Page 15 of Rising Star

“No. They’re all yours. I chose the one in the pretty pink bottle. Because I like pink. And unicorns like pink too. What’s your favorite color?”

I let out a snicker. “Pink is great. I love yellow too.”

“Cool. Wanna play with me and Mika?”

“Sure. I’ll meet you guys in about ten minutes.”

“Mika is in the castle outside.”

“I’ll find you when I’m done here.”

Justine traipsed away, a large smile on her face and her eyes full of sparks.

I started toward my bedroom when I caught sight of Sam frozen in the den archway. Tight jaw. Flared nose. Dilated pupils. Firmed shoulders. He looked both intimidating and alluring. This version of him played with every thread of my control. He watched me. No, he undressed me with his eyes from afar. My towel would catch fire anytime. I tightened my grip around its edge. He said nothing and walked past me, leaving a whiff of his cologne in its wake, warning Justine to not climb on the kitchen stool by herself.

I had never felt more naked than I did right now.

In the bathroom, still shaky from the hot encounter that had me squeezing my thighs together, I avoided looking at myself in the mirror as I applied one of the cooling gels to my sensitive flesh. Shivers moved from my head to my toes, the ache slowly settling in.

After I dressed in a loose cotton shirt and lounge pants, I gathered my clothes and towel and carried them to the laundry room at the end of the hallway.

I sucked in a quick breath, and my heart did a flip as I walked in.

Bare-chested and giving me a frontal row view of his muscled abs, Sam stood there, his black shirt hanging from one hand.

His features darkened. A wrinkle crossed his forehead. From up close, he looked even more daunting due to his broodiness and the six inches he had over me, but also more handsome. And lethal. To me.

“Sorry,” I said, glancing down, trying to get away from his spell. “I should have knocked. I didn’t mean to…it wasn’t…I was…”

I closed my eyes on a sigh and spun on the balls of my feet, ready to bolt out of there. A powerful hand circled my wrist and forced me to stay where I was.

With a scrunched-up face, I tilted my head back. Sam stared right at me. The strength of his gaze punctured holes through my blazing epidermis.

His voice had roughened up too. “Stop apologizing, Maddie.” Again, why was my name so sexy every time it rolled off his tongue? “Justine dropped her juice all over me, and I had to change my shirt.”

Could I conceal all the sensations dancing inside me if I tried hard enough?

On their own accord, my eyes traveled down his corded forearms and the V leading down to his pants. If I didn’t get a grip over myself, soon I’d be drooling.

I’d never ogled a man without shame like this ever before.

Whatever I told myself, I couldn’t look elsewhere. My tongue darted out to lick my lips. The lines weren’t blurry anymore. They had vanished.

“Are you okay?” Sam’s voice brought me back to the present moment. Was I still eating him up with my eyes while I was lost in my thoughts?

“I told Justine I’d play outside with her and Mika, but if it’s fine with you, I’d take a nap instead. I-I feel lightheaded.”

He talked gibberish.

“What?” I asked.

“Nothing.”

“Are you sure?”

“Sure. I’m out of town tomorrow. Hopefully, you’ll feel better by the morning. I’ll come to get you when dinner is ready.”

We fixated on each other for another beat, way too long for my sanity, neither of us saying anything else.