Page 65 of Second to None

“Yeah.” I ran a finger along the edge of my glass, then picked it up for a sip of water. “We survived. But we deserved better—and my acts do too.”

“Can’t be easy,” he said. “The label must have their own ideas about what these kids should be doing.”

“Yeah, well.” I paused as our starter arrived, both of us thanking the waiter in a murmur before I picked the thread back up. “They do, yeah, but they respect my input. Helped them sign some really good talent—artists I spotted, including two that had offers from other, bigger labels, but they went with me. So I’m not just a washed-up boybander with opinions anymore.”

“‘Washed-up boybander’?” He grimaced. “Harsh, Lee.”

“Not you, Cass. Obviously.” I flicked a crumb from the tablecloth. “Me, though? Yeah—I’ve got no illusions.”

He exhaled and leaned forward, elbows on the table. Reflected candlelight danced along the bridge of his nose. “Could be me. If this doesn’t go well, if it turns out being a sex symbol was my biggest selling point and it doesn’t combine with being gay…”

“Cass.Babe.” I pressed our knees together under the table and grabbed his hand on top of it, not meant as a performance. “You’re more than that. If that’s the kind of rubbish your team feeds you, fire them.” Something occurred to me, anger like lightning flashing in my gut. “Or is that your parents talking?”

One side of his mouth hitched up, no humour in his eyes. “Not exactly. They don’t know I’m gonna do this.”

Jesus. I’d always felt like I needed to hold back around them, could sense their undercurrent of disapproval, their hope that I was just a passing phase. But, fuck—I’d really like a word right now.

“You’re more,” I repeated, firm. “You’re a brilliant musician, Cass. Trust me—I sign them for a living.”

“You’re biased, though.” His small huff of laughter didn’t quite mask his uncertainty, the way he wouldn’t meet my eyes. I kept his hand clasped in mine, briefly listening to the pleasant murmur of tinkling glasses and low conversation around us.

“I am,” I said then. “But so are your parents because they really like the money. Me? I just like you. So—who do you trust?”

Finally, his eyes found mine. “You,” he said, low like a confession. “I trust you.”

“Good.” I exhaled around the ache and held on for just a moment longer. Then I let go of his hand.

* * *

We drove back along dark,winding roads, the silent villa waiting for us under a star-painted sky.

I kissed him against the car, hand fumbling at his belt, the garage our hiding place. Bent him over the hood and fucked him—pretended that I was fine, this was fine, that I wouldn’t miss the taste of his smile or the rasp of his voice first thing in the morning.

We weren’t meant to last. Not then, not now.

CHAPTER16

Cass

Porto Cervo, Saturday, August 30th

My phone woke me.

Ugh, why?It shouldn’t fuckingdothat—I always set it to silent at night. Unless…

My heart gave a frantic thud. I sat up with a start, sleep ripped from my mind with the sudden jolt of an emergency brake. Which—emergency. Emergency contacts—if they called, it forced the ring through. Like Frank. Or my PR team.

The phone was half-buried under last night’s discarded shirt, and I nearly fell out of bed trying to grab it. Levi grumbled some insult to my ancestry when I untangled myself from the sheets, his face smushed into the pillow. He’d never been a morning person, blamed his mum’s side of the family for it.

Anyway.Phone.

I squinted at the screen, still a bit bleary-eyed. Simone—my head of PR. Well, that was… not good. Surely she wasn’t calling just to rip me a new one about last night’s unauthorized dinner? Then again, I wouldn’t put it past her. Another buzz made Levi groan an “I will fuckingendyou, Cass.”

“All right, all right. Don’t get your panties in a bunch.”

“It’s knickers,” he muttered, dark and stubborn.

I bit my cheek against a smile as I stepped into a pair of boxers, then slipped out of the room and into the hallway, tiles cool under my bare feet. The house lay silent when I accepted the call with a quiet, “Simone, hey.”

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