Page 31 of Undeniable Temptation

Perfect. A punching bag was exactly what she needed.

“What?” She yanked the door open with a snarl.

“Good afternoon to you, too, sweetie.” He beamed a smile as his wavy hair tempted her to pull it from his unnaturally gorgeous head. “You always know how to make me feel special.”

“Are you here to apologize for yesterday?”

His lips turned downward and he shook his head. “Nope.”

She made to slam the door but he stopped the progression with his palm. He nudged into her room, assuming ownership, and made her suite his castle.

“What ya looking at?” He focused on her laptop sitting on the small kitchenette counter and pressed play.

“Apparently, it’s Ryan instigating a live ménage.”

Mason snorted. “Slight exaggeration.”

“Do you still think that’s normal behavior?”

“Who cares about normal? He was having fun.”

“And so were you. I bet Sidney was happy to see you arm in arm with Ryan’s not-so-fake girlfriend.”

He nodded, his face contemplative as the silenced video continued to play in a loop. “She knows it was innocent, and that I wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize our relationship.” He made the two steps to her bed and sat on the edge. “She was also on the first flight out of New York just to make sure. ETA twenty minutes.”

Leah smirked. “I’m glad to hear it.”

“Don’t pull the woman-code card. Sidney knows that no one else will ever compare to her. All that video did was give her an excuse to come here and get fucked into submission.”

Leah closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Please don’t mention your sex life in front of me again.”

“Jealous?”

She glared. “No, I actually strive to have a healthy love life of my own one day, and I don’t want to ever,everhave the unsightly images of you in my head.”

“I’m sure losing me as a potential husband candidate will haunt you ‘til your dying day.”

“Get out.” She pointed toward the door. “Just go.”

“How ’bout we reroute the conversation back to Ryan instead?”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” She threw her head back and stared at the ceiling.

“You need to talk to him.”

“I plan on it. We already spoke about catching up today. I’m merely waiting for his call.”

“But you only have plans to talk about him. Not you.” He lost the smug expression. “I know I’m an asshole most of the time, but I hate seeing you like this. When you look at him, we all get an insider’s guide to the shit going through your head. We know how much you’re swooning over him.”

There were no words this time, only another adamant point of her finger toward the door.

“Don’t play dumb, Leah. We’ve got your back on this.”

No, they didn’t. She was on her own. Always had been. Reckless Beat were a team. The five of them family. Yes, she had her own place within the hierarchy, but essentially, it was her job on the line if she breached the terms of her management contract. They wouldn’t lose sales. Their fan base wouldn’t even hear about her departure. The five of them would carry on, living the dream, while she lost everything.

“What exactly am I supposed to do?”

“Tell him you love him and all that shit.”

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