Read Online Center Stage (Bright Lights Billionaire #2) by Ali Parker - Free Book Online

gave me a look that said she could tell.
    I glanced down and grumbled as I readjusted myself and looked for my shirt. "I swear. The curse of being well-endowed. God forbid I have a sensual thought and my body reacts to it. Everyone in the fucking universe will know."
    She bent over and handed me the shirt. "I don't think you should worry about it. It's just us."
    "Yeah, but D will give me hell, and if she fails too, my brother will be standing in line just behind her with pom poms." I laughed and pulled the shirt over my head. I should have been more embarrassed, but Riley's presence was a comfort in ways that didn't make sense.
    "What were you thinking about?" Her cheeks colored pink, and I couldn't help but laugh. She was innocent and sweet in appearance when she wanted to be, and a sexy minx at other times. She had as many masks as I did, and hers probably came with a new hairdo to boot.
    "How nice it would be to bake in the sun, and then slip below deck and make love to a beautiful woman for the afternoon." I lifted my arms toward the light blue sky and let out a yawn as I stretched.
    "And would you cast Trish or the blond from your house the other day?" The light in her eyes dimmed a little. I still couldn't figure out what blond she was talking about.
    "What?" I tugged my shirt down again. "What blond do you keep referring to?"
    "The other night when we had dinner at your house and you refused my kiss." She gave me a cheeky smile and turned toward the water.
    "I was being tested, remember?" I turned and pressed my shoulder against hers as I breathed in deeply, hoping to take the scent of her down deep into my lungs.
    "Who was she?" She glanced over at me as the wind blew hard. It was the perfect moment to slide my fingers into her hair and pull her against me for a long, dramatic kiss. I almost lamented over the fact that I was stuck in a movie in my head, one that wouldn't let me come up for air.
    "It was just me and you that night, remember? We didn't even drink that much. Have you lost your mind to fantasy already?" I reached out and brushed her hair from her face as my pulse spiked.
    She swatted me away as her facade cracked a little. "After I left. She came to the door and said that you were busy for the rest of the evening. She had long blond hair, loads of make-up."
    Jazz. Fuck. Was Riley the one at the door that night? I knew I'd heard someone beating on the front door as I lost myself to orgasm over and over. Fuck. Surely not.
    "Did you come back after you left?" Sickness pulsed through me. I didn't much care that people thought me to be a playboy, but to have Riley think I was a whore was out. I would never get into her bed with her thinking that I took loads of loose women to mine, which I did.
    "You're circling the question and not answering me. Why?"
    "Because it's none of your business." I smiled and tapped the tip of her perfect nose before turning my attention back to the water. I was being an ass with my answer, but in all reality, it was true. It wasn't any of her business.

Chapter 8
    Riley
     
     
    His answer stung me in a way that left me wanting to find a bathroom and let out a few tears. I glanced back toward the water and swallowed the hot ball of anger in my throat. Why had I even asked? It wasn't my business. I'd already made that determination, and to follow through with asking him about the girl only left me looking like a love-sick idiot, which I wasn't.
    "That's very true." I shrugged and let out a soft sigh as if I was totally taken by the beauty of the ocean. "Whoever she was, she was beautiful."
    He snorted and shook his head. "This life isn't easy. It's not like I can have a real relationship. All I have is a few warm bodies to keep offering me false hope that there is more to love than a quick fuck."
    Now he was cracking. Some nefarious part of me wanted to clap and release a maniacal laugh. I wanted down into his heart. Wanted to know who the real Ethan Lewis was. It would take time to