Page 95 of By Rude Strength

“He is.” LA smiled.

“Where did you two meet?” Kevin asked.

“Uh…” LA drew a blank. “Uh, well, you know that little magic shop downtown?”

Kevin quirked his brows. “Magic shop? What’s the name?”

“It’s just called The Magic Shop. Has a big red sign?” LA shook his head. “Never mind. Well, I ran into him there. We got to talking and, uh, we just hit it off—”

Someone tapped LA’s shoulder.

Thinking it was Georgina or perhaps another fan of his work, LA turned around with a smile.

As soon as he saw who it was, his smile vanished.

It wasGavin.

Chapter thirteen

“Gavin.” LA glared. “Whatthe fuck are you doing here?”

“What?” Gavin smiled innocently. “I heard about your little art exhibition and just had to come by and show my support.”

Brandon and Kevin flanked LA on either side, and Kevin said, “Wow, I was worried that the creamer had gone bad because there was this nasty smell. Turns out it’s justyou.”

“Charming,” Gavin said with a roll of his eyes.

“Where’s your boyfriend?” LA asked dryly. “The love of your life?”

Gavin grinned.

Shit.

LA realized he’d just proven he’d looked at Gavin’s social media.

“Oh, he’s around.” Gavin shrugged. “It’s really quite a story if you have some time.”

“He looks pretty busy to me,” Kevin said sharply, rising up to his full height. “I think you need to leave.”

Cass was back with the chair, though he was holding it like he wanted to hit Gavin with it. “Elly, are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” LA reached for Cass’s arm, gently urging him to lower the chair. “Gavin was just leaving. Weren’t you?”

Gavin pouted. “Would you walk me out? I have some of your things in my car. I thought we could talk and—”

“What is it?”

“Some of your sweaters, phone charger, whatever.” Gavin smiled sweetly. “Look, it’ll take five minutes and then you can get back to your adoring fans.”

LA hesitated.

This felt like a trap.

Cass set the chair down, but LA swore he could see fur sprouting over his cheeks. Kevin and Brandon appeared equally disgruntled, but they looked to LA. It was LA’s choice, after all.

“Fine.” LA squeezed Cass’s arm. “Two minutes. You give me my stuff and you go.”

Gavin grinned like he’d won something fantastic. “Oh, I’ll be very fast.”