Levi chokes on a laugh, but it’s Koen I look at, and yeah. He’s a little pissed.
Glancing back at Hottie, I give him a flat look.“You should probably wash yourself then.” I turn on my heel and start walking away, then toss back over my shoulder, “I’m off to do what you brought me here to do.”
I don’t get more than a few steps in before Hottie’s hand wraps around my arm, pulling me to a stop, and I turn to glare up at him.
The party continues around us. Laughter, the clinking of glasses, the low thrum of the music, but at this moment, it’s only the two of us in a strange little bubble.
“Don’t be mad at me, baby,” he pleads. “I didn’t know.”
“Really?” I ask skeptically. “You expect me to believe that?”
“Really.” His eyes soften as he steps closer, his thumb brushing lightly against my skin. “I had no idea the girl they were talking about was you. You look stunning tonight, by the way.”
“Thanks,” I mutter, trying to ignore how my chest warms at his words. “I have a job to do.”
“Wait…” he tugs a little more firmly, not enough to hurt, just enough to keep me there, tethered to him for a moment longer, “… please.”
I sigh, tilting my head, trying my best to stay unaffected. “What do you want,Sylus?”
He pauses, his gaze dipping to my lips before meeting my eyes again. “God, my name never sounded better than from your lips.” His voice cracks slightly, betraying his usual swagger. His smirk is still there, but there’s a softness now, almost nervousness as if he’s worried about what I’ll do next.
“Why are you here?”
“It’s my brothers’ birthday.” He shrugs, letting go of me reluctantly, his fingers brushing my arm one last time. The loss of his touch leaves a void I refuse to acknowledge.
“They’re your brothers?”
“Two of them, yes.”
“The Lane brothers don’t have any more brothers,” I argue with a shake of my head.
I know that.The mediaknows that.
He shrugs. “Blood doesn’t make a family.”
Thick, uncomfortable silence and stillness blooms between us then. Just as I try to shake it off, the music swells around us, a saxophone solo cutting through the air, and it only seems to amplify my emotions, all the loneliness I’ve felt over the last few days bubbling up inside me, spilling over before I can stop it.
“You didn’t text me,” I blurt out, the accusation sharp, my hurt unmistakable.
“Missed me?” His nerves recede, and he grins, but I only glare at him, my lips pressing into a thin line. That makes his grin fade, and he tilts his head, his eyes searching mine. “You said you wanted time for yourself. And I tried to respect that. Fuck, Sparkle, it killed me. I missed you like crazy too.”
Damn him.
Damn him for being so annoyingly sweet.
“I didn’t miss you. I don’t care. It’s fine,” I lie, ready to move on from this. “I have things to do.”
“Baby,” he whispers, stepping closer. “I’msorry.”
I hate that he can make me soften so easily, and I especially hate that he’s looking at me as if he sees everything I want to hide.
Ugh.
“You don’t have to be sorry. This is casual, remember?”
“Yeah, casual for you.” He reaches out and strokes the back of my hand. “Casual for me didn’t work.” His smile turns softer. “I’m obsessed with you. How could I not be? Look at you. You’re stunning and funny and apparently fucking capable too.You’reKoen’s thief?” He laughs, but it turns into a kind of groan as he says, “That’s so damn hot.”
Fuck, this is becoming more complicated by the second.
