Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 103008 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103008 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
“Hmm, maybe. Speaking of which, Heather’s waiting. I’m guessing you’re on your way home to shower off all the cooties.”
“Funny.” Even if he’s not far off the mark. “Though someone totally coughed earlier. Is it wrong to hope they were choking?”
Denver laughs, and we do the man-hug thing again.
“Hope you find your words,” Denver says. “You always do.”
Yeah, I do. Usually. Right now, I’m worried they’ll never come back.
As per Brix’s orders, one night out down. One more to go.
I lean against the doorjamb to Evah’s room and watch as she puts on big blingy earrings. “You look amazing.”
She stares at me in the mirror. “Save it for the cameras.”
I approach her and put my hands on her hips. Her gold sequined gown is rough under my palms. “I’m not blowing smoke up your ass here. You really do look amazing.”
She turns. “Really?”
I want to roll my eyes. “You’re a beautiful girl. You know that.”
“Sometimes it’s nice to be reminded by someone other than myself when I do my morning affirmations in the mirror.”
I think I’ve got it bad in Hollywood, but it’s nothing on the women in this industry.
“You’re going to be the most gorgeous woman there tonight.”
She knows something’s up. “One compliment too far, buddy. What do you want?”
“I think my bodyguard has been reading shit about me online, and now he keeps staring at me like he knows our secret. He asked about us having separate rooms.”
“Tell him. It’s not like he can tell anyone else. It’s in his contract that he’s not allowed to.”
“It’s not that. It’s … I don’t know. I don’t want him to see me as weak. It’s bad enough he has to babysit me, and he’s already asked me why I don’t tell the label I need more time to write. Imagine what he’ll say when he finds out I’m not standing up to them about my sexuality.”
“You think being gay is the same as being weak?”
“Don’t do that. You know that’s not what I mean. I feel weak about not taking control of our public narrative. Now we’re in too deep, and anything we do could affect your blossoming career, and I just don’t want another person knowing.”
“What’s one more person?”
I grunt in frustration.
Her eyes widen. “You like him.”
“Please. Not possible.”
“You really like him.”
“That’s not it. Can you please pretend you love me?”
“I do love you.”
“We need to pretend like we’re in love. Not just have platonic feelings and mutual respect for each other.”
“Fine. Though I think you should tell him.”
“I think you should fix your lipstick. You’ve got some on your teeth.”
“Fuck.” She turns back to the mirror and scrubs madly at the nonexistent mark with her finger.
“I’ll see you in the limo.” I leave her to it. She’ll realize I was lying soon enough. Or she’ll think she fixed it.
Gideon is standing by the car when I get outside.
“Hey, thanks for coming, but you know you didn’t have to.”
“I wanted to. You and Evah are kind of a package.”
If we want to get technical, we are, but we’re both still very much individuals, and she has her own manager-slash-agent-slash-fat-shamer.
“Business-wise, I mean.” Gideon has a weird smile on his face.
“Right. Okay.” I climb into the car and freeze.
Brix is already there, and now he’s staring at me in the way he has been all week. Like he’s trying to read the big pink neon flashing sign in my head that says “gay.”
I assume that’s what’s in every gay man’s head. That or naked men. Hmm, yeah, definitely naked men. In my head and on my Insta. If someone were to ever hack my phone, there would never be any question in the media with how many naked butts they’d find.
“You look good in a suit,” Brix says.
So does he, but I’m not going to say that.
I move to sit next to him so Gideon and Evah can slide straight into the car. “I look good in everything.”
Brix snorts. “Of course.”
“You actually look normal. Like, a nonlethal, regular man instead of a badass.”
Brix opens his jacket to show off a gun in a shoulder holster. “Still a badass.”
Damn, why is that so hot?
No, not hot. Nope.
Evah can’t be right. I don’t like Brix. I can’t have a crush on my bodyguard for a million reasons.
One, he’s straight.
Two, he’s straight.
Oh, and three, he’s straight.
And even if he wasn’t, mixing business with pleasure has blown up in my face before, and I don’t want that kind of heartache again. Ever.
I can’t look at Brix that way. I just can’t.
Yet, when I glance at him out of the corner of my eye, he’s got that smug look on his face, and his insane body in a suit and tie makes my cock thicken.
So instead of looking at him, I stare out the window.
And when Evah climbs into the car, I force myself to look at her like I want to look at Brix.