Page 82 of Need You Now

“Yeah, having no job tends to make travel real easy,” Lacey quips, pulling out of Luke’s embrace.

“Well, you two didn’t kill each other, so I’d say it was a success,” Luke drawls, slinging his arm around Lacey’s shoulder.

Lacey crosses her arms, jutting her chin at Seth. “He only did about seven or eight annoying things.”

Seth raises an eyebrow, a tendril of desire flexing his cock at the bantering tone in Lacey’s voice. He gives her an it’s gonna be like this? look, and she shrugs, a faint teasing smile on her face.

He grits his teeth. Reminding himself to behave is going to be a bitch.

Sal links her arm through Seth’s, stretches out her other to take Lacey’s. “C’mon, let’s go see everyone.”

“Who’s everyone?” Seth asks.

As if in answer, a shout rings out from the second-floor balcony.

He almost groans when he sees Griff Greyson and Alabama Forester. Griff’s raising up a cold one, Alabama waving a hand. While he likes Alabama alright, Griff’s still a sore subject. Seth can’t get over Griff calling Luke names in the press, trying to start a damn fight in a bar down in Texas.

He knows it’s not a competition for Luke’s friendship, his brother never made it one, but Seth still can’t help going back to when they were kids. When he was in some petty rivalry with Jace for Luke’s attention. Luckily, he and Jace have a decent friendship now ever since they had to come together for Luke after Sal went missing.

He hides a smile when he sees Lacey’s irritated expression. She’s never been a fan of Alabama, especially after she crashed Sal’s birthday party. A cardinal sin in Lacey’s world.

Sal sees the expression on Lacey’s face too and laughs. Points a finger. “The two of you, play nice.”

Lacey looks outright offended. “I will be cordial, Sal.”

Luke and Seth snort.

“Emmy Lou and Jace here?” Seth asks as they walk up to the cabin.

“Yep.” Sal hesitates. “And Beau should be here tomorrow night.”

Seth stops. Frowns. “Why’s he comin’?”

Sal’s eyes flicker, uncertainty there. She glances over her shoulder at Luke, who’s grabbing the bags from the car. Lowers her voice. “I think Bobby invited him on behalf of the Brothers Kincaid. Luke isn’t happy about it.”

“What’s he like?” Seth tries not to feel resentment toward the poor son of a bitch who took his place. It’s not like it’s permanent. Hell, the mere fact that he’s jealous tells him that leaving the band is not what he wants.

At all.

A long pause. “I haven’t met him yet. Luke hasn’t brought him by. I think he missed you too much.” Sal laughs. “It’s like all those girls you never bring home because you don’t want ’em to last—”

“Sal ...” Seth cuts her off by slinging an arm around her shoulder. “You’re fuckin’ hilarious.”

As they climb the stairs, Lacey leans back behind Sal to give Seth an oh really? look.

Seth wants to bury his head in his hands and groan.

Vacation’s off to a perfect fucking start.

Lacey gasps as Sal cracks open the front door, revealing the inside of the cabin with a flourish.

Instantly, she’s hit with the scent of cedar, of fire. Rising up from the center of the foyer is a circular wrought-iron staircase. To the right is the living room, where an enormous antler chandelier hangs, a floor-to-ceiling fireplace, a buttery leather couch made for at least fifteen people, and a Christmas tree buried in gifts. Majestic windows offer a grand view of the mountains, the setting sun.

Colin Cane would kill to have an event here. Hell, she’d kill to plan one. A pang goes through her at the thought of her job, but she shakes it out of her head and follows Sal inside.

“This is unreal,” Lacey says, clutching at Seth’s arm, and then quickly tears herself away from him like she’s been burned.

Shit.

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