“It means hot.” Grace rolled her eyes and giggled. “You know? H-A-W-T.” The bodyguard either snorted or laughed. I wasn’t sure which, but I was glad someone else found this amusing.
“Well, that’s the truth.” Ella pouted. “But what about me? Am I a smokeshow?”
“You look good too, mom.”
“A total smokeshow,” I agreed. The door opened again spilling out the four excited teens, and the group in front of us entered the room.
“We’re next.” Ella smiled nervously, whipping out a compact and a tube of lipstick from her clutch. She expertly applied the bold, red color and checked her reflection before passing the compact over to Grace’s waiting hand.
“You both look beautiful,” I assured them as Grace slicked a nude lip gloss over her lips before offering the compact to me. I shook my head, and she handed it back to her mom. “I’m good. I’m afraid this is as good as it gets.”
“You sure?” Ella asked, waving the compact at me. “Remember, remember, the hostile kitty’s splendor! I’m sure that’s how the saying goes.”
“Mom!”Grace dissolved into laughter.
This time, the guarddefinitelylet out a chuckle.
Grace was used to a certain amount of this kind of talk. Grace and Ella had essentially grown up together, and though Ella was certainly an amazing mom, she was also a friend to Grace. She wasn’t afraid to talk like a grown-up around her, and she encouraged her daughter to talk to her about anything and everything. Though she knew Grace was a virgin, she wanted her to feel safe enough to talk to her about sex when that time came.
“What?” Ella shrugged. “You’ll understand one day, sweetie. It’s kind of an ‘if you don’t use it, you lose it’ sort of thing.”
I turned to face Ella, my back to the door. “First of all, I’m pretty sure the saying you were looking for is ‘remember, remember, the 5th of November’ fromV For Vendetta.” Ella’s eyes widened, and her gaze seemed to travel above my head. “And I’m pretty sure it had nothing to do with myhostile kitty.” I made a sweeping motion down my core, hearing the bodyguard snort from behind me.
“Hey, ladies.” A warm, velvety voice came from behind me, and I felt a vicious heat begin to rise to my cheeks. I knew that voice all too well. I’d only been listening to it all day. I turned to see the face that matched the voice, and my breath caught in my throat. He had to be at least six foot two, and I could see the subtle outline of his well-defined abs through his tight white T-shirt. The cotton fabric stretched against the smooth curve of his biceps and gave way to a set of muscular forearms that could have been chiseled out of stone. Finally, my eyes settled on a face that was framed perfectly by a jawline that could cut a girl’s heart wide open. His eyes were the color of a storm rolling in. Tiny flecks of grey sparkled like lighting in clouds of deep blue. His light brown hair was short on the sides and longer on top. It looked messy yet still somehow perfect as he ran his hands through it. Evenhis handswere perfect for crying out loud. His mouth curled into an inviting, boyish smile.
“Oh my God!” Grace squeaked. “You’re Jaxon Slade.”
“Guilty as charged.” Jaxon raised his brow, not taking his eyes off me.
“I’m Grace.” She introduced herself animatedly before gesturing toward her mom. “This is my mom, Ella.”
“Her very cool, super hot mom,” Ella added, reaching her hand out to shake his. He took her hand and flashed his wide grin in her direction.
“And this is my Aunt Liv,” Grace said finally, squeezing my shoulder.
“She’sverycool.” Ella’s voice was at least a full octave higher as she chattered nervously. “Soooo much cooler than meanda total smokeshow.”
He extended his hand toward me. I felt Ella shove me in the back, cueing me to respond or do anything besides stand there with my mouth open like a trout on a hook.
“I’m Olivia Sinclair,” I managed to croak as I took his hand. I felt the calluses of his fingertips slide against my palm, setting off an electric current that coursed through my body. I was suddenly reminded that my kitty wasn’thostile at all. In fact, it was ready to send out the welcome wagon. “Or Liv. You can call me Liv.”
“Olivia…Liv.” He said both my name and nickname slowly, my hand still locked in his warm grasp. “Why don’t you guys come and meet the band?”
He stepped closer to me, allowing Grace admission to the dressing room.
“This was the last group,” the bodyguard said as Ella entered the room behind Grace. She spun around and gave me a thumbs-up, an overjoyed expression plastered across her face. “I’m gonna go grab a drink, so lock the door. I’ll knock when it’s time to go.” The bodyguard smirked and disappeared down the hallway.
Jaxon’s smile reached the corners of his eyes. When he laughed, I felt it through my entire body. “I see we saved the best for last.”
Chapter 2
Jax
Liv met my gaze witha shy smile before quickly averting her eyes to the floor, her shoes—anywhere that wasn’t me. I became acutely aware of my own heartbeat as it thudded faster and faster in my ears.
Wow. This girl was beautiful. The way her fair skin flushed with embarrassment was adorable. Her shiny chestnut hair cascaded over her shoulders, almost reaching her hips. She wore a T-shirt with Queen emblazoned across the front, which told me she also had great taste in music. The fabric of her shirt outlined the perfect curve of her body, tapering at her waist. My eyes settled for a split second on the alleged ‘hostile kitty’ she mentioned. My cheeks flushed, and I stifled a laugh.
I wondered why it was so hostile.
