Read Online The Arrow (Children of Brigid Trilogy Book 1) by Maureen O'Leary - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Maureen O'Leary
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and exhaled smoke like a dragon under Fynn’s nose.
“From the very first moment I met him, I knew he would be a real star,” Cate said, every word making so much sense. “I knew he was special,” she purred into Fynn’s ear. “Then he got too scared to go out on stage. Wouldn’t come out of the dressing rooms. Demons,” she huffed. “We had to cancel everything.”
Fynn burned in shame. It had been easier for her to believe that Komo was pulling a publicity stunt than it was to risk getting hurt by reaching out to see if he was okay. She wished she’d called him.
“I thought we lost him. I thought he would hurt himself or worse. It would be my fault if he did, Fynn. You should blame me for it.”
“I don’t think...”
“It
was
my fault,” Cate said, waving the perfumed cigarette between her elegant fingers. “I pushed him into the spotlight. I saw how much he loved it and how much money we could make.” She let out a wry laugh. “Here I am confessing everything. I just met you, and you already know more than my therapist. Well, maybe there is something special about you, too.”
They stood in the arched entryway to an enormous living room. Cate stroked Fynn’s cheek. Then she put her cigarette to Fynn’s mouth. Fynn closed her lips around it and sucked. Her lungs filled with velvet smoke as thick as incense.
“You’re so beautiful,” Cate said. “I see why he loves you.”
A peal of feminine laughter burst through the party noise. Cara’s voice was unmistakable, even in the crowd. Cate’s dark eyebrows arched under her fringe of bleached-blonde hair. This woman understood everything.
“These after parties are part of the business, but I can’t stand them,” Cate said. “Did you ever consider that the reason why Komo didn’t try to seduce you is because he thought you were too special for all of this?”
She tilted her head toward the room filled with people, laughter, and music. Komo. The idea of Komo keeping chaste for want of her was delicious. It was a crystal pool on a hot day. She wished she could trust that it was more than a mirage. No women in three years? The very idea defied belief. Fynn took another long drag of Cate’s strange cigarette. Maybe she would try to believe it. She would try talking to Komo. She wouldn’t be stupid this time. Or maybe she would. Someone played hand drums and the beat thumped in time with her heart. With Cate at her back, she walked into the room, ready to fling herself into the fire for Komo’s love.
10. A Real Bacchanalia
Komo sat on a wide stone hearth. Girls danced in wild bids for his attention, their arms over their heads and their mouths soft with pleasure. Between the swaying bodies, Fynn caught glimpses of Komo’s legs, his hands, and his long hair over his face as he bent over his guitar. A party girl sat behind him with her legs wrapped around his waist, her naked back pink from the fire’s heat.
Jealousy was a gray, heavy thing, crouching on Fynn’s heart, sucking out any hope of happiness. She moved to leave, but met a wall of smoke and moving bodies. Dizziness knocked her to the side and she grabbed someone’s arm to keep from falling.
“Fynnie?” A familiar voice made her look up. She was leaning on Randy, the surfer she knew from her mornings riding the Alley. Several others of the Alley crew waved at her, dancing as they were, amid the Komo girls. Randy held a glass of wine in one hand and a rolled smoke in the other. He hugged her, the salty ends of his hair tickling her cheek.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, glad to have a reason to turn away from the scene around Komo.
“These guys brought us,” he said, motioning to three big guys leaning against the far wall. They nodded to Randy as he raised his glass. They were the uncanny surfer boys, looking just as out of place at the party as they had at the beach. The one with the light hair leaned in to say something to the others. She thought she heard
“From the very first moment I met him, I knew he would be a real star,” Cate said, every word making so much sense. “I knew he was special,” she purred into Fynn’s ear. “Then he got too scared to go out on stage. Wouldn’t come out of the dressing rooms. Demons,” she huffed. “We had to cancel everything.”
Fynn burned in shame. It had been easier for her to believe that Komo was pulling a publicity stunt than it was to risk getting hurt by reaching out to see if he was okay. She wished she’d called him.
“I thought we lost him. I thought he would hurt himself or worse. It would be my fault if he did, Fynn. You should blame me for it.”
“I don’t think...”
“It
was
my fault,” Cate said, waving the perfumed cigarette between her elegant fingers. “I pushed him into the spotlight. I saw how much he loved it and how much money we could make.” She let out a wry laugh. “Here I am confessing everything. I just met you, and you already know more than my therapist. Well, maybe there is something special about you, too.”
They stood in the arched entryway to an enormous living room. Cate stroked Fynn’s cheek. Then she put her cigarette to Fynn’s mouth. Fynn closed her lips around it and sucked. Her lungs filled with velvet smoke as thick as incense.
“You’re so beautiful,” Cate said. “I see why he loves you.”
A peal of feminine laughter burst through the party noise. Cara’s voice was unmistakable, even in the crowd. Cate’s dark eyebrows arched under her fringe of bleached-blonde hair. This woman understood everything.
“These after parties are part of the business, but I can’t stand them,” Cate said. “Did you ever consider that the reason why Komo didn’t try to seduce you is because he thought you were too special for all of this?”
She tilted her head toward the room filled with people, laughter, and music. Komo. The idea of Komo keeping chaste for want of her was delicious. It was a crystal pool on a hot day. She wished she could trust that it was more than a mirage. No women in three years? The very idea defied belief. Fynn took another long drag of Cate’s strange cigarette. Maybe she would try to believe it. She would try talking to Komo. She wouldn’t be stupid this time. Or maybe she would. Someone played hand drums and the beat thumped in time with her heart. With Cate at her back, she walked into the room, ready to fling herself into the fire for Komo’s love.
10. A Real Bacchanalia
Komo sat on a wide stone hearth. Girls danced in wild bids for his attention, their arms over their heads and their mouths soft with pleasure. Between the swaying bodies, Fynn caught glimpses of Komo’s legs, his hands, and his long hair over his face as he bent over his guitar. A party girl sat behind him with her legs wrapped around his waist, her naked back pink from the fire’s heat.
Jealousy was a gray, heavy thing, crouching on Fynn’s heart, sucking out any hope of happiness. She moved to leave, but met a wall of smoke and moving bodies. Dizziness knocked her to the side and she grabbed someone’s arm to keep from falling.
“Fynnie?” A familiar voice made her look up. She was leaning on Randy, the surfer she knew from her mornings riding the Alley. Several others of the Alley crew waved at her, dancing as they were, amid the Komo girls. Randy held a glass of wine in one hand and a rolled smoke in the other. He hugged her, the salty ends of his hair tickling her cheek.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, glad to have a reason to turn away from the scene around Komo.
“These guys brought us,” he said, motioning to three big guys leaning against the far wall. They nodded to Randy as he raised his glass. They were the uncanny surfer boys, looking just as out of place at the party as they had at the beach. The one with the light hair leaned in to say something to the others. She thought she heard
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