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The big lug looks so earnest, I give his meaty arm a pat. "Thanks for the advice."

"So … " He waggles his brows. "Who's the lucky guy? Or was it a girl?  Please say girl. That fantasy will keep me satisfied for weeks."

"What fantasy?" Whip's voice comes from behind us, and we both jump.

Jesus, are they all chipper morning people?

"Where the hell did you come from?" Rye asks, clutching his chest.

"My room." Whip nods to the door we're standing closest to. The duh is  heavily implied. "And you two are making enough noise out here to raise  the dead."

Another door opens, and Brenna's head pokes out. "What the fuck is this? A hall convention?"

"Whip is right," Rye says. "The dead are rising."

Brenna hisses at him, baring her teeth like a vampire.

I take the moment to edge away from them all. My door is so close.

"Where do you think you're going?" Whip's cool blue eyes pin me. "You haven't answered the question."

"What question?" Brenna pipes up.

"What kind of fantasy Rye is having of Sophie," Whip says with an evil  smile. The fucker. I now know who the instigator of the group is.

Rye scowls at him as Brenna's happy face falls flat.

Rye gives Whip a not-so-gentle punch on the shoulder. "We were talking  about Sophie hooking up with a girl. I doubt I'm the only one who'd find  that fantasy hot." His gaze lands on Brenna.

A flush hits her cheeks but she shrugs. "Sophie is definitely fantasy worthy."

Well, okay then.

They all turn to me, and Brenna gives me a kind smile. "But her sex life is none of our business."

"Like that's going to stop us," Whip says with a laugh. He nudges me. "I'm kidding, Soph. Run while you can."

"No way," Rye says. "Dish the dirt. Or we'll make assumptions."

Another door opens down the hall, and Jax glares at them before giving  me a level look. "Sophie was out getting me a muffin. But she forgot the  cash." He holds up a wad of pounds. "Sorry about that."         

     



 

I sigh. "Oh, for crying out loud. I don't need you to cover for me, Jax.  I have insomnia, okay?" I back up to my room. "I was out walking all  night."

"In the rain?" Rye squints at me as if to better see through my lies.

"Yeah." I finally reach my door. "In the rain. All night."

Whip looks at Jax. "You were the last person I thought would make a move, man."

Jax frowns. "Why? Sophie's hot." He smiles at me. "And I totally respect  you this fine morning, Sophie. Don't ever doubt that." He winks.

I groan, thumping my head against my door. "I'm in a nightmare. A bad nightmare."

"Don't worry about it, Sophie," Rye says. "Everyone makes regrettable sex mistakes."

"Yeah," Jax drawls. "Just ask Rye. He leaves tons of women lamenting theirs."

Rye gives him the finger.

Whip grins my way. "See? No harm admitting it."

"Fine," I snap. "I was with Jax. And the experience was so moving, I  just had to run around the block to get it all out of my system!" I let  myself into my room and slam the door before they can say anything else.

Jax's voice drifts through the wood. "Anytime you want a repeat,  sweetheart, let me know. Me and my moving dick make house calls."





Chapter Eight





Gabriel







Getting the band ready to start a tour is like herding wild cats. There  is noise, there are squabbles, and no one is where they're supposed to  be. I gave up overseeing the details a long time ago. I've underlings to  perform that thankless task now. And I pay them well. But it still  falls to me to make final checks.

I watch stagehands moving to and fro, carrying crates and laughing along  the way. For them, this is the experience of a lifetime-a chance to rub  elbows with the band they idolize. I envy their joy. My joy ended  around six this morning when I woke up and realized I was yet again, as  though my life depended on it, wrapped around the woman I had intended  to hate. And it had been a bloody uncomfortable realization.

It was bloody uncomfortable to ease my swollen, aching cock away from  the swell of her arse and roll myself out of that warm, fragrant bed  when all I really wanted to do was wallow there, ease between soft  thighs and push …

"Where are we putting Sophie?" I ask Brenna, who stands next to me as the buses are loaded up.

"Why do you care?" She takes a long sip of her coffee.

I don't know. I've gone over the ledge into madness. I give Brenna a  look. "She's a new employee. It shifts the balance. Accommodations will  have to be rearranged."

"We have five new employees," Brenna retorts. "You know any of the  others' names?" One red brow lifts behind purple cat glasses. "Or job  functions?"

Hell. Evasive maneuvers are needed.

"What has your knickers in a twist?" I ask. Before she can answer, Rye  strides past. They ignore each other as usual, and Brenna's pert nose  rises a touch higher. I repress an eye roll. "You two really ought to  fuck and get it over with."

I can almost hear her teeth grinding. Her voice is breezy, though, when  she finally speaks. "There is entirely too much fucking going around  this nosy little bunch, thank you very much."

"Who?" I can't help asking.

Brenna's gaze slides to mine. "Sophie and Jax, for one."

It's as if she's kicked my legs out from under me. The sensation of  falling is so strong, the sudden pain in my chest so sharp, I can  clearly picture myself on the ground, two stiletto heels implanted in my  chest-one of Brenna's and one of Sophie's.

"What?" The question lashes out like a whip. And Brenna visibly flinches.

Slowly she lowers her cup from her face and takes a step back. "Ah, yeah, you know what? That's just speculation."

"Based on what, exactly?" I grind out.

Brenna looks around as if trying to find an avenue of escape. Not bloody likely.

I take a step into her space. "Talk, you."

"This morning Jax said he'd hooked up with Sophie, and she confirmed  it," Brenna blurts out. "Though really, she sounded extremely sarcastic  when she called the sex ‘moving,' so it might have been a joke … "

Her words drift off, as the ringing in my ears grows stronger. My heart  knocks against my ribs so hard, I feel the reverberations in my throat.  Jax? She's with Jax? She fucking slept in my bed while she fucking  fucked fucking Jax?

I turn on my heel, not knowing where the bloody hell I'm going, when my  gaze lands on the man in question, who is about to get on his bus.         

     



 

"John," I bark out loud enough for my voice to echo over the lot.

Hearing me use his real name makes him pause and look over his shoulder. "What?"

Whatever he sees on my face gets him strolling over to me. I grit my teeth.

"What's this about you and Sophie?"

The git gives me a stupid grin. "Oh, yeah, just a bit of fun." He  glances at Brenna, who is slowly shaking her head. "Right, Bren?"

I don't let her respond. "Did you not give Killian a lecture about sleeping with employees when Libby came on board?"

He rubs his chin, and I have the urge to punch it.

Jax snaps his fingers. "Right. He clearly listened well."

Fuckwit.

"Good advice which would apply to you as well, would it not?"

Jax nods, still grinning that smug little shitter grin. "It would."

I take a calming breath, which bursts out of my lungs when Jax smiles  wide and says, "But don't worry, there wasn't much sleeping involved."

My breathing goes haywire.

"Careful," Brenna whispers in my ear. "Your knickers are getting all twisted."

I wrench my head in her direction, and she pales.

"Ack, joke gone bad, joke gone bad," Brenna wails, flapping her hands. "Run away. Run away."

Jax watches her go, a smile on his lips. "What's with her?... Hey, man."  He holds his hands up. "Easy with the crazy eyes. It's just Sophie."

Wrong thing to say.

"What's just me?" Sophie asks, appearing at my side.

I round on her. "You."

"Me." She points to her chest then to Jax. "Jax. We all speak good now."

Jax chuckles, but when I glare at him, he suddenly becomes invested in scurrying off toward Killian and Libby.

Sophie frowns. "What's that all about?"

"Are you fucking Jax?"

Her eyes go wide and shocked. Guilty? I can't tell. It annoys me further.

A flush rushes over her cheeks. "Are you serious with this?"

Yes. No. I don't fucking know.

"Answer the question, Sophie."

She glances around before grabbing me by the arm. I let her lead me away  because I want an answer. She stops in the narrow gap between my coach  and the band's.

"Look, you," she hisses, poking my shoulder. "I don't have to tell you a fucking thing about my personal life."

"You cease to have one if you start fucking the band members."