Page 16 of Love Loathe Devotion (Tightrope #3)

Walking into my house and finding Laney and Cherry sitting in my kitchen, chatting like old friends, isn’t something I expected. But damn if it doesn’t settle something deep inside me.

I pause in the doorway, unnoticed, catching the tail end of their conversation.

“…just be careful,” Cherry is saying, her voice softer than usual.

I frown, my jaw clenching. What the hell is she warning Laney about?

Laney shifts, stirring her coffee. “Why?”

Cherry sighs. “Because Eddie’s the best man I know. But he’ll break your heart, even if he doesn’t mean too.”

Annoyance prickles down my spine.

What the fuck, Cherry?

I keep my expression neutral as I step forward, pretending I didn’t hear a damn thing.

Laney turns at the sound of my boots on the hardwood. Her eyes find mine, and I see a flicker of something there—something warm, something safe.

I walk straight to her, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her into my side. She lets out a soft sigh, leaning into me, and damn if that doesn’t do something to my chest. I drop an easy kiss on her temple, liking the way she melts against me.

Yeah. This feels right.

Coming home to her.

Having her here, in my space, like she belongs.

I breathe her in—vanilla and honey—and something settles in my bones.

Cherry clears her throat. “Well, look at you all domesticated.”

I smirk but don’t let go of Laney. “Something like that.”

Cherry watches me, her dark eyes knowing, and I don’t like it one bit. But before she can say anything else, I ask, “How’s Jake?”

Her face lights up and, just like that, I can see how much she loves her husband. “Amazing.” She grins. “And—we’re expecting.”

I blink, then grin wide. “No shit?”

She nods, beaming.

“C’mere,” I say, pulling her into a hug. She laughs as I squeeze her tight. “Congratulations, Cherry.”

“Thanks, Eddie.”

When I pull back, my eyes flick to Laney, who is smiling at Cherry.

A sharp, unexpected thought slams into me.

I want to see her like that someday.

With my kid.

My ring on her finger.

The image is so vivid, so visceral, it damn near knocks me sideways.

What the hell am I thinking?

We’re not even together. Not really.

Yet.

I swallow the thought down as Cherry grabs her bag. “Alright, I should get going before Jake sends a search party.”

“Tell him I have tickets to the Moto GP in Italy if he fancies it.” Jake and I have developed a friendship, despite the fact he hated my guts when we met because he thought I had designs on the love of his life, but Cherry and I just are friends.

It took a while but he sees that now. He even had me play their first dance song at their wedding.

We also both have a love of sport bikes that we bonded over.

I see Cherry grin at Laney and shake her head, as she throws her hands up. “See what I mean? No ‘Hey Cher, do you want to go to the Italian thing’, but straight to Jake.”

I feel like I’m missing something as Laney laughs with Cherry, but feel the need to defend myself. “Cherry, you just called it an Italian thing. Jake loves bikes. Why would I ask you? Of course, you can come if you want.”

The smirk of my friend’s lips wobbles as she fights a laugh. “Nope, too late. You go, leave me home. I’m gonna steal your girl and we’re going for a spa weekend instead. You’ll come with, won’t you, Laney?”

I glance at Laney’s face and she looks radiant with life as she nods. “Sure, count me in for that.”

“Perfect, I’ll call you.” She turns to me then. “Walk me out.”

I walk her to the door, stepping out onto the porch with her. The evening air is crisp, the scent of pine and horses lingering.

As she heads for her car, I say, “I heard what you said to Laney.”

She stops, turning to face me. “And?”

“You had no right.”

Cherry tilts her head, crossing her arms. “I have every right.”

I scowl.

She lifts her chin. “Because I’ve been that woman, Eddie. The one who got her heart broken. And I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.”

Something tugs in my chest. Guilt. Frustration.

But then Cherry’s gaze softens. “That being said…” She exhales, shaking her head. “Judging by the way you looked at her just now, I don’t think she has anything to worry about.”

I narrow my eyes. “What the hell does that mean?”

She smirks. “It means, you dumbass, that you’re in love with her.”

I scoff, rolling my shoulders back. “I—”

“You can deny it all you want.” She shrugs. “But I know you, Eddie. And I saw it all over your face.”

I grit my teeth.

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 strong reaction 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.

She stiffens for a second, but then she relaxes, melting back into me.

Something deep inside me settles.

“You hungry?” she murmurs.

I hum against her neck. “Yeah, but I was thinkin’…” I slide my hands over her stomach, feeling the softness of her under my palms. “How about an evening ride?”

She stills, then spins in my arms, her eyes wide with excitement. “Really? Don’t play with me, Eddie.”

My smirk must tell exactly what’s on my mind when she suggests I play with her because the blush steals over her cheeks, making my dick hard as granite.

Fuck, she’s beautiful.

I grin at her enthusiasm. “Yeah, darlin’. Just you, me, and the horses.”

Her face breaks into the prettiest damn smile I’ve ever seen, her eyes lit up with joy. How could any man not want to lie down at her feet when she smiles like that?

God, I want to kiss her.

So, I do.

A soft, lingering brush of lips. Nothing deep. Nothing heated.

Just enough.

Just a taste.

But something inside me tells me it will never be enough.

Her breath hitches, her hands curling into my shirt.

When I pull back, I murmur, “Okay, baby?”

Her cheeks flush, and she nods, her smile still lingering.

I step back, already grabbing my boots. “I’ll saddle up the horses. Meet me outside.”

As I head to the barn, one thought keeps playing in my head.

Cherry was right.

And that scares the shit out of me, but not as much as the thought of losing her.