Page 95 of Dirty Rock

“You’re being ridiculous.”

“Yep.”

I found the toilet we’d been in once before, and I swung the door open, spun her inside, and slammed the door shut behind us, locking it abruptly before I turned back to her.

This version of me was foreign, and it was territorial. So territorial, like a lion. Or maybe one of those vampires who marked their victims with their blood and warned off every other person around them to back the hell off.

“What the hell are you doing?” Julia hissed.

“What the hellam Idoing? What the hell areyoudoing?” I bit back.

“I was on a very important call, making sureyourcareer continues to soar, before you rudely cut that conversation short and marched me in here like you… like you…”

“Like I what?” I stepped closer. “Own you? Because I fucking do”

Jules froze, her face straight before a soft bubble of disbelief made her laugh. “Excuseme?”

“You heard me.” I jabbed my own chest. “You’re mine. Not his.”

“Whose?”

“That handsome fucker out there who’s making you drool.”

“Josh?” Her smile grew brighter. “Are you serious?”

“You’ve been all over him since he walked in.”

“So what? What’s that got to do with you?”

“Everything. Every-fucking-thing.”

“Wait a minute.” She held her hand up, pressed it to my chest and pushed me back, creating some distance between us. “You told me this morning that we were to act like we hated each other.”

“Yeah, hate each other, not lust over any dick with a pulse who walks into the studio.”

“You’re jealous.” She beamed.

I frowned at her, searching her eyes, not finding a single word to respond with.

“You’re totally, one hundred percent, green at the gills, jealous.”

“Don’t fuck with me, Jules,” I whispered, pushing against her hand. It made her take a step back.

“I thought you liked it when I fucked with you.”

“Not like this. Not with my emotions and shit.”

She raised a brow, walking backwards until she came up against a wall. “Emotions andshit. What does that even mean, Rhett?”

My gaze fell to her lips. I wanted to take her right there, right then. “I have no fucking idea,” I said as I exhaled slowly.

“That doesn’t help me.”

“All I know is that watching you and him together in that room is pissing me off, Jules, and I don’t like it. I hate it. I hate his knees touching yours. I hate his jokes making you laugh. I hate his hand on the small of your back. I hate the way he makes you blush, the way you’re trying to make him happy, and I hate the fact that he’s making you pay attention to him.”

“Who should I be paying attention to?”

“Me.” I leaned into her. “Only me.” My hands found her hips, and my fingers dug in tight.

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