Bad Romeo (Starcrossed #1)(92)
Author: Leisa Rayven

Damn this boy and his mouth.

It’s crazy how quickly he has me frustrated, and before I know it, I’m pushing him down onto his bed so I can straddle him.

“So,” I say, as he sucks gently on my throat, “apart from Vanessa, am I the only girl who’s been in this bedroom?”

His voice vibrates against my skin when he answers. “Yes.”

“Good.”

I push him down and kiss him with a fierce sense of possession. He makes a noise that I think indicates he enjoys it, and it gets louder when I roll onto my side and pull his thigh between mine.

Oh, hell yes. I love his thigh. Awesome thigh.

“We should stop.” His breathing is ragged, and he glances nervously at the door.

I kiss down his throat. “Stopping is bad. Except maybe if you lose control on an icy road and are hurtling toward certain death. Then, it’s pretty much essential. But in this case? Definitely bad. Terrible. Worst idea ever.”

I suck on the racing pulse in his neck, and when he speaks, his voice is strained and low. “Taylor, you know my mother could come up here at any second, right? Do you really want her to catch you riding her son’s leg?”

I stop dead in my tracks. That’s when I hear footsteps coming down the hallway.

Oh, God

Within half a second, I’m on my feet and straightening my clothes and hair, while I try not to look like the horny virgin I am.

Ethan chuckles and sits up, then grabs a pillow to cover his erection.

The footsteps get closer before Elissa appears in the doorway. She rolls her eyes as she looks between us. “Oh, please. Don’t even pretend you two weren’t just making out. When I was at the bottom of the stairs, I could hear Ethan’s disgusting groaning. He sounded like a bear with heartburn. Plus, Ruby called and told me all about the spectacle you made of yourselves at Avery’s party. Thank God. I was beginning to think I was going to lose that stupid bet.”

Holt glares at his sister. “You bet on us, too?”

“Pfft. Of course. As far as I was concerned, it was easy money. Especially after Cassie agreed to check on you while you were sick.”

“Elissa!” I say. “You asked me to go over there because you wanted to win a bet?”

She sighs. “No. I asked you to go over there because I was worried about Ethan. And because you were both being stupid about being together.” The next sentence is much quieter. “Me winning a hundred bucks and buying a new purse is just a bonus, so yay for me.”

“Fuck me,” Holt says with a scowl. “Why does everyone in this family think I’m incapable of making my own decisions about my love life?”

“Because you haven’t had a love life in four years, big brother,” Elissa says. “You’re like a little kid who won’t go back in the pool because he swallowed some water once upon a time. Thank God you finally manned up with Cassie. If you hadn’t, I was considering buying you a few dozen cats and being done with it.”

“Elissa, get the fuck out of my room.”

“No. Cassie’s my friend, too. You need to learn to share.”

“I’m not sharing her. Now, get out.”

“Make me.”

“Happily.” He strides over to her, picks her up in a bear-hug, and deposits her outside the door before he slams it in her face.

Her voice is muffled by the wood when she yells, “You’re such a tool!”

Holt snatches the door open and whispers, “Oh, and by the way, I haven’t told Mom and Dad that Cassie and I are together, so if you could keep your giant trap shut, that’d be sweet. Thanks.”

She puts her foot in the door before he can slam it again. “In that case, you’d best be nice, or I’m going to broadcast it to the whole neighborhood.”

He frowns. “I hate being nice.”

“And I hate being discreet. Deal with it, and let me in.”

Ethan pushes the door open and goes to sit on the bed as Elissa walks over to give me a quick hug. “Cassie, I can’t even tell you how glad I am you’re here. At last I’ll have someone to talk to other than butt-munch over there.”

“Bite me,” Holt mutters while absently flicking through a Rolling Stone magazine.

Elissa sighs. “You said you’d be nice.”

He leans back on the bed. “Sorry. Bite me, please.”

She nods. “Better.”

I laugh, because even though they’re being snarky and immature, underneath it all there’s affection, and it makes me realize how much I’ve missed out by not having a brother or sister.

We chat for a while, and discuss plans for the next day and which parts of New York they’d each like to show me. Holt wasn’t joking when he said he didn’t want to share me. Every time Elissa suggests taking me somewhere, he tenses up. Part of me finds his jealousy incredibly hot.

At one point, Elissa catches me staring at him as he unpacks his bag, and she smiles. I feel my face heat up.

When Ethan leaves to take his toiletries to the bathroom, Elissa shakes her head. “Man, you have it so bad for my brother, don’t you?”

My face flames again. “Shut up.”

She laughs. “I’m not making fun of you. I think it’s awesome, but he’s not exactly low maintenance. I was beginning to wonder if he’d find a girl to take on all his baggage.”

“He’s not that bad.”

“That’s because you have a knack for handling him.”

“You think so? Sometimes I have no idea.”

She glances at the door before she whispers, “If you want to understand him more, ask him to show you what’s in the bottom drawer.” She nods in the direction of the tall chest of drawers on the far wall.

“Why? Is he keeping human body parts in there?”

She laughs and stands as Ethan comes back. “In a way. I figure he’s seen yours, so you should get to see his.”

Holt eyes his sister suspiciously. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

“Nothing.” She kisses him on the cheek, then disappears down the hallway.

He gives me a dark look. “What did my sister just say to you?”

“She told me I should ask to see what’s in your bottom drawer.” I lean forward and lower my voice. “Is it porn? Because that’s something I’d really enjoy looking at with you.”

Rather than laughing it off as I expect, his face turns red and stormy. “Fucking Elissa.”