He looks at me like I’m nuts.
“Everyone can yammer on about a bad movie in a movie theater because cast members obviously can’t hear you. But you don’t wanna make an actor feel bad, so you sort of pretend you’re not thinking that it’s the worst play in the world when really, you are. We used to go to amateur theater troops, dinner theaters, or when they’d open up big venues to little groups like kids’ school plays or dance recitals with kindergarteners. Love watching imperfections in action and trying to hide our true reactions. And then afterwards me and Suse would go do a post-mortem analysis and laugh our asses off because we’d have to give it a thumbs up and explain all the reasons why we liked it – though we didn’t.”
“Ridiculing those poor performers?” he gives me a look that oozes disapproval, but I’m sure he’s joking.
“All in good fun,” I wave. “And we never mock them to their faces. We also applaud their bravery.”
“You should both be forced to get on a stage and do live improv,” he says.
“We’ve done that. And karaoke, too. Bad karaoke – the worst. And we laugh at ourselves the hardest.”
We’re walking down the side-street toward his car, and when we get to it, his fingers tighten, and I’m twirled until my back is against the passenger door.
He looks down at me.
His mouth descends.
And as soon as his lips touch mine, I melt for him.
This time, I grab his hair with both of my hands and run my fingers through it.
Every strand that glides between my fingers feels like heaven as his lips seek mine out, takes control of them, and breathes life into me.
Life, sensation, the belief of ethereal, divine places that you could stay in forever because they’re that amazing.
“I want you, Violet,” he tells me and then his tongue is in my mouth and his hand slides around my hip to my ass and he squeezes while pulling me to him, making sure I feel his erection.
“Oh my God,” I say against his lips, which then slide down to my throat and move behind my ear as he caresses the shell of my ear with his nose.
“I agree.” The vibration of his lips behind my ear earns him a full body shiver.
“A bad play gave you a hard-on?” I whisper, coquettishly.
“You fucking give me a hard-on. I want you, bad. I want you in my bed tonight.”
I straighten and pull my lips tight. “Oh my God,” I whisper. I’m such a jerk. “I can’t,” I blurt. “I’m such a jerk.”
And the look in his eyes, it hurts to see the flash of disappointment. Because I don’t want to disappoint him. I want – very, very much to make Killian Coulter the exact opposite of disappointed.
I bury my face in his chest and breathe hard. “I’m sorry. I just… I can’t yet. That shit with him isn’t even over.”
He lets out a long exhale and I find myself looking at the sexy column of his throat as he puts his chin on top of my head and just holds me for a second.
And it feels amazing the way he’s holding me, the cold air swirling around us, picking up speed and sending a chill through me. Because I feel alive right now. More alive than I’ve felt in a long while.
And then his phone is ringing. He sighs before he takes a half a step back to reach into his pocket for it and I note that his lip is curling as he angrily lifts the screen toward his face.
“What is it?” he asks impatiently.
And immediately after he does, his eyes change. He frowns.
“Frisk him. Watch him like a fuckin’ hawk. My office. Fifteen minutes.”
He tugs my hand so he can get me away from the door enough for him to open it and guide me inside.
“Back to Genesis we go. Apparently Raymond Iadanza is waiting there to see me.”
“What?”
“One sec.” He closes the door, rounds the car and gets in, turning to me.
“What?” I repeat.
“I want you. Very much. You’re not a jerk. Okay?”
I nod but not very convincingly.
“I’m not gonna push you to do something you’re not ready to do. Okay? Please, baby, trust me to handle this meeting with him. Let me do the talking, however it goes. I will not let anything happen to you.”
I nod some more.
“You believe me?” he asks.
“Yes.”
“Trust me,” he says.
I nod again, this time with more certainty. “I do.”
He grabs my hand and pulls it to his mouth for a brief kiss.
“Thank you. That means a lot to me.”
I pull my lips tight and stare straight ahead.
He makes a call and puts his phone to his ear.
“Sorry, man, I was in a theater. Just heard he’s at Genesis. Any clue what’s up?”