Page 19 of For The Record

“No, I’m serious, it’s called the butt.” He adjusts my grip for me, moving my fingers so that they’re in the right position. I keep all my focus on breathing evenly as my heart thunders. “You should probably hold it with both hands since you’re new at this.”

I move accordingly. “Like this?” He nods but takes his time removing his hands from mine. Though, of course, Leo backs off when I raise the axe above my head, already feeling its weight in my hands. I should really think about adding weightlifting to my meagre cardio and Pilates routine. Still, when I throw the axe, to my surprise and delight, it flies through the air before hitting the corner of the target with a thunk. It doesn’t land on the bulls-eye, but it’s a better throw than I thought I would make.

Jumping up and down, I let out a holler and fling my arms around Leo’s neck before I can stop myself. “Did you see that?”

“I did.” His boyish grin lights up his face as his arm wraps around my waist, his hand splaying against the small of my back where my tank top has ridden up. “Good job.”

At this angle, he’s close enough to kiss. I pause. Do I let go of him? Move back? His cologne is intoxicating, giving me pause: sandalwood and something citrusy underlaid with musk. I want to drown in it. The mischief in his green eyes, crinkled at the corners with his laugh, makes me want to stay right in his arms.

Thethunkof another axe being thrown at a target makes us break apart. Leo clears his throat and gestures toward the targets. “We should…”

“Yeah.”Don’t think of how you were five seconds away from kissing him, Skye. Donot.

Between axe-throwing and the noise of the place, we talk about our families. He has a younger sister who’s sixteen and is the reason he went into clownery—the clown profession? The circus life? Whatever you call it. His mother is a real estate agent, his stepfather a mechanic. I tell him about my father, keeping his occupation vague—I’ve been burned too many times by guys who wanted to use me to get to the famous Samuel Holland—and my older brother, Aaron, and his twin, Isabelle, the golden child of the family who’s an actress.

When I mention the movie she’s working on, directed by someone or another, something changes in his expression.

“Isabelle Holland?” he says. “She’s working with Antonio Perez on that new rom-com. He’s the director.”

“Do you know him?” I say, trying not to sound like I’m assuming he’s related because they have the same last name.

“Something like that.” Leo’s face is impassive as he picks up the axe, turning to face the target. Someone has already completed the dangerous job of removing all the weapons from the target board between each round. Something clenches in my stomach at his tone. I fiddle with my bracelets, unsure of what to say.

“Are the two of you related?”

He frowns, cupping a hand over his ear. The axe has sunk into the corner of the target rather than hitting the bullseye. “Come again?”

“I said…” Something in his green eyes suggests he heard me perfectly but doesn’t want to talk about the subject of his father. Who am I to pry, when my family is no better? “Do you want to get a drink?”

So ends my foray into axe-throwing and his personal life. Even alcohol wouldn’t make me forget the questions burning in my mind, though. Questions that I shouldn’t want to be answered, because he’s not my boyfriend, anyway. “I’m good.”

We haven’t even kissed once, though not for lack of trying. When the night ends and he drops me off, he leans over and I almost think he’s going to kiss me. Holding my breath, I wait. One second. Two.

“I’ll see you on Monday, Skye.” His green eyes are guarded.

Disappointment sinks in my stomach. I hop out of the car, not wanting to chase someone who can’t bring himself to make a move. “Right. See you at work,boss.”

#

@TMZ: @LeoJPerez was just spotted exiting @TheRyderBlack launch party with mysterious brunette! Click for pictures

@MrsRyderBlack: @TMZ These are the grainiest ass pictures i’ve ever seen…

@RyderBlackSource: is it just me, or does that brunette look like ryder’s ex…

@RyderBlackFanOfficial: @RyderBlackSource maybe she wasn’t stalking Ryder after all…

Chapter 10: Skye Holland

Monday morning dawns bright and early, and I’m already in the office, typing away by eight. So much for not caring about professionalism.

My career is the only thing I have that no one can take from me. Possibly the only thing I have left. Fuelled by this depressing thought, I work through lunch and look up from the computer to realize it’s four o’clock and see Mark Leong standing over my desk. My stomach growls involuntarily.

“Hey, Skye, listen…” Mark holds two green juices that almost look appetizing in my state of hunger. “I know we got off on the wrong foot the other day, but I’d like to apologize for that. It was… I shouldn’t have said the things I did about you being here just because of Ryder. Truce?”

I take the cup but don’t respond, wiping the condensation off of the plastic. As I drink a good quarter of the green juice, I tried to decide whether I need any more enemies at my workplace. The answer is definitely not, but why does something feel so disingenuous about his offer? Still, I set down the cup. “Sure. Thanks.”

“Awesome,” he says, sitting next to me. “So, do you think you could help me with something?”

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