Page 70 of Hollow Heart

I cross my arms, meeting his solid gaze. “Maybe I like getting burned,” I snap.

Lou shakes his head. “It’s notyouI’m worried about.”

The gravity of his words hit me, and suddenly, I feel like a gigantic asshole.

Which is fitting, because Iama giant asshole.

“Not everyone can withstand a fire, Felix. Some people have already been burned enough.”

With that, he turns on his heel and strolls from the room, leaving the door open.

CHAPTER 17

Duncan

If anyone triesto tell you banging on drums isnota form of therapy, they are lying.

Because honestly, it’s what’s saving me from completely walking out this door.

My entire body is still racing from adrenaline.

From kissing Felix.

Though, I know when Lou walked in on us, I was headed toward a lot more than just kissing.

What was I thinking?

You weren’t thinking with a clear head, that’s for sure. Not with the right head, anyway.

Eddie did apologize to Felix, but the tension between them could still be felt in the air, which didn’t help matters.

When we wrap the last song, I pack up my shit without a second thought and bolt out of the studio.

True to his word, Felix’s guy did drop off my car last night, not long after he left, and I have a feeling he did a hell of a lot more to my car than just fix the starter.

For God’s sake, the insidesmelledlike brand new car, but I was certain it wasn’t a new car.

I checked the backseat, where Bobby painted his initials in the door plastic with his mother’s nail polish. Nothing took that shit out, and it was still there.

I offered to pay the guy, but he’d only told me, “it was taken care of,” which made me feel awkward as hell, so I made sure to at least give the guy a hefty tip and told him I wouldn’t take no for an answer.

A part of me, the insane part who is probably responsible for kissing Felix instead of telling him off, wishes he’d come running out of the studio to stop me from leaving.

To tell me we never have to talk about what happened again.

That we can just go on with our lives like nothing happened.

But I know as I get into my driver’s seat, turning the ignition, whichpurrsnow instead of hisses, that that is just not going to happen.

There is no way in Hell I am ever going to be able to forget Felix buckling underneath my grip, or his throaty fucking moan when I touched him, or how my entire body vibrated at the sound.

“Fuck!” I hiss as I back out of the parking lot, speeding onto the highway.

The last thing I want to think about right now is Felix and his deep blue eyes, his pouty lips with that goddamn lip ring, and his fuckingattitude.

When I auditioned for this gig, I thought I knew who Felix was. I thought he was just some spoiled rotten rockstar who got too famous too early, who was just a pain in the ass who needed someone to put him in his place.

Make no mistake, he is still a pain in the ass who needs someone to put him in his place, but the reality that Iwantto put him in his place—in a way that is more than highly unprofessional—only makes this whole situation worse.

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