I could kiss him, but I shot him a smile instead.
“Yeah, we’ll get to that next,” Ron said. “You sure you don’t want to share a few details from your wedding? Our listeners are dying to know more.”
“Too bad no one caught your nuptials on video,” Sharon said.
“Yep. Too bad. Now, about those tickets,” I said. I knew it wouldn’t be the last interview that the guys had to guide away from my sham marriage. I turned to look at Josh. He stood on the other side of the studio window, his shoulders tense as he gave me a smile and then looked back at his phone.
I wanted to curl up on that cloud of a bed and sleep until tomorrow’s sound check, but tonight I’d be on his arm, acting like happy newlyweds. What could possibly go wrong?
JOSH
I pulled on my cuffs, anxious for Charlie to walk out of her room. The car was due to arrive any moment, and then we were on. This was our first true public event since we’d gotten away with very little interaction during shows. Everyone was always running around and not paying attention to us, so aside from that kiss during the one meet and greet, we’d gotten off easy.
Tonight, there would be so many eyes on us, and I was stupidly looking forward to playing the doting husband, especially if I got to kiss her again. I still hadn’t been able to forget the feel of her lips on mine, and nothing good was going to come from my line of thinking, but there it was.
I wanted her, plain and simple. Except wanting her wasn’t simple at all. It was messy and maybe a little complicated.
“Let’s get this over with,” she said, irritated, as she stepped into the living room.
I knew the interview this afternoon had set her off. It’d been the first since our wedding and both DJs had been goading her, determined to get a scoop. Charlie had held her own, and the guys had chimed in with their support, effectively shutting down the hosts, but I knew it annoyed them all, especially Charlie.
“Ready to go?” she asked.
Fuck, she was hot. Her blond waves were down around her shoulders, her off-the-shoulder top showed off her ink, and I had to block out the way her jeans cupped her ass. I feared I’d be walking around with a hard dick all night. I’d never hear the end of it if the guys caught on.
“Yeah, the car is about three minutes out, so we can head down,” I said, grabbing a jacket.
We started down in the elevator, only to have another couple get on halfway down. I stepped in closer to Charlie, my hand grazing her waist.
I felt her shudder before she turned to me in question.
“You never know,” I said, and she quirked a brow.
My fingers itched to slip under her jacket and lift the hem of her shirt so they could feel how soft the small of her back was, but I kept them on the outside of her clothes, knowing she would deck me if I tried anything.
As we walked out of the building’s front door, the other couple turned in the opposite direction, and Charlie spun on me.
“What was that about?” she hissed, her eyes narrowed.
“They could’ve been media. Or fans. You never know,” I said. “Charlie, you’ve got to just deal with this.”
“But I don’t have to like it,” she muttered.
It grated, but it wasn’t like she’d been a fan of mine before Vegas, and she’d been extra prickly after the interview today.
“We made a deal so suck it up.” My words may have come out with a little more irritation than intended.
“You can be such a dick, you know?”
“You keep reminding me.” I wasn’t sure why I kept antagonizing her—aside from the fact that she looked even hotter when she was pissed.
“Are you two squabbling?” Jax asked, poking his head out of the car window as it pulled up.
“What? No.” Charlie tugged open the door and shoved Jax aside so she could slide in before the driver could even open his own door.
I shook my head and slid in next to her as the driver shut the door behind me. Tonight was going to be loads of fun.
“What happened? Did CH leave the toilet seat up and you fell in?” Jax asked. “Tut, tut, CH.”