Free Let It Be Me (Let It Be Me #1) by Tiara Bosh

feeling shy under his gaze. “I’m not sure how Jenny will get Trey to sleep tonight.”
    “That’s good to hear, but I was asking how you found it, Kayla.” 
    “I – uh – liked it.” Kayla stammered, conscious about being put on the spot. She quickly looked around before forcing herself to look back at him. She said quickly, “It was amazing. You were great.” 
    Alex beamed. And Kayla saw a hint of satisfaction and relief. “Thank you,” he said a bit breathlessly, causing Kayla to “Everyone else has left?”
    “Brandon and Sara are out there somewhere,” she said. “But the rest have gone.” 
    “I’m glad you were able to stay,” Alex said.
    Even before Kayla was able to react to his statement, Alex was approached by a red-headed beauty. Kayla watched as the woman placed her hand on his arm. “Alex, there you are,” she purred, just like they were in bed, making love. Kayla has never heard anyone speak like that in public.
    “Oh,” Alex uttered. “Kayla, this is Helena Perov. Helena, this is Kayla Richardson.”
    Helena’s smile was obviously practiced and lacked sincerity. Kayla recognized her as one of the smaller bits in the movie. Kayla watched as Helena leaned closer to Alex to whisper something, suddenly making Kayla feel awkward and out of place. What has she gotten herself into? Kayla looked around to try to find Ben. Maybe he would be willing to go. Or maybe she can go back out to look for Brandon.
    When she looked back, she saw Helena walk away. She didn’t know what Alex told her. Maybe they would be meeting again later on?
    “Hey, if you need to go, I’ll be okay,” Kayla assured quickly. “I’ll just look for Brandon or Ben, or maybe catch a cab. Don’t worry about me.”
    “The hell you’re not.” Alex’s look was fierce, surprising Kayla, and she saw his jaw clench. “I will not allow you to take a cab.” He took a few breaths then continued, “I wish I could stay longer with you, Kayla, but I still have some interviews to do. And I couldn’t have you wait for me.”
    Kayla wasn’t sure how to take what Alex was saying.    
    “I can take care of myself, Alex,” Kayla said softly, still a bit confused. 
    “I know, but –“ Alex looked at her and sighed. “If you really want to go we can go look for Ben.”
    Kayla nodded. She didn’t want to be a burden to him on his big night. She saw disappointment in Alex’s face but she watched as he took out his phone.
    “Where are you, man?” He listened as Ben spoke. “I need you to take Kayla home.” He listened some more. “Okay thanks, we will wait for you here.”
    Ben arrived right away. Ben was a good friend, Kayla observed. 
    Alex said something to Ben, but Kayla couldn’t hear. Alex then turned to Kayla and smiled. “It means a lot that you were able to come, Kayla.”
    Kayla was speechless as she looked up at him. Her heart was pounding. His words were echoing in her brain. His words seemed innocent enough, but the way he said it gave her some shivers.
    “I’ll talk to you soon,” Alex said. Then placing his hand on her shoulder, he bent down to kiss her on her temple. As he leaned back and took his hand away, it was like the feel of his lips and his hand stayed with her.
    Kayla managed a nod. “Thank you,” she practically just whispered. 
    Ben led her away as Alex left with one of the movie’s publicists. As they approached the valet area, Ben gave his stub to the attendant and they waited for the car.
    “I hope you enjoyed yourself,” Ben said.
    “I did,” Kayla said slowly, still a bit shaken. “It’s just different.”
    “It gets better,” Ben guaranteed. But Kayla thought, it wasn’t like there was going to be a next time.
    Ben’s silver Lexus arrived. He opened the door for her then got in the driver’s seat. Kayla told him where she lived. He was familiar with the area, but automatically input the address in the navigator.
    “I’m sorry you had to leave early,” Kayla