His non-answer wasn’t surprising as she flung open the door and came face-to-face with a walking, talking heart palpitation.

“Ryan,” she greeted.

“Hey.” He jerked his chin at her, his smile lazy and sweet.

Even with tired eyes he was profoundly handsome. It was the one thing she couldn’t ignore—his physical appeal. Her thoughts could be smothered, her dreams stabbed and incinerated, but his gorgeousness was always there. Always an insistent reminder.

“Come in.” She swung an arm toward the dining table. “We’ve only got a few minutes before Scott and Felicity arrive.”

He strode before her, making it impossible for her gaze not to latch on to the tight stretch of his biceps against the material of his T-shirt. She hated those muscles. Loathed and despised how mouth-watering they were from years of guitar play.

“What are you doing here?” Ryan directed to Blake.

“Being a good pimp.” He gave a girlie smile and winked, the expression in complete contrast to his lethally spiked hair and the harsh tattoos inking every inch of his arms. “I wanted to make sure your first act of prostitution was done right.”

“Nice,” Ryan muttered, settling into the seat beside his friend. “I think I can handle the logistics on my own.”

“Maybe.” Blake shrugged. “But it’s been a while since you fucked something warm-blooded.”

“Assh—”

Leah held up a hand, and like always, her men complied. “Are you two done?”

Ryan glared. “I was about to tell Blake to go fuck himself, then I would’ve been finished.”

Blake’s lips twitched. “And I would’ve replied with, ‘I will, and I’ll think of you while I do it,’ and then the conversation would’ve been over.”

Leah clutched the back of her chair and gave themthelook. The one she’d honed to perfection.

“Sorry,” Blake muttered.

He certainly would be if he continued with the bullshit. She currently lacked the patience to put up with their non-stop smack talk.

“We need to get started.” She sank into her seat and flipped open the folder. “Here’s the information I pulled on Felicity.”

Researching Ryan’s next bed partner was akin to a chili sauce enema. Unfortunately, she hadn’t paid the woman enough attention before the Grander bombshell, and being unprepared wasn’t an option.

“She grew up in a small town in Michigan. Didn’t go to college but had good grades in school. She’s played everything from piano to guitar to violin.” She spread out the pages, exposing black and white images of the dark-haired, light-eyed beauty. “I couldn’t find anything on past boyfriends or scorned lovers. No connection to drugs or alcohol abuse. In fact, there was nothing juicy at all. Nothing exciting. Nothing memorable. It doesn’t add up, but then again, who am I to judge a straight-laced rocker?”

“Nobody came out of the woodwork when they signed with Grander?” Ryan sat forward and shuffled through the information.

“No. There wasn’t any dirt at all.” Not a single thing to give her reason to stop the charade and keep another woman from setting claws into her rhythm guitarist. Theband’srhythm guitarist. “From what I can tell, she’s drama free.”

“She’s also fucking hot.” Blake picked up one of the pictures, his eyes wide with appreciation. “She’s got the goth, rock goddess thing going.”

Leah cringed and both their gazes fell upon her as if the reaction had been audible.Fuck,had it been audible?

She couldn’t refute the woman’s beauty—full lips and flawless skin framed by sleek blue-black hair, boy short at the back, chin-length at the front. Add the slim waist, perky breasts, and what seemed to be a firm butt, and the woman became a walking erection dispenser.

“Just keep it in your pants for the duration of the meeting,” she muttered. “I don’t want Scott thinking this arrangement is anything more than a huge pain in my ass.”

Blake smirked and she anticipated his filth before he opened his mouth and said, “If Ryan’s lucky, it might be more of a pain in Felicity’s ass, right, my friend?”

Ryan didn’t bite. There was no humor. No reciprocated perversion. “Are you sure this is a good idea?”

Leah shrugged. “Fucking her in the ass is probably something you should discuss with—”

“That’s not what I’m talking about and you know it.”