Page 2 of Further To Fall

She shrugged. “Suit yourself. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Bye,” I called at her retreating back.

The door to the apartment slammed, and Taylor giggled. “She’s something.”

“I know. She works in PR, so she doesn’t really understand when people don’t want to get into the hottest party on any given night.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Taylor said as she searched through her various tubes, tins, and palettes. “Close your eyes for me.”

The soft bristles of a makeup brush danced across my lids while Taylor hummed along to a familiar song. “I can’t believe you grew up next door to Liam Fairchild. Lordy, he is sex on a stick! And that voice! That rasp could make me orgasm on the spot.”

I snorted. “When you’ve lived through all of each other’s awkward phases, including a particularly rough case of the chicken pox, no one is sex on a stick.”

Liam’s voice continued to croon over the speakers. “You can’t tell me he doesn’t make your lady parts tingle just a little bit.”

I cracked one of my eyes open. “Not even a little bit.” It was true. As handsome and talented as he was, Liam had entered brother status during our childhood and never left.

“That’s so disappointing,” she said with a forlorn sigh.

I chuckled at her obvious devastation. “Why?”

“It would just be such a great love story. Childhood best friends separated by thousands of miles, and the dream a small-town Georgia girl could never contain. The girl was left brokenhearted, weeping into her pillow every night. The boy, while sowing his wild oats, compared every girl to her, and they all came up short. Suddenly, they’re thrown back into each other’s orbit when the girl gets a job in the City of Angels. Cue the swelling of the romantic score!” Taylor’s Texas twang had gotten stronger with each word, and by the end, she was using her makeup brush like a conductor’s baton.

“I’m pretty sure you should have gone into movies instead of teaching,” I said with a roll of my eyes. Why did no one ever believe that Liam and I were only ever friends?

She collapsed onto the mattress next to me, bringing her forearm to her brow. “I know. It’s a loss for the theatrical community.”

“That’s for dang sure.” Taylor’s desire for a true love connection between me and Liam cemented my high opinion of her. Typically, when girls found out that I was childhood besties with one of the most famous musicians in the world, the first thing they wanted to know was if I could hook them up with him.

I didn’t blame them. I knew Liam was handsome, I just wasn’t attracted to him. But after I caught one of my sorority sisters going through my phone to find his number, I’d started being a lot more careful with who I shared the knowledge of our friendship with. But from the moment I met Taylor, there was just something in her spirit that let me know I could trust her.

She eyed the clock on my bedside table. “What time did Liam want us to meet him at the bar? I don’t want to be late for my first LA celebrity meeting.”

“Ten thirty.”

Taylor bolted to a sitting position. “Shit! We gotta hurry,” she said, riffling through the duffle bag she’d brought with her.

Taylor shoved a black piece of spandex into my hands along with the camisole she’d hijacked from my closet earlier. “Here, go put this on quick, and I’ll do your eyeliner after.”

“Fine,” I huffed and headed for the bathroom.

Taylor’s skirtwas creeping up my thighs, I could feel it. I surreptitiously inched my hand between my body and the bar to try and pull it down. Taylor bounced on the balls of her feet. “This place is awesome! No name on the front door, extra cool points.”

Glancing over my shoulder, I took in the room. It screamed old Hollywood speakeasy, with tufted leather banquettes and gilded mirrors lining the walls. People were everywhere, but my eyes caught sight of a familiar head of longish, brown hair. Warmth filled my chest, a swell that felt like comfort and home. I grabbed Taylor’s arm, leaning in so she could hear me above the music. “Liam’s over there.”

Taylor followed the incline of my head. “You head on over, I’ll wait for our drinks.”

“Okay, next round’s on me.”

“No, next round is on whichever handsome gentlemen we meet,” Taylor said with a lascivious grin.

My head tipped back as I let out a laugh. “Sounds like a plan.” I wove my way through bodies, dodging precariously balanced drinks and couples making out, trying to keep an eye on Liam. As I got closer, my steps faltered, and I toddled on my heels as heat swept through my body.

Next to Liam was the most gorgeous man I had ever seen. And that’s what he was, a man. Not a boy, not a guy. He was a man. Square jaw dusted with stubble, and dark hair cropped close to his skull in a way that had my hands itching to run my fingers over it.

God, he was hot. Hot and apparently upset, because when I approached, the mountain of a man stood, and there was definitely anger blazing in his deep blue eyes. He stepped between me and the table, his incredibly broad shoulders effectively blocking any view I had of Liam. “Not tonight, sweetheart. Move along,” he said with a dismissive shooing motion. My spine stiffened, and my eyes narrowed. But before I could open my mouth, I was suddenly lifted off the ground in a bear hug.

“It is so damn good to see you,” Liam said into my ear as he lowered me back to my feet. He kept a hold on my shoulders as he pulled back. “You look gorgeous. I’m going to have to beat guys away from you with a stick.” I felt my cheeks heat and I tugged on the hem of my skirt.

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