Juliet only took one step forward, before Darcy matched the movement. She walked right in Juliet’s direction, making sure she didn’t get close to the door.
“What the hell was that all about?” She asked, scanning her eyes over Juliet’s face now that she was close enough to really take her in.
And – yeah. That fucking switch inside of Darcy had beenflicked.
Standing this close to Juliet, all she could think of was the bold, brash way she’d told Darcy to look at her. The way she’dtold Darcy to kiss her. Sex appeal wasn’t about looks; it was about attitude. Darcy had never had to face that as much as she did when it came to the woman in front of her.
Juliet’s eyes flashed at her, but her voice was even and measured, “Youare the one who just cornered me in here.”
Oh, so it was going to be like that.
Darcy narrowed her eyes, impatience zipping through her, even as it entwined with a lick of heat. “I’m not talking about right now. And you know that. Look, Juliet, just be honest with me. Am I going to have to watch my back about this? Is this just something youdo? Or…?”
Juliet arched her a look, her expression annoyingly unflappable. “Something Ido?”
Tossing her hands into the air, the words exploded from Darcy, “Were you taunting me or hitting on me? Is that something you do? If you find out someone might be attracted to you, you toy with them? Were you trying to get in my head? Make it so all I can think of is what your next move is going to be?”
It was so fucking annoying that it had worked, though.
“Getting in your head? I’ve been doing that since before I met you,” Juliet’s face, her voice, her posture – it gavenothingaway.
Darcy hated it. And she really hated that it made her feel even more impassioned, more worked up.
“So, you telling me to kiss you, you stripping in front of me – that’s what it was, then.” She wasn’t even sure if it was a question or a statement. She had no damn clue.
“Darcy,” Juliet started, gently shaking her head. “I have no idea what you’re even talking about.”
With that, Juliet tilted up her jaw and sailed past Darcy, gliding away.
Just as Juliet reached the door, one of the other guests – Erin freaking Peters, who was the lead singer for the first song on the album – opened it.
She stopped short when she noticed them. “Oh, sorry. Almost clipped you, Juliet.”
A sweet smile slid right into place over Juliet’s face, looking authentic as all get out. “No worries, Erin. Next time I’ll wear a little bell.”
Juliet let out a gentle, lilting laugh, as she stepped around Erin, gently cupping her elbow as she went. Because, apparently, she could be normal to anyone except for Darcy.
She really tried notto fixate on Juliet throughout dinner.
They sat at Shelby’sthirty-persontable – Darcy didn’t even know they made tables to fit thirty people? – throughout the four-course meal.
Darcy managed to be a normal person. Shewasexcited to be here. Itwasfucking cool.
She wasn’t going to let the fact that Juliet liked to play mind games ruin this. No way Juliet didn’t remember what had happened at the studio. Darcy had been the one to have multiple glasses of wine, not Juliet.
She made uninteresting conversation with Label Guy, who’d been seated to her left. He didn’t reintroduce himself, unfortunately, so he might always be Label Guy to her. She had a much better conversation with Arika Batiste to her right, after she’d managed to push through the awe-factor.
Most of the people she’d met this year hadn’t been absolute industry legends. She’d gotten used to meeting the peoplesimilar to herself, younger people, people currently making their names.
Darcy would say she did a pretty damn good job of focusing on Arika and not on how Juliet – seated across the table and four seats down to her right – was justoh, so friendly and chattywith Erin.
“Mind if I squeeze in here?” Shelby asked, ducking down next to her, between her and Label Guy, looking between them.
Label Guy gave her a smile, patting his mouth with a napkin before he stood up. “I’m going to use the restroom, so feel free to take my seat.”
“I’d love to. Promise to give it back in a bit,” Shelby called after him, as she slid into his seat.
Shelby had been making the rounds through the meal. She’d made a point to sit beside every single person, so maybe that was what made the dinner party be labeled as something that would be “personal.”
