Page 61 of Caper Crush
He’s back to leaning as if he’s holding up the wall. His gaze meets mine.
“We’re acting up on stage. We’re supposed to be in love with each other in that song, and I pull from the attraction I did have for him. I think of what I did like about him. He can be a lot of fun, and he’s caring. He is a brilliant lyricist, and watching him come up with lyrics is amazing.” Until you realize you’ve got to cancel any plans involving him because he can’t interrupt his muse.
“I didn’t ask,” William says stiffly.
“You asked with your eyes. What did you tell her?”
“I said I doubted it. It’d be too messy.”
Too messy is so William. I raise my eyebrow. It had been messy, but that hadn’t stopped us initially. A chill slices through me. It would be even messier if I dated William and we broke up. That’s another reason he’s pulling away. Not that our uncles would ever choose sides, but what if they felt they had to? I’d tell Tony to blame me. I have to stop thinking about dating him. It must be from the sudden spike of adrenaline when he stepped between me and Rex.
“I’m not averse to mess, but I’m not going to sleep with a guy who is dating someone else,” I say. “I’ll have to find a way to reassure her again that we’ve gotten it out of our system, and now there’s no risk of me getting back together with Rex. Ever.”
“It didn’t sound like Rex has gotten you out of his system.”
I smile mischievously at him. “I can be hard to forget.”
A slight flush stains William’s cheeks.
He’s cute when he blushes. It’s not fair. He’s undermining my good intentions.
He clears his throat. “More importantly, she said she wanted to go away for a summer vacation, and Rex said he didn’t have the money. She’d offered to pay for him, and he said he couldn’t accept, that he had to be able to pay his own way.”
“He does have his pride.”
“She said they were going to his father’s house in the Hamptons instead for a ten-day break. She also said that a music rep contacted him recently, so he is hopeful he’s about to get his big break.”
“That’s true. He mentioned that at our last practice. So your overall impression?”
William bites his lip and looks off to the side, considering. “It seems unlikely.” He glances at me. “Mostly because I think he cares about you and he’d still like to get back together with you.”
I frown. “Not based on just now?”
“And the way he looks at you on stage.”
I sigh. “He’s a flirt and an experienced performer. Remember, we started performing together in high school.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to get back together with him?”
“Yes. It’s not going to happen. I’m not in love with him anymore.” I slump into a chair. I really want to take off my constrictive dress. But I can’t undo the buttons by myself. Tessa buttoned it up for me before I left for the show. Rex was right about that. I take the pins out of my hair and pull it back in a ponytail instead.
“Should I meet you outside?” William asks.
I hesitate, then stand.
“Could you unbutton my dress?” I ask. “I’d really like to change into jeans and a T-shirt.”
He moves closer. I present my back to him, as my hands hold up the straps on my shoulders.
I tilt my head, exposing my neck to him. His fingers graze my neck softly as he uses both hands to unbutton that top button. I close my eyes. His touch is light and sure. I swallow as he works his way down the buttons, slight touches feathering my skin. My heart flutters. Can he hear it?
“It’s done.” His voice is almost a whisper. His warm breath caresses my neck. Sends tingles down my spine. Without thinking, I find myself arching toward it.
He clears his throat. The cold air as he moves away is like a splash of ice water bringing me back to reality.
I look over my shoulder at him. “Thank you.”
He’s turned around, facing the door.
