Page 49 of Fame & Chaos

Hard.

Not soft or romantic.

Just enough force to make her gasp into my mouth.

She kisses me back, fingers sliding into my hair while she presses herself against me, and for a second, I let myself disappear into it.

Into the heat.

Into the distraction.

Into pretending this is enough.

But even while I’m kissing Angelica, my stupid brain betrays me. Because somewhere in the middle of it all, I’m still thinking about Indi.

Still comparing.

Still missing her.

Then suddenly something slams into us from the side.

Our heads crack together painfully, and Angelica yelps while I stumble backward, swearing loudly. “What the fuck?” I grab my forehead before turning toward the source of the collision and spotting Annie sprawled on the ground, laughing hysterically.

“Jesus Christ, Annie!” I bark. “What the hell are you doing?”

She keeps laughing so hard she nearly tips sideways.

Then she hiccups.

Uh-oh.

I narrow my eyes and crouch beside her. “What’s wrong with you?”

She giggles again and waves a hand lazily through the air.

Another hiccup follows.

A bad feeling settles in my stomach.

“Annie…” I grab her chin gently and force her to look at me properly. “Are you… drunk?”

She shakes her head too quickly, then gags from the movement and clamps a hand over her mouth.

Oh, for fuck’s sake.

“Jesus, Annie,” I mutter, looking around frantically. “I need to get you out of here before someone takes a photo.”

The last thing Colt needs is headlines about his underage daughter getting completely smashed at her birthday party.

Annie just laughs harder as I scoop her into my arms. At least she still has enough coordination to cling to me properly. Her arms loop around my neck while she giggles into my shoulder like this is the funniest thing that’s ever happened to her.

Meanwhile, my night with Angelica is officially dead.

Fantastic.

I glance back toward Angel and lean down, pressing a quick kiss against her cheek. “Rain check?” I murmur.

Before Angelica can answer, Annie points at her dramatically. “I drank your stole!” she blurts out proudly.