“SERIOUSLY, THANK y’all for coming. I know I’m not great company lately.”
Kylie looked down at the glass of champagne she held instead of up into the eyes of the guests of her birthday party. The surprise one Mia and Lulu had thrown her. Biting her lip, she gathered the courage to glance up.
It had been nine months, nearly a year, since he’d walked out of her life. But she was still a shell of the person she used to be. She hid it well. Hell, she had two—well technically three—hit songs to show for it. But the people in this room knew better. And she knew they knew.
The two scheming hosts, plus Carmen and her fiancé, Lily, Steven, and the guys in his band all looked at her with similar expressions. Pity. God she hated that look.
“You’ve been working so hard lately. You deserved a night of fun.” Lulu nudged her shoulder. “You did have fun, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, I did. It was great.” She forced the biggest smile she could. Lulu’s eyes narrowed as she silently called bullshit.
“Hey, we should head out. Let you get some rest for your big day tomorrow.” Mia threw her a knowing look. Kylie thanked her with her eyes. Of all people, she never would’ve expected Mia to become the person to pull her out of her own personal hell. But she had.
Not that tomorrow was something she necessarily wanted to be reminded of. The Other Side of Me had gone platinum and the label was throwing a party. One she had no desire to go to. Not that she had a choice.
“I’ll walk you home, Mia,” Chris, Steven’s band’s lead singer, offered. Kylie’s eyes darted back and forth between Mia, Chris, and Steven. Steven’s face remained blank, but she saw the slight tension in his shoulders. Now there was a weird little love triangle she was kind of curious about. She grinned to herself as she considered nicknaming Mia Yoko.
“We should get going too. Our flight leaves early,” Carmen said, pulling Kylie into a side arm hug before walking to the door with her man. “You comin’, Lu?”
Kylie had told them all that they could stay in her new place. It was big enough, that was for sure. But they’d insisted on getting hotel rooms. She had a feeling it was because she wasn’t much fun to be around.
She spent nearly every waking minute either writing or in the studio. She knew her weirdo behavior made people uncomfortable, and she didn’t miss the looks they shot each other when she zoned out and missed an entire conversation. But she had no idea how to help it.
“Um, nah. I’ll get a cab later. I’m going to stay and help clean up.”
“Don’t be silly. You did all this work and you’ve had a long trip. I can handle it.” Kylie gave her friend a lingering hug and whispered, “Thank you,” in her ear. She hugged everyone else goodbye as they left. Well, everyone except Steven, who was still leaning on the bar in her kitchen. Part of her was glad he’d stayed behind. And part of her was nervous as to why.
She didn’t mind cleaning up by herself. In fact, she preferred being alone. No smiles to fake or forced conversations. But sometimes being alone was…lonely.
Once they were gone, she turned back to the tattoo-covered man in her kitchen.
“I’m staying to help clean up. Like it or not, Ryans.”
She laughed. “Okay, Blythe.” They worked in comfortable silence for a few minutes, clearing beer bottles and washing dishes.
“I’ll take this out to the dumpster.” Steven pulled the big black garbage bag from its can in her pantry.
“Thanks.”
She was bent over, putting the remaining bottles of alcohol into her fridge, when he retuned.
He cleared his throat and she jumped, nearly slamming her head into the top of the stainless-steel door. “God, you scared me.”
He gave her a wicked grin, provoking a twisting sensation all through her insides. “I like it when you call me God. Like it when you moan, ‘Oh God’, even more.”
Her eyes went wide and she slapped him lightly on the chest as he came closer. “I thought we weren’t ever going to mention that again?”
Last weekend they’d crossed a line.
They’d stayed up late finishing a song they were writing together and she’d had a few drinks too many. She’d felt bold and made a move. Kissed him. Kissing had led to more. Much more. They hadn’t actually sealed the deal, but what they’d done was still more than she thought she had probably been ready for. But since then, they’d both adhered to the strict no discussing drunken making out and inappropriate touching policy.
Until now apparently.
He responded with a cocky smirk that was as annoying as it was a turn-on. “Who’s mentioning it?”