Page 51 of Is It Casual Now?

“And what about people like you?”

“Me?” Siena couldn’t hide the shock at the question.

“Yes. You haven’t even told them you’re in negotiationswith me for an interview.” Jamie poked a finger into Siena’s shoulder, making her point.

“I don’t tell them every interview I turn down or every avenue I explore. It’s not uncommon to just do the work and tell them the results.”

Jamie shook her head wildly, that answer not satisfying her anger. Or was that hurt? “Did you ever plan to carry it through?”

Siena sighed, bowing her head slightly so she could look directly into Jamie’s baby blues. “What’s the question, Jamie?”

“You want to know?” Jamie hissed.

“Yes.” Siena shuffled closer, her shoes touching the tips of Jamie’s socked feet.

“You really want to know?” Jamie leaned in closer.

“Yes.” Her voice sounded like a whisper, hoarse and raw as she leaned close into Jamie’s space.

“Do you really hate me that much?”

“Hate you?” Siena shook her head. “For making sure I wasn’t putting my clients into a marketing nightmare?”

“But making me think I had a chance to actually talk to them and offer a real insight for their fans?”

“They give enough.” Siena’s voice grew again in volume, her chest tightening as that tension she’d dissipated a little came rushing right back into her.

“They could give more. They already do. Any adult with half a brain can see who Bunny and Piper are with the lyrics they write and sing.” Jamie flung her hand out to the side as if she was pointing to something that would prove her point.

“So why do you care about making them say it?”

“For the teens, for the sheltered ones who’ve never seen someone like themselves thrive. You think you stopping them talking about who they are is helping anyone? When their coming out can help more people than you can imagine?”

Siena wasn’t going to touch that one with a ten-foot pole.Bunny and Piper’s sexuality was theirs and theirs alone. She would never force either one of them to come out unless they wanted to. And she’d kept that secret close for decades. Changing topics slightly was the only way out of this one. “So why hide behind the smear campaigns?”

“Because without pissing you off, I get nowhere. If you ever bothered to read anything of mine further than five years ago, you’d see. I tried playing by your rules. They got me nowhere. But you didn’t, did you? No, because it’s easier to see me as trash instead of an actual human being. If I became real, you might not be able to use me so easily as someone to be pissed off with.”

“You think I can’t see you as a human?” Oh God, that was anything but the truth.

“You don’t see me at all.” Jamie’s breath was hot, her breasts rising and falling faster with each word.

“You’reallI see.” Siena moved in so close her nipples hardened at the gentle brush of Jamie’s shirt against her chest.

“Yeah, right.” Jamie’s eyes flicked to Siena’s lips.

“Yeah, rightis right.” Siena closed the gap. One hand instantly tangled in Jamie’s hair. She pulled Jamie close, so hard and fast that it hurt in a delicious burst of lips slamming against lips.

For a moment, a heartbeat that lasted too long, Jamie’s body remained rigid in Siena’s embrace. Just as Siena was about to pull back, despite the taste of Jamie’s lips feeling like cool water after a desert walk, Jamie’s hands were on Siena’s hips pulling her even closer. The groan that escaped Jamie’s mouth snapped the last of Siena’s reserves as she gave in to everything Jamie.

sixteen

The moment Siena’s mouth touched hers nothing else mattered. Not the question she hadn’t given to Siena. Not even the question that had come out in a rush of anger and heat. Jamie’s body might as well have been on fire, and she couldn’t concentrate on anything other than Siena’s hands on her and the arousal that burst inside her.

No one had ever gotten beneath Jamie’s skin like this, and as she got her mind to catch up with her body, her fingers digging into Siena’s hips and pulling her pelvis into her own, she scratched the itch that had been there since their night together.

Feeling the heat radiate from between Siena’s legs made her groan, opening her mouth as it moved against Siena’s lips. Siena wasted no time exploring Jamie’s mouth with her tongue, dancing in and out, a little deeper with each swipe.

Jamie shuddered, fumbling furiously until she found the hem of Siena’s blouse and slid her fingers beneath. Her skin gave so much more than it had ever promised, tight with a gentleness that made Jamie’s hips rock into Siena.

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