Page 120 of Rebel Romeo

My brows lowered. “At the catering event? Did she give you shit?”

“When does she not?” Katherine said. Even though she was clearly trying to make light of it, moisture filled Katherine’s eyes briefly. And just as she opened her mouth to say something, Jeff handed us our iced triple shots, interrupting her. Even though Katherine got a smile from Jeff, I could feel a simmering hatred beneath his ‘have a nice day’ toward me.

Whatever. Get in line, buddy. Half this damn nation hated me as the rich, spoiled son of a senator. “What happened with McCay?” I pressed her again.

With a shake of her head, the fleeting moment was gone and she said with faux cheer, “Nothing I can’t handle.”

I gave a gentle tug to her hair. “But you’d tell me if it was serious?”

She nodded as she tore open the sugar packet and dumped it in, giving her coffee a stir. “I thought you didn’t drink coffee before you had to go on stage?” I asked.

Shrugging, she brought her iced espresso to her lips and took a long sip. “Well, it’s early and I’ve been at work since five. Sometimes I have to weigh the cost-benefit, you know?”

Together, we crossed to the door. I cut quickly in front of her to hold it open. “Want a ride to rehearsal?”

“Sure,” she said, smiling.

The Grindhouse was only a few blocks away from the theater building, but I wanted more time with her. Alone.

Key fob in hand, I unlocked my truck and crossed through the tiny parking lot. I opened the passenger door for her before climbing into the driver’s seat and dropping what was left from my pack of cigarettes into the cup holder. “I’m sorry about my Mom the other day.”

Her smile fell and she peeled the corner of the label on her already sweating to-go cup. “She was surprisingly nice. Although, she seemed a little, um…”

“Hammered?” I offered.

Katherine’s face went red and she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. “Yeah. Is everything okay there?”

I shrugged and put my iced espresso into the cup holder, turning the car on. “She’ll be okay. She goes through these phases.”

Phases.

Right.

Although this was the first time she wouldn’t return my calls. That was a rarity for my mother.

“You know what sucked the most about that?”

Katherine tilted her head. “What?”

“I didn’t get to take you out last week.”

Looking down at her cup, I could tell Katherine was fighting her smile, cheeks tinging pink

God, she was cute. She peeked up at me, her gaze brushing over mine. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

We stared at each other in silence. It wasn’t weird or uncomfortable.

And I wanted to kiss her. I wanted to kiss her so fucking badly even though I knew that a relationship with her would spell disaster for both of us. It was the first brick paving a path to our downfall. Though in my experience, every relationship ended in destruction… eventually.

But I still wanted to try.

She cleared her throat, and her husky voice sent a shiver down my back. “I might suck at this,” she said.

“Suck at what?”

“The… um… you know. The stuff.” Her eyes widened and her gaze flicked to my crotch.

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