Bad Romeo (Starcrossed #1)(89)
Author: Leisa Rayven

“I swear, man,” Jack says as everyone laughs, “Beneath that hard-faced-bitch exterior, Erika’s a complete sex freak.”

Holt smiles at me and shoves his hands in his pockets as I mouth “hi” to him.

“Hey.”

Jack slaps his shoulder. “Can I get you a drink? Beer? Shot of bourbon?”

“No, thanks. We’re not staying long.”

“We? Who’s ‘we’?”

“Me and Taylor.”

Jack looks around at the crowd and raises his eyebrows. “You and Taylor? Well, well, well. What’s going on here?”

For a moment, there’s panic in Holt’s eyes, but he takes a deep breath and says, “She’s spending the holidays with me in New York.”

Oh.

Wow.

Jack stares at us, stunned. By this time, Lucas and Zoe have joined him.

I can feel that my mouth is open, but I’m too shocked right now to shut it.

“Seriously?” Jack asks. Holt nods, and Jack turns to me. “Taylor, won’t your mystery man have something to say about you spending time with tall-and-intense here? I mean, he saw you two in Romeo and Juliet, right? This could be an epically stupid move.”

I try to think of something to say to deflect Avery’s attention, but it turns out I don’t have to. Holt has it covered.

“Actually, Jack,” he says before swallowing nervously. “I’m her mystery man. And I’m completely okay with her spending time with me.”

The room goes deathly quiet. The music has stopped, and if I listen real carefully, I can probably hear the wind blowing through the tumbleweeds outside.

I stop breathing, terrified that if I move, I’ll wake from this awesome dream.

Jack stares between Holt and me in disbelief. “I’m sorry, but what? You’re the guy she told us about? The fucking moron who won’t sleep with her?”

Holt glowers and gives him a tight smile. “Yep. That’s me. Fucking moron, in the flesh.”

Oh my God. Please don’t let me wake up. Let it be real.

There’s a pregnant pause before Jack punches his fist into the air and yells, “Yeaaaaaaah!”

The room explodes with chatter, and Jack turns and high-fives the people behind him. “All right, everyone who had Taylor dating someone other than Holt, pay up. Markers are due, people! The eagle has landed! Repeat, the eagle has landed. Someone remind me to pay Erika.”

The living room looks like the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, with cash and tickets being waved in the air while people chatter and laugh.

“Wait a minute!” Holt yells and glares at Jack. “You … you ran a fucking book on whether or not Taylor and I were together?”

Jack’s face drops. “Well, yeah. But it was all in fun, man. You two have been making goo-goo eyes at each other for freaking months. We had to have fun with it somehow.”

“Dude!” Holt says stiffly. “I do not make goo-goo eyes.”

Lucas pats him lightly on the shoulder. “Sorry to break it to you, bro, but you totally do. Lucky you two got good crits for Romeo and Juliet, because in real life? You totally suck at acting.”

Holt looks at me in shock, and I step in and put my hand on his chest.

“Um, so … wow.”

He blinks and shakes his head. “What the hell just happened?”

“Good question.”

He stands there for a few seconds like a goldfish, watching the action around him with a look of confusion. It’s only when I trace along the skin at the neck of his sweater that he snaps out of it and looks at me.

“Hi. I’m Cassie Taylor. I don’t believe we’ve met.”

I know it’s quippy, but it’s the truth. Who is this open and declarative man in front of me?

His ears turn pink. “Uh … yeah. Hi.”

“So, that was … unexpected.”

“Yeah. But good unexpected, right?”

How can he possibly think otherwise when I’m smiling up at him like I’m high?

“Very good unexpected. Did you mean to out us when you came here tonight?”

“No. Well, yes. I mean, I didn’t know for sure, but when I saw you, I … I guess over the last few days I’ve realized that what I want with you outweighs how much you scare me. And I’m tired of depriving myself. It’s too fucking draining. I want to be with you.”

I put my arms around his neck. To his credit, he only looks around once to see who’s watching before focusing on me.

“Stop freaking out.”

His breathing gets faster as stares at me. “Make me.”

I pull his head down. When he kisses me, it’s soft and chaste, but the way he inhales and tightens his arms around me tells me his reaction is anything but mild. There are various whoops of approval around us, but we ignore them. It’s kind of easy when all my focus is directed at resisting the urge to become a slutty limpet.

He kisses me more firmly, and through my lusty haze, I’m impressed that he’s being so bold in front of everyone. I know this is kind of a big deal for him.

I’m proud.

He pulls back as the entire room applauds, and he gives them all a good-natured bird flip as he drags me down the hallway into the deserted study.

When I close the door behind us, he sighs in relief and runs his fingers through his hair.

“See?” I say. “After all these weeks of secrecy and denial, was that so hard?”

He pulls me against him, not being shy about running his hands over my butt as he stares down at me. “Taylor, I can say with absolute honesty, that yes. It was, and is, extremely hard.”

He kisses me again, less restrained now, and walks me back toward the wall. He’s groaning in a way that makes me want to crawl inside his throat and rub myself on his larynx. The sounds I’m making are embarrassingly loud. For so long, I’ve been waiting for him to just let go and give in to this thing between us, and now that he is, it’s so much better than the fantasy.

There’s no hesitation. No self-consciousness. He’s kissing me like he’s afraid to stop. Like he’s trying to make up for all those long days of separation.

Part of me is still convinced this isn’t reality, but when he lifts me up so he can grind against me, I decide I don’t care. Whatever it is, I’ll take it.

“We should really stop,” he says as he kisses down to my clavicle.

I grip his hair. “Of course we should. Best possible solution to all this burning lust between us. Good plan.”