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n the room. Alaric couldn’t help but admire her cool, confident presence. She didn’t sweat under pressure. He wouldn’t be surprised if she had the whole nation eating out of the palm of her hand.
She certainly had that way with people.
The door to his right burst open at that moment and in sauntered a young man with tight light-denim jeans, a baggy blue sweatshirt, and a pair of expensive tennis shoes. His blond hair had been buzzed all the way down to his scalp. He stopped when he saw Alaric, recognition flashing in his blue eyes.
“Gigi brought the boy-toy, did she?” he asked, running his tongue over his front teeth and giving Alaric a cocky smile. “Couldn’t bear to leave you at home alone?”
Alaric narrowed his eyes at the intruder. There was something familiar about the guy, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. “Excuse me? Do I know you?”
“Vance,” he said, shoving his hand out of the sleeve of his sweatshirt to shake. There were tattooed letters on each of his fingers that Alaric couldn’t quite make out. “The ex. But I suppose, you already knew that. I’m on in the next hour. My new album is selling like hotcakes.”
Alaric pursed his lips, realizing now why this man looked so familiar. This was Georgia’s ex-boyfriend, a rising music star and obviously the punk who had wronged her. He deserved nothing but a swift kick to the shins.
“Alaric Hammond,” he said, ignoring the extended hand and turning back to the TV.
Georgia was just beginning to sing her latest hit, her band backing her up. When she played her guitar and the lights lowered, anyone with brains could tell she was totally within her element. She had a natural glow to her. Her voice rang out clear and her fingers glided down the neck of her guitar with ease. Alaric stared at the picture, his heart thrumming with the tiniest hint of pride.
It might’ve been a fake relationship, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t admire his fake girlfriend’s real talent. To think, the girl sitting behind him in anatomy class was a superstar in the making. He’d certainly noticed her.
How could he not? Even in high school, she had been beautiful. But she’d also been achingly shy. The one time he’d approached her in class to borrow a glass slide, she’d practically threw it at him and then ran in the other direction. He wasn’t a dumb jock. He could tell when a girl wasn’t interested.
“She’s really something, isn’t she?” Vance’s mocking tone came from behind him. Alaric turned to see him perched on the armrest of the green flannel couch, a crooked grin on his square jaw. His pale blue eyes looked up at him. “All that passion in one tight, little package. She was a mouse when I met her. I taught her to let loose. Live a little. You can thank me for that.”
Alaric’s chest rose in an angry breath. He wanted nothing more than to drive his fist into Vance’s perfectly white veneers, but he kept his fist clenched at his side. That was the exact opposite of what his board wanted him to do. An infraction like that, and he’d be outed from his own company. He had to keep control.
“You’re rich, right?” Vance rolled his head and stretched out his arms. “It’s not that hard to tell. You’ve got that—” he gestured at Alaric, sweeping over his whole body “— rich snooty vibe. I think it’s the way you hold yourself all stiff. Normal people don’t stand like that. The twenty-thousand dollar watch is kind of the cherry on top of it all.”
Alaric shrugged and covered the watch with his hand, a deep frown forming on his lips. What had Georgia seen in this jerk? He lacked basic civil manners. The watch had been an impulse buy, back when he was insecure about himself and what he was trying to accomplish in his business. At the time, he’d imagined the watch would give him the courage he needed to take on his board. Now, he wore it simply out of habit.
“I guess Gigi really does like to go after the up-and-comers,” Vance continued, biting his tongue and grinning. “Good thing I split when I did. Gold diggers aren’t really my style.”
Anger constricted his throat until he could hardly breathe. He pointed his finger at the snotty little pop star and kept his voice low. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. I’d suggest you spread your slime elsewhere. I’m not interested.”
Vance burst into laughter and held his hands up in surrender. He stood from the couch, tugging on the front of his sweatshirt, and sauntered toward the door. “Dude, I was just trying to warn you. From one bro to another.”
“I’m not your bro.” Alaric’s upper lip curled into a snarl.
“Whatever you say,” Vance shot back. He had one hand on the door as it swung open. “But don’t blame me if she drops you and comes crawling back. She never could get over me. I’m her first love. Chicks don’t forget that.”
His ears burned with anger, despite the dropping sensation in his stomach. He wasn’t sure why Vance was getting to him. He was just a punk. Still, the pop star’s warning had left a bad taste in his mouth.
Georgia did still seem to carry a lot of hurt from their failed relationship. Was that because she was still in love with the creep? He couldn’t know. He’d never been in love himself. Did love like that ever truly die?
And better yet — why did he even care?
Georgia came bursting through the door at that moment, her cheeks flushed with excitement and a grin on her face. She didn’t see Vance. Instead, she sprinted up to Alaric and grabbed his hands.
“Did you see that? Did you see it? We rocked that performance.”
All the tension melted from Alaric’s shoulders. He gazed down at Georgia’s beaming face, his pulse racing at the feel of her hands in his. “You guys were great. America is going to fall in love with you all over again.”
Her sparkling green eyes searched his face for a moment, her lips parting slightly. He had the strongest desire to run his fingertips over the cupid’s bow of her mouth and feel the softness of her skin. Heat blossomed in his stomach, begging him to lean down and close the distance between them with his lips.
“Good to see you again, Gigi.”
Shock crossed Georgia’s face and she spun to see Vance posing near the door, a slight grin tugging at his lips.
He worked his jaw and winked. “You’re looking good.”
