My Summer in Seoul

My lips buzzed.

Chest tight, I just nodded and said, “Thank you.”

He wrapped an arm around me. “You’ve worked hard.” And then, “I’m glad you’re here, Grace.”

Run me over, please.

“Me too,” I said in a weak voice.

“We should get back.” He covered his mouth with his hand and yawned. “We have another early morning, and if Sookie wants to sleep after all this sugar…”

I found myself laughing despite the fact that I felt sick to my stomach because he’d kissed me. “You guys act like he’s twelve. Guaranteed he’s more mature than you realize.”

“Oh, I know that.” Rae waved me off. “I’m just trying to make him feel guilty about it until it’s time for him to reveal to the world he already has twelve tattoos, five piercings, and curses so much that I want to cover the other guys’ ears.”

“Wh-what?” I was stunned stupid. “What do you mean?”

“He’s who the label wants him to be… but behind closed doors… he’s pretty much one of the most rebellious out of everyone, Lucas included.” He laughed. “The guys kind of know it, but just go with it. Since I’m the leader, he confides in me. He’s so talented it’s ridiculous.”

“Aw…” I patted him on the arm. “You’re a proud dad.”

He barked out a laugh. “I guess I am.” He tilted his head. “Did you have fun?”

“Yeah, I did.” I swallowed the golf ball in my throat. “I’ll have to thank Solia for letting me sneak out for a company thank you dinner.”

Rae opened his mouth then closed it, finally saying. “Good idea.”

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Cheaters…

Grace

I was a cheating whore. I huffed out a breath and stared through the darkness, trying in vain to see the ceiling above my bed.

Okay, not really.

If I looked at it logically, I had been completely ambushed, told that it was a company dinner… and then he’d kissed me.

Why!

I mean, it was the quickest kiss ever. Frowning, I leaned up on my elbow. Was it some sort of cultural thing, like Europeans kissing on each cheek or air kissing?

I kissed my dad sometimes on the corner of the mouth—or I used to. And my guy friends, I always kissed them on the cheek.

I chewed my lower lip and flopped back down against the soft mattress, then kicked my legs into the air and slammed them against the bed in frustration.

I had to tell Lucas.

But I didn’t have his number, and it wasn’t like I could just army crawl to his room, knock on his door, let myself in, steal his phone, and… Yeah, already the plan was foiled. Besides, I could just imagine Jay filming the whole thing and using it later as blackmail—because that was something I would totally do, and part of me at times felt like Jay and I were a lot alike. He wasn’t above using evidence to get his way.

In frustration, I decided to go make some tea, stopping short in the doorway, surprised to discover Sookie was in the kitchen. Was it weird that I was searching his body for tattoos since he was in a tank and shorts? The fact that he was this rebellious little thing underneath that near perfect innocent facade was fascinating.

He poured himself a cup, then grabbed another mug and poured me some.

I sighed and stole a look at his arms. Damn, he was even more built than I realized. What was happening to my little Sookie? “Thanks, I couldn’t sleep.”

His shrug was easy, confident, cool.

“So, you have tattoos, hmmm?”

Already lifting the mug toward his full mouth, he hesitated, and his eyes met mine with amusement and an adorable half-shrug that basically said, you wish you knew, huh?

“Just flying under the radar…” I tsked. “And here I thought you were super innocent.”

“I am,” he answered slowly in a low voice that had me narrowing my eyes at him.

The hell he was! How had I never seen it? Like it was a part he played but not for long, oh no, not for long. Sookie was gonna come out to play, and it would be soon.

The world was not ready.

“Lies.” I pulled out a chair then turned to him. “Do you have Lucas’s number?”

He continued sipping on his drink, then he paused, and a deep sigh escaped. “Number? Lucas?”

“Mmm.” I nodded.

He held out his hand.

Oh! He wanted my phone.

“Let me grab it!” I nearly fell off the stool, sprinted into my room, grabbed my phone, and raced back, unlocking it with my print as I walked and handed it to him.

He smiled at me, so stinking cute and playful. The guys would have a handful when this guy got older, seriously.

He set his mug down, hit the phone app, and typed in a number; it was then I noticed he had two finger tattoos.

“No. Way.” I gasped. “You have a music note tattooed on your pinky and SWT on your forefinger!”