Stroke It - Brooke Page Page 0,20

hotel room was closed behind us.

“Well…”

“Well, what?” I snapped.

He narrowed his eyes at me, his hands finding his skinny hips. “Don’t play dumb with me, Missy. You know exactly what I’m waiting for you to discuss.”

I rolled my eyes and huffed, flopping on the king size bed, the fluffy comforter poofing when I landed.

“I don’t want to!” I groaned into the blankets.

Calvin plopped on the bed next to me. “You don’t have a choice. I gave you time to marinate, now you need to spill.”

I rolled away from him. “I’m not sure why you think I have anything to say. I was just singing. You’ve been to mic checks and rehearsals before.”

Calvin grabbed my shoulder, forcing me to roll toward him. “Your panties got damp, didn’t they?”

I slugged his shoulder, getting a grunt out of him. “You know Jet Ryder is a pain in my ass! I can’t stand him!”

Calvin stayed laying on his side, using his hand to hold up his chin. “Yet you didn’t refuse to work with him?”

“You know how the label is,” I said quietly. “They don’t really give me a choice.”

He lifted a brow. “No, but Jet Ryder’s does.”

My heart panged in my chest, and I shook to rid myself of the butterflies. “You’ve never met his manager,” I countered. “He can bullhead all of those guys into doing things they don’t want to do.”

“You still have the hots for him.”

I took a gulp of air, then let it out in a slow release. Calvin was right about one thing, my attraction to Jet was still there, and although I hated when he opened his mouth to talk, he still had a grip on me.

“Maybe you just need to sleep with him,” Calvin suggested. “You know, once you’ve tasted the forbidden fruit, maybe it won’t be as desirable?”

I rolled to my back, my eyes transfixed on the little bumps of the ceiling. “That didn’t work out so well for Eve.”

“Or Adam.”

Letting out a big exhale, I closed my eyes. “I don’t know why I can’t stop thinking about him.”

“Probably because you’ve been in a toxic relationship that keeps you wanting and needing,” Calvin said nonchalantly.

I sat up to argue with him, but a knock on the door distracted me.

Calvin smoothly stood, taking long strides to the door. He peeked through the hole, then whipped his head in my direction, a wicked grin spreading across his face. “I’m going to run downstairs to get a cocktail and flirt with the bartender while you entertain your guest.”

I frowned, coming to my feet and marching toward him. “What are you talking about?”

Calvin flung the door open. “Excuse me, I’m assuming you’re looking for Raina?” Then slid past Jet Ryder standing just outside the door frame.

“I was just bringing her sweatshirt back…” his voice faded while he watched Calvin practically skipping down the hallway. “Dude, you don’t have to go.”

“He has a habit of leaving awkward situations,” I said bluntly, snatching the fabric from his hands.

“Um, you’re welcome? Who said it was awkward?”

My jaw clenched. I wanted to smack the smug grin from his face. “That whole rehearsal.”

His shoulders sagged. “It was only awkward because you made it that way.”

“I did not,” I grumbled. “I did what I was supposed to do.”

“And I did what was natural. You were the one fighting it,” he murmured.

I caught my bottom lip between my teeth. “Why are you really here? Anyone could have brought this back for me,” I asked, shaking my sweater. “Do you enjoy pissing me off?”

He smirked, taking a step closer, crossing the barrier of the threshold. “Only because it’s so easy to do.”

I stood my ground, crossing my own arms and defiantly held my chin high. “I bet you have that effect on a lot of people.”

He raised a brow, stepping so we were inches apart. “Did the tabloids tell you that?”

I made a sound of disgust, then spun on my heel, storming into my room. “You really like to hold grudges, don’t you?”

He strolled behind me, running his finger along the hotel room wall. “Nah, but apparently you can’t let shit go.”

“And you still like to deflect questions.”

“I wouldn’t talk,” he glared.

I spun back to face him. “I don’t read tabloids anymore. As we’ve said before, all they talk about is gossip, fake relationships, and breakups. We’ll be in one after this concert.”

He smiled, his incredibly white teeth radiating. Holding his hands out to his sides for effect, he said, “I can picture it now, Jet Ryder