Page 23 of Stuck with a Billionaire Rockstar

One of them stares at me for a long moment and I rub a hand over my arm, the nerves starting to take over. He cocks his head to the side, his friends cackling next to him, and asks, “You don’t look so good, you okay?” The question is a surprise since I have no clue who he is, and I blink at him as I try to come to terms with his politeness.

I shake from the daze I’ve found myself in, look toward the numbers that are still a few floors away from mine, and look back at him with a small smile. “I’m fine, thanks.”

He blinks, obviously not used to a woman rejecting him, and stumbles back a step. “You sure?”

I nod silently, and before I can make the mistake of oversharing with a complete stranger, the elevator opens onto my floor, and I rush out with arms crossed over my chest.

“Julia.”

The voice has me tripping over my own feet and I nearly fall flat on my face, if it weren’t for the strong arms that catch me before that can happen. “B-Brent, hi,” I say breathlessly, then cock my head to the side with a frown. “What are you doing here?”

He smiles at me and waits until I’m flat on my feet before taking a few steps back from me. “I texted you, thought you might like the company tonight.”

“You texted?” I grab my phone and scroll through it with a frown. “I don’t have anything from you.”

Brent nods. “Uh, yeah, my manager had me come here with a new phone after everything that’s been going on,” he says. “You probably don’t have it.”

“Did you text me, like, five minutes ago?”

“Mhm.”

“Oh,” I say, my cheeks heating because I was rude with my response. “Sorry, it’s just been a rough night.”

“Want to talk about it?”

“Considering it involves your sister, I’d rather not,” I mumble, then step toward our suite with shaky hands. Brent notices and places his fingers gently around my wrist, halting me from unlocking our door. Then I look up at him. “I’m just sick of it, you know? She doesn’t see more than the woman who sucks at dating and doesn’t believe I could get someone like you.”

He’s silent for a moment, and I shake my head, embarrassed that I spilled that part out. I shake away from his touch and fumble to unlock my door, then finally step through the opening to leave him in the hall by himself. The door doesn’t shut, though, and I feel his warmth envelope me right before he grips my hips and spins me around to face him.

“What do you think, Buttercup? Can you get someone like me?” He asks, his tongue trailing over the slope of my neck seductively, and I let out a ragged breath. When I don’t answer, he looks up at me and smiles. “Because I’m here now, imagining what you would look like if those flimsy clothes were on the floor instead of covering your flawless skin, and I’d suggest my sister is wrong. You can get whoever you want, and it’s only if the person you go for understands your nerves and finds a way to get through them.”

Oh God.

“He touched you,”

“Who?” I moan, barely able to follow him when he’s overloading my other senses with his touch.

“That asshole by the pool. He touched you.” Brent growls low in his throat, pressing his lips against my arm until he comes to a stop at the wrist that still aches from that guy. “I didn’t like that, Julia. Do you want to know why?”

I hum, desperate to understand why he acted the way he did today, and he waits until his eyes are on me before saying, “Because you deserve better than that.” Could he mean someone like himself, or am I projecting my wayward thoughts into his response?

The admission has me leaning forward and slamming my lips against his with nothing but hunger. I need him to chase this ache away and give me what I truly want, and I’m determined to get it right now, even if it ends in disaster.

12

Brent

I didn’t realize how much I was missing the feel of Julia’s lips against mine until she had to slam them together, but that’s not what I came here for. She texted me back, seemingly upset and frustrated, so I want to help her feel better. Calm her mind.

She pulls away from me before I can do the same, trailing her fingers over the fabric of my shirts along my chest, and presses her forehead against my chin with a sigh. “Can we go to your room?”

“Something wrong with this one?”

Julia shakes her head and smiles, then looks over at one of the empty beds before bringing her attention back to me. “No, but I’d rather Mallory not walk in on us here and think something is up.”

“Is she not supposed to?”

“It’s complicated right now.” The way she darts her eyes away from mine makes me think she has something else to say, but she stays silent while walking over to her suitcase and digging in it for clothes. “Is it okay if we go to your room?” She asks softly, teeth sinking into her lower lip nervously as if it’s the wrong thing to ask.

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