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She just grins and pats my cheek before walking off. “You’ll figure it out. Eventually.”

I watch her drive away, her words settling like a stone in my gut.

Love?

No.

That’s not—

…Fuck.

I rub a hand down my face before heading back inside.

Laney’s at the stove, stirring something in a pan. The kitchen is filled with the scent of garlic and butter, warm and homey.

And just like that, my mind flashes back to the bullshit day I had.

The meeting with the record label had been an absolute clusterfuck.

They’re insisting I take an assistant on tour.

Not just any assistant. Her.

Tasha fucking Monroe.

She comes across as innocent, sexy, but the woman is a fucking barracuda. It took me a while to see it but the minute I woke up in her bed, I knew I’d fucked up. Suddenly all the times we’d ended up alone felt engineered. Her beauty was a mask to hide her true nature. Never in my life have I had such a strongreaction to a one-night stand, but I’d got out of there so fast I’d probably left scorch marks on the carpet. My instinct had been bang-on too, but she’d backed off and I’d wondered if I’d over-reacted.

I grip the edge of the counter, my jaw locking.

I told Reggie straight up I don’t want her anywhere near me.

But the label is pushing back. They say she’s the best fit, that she’s experienced, that she knows me.

Yeah, she knows me, alright.

One night. That’s all it was.

One mistake of a night months ago, and she got clingy as hell. Started showing up at events, dropping comments in interviews like we were a thing.

I shut that shit down fast. I thought she’d got the message, but maybe not.

Now they want me to be stuck with her on tour?

Hell no, but then they offered to—no, offered is wrong—suggested in a way that meant I had no choice, and that if she wasn’t with me they wanted her to help out with the Kidney Drive for Joey. Just the thought of that woman anywhere near Laney or someone I care about made me feral. So, I’m stuck with her until I figure it out.

I told Reggie to make it clear she stays the fuck away from me. If she so much as breathes in my direction the wrong way, I’m putting her ass on the next flight home.

Just thinking about it makes my blood pressure rise and that’s not even considering the fact that I haven’t spoken to Lucas yet. Joey is home and I don’t want to upset that by pissing him off.

Yeah, whatever, I’m making excuses, but this needs finesse and it needs to be done face-to-face. I owe my friend that much.

I let out a slow breath, shaking it off.

None of that shit matters right now.

Not when Laney’s here.

I step up behind her, sliding my arms around her waist and resting my chin on her shoulder.