keeping Melissa out of the cameras like that. Very thoughtful.”
“Couldn’t let Warrior Girl get mobbed on my account.” But when his eyes met mine, there was something in them that made my stomach flip. “She’s family now. I have to look out for my family.”
That word again. Family.
Except the way he looked at me was anything but brotherly.
The bodyguard returned with water. Mom drank gratefully while Jason stood there, hands in his pockets, looking completely at ease despite the chaos we’d just escaped.
“I should get back,” he said after a moment. “The car is blocking traffic. The cops are probably on their way, a body guard will stay outside until you safely get home.”
“Of course. Thank you again.” Mom squeezed his hand. “See you at home for dinner?”
“Wouldn’t miss it.” His eyes found mine one more time. “Bye, Warrior Girl. Try to stay out of trouble.”
“That’s rich coming from you.”
He grinned. That infuriating, devastating grin that probably worked on every girl he met. “Fair point.”
Then he was gone, his bodyguards trailing behind him.
Through the café window, I watched him slip back into that sleek race car. Watched the crowd swarm one more time before he pulled away, engine roaring.
And I tried very hard not to think about how his hand had felt on my hip.
“He’s very protective of you,” Mom said softly.
I turned to find her watching me with knowing eyes.
“He was just being polite.”
“Mmm.” She sipped her water. “If you say so.”
“Mom…”
“I’m not saying anything.” But her smile suggested otherwise. “Just that it’s nice. Having Jason here. Having a family. Don’t you think so?”
“Sure,” I lied. “It’s nice.”
But my wrist still burned where he’d held it.
And I had a feeling Jason was going to be much more complicated than I’d ever imagined