Page 55 of Snared

“The fuck you will,” Josh bit out.

“No thanks. I wanted to get some peace and quiet. The five of us in a cramped condo is almost as bad as the bus,” I said.

“My condo isn’t cramped,” Josh muttered. “I know it’s not ideal, but we have to keep up the ruse, remember.”

“I know. I know.” I pouted. He wasn’t wrong, but four days in the same condo with Josh, probably walking around all the time in his pj’s. Did he wear pj’s at home? They better not be gray sweatpants.

“Are you really okay with this?” Tristan asked.

I wanted to shout. Did I look like I was okay with this? But I held it in. We’d all dealt with enough shit because of this ruse, and staying at Josh’s was what should happen, whether I wanted it to or not.

And whether part of my body wanted to do this more than it should. The annoying lust reared up again.

Gray sweatpants.

“No, but I’ll deal with it. At least it’s not any of that only-one-bed shit,” I said.

“Only one bed. Wait. I’ve heard of this in smutty books. Do you readromancenovels, Charlie?” Jax asked.

“Yes, and there’s nothing wrong with that,” I said. “The ladies would probably appreciate it if you read them, too. May learn something.”

“Nah. I don’t need tips. I have natural talent,” he said, wiggling his hips.

I groaned. “You’re disgusting.”

“Cass and I read them together,” Bash said with a smirk.

Jax gasped. “No, Wolfie. Just no. Don’t you tell me shit like that about my Cassiopeia. I won’t hear it.” He covered his ears with his hands.

“Drama queen,” Tristan muttered with a grin.

“You’re also going to have to act as my wife for the Screaming Vikings album release party tonight,” Josh said, cutting into our fun.

“What?” I asked. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” Again, I knew he was right—but I didn’t have to like it. I wanted to get into a real bed and hide under the covers for a while.

“You’re already going. All of you are. So it’s not like it’s just the two of us,” he reminded us.

“I totally forgot about that,” I admitted. The guys were all friends with the guys from the Vikings and the band was under Josh’s agency too.

“The guys can meet us at my place and we’ll all head over to the party together. That work?” he asked.

Like I had a choice. “I guess.” And now I was going to spend four days—and four nights—in the same house with this man. A man whose lips I couldn’t stop thinking about.

My husband.

Surely nothing could go wrong. Hiding under the covers was looking better and better.

A short time later, I said goodbye to the guys at the door of Josh’s condo. We’d finished breakfast and they were heading off to the hotel. The hotel where I’d had a room to myself until my drunken marriage happened.

I wanted to bang my head against the wall.

“It’s not that bad,” Josh said.

I turned to look at him as he raked a hand across his head. He’d always been so polished before we started our tour, but now he was constantly dragging his fingers through his hair. It made my fingers itch to take their place. I curled my hand into a fist to stop from reaching toward him.

I was mad at him.

I didn’t want him.

---