Page 54 of Forbidden Romeo
“Has Megan called you back?”
His lips purse together and he gives me a little shake of his head. “Not yet.”
“Then it’s not okay yet.”
“Maybe not… but opening night is still on.”
“It is?”
“Of course,” he says, pulling back to look at me. “Why wouldn’t it be?”
I can’t tell if he’s being naive or obtuse. “Scandals sink shows all the time.”
“Nah. Scandals simply sell more tickets,” he says with a wink. “Besides, our escape, you and me, has always been the theater.” He drops his forehead tenderly to mine.
“Our escape and our torture.”
He gives a playfully lazy shrug. “We’re actors. Of course we’re masochists. Gluttons for punishment. Why else do we hover around the newsstands to read the reviews as soon as they hit the stands?”
Laurie and Erik have shifted more to the wings to talk in private, nose to nose, not exactly yelling, but their fight seemed awfully intense, even though we couldn’t hear them anymore. “What about them?” I ask. “Are they going to be okay?”
A dark veil falls over Holden's face, his features twisting into a menacing scowl. "I couldn't care less," he growls with disdain.
When he turns back to me, the malice vanishes quickly.
A wisp of Holden's cologne fills the air, a mixture of musk and spice, intoxicating and alluring. His fingertips graze my skin as he tips my chin up to his lips, sending tingles down my spine. His eyes lock onto mine with an intensity that takes my breath away. And when his lips meet mine, it's like a fire ignites between us, our mouths melding together in a fierce and forceful kiss that’s as passionate as it is possessive.
Holden's kiss is like a shot of adrenaline, leaving a rush of pleasure and wanting on my tongue. It's a mix of sweet and spicy, and I can't get enough. As the kiss ends, I feel dizzy and steady myself by grasping the soft cotton of his shirt.
“I was beginning to think we were cursed,” I whisper. “You and me.”
“What would make you think that?”
I shrug. “Every time I turn around, it feels like there’s another roadblock for this show. It’s almost like someone mentioned that Scottish play here in the theater.”
A playful gleam glistens in Holden’s whiskey eyes. “You don’t still believe that silly superstition, do you? Mac–”
“Holden, don’t you dare!”
I reach up to try to cover Holden’s mouth, but he dodges me quickly, a grin spreading along his face. “ —beth.”
I audibly gasp, my throat going dry. “Why did you do that?”
Holden leans down so we’re eye to eye, then kisses me softly on the nose. “Because I’m going to prove to you that Macbeth is just a word. Come hell or high water, you and I are starring in this original musical this Thursday. And we’re going to fucking rock it.”
CHAPTER 22
Holden
Five years ago…
Katherine’s birthday came and went with no return calls or texts.
Christmas passed by with no acknowledgement of the gifts I mailed to her parent’s house.
On New Year’s Eve, she didn’t answer my Facetime call at midnight.
Without her in my life, my drinking had gotten excessive. Which was saying something since I wasn’t exactly sober in the first place.