“Oh?” I wasn’t expecting that answer, and my voice cracks around my reaction. I cringe, but I power through, needing to know whatusreally means to Connie. “What did you say exactly?”
“That we were …” She pauses. “You know, seeing each other.”
Vague. But I’ll take it. It also explains why my brother called me this morning. There’s no plausible universe where James would keep such a thing from Ozzy.
But that’s only speculation since I didn’t actually pick up his call.
“How did she react?”
“A lot better than I expected, actually. I think she’s just happy that I’m moving on from —” She stops in her tracks as if not wanting to name her ex out loud. “Everything that happened back in LA.” She laughs, but it’s a little dejected. “I guess I was the only one who thought you and I getting together was such a bad idea. I’m not sure why I thought it’d be a much bigger deal than it is.”
“I should tell Sophia,” I mutter.
“Oh, she already knows.”
“What?” I say, slightly alarmed. “When?”
Connie takes a step back as if assessing her work, then her eyes flick to mine, and she smirks. Her smile slowly widens, seemingly finding my reaction amusing. She rubs her forehead with the back of her gloved hand, still holding the brush.
“I don’t know, like, a few days before I called you?”
I can’t believe my sister didn’t mention it.
She’s a fucking vault that one.
“Why would you tell Soph before James?”
“Because you were ignoring me, and I needed advice, so I went straight to the source.”
“And what didshesay?” I ask with a bite of impatience.
I suddenly feel way too perceived, my shirt collar tightens around my neck at the thought of being discussed and dissected like a lab rat.
She winks. “That’s between her and I.” She doesn’t give me a chance to react. Throwing the dye brush in the sink, she takes her gloves off before swiveling back to face me, her hazel eyes sparkling. “I’m done. Want to see?”
She holds out both hands for me to take and pulls me up to my feet. I know she wants me to see myself in the mirror, but I take the opportunity to circle my arms around her waist instead and pull her into me.
I kiss her softly and with no urgency. She hums in response, her hands slipping up my pecs to rest close to my shoulders, and my body tingles from my nape to the very tips of my fingers.
After finally having a good, long taste of her lips, I pull away but keep my arms circled around her. Connie’s only a few inches shorter than me, so her chin lifts slightly, gazing longingly into my eyes.
“What was that for?” she says dreamily, rubbing my shoulders.
I smile warmly and give her another lingering kiss before answering, “Because I can.”
Her gaze turns hooded, and she giggles, kissing me back. Quickly breaking away, she takes my hand and pulls me to the mirror.
“Look,” she says proudly. “Do you like it?”
I take a step closer, leaning the upper half of my body toward the mirror while I stare at my reflection. A dozen or so black hearts adorn my head, contrasted against the fading blue of my hair. I turn my head from one side to the other and grin, finding her gaze through the mirror.
“I love it.”
She beams and lifts her heels up and down while clapping her hands as if she won a prize.
My grin widens as I turn around to face her and lean my palms against the bathroom counter.
“So we need to wait, what? Like thirty minutes before rinsing it off?” I ask.
