Page 55 of Broken Bridges

She winked at me, and my pulse quickened. The air between us hummed and warped, as usual. Shit. I swallowed the dry lump in my throat. “But you’re the first girl I’ve ever kissed like that.”

“I’m honored. Flattered. But maybe next time we go out, we shouldn’t get high.” She glided her fingers over her ankle in slow, sensual strokes.

How did she make that look so freaking sexy? My fingers twitched, wanting to take over. I remembered how soft her bare skin felt, how warm she was to touch. Wait...next time? “No, no drugs” was all I could utter.

Slip pointed his palms toward heaven. “Yes. The old Tia is alive.”

I didn’t know the old Tia, but I couldn’t deny last night had been fun for a few fevered minutes.

Cole shook his head. He sucked in a deep breath and glared at her. “Tee, this isn’t good publicity for any of us.”

“Lewis and I just kissed, not fucked.” Fire flashed in Tia’s eyes. “We’re both single. We did nothing wrong. We’ll handle whatever crap the media have said or will say about him being gay and me, a troublemaker. I’ve had much worse shit printed online about me and done much crazier things.” Her voice came out strong, but an undercurrent of stress rippled beneath the surface. “If someone gets in my face about this, I’ll just tell them to piss off, like I always do. It’s none of their goddamn business. I don’t want to cause problems, but you guys should know I can’t go anywhere without it hitting the fucking headlines.”

I slipped my cell phone out of my jeans’ pocket and searched the Internet for images of us at the club. Grainy, dark pictures swamped several sites. There was no hiding or denying it was us. So much for her disguise. Bold headlines blazed beneath the newsfeeds: ‘Tia Tanner Burned Up the Dance Floor with Mystery Man,’ ‘Tia Tanner On Fire at Emerald Destruction,’ ‘Another Tia Tanner Scandalous Affair.’ I didn’t want us to be the cause of online ridicule or see her upset. Hopefully, this gossip would die quickly. “Tia, don’t be sorry. You’re right. We did nothing wrong. If asked, drunken fun was all it was.”

A slinky smile inched across her lips as she thumbed over her shoulder toward the window. “Well then, you want to get wasted again, come down to the Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard, and make out some more? We could have some fun and create more hype for the album.”

She didn’t have to make jokes. She didn’t have to lie and hide the fact the gossip had upset her. The press was the least of my worries. My sanity was a completely different matter.

“Tia, no.” Cole rubbed his brow and shook his head. “Leave Lewis alone. The poor guy is traumatized enough.”

That was one way of putting it. My brain was still spiraling.

“I’m just pissed this even happened.” Cole’s voice snagged in his throat. “I trusted you to have a night out with Tia, not hit the gossip pages. I understand this has shocked and upset you. That it’s not who you are. But don’t mess with my sister. You hear me?”

Panic slithered through my veins. I didn’t want to thin my chances with the band any further. As I stared at Tia, I fidgeted with my signet rings and nodded...half-heartedly. “Yep. I can assure you, it won’t happen again.” I wanted to be certain, but I wasn’t. I was unable to drag my eyes off her. My stomach flipped and fluttered. Kissing her had exacerbated our connection. It had made things more complicated. I was on a rocky road, unable to see where it ended or which way to turn. My growing feelings for her scared me. Was our bond so strong because we were going through so many life changes at the same time, as Flint had suggested, or was it something more? How the fuck could I find out without doing something we’d regret?

Tia lowered her chin. “Cole, it was some harmless fun. We’re good.” But I sensed she wasn’t okay. Shit. Neither am I.

Flint waved his hand at me. “See? You were worried about nothing. Everyone’s cool. Making out with Tia is pretty tame compared to some of the shit we’ve done.”

Slip stretched his legs forward and crossed his ankles. “So true. You’ve got nothing on us, Lewis. Just about everything we’ve done gets splashed across the Internet. Some of the news has been good, some bad—the majority has been fabricated bullshit, but it’s helped us sell millions of albums. You have to be prepared that someone, somewhere, is gonna drag you across hot coals, say shit about you, and make good fun look like a scandal.”

“Yeah, but the gossip still makes you feel like shit and still hurts,” Tia mumbled.

Slip rubbed her back. “Don’t let it upset you, Tee. Remember, the way we handle it is to always be honest with each other. So don’t stress.” He dipped his chin at me, then returned his attention to Tia. “We’ve got your backs.”

She rested her head against Slip’s shoulder. “Thank you.”

“I’m sure this will blow over if we keep our story straight.” Some of my stresses dissipated, but the nausea and nerves didn’t leave my gut. These guys truly were a rare find, but I didn’t want to push the boundaries of their trust and faith in me. I was still new to the band and wasn’t comfortable or secure in my position. I still had milestones to pass. They could kick me out at any time. Cole had me half out the door. The you-touch-my-sister-again-and-I’ll-kill-you glares from him didn’t ease my worries. “I’ve never had every move hit the headlines. I’ll be more careful in the future.”

Flint bobbed his head. “Lewis, it’s okay. But we’re two days out from launch. Covering a drunken kiss will be easy, but are you okay if we tell Blake, April, and Falcon about your parents? We don’t know what shit the press will have uncovered about your past or what crap they could spin in our direction during promo. We want to be prepared for anything.”

Shit. I hadn’t considered that my upbringing could cause a fallout. I’d never liked talking about my parents; they didn’t deserve the time or breath. “Um...sure. I don’t have anything to do with my folks anymore and vice versa. I want this launch and joining you guys to be about our music—not my personal life.” My proposal to Emilio and our breakup had been discussed during our marketing meetings and media training. My past relationships and sometimes wild partying had been tame compared to these guys’ reputations. “I honestly don’t think I have any other skeletons in my closet.”

“Alright then.” Flint slapped his hands on his thighs and stood. “Since everyone is here, we may as well run through the setlist again before Tuesday night. But first, I need to get out of my pajamas—that may involve a quickie with Sutton, who’s still in bed—then I’ll need a coffee.”

“You do Sutton, I’ll make coffee.” Slip jumped to his feet and headed for the door. Cole and Tia followed.

“Um, Tia. You got a sec?” I rose and walked around behind the sofa.

She spun toward me. “Sure.”

My pulse jumped a few bars. I had no idea what I wanted to say to her—I just wanted to make sure she was okay without the others around.

Halfway to the door, Cole stopped in his tracks. He turned to face me, and crossed his arms. He tilted his head to the side and an oh-yeah-I’m-listening smirk curled the corner of his mouth.

Flint shoved Cole on the shoulder, pushing him toward the exit. “Get out of here. Give them a minute to talk.”

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