Page 76 of Tortured Tones

She was right about that. “He’s heading for a burnout.”

“I’m worried about that too. But. . .” A mischievous smile danced across her lips. “As his security, you’d better make sure he behaves so that doesn’t happen.”

“Not sure I have that much influence over him. He certainly has a way with women.” I jerked my chin in his direction. He stood with Lewis and Slip, chatting with a group of eight girls that included his friend Min and a stunning young woman who had flawless dark skin, boobs to die for, and legs as long as the Nile River. She kept touching and knocking into his arm, and throwing Cole suggestive how-about-it glances.

A twinge tugged low in my gut and twanged through my chest. Don’t go there. He could talk to whoever he wanted to.

But why did he keep looking at me?

“They’re good guys.” Tia patted and clutched my hand. “It’s hard not to like them. When you take away the crap you hear about them in the media, you find they’re hardworking and down-to-earth. That’s what makes them so special. They’re a bunch of great friends who grew up on the back streets of Pasadena. We’ve all defied our parents to follow our dreams. Every cent we’ve earned has come from our own sweat, blood, and tears. We really love and care about each other. We’re family.”

“Reality versus perception.” I bobbed my head. Cole had shattered every one of the preconceived notions I’d had about him. The trouble with that was it created a whole new bucket of issues. I liked the guy. More than I should. Shit. “Tia, most people in the entertainment industry are dedicated, and passionate, and sacrifice a lot to follow their careers. So are those of us who work behind the scenes. We just don’t have to put up with the limelight. And we don’t make millions for it.”

“I love that you aren’t bedazzled by my brother’s status or this celebrity crap.”

“I’ve been around this industry for a long time, on both sides of the fence.”

She wrinkled her nose. “I can’t believe you were married to Luther Carrington.”

“Neither can I,” I grunted. “He’s an asshole.”

She laughed and fell against my arm. “I like you, Ava.”

Cole waved and wiggled his finger at me to join him. I tucked my hair behind my ear and shook my head.

“Damn.” Tia straightened and turned to me. A glassy haze shimmered across her stunning, green eyes. “You’re into him, aren’t you?”

Warmth rose in my cheeks. “Most days I want to kill him.”

“But not today?”

I pursed my lips as Cole ignored the girls around him and burned me with his gaze. He shouldn’t look at me like that. Like I was the only one in the room. “No. Not today.”

“Go, have fun.”

“I have to maintain professional boundaries.”

“Boundaries can blur, warp, and change at any time. Trust me on that one.” She blew Lewis a kiss. I didn’t know much about those two other than he used to be gay but was now with Tia. Their blossoming relationship had been all over the Internet a couple of months ago. I just loved seeing them happy.

Cole ambled over to the table with a sexy swagger in his step and held out his hand. “Ava, would you like to dance?”

My pulse jumped a notch. “Um . . . Cole. No. I’m fine.”

“I’m not taking no for an answer.”

Somehow, I didn’t think too many people ever said no to Cole Tanner. I was beginning to see why.

The music was loud. The beat, captivating. Cole, too alluring. I wouldn’t win this battle. I held up my finger. “One dance.”

“Let’s just go with the flow.” Cole took my hand and led me out onto the crowded dance floor.

He twirled me around and tugged me close against his chest. A shiver ran up my spine as his body heat enveloped me. I went to step back, but his hand on the small of my back pinned me in place.

My heart hammered too fast. “Cole, you’re too close.”

“Ava, it’s just a dance.” He spun me ’round, then he pushed me out, then pulled me back in. Laughing, we swayed and rocked from side to side.

More heat touched my cheeks. “Okay, you’ve got some moves.”

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