He looked right back at her, like,Keep waiting if you’ve got time to burn, but I’ve got better things to do.
Then she broke the staring contest and left out the front door in a waifish flurry of indignation.
When the door had closed behind her in the distance, I remarked, “She’s classy.”
Johnny said nothing as I sorted recyclables, but he was still standing there. I could feel him watching me.
“Can totally see why you were ‘with’ her at that fundraiser, and yet you weren’t actually sitting with her. She seems like fun times.”
Unnerving silence.
“She’s still with JC?” I inquired.
“Last I heard.”
“And you… slept with her last night?”
I looked over at him. He was lounging back against the counter, studying me. “A gentleman doesn’t kiss and tell, Angeline.”
I almost laughed. “I’ve never thought of you as a gentleman, Johnny.”
“No?” He pushed off the counter and sauntered closer. “That’s okay.” He leaned in as I turned to keep working and murmured in my ear, “Knight in shining armor has a nice ring to it.”
“You did not,” I protested, shifting away. He was standing way too close to me in those damn pants. “You… Just because you helped me out the other night—”
“Face it.” He swiped a strand of my sweaty hair behind my ear. “I saved you the other night. And it bothers you.”
I spluttered but no words formed before he was talking again.
“It’s okay, Angel,” he said in a low, sultry voice. “It can be our little secret.”
“I don’t want any secrets with you, Johnny. And you’re not my savior.” And why the hell did he just call meAngellike that? Just like he did that night, when he kissed me…
“Uh-huh.” His gaze had landed on my boobs. “You’re still wearing my shirt.”
“I was thinking of cleaning the toilets with it,” I told him, deadpan.
His eyes met mine again. “Do what you must.” He started away, crossing back to the floating stairs. “And for the record, you really don’t have to clean my toilets. But hey, knock yourself out.”
He started up the stairs, and I blurted, “Why would you sleep with your lead singer’s girlfriend??”
He stopped in his tracks. He looked at me, a darkness in his eyes so deep and so cold, I was suddenly glad as hell that I wasn’t JC. “Because, Angeline Delacroix.Fuck him.”
Then he disappeared up the stairs.
ChapterNine
Johnny
“Are you fucking serious right now?”
“Really wish I wasn’t, brother.” Yash’s voice came through the AirPods in my ears. I grabbed the towel off the bench next to me and wiped sweat off my face. “Wanted to tell you this shit in person but I’m downtown, so I figured I should head over to Brick House, try to see Trey.”
“Fuck,” I muttered. I looked up at my buddy, Shane. He was standing next to my weight bench, where he’d been spotting me when Yash called. His eyebrow rose. “What does this mean for the contract?”
“It means we’ve got a major problem,” Yash said nervously. “It’s not even the contract. It’s Trey. He’s not gonna like this. He could pull the deal.”
Fucking Christ.“Call me after you talk to Trey.”
