Rocked (The Everyday Heroes World) - Julia Wolf Page 0,70
actor’s mostly-glass house tucked into a brushy hillside, she gripped my hand.
“I hope you don’t mind me clinging to you like a monkey,” she said.
Laughing, I brought her hand up to my mouth and nibbled her knuckles. “Why the hell would I ever mind that?”
She nodded. “Good. And if I feel weird, even if we’re only in there five minutes—”
“Lady, we don’t even have to leave this car.”
“I want to see how you live. Isn’t this the kind of party you’d be going to on the weekend?” The moon shone through the windshield, casting a pale, ethereal light on Kat’s face. She looked like a damn angel, distracting me from everything.
She shoved my forehead. “I see those eyes, and the way you’re looking at me. Don’t get soft on me, Devon Chambers.”
“Sometimes it can’t be helped, Kat Murphy.” I kissed her knuckles before releasing her hand. “Come on. The sooner we get in there, the sooner I can get you home.”
I didn’t even remember the name of the actor whose house we were entering, but he was clearly doing well for himself. From the outside, all the windows had given the house a stark appearance, but inside, it was warmer. It had a mid-century style, with dark wood floors and low furniture. There weren’t a lot of people here, but the night was young, and some guests were already making use of the glowing pool in the backyard.
I followed Kat’s lead, checking out the art on the walls as we moved through the house. The fireplace in the living room was floor to twelve-foot-ceiling natural stone. Her head went back, eyes darting around each crevice and divot. When it dawned on me what she was doing, I had to laugh.
“Shit, you’re thinking about climbing that, aren’t you?”
“Mmhmm.” Her eyes never strayed from the stone. “If I weren’t wearing this dress, and it wouldn’t be unspeakably rude, I’d be trying it out. I’ve already visually calculated my route.”
The man who’d been standing near Kat with his back turned suddenly faced us, his eyebrows up, a slow grin taking over his mouth. “I’ve tried climbing that wall more times than I can count. Eventually, I gave up and had a rock wall installed in my gym,” he said.
Kat covered her mouth. “Is this your house?”
He chuckled, and damn if his pretty, Hollywood eyes didn’t sparkle. “It is, indeed. I’m Carter.”
“Kat.” Her hand landed on my chest. “And this is Devon.”
Carter’s eyes widened. The dude hadn’t even noticed me standing here, not with Kat all dazzling and bright.
“Holy shit, Devon Chambers. I’m honored you’re here,” Carter said. And yeah, maybe he was sincere, but he’d gone back to looking at Kat, so I wanted to punch his stupidly perfect nose. “Are you a climber?”
“I am,” Kat said. “As soon as I could walk, I was scaling furniture. Now I spend my free time cragging.”
I stood there while the two of them traded climbing stories. Turned out, Carter was more than a hobbyist. He was as serious about the sport as Kat, so they had a lot to talk about.
It was a different experience for me, feeling like the third wheel. Normally at parties like these, I got a decent amount of attention—not happening with pretty boy movie star and Kat.
I laid my hand on the middle of Kat’s back. “I see my manager. You good if I go talk to him?”
Her head turned, and her brows pulled together. “I’m sorry. I got carried away. I can go with you.”
“You’re good. Have fun.” I jerked my head toward the patio area. “I’ll be over there. Come find me when you’re ready.”
“Hey,” Carter grabbed my arm, “anything you need to feel more comfortable?”
The way he said it, low and secretive, I knew what he was offering. There was a time I would have taken him up on it and asked questions later. Those days had sailed, though. I’d rather be miserable than out of my mind.
“Nah, I’m walking the straight and narrow these days, man. I’m good.”
He seemed to think that was the funniest thing he’d ever heard. Bending over at the waist, he laughed his head off. When I didn’t join him, he sobered up. “Oh shit, sorry. I thought you were kidding.”
Riddled with shame, I couldn’t even look at Kat. Telling her how ugly my life was and her seeing it for herself were two very different things. I had no desire to see her expression right now. It’d kill me if she