Page 23 of Ravaged By Lust

Holy shit.

Okay, maybe he’s starting to piece the clues together…

“Um, can I hear the song?” I ask quickly, trying to divert his attention.

“Maybe I’ll show you another day,” Axel says, heading back to the door. “I’ll leave you to get your… beauty sleep.”

He shuts the door, and I breathe out a sigh of relief.

That was close. Too close. How long will Bishop and my luck last? It would be the worst thing if Axel finds us together rather than me just breaking the news softly to my brother, but that’s not what Bishop wants. He’s made that very clear.

Damn.

Danger was averted, but how long can we keep this up?

7

CHLOE

Even though Bishop tells me we need to talk, I don’t say a single thing as I stand, waiting for the taxi, outside Maddie and Axel’s house. I don’t care about social etiquette; I want to twist the knife in. Make him feel awkward. I’m not going to submit to his demands simply because he’s surprised me outside my brother’s home.

He wants us to talk? Well, he can stick my words up his pompous ass.

I look behind him at the car he’s so dramatically arrived in. He wasn’t driving; he exited via the passenger seat.

I know exactly what’s going on.

“Hello, Drake,” I say to the tinted window, completely ignoring the man standing in front of me.

Bishop laughs. I still ignore him. “You were always super perceptive, weren’t you, Chloe,” he tells me.

I still ignore him as the car’s tinted window rolls down. And there is Drake Sharpe. Frontman of Ravaged. Staring back at me with his shit-eating grin.

“Hello, Chloe,” he says in his smooth lead-singer voice. “Still looking as gorgeous as ever.”

“Your playboy ways might work with your throwaway groupies, but they ain’t gonna work with me, Drake. I remember when you were a teenage boy and couldn’t hold down a single beer without throwing up on my mother’s driveway.”

“Ouch. You’re not only still gorgeous, but you’re still a biter, Chloe.”

Like Bishop, the lead singer of Ravaged hasn’t changed from when we were kids in the same class at high school. He’s always been so incredibly and infuriatingly good looking. Thick, glossy hair, with a delicious curl that dangles over his brow. Blue angelic eyes. Perfect skin. Just the hint of stubble. A real hit with the ladies, and he knows it. Drake Sharpe is cocky and arrogant and amazing with his words. He’s tall and rough and gives off those bad boy vibes that make him both dangerous and irresistible at the same time. A charismatic show-off, he’s a rough diamond with spikes that can hurt you. It’ll take a real woman to tame his feral side. I don’t doubt that. The rockstar does what he likes, when he likes, and he really doesn’t give a shit about what others think of him, and yet he’s extremely loyal to the few people that are important in his life. Plus, he’s hot, famous, talented, and unbelievably rich. No wonder every girl that meets him simply swoons. I, on the other hand, have always just seen him as a friend. It was Bishop I had eyes for when we were teenagers. But, hey, I can appreciate a handsome man, especially if that’ll make Bishop deservedly jealous.

“How’s life going for you, Drake?” I ask him with a smirk. “Found a girl yet that you’re gonna settle down with?”

“You know me, Chloe. No girls. That’s my one rule.”

“That one rule still going strong?”

“I’m still a free man, so yeah.”

“One day you’re going to find that girl and love is going to hit you like a ton of bricks, trust me,” I tell him.

“That day will never come, Chloe.”

Bishop wryly glances between us two, clearly a little bit frustrated not to get in a word. I want him to wait for my attention. He doesn’t even deserve it. I’m going to talk to Drake as long as I want.

And I know Drake is enjoying making his friend and fellow band member wait as well. It’s refreshing to make the serious tallest member of Ravaged uncomfortable for once in his confident life.

“I’ve heard Ravaged is doing quite well,” I remark.