Page 69 of Rebel Romeo

Holden pauses in front of me. “Is that true, Katherine?”

“Nolan and I are just friends,” I say, my voice calm and even maybe for the first time.

“So all those headlines in Backstage were, what? Made up?”

Oh shit. I forgot that I’d been on a campaign to make Holden jealous. Intending him to believe otherwise.

Panicked, my eyes dart to Nolan’s. “Um… well, we’re, uh?—”

“We’re getting to know each other,” Nolan says, interrupting on my behalf, taking over the lie. Or not the lie, actually. Annoyingly, I’m the one person in this room who has nothing to be ashamed of and yet I’m sweating like a horse. “Getting to know each other so that our chemistry on stage is right.”

“I see.” Holden is behind us once more. The footsteps halt, the echo going silent behind me and there’s a long, tense pause. “Then can you explain why Katherine is sweating bullets?”

My palms immediately brush over my butt and I thank God for the dark colored yoga pants I’m wearing which mask my sweat.

Even still, there’s nothing to cover the nervous sweat glistening on my forehead and down the back of my neck.

My cheeks go scarlet and I look down at my feet.

“Probably because you’re interrogating us like we’re inmates?—”

“Not you,” Holden cuts Nolan off with a flick of his hand as he comes around nose to nose with me. “I want to hear it from Katherine.”

“What Nolan said. I-I’m nervous because you’re, um, you’re in our faces.”

Holden gives a humorless laugh and shakes his head. “For such a talented actress, you sure suck at lying. Want to try again? What’s going on with you and Nolan?”

My nerves calm with his question, a scowl hardening my expression. “Are you asking me as my director? Or my ex-boyfriend?”

A flicker of surprise dances in his whiskey eyes. Take that. “Both.”

“I think Maggie would be interested to hear this conversation,” I whisper. “As our liaison.”

“Perhaps. But I’m not crossing any lines wanting to know why my two leading actors have lost their magic touch.”

“You’re not crossing any lines yet,” Nolan mutters.

Holden inhales a breath before saying, “If you tell me what’s going on, I might be able to help. I’m not trying to be an asshole. I’m trying to get the best performance out of two incredibly talented actors who both seem nervous as hell for a reason I can’t understand. So I’m going to ask one more time. What’s going on?”

I turn my pleading eyes to Nolan. The pressure’s too much. I can feel myself about to crack even though this isn’t my secret to tell. Even though whatever convoluted love triangle is happening between Missy, Nolan, and Holden is affecting me?—

“I kissed Missy,” Nolan blurts out.

I suck in a breath, waiting for Holden’s wrath. He’s nothing if not incredibly possessive and jealous when he’s dating someone. I’d seen that wrath many times before and his jealousy was nothing to trifle with.

“You kissed… Missy?” Holden asks, then glances briefly at me. “You cheated on Katherine with Missy?”

Every inch of my body went hot. “He didn’t cheat on me! We’re not together, Holden!”

Holden blinks, understandably confused. “Then why are you two being weird?”

“Because…” Because this is the weirdest love quadrilateral I’ve ever seen, I want to shout. Because I know my best friend likes Nolan and I think he likes her, too. But every man in this freaking city is apparently hung up on goddamn Missy Howl!

But I don’t say any of that. Instead, I clear my throat and try again. “Because I walked in on them,” I say. “And I didn’t know what to do.”

The fog clears from Holden’s eyes, making his golden eyes sharper. “You weren’t sure if you should tell me,” he answers for me. “You were trying to protect me?” His voice is barely above a whisper. Heat floods his amber eyes as they pin me in place, right there on the stage.

I can’t move.

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