Page 74 of Fractured Frets

“Yes, but that’s a lot of dirty flirting and sexy talk. And when we see each other, we often only have time for sex.” Wait...We were like that at first, but things had changed. He was always quick to come over when Mom was sick. I rushed to his place when he was overwhelmed with work. We always wanted to spend more time together but never wanted to burst the bubble we were desperate to protect. We wanted to keep what we had private. He knew more about me than most people did. Fuck...I had to stop downplaying what we had.

Sutton giggled. “Most relationships start like that. But you kept going back for more. Slip adores you. And you’re crazy about him. There are no guarantees in life, but I honestly believe you’re good together.”

“Yeah, we are.” I picked at the cuticle on my thumb. I just couldn’t clear the black clouds messing with my mind. “It would be easier if Harper wasn’t on the scene.”

“Babe, she’s an ex for a reason. Remember that.”

God, I loved Sutton’s bluntness. We always gave each other tough love at the right time. And I needed a damn good dosage of it.

Renee returned with fresh champagne, handed them to us, and took our empty glasses.

Sutton raised her flute at me. “Mads, this trip you’re not going to stress about anything. Not work. Not about your mom. Not about the future. We’re going to have some girl time, go shopping, see the guys’ show, and have fun. And you’re going to have an amazing vacation with that handsome husband of yours.”

“Yeah. I need that. Thanks, Sutt. You’re the best.” I chinked my glass against hers and took a sip.

One thing I’d learned since being with Slip was that I’d been in a void for far too long, just working and taking care of Mom. Slip had brought me back to life and made my heart beat again. I was nervous and scared, and afraid of the hard decisions we had to make in the near future. But I was there for us. I was taking a leap of faith. I wanted to see if our love was strong enough to survive or if it would just fuck us up even more. I hoped it wasn’t the latter. I wasn’t backing out of our deal. I was determined to give our marriage a shot.

Block out the noise. Focus on us. Easy right?

After another drink, we took off. I caught a couple hours of broken sleep during the long flight. Following a quick stopover in London, we landed in Milan just after ten in the morning.

Private security whisked Sutton and I to the hotel. While the concierge attended to our luggage—we didn’t travel light—my palms sweated, and butterflies danced in my belly as we were escorted into the lobby. The guys would probably still be asleep after their show last night.

We checked in at the reception counter, grabbed our room keys, and headed up to our suites.

“I’ll see you soon.” Sutton gave me a heartfelt hug outside my room. “I can’t wait to see the guys perform tonight.” She stepped back and rubbed my arm. “Everything will be okay. Now go enjoy catching up with Slip before we head off. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do to Flint.” She threw me a saucy grin as she turned and headed to the suite next door.

“Oh, you know I will.”

She giggled and nodded. “Okay then. Don’t come too loud. I don’t want to hear it.”

“I’ll keep the decibels down. Bye.” I swiped my room key and entered Slip’s suite. I stood my carry-on bag by the closet and walked toward the king bed.

But my heart missed a beat.

Ice slithered down my spine.

Slip hadn’t stirred when I’d come in. He lay face down on the mattress in nothing but a pair of black boxer briefs. His arms and legs were splayed in all directions.

“Slip? You awake?” I crawled onto the bed beside him and swept his long hair off his face. Sweat beaded on his brow. His skin was on fire. Drool trickled from his mouth.

My pulse quickened.

What the . . .?

I gave him a gentle shake. “Slip?”

Nothing. Not even a moan.

Shit. My breath stabbed my lungs as I scanned the room.

An empty pill bottle lay sideways on the nightstand. Another one, half-full, stood next to it. A bottle of vodka, three-quarters full, was by the TV cabinet.

Fuck.

I shook Slip again. “Slip. Wake up. SLIP?”

Panic seized my chest. My heart drummed against my ribs.

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