Listening to Ella admit that she was essentially a prisoner in her own home broke Rome’s heart. He didn’t know what to do about it. He needed to figure out a way to get her out of there, but the only person who could help him was Tim Bolt, and he knew there was no chance the actor would want to have anything to do with him, let alone find out that his cousin had been speaking to the enemy.He wished he could drive over to Tim’s place and tell him that he would do whatever it took to win his approval. Ella had said the night before when Rome was stand

Rome couldn’t see himself leaving Ella’s room--ever. As dangerous as it was for him to stay there with her, the idea of going back out the window seemed crippling, especially when she was in his arms the way she was right now.Whenever she’d touched him, at first, she’d seemed so unsure of herself, as if she wasn’t quite sure where to put her hands. He didn’t mind her inexperience, though. The longer they were together, the more at ease she seemed. 

Everything important to Ella was in a small backpack she wore beneath three layers of shirts and the only jacket she still had that she even remotely liked, a jean jacket with a rip in the sleeve she’d brought with her from France. The rip looked cool now, but that hadn’t been the way it’d looked when she bought it. She’d been wearing it one day when Anna and Drew were in an even more foul mood than usual and had taken it out on her, knocking her down and ripping her jacket. The pants she’d been wearing also got ripped and had ended up in the trash.

Tim’s apartment was gorgeous and spacious. It was on the top floor of a luxury apartment building that overlooked a golf course, so the view out Ella’s window--the guest room that he insisted she could claim for as long as she wanted or needed to--was beautiful. Trees bloomed in vibrant shades of red, white, and pink, with floral bushes surrounding their trunks. Beyond them, a rolling field of green filled her view. The sky was still blue, though twilight was falling, and she could see the first stars pinning themselves above her where the night and day had rolled together to make a soft, inky blue.

Ella had never purchased so many outfits at one time in her entire life. Anything she even remotely took an interest in, Tim insisted she get. There were so many bags of clothes sitting on the floor near her bed, it would take her at least an hour to put them all away. But she was so grateful to have a cousin who loved her so much and wanted to make her happy.He’d asked several questions while they were shopping, including about her friend that had brought her the phone and smuggled out her dress. Ella had been vague. She just told him it was someone she’