Page 43 of Wallflower
My fingers shake as I apply another coat of lip gloss. Chord watches the wand glide across my mouth, and my pulse jumps. I’ve never been this aware of my body. I’m nervous. I’m aroused.
“Fine.” Chord finally graces Daisy with a scowl. “But you’ll call if you need me.”
“I will, big brother. Thank you.”
He clears his throat and softens his tone. “And you, Violet? You’ve got my number.”
I meet his stare in the mirror. “I do, and I will. Thank you.”
He nods. “Good.”
There’s the sound of a car pulling up outside, and Daisy escapes through the door. But as I move to follow her, Chord stops me with a firm but gentle grip on my upper arm. His hand is large enough to wrap all the way around my slender bicep—a reminder of just how powerful this man is—but I love it, especially when his thumb brushes my skin in a reassuring sweep, sending goosebumps rippling in all directions.
“You look beautiful,” he murmurs.
I lower my eyes. “Thank you.”
Using his free hand, he tilts my chin upward, the way he did in my bedroom, and his mouth lifts to one side as he notes the heat seeping into my cheeks. “Eyes up, Wallflower. And keep them up.”
I blink and meet his cobalt gaze, and he holds me there for the longest second before he nods once in approval.
“Have a good time tonight.”
I laugh lightly. “I’ll try. Your sister is much wilder than me. I’m not sure I’ll keep up.”
“I meant what I said.” Chord lets me go and steps aside to let me pass, but he’s still close enough to touch. To breathe in and consume. “Call me anytime.”
“Thank you, but I’m sure I’ll be fine. Who knows? I might be such a lousy dancer that we’ll be home before midnight.”
He doesn’t laugh, and if anything, his expression grows more serious. “Promise me. I won’t sleep otherwise.”
The incessant fluttering grows intense, most noticeably between my legs. “Okay. I promise.”
I slip through the door and into the porch-lit twilight, aware of his eyes on me as I walk to the neat white sedan waiting on the drive. Glancing back, I see that he watches from the doorway as I slip into the backseat next to Daisy, and he’s still there when we turn onto the road and drive out of sight.
twenty
Chord
This has got tobe the longest night of my life. I was an idiot to let Violet walk out of here looking like that, smelling like that,feelinglike that. So freaking stupid to let her walk out of my house and not beg her to let me follow.
Now I can’t shake the jealousy thinking about her dancing with another man. Touching another man. Letting another man touch her.Fuck.
Four hours after she left with Daisy—after a dinner I didn’t taste, a workout I don’t remember, and a movie I didn’t understand—I’m in the living room again. Watching the clock. Remembering Violet’s long, smooth legs in those shorts and boots. Ignoring the way my dick has been hard since I saw her mouth painted red. Reliving the feel of her warmth on my lips when she was close enough to share the same air. Kicking myself that I didn’t kiss her when I had the chance.
I check the time. It’s twenty minutes past midnight—only three minutes later than when I last looked. I turn on the television and surf mindlessly through the channels. At twenty-three minutes past twelve, I hit the remote to switch it off, drag ahand down my face, and drop my head back on the sofa. I don’t remember ever being this way about a woman—agitated and needy. I should hate the way this feels. I should have the self-control to ignore it. But that would mean either ignoring Violet or categorizing her as one of those distractions I didn’t want to deal with this year, and I can’t do either of those things.
Another hour passes, and I’m half-asleep on the sofa, my arms crossed and bare feet propped up on the coffee table when a shrill ping from my phone startles me awake. I grope for it and rub my eyes at the notification lighting up the screen. It’s a text from Violet.
Wallflower
I can’t believe you saw me naked.
I jerk upright, heart thumping in my ears, and read the text again. It takes only a second for me to understand.
She’s drunk.
And she’s talking about the night I walked in on her wearing nothing but her panties.
