Dropping The Ball - A New Year’s Billionaire Romance - Weston Parker Page 0,88

hollers and whoops died down, I heard Billy’s voice carrying up to us. “Well, at least they’re not kissing. I don’t think I’m ready to see that.”

“You might want to leave soon then,” Jules replied. “I have a feeling there’s about to be a lot of kissing in just a minute. Maybe more. I think I’ll stay and see. I wouldn’t mind seeing Carter without his shirt on.”

There was a soft thump, which I assumed was Billy punching Jules’s arm, followed by my friend’s rich laughter. Then the door swung shut several seconds later. As if the spell between us had been broken by the exchange, Carter pulled back and slowly set me down on my feet.

I opened my mouth to unleash the mother of all apologies until I saw the thunderous expression on his face. All the hope in my heart disappeared with a poof worthy of the famous Elphaba. “What happened?”

“The Times strikes again. That’s what.” Reaching into his pocket, he handed over his phone and took a step away from me. “I’m so sorry, Ry. I never should’ve let it go that far. It only happened a couple of hours ago. I have no idea how he printed it so quickly.”

I glanced down at the screen and tasted bile on the back of my tongue when I read what Nathan had written this time. Ha. Biles causes bile should be his catch phrase.

Front and center, there was a picture of Carter mid-punch with Nathan at the receiving end of it. His eyes were wide and his mouth was open. The headline screamed about how I was involved with an abusive man.

“I know I fucked up again,” Carter said. “Nathan came into the bar where Billy and I were. He said some stuff about you and I just lashed out.”

I frowned so hard I hoped my mother hadn’t been right about one’s face staying that way, and thrust the phone back at him without reading another word. “No, you didn’t fuck up.”

Closing the distance he’d put between us, I reached up and captured his gorgeous yet significantly more bearded than usual face between my hands. “It looks like a setup if you ask me. Even if it wasn’t, good for punching that asshole. I hate that guy. I don’t know what he said about me, but I’m sure it must’ve been vile for you to react like that.”

“It was.” He wrapped his arms around my waist, tugging me right up against him as his deep brown eyes looked into mine. “You’re not pissed off at me?”

“Not even a little.” Pushing up on my toes, I planted my hands at the nape of his neck and pulled his face down to mine. I was met with no resistance when I claimed his mouth with my own and kissed him with everything I had.

He gathered me back up in his arms just like we had been before, carrying me until my back hit the wall next to the stairs leading off the stage. His fingers plowed into my loose hair, his mouth hungry and wild on mine.

A loud wolf-whistle made us break apart, our chests rising and falling heavily before I erupted into a fit of giggles at Jules’s next words. “I’m still here, guys. Before you ask, I can’t leave. I have to lock up behind us. Now get those horny asses of yours to a public place and talk before you maul each other like that.”

Chapter 31

CARTER

Rylee fidgeted nervously with the zipper on her jacket when we walked out of the performing arts center side by side. She glanced up at me with a mixture of fear and joy in those bright blue eyes I loved so much, putting a hand on my bicep before we hit the sidewalk.

We stood underneath a small awning outside. People were rushing by us on the street, but I hardly noticed any of them. As soon as she looked at me, there was just her. Just Rylee in this bubble that belonged only to us even in a city filled with millions of others.

“I’m sorry for yelling at you,” she said, walking around to stand in front of me. She jutted her chin out, determination in the set of her jaw despite that hint of fear still in her brow. “I thought I was doing the right thing.”

“You don’t need to—” I started, but her eyes rounded and she placed both hands softly on my chest. My heart jumped beneath her palms,