“Thank you,” I said under my breath as we walked. It was slow going thanks to all the readers littered about in small clumps. “I don’t know why that guy keeps showing up.”
Brody didn’t respond. He just kept herding me. Only after we were almost past the bar did I realize Brody was directing me toward the front door.
“Wait.” Confusion had me glancing over my shoulder. “Where are we going?”
Brody didn’t answer. He just kept nudging me closer to the exit. Right before we reached his obvious destination, he waswaylaid—Blair Bernstein, the superfan, was back. Fortunately, I hadn’t seen her all evening. Knowing she was there have been the crappy frosting on top of the dry cupcake that was this event. Her pink fuzzy sweater, so out of place in the Savannah humidity, momentarily had my gaze glazing.
“There you are.” She planted her hands on her hips and glared at Brody. “We were in the middle of a conversation.”
Now Brody did respond, although it looked as if it took some effort. “I just need to get some air. Bree and I are going to have a quick discussion. Then I’ll be back.”
“But… we were talking.” Blair gave me a dirty look as if I were the one who was ruining her plan. “We still have eight bullet points to go over.” She held up a notebook, telling me she really did have bullet points.
“I’ll be right back,” Brody assured her. “I just need a five-minute break, then I’m all yours.”
Without waiting for her to respond, he gave me a more insistent shove toward the door.
I didn’t fight him. This time, it felt as if he was the one who needed saving. I allowed him to lead me out the door, figuring he would stop once we were on the sidewalk. He didn’t, though. He kept herding me toward the side of the building, the one opposite from the patio. Once we turned the corner, I fixed him with an expectant look.
My heart clogged in my throat when I saw the look in his eyes. He was on fire. Not literally or anything because that would have been really weird outside of one of my books. He just looked … alert and as if something inside him was burning. What was strange was that I felt as if something inside me was burning as well.
On this side of the building, it was just the two of us. He didn’t say anything. He just kept nudging until my back was against the wall. Then he swooped in close.
His mouth was only three inches from mine as he searched my eyes. There was a question there.Is this okay?He was looking for consent.
It was a terrible idea. I already knew that. But I couldn’t fight it. Obviously, he couldn’t either. I nodded because not nodding wasn’t an option. Not in this moment.
That was enough for him. The air caught fire between us. When his lips touched mine, explosions went off in the back of my brain. Nothing had ever felt so right. That was the excuse I told myself as I lost myself to the moment.
Nothing else mattered. There was only him and me in this strange new bubble world. I was damned well going to take advantage of it.
16
SIXTEEN
Iwas already agitated watching Bree talk to the Clark Kent wannabe when Joey moved in for the kill. Again. Andrew Fisher—I’d looked up his name on the guest registration sheet—had spent thirty minutes talking to AC Frampton before fixating on Bree. Several of the female authors giggled about how good-looking he was and how they wished he was a fan of their writing. That was the only reason I noticed him. When he sat down with Bree, however, something kindled hot inside me.
Jealousy. That was what it was. Denying it would have been a comfort, but I couldn’t do that. I was jealous at hell. I was debating how I was going to get Bree away from Andrew so I could spend some time with her when Joey appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. My jealousy turned into anger, and maybe a little fear, in that moment.
Why did this guy keep showing up? He was clearly interested in Bree—not that I could blame him. She was beautiful, and when she laughed, she lit up the entire room. She had charisma coming out of every pore. She radiated warmth. Of course he would want to be around her.
I did. Apparently, that was all I truly wanted these days—to be around her, whether it was a good idea or a bad one. And it was definitely bad, for the record.
The look on Bree’s face when she saw him was too much for me. It would have been one thing if she was okay hanging around with him. She wasn’t in distress with Andrew, the Clark Kent lookalike. I hadn’t liked that, but it wasn’t my business. Joey, though, she hated. More than that, she was afraid of him. She had an expressive face, and it was obvious what she felt when she looked at him.
I could not tolerate the idea of her being afraid of him—or of anything. That was why I’d walked away from Blair when she was midsentence—mid–bullet point actually—and headed straight for them. I wasn’t some macho guy who wanted to throw a punch. Getting Bree away from Joey was my singular goal.
I wasn’t certain how we ended up outside, with her pressed against the building as I let my tongue wander through her mouth. She was a willing participant. I didn’t ask—I just waited for her to say no. She didn’t, so here we were … and nothing had ever felt better than my mouth against hers. I managed to keep my hands from taking a walk over her ass—which had been driving me crazy in her tight shorts for hours at that point—but only because I was too fixated on her mouth.
I couldn’t say how long we kissed. I felt drunk when I finally pulled back. Her eyes were glazed, and she seemed confused as to why we’d stopped. As much as I liked the sight of her that way, pride expanding in my chest because I’d done that, I regretted it right away. The distance between us, however minimal, allowed her to sober instantly.
“What the hell?” she demanded. She didn’t push me away, but her tone made me take a step back. “What were you thinking?” Her eyes were the size of saucers.
I opened my mouth to respond, but no words would come out.
“Hello!” She snapped her fingers in front of my face to wake me up. “What were you thinking?” she repeated.
I found my voice, but barely. “I was saving you from Joey.” A lame response, but it was all I had.
