Page 53 of Tortured Tones

I couldn’t say anything. Could I? It wasn’t my place to do so.

But what the fuck was he doing?

Yes, tour was close. Yes, the guys had some big events to attend before we’d hit the road. But would it kill him to spend a day with his daughter?

On Tuesday, following an interview and a full bump-in, bump-out rehearsal for the tour, I had to take Cole to a Halloween party, the second one since the weekend. Just him. The other guys had opted to rest.

At two a.m. in some swanky cocktail bar in Santa Monica, Cole stumbled over to me in his sequined Elton John Dodgers baseball costume with his arm draped around a gorgeous brunette’s waistline. Her legs were as tall as palm trees, and she was dressed in shortest French maid’s outfit I’d ever seen. The thing was, she rocked it.

“Home time. Let’s go,” Cole slurred, swaying on his feet.

I nodded, called our driver, and led them out to our car.

At his house, he and his hookup, Lola, staggered through the door. At the bottom of the staircase, she giggled, clutched the railing, and climbed a few stairs. But Cole turned to me. A lazy, sexy, very drunk smile curled across his lips. “Catch you later, Ava. Unless you want to join us.”

I narrowed my eyes. I wasn’t into sharing. “You wish.”

“I have.” He took a slow, swaggering step toward me. Lowering his glittery glasses, he pinned me with his gaze. Intensity sparked the air around us, prickling my skin. “All the time lately.”

My knees buckled. He what? No way. Clearly, he was too drunk to think straight. I drew my shoulders back, sucked in a deep breath, and jabbed my finger against the center of his chest. “Keep dreaming, drummer boy. You couldn’t handle me...and I’m not interested.” I flicked my hand toward Lola, halfway up the stairs. “Go entertain your friend.”

“Oh, I will.” His vodka-infused breath brushed across my cheek as he leaned in to whisper in my ear, “But I will be thinking about you.”

Oh Lord, give me strength. I closed my eyes, breathed him in. No. Don’t. “Whatever does it for you, Mr. Tanner.” I eased back, putting a foot of distance between us. But the charge between us remained. Crap. “Good night. I’ll see you tomorrow at eleven.”

“Don’t be early.” Grinning, he walked backward to the steps.

“I will be here on time.” I nodded, then tilted my head toward the hallway. “I’ll do a quick security check and be on my way.”

“Knock yourself out.” He waved toward the office. “You know where to find me if you need me.”

As Cole joined Lola and headed upstairs, I ambled into the office. After closing the door behind me, I leaned back against the cool surface. Confusion and intrigue pounded my brain. Had Cole been joking or was he serious about thinking about me? Me? I was no supermodel. I brushed off his flirtatious comments and sexy innuendos as arrogance. The notion of him being into me was simply laughable. It was best to forget what he’d said. I had a job to do. Nothing could ever happen between us, so it was foolish to even play around with the idea.

I checked the security access logs—all good. Only Hannah and Mackenzie had been there today. But as I scanned the emailed report from our surveillance team, I paused at the enclosed videos of someone walking past Cole’s driveway. Shit. It was that chick with blonde hair again. I skimmed through the attached footage. She’d walked past the gate three times just after Cole and I had left near noon and the paparazzi had dispersed. She hadn’t been in exercise gear—just jeans and a hoodie.

This had happened too many times for her to be a random passerby.

I replied to the email; it was time to investigate who she was. Cole’s safety was paramount. We didn’t want any perimeter breaches, for Cole to be hurt...or his kid...or Hannah.

As I was about to leave, giggles and laughter drifted downstairs. At least someone was having a good time. But the loneliness in my chest flared. I’d almost forgotten what it was like to have fun in a relationship, short-term or otherwise. My life revolved around work and Josh. I couldn’t remember what it felt like to be happy. Loved. Connected. But Cole Tanner was not one to fantasize over. He was nothing but a tempting piece of fruit—one bite would be dangerous. He’d banged more women in the past couple of weeks than I’d had men in the past two years. The only thing we had in common was we both didn’t want a relationship.

Beckett was right.

It had been months since I’d been on a date. Maybe I should go on one or two before we traveled so I could make it through the next three months. It would be good for my sanity if nothing else.

I opened the door and headed home. Alone. At least one of us would be getting some sleep.

The following morning, at ten-forty-five sharp, I arrived back on Cole’s doorstep. No one answered the doorbell, so I let myself in with my security code.

Hannah was making a cup of tea while Charlotte munched on a piece of toast at the table.

Hannah poured a dash of milk into her mug. “Oh, morning, dear. How are you?”

“Fine.” I headed over to the table. I never had trouble sleeping once I hit the bed. This morning I was set to go. “Is Cole ready?”

“I haven’t seen him yet.”

Ergh. We had a long day of rehearsals ahead. He’d better get his ass into gear.

---