Page 95 of Broken Romeo
Kate’s face went cream white. The adorable pink splotches that almost always colored her cheeks blanched at the sight of Addison and me together.
Jaw tight, Kate scurried away like a cockroach sensing a nuclear explosion, disappearing behind a group of people at the front steps to the theater building.
I cringed as Addison’s tongue lapped up my neck and then shifted to nibble on my ear. She wiggled her ass into my lap, my erection from thoughts of Katherine quickly shrinking.
What was I doing? What the fuck was wrong with me? Maybe I did need to talk to my therapist about this Kate bullshit because I was acting like a lunatic with split personalities.
One minute I was fucking ravaging Katherine’s mouth and the next I was shoving her to arm’s length.
I curled an arm around Addison and tugged her off my lap.
“What the hell, Holden?” Addison snapped as I plunked her down beside me. And I didn’t blame her. Not one fucking bit.
“I’m sorry,” I muttered, then swiped a hand down my weary face. “Do us both a favor, Addison. Stay far away from me. I’m bad news.”
Her hand skimmed up my arm, squeezing when she reached my shoulder. “I thought I told you. I like bad.”
She wasn’t getting it. And who could blame her with the mixed signals I was throwing her way. “I’m serious. It’s not gonna happen, you and me.”
“Why? Because of her?”
She didn’t need to specify who she meant, and I didn’t ask her to. We both knew.
“No,” I said. I was lying, but it was fine since I was also lying to myself, right? “Because I don’t do relationships—”
“I’m not looking for a relationship either.”
I barely managed to hold back my snort.
Addison was a trust fund kid, just like me. Our parents maybe didn’t run in exactly the same circles… her family money came from Connecticut, mine from Boston, but nonetheless, I knew her type.
No matter what she said, she was looking for a big fat diamond ring. It was programmed into her.
I was about to say as much when Duncan dove into the grass beside where Addison and I were sitting.
“What’s shakin’ bacon?” he said, his face splitting into a goofy grin.
It was the perfect opportunity to unhook Addison’s arm once again from where she had latched onto me and pass her off onto Duncan. Hell, why didn’t she just go for Duncan in the first place? He was just as much a catch as me… maybe even more so since he actually dated the girls he fucked.
“Nothin’,” I grumbled and started packing my shit into my backpack.
“He’s grumpy this morning,” Addison said.
“I’m not grumpy,” I snapped. Okay… I was a little grumpy. But I didn’t need a chick I barely knew telling that to my best friend. The motherfucker lived with me. He knew when I was grumpy better than anyone.
“I think it’s this stupid notebook he’s always writing in,” Addison snatched the journal from my hands. She started to open it but I yanked it back, tearing a few pages in the process.
“Fucking hell, Addison. That’s private! What’s wrong with you?”
“Jesus, sorry.”
But she wasn’t sorry. She was smiling. This was a goddamn game to her.
In front of the doors to Turner Hall, a glimpse of Katherine once more caught my eye. I thought she’d gone inside the building, but I’d been wrong. She was standing outside, leaning against the railing at the stairs talking with Nate.
Fucking. Nate.
She tucked her hair behind her ear and pulled her bottom lip between her teeth.