Page 42 of Platinum Pressure

She nodded and walked me to the door. I stepped outside and watched Platinum straighten up as I strolled down the driveway to my car at a snail’s pace. I needed time to collect my thoughts before he had time to influence my mind.

Slowly, I put my things in the back seat and ran my hands down the front of my pants before I turned to give him my attention.

“Hey.” He greeted me with a gentle tone and an annoyingly cute smile.

“First, never pull no shit like this again. I don’t care what you want or why you want it. My client did not consent to a pop-up visit from you. Luckily, Miss Nette is cool, but you broke so many laws. If her family reported this incident, my license would be in jeopardy. It’s like you keep playing with my livelihood. You keep threatening the one career I love the most, when all I’ve done since we’ve met was help you take the steps to keep yours.”

“I’m sorry, Dow. You got me acting out, baby. You fucked my world up when you left. It finally felt like everything was falling into place. I don’t know how shit works for you, but I apologize for making it seem like I don’t care about your career. I do. I want to pour into your dreams like you’ve done for me. I want to give you everything you deserve tenfold.”

“I hear you, Platinum⁠—”

“Dow.”

I rolled my eyes. “I hear you, Porter. There is something special between us, but you can’t have the best of both worlds. I can’t be your nurse and your girlfriend.”

“Why not?”

The confusion on his face was genuine. The way his eyebrows knitted together while the corners of his mouth wrinkled into a frown tugged at my heartstrings.

“Because I care too much about my future, and every scenario with you puts my license in jeopardy. You make me sound like a broken record, but it’s so many situations where I don’t walk away with my dreams accomplished if I stay with you.”

“Why do you think that?”

“For one, you are a man in the spotlight with a crazy-ass fan base. The moment we go public if we were to take the next steps in dating, women and men would report me. The unfortunate point is they actually have a case. Enough reports would skyrocket an investigation.”

“Fuck all of them people.”

“It’s not that simple, Porter. It’s never that simple.”

“You worry too much, baby.”

“You don’t worry enough!”

“Look at us, being the perfect match.”

I tossed my arms in the air and let out a frustrated breath. I paced. Talking to a literal brick wall was easier than talking to Porter. He was stubborn and hardheaded. He didn’t hear me when I spoke. It was clear every time we got into these heated discussions.

“C’mere.” He opened his arms wide, a genuine offer to comfort me.

“No.”

“Come here, Dow.” His voice was stern and cute.

Reluctantly, I closed the distance between us. He engulfed me in his large arms and held me in place. He rocked slowly until my nerves regulated.

“You trust me?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“I trust your judgment, your care plan, your word, your actions. I trust you with my life—even if you tried to run the first chance you got. You know why?”

“Why?” My voice trembled.

How crazy was it to have this conversation outside of Miss Nette’s home? How crazy was it to be held outside in public, like the world didn’t exist around us?

“Because from the moment I met you, my soul felt peace. My world felt complete. My heart thumped with a new purpose—to beat just for you.”

I blinked. “Porter . . .”