Page 45 of Of Heartbreak and Harmony
I grab a towel and my toiletry set, then head into the bathroom, which happens to be larger than the bedroom I share with Glory back home. I’ve never taken a shower while not standing in a bathtub before. This bathroom has a large, glass-walled steam shower and a giant soaker tub. It’s lavish and unnecessary, but I’m thrilled. I can’t wait to take a bath in that tub.
I take a longer shower than usual, simply because the water doesn’t run cold after seven minutes. I wash my hair twice, burying the concern of wasting shampoo, and then I shave my legs slowly, careful not to cause any nicks. I doubt the girlfriend of a rock star would have shaving cuts on their shins.
I turn off the water once I notice my fingers starting to wrinkle, then step out and reach for a towel. It is fluffy and white—nothing like the ones we have at home—and it’s unbelievably soft on my skin. When I’m dry, I use some of the hotel lotion and cover my body with it. It smells like coconut and vanilla.
I’m more relaxed than I’ve been in a long time when I leave the bathroom, but it doesn’t last. My breath catches at the sight of Torren sitting on my bed.
“What are you doing in here?” I snap, pulling the towel tighter around my body.
He looks up from his phone slowly, his eyes staying on my face and never once straying to my exposed skin. I don’t know if I should be offended at his disinterest or grateful for his respect. I end up battling with a little of both.
“We’ve had a change of plans.”
“It couldn’t have waited until I was out of the shower?”
“Youareout of the shower.”
“You know what I mean.”
He sighs. “We’re not doing dinner anymore.” I feel a sense of relief before he snatches it away with his next words. “We’re going to a club, instead.”
“What? Why?”
“The press isn’t buying the relationship story. They say we have no chemistry.”
I snort out a laugh before I can stop myself.
“Well, that’s not surprising. I told you I’m not an actress. I can’t just conjure up chemistry out of thin air.”
“Well, it’s unacceptable. So tonight, we’re going to a club, and we are going to give them chemistry.”
“How in the hell are we going to do that?”
Torren’s lips turn up into a slow smile, and he stands from my bed. He takes a step in my direction, and I instinctively step back. Then, with predatory calm and a roguish smirk, he stalks toward me. My heart beats faster with each foot of distance he covers until he’s standing before me, and I’m trapped with my back against the wall.
I bite my lower lip, and his gaze drops to my mouth. It lingers there for a moment before he looks back up. His eyes bounce between mine, those stupid fucking hypnotic green eyes, and then he’s raising his hand to trace his knuckles over my jaw.
My nipples pebble. My thighs press together tightly. My eyes fall closed. Even my breathing quickens, making my towel rub against my chest with each shaky inhale and exhale.
He hums in appreciation, then drags his other hand up my arm, leaving goose bumps in its wake. He dances his fingers on my collarbone and along the edge of my towel, then slips them into my hair. He fists them, tugging my hair at the root, and I swallow down a moan.
My thighs have grown sticky. My core throbbing from his simple touch.
I tell myself I hate it, but goddamn, do I want it.
He leans closer. His chest brushes mine, and against my will, my body arches ever-so-slightly into him. His scent engulfs me, wrappingaround me, permeating my towel and my skin. I might smell like him forever, and in this moment, I’d welcome it.
When his lips brush against the shell of my ear, mine part with a quiet gasp. His breath caresses my skin as he laughs softly.
“You might not likeme, Callie, but you likethis.”
“Get over yourself, King. I can’t stand you.”
He smirks. My forced bravado is weak, and I can tell he sees right through me. My fingers tighten in my towel, and I’m suddenly grateful that I’m inonlya towel. If my hands weren’t occupied with keeping it up, they’d probably be all over Torren.
He laughs again, pressing his lips to my neck, then lays his palm on my chest, just above my racing heart.
“You can lie all you want, but your body gives you away. You like my hands on you. You like my lips on you. You like how I touch you. You like the tease of what my body could do with your body. We don’t have to conjure up chemistry. We have it. You just have to give in to it a little.”
