Page 17 of Rockstar's Accidental Marriage

Cass snorts. “Could’ve fooled me. You’ve been on her case ever since she took over as manager. I mean, the nicknames alone—Cupcake. Boss Lady? Really?”

“Yeah, she hates that name,” Sam mutters, almost like he’s talking to himself.

“Exactly my point,” Cass says. “Why do you go out of your way to antagonize her?”

There’s a long pause, and I press myself against the wall, holding my breath.

“It’s not like that,” Sam says finally, his voice quieter now.

“Then what is it?” Cass presses. “Because if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’ve got some unresolved feelings going on here.”

Unresolved feelings? My heart pounds, and I press my hand to my chest to quiet the erratic rhythm. No. Cass must have it wrong. Right?

Sam laughs, but it’s humorless. “You’re reading too much into it, Cass.”

“Am I?” Cass challenges. “Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’re attracted to my sister.”

There’s another long silence, and I bite my lip, willing Sam to say something, anything, that will clue me in on how he feels about me. But when he finally speaks, his voice is softer, almost resigned.

“I’m not—” he begins, then shifts gears, “I just... I don’t know what to do about her.”

Cass laughs a short, surprised sound. “What the hell does that mean? Listen, Emily’s the most straightforward person I know. She’s driven but upbeat, and yeah, she’s a little bossy, but she’s also loyal to a fault. What’s so bad about that?”

“You don’t get it,” Sam says, and there’s something in his voice that makes my stomach twist. “She has a way of getting under my skin. It throws me off balance.”

My breath catches, and I slap a hand over my mouth to keep from making a sound. Did he just say—? No, I must’ve misheard. Sam Ryder doesn’t get thrown off balance. Not by me.

“Emily?” Cass repeats, his tone laced with disbelief. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah, I’m serious.” Sam lets out a bitter laugh. “She’s everything I can’t have–everything I’m not. She’s your sister, man. There are rules about this kind of thing.”

Cass doesn’t respond right away, and the silence stretches out so long that I start to wonder if they’ve moved on to another topic. But then I hear him sigh.

“Sam,” he says, his voice softer now. “You’re not doing anyone any favors by playing games with her. If you care about her, stop messing around. Either tell her how you feel or leave her alone. But this in-between shit? It’s not fair, not to her and not to you. And that part about her being my sister—she’s a big girl. Just don’t ever hurt her.”

Sam doesn’t say anything, and after a moment, I hear footsteps heading toward the kitchenette. I dart back to the table, grabbing my tablet and pretending to scroll through the itinerary just as Cass walks in.

He stops when he sees me, his brows knitting together. “Everything okay?”

“Fine,” I say, forcing a smile. “Just going over some last-minute details for tomorrow.”

He studies me for a moment longer, then nods. “All right. Don’t stay up too late, okay?”

“I won’t,” I promise, watching as he disappears down the hall.

The second he’s gone, I let out a shaky breath, my thoughts swirling. Sam’s words keep playing in my head, the memory of them settling deep in my chest.

She’s everything I can’t have.

What am I supposed to do with that?

Six

Sam

The moment I walk into Emily's office, the air changes. She's perched behind her desk, all long legs and curves wrapped in a charcoal pencil skirt that should be illegal. Her white blouse dips low yet still high enough to be professional but distracting as hell. Those red-soled heels she's wearing again make her legs look endless. Everything about her screams control, but all I can think about is messing up her perfectly polished image.

"Sam." Her voice is crisp, businesslike. "Thanks for coming in."

---