Page 4 of Undeniable Temptation

And one was all she could ever allow herself to have.

Chapter One

Months later

Orlando, Florida

Ryan flippedhis guitar pick back and forth between his fingers as he followed the bee-line down the backstage hall toward the Reckless dressing room. He was dripping with sweat, from his face to his crack. Every limb was wet and thrumming with adrenaline, just the way he liked it.

Nothing compared to the high of a live crowd, especially when he’d been living his life in the gutter lately. The fans kept him going. They pushed him to forget about the single lifestyle he wasn’t accustomed to and the estranged wife who was still trying to bleed more money out of him with the divorce settlement.

Julie was destroying him, one instigated lawyer interaction at a time.

“Great show, guys.” Leah’s voice came from the dressing room door and nudged at places in his chest that shouldn’t be accessible.

Her sapphire eyes were bright, her flawless lipstick clinging to sultry lips while she grinned at their approach. He wasn’t sure how she did it. The days were long, her tasks arduous, but she never appeared anything less than unstoppable. Even now, after a twelve-hour day, her short-sleeved dress was wrinkle-free and clinging perfectly to every inch of her body, all the way to her calves.

He’d rarely seen her in a state of anything less than excellence. It was how she worked, how she liked to be perceived. Strong. Sure. Capable. That was why his admiration for her had never wavered, even though she still found it hard to look him in the eye.

Not even his drunken kiss had unsettled her. Yes, initially she’d flipped out and skipped town, but her return had been uneventful. The only thing that changed was the cold shoulder she always had pointed in his direction.

“What are you doing here?” Mason asked from the front of the group. “You’re usually hiding in your hotel suite by now, sleeping like a baby.”

“I am not.” She scowled. “I just refused to meet up with you after a concert because your ego resembles a needy five-year-old.”

“I don’t have a needy ego. I merely like to hear the details from a viewer’s perspective. It’s performance appraisal.” Mason stopped at the door, holding the rest of the band from entering the dressing room. “I did look good on stage, though, didn’t I?”

Leah rolled her eyes. “Thanks for proving my point.”

Ryan withheld a smile. He missed her playfulness. That sarcastic edge and mischievous spark. One day soon he’d get it back. He just had to keep telling himself—right time, right place. The right time wasn’t the middle of a tour when they were tired and lacking patience from all the sterile hotel rooms and cramped nights on the sleeper bus. And the right place wasn’t a packed dressing room where there’d be an audience to his groveling.

But soon. He’d get them back to where they once were. Soon.

“Hurry up and get inside.” She jerked her head toward the room. “We’ve got an impromptu meeting to get through before you can call it a night.”

“With?” Sean shoved Mason inside and followed after.

Leah’s expression tightened. “The label.”

Someone from Grander was here? On tour? In the middle of the night?

Ryan stepped past her and into the dressing room, Mitch and Blake at his back. The sight of Scott on the sofa at the side of the room made his muscles tense. The guy sat like he was made of gold and sprinkled in silver. His suit was immaculate, his arms outstretched along the head rest, his leg crossed over the other knee.

“Where’s my warm welcome?”

“Welcome, Scott.” Leah pulled the door closed behind her. “Now can you tell me what was so important that you had to fly across the country instead of calling?”

Ryan spared her a quick glance to find her standing tall with a fake curve to her lips. She was nervous, or angry. He could never tell the difference with that expression.

“Things have been quiet on the publicity front lately.” Scott gave them a sinister smile. “I thought I’d drop by and have a quick catch up to determine the problem.”

“Problem?” Mason shook his head. “There’s no problem. We’ve settled down and learned not to cause trouble.”

“I think your significant others may have been responsible,” Leah murmured.

“True.” Mason inclined his head. “We’re not looking for drama. We’re done with that.”

“See, that’s a problem.” Scott leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “No drama equals no free publicity, which then means Grander has to hand out more money to promote you guys. Money that currently isn’t in the budget.”

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