Page 1 of Kiss Me Ever After
1
Prologue - last summer
Lennon
“Remindme why we’re doing this again?” I winced as a woman literally stuck a pin into me.
“We’re saving my mum’s skin,” declared Amber, my best friend.
Which was why I stood in a freezing cold corridor in a thin satin slip dress, having the bodice altered to make it fit properly.
“Keep still,” hissed the woman through a mouthful of pins. “I don’t want to get blood on this dress.”
I did as I was told, trying not to shiver and inadvertently get pricked.
Amber had roped me into modelling at the Ealynn Sands Annual Summer Fashion Pageant. Her mother worked in the hotel which hosted it, and two girls they’d lined up to model had dropped out at the last minute. So Sonya had spoken to Amber, who’d spoken to me, and before long we were trying on outfits and now being made up to within an inch of our lives.
While I enjoyed fashion, my interests lay on the other side of the industry in marketing and PR. This week, I’d got the news I’d been accepted for an internship next summer with a prestigious consultancy in New York. It was everything I wanted… Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s. Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Central Park and yellow cabs…you name it, I was ready. Anything to do with the Big Apple and I wanted it. When I’d told her, Amber had been excited for me, even though it meant missing out on our usual summer plans. Selfishly, I didn’t care. One summer away from here wouldn’t hurt anyone, well, except maybe Amber. She would miss me.
“Excuse me, ladies,” a male voice cut through the excited chatter in the corridor, “coming through!”
My gaze fell on the waiter pushing through the hallway with a tray full of empty plates and dirty cutlery.
Dark curly hair, brown and gold eyes, and a muscled body clad in the regulation uniform of black jeans with a black and white horizontal striped t-shirt. I practically drooled.
Justin Navarro.
For years, he and I had danced around each other every summer.
Almost getting together.
Almost, but not quite.
He brushed past me, his arm skimming my nipples, which tightened enough in response that he noticed and paused. The corner of his mouth quirked, his eyes catching mine.
“Sorry,” he murmured.
The low octave of his voice sent waves down my spine. I shivered involuntarily.
“Seriously, Lennon, stop fidgeting.” The woman tugged the bodice of the dress tighter around my breasts, emphasising my already obvious cleavage.
Justin’s gaze fell to my chest. “Don’t stop on my account,” he murmured, low enough for only me to hear.
Heat flooded through me, pooling between my legs.
Fuck.
In the distance, someone called his name, and he dragged his attention away from me.
“Good luck for the show,” he said, louder this time.
Before he moved on, he dragged his gaze down the full length of my body. My breath hitched, wanting him to touch me again. But he left me hanging.
“Hey, earth to Lennon.” Amber nudged my shoulder. “Are you lusting over Justin again? You know he’s just started going out with Candace Barkley?”
If anything could bring me back to reality with a bump, it was the mention of Candace’s name. She and I had never clicked, never become friends, even after all these years.
“Ugh.” I made a face. “Poor Justin.”
