Tangled Up In You (Rogue #1)

Chapter 34

34

SOPHIE

T he party was still going strong at four o’clock, as Gavin and Christian held court on a set of sofas, a crowd around them, including some of the members of The Strokes, as they exchanged tour stories.

Sophie, not yet used to keeping these late hours, found herself close to nodding off so she wound her way past the third level and out onto the roof. The cool early-morning air was refreshing and the sky was beginning to brighten at the edges. Looking over the rooftop railing, she was surprised by the amount of foot and street traffic.

“This is a nice hideout,” Conor said, coming up behind her. He held a joint in one hand and a bottle of water in the other.

She glanced at him before looking up, trying unsuccessfully to find any hint of stars.

“What are you escaping from, then?” he asked.

She looked at him again, wary. “Maybe you, depending on what you’ve got to say to me now,” she replied with a laugh.

His smile was tight, contrite. “Care for a hit?” He held out the joint.

“No, I’m good.”

They were quiet together as he smoked.

“Listen,” he finally said, “drink got the better of me. Forgive me?”

“It was the alcohol, huh?”

“I dunno. No, I guess not.” He shook his head, frustrated. “Maybe I’m just not good with change. Everything was on a roll. We’re just getting started with this band. But now it’s all going to be different.”

“And I’m to blame?”

“You’re … yeah, you’re to blame,” he said with a laugh. “Listen, I think you’re great. I’ve always liked you, Soph. You’re as sweet as can be and you’re clearly the answer to all of Gav’s woes. But it’s going to take me a minute to get used to the new dynamic of you being a part of all of this.”

“I get that. But you have to know I don’t want to harm the band. I’m not the enemy here.”

“Ah, I know you’re not.”

She examined him and saw that he was sincere. “Good.”

They shared more silence as he finished the joint and then drained his water bottle.

“Do you guys usually stay out until dawn with crowds of strangers like this?” she asked, holding back a yawn.

“More often than not.” He paused. “It was a shit thing to say about Gav being with other women.”

She shrugged. “It was just the truth. I know he was … enjoying himself before. But I also know that I completely satisfy him now.”

Her assertion seemed to have an effect on him because he was watching her in that heated way he’d done before, his eyes traveling over the length of her body as if imagining what was beneath her skimpy dress and the ways she might completely satisfy him .

When a breeze picked up and left her skin with goosebumps, she rubbed her arms.

“Connie, be a gentleman and give me your jacket.” She wasn’t that cold but she wanted to disrupt whatever dirty thoughts he was having.

She looked back down at the street below, expecting the warmth of his jacket to cover her shoulders. Instead, she felt the heat of his body as he moved behind her and trailed his fingers along the bare skin of her back. His unexpected touch sent a shiver through her.

“Shh,” he murmured, his lips grazing the shell of her ear. He placed his warm palm against the cool skin at the small of her back, his fingertips just inside the fabric of her dress.

She felt herself being seduced by this simple contact. The fact that he could have this effect on her was disorientating. She should pull away. Except, she wanted to know what he would do next.

“Shame you’ve never known another man’s touch,” he said, his voice low and sexy. “You’d like it. I’d make sure of that.” He removed his hand, but at the same time leaned into her and gently pressed his lips to the side of her neck for just a moment before placing his jacket over her shoulders.

Taking in a deep, sharp breath, she finally pulled away from him and walked several feet toward the other side of the rooftop. She’d wanted to know what he would do next, but the feel of his lips on the tender skin of her neck was too much. Because it made her want to melt into him and that was not something she would do. He was her fiancé’s best friend. What was happening?

When she turned back around, she found he had disappeared. Frustrated and confused, she pushed her hands into the pockets of his jacket and felt paper and slippery packets. Curiosity got the better of her and she pulled them out. There were three condoms and half a dozen scraps of paper with phone numbers hastily jotted down.

She laughed to herself, recognizing that what Conor had done with her was just him being a player. He’d done all of that to get a reaction out of her. And yeah, okay, it worked. He’d sensually teased her and made her want more. But it was all a game to him. Maybe he was even testing her to see if she would be loyal to Gavin. More likely, it was all for his own amusement. But whatever game he’d been playing was clearly over. She shook her head and decided not to take any of it seriously.