Page 65 of When the Stars Rise

She giggles. “I know, silly.” She swats my arm and leans in closer, exposing her ample cleavage in a tight hot pink dress. “Everyoneknows who you are.”

I smile and it’s friendly but not overly friendly. More on the polite side. “I wouldn’t say everyone.”

“Well,Iknow who you are.” She places her hand over her heart. “I’ve been following you for like forever. I know just about everything about you. Go ahead and ask me a question.”

I don’t want to ask her a question.

She swats my arm again and gives me a bright smile. “Come on. Please.” She folds her hands together in prayer. Her nails are painted hot pink to match her dress and lip gloss. “Just ask me something.”

Okay, this is weird. Why the fuck would I ask a total stranger to tell me whattheyknow aboutmylife?

“Thanks, but I’ll pass.”Take the hint.

I drain my glass of whiskey and refill it, more for a diversion than anything else. Hayley is leaning forward in her seat, listening intently to whatever her superfans are saying and I don’t want to interrupt so I take out my phone to text Bodhi.

The girl—Gabby—latches on to my arm and wraps both hands around my bicep. “I’m not letting go until you ask me three questions.” Her tone is playful, but her eyes tell a different story. Stage Three Clinger, Bodhi would call her.

She’s got her claws in me. Literally. Her fingernails are biting into my skin, and she has zero respect for my personal space.

“I’ll tell you what. How about you stop digging your nails into my arm and give me room to breathe?” My smile is pleasant, but my voice is firm.

Her smile slips, and her eyes narrow but her hands are still wrapped around my arm and her tits are pressed against it. “You’re kind of a dick, aren’t you? Just because you’re hot doesn’t give you the right to treat me like that.”

And this is yet another example of how situations get misconstrued on social media. To anyone watching, I’d be the one who would come off looking like a dick if I make one wrong move. Fuck that. I remove her hands from my body and push them away.

With a smirk, she whips out her phone, climbs into my lap, and snaps a selfie before I can stop her.

Why is she sitting in my fucking lap?

Jesus. This girl. I lift Gabby out of my lap and unceremoniously dump her on the sofa, then stand at the same time as Hayley does. I turn toward her, hoping she can see that I didn’t instigate any of this and open my mouth to explain but she throws her arms around me and kisses me on the lips for all to see.

The message is clear. Hayley is staking her claim.Back off. He’s my man.

Damn straight I am. I’ve belonged to her since the beginning of time.

I palm her ass and pull her against me. “Dance with me.”

A smile ghosts her lips. “I thought you’d never ask.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Noah

I grabher hand and lead her onto the dance floor, catching her when she stumbles in her six-inch heels. Which tells me she’s had a few glasses of champagne already.

Hales is a lightweight. Gets buzzed on one glass and drunk on two.

She’s wearing these little ankle boots and fishnets with short black shorts and a black sequined bustier that pushes up her breasts and gives her more cleavage than usual.

Her breasts are the only ones I want to look at, and she’s the only girl in this entire club I want touching me. She wraps her arms around my neck, and I grab her hips, pulling her against me as we move to the beat.

“I don’t like it when other girls flirt with you.”

I kiss the pout off her lips, spin her around, and pull her back against my chest, my hands moving down her sides. “What other girls?” I kiss the side of her neck and whisper in her ear, “All I see is you.”

And it’s true. Hayley shines like a fucking beacon. The girl is gorgeous with her big hazel eyes and lush lips, and I never get tired of looking at her, touching her, holding her in my arms like she belongs there. Which she does.

She loops her arms around the back of my neck, swivels her hips, and grinds her ass against my dick.