“Photos were taken of him and an unidentified woman leaving Michael Jordan’s restaurant, One Sixty_blue, then getting in a car Felix himself drove back to the Omni Hotel where all of Walker’s guests are put up. Could his Big Bear secret romance be out? You be the judge.”

The first few photos of Felix and the girl were harmless, they were smiling and talking seemingly oblivious to the photos being taken but there was no touching.

“We caught up with them at the Omni as they drove up to the valet and exited their car.”

There were more pictures of them getting out of the car; the girl waiting for him to come around the car to meet her and then there it was. He reached over and placed his hand on the small of her back as they walked into the hotel. He might still be able to explain this but the fact remained he was walking into a hotel with another girl. Gio shook his head.

And here after spending the evening with Bianca he’d actually begun to believe that maybe Felix was serious about her. Why wouldn’t he be? She was everything a guy would want in a girl—beautiful, adorable as shit, but most prominent was how down to earth and incredibly sweet she was. She didn’t strike him as someone who would put up with this crap. She shouldn’t. But was it really possible she could be that naïve?

Gio never kept up with any of the tabloid crap and here he’d watched one episode and already he was getting a blow by blow of Felix’s affairs.

“Let’s go to Chicago now where Philip is standing by outside the Omni.”

“You’re kidding me. They actually went on location just to get a glimpse of Felix’s new girl?” Gio watched disgusted as Philip basically reported he had nothing. They hadn’t seen the couple since the photos were shot hours ago. But they’d be looking out and actually had a crew heading to Big Bear as he spoke. “Fucking vultures.”

Gio knew Felix had plenty of security and the odds of them getting any shots inside of the compound were slim. But the thought of them hounding Bianca still irritated him. She’d told him over dinner how she’d be staying at the compound during Felix’s time here but she was still going to continue going to school and into work at her grandma’s shop. No doubt the damn paparazzi would be staked out just outside the compound’s entrance. It was just a matter of time before they figured out who she was.

Not only that, then they’d know the girl they’d seen him with in Chicago was not the same girl as Big Bear. Gio wondered how good Bianca would be about handling all the media bullshit.

The show moved on to gossip about another celebrity. Gio picked up his cell feeling even more agitated. Not just at the media but at Felix. How could he be so stupid? He had to know these vultures were watching him all the time. What kind of explanation would he have for her? This would be interesting. But he’d seen Bianca cry twice already since he’d been here. He couldn’t be sure about the first time but he was almost certain it had been her initial reaction to finding out Felix wasn’t going to make it up tonight. Which meant she cared about him that much.

The second time was just a testament to what he’d always suspected about her. Bianca was a sweetheart with a genuinely tender heart—a heart that Felix would most likely stomp. Damn.

Noah answered on the second ring. “G? How’s it going up there? Are you cold yet?”

Gio could practically hear the smile in Noah’s words. “Yeah, it’s colder than shit out there. But Felix has us hooked up. Dude, you should see this place. It’s unbelievable.”

“I heard about it. He said he’ll have us all up at least once while he’s still up there. Make a weekend thing out of it.”

“That’d be cool,” Gio said smiling.

“So how’d it go today? Did you guys get started?”

Noah’s questions brought back the irritation of knowing what Felix must be up to that very second. “Nah, he didn’t make it out of Chicago. Bad weather or something. He’s supposed to make it up here tomorrow. We’ll see.” He paused for a moment and stood up, then lowered his voice. “Hey, do you remember Bianca Rubio from high school?”

“Bianca?” Noah paused as if he were trying to remember. “Oh, yeah, yeah! The one you were into?” Gio made a dead stop. He’d started pacing but Noah’s comment came as such a surprise.

“Who said I was into her?”

Noah laughed. “You did, ass. Remember?”

Gio stood there, still not moving, trying to remember ever telling anyone. He’d never even admitted to himself that he was into her. There was just something about her eyes that he found so enthralling. But he’d never told anyone. At least he didn’t remember doing so. “No. When did I say this?”

Noah continued to chuckle. Someone was in a good mood. Gio frowned and began walking again.

“Maybe it’s ‘cause we were drunk. But I remember. That time I was all depressed over that stupid bitch that dumped me. I think you were trying to make me feel better. You said you had a thing for Bianca, the chick Felix was always flirting with so she was off limits. Then you made me swear on my bike that I wouldn’t tell a f**king soul.”

Gio dropped his head back as the memories came flooding back. “That’s right. Shit, I forgot all about that.” He’d completely blocked out the memory. “Holy, shit. I forgot about Felix and her back then, too. Well, get this. She’s here now.”

“Here where? In Big Bear?”