Page 85 of Mark my Words

Kristine was drunk by the time we left the bar, clinging to my arm as we poured an equally drunk Kelly into an Uber before we walked back toward the hotel a few blocks away.

“She kept staring at you,” Kristine pouted, her voice slurring subtly. “I didn’t like it.”

“Hmm,” I hummed, refraining from fueling her spark of misplaced, intoxicated jealousy.

“She was hot,” she giggled. “If I liked women, I’d tap that. I bet you’d like to watch that, Sam.”

Nope. Not commenting on that one.

“Have you ever watched two women kiss?” she asked as she snuggled closer to my side. She wasn’t seeking warmth; the summer heat had barely faded when the sun went down. I caught her hand as she reached for my belt loop, holding it tightly to my chest as I guided her down the sidewalk. “Oh, come on, you’re no fun. Aren’t you going to answer my question?”

“No.”

“No, you’ve never watched, or no, you’re not answering?”

I had—much more than that, in fact—but it felt like a lifetime ago since I’d spent the night with two eager university cheerleaders who liked to share. I wasn’t that person anymore.

“We need to get you to bed,” I changed the subject as I led her toward the entrance, pulling open the door as the valet shot me an amused look.

“Hmmm. Yes, please,” she hummed as she dug her fingernails into my chest through my shirt. “Tuck me in, Spammy.”

“Where’s your room key?” I asked as I guided her inside the first open elevator, pressing the button for our floor before I disentangled her from me and leaned against the opposite side of the elevator.

“In my bra,” she giggled, unbuttoning the top button on her blouse and pulling out the little piece of plastic. “Or did you want to look for it?” she teased, her fingers fumbling as she tried to put it back in her hiding place. She was hammered, and I was thankful she had me to put her into bed and not a random stranger.

“I’m good. You hold onto that.”

“Geez,” she sighed. “For someone so desperate to get into my pants a few weeks ago, you sure have changed your mind.”

Knowing that she was trying to get a reaction, I took a step toward her, leaning over her as I brushed her hair aside. Her eyes closed, and her soft mouth dropped open as I whispered in her ear.

“We both know if I took advantage of you tonight, you’d never forgive me for exploiting a moment of weakness. I want you sober when you beg me to kiss you again.”

“Pffft,” she scoffed, pushing me away with a hand in the center of my chest. “Don’t hold your breath.”

“Don’t worry,” I laughed as the elevator stopped on our floor, and I led her down the hallway to our rooms a few doors down. Taking the key card out of her hand, I opened her door and steered her inside. “I won’t be holding my breath for long.”

Her eyes flashed with surprise as I let the door swing closed in her face, quickly escaping inside my room with a shake of my head.

KRISTINE

CHIC

Sam was quiet the next morning, meeting me at the elevator with a steaming coffee cup and a frown. “You feeling alright?”

I nodded, taking it from him and raising my cup up to my lips, inhaling the rich aroma of dark roast coffee before I took a hesitant sip. My recollection of the events of the previous evening was blurry, but I knew I’d made an ass of myself. Acting jealous of Kelly, practically throwing myself at Sam on the sidewalk and again in the elevator.

My fuzzy brain couldn’t remember everything he’d said at my door, but I knew he’d said something about not holding his breath for long and me begging him to kiss me. He’d likely be asphyxiating before that happened.

“I’m fine. Just a little tired. Nothing a gallon of coffee and some water won’t fix,” I shrugged as I avoided eye contact. We both knew I was the source of the tension between us, but I wasn’t sure how to ease up and maintain the distance I knew I needed to protect myself.

Sam had already worked his way past my defenses more than once, and every time he smiled at me, I lost more and more control of my determination to keep him away. He’d already made me feel more needy and desperate than I liked, and it wasn’t purely for his physical touch.

He understood me in a way that terrified and pissed me off equally.

“Do you have plans tomorrow?” he asked casually as he leaned into the corner of the elevator. I knew we had tomorrow off. Chase and Evan were heading to see his family after their signing in the morning. Diana assured us she had it handled, so she’d told us to take the day off while we could get it. The smart thing would be to buckle down and get more work done on my manuscript edits, but I hadn’t made the smartest choices lately.

“What do you have in mind?”

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