Page 16 of Fame & Obsession

“Me?”

“Yeah, you and your sanctimonious cavalry heroics.”My awkward charm knows no bounds.

“For such a tiny thing, you have a pretty big mouth on you.”

“Yeah, well, I’m a writer. We’re big mouthed people.” I attempt to push him away, to no avail. “It comes from years of pageant training. You can’t reign as Teen Miss Iris Festival without some serious trash-talking skills. That title alone will get your ass kicked in various social circles.”

He furrows his brows. “Teen Miss Iris Festival? That’s a real thing?”

“Hey!” Emboldened by the alcohol coursing through my veins, I poke a finger at his chest. “Don’t disrespect the title. You laugh, but that stupid princess pageant got me a scholarship to Dreighton University.”

Earlier laughter dissolves, and his hooded stare returns. “I’d never dream of it.”

We continue to drink each other in. He roams an unapologetic gaze over me, and I watch helplessly as his tongue runs a track against the back of his teeth. A wanton, inebriated part of me dares myself to close the remaining space between us and suck that lip into oblivion.

What the hell…?

I have to end this now, or there’s no doubt in my mind I’ll do something really stupid.

“Thanks for the memories, Fancy Pants, but I gotta—”

“Is he your boyfriend?”

“Excuse me?” My motion halts.

All amusement vanishes from his face. “That blond guy, is he your boyfriend?”

“You mean Gage?”

“If that’s his name.”

“No, he’s not my boyfriend.” I flush as a wave of tension leaves his body. “But what do you care? Why don’t you go back to blondie in your loft o’ sin?”

“I’m more intrigued with what’s in front of me.” He cocks his head. “I don’t even know your name.”

“That’s because I didn’t give it to you, Fancy Pants.”

A slow, sensual smile dances across those full lips. Bringing his hand back to my face, he trails the back of his knuckles from my cheek down to my jawline. I close my eyes, the contact sparking blue flames of heat.

Lowering his hand to my neck, he curls his fingers around my nape. Breathless, I open my eyes and wait for him to take my face in his hands and kiss me senseless again. Instead, his fingertips linger on the soft spot between my neck and shoulder, then drop back to his side.

Wait… What just happened?

Holding his phone in one hand, aggravation shifts his lips into a frown as he reads a text message. His jaw tightens, his fingers turning white with excessive force. I could’ve sworn I heard him mutter the word “bitch” under his breath.

Exhausted by our dueling mood swings, I attempt to push him away, when he quickly releases me. Without another word, he turns and heads toward the glass door.

Just as he wraps his fingers around the handle, he twists around, lifts the corner of his mouth into a lazy half smile, and gives me a devilish wink. “See you around, princess.”

Six

Julian

I repeatedly strumchords any idiot could play as I watch the burst of light as it breaks through the horizon.Once again, the pick snaps under the pressure, so I grab another one while the New York skyline comes to life across the river.

“Screw this,” I mutter, grabbing my beer off the railing. Thoughts from last night force their way into my head as I take a long drink and then set the bottle on the glass table, wincing as the sharp cracking noise slices through the quiet morning.

Sitting on my deck, I hold my breath and listen for signs of life stirring from inside. Zane and Ty couldn’t rise from the dead at this hour if the devil had a fucking tea party on their pillows.