Starstruck (Fusion #1) by Adalynn Quinn Page A

security, appeared on his mobile screen. Xander had avoided
speaking to him directly since meeting Indi nearly two weeks earlier, knowing
the man would go on about the security risk of having a holiday fling with
someone he hardly knew. Xander was not ready to confess his deeper dreams of
being with Indi long-term to anyone but her.
    Her light, unassuming manner had drawn out more secrets about
his life than he thought he would have dared tell her.  He told her his
private thoughts that he never shared with anyone else, along with silly
stories from his childhood and carefree days with his friends before the band
made it. Indi treated him as simply Xander, the person, rather than Xander
Keats, the rock star, allowing her to break through the walls that he’d surrounded
himself with for years.   
    He could not get enough of her. Even in front of his
security team, he did not hold back from the occasional handholding or
kiss.  Such actions from a guy who had never believed in public displays
of affection, combined with his other out-of-character behaviour, was what had
gotten back to David.
    “Are you sure you should be getting involved with a woman
who might turn around and sell her story of your holiday romance to the
tabloids as soon as it is over?” David judged harshly, after having had to
deal with too many kiss-and-tell stories in his client’s past.
    Xander had earned himself the reputation for being
cold-hearted when it came to women; the revelations of his mother’s affairs had
truly scarred him. Yes, he would wine and dine them, even romance them with
flowers and chocolates, but once the sexual act had been fulfilled, he just
moved on to the next.  He could not bear to let anyone come too close emotionally
in case he ended up being hurt by them as deeply as his mother had.
    Xander bit his tongue to stop himself from making an unkind retort. 
He understood that David was only trying to make sure he considered all his
options, especially since he was not used to him actually allowing himself to
care for a woman in the long-term.
    “She’s not that kind of person! She clearly has money of her
own to be renting such a large villa herself.  She knows I’m rich, but
hasn’t asked anything about me.  She’ll not let me pay for her at all when
we go out,” Xander replied smoothly.
    “Do you know anything about her, so that we can perhaps get
her investigated, so at least I know what I’m dealing with if the case arises?”
    “Just that her name is Indi. One of her grandfathers has a
title, and the other owned a successful horse-breeding ranch in America.” 
    He knew David was only doing what he would ordinarily do if
Xander let someone new into his life, but it still made him feel dirty and
unworthy now that Indi had entrusted him with what her parents had put her through.
“Whatever you find, I don’t want to know about it, unless it’s really
crucial.”  Xander spoke firmly, knowing that he was already half in love
with Indi, and he had started conjuring up scenarios that once his obligation
to Caitlin was out of the way, he would seek her out and introduce her properly
to his life.
    “Very well. I hear Caitlin has been threatening to fly out
and see you. Be careful she doesn’t discover your little love nest.”
    “She would be hard-pressed to, as we’re off to Florence in a
couple of hours and there is nothing of Indi’s at my place. I always stay at
hers.”

Chapter
Seven: Closer
    Indi
    “Honey, where are you?” Indi could hear Xander calling
to her from the lounge.
    “In the bedroom, panicking.”
    She could hear his laughter coming closer. In just three
weeks of them being together, he had become quite used to her freaking out over
not finding the right outfit to wear.  She would usually try on about
three or four things before settling on the first one.
    “What is wrong?” he questioned, smiling as he leaned
against the doorframe, drinking in the sight of the clothes half