Her lip quivered as she took in a shuddering breath. “He didn’t?”

Turning, he leaned into the wall with one shoulder before reaching out to cup her chin. “No, baby, you are too good for him. Too beautiful, so smart and funny, quick on your feet. He’s the slime at the bottom of a trashcan, and you are a star in the sky.”

She smiled. “That’s really corny.”

He laughed, leaning into her, wrapping his arms around her waist to pull her closer. “I know. I only do it for you, to make you feel better.”

Closing her eyes, she leaned her forehead into his lips. “I hate the way he makes me feel. I’ve been holding all this anger towards him, and I just wish it would go away.”

“Let it go, forget him,” he said quietly against her head. “He is nothing to you now.”

She snuggled closer into him as he said, “Letting him know he still affects you lets him win. You are the winner. Fuck that guy, you didn’t need him then, and you sure as hell don’t need him now. There are a billion fish in the sea, Reese, don’t waste anymore of yourself on that bottom feeder.”

Her fingers ran up his back, cupping around his neck. “You’re right.”

“I know I am. Now stop all this crying and mooning over that ass**le and kiss me.”

She smiled. “Well, since you asked so nicely.”

He grinned as she reached up on her tippy toes, touching her lips to his. He closed his eyes, pulling her closer and deepening the kiss. He wanted more than anything for her to realize that he was the award-winning fish in the sea, and that she wanted to reel him in and love him because he could love her the way she deserved and more. Moving his lips slowly with hers, his hands bit into her back. His dick came to life, and he knew that he was about to take her in that hall.

When he lifted her up, she wrapped her legs around his waist as he pressed her into the wall, deepening the kiss, biting at her mouth, not able to get enough. She moved against his hard-on, causing him to groan against her mouth. Smiling against his lips, she looked deep into his eyes as he slid his hands into her shorts, cupping her sweet ass in his hands.

God, he wanted her.

Her eyes were swirling with desire, her chest rising and falling, her breast touching his chest and making it hard for him to catch his breath. The words were right there. He was going to say it. He was going to tell her that he was in love with her but, before he could, she took his mouth with hers, kissing him long and hard. Squeezing her ass, he pushed into her, feeling the heat between her legs and causing her to gasp against his lips. He knew doing this in a hall wasn’t his greatest idea, but he couldn’t stop himself. He needed her. Now.

“Oh my God.”

Reese’s lips froze against his, and Phillip begged the good Lord above to please let what he just heard be a figment of his imagination.

But it wasn’t, and when he pulled his lips away from Reese’s and looked down the hall, he saw the one person he did not want to see.

Claire.

And she was pissed the hell off.

Chapter 23

“ARE YOU kidding me? Seriously, Phillip? Seriously?”

Claire was screeching, and it was like nails on a chalkboard. He hadn’t heard her do that in months, and the sound caused his stomach to drop.

“Fuck,” Phillip muttered as he slowly put Reese down, removing his hands from her ass. She was red as a tomato, not looking him in the eye as she looked down at the floor, embarrassed.

“Claire, calm down.”

“You promised! You said you would never get with her!”

Brian came forward, placing his hand on Claire’s shoulder, but she shook him off as Phillip tried to figure out how he was going to fix this. He was pretty sure that wasn’t going to happen.

“Claire—”

“No, you’re a liar!” she screamed before turning and running away.

“Damn it,” he muttered. Reese put her hand on his chest, pushing him to follow her.

“Go.”

“I’m sorry,” he said quickly as he started after Claire.

“Don’t be,” she called out at him as he rushed down the hall. It was hard to find her in the sea of dancers but when he did, he was behind her within seconds, trying to get her to stop, but she wasn’t having it. She ignored him, tears rolling down her cheeks as she rushed through the convention center and then through the door, across the street to the hotel that they were staying at. He didn’t want to cause any more of a scene then they already had, so he followed her, slowly dying inside because she was crying so bad. He tried to gather up what he was going to say, but she was right. He was a liar. Yes, he was a grown man, but he promised he wouldn’t pursue things with Reese and he did. God, they had just fixed things and now this. Why wasn’t he honest before? Why didn’t he just admit what was going on?

Following her into their room, he pulled his beanie off and threw it on the dresser before turning to look at her.

“How could you? You promised!”

He let out a breath, running his hand through his hair before pushing it to the side. “It wasn’t supposed to happen, I know that, but I shouldn’t have to answer for what I do in my private life. Yes, I am wrong for lying to you, Claire, but it really doesn’t affect you.”

Throwing her hands in the air, she screamed, “Are you serious? Yes it does! When you break her heart, like you do every single f**king woman that has ever been in your life, she’ll hate me! I need her. She makes me a better dancer, and she believes in me!”