Page 18 of Princes of Hollywood

Aiden left me speechless. But Roarke, of course, one-upped him by showing up in a baseball cap and sunglasses, like that hides who he is. He even threw on a T-shirt to rival Chad’s with a giant marijuana leaf on it. He doesn’t look “normal” even when he tries. He towers over me and everyone else. We’re approaching my car when he smirks.

“I should drive, poppet.” He crowds me against the side of the car, but I hold the keys firmly in my grip. My breath catches in my chest with him this close. But I’m used to people trying to push me around. He isn’t the first to try to overwhelm me with his size compared to me.

“She’s a temperamental beast and hates anyone else driving her.” I tip my chin and raise my eyebrow in challenge.

“If I’m forced to ride bitch seat in this hunk of”—he stops when I press my lips together—“metal, then I deserve some sort of compensation.”

“Compensation?”

His gaze drops to my lips, and I unconsciously lick them. I’ve had a little time to calm down my overactive hormones, but I’m very aware of his closeness and the fullness of his lips. How would it feel to kiss Roarke Flynn?

I’ve seen it so many times on screen.

He smirks with that knowing damn smirk and taps his finger against his cheek. “Put those lips right here and we’ll call it even.”

The butterflies stampede through me as he lowers to my level. My breath rushes out of me. I purse my lips and press a kiss to his cheek. His skin is warm and a little bristly from his stubble.

As I pull back, he turns his face to mine. All the air leaves me as we’re eye to eye, so close it would only take a small movement to bring our lips together. The blue in his eyes is like crystallized water so deep and so hypnotic, making me want to dive in and drown with him.

For a second, I believe he’ll close the distance, but then, grinning, he straightens and goes to the other side of the car. I suck a breath into my starved lungs. The car door opens and shuts, but I stand here, waiting for my emotions to bottle back up.

Fuck. I’m not going to last a day without Roarke convincing me to do more. I’ve always been in control of my desire. I’ve always put off kissing until I was certain of the guy, especially after what I went through. But somehow Roarke ratchets my desire up to almost unbearable levels.

I’m not the kind of girl who goes for a fling, but right now, I really wish I were. Because I have a feeling the experience with Roarke would be earth shattering. What if I could be that girl? What if I could just have sex with these four guys and have it just be about sex? That is what my new motto is about, after all. They’re willing for me to put it to the test.

I need to think it over. I need to figure out if I can or even want to. But fuck, do they tempt me.

Shaking off that feeling, I open my car door and get in.

Roarke grins. “Ready, poppet?”

Not even a little. I hold my breath as I turn the key to start Old Betsy, praying that just this once she doesn’t act like the raging bitch she is. She must be feeling kind today, as the engine fires to life.

“Are you positive this thing is safe?” Roarke’s hand is on the dashboard like he’s trying to hold her together.

“She rarely lets me down.” I give him a smile as I put her in drive and head down the driveway.

He presses a button on his phone and the gate opens. “We’ll need to install some apps on your phone so you can access the house.”

Nodding, I turn toward my apartment. Out of this nicer area and back into the city.

“So tell me about this Chad. How did he win you?” Roarke adjusts his seat again, sliding it back as far as it goes until he’s almost in the backseat.

I scrunch my nose. “He worked at the diner where I’m a server. Of course, he didn’t stay long at that job, but he was nice to me.”

“Is that all it takes, poppet? You need me to be nice to you?” Roarke reaches for the radio, but his hand pauses as he realizes it’s only an AM radio. His brow furrows, but he leaves it off.

“I don’t move in with everyone I think is nice.” I shake my head.

“You’re moving in with me.” Roarke smirks and his hand falls onto my thigh. “I can be very nice.”

The car swerves, and Roarke swears but doesn’t remove his hand.

“Don’t kill us, poppet.”

“Maybe let me focus, Benji.” I cock a smile his way.

He winces. “For fuck’s sake, tell me you didn’t watch that movie.”

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