Colt had stopped by, pacing back and forth in her room, obviously anxious because he was taking Tony to the premiere tonight as his date. They’d moved in together and had been out and about together in town. Photos had been taken and it seemed the cat was out of the bag because all the gossip sites had photos of the two of them together. But so far, Colt had remained mum about his sexual orientation. Tonight, it would become official.
“Are you nervous?”
“Terrified.”
She hugged him. “It’s going to be fine. You and Tony are going to be fine. And you’re both going to look incredible, so the public is going to go crazy over both of you.”
He grinned. “We do make a dynamic couple, don’t we?”
“Yes. Now go get beautiful while I do the same.”
“I’ve heard your agent set you up with a mystery date tonight.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes. Exactly what I don’t need. Some needy wannabe star trying to shove me out of the way so he can get his photo taken at all the right angles.”
He kissed her cheek. “Don’t even worry about your dipshit date for the night. Concentrate on the movie and smiling for the press. I’ll be there for you, honey.”
“Thank you. And I’ll be there for you and Tony, too.”
Des showered, then her makeup and hair people showed up, and it was a flurry of activity as she was primped and readied, her hair styled in a messy updo to go with the beautiful white strapless gown she’d chosen for the night. The jeweler came by to present the lovely necklace and earrings she’d wear to go with the gown. They were stunning diamonds and teardrop earrings, and worth a million dollars. Expensive jewelry always freaked her out. It just wasn’t her style, but it went with the whole movie-premiere thing, so she’d do whatever was necessary.
By the time she was dressed, it was nearly five, so she slipped on her silvery heels and looked into the mirror. The dress fit her perfectly, the bodice a corset fit to her hips, then flared out in a beautiful, flowing shape. And the diamonds were a perfect touch—not too much, but just enough bling.
She thanked her team profusely for getting her ready. They left, and she put the finishing touches on her lip gloss, then headed downstairs to her waiting limo.
The lineup for the premiere was long, but as she got to the front, she pasted on her best smile, excitement running through her. She couldn’t wait to get out on the red carpet.
She couldn’t wait to get this over with.
She got out, and a hand was there to help her out. She turned to smile at the person assisting her, and her heart thudded against her rib cage.
“Logan.”
Dressed in a tux, he folded her hand in the crook of his arm.
“What are you doing here?”
“I’m your date.”
“But—”
“Not now. Your public’s waiting for you, Desiree.”
He led her to the red carpet, where fans screamed, the click of cameras was deafening, and all she could think about was the man she loved was here, at her side.
Except as soon as they hit the press line, he took a step back and let her have the limelight.
She turned to look back at him. He looked amazing. Tall, lean, tanned, and the tux fit him perfectly. He had to be so damned uncomfortable in that tux, and yet he smiled at her, shoved one hand in his pocket, and nodded while she turned to answer questions in the press line.
“Des, who’s your date tonight?”
She took a deep breath. “That’s Logan McCormack, the owner of the L&M ranch where we just finished filming. It’s my treat to him for allowing us to film there.”
“Is there any relationship going on with Logan McCormack?”
“Logan is the owner of the L&M ranch, where we just finished filming. Next question.”
She fielded many of the same questions and moved on, grateful to reach the end of the press line, where Logan was there to once again take her hand.
Then she was off to take photos with Colt. “How are you holding up?” she asked him.
“Not too bad. They’ve noticed Tony and are asking a lot of questions. I’m telling them my personal life is not the subject to be discussed today, but I’m happy to answer questions about the film.”
“Good for you. Let them think what they want while you go about living your life. And in the meantime, you and Tony are free to do what you want. People will figure it out. When the time is right, you can do whatever article you want discussing the two of you.”
“Out magazine has already asked if I’ll do an article.”
“Are you going to do one?”
He turned to her. “I think so.”
She squeezed his hand.
“And I see you have an interesting date tonight.”
“I don’t know how that happened.”
Colt gave her a half smile. “Yeah, me either.”
“It was you?”
He kissed her cheek. “See you inside.”
She met up with Logan again. “I can’t believe you’re here.”
“You invited me. And you didn’t answer questions about us.”
“It’s not the media’s business. Besides, I don’t really have answers, do I?”
“I guess you don’t. But you will.”
Curious, she let him lead her inside, where they took their seats.
The movie was wonderful, and Des was proud of the work she and Colt had done on this film. It was a drama about a drug-addicted wife and how she drags her husband and family through her agonies. The movie received tons of applause at the end, and Des thought Colt, as the tortured husband, had delivered an amazing performance.
They both received cheers when they left the theater. Des smiled, and Logan never left her side. They went to one of the after parties, where the media took photos of both of them. They even asked Logan questions.
“I’m just a rancher, happy to be invited here to see one of Colt and Desiree’s movies. This was a great one, wasn’t it?”
That was the standard answer he gave to every question the media asked.
When Des pulled him aside, she told him, “You’re very good at this PR thing, considering you have no training.”
“Like you said, it’s none of their business.”
“But you were polite. Which isn’t really in your nature.”