Page 12 of Dirty Like Us

Yeah… not the best thing to do after kissing a woman. Kinda ranked right up there with laughing at her and throwingup.

I saw it in her gray eyes… the exact moment she started hating me. Or at least, hating me more than she alreadydid.

Her face shut down and she wrapped her arms around her chest as she sat there on the floor staring up at me, next-to-naked in her lace panties, looking small and so fucking vulnerable it guttedme.

“You’re so full of shit,” shewhispered.

“Maggie—”

“Getout.”

And for once, there was no arguing the point. I was the world’s biggest asshole, and now she hadproof.

I got the fuckout.

Chapter Three

Maggie

There were fuck ups,and then there were FuckUps.

And I had just FuckedUp.

Despite how I might look, given that I was on the petite side and my tastes ran to pretty makeup, manicures and four-inch-heels—in which I was still petite—I was a tough chick. Had to be, given the life I lived and the job I had to do. Which meant that Fucking Up the way I just did hurt in a way I didn’t often feel hurt, because my night had already gone bad, I’d already been hurt bad, and now I’d taken that hurt from bad toworse.

And now I, Maggie Omura, the tough girl, the “on it” girl, the organized-as-fuck girl, the girlalwaysarmed with a plan, was at a loss for what to do aboutit.

For once, I had noplan.

I didn’t even have the firstclue.

Freshly showered and wrapped in a hotel bathrobe, I leaned against the low wall of the giant rooftop patio, gazing out over the shimmering lights of the Strip below, as if they might have answers. I had my sunglasses on, dimming the night around me, because my eyes felt suspiciously tingly andno onewas gonna see mycry.

Not that anyone wasaround.

I’d already checked to make sure Coop and the groupies were gone; the main room of the suite was empty, the music turned off, and Zane was nowhere to be seen. The only thing out of place was a random lacy stocking, which I’d deposited in the trash before heading outside for someair.

The patio ran the full length of the penthouse, but I stuck to my own end. The last thing I needed was to wander past the glass doors that opened onto the master bedroom and glimpse Zane in there naked and doing God-knew-what.

I’d had enough of that man and his dick for onenight.

You’re just mad because he shoved you away before you got to the really goodpart.

Jesus, but you can be a perv,Mom.

God, why’d she have to butt into this? Not as if she’d never made any questionable decisions when it came to a charming, slutty rockstar.

Guess this particular strain of masochism ran in thefamily.

I tore the foil from the top of the champagne bottle and untwisted the wire that secured the cork. To hell with my dad and his stupid free shit with all the strings attached. I was gonna drink his champagne, because fuckhim.

And fuck Zane, too. Whatever his problem was, it was so not my problem. I just needed to rememberthat.

“Managing” the members of this band only went so fuckingfar.

I popped the cork and sucked off the gush of bubbly that erupted, hoping maybe I could lose the last hour-and-a-half of my life to champagne-induced bliss… because I couldn’t even wrap my head aroundit.

I kissedZane.