Page 4 of The B Side

The only look she spared back was for her mom, who was staring right back at her. And somewhere inside, it made Juliet ache the tiniest bit. Because she didn’t know when she’d be talking to her mom again, and it was right on the other side of them having mended something broken.

But she couldn’t – wouldn’t – stop for that.

Her mom gave her a nearly imperceptible nod, and Juliet thought that the look on her face was something akin to pride. She couldn’t be sure, but… she thought so.

It wasn’t until they were in the car, the partition put up, heading back to their hotel, that any of her adrenaline started to fade.

She melted against the seat; her face felt so hot, and her stomach was tied up in knots.

“We came out,” she whispered. Both for herself and for Darcy.

“Yeah,” Darcy quietly affirmed. She reached out and very gently swiped a lock of Juliet’s hair behind her ear. “That was… unexpected.”

Juliet snapped her eyes to Darcy’s. “Was it not okay? We’ve been talking about it a lot.”

They’d talked so much about the end of her contractual obligations and what it would be like. But they’d never settled on the best way. Should it be formal, in an interview? Should it be something like what they just did? Should they just stop making a point of hiding their physical affection in public and let people speculate?

Darcy’s stare was dialed in, locked onto her, and the most calming thing was how her lips curled into a soft smile. “It was definitely okay. I was just taken by surprise.”

The thing was, Juliet hadn’t been one hundred percent sure she was going to be able to go through with it. Not until she’d been up on that stage. She’d had the idea, had the plan, but… it was the biggest thing she’d ever done in her life.

“I didn’t want to tell you and let you down if I backed out,” she admitted. “I thought, since you’ve said you’re ready for this, that you wouldn’t be upset.”

“And I’m not upset,” Darcy affirmed again. “I’m… impressed. And proud. And honored. And – is it weird that I’m a little turned on? Even after all of that?”

“No,” she answered immediately, sliding her gaze down to Darcy’s lips. Those perfect fucking lips, on a mouth that Juliet was now convinced was meant for her and only her.

The adrenaline combined with the comedown combined with the future of it all was truly a heady mixture, swiftly flowing through Juliet’s veins.

And with it, she pushed herself up, slinging a leg over Darcy’s thighs. She felt Darcy’s hands curl around the backs of her own thighs, gripping tightly, as Juliet firmly pushed herself down against her lap.

It really was her and Darcy against the world right now.

Perhaps that shouldn’t be as arousing as it felt, but it was.

She reached up, gripping a handful of Darcy’s hair, using her grasp to tug Darcy’s head back. Eyes locked on each other’s, as she leaned in. Not yet kissing Darcy, but their lips so close.

“You and me, Thief.”

Darcy started to return the sentiment, but Juliet’s mouth descended, swallowing the words. In a way, that only made her burn hotter.

She didn’t know what the future held right now, but she knew Darcy was hers. The world knew Darcy was hers.

Scratching her fingers against Darcy’s scalp, she took in the needy gasp Darcy released, letting it filter through her body.

If the world was going to be on fire right now, she was exactly where she wanted to be.

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