Page 56 of Discover Me
Then his phone starts buzzing insistently from where it fell onto the passenger seat.
"Shit," Micah says, reluctantly pulling back to squint at the screen. His face is flushed, his lips swollen, his hair a complete mess from my hands. He looks thoroughly debauched and absolutely beautiful. "The car's here. They're waiting."
"Give me a second," I say, reaching into the back seat where I keep a stash of napkins from various drive-throughs. Not my proudest moment in terms of car cleanliness, but right now I'm grateful for my messy habits.
We clean up quickly, both of us laughing a little at the awkwardness of it, the absurdity of getting each other off in my car like teenagers. Micah tries to fix his hair in the mirror and fails completely, which only makes me want to mess us up all over again.
"I look like I just—" he starts, then cuts himself off with another laugh.
"You look perfect," I say honestly.
He glances at me, something soft in his expression. "You're ridiculous."
"You like it."
"Maybe I do."
His phone buzzes again and he sighs. "I really have to go. They're probably wondering what's taking so long."
Micah
I get home still unraveled after having dinner with Kellan, my body humming with the aftershocks of what happened in his car. The car sex wasn't planned, neither of us intending for the night to end that way. But the moment we were alone in the parking lot, his hands on me and my mouth on his, everything else faded away. The fake relationship, the cameras, Tom's manipulation. None of it mattered compared to the desperate need to be close to him.
Then the car Tom sent arrived and I scrambled out of Kellan's passenger seat, flustered and embarrassed as I straightened my clothes. My shirt was untucked, my hair a mess, and I could feel Kellan's marks on my neck burning under the driver's knowing look. Worst of all, I smelled completely like him. Sweet rum clung to my skin and clothes, impossible to miss or misinterpret.
The driver didn't say anything during the ride back to my house, but I could see him glancing at me in the rearview mirror. Probably already reporting back to Tom about my disheveled state, about the obvious evidence of what we'd been doing.
I unlock my front door and step inside, my legs still shaky. My phone buzzes in my pocket and I pull it out, expecting a text from Kellan. Instead, it's from Jamie. A screenshot of a photo fills my screen and my stomach drops.
The photo shows me on Kellan's lap in his car, clearly visible through the window. We're locked in a kiss, my good hand tangled in his hair, his hands gripping my hips. The angle suggests someone took it from outside the restaurant, probably another diner or a fan who recognized Kellan's car.
Jamie:MICAH WHAT THE FUCK
Jamie:This is EVERYWHERE
Jamie:Call me NOW
Before I can respond, Jamie bursts into my house without knocking, his expression somewhere between shocked and impressed.
"When I said don't do anything I wouldn't do," Jamie starts, holding up his phone with the photo displayed, "I didn't mean have sex in a car in a public parking lot where anyone could take pictures!"
Heat floods my face. "Everyone knows?"
"That's how social media works, fuck!" Jamie scrolls through his phone, showing me post after post sharing the photo. "There's some hate from jealous fans, but mostly it's excitement.People saying Kellan's found his person, that they've never seen him look at anyone like that before. Fucking hell, Micah. You're going to be famous for real now, not just as his temporary boyfriend."
My hands shake as I take his phone, scrolling through the comments myself. Thousands of people have seen this photo in just the past hour. Thousands of strangers discussing my relationship, my body, my choices. Some comments are supportive and sweet, fans happy for Kellan. Others are crude, speculating about what we were doing and rating my attractiveness. A few are outright hostile, calling me a distraction or saying I'm not good enough for him.
"I'm nervous as fuck." I hand the phone back to Jamie, my chest tight. "Tom is going to lose his mind. This wasn't supposed to happen. We were supposed to keep it professional, staged for cameras. Not get caught having actual sex."
A knock sounds at my door and Jamie goes to answer it. Kellan stands there looking panicked and wild, his hair even messier than when I left him. He probably drove here immediately after I left, not caring about speed limits or traffic laws.
"Fuck, I had to make sure you were okay." Kellan pushes past Jamie and crosses to me in quick strides. He cups my face and kisses me desperately, pouring everything he can't say into the contact. When he pulls back, his forehead rests against mine. "I'm sorry. I should have been more careful. Should have checked that we were actually alone before—"
"I'm fine." I cut him off, my hands gripping his shirt. "But it's everywhere? The photo?"
"Everywhere," Kellan confirms. "Trending on three different platforms. The label's PR team is scrambling to figure out how to spin it."
His phone rings, the shrill sound cutting through the moment. Kellan grimaces when he sees the caller ID but answers anyway, putting it on speaker.
