Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 56257 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 281(@200wpm)___ 225(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56257 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 281(@200wpm)___ 225(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
“Didn’t you hear him?”
Suddenly, my woman strides forward like a firecracker, ready to explode. She glares at the man with her fists bunched at her sides, looking so angry, cute, and beautiful simultaneously. It’s a miracle I don’t reach out, wrap my arms around her, and kiss her for standing up for me.
“He’s grateful for his fans,” she says, glaring at the man. Several cameras are aimed at her now. “But you’re not a fan. You just want to leech onto him like Maddie did.”
“Ooh, somebody’s jealous,” the man taunts.
It’s a mindless insult thrown out there to piss my woman off, but the fame leech has no idea which nail he’s just hit on the head. Suddenly, my woman surges toward him. I don’t know what her intention is. I bet she doesn’t even know, but I won’t let her get close to those vultures.
I rush forward, sweeping my arms around her. She gasps, and I can’t help but look at her for a moment too long before I drag her back. I can feel her perfect body against me—no, no, no. Fuck. I have to let her go quickly.
“In the car,” Brad snaps at her. “Let’s go.”
The crowd converges on us as we all quickly get in the car. When Brad pulls away, it’s like a riot scene. They swarm toward the car with their cameras aimed.
“That’s my bad,” Brad says. “Billboards are all over the city, and I suggest going for lunch in public.”
“I wasn’t thinking either,” I say. “Don’t beat yourself up.”
“And you clearly weren’t thinking, Mary,” Brad sighs darkly. “You had no idea how that crowd was going to react. That was very, very silly.”
“They’re just so shameless about it.”
“I don’t care how shameless they are. You’re lucky Rust was there and got his hands on you when he did. Anything could’ve happened.”
I swallow, my body still burning from the contact. I know hers is, too. I know if I reached back and grabbed onto the gorgeous thickness of her thigh, I’d feel the heat tempting me to take her someplace secret. I’d want to own every curve and every kiss.
“You good?” Brad asks me.
“Yeah,” I say, my voice flat, telling another lie.
“Shall we get some room service at the hotel? Or go to your apartment?”
“The hotel would be better,” I tell him. “I had paparazzi outside the apartment earlier.”
CHAPTER
SIXTEEN
MARY
We sit in the living room area of Brad’s room. His is bigger than mine, with seating around a small table. Brad takes a bite of his burger as Rust cuts into his steak. I pop a fry into my mouth, trying to act naturally. I know they’re right about my outburst. I shouldn’t have surged forward like that, but somebody had to say something, didn’t they?
Or maybe it’s just the pulsing in my heart. A baby. A life. Perhaps it’s the song that rises in me when I think about what Rust said. Maddie is lying. Lying. She never dated him. I know I snapped at Brad, saying Rust could be keeping a secret, but he clearly values the truth. He was the one who wanted to bring the whole world crashing down by telling Brad about us.
Another fry, chewing listlessly, thinking of all the ways I could tell Rust. Or should I tell him?
“Are you going to be a sinner instead?” Mom taunts. Lately, ever since this whatever-it-is began with Rust, I’m starting to resent that voice. I shouldn’t let myself think that, but it’s true. I just want to listen to my heart. “And break your brother’s heart.”
“Mary?” Brad says, jolting me from my thoughts.
“Yeah?”
“I said, could you pass the ketchup?”
“Uh, sure.”
I hand it to him, trying to ignore Rust sitting right there. It would be so easy to reach out and touch his arm, to feel the power. When he held me in public, there was a sizzle between us, a spark, like lightning, as if a strike was trying to heat us and fuse us together. I wanted so badly to lean up, stand on my tiptoes, and kiss him hard.
Brad tilts his head at me, wondering if there’s a problem. I have to look down at my food, blatantly ignoring his gaze, finding it impossible to look at him for too long.
“Sorry,” Rust says when his cell phone rings, his voice seeming almost artificially flat now. “It’s my manager. I’ve got to take this.”
He stands, walks a few steps away, and answers the phone. It’s out of respect for the meal as if Brad and I are going to be talking, but I can’t think of a single casual and normal thing to say to him—my own brother.
“A press conference tomorrow?” Rust snaps. “Ah, right, I get it.”
Rust hangs up and sits down.
“Problem?” Brad asks.
“The company wants to capitalize on all this publicity. They’re hosting a press conference tomorrow between me and Cruz. He just happens to be in the city, apparently.”