Page 26 of Dramatic AF
So, he was lazy as well as delusional. This just kept getting better.
“I have to agree with Paulo,” I told Jayden, not bothering to keep my voice down. “I have no idea what you saw in this guy.”
“He loves me,” Elijah blurted, and with the hex still in place, he clearly believed that. “At least, he did before you came along.”
Rather than refute him, Jayden tilted his head, his brow creased. “Do you even like me?”
“No, not really, but I’m tired of working at the cafe. People are so annoying.” Those sky-blue eyes flared again, and though he shook his head frantically, the words continued to spill from his lips. “I also like the attention I got when we were together. You’re actually kind of boring, though.”
Murmurs rippled through the crowd, interspersed with a couple of loud curses, courtesy of Paulo.
Elijah whipped his head back and forth between the onlookers and Jayden, his face pale and his shoulders rounded. “Can I go now? I’d really like to leave now.”
Folding my arms across my chest, I tilted my head toward my mate. “Is there anything else you want to know?”
“No. I’ve heard enough.” His eyes narrowed, and the vein in his throat pulsed. “Kindly fuck all the way off and don’t ever come near me again.”
Chuckling, I jerked my head toward the door the asshole had entered through. “You heard him. Leave.”
“What? Aren’t you going to fix me?”
“I already did.”
“No! You can’t just leave me like this. How am I supposed to find someone to support me if I can’t lie? This isn’t fair!”
“Neither is using people.”
“I don’t care about other people. I care about me!”
He looked like he wanted to say more, but security arrived then—two burly werewolves with matching scowls—and “escorted” him out of the theater. Elijah didn’t go quietly, but by that point, everyone had stopped paying any attention to him.
“Took them long enough.” Stepping away from the group, Paulo joined us under the fluorescent light. “I called them forever ago.” A gentle smile curved his lips, and he reached out to pat Jayden on the arm. “Well done,conejito. You handled that better than I expected.”
“Uh, thanks…I think.”
Paulo nodded, patted my mate’s shoulder again, then wandered away, calling over his shoulder, “Ten minutes until curtain.”
“Oh, my god,” Jayden rasped once we were alone, stumbling back to lean against the wall. He dropped his head, his eyes fluttering closed, and a faint blush stained his cheeks beneath the heavy makeup. “I can’t believe that just happened.”
I followed, using my broad frame to block his view, giving him the semblance of privacy while he pulled himself together. “Be real, Jay. You can’t believe that jackass would barge backstage and make everything about him? I don’t know. Seems pretty in character to me.”
“Not that.” Lifting his head, he stared up at me, his eyes bright, and a curious little smile playing over his lips. “I can’t believe that half the cast and crew know I’ve had sex with that asshole. I can do so much better.”
“Trust me.” Planting one hand on the wall, I braced myself and leaned in with a growl, capturing his lips in a fleeting kiss. “You already have.”
“Stop,” he said, slapping his hand against my chest and pushing me back. “I have to go on stage in a couple of minutes, and these pants hide nothing.” He glanced down at the thin blue fabric and covered his crotch with both hands. “It’s not that kind of show.”
“Fair.” I stole another kiss and chuckled. “I’ll behave. For now.”
“Fuck,” he groaned. “That’s all I’m going to be thinking about.”
“Places!” someone called. “Places, everyone!”
The change in my mate was instant. He stood straighter, shoulders back, and his expression rearranged itself into a look of confidence and determination.
“Go,” I said, stepping away to let him pass. “Crush these last two acts.” When he nodded and started to walk past me, I caught him by the elbow and spun him back around into another quick but scorching kiss. “After the show, though…you’remine.”
His gaze softened, and he reached up, resting his hand against my cheek, suspending us both in this one quiet moment while the chaos of the theater raged around us.
