Page 86 of Now Their Starlet

When he pulls away, I swear I watch his pupils blow so wide I can barely see the blue of his irises.

“My turn,” I murmur, lifting up on my tiptoes and pulling him down by the back of his neck. I rub my cheek along the sensitive skin there, marking him with my scent too.

He lets out a satisfied hum, his lips quirking up as I step back from him.

“You ready to go, Starlight?” Beck calls. “I don’t know about you, but I’m starving!”

“Coming!” I say, my stomach chooses that convenient time to announce to everyone just how starving I also am.

I’m a little nervous at the mention of food. I’m sure Nancy will tell me it’s a trauma response.

A kale salad-induced trauma response.

I manage to catch sight of Cameron stepping out of the car, doing his best to subtly adjust his slacks.

My eyes widen at the sight. Was that from watching me be sandwiched between Beck and Leo?

The thought sends a thrill shooting down my spine, knowing I’ve affected Cameron this much, knowing how much he disliked me when we first met. There’s something deeply appealing about me being that awesome and cool that he can’t help but be attracted to me despite whatever preconceived notions he had about me.

Plus, he’s one of the most professional people I know. Maybe that says something about the kinds of people I’ve been around and their lack of professionalism, but still.

My steps slow as we make our way into the house.

“How’re you doing?” Cameron murmurs, matching my pace as everyone else makes their way inside.

I hover in the foyer, my chest feeling tight.

“You know... I don’t actually know the answer to that,” I mumble.

“That makes sense; this has been a lot.” Cameron shoves his hands into his front pockets, just standing with me in silence as I move to shut the front door behind us.

“I think I’m scared something real bad is going to happen again.” My voice is barely above a whisper, almost like I’m scared if I say it too loudly, I’ll speak my fears into existence. “Everything went wrong when I came here, and—and now I’m back.”

“The body has a way of remembering, of holding onto things even when your brain is trying to move past them. That’s the most normal thing in the world.”

“Really? It—it sucks that’s the norm.”

“It’s kind of an outdated biological mechanism, if you ask me. Sure, it probably helped our ancestors from dying because it taught them not to repeat dangerous things that would hurt them, but it can definitely seem like more of a hindrance than a help these days.”

“You sound like my therapist.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment?”

“Yeah, Nancy is cool,” I say, flashing him a tight smile. “Thanks for staying back and checking on me.”

“Of course.” His expression softens as he looks down at me. He reaches up and nervously runs a hand down the back of his neck.

“You’re making up for all the times you were a dick to me, huh?”

“I—I’m not—I didn’t—” His eyes flare wide with panic.

It’s one of the cutest expressions I’ve seen him make. I burst into laughter, tossing my head back.

“I’m just teasing you, don’t worry,” I snort, clapping a hand over my mouth at the undignified sound.

“You know, I could tease you about that laugh, but I’m choosing to take the high road,” he huffs, narrowing his eyes on me. I can see the smile he’s fighting to hold back, and it makes warmth bloom in my chest.

“I’d consider you even mentioning my laugh in anything other than a completely positive lens, you teasing me. Minus five points!” I start making my way further into the house, towards the dining and living areas the others seem to have disappeared to.