Page 30 of Tortured Tones

“How do you work full time and take care of a kid?”

Pain tore through my chest. I lowered my chin and leaned back against the kitchen counter. The wounds to my heart had never healed. “I do have a son, but I don’t have full custody. Luther, my ex, has him the majority of the time.” It crushed my soul every second Josh wasn’t with me. “When I have Josh, if I have to work, I have my dad or my sister around to help. When you’re a single parent, you’ve got to have family and friends...or a nanny...who support you.”

He swiveled on the sofa to face me and slumped against the back of the seat. “My sister and my friends work with me. My parents spend most of their time overseas. Finding someone I trust and can rely on is hard to come by.”

“True.” I zipped up my jacket. “But you’d better find someone sooner rather than later. Hannah is only a temporary solution.”

“Don’t remind me,” he mumbled.

“Oh, I will.” I could give him a certain amount of tough love. “Your child comes first.”

“Nope. Music does.”

“Don’t kid yourself, Cole.”

“Maybe I am, but right now...” A playful glint returned to his eyes. Gone were the shadows of stress that had plagued him seconds ago. “It’s time to work and play.”

“It’s just work for some of us.” I smirked as my cell phone beeped. Our driver had arrived. “Time to go.”

We grabbed our bags and headed out the door.

An hour later, I escorted Cole across the parking lot at Venice Beach toward the band’s trailer for their scheduled photoshoot. On the drive there, he’d been glued to his cell phone, texting and making calls to people, but I hadn’t caught on to whom. Not that it was any of my business.

Sloane pulled up at the same time as we did and joined us with Flint. Every person strolling past on the sidewalk stopped to gawk at the guys. Flint turned on his sexy, seductive smile and waved. Cole just grinned and strode along. He didn’t need any flamboyance; the man commanded attention with his presence alone.

Wyatt had texted me five minutes ago. He and Beckett had arrived with Lewis and Slip. Wyatt stood guard by the trailer door. With his eyes hidden behind mirrored aviator sunglasses and a small curve playing across his lips, he was no doubt enjoying watching the small group of girls and guys gather ’round. Beckett was grabbing us coffees from the mobile van parked on the curbside.

“Where’s Wells?” I asked Wyatt as I scanned the street.

“On his phone.” He pointed across the lot. “Over there by the motorbikes.”

No doubt texting Ramona. “Fair enough.”

We stopped by the steps to the trailer. The door flew open. April leaned out of the doorway in her tailored shorts suit. With cell phone in hand and stress lines embedded around her eyes, she flicked her Jennifer Lawrence blonde hair over her shoulder. “You’re late, guys. Hurry up and get in here. We have a tight schedule.”

Cole swiveled toward me. A devilish glint shimmered through his eyes. “You gonna come in and watch me dress?” His sultry how-about-it tone had returned.

I ignored the flutter in my belly. “You can keep your fantasies to yourself. You’ve got nothing I haven’t seen before. Besides, the view out here is much better.”

Who was I kidding? If I went inside, it would be impossible not to watch Cole Tanner rip off his clothes and redress.

He closed the gap, leaving less than a foot of distance between us. He chuckled, low and husky as his flirtatious gaze skimmed over me from my head down to my toes, then back up again. “I have to agree.”

I locked my knees to stop them from buckling. Ergh! How could he switch from mopey and moody to seductive god with the blink of an eye? Damn rock stars. I didn’t want a bar of it.

I stabbed the center of his chest and pushed him back a step. “You don’t pay me enough to put up with your shit. Now get inside, and get this shoot over and done with so we can get to rehearsal on time.”

“Gladly.”

Flint shoved Cole on the shoulder, sending him up the stairs into the trailer. He leaned over to me. “Sorry about Cole. Just ignore him.”

Believe me. I was trying to.

The moment the door to the trailer shut behind Cole and Flint, I leaned against the side wall, closed my eyes, and let out a deep breath.

“Hey? You okay?” Sloane asked.

“Yes. It’s just been a very long morning.” Spending more time with Cole had presented new challenges. His goofing around, suggestive glances, and sexually fueled comments made me want to swipe each smirk off his face with my fist. But witnessing his vulnerable moments, watching him with his daughter, hearing his deep laugh, and catching the smell of his seductive earthy cologne had left me needing all my strength not to grab him, pin him against the wall, and kiss him until we were both delirious.

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