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Kylie packed up her things and glanced over at Cade and Daphne again. Daphne wasn’t shooting up in the bathrooms, so that was progress. Instead, she had splashed herself across Cade’s lap and was sipping on a beer while talking to someone else.
And instead of Cade looking content at having Daphne’s attention, he kept looking over at Kylie.
She should have guessed this would happen.
It didn’t matter how wonderful he was, or how they’d connected over dinner. Of course Cade was great. And of course Daphne wanted him.
Kylie was just a momentary distraction. A drunken hookup, just like she’d suspected.
And really, that was okay. At least Cade wasn’t being an ass about it. He wanted Daphne, and his one-night stand was staring at him with big moony eyes. He probably felt awkward that both Daphne and Kylie were in the room together. Heck, he probably felt bad for Kylie because she was clearly second fiddle.
“I’m heading out,” Ginger said. “You coming?”
“Coming,” Kylie said. Leaving was the best thing she could do for all parties involved. She grabbed her purse and slung it over her shoulder, heading out with the rest of the staff.
—
Cade watched Kylie leave with the crew, and tried to squash his annoyance at Daphne as she clung to his chest and seated herself in his lap. She’d done that a million times in the past and he knew it didn’t mean anything.
But Kylie didn’t know that.
And now that his interest had moved squarely to Kylie? It felt wrong for Daphne to drape herself all over him.
Funny how his mind had changed so quickly. A week ago, he would have been beside himself with joy if Daphne had paid half the attention she was giving him tonight. But a week ago, he hadn’t realized Daphne still hadn’t changed. That she was still the same messed-up girl she ever was. A week ago, he’d still had hope that she was clean after her latest round of rehab.
And a week ago, he hadn’t met Kylie. Hadn’t realized how pure and good and right just having someone normal in your life could be.
“Get me another beer, Cade,” Daphne said in her coy, flirty voice. “I’m so thirsty after all that sexy performing I did.” She fluttered her lashes at him, trying to be cute.
But instead, all he could think about was how hard Kylie had worked to make Daphne look good, the thoughtful look on her face as she had carefully pressed the fake lashes onto Daphne’s eyelids, the way she’d leaned in to blow gently on Daphne’s eyeliner.
Makeup had never been so erotic.
He couldn’t think about that now, though. Not with Daphne being a stage-five clinger. The last thing he wanted was an erection right now. So he pushed Daphne off his lap as gently as possible. “Don’t you think you’ve had enough beer?”
“No such thing,” laughed the girl sitting on the couch next to them. One of Daphne’s dancers, maybe. He’d seen her disappearing into the bathroom repeatedly tonight, which could only mean food poisoning or lines of coke. He’d bet his money on the latter.
“She’s had plenty of beer for someone that’s trying to get clean,” Cade chided in his mildest voice, even though he secretly wanted to give the girl a verbal dressing down for encouraging Daphne’s bad behavior.
Daphne pouted. “Water, then. If my man wants me to drink water, I will.” And she put her hand on Cade’s chest possessively.
He removed it just as quickly again. “We’re not together, Daphne.”
Her eyes—so enormous in her lean face—looked hurt. “What do you mean?”
The dancer chose that moment to get up from the couch and head for the bathroom again, and it was just him all alone with Daphne.
“I mean that I was here two nights ago to see you after we’d talked about it, remember? You told me to come to your concert. We’d spend time together and catch up. Instead, I spent all night nursing a drink on the sofa while you threw yourself on anyone moving.”
“Jealous?”
Surprisingly, no. “Disappointed. You were more interested in getting drugs than seeing me. And you were out of your mind on something all night. I want nothing to do with that woman I saw. Not friendship, not anything.”
“Someone gave me some bad stuff that night. I shouldn’t have been acting like that—”
“No, you shouldn’t have.”
“But sometimes I need something to keep me going because I’m tired.” She blinked repeatedly, as if she was going to cry. “I’m trying to stay clean, but it’s hard.”