Page 24 of Apparently, I’m Trouble

Mia put her hands on her hips. “I told you, she doesn’t have to kiss him if she doesn’t want to.”

I rounded the porch and climbed the steps. Her breath caught as I stood over her, and she looked at me like she wanted me gone. Well, it was fucking mutual. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt like this.

Did she think this was a joke?

“Right, she can just turn her head. Do you know how close they’d have to be to pull something like that off?”

She finally rolled her eyes. “They won’t have to be that close.”

Frustration ate me up from inside. She didn’t get it. She didn’t fucking get it. I closed the distance between us. Mia backed up against the rail, and I wrapped my fists around it. Her glare left my face long enough to flicker over my biceps, and a flush crawled up her neck as she tightened her lips.

Outrage was in her tone as she asked, “What are you doing?”

I lifted a hand and cupped her chin. Her lips parted, surprised, as I ground out, “You think they won’t have to be closer than this? You think he won’t have to touch her?”

She jerked back, her head meeting the wood behind her. “You’re being ridiculous.”

“Am I?” I leaned closer, and she exhaled sharply, her breath warm against my jaw. “Then show me.”

As she gripped the rail behind her, her flush spread across her cheeks. “I’m not showing you anything.”

I put my hand over hers, plucked her fingers from the porch, and listened to the strained noises she made as I flattened her palm on my shoulder.

Heat dripped into my veins, irritation mixed with pure want, and for a split second, the only thought I had was: This is a mistake.

But as my muscles tensed under her touch, she let out the sexiest, breathiest sigh, and my mind went blank.

I dropped my mouth to her ear. My voice was low and rough. “Show me.”

Her fingers pressed into my shirt, and the gentle scrape of her nails stole my focus. I could picture them dragging across my skin, clawing at me, pulling me closer. My pulse thudded in my ears. Her scent was everywhere, and the tension between us shifted into something thick and electric.

“That’s not…” she murmured. “I can’t.”

She bit her bottom lip, her teeth sinking into it hard enough to leave a mark. The air was charged, heavy, and fuck me, I knew I should’ve fought it, but I didn’t want to.

“You can’t show me–”

She gasped as I gripped her waist and pulled her to me.

“–because you’d have to touch me. Like this.”

She didn’t answer. Instead, she pulled back. Her hands slid from my chest down my abdomen until her fingertips brushed me just below my belt. My gut tightened as she met my stare, her mouth forming a slight ‘o’ before she clapped her hands to it.

She mumbled, “Oh god, you’re–” through her fingers, then cut herself off. She didn’t waste any time. She pushed past me, her hair brushing across her back as she hurried out of the room.

The door slammed behind her, and it echoed in the large space. It should’ve snapped me out of it, but I just stood and stared. Running a hand over my face, I caught a faint trace of Mia’s scent, and let out a groan.

Shit. What the fuck did I just do?

I took a breath, shut my eyes, and waited for it to calm me down. But it was like every one of my fucking nerves was set on edge. When I heard Miss Gem rumbling through the stage door, I cursed and went after Mia.

Chapter 11

Mia

I needed to leave. I needed to walk out of South Bronx Classical and into oncoming traffic. Because whatever was happening here needed to not happen.

“It’s not real. It’s in my head. It’s. In. My. Head.”