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I go silent, and her eyes widen slightly. “As a matter of fact, what?”
“We probably shouldn’t have this sort of discussion on the street, out in public.” I glance around, suddenly afraid someone is listening.
“No one is paying attention to us.” She waves a dismissive hand.
“Pretty sure everyone who passes by us is paying attention.” I make eye contact with a woman who walks by, her eyes lighting up as she recognizes me.Shit.“They know who I am.”
“It’s always about you, isn’t it.” Her droll tone would almost be amusing if I weren’t close to freaking the hell out.
“I’m being serious. Watch them. They recognize me. Us.”
Scarlett does as I suggest, her gaze following people as they walk along the sidewalk, the majority of them glancing over at us with recognition in their gazes. I hear giggling and glance over my shoulder to see two teenagers blatantly staring at the both of us, one of them aiming her phone right at me, taking photos.
Double shit.
“Damn it. People are going to think we’re arguing,” I say, fighting the panic bubbling inside of me. “A lovers’ spat.”
Scarlett rolls her eyes. “Please. You wish.”
“I’m serious.” I rest my hand on her hip, tugging her in close, and she gasps. “Play along with me.”
“Last time I did that, I ended up with my photo splashed all over the internet.” She’s breathless, her chest rising and falling rapidly, and I study her tits. They’re bigger than I remember, though the last time I was with her, she was dressed in a mountain of tulle, so it was hard to see much of anything but her legs. Which were nice, I can’t lie.
“Get ready. I’m guessing that’s going to happen again.” Her hands fall onto my chest, and now I’ve got both of my hands on her hips, tugging her forward. Our bodies collide, and I bend my head, descending slowly. Slowly...
“I didn’t agree to this yet,” she warns me, her lips practically brushing against mine when she speaks.
“You want me to stop touching you, that’s fine. I’ll let go of you right now. But think of the headlines once these photos hit the internet. What are people going to say about us? They’ll definitely say we’re fighting, and the speculation will undoubtedly get worse.”
Damn it, I need her on my side, not working against me.
“I don’t care what they say.” Her voice is weak. Even a little shaky.
I don’t believe her. She’s trying to pretend it doesn’t bother her what people say, but I know the truth.
“It’ll be all over the internet within a couple of hours,” I say almost gleefully. “‘Tate and his heiress arguing on the streets of Manhattan.’”
My aim was spot on. It’s the “his heiress” comment that pisses her off. I see the flare of anger in her gaze, feel the way her body tightens beneath my touch.
“I’m more than just an heiress,” she retorts.
I lean in close, my mouth hovering above hers once more. “Prove it.”
She blinks those pretty dark eyes up at me, her brows drawn together in confusion. A soft sound leaves her as I descend, a mixture of a sigh and a... moan?
Those dark eyes fall shut, and I kiss her. Softly. Sweetly. Nothing too forward or out of control. I pull away slightly, studying her pretty upturned face, the way her eyes are tightly closed and her lips pursed like she expects another kiss.
So I give her another one. It’s gentle and pleasant, and there’s no passion in the kiss whatsoever. As a matter of fact, it feels almost like an apology kiss.
I remember what those were like. Once upon a time, back when Five Car Pileup was first formed and everything was exciting and new, I had a girlfriend. My high school sweetheart, Jessica. She was sweet and pretty, and she gave me head on a semiregular basis, which meant my teenage self was completely in love with her. We argued a lot, and I was always apologizing to her, but at the time, I was glad to have her in my corner.
Jessica was right there beside me throughout the formation of the band. Always with me as Five Car Pileup shot straight into the stratosphere and we became bigger and bigger until no one could contain us.
We were it. The fill-in for the hole that was left when One Direction broke up. The girls went crazy for us. So much screaming and yelling everywhere we went that sometimes it stressed me out.
But at the time, I thought it was all worth it. We were on top of the world at one point. On teen-magazine covers and performing at award shows. Everyone was praising us; even harsh music critics said we filled a void.
After a year together, my bandmates had become my best friends, we had a song in the top ten on theBillboardcharts, and we were about to start our second US tour. This one was going to be longer and at bigger venues, and I truly believed nothing could stop us.
