Page 26 of Property of Fox

“Absolutely, he will,” Eden smiles at me. “We’ll both be ready for you at the signing. See you all real soon.” She looks over at me and reaches down, threading her fingers through my hand before she leans into my side. “Ready to take me up to our room?”

I stifle a recoil at her suggestion and force a smile to my face.Game face, asshole. Keep it together.“Absolutely, baby.” Fuck. The words taste like ash in my mouth.

The moment we step away from the chaotic energy of the crowd, I feel the tension begin to ease some, but it lingers like a low rumble in my gut.

“Can you believe them?” she bursts out, throwing her head back in laughter. “They were eating up every word!”

“What’s next? A fan club?”

“Maybe you’ll get your own merchandise!” she laughs again, genuinely amused by the idea. “Just think, t-shirts with your face on them.”

I groan dramatically, pulling her along as we weave through the side exit of the bar to avoid the lingering eyes of eager fans. “If that happens, I’m burning all of them.”

“Not a chance! You’re too good at this. Way too good,” she insists while nudging me playfully with her shoulder. “Admit it, you enjoyed being Ares for a night.”

“More like a means to an end,” I counter, though there’s no real bite behind my words. God knows I’d rather be anywhere else but here. My gaze slips back over to the bar area, praying that my firefly is still there waiting on me, but she’s not there. I pivot, scanning the crowd slipping out of the bar behind us.

Eden notices I’m distracted, her gaze flickering back and forth between my face and the bar area behind us. She tilts her head, curiosity etched in every feature. “Hey, what’s got you so focused over there?”

I force a laugh, “Just making sure we’re not being followed by any crazed fans,” I lie smoothly.

Her brow furrows slightly. She doesn’t buy it for a second. “What’s her name?”

“What?”

“I’m not stupid, Foxy. You’re not exactly subtle when you’re on the prowl.”

“I’m not looking for someone,” I lie.

“It sure looks like you’re scanning every table and booth for someone.” She angles her head sideways. “What’s her name?”

“She didn’t give me her name,” I admit.

Eden raises her eyebrows. “So, you did find someone. I knew it!”

I shake my head, half-amused, half-annoyed. “It’s not what you think. I was just talking to someone,” I insist, glancing back for the briefest moment, but the crowd has scattered.

“Talking to someone? Please, Foxy. I’ve seen that look on your face before. What was she wearing? Was she hot?”

“Just some girl,” I shrug, attempting to play it cool while my pulse races like it’s doing an Olympic sprint in my chest. “It’s nothing serious.”

“Nothing serious?” she echoes, mirth dancing in her eyes. “And since when have you ever settled for ‘nothing serious’? You’re practically the poster boy for ‘why have one when you can have them all?’”

“Maybe I’m—” I begin, then reconsider as memories of my grandmother warning me about heartbreak surface in my mind. “Maybe I’m growing up.”

Eden bursts into laughter again. “You? Growing up? That’ll be the day! Face it, Fox; you’re about as committed to relationships as a cat is to swimming.”

“It can happen,” I retort.

“The day a woman sweeps you off your booted feet is the day that I dye my hair back to my natural color,” she laughs. “Look, I didn’t ask you to be monogamous with me this week. It’s a ruse, but if you are going to pursue someone, please make sure it’s away from the reader’s eyes. The last thing my publisher is going to want to deal with is a cheating scandal. So please keep it in your pants unless you’re behind closed doors. Deal?”

“Deal,” I concede.

BREA

The lineahead of us coils like a restless snake, brimming with eager readers vibrating with excitement. Keira stands by my side as we linger outside the grand double doors leading to the book signing event. Decals on the floor beneath our feet showcase some of the authors in attendance. Under my own is an advertisement for Nikki Landis. I feel bad standing on it, but there’s nowhere else for me to go with the crowd around me.

Keira is engrossed in studying a table layout she grabbed from the check-in table, her finger tapping against a particularsection—the merchandise booth. "We must hit this spot as soon as it opens," she declares. “It will go fast then we need to go to Eden’s table. It’ll have the longest line, but once we’re through that, we’ll have plenty of time to visit all the other authors.”

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