Topped by Kayti McGee Read Free Book Online Page A

romance.”
    Best cheers ever. I clink glasses with him and shoot it. An uncontrollable shudder mows down my spine, and Joe laughs at me. “Wow. I don’t—whiskey is not normally my jam.”
    “Good though, right?” He rests his arm on the back of my chair. I find myself leaning against him and he doesn’t move. Does he like it? I like it. Oh my lord, do I like it. Can he possibly feel how the chills from the shot pale in comparison to the chills his skin gives me? “One of my favorites.”
    “Do you buy them for all the girls?” Please say no.
    “Only the pretty ones.” Close enough, you flatterer.
    We spend another hour in the bar, laughing over ridiculous jokes and stupid stories. It’s the most fun I’ve had with anyone in weeks. Our chairs move closer together, our hands brush and our legs entwine. I feel like I’m back in high school, giggling over a crush and feeling like bubbles replaced all the blood in my veins. We are magnets, inexorably drawn together, incapable of separating for long. It’s thrilling, it’s amazing, and I’m completely intoxicated by the nearness of him.
    “You’re amazing,” he says, gently pushing a strand of hair out of my face. “I could laugh with you all night.”
    “This is the most fun I’ve had in ages,” I admit. I glance outside and see the moon rising over the horizon. We’ve been here a long time, and I’ve probably missed the Entwined party entirely. I find myself not caring. “My stomach hurts from laughing. Can we call this Core Day?”
    “Listen.” His voice turns serious and my stomach flips. “I’ve got a room here at the hotel. Would you…do you…maybe…” his voice suddenly gets more authoritative “…want to take the party upstairs?”
    My brain is screaming, Yes! Yes! Yes! I take a moment to pretend to think about it, a sly smile on my face as I sip my wine. I didn’t miss how he wasn’t sure how to ask. That means he doesn’t do this all the time. That means I can so say yes without feeling like any girl in the bar could have gotten this invite.
    Sure, I was hoping to bang a cover model, but I wanted him to want me , you know? “You’re inviting me to your room?” I double-check.
    “Absolutely.” He smiles and I melt, cause I am all ice cream and arousal. “Maybe pop open the mini bar and see where the night takes us. What do you say?”
    I finish my wine and gather my fake Louis that looks even realer with a coat of cabernet on my vision. “How can I say no to that?”
    He takes my hand and leads me to the elevator. After he jabs the button, he looks around at the deserted lobby. Not a soul in sight. Joe presses me against the wall and my legs turn to jelly, he cups my face and it goes numb, and he kisses me deep and I. Cannot. Even. Cope.
    His tongue’s heat, his taste of faint whiskey, his breath hot on my face as his big hands clasp mine—Christ on a cupcake. I feel my knees tremble beneath me as our mouths unite.
    A small warning flag flares in my head. It’s entirely possible he’ll kiss and tell, and I know of many authors who slept with industry people and word passed around…but I’m tipsy and he’s gorgeous, and this sounds exactly like the kind of trouble I want to get into.

Chapter Four

Joe
    T oday has been full of unexpected surprises. Bethany Bonafont hit on me. Not a pleasant surprise. But then, not only did I learn all about some excellent new marketing strategies, met some online friends in person, and got half-price drinks at the bar, but I’m currently making out with an incredibly hot woman in an elevator, on the way up to my room.
    And, and , she totally thinks I’m a model.
    I mean, I was…once. And I was amazingly ripped…once. I still have a hot bod, but to think I’m a shirtless model, walking around to pick up girls’ phone numbers? Ha-ha! This is an excellent day. I’d pat myself on the back if my hands weren’t currently up her shirt.
    She is loving it, by the way.
    Joe McCoy, Stud