Page 76 of Well, Actually
Rylie stares at me, then shakes his head, a suppressed laugh chopping up his voice. “You’re such a little pill.”
“It’s just an observation!” I whine, wrapping my arms around his trim waist. He pretends to push me away, but I hold on tighter, the low roughness of his chuckles vibrating against my cheek. He gives up and hugs me back.
“Maybe I should download the app,” he says, smacking my ass. “Learn how to sayEva Kitt needs an exorcism, in multiple languages.”
I pull away, biting my lip as I shrug. “You already stole his look. Might as well steal his lines.”
“OrI feel like my girlfriend lacks a healthy fear of God, please help me.” Rylie laughs hard at his own joke, hands slipping from my body as he holds his middle.
My stomach yo-yos up to my throat and then bottoms out, a rush of warmth shooting sparks across my skin. My lips part, but I can’t breathe, my ribs feeling like they’ll crack under the pressure filling my chest.
Rylie catches my quiet, his laughter dimming as he takes in my stunned expression. “What’s wrong, Kitten?”
“Did you… did you just call me your girlfriend?”
His expression shifts, smile softening as his hungry eyes rove over me. “I did. How… how do you feel about that?”
How do I feel? How do Ifeel? I feel like he just snatched out my linchpin and I’m slipping off my axis. I feel like Earth just turned upside down and my head is up in the clouds and my heart is in his hands. I feel like shooting stars are fizzing through my blood and my pockets are full of goddamn sunshine because Rylie fucking Cooper just called me his girlfriend and it might just be the best feeling in the world.
I launch myself at him, wobbling on my stilettos as I loop my arms around his neck. But he’s there. He’s got me. His hands at my waist, one sliding up my back, the other down my hips. His lips meet mine, opening to me, our tongues touching and my body heating and I don’t think I’ll ever want oxygen again for how deeply this kiss satisfies my every need.
“Words, please,” he says against my mouth. I ignore him for half a second and kiss him more.
“I like being your girlfriend,” I whisper when it becomes a necessity to come up for air. “Almost as much as I like having you as my boyfriend.”
Rylie’s smile is devastating, and he grips my head between his hands, taking a moment to look at me, eyes scouring every inch of my face. With a disbelieving shake of his head, he leans in, placing a gentle kiss to my forehead. I nuzzle against him, arms wrapping around him again in a hug. I’ve never been a particularly touchy person, but something about Rylie has me constantly reaching for him like I’m a plant and he’s the sun.
“We better get downstairs,” I say, catching a glimpse of the time.
Rylie lets out a reluctant sigh, releasing me after one last kiss to the top of my head. I touch up my makeup, then gather my purse as Rylie slings on his suit jacket. With his hand pressed to my lower back, he guides me out the door.
“Should I be worried about being seen with you?” I ask as we make our way down the hallway.
“Damn, you arerelentless.”
I giggle. “I mean, since we’re doing the whole laying-low thing and you’ve ghosted Soundbites on behalf of both of us, I don’t know how cool we have to keep it tonight in public.”
He gives the question serious thought as we get to the elevator banks and he hits the call button.
“How do you feel about it?” He leans his shoulder against the wall and gives me an assessing look. “I get the concern but I also feel like the people in attendance tonight will be more focused on the actual fundraiser and not if I have my arm around you.”
I bobble my head from side to side. “Yeah, stuffy rich people with enough status to get an invite to a swanky event like this probably don’t have a ton of overlap with our more parasocial viewers.” The golden doors open and I lead us in.
“Plus, selfishly, Iwantpeople to see me with my arm around you,” Rylie whispers in my ear, gripping my hip and spinning me to face him as the elevator doors slip shut. He crowds me to the corner, lifting me up an inch so my ass is supported by the railing, his hand moving to my thigh and hitching my leg against his hip. “I want to show you off and grin at everyone’s glare of jealousy.”
I get dizzy from the statement, at the unholy excitement he seems to have for being with me. I let out a breathy giggle against Rylie’s hovering lips, and he closes the distance, kissing me the entire ride down until I’m worked up and panting and gripping him to me.
Ding.
The doors slide open and Rylie steps back, smiling at the way I sway toward him. He takes my hand, guiding me out of the elevator to a secluded corner of the lobby shielded with large potted plants.
With a low, proud laugh he reaches out, using his thumb to clean up the edge of my smeared lipstick. He then frames my hips with his hands, taking a second to straighten my skirt. I try to shake off the languid, drunk feeling he’s suffused through my limbs.
“You can put your arm around me,” I say primly, hoping to regain even an ounce of control as I straighten his clothes too. “But that’s all.” I slide my hand against the slight bulge in his pants as I smooth his shirt, making him hiss out a breath. His jaw tightens as I smile sweetly up at him.
“Or we forget this entire thing and go back up to our room and you put your thighs around my ears for the rest of the night,” he offers smoothly.
My entire body flushes hot, pinpricks of pleasure radiating through me. I somehow keep my expression neutral. “But we must think about the youths,” I say, gesturing toward the noise of the event.
