More of Us ( A Love You More Rock Star Romance #3) - Laura Pavlov Page 0,12
walked in front of me beside Dean. They had something going on, and she said she liked him a lot.
“What’s happening there?” Richard whispered, so only I could hear, as he hiked beside me and we trailed in the back of the group.
“They like each other. It’s cute.” I shrugged.
“You still talking to Cruz once a week?”
“Yep.” I studied the ground beneath my feet so I didn’t trip.
“So, he’s sticking to your rules. Impressive. You can even tame a rock star, huh?”
I slapped his arm. “No. No one could tame Cruz. Nor would I want to. But yeah, he’s sticking to the once a week deal.”
“So, what happened there? Did he cheat on you?”
I came to a stop. Why was he pressing this?
“What? No. Why do you want to know?” I huffed.
He ran a hand through his hair. “Because I like you, Jade. And I haven’t met anyone that I liked this much in a long time. Not since Ella, at least, who I also sort of hate.”
We both laughed, and I let out a long breath. “You know I think you’re great. I’m just not ready to date anyone.”
“But if you were?” He wriggled his brows. It was clearly his signature move.
He really was good looking. I noticed all the girls back at the compound flirting with him, and I hoped he’d actually take interest in one of them to take the pressure off me.
“If I were? What are you asking?”
“If you were ready to date, would you date me?”
My cheeks heated, and I turned and started walking again. “I don’t know, Richard, I honestly haven’t thought about it.”
“Do you find me attractive?”
“Oh my gosh. You’re really going to do this?” I laughed.
“I am. We’re friends, right? Answer the question. Do you find me attractive?”
I stopped again and studied him. “Obviously you’re attractive.”
He fist-pumped the sky, and we both started walking again.
“Do you find me intellectually stimulating?” He bumped my shoulder with his.
“Intellectually stimulating? How old are you?” I laughed. “And obviously you’re very intelligent. You did get the same score as me on your MCAT.”
“You saw my MCAT score?”
“Please. You laid it right in front of me. You wanted me to see it,” I teased, but it was the truth.
“Okay, fine. So, you’ve met your match intellectually. Do you like spending time with me?”
“Richard. Oh my gosh. Yes. Obviously. We’re friends,” I huffed, stumbling a bit on a rock.
He caught my forearm and helped steady me. “See. We’re practically dating now. We’ve got everything but the sex.”
I stopped and gasped. “What? We’ve never even kissed. We’re not dating. We’re friends.”
He leaned forward and kissed me. It was soft and sweet. I pulled away after a few seconds, just as his tongue tried to enter where it wasn’t welcome.
“No. We’re not doing this.” I stormed ahead of him.
“Don’t be like that, Jade. Are you going to try to say you didn’t feel anything? Because I did. I liked it. And I think you did, too. But you’re too guilt-ridden over a guy who doesn’t give two shits about you.”
I whipped around and he almost slammed into me. I pointed my finger in his face and hissed, “Don’t you dare talk about him. You know nothing about Cruz.”
I walked the rest of the way in silence. Was there truth in his words, even if he got it wrong. Was I afraid to like someone else? The kiss wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t anything like kissing Cruz. Nothing would ever compare.
But it was pleasant.
And pleasant wasn’t awful.
And most importantly, pleasant was safe.
Chapter Four
Cruz
We finished our set and I dropped down on a stool backstage after a long show. My voice was raspy, and my throat felt dry as I wiped my brow with the hem of my T-shirt.