Page 115 of The Sun and Her Star

Apparently, I’m not convincing. She leans across the small table between our sofas and hisses through clenched teeth, “What thefuck,Apollo? You’re being a total cockblock. I was just about to seal the deal when you interrupted us.” She jabs one of her light pink fingernails into the table, and I think she’s reached peak diva.

“I’m sorry?” I respond in complete astonishment.

“Oh, that’s okay, don’t apologize.” Her face softens, and she smiles all traces of her irritation gone.

“I wasn’t—”

“I’m sorry I snapped like that, I just can’t believe I’m about to have a shot with Graham Davis. I don’t know how you’ve been friends with him all these years and not been tempted to take a little nibble,” she says with a conspiratorial wink and then she gives me a measuring look, from top to toe. There’s a smug light in her eyes when she looks back at my face. She smiles condescendingly as she smooths her hands down the front of her short pink skirt that says, “I mean, of course, you’re not his type at all.”

No matter how many times I hear that, it never fails to make me flinch. She notices it, and I hate myself for letting it show.

“Oh, Apollo,” she says in feigned sympathy. She reaches her hand across the table to cover mine and says, “I mean, you’re pretty. In a …” She waves her other hand around as she searches for the right word. “Well, in your own way.” She smiles pityingly at me.

“But, everyone knows he only dates models and that he loves curves. You’ve got a great ass, but no tits.” She frowns down at my body, which I happen to love and shrugs as if she hadn’t just insulted me.

The muscles in my jaw jumps and I pull my hand away from hers and put my glass to my lips.

I scan the club and see that Graham’s ended his phone call and is talking to two men I recognize from the cast of his reality show. And across from me, Josie doesn’t seem to care if I’m paying attention or not, and she continues her dissection of me.

“Maybe if you added some highlights or something. Have you tried curling—Oh, look he’s coming back.” Her smile brightens, and her eyes light up as she flips a thick lock of her shiny golden locks, as if to remind me that I didn’t stand a chance next to her.

“Josie, he’s not coming back for you,” I say with a smile as bright as the one she just gave me. “But, I understand why you would hope so.” I down the rest of my drink and stand up to watch him move across the space.

Yes, he looks the part. Yes, he can have anyone he wants. Live anywhere he wants. But he’s made it very clear that he wants me.

I stand up and walk toward him.

“I wore this dress for you,” I blurt.

He grins and looks down at his feet. He brings a hand up and rubs the back of his neck.

“Graham?” I ask when he chuckles softly.

He peeks up at me through his eyelashes, and to my amazement, he looks … bashful.

“Are youblushing?”I ask him, delightfully incredulous.

His gaze is direct now, the intensity in eyes pins me in place.

“The girl I’ve had a crush on since I was fourteen is standing in front of me telling me that she put that gorgeous dress onto her insanely sexy body with me in mind. So, yeah, I’m blushing.”

God, he’s so hot. I press on with what I came to say.

“I wore this dress because it matches your eyes,” I tell him. His expression softens.

“I’m here to stake my claim on those eyes and the beautiful soul they’re a window to.” His chest rises sharply, and he opens his mouth like he’s about to speak.

But he doesn’t.

He looks dumbfounded.

God, Isuckat grand gestures.

“I’m sorry. That was a poor attempt at being poetic … I’m just trying to say, I want us to be more than just friends.”

He shakes his head rapidly and then exhales sharply. He eyes me skeptically. “Are you sure? I don’t want you to think that I was giving an ultimatum. I just didn’t want you to feel like you were being coerced instead of wooed. And as badly as I want all of you, I don’t want you to hurry.” His voice is hesitant, and his words deliberate. His gaze is so intent and worried. “I’ll work as long as it takes. I’m prepared to run after —”

“I don’twantyou to run after me, baby, I want you to runbesideme.” He reaches out and yanks me toward him so roughly that I stagger on my heels and my thighs clench at how good it feels for him to take what he wants and know that he doesn’t need to ask. He presses his hard, strong, lean body flush to mine and looks down at me.

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