Page 37 of Dream (Fighting Fate)

Liv glanced around the room, nervous and unsure. Her gaze landed on Dean, her eyes questioning.

Dean watched her for a little while, his gaze turning a little darker. “Are you sure you don’t want to be a singer?” he asked softly. His voice held a slight amusement to it, but I could hear the underlying seriousness.

She laughed a full belly laugh that immediately expelled her tension. “Definitely.”

Aiden shook his head. “That was perfect, man. I didn’t hear anything that needed changing.” He turned to face me. “What do you think, Josh? You’d have more of an idea than anyone else.”

The instant it came out, he realized he might have just messed up. I could see it in the way his eyes widened a fraction. I played along, though, making out I was unfazed. “I agree. It was perfect.”

Everyone started talking then, discussing the lyrics versus the story line, and Aiden suggested they sing it again so they could record it. Liv’s eyes widened, but Jace reassured her it was purely for them to go back to when they were ready to find someone to sing it with Dean. She agreed, and they sang it again, somehow managing to sound even better.

By the time they’d finished, my limit had been reached. Without saying a word, I walked over to her and took her hand, pulling her up and leading her up to my room.

Chapter 23

Olivia

The door had barely closed before Josh had me pressed up against it and was kissing me like it was the last time he’d ever get to feel his lips on mine. Of course, I responded eagerly. I’d happily take whatever it was he had to give me.

Getting to meet the guys from Fighting Fate and sing with Dean like that had been amazing, but they were going to see him time and time again after the summer ended. I wasn’t even sure how long I had.

“Why do you have to be so goddamn sexy?” Josh groaned against my mouth.

His words did something to my insides, making me need to press myself up against him even more. I deepened the kiss, my hands gripping his hair in a desperate attempt to keep him there.

Josh’s hands found their way under the hem of my shirt, his fingers burning a trail across my stomach. I gasped. Who would’ve thought having someone touch my bare skin would feel so incredibly good? His mouth moved over my jaw, kissing along the ridge of it and down the column of my neck. I clung to him even tighter. A surge of heat went through my core, pulsing between my legs. It ached for attention. A soft whimpery moan escaped me, causing Josh’s hands to tighten even more.

But then a loud baby’s cry pierced the air, jerking me out of the haze I seemed to have slipped into. Holy crap. I was breathing like I’d just run a mile.

I pulled back to try to put a little space between us. Josh seemed to be breathing just as hard as I was, and when I looked in his eyes, they were dark and sexy as all hell. Somehow, we’d moved into the middle of the room.

“That would be Mae,” he said gruffly.

I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. My voice was still lost. Instead, I nodded. I hadn’t seen much of Daniel or Amy since they’d introduced themselves on Aunt Jenny’s doorstep last week. Probably only three times, and only the first few times I’d been here.

I still found it fascinating that Dani

el and Amy were married with a kid. They weren’t that much older than I was, and I hadn’t even had sex yet. “I haven’t seen either of them much this week. Don’t they ever come out?”

Josh smiled a little, the tension from our kiss finally subsiding. “Daniel’s been away working for a few months, so he hasn’t seen them much. I guess they’re making up for lost time.”

I blushed when I realized what he meant. “Oh.”

He chuckled softly, running his hand over my hip.

I was starting to feel exceedingly incompetent when it came to the physical side of our relationship—if that was what you wanted to call it. I knew he had to have been with quite a number of girls. He was too hot not to have. “Does it bother you? That I don’t have any experience?” I said, cocking my head to the side.

Josh’s eyes widened. “Of course not. I’m . . . uh . . . I think things would be different between us if you had.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

He sighed and shifted uncomfortably. “I see a lot with my work, Liv. And most of it isn’t good. People will do a lot of things they probably shouldn’t for a lot of reasons. I like that you don’t think that way.”

I felt my frown deepen. I didn’t understand. I mean, I knew there were people out there who slept their way to wherever they were trying to get to, and I knew there were girls who slept with celebrities just so they could say they had, but I didn’t understand why he was applying that to me. “I don’t understand.”

Josh groaned and lifted his face toward the ceiling. “It’s just . . . you’re so sweet, Liv. You’re pure and honest and good. And I promised myself a long time ago that I wouldn’t take advantage of that in anyone.” He lowered his gaze until it was burning into me. “I haven’t had a problem keeping that promise. Until now. You make me want to break it every time I see you. I need you to keep me from you. Every time I get my hands on you, it’s harder to let you go.”

I stared at him, wide-eyed. Holy crap. That speech only made me want to grab him and force him to have his way with me. I cleared my throat. “I think that might’ve actually had the opposite effect of what you were going for.”

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