Idol (VIP 1)

“You’re supposed to be repentant,” I say.

She responds by craning her neck and kissing the tip of my nose. “Okay.”

I settle more comfortably between her legs. “Don’t give me that cute smile.” My lips brush her cheek. “I’m mad at you.”

“Uh-huh.” Her hands find my neck, her fingers digging into the tense muscles there. She snickers again.

“Keep laughing,” I say. “See where that gets you.”

“Did you know you can laugh yourself to death?”

“What? Fuck, don’t tell me that.” I kiss the crook of her neck, lingering there. “I’ll end up living in fear that one of us will die laughing.”

My hands bracket her delicate jaw, and I kiss her again, just to feel the shape of her smile. Libby melts beneath me, her lips opening. But I’m not the one doing the taking. She kisses me like I’m her favorite flavor.

Her lips curve against mine. Another smile. I’d have all of them if I could. This is why going out no longer means anything. If the guys had this, they’d get it.

“Don’t worry,” she says, playing with the short ends of my hair. “I’ll protect you.”

“Protect me from laughing? I don’t see how since you’re the one who usually makes me laugh.”

“Whenever you’re in danger of losing your breath with laughter…” She suckles my earlobe, brining me in close, her voice a soft tickle on my skin. “I’ll mention moths.”

I yelp, a jolt of ear-to-moth-induced terror lighting through me. Libby tosses her head back, cackling. I launch myself on top of her, my fingers finding her sensitive spots. “You evil pixie. Cruel, evil…”

Words dissolve. I’m done for with this girl. I sink against her with a sigh, careful not to crush her, but letting her feel my weight. My eyes close as I wrap myself around her. “I missed you today.”

My voice is muffled in her hair but she goes still, clearly hearing me.

“I was right there with you,” she says in a low voice.

“Were you?” My back tenses, and I remember her earlier distance, the coldness of being shut out. “Felt like you were somewhere else.”

She tenses too, her body squirming. I don’t let her go. She’ll run, and I hate that.

“Killian, let me breathe.”

“Breathing’s overrated,” I mutter but roll off her.

Libby sits and swings her feet over the side of the bed, giving me her back. Fuck it. I’m not letting her hide. I push up and sit next to her.

“Scottie talked to me today,” she says, staring at the floor.

“I saw.” I’d been waiting for her to tell me. For any word. Instead I’d gotten silence.

An exasperated sound tears from her throat. “You could have warned me.”

“Yeah, I could have.” I run a hand along the back of my neck. “I didn’t want to.”

She turns toward me so fast, her hair slaps my shoulder. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

I snort, holding her glare. “So you could run from it? Talk yourself out of things before you heard what he had to say? No, Libs, I’m not kidding.”

“You don’t know that—”

“I do. I know you. Whether you want to admit that or not.” I lean closer. “I. Know. You.”

I hear her teeth clack. “If you know me so well,” she grinds out, “you should know I don’t want or need you to plot my life.”

“And if you knew me at all, you’d never accuse me of that.” I lurch to my feet and pace away, my face going hot. “Shit. I mean, you seriously think that’s what I did?”

She crosses her arms over her chest. “You just admitted to talking to him!”

“Talking, Libs. That’s all. Jesus.” I clamp my hands to the back of my aching head. “He asked my opinion. I gave it. Don’t turn this into some wild conspiracy.”

Libby stands, her fists balling at her sides. “Are you telling me you didn’t bring me here thinking this would happen? That you didn’t, for one second, think about Scottie trying to make me something I’m not?”

“You think I’m going to deny that the second I played with you I knew you’d be great on a stage? I’m not.” I laugh without humor. “And you shouldn’t either.”

She blows out a breath. “I’m not a star.”

Something in me softens, and I take a step closer. “You’re already halfway there. You just don’t see it yet.”

Panic flares in her eyes, and she backs up, her lips parting as the struggles to breathe. “I want this.”

The crazy thing? I’m the one who lights up inside. Her successes have become mine. “Babe, you’ll have it.”

But she shakes her head as if I’m not getting it. “A few months ago, I was living by the sea. The only people I talked to were Mrs. Nellwood and old George at the gas station.”

“And did you like it?”

“I hated it,” she hisses, her eyes going glassy. “You took me out of that. I never dreamed this life would happen. But it’s here. And now…” A furious blush stains her cheeks. God, my girl has pride by the boatload. But her confidence has been kicked hard. Libby brushes back a lock of her hair and lifts her chin like she’s squaring off for a hit. “You agree with Scottie that I should do something that will take me away.”