Page 28 of Undeniable Temptation

“I can’t. I need to speak to a few of the crew before I leave.”

“I can hang around—” The ring of his cell stopped him short. “Sorry.” He pulled the device from his jeans pocket. “I better check in case it’s my lawyer.”

“Don’t apologize.”

Ryan scanned his screen. “It’s Felicity. Do you mind if I take it?”

Another pang was squashed with Hulk precision. “Of course.” She side-stepped to give him privacy but he gripped her around the elbow, stopping her progression.

“Stay,” he mouthed, before greeting Felicity with a friendly, “Hey.”

There was a beat of silence, then, “What’s wrong?”

The pangs kept coming, the tiny stabs of envy peppering her internal organs. She smiled through the assault, the curve of lips turning into a snarl as she met Mason’s knowing gaze.

“I’ll be there in a minute.” Ryan disconnected the call and pocketed the cell.

“You’ve gotta go?”

“Yeah. Something’s up.” There he went with another one of those apology-riddled glances. “We’ll talk later?”

“Sure.”

He stepped into her, curving his arm around her waist while he placed an excruciating kiss at her temple. She should’ve backed away. Instead, she found herself melting into him, sucking him deep into her lungs. His aftershave was rich, still prominent over the scent of sweat. But there was also the taint of alcohol, the briefest hint of scotch on his breath.

This was her fault. She hadn’t been there for him. Couldn’t be.

“Life has been tough on you lately.” She slid out of reach, freeing herself from his heavenly arms. “Are you coping?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” His smile was halfhearted. “I’m living the dream.”

“Don’t placate me. Are you OK or not?”

His puff of laughter was callous. “Are you asking as my long-lost best friend or my band manager?”

She didn’t know how to answer. He needed a friend and she needed distance. She no longer knew who to protect. “I can smell alcohol, Ryan. I’m worried about you.”

“Worried enough to stop hiding from me?”

She swallowed over the confidence in his heated stare. “I…”

He waited, the seconds ticking by as her words remained tightly locked in her chest. “Fine. You want an answer? I’ll give you two. First, to my band manager—I’ll be honest and say it was one drink over breakfast. The girls were having Bloody Marys so I joined them with a scotch. No big deal.” He shrugged. “The second response is for the friend I lost—you want to know how I’m coping with a divorce, a tour, and the bullshit of a morally crippling publicity stunt? Come find me tomorrow and we’ll talk this out.”

She clenched her jaw tight, caught between the role she wanted to play and the position she needed to maintain. It didn’t help that she was focusing on one sentence. One word—tomorrow. Because clearly today was dedicated to Felicity.

“What time?” She breathed through the nerves in her belly, willing them not to take hold.

His expression relaxed, his tight brows falling to frame softer eyes. “I’ll message you when I’m free.”

“OK.” She inclined her head, her heart in her throat, her ovaries somewhere in her chest cavity. “Tomorrow, then.”

Chapter Seven

Ryan kept lookingover his shoulder, wishing he could drop everything to grasp the opportunity to speak to Leah. Tomorrow was a lifetime away, but obligation had his feet moving forward.

He was fading away from Reckless. All his friends had new relationships to focus on. They had calls and FaceTime and texts to deal with. They were immersed in their own lives and had no time for him.

Felicity and Hannah were growing to be his only companions. When they weren’t traveling from city to city on the sleeper bus, they were in his suite, keeping him up until the early hours with their giggling and mumbled words from his bed while he slept on the sofa or fold out. The two women had a friendship that reminded him of what he previously had with Leah. A connection riddled with private jokes and uncanny intuition.

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