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One of Justina’s perfectly shaped, dark eyebrows quirk up in amusement.

“No?” She purrs. “Isn’t Ash the mystery girl that’s following you around like a little puppy dog?

” She asks with big round eyes feigning innocence, then turns to me.

“If I remember correctly, you were sorely disappointed when you found out about being assigned to a nobody – your words – and now look at you! Finding love in unlikely places.”

“It’s not like that.” I growl, trying to put distance between me and Khaos.

“Then what is it like, Ash?” She croons, loving how riled up her accusations are making me. “Is it thrilling when he bangs you with his mask on or does he make you take it from behind?”

“Jesus.” Jack mutters uncomfortably.

My entire body radiates with fury and unabashed embarrassment. This was part of the reason why I didn’t want to come to this damn event - that and I knew it would be hard to rein in Khaos. Except, if I left him behind... it would have been quite difficult to avoid Blane.

Instead of ripping her a new one, I take a few deep breaths, deciding she’s not worth losing my job over. Unacknowledged, I leave her behind me as I turn to face the back of the person in front of me. This line seems to be just as long as it was when we stepped over here, my patience weaning.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Khaos stepping toward her, crowding her meek little body.

A vicious smile reveals pearly white teeth in a mouth made for evil.

Her lips twitching just slightly at the danger that looms over her.

With his hands in his pockets, he leans down to whisper in her ear.

His words are meant for her, but I hear it all anyway.

“I fuck her with my face as bare as my dick. Know why?” When she doesn’t respond, he continues. “Because a small part of me finds the idea of fucking my child right into her thrilling, which I’m sure no one can say the same for you . ”

I spin around, my eyes wide with shock, a newfound anger simmering inside of me.

“Khaos!” I growl, chastising him for being so reckless.

His glare never wavers from hers, both in a silent battle, Justina the first to break it.

“Well that explains the weight gain.” She sneers at me.

Ouch.

“I’m not pregnant!" I growl, turning to Khaos. “Shut up and wait in line. We’re finally next.” I yank his arm, turning him toward the bar and away from the trash wrapped in diamonds and glitter.

Her giggle leaves a trace of panic lingering behind, the millions of ways she can twist his words into the next headline cartwheeling around my brain. She shakes her head before leaving us to mingle her way around the room, taking with her most of the tension hardening my muscles.

I grip the knot of Khaos’ tie, yanking him down to my face. “What did we talk about earlier?”

If I didn’t know Khaos, I might have missed the way his eyes smile. “I like it when you’re bossy. ”

“Khaos!” I seethe, but he only chuckles.

“Good boys get rewards.” He repeats my words from earlier.

My cheeks flush as I glance over at Jack and his boyfriend, who are pretending to mind their own business, but their acting rivals Kristen Stewart in Twilight.

“I said behave. These are the people I have to work with, and Justina has a way of spinning words.” I grumble. “And stop talking about impregnating me! It’s weird!”

I release his tie, facing the line again. His arms slither around me from behind, his chin nuzzling into my neck.

“It doesn’t turn you on even a little?” He teases, the palm of his hand flattening out across my stomach.

My breath hitches, my mind spinning with insane thoughts. There’s an intense flutter wreaking havoc through my core, one I wish I had the strength to fight off.

“Sometimes I picture you walking around your apartment in nothing but your panties on, your belly round with my child.” He groans. “So needy for my fingers... my tongue... my cock.”

I spin in his arms, panting from the sheer chaos of the picture he’s painting. “I’m warning you, if you don’t shut up right now-”

“You’ll what?” He goads.

My brows dip in anger, “What has gotten into you tonight?”

“We probably should have stayed home.”

Home.

The sentiment rang loud in my ears, almost louder than his admission that impregnating me turns him on. Only because the idea of us sharing a home is a reality far more realistic than the latter .

“The things coming out of your mouth are crazy.” I try wriggling out of his hold, his unrelenting arms pissing me off even more.

“You want to know why they’re crazy? Because just a few months ago we faced the very real possibility of me being pregnant,” I whisper-yell, “And I don’t exactly remember you being all that excited. ”

“Mmm, I think it was you that wasn’t excited. I don’t remember being asked how I felt about it.” His tone drops in my ear almost like a warning. “A lot has changed in the last few months. Now, all I can think about is filling you up with my come every damn minute of the day.”

My heart plummets to the pit of my stomach, detonating like a bomb. Warmth spreads everywhere throughout my body. I squeeze my legs together to keep myself from dripping, his words like fingers toying with my pussy, soaking the flesh between my thighs.

“You’re insane.” My accusation comes out breathier than I want it to.

“Only for you.” His arms crush me to him, my back to his front, as he nuzzles his face in the crook of my neck.

I nearly jump out of my skin as the bartender’s voice cuts through this little bubble we’ve found ourselves in and I wonder how long we’ve been standing here like this in front of her.

She clears her throat again and Jack steps in front of us with Mordecai to ease some of the embarrassment that’s clearly consuming me.

Gripping Khaos’ wrists, I fight for escape.

“Just... behave!”

I let him lead us back to our table with our drinks, falling a few steps behind on purpose.

My entire body feels feverish and I’m sure I’m as red as my dress right now.

Regret seeps in, the idea of having Khaos with me has backfired drastically.

Instead of having him here as a repellent for Blane, he’s now pissed off the one woman I wish he hadn’t and riled me up with permanent embarrassment.

“Um, are you as hot and bothered as I am right now?” Jack fans his face.

Taking a large gulp of my vodka soda, mostly vodka per my request, I shake my head.

“He’s literally a caveman. He has zero social skills and less manners.”

“Okay, either your just as gay as I am or he’s horrible in bed.” Jack laughs. “And by the looks of it, he can’t be all that bad.”

Jack assesses Khaos as he stands there by the chair waiting for us. When I look down, I notice the giant bulge in his slacks. He doesn’t even bother to hide it as he sneaks sips of his whiskey beneath his mask, the color of the liquor matching his eyes.

“He scares me sometimes.” I admit and it’s the truth.

Lately, the words that leave his mouth have a way of tearing through my heart like bullets.

Finally, I take the seat next to him, yanking his suit jacket for him to follow as servers start to pass around the first course of the night.

The table fills with more of my co-workers, and we all mingle, catching up on each other’s lives.

Khaos talks about the tour, his band mates, about meeting me.

I sit there and let him share, but there’s a mild discomfort in being this open with everyone.

As the night goes on, the music gets raunchier, and everyone gradually becomes more drunk. We’ve been left for the dance floor, so it’s just the two of us now, watching the others.

Khaos stands, “I’ll grab us another drink.”

I nod, watching him walk away and when I turn back around, Blane has taken his seat .

“Ashton, I see you’ve brought a guest.” He smiles cockily.

“I did.”

He leans forward, his elbows resting on the table, his face just a few inches from mine. I can smell the liquor on his breath as he speaks.

“I really thought sleeping with the band would have come with more advantages.”

“Excuse me?” I narrow my eyes at him.

“Your blog is weak. I’m bored of it. I’d really hate to create a headline for you. I’m sure you won’t like it.”

“Sir, I write with integrity. I refuse to tarnish my name for the sake of fake news and gossip. The point of this tour is to show the fans why they fell in love with their favorite artist.” I remind him.

“The point of this project is to gain a larger following. Look at Justina, she’s nearly doubled her audience.”

I growl, “You assigned her Taylor Swift. They’re not following Justina.”

He shrugs, sitting back in the seat. “If you were a better journalist, it wouldn’t matter who you are assigned to.”

“Excuse me.” Khaos interrupts, my stomach dropping from fear of being overheard. “I thought we should dance.”

He passes me my drink, then holds his hand out for me to take. I let him drag me away from Blane, his piercing blue eyes never leaving me as we get lost in a sea of bodies on the dance floor.

Khaos looks so out of place, standing still as I sway around him to the nasty beat of Get Low by Lil Jon.

I let him take my empty glass, deciding to lose myself, forgetting about the possibility of either ruining whatever is between Khaos and me or becoming unemployed.

It’s funny how often I find myself in these lose-lose situations.

“Let’s go,” He shouts in my ear.

Confused, I follow him through the crowd and towards the doors of the ballroom.

“Where are we going? It’s almost midnight!” I shout, the DJ starting the countdown.

We round the corner, hiding in the shadows of the hallway, his body pressing against mine.

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“I want to be able to kiss you at midnight.” He says, pulling his mask down.

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“You’re going to get cau-”