“He’s not going to hurt me,” I stated with a lot more conviction than I felt.
“Maybe not on purpose,” she said. “Just…be careful. That’s all I’m saying.”
I dropped my gaze to the cup in my hands.
“Look, I’ve said my piece,” she said. “I’ll let it go.”
“I like him,” I confessed.
“I can tell.”
“Please be happy for me,” I said, eyes pleading. “I haven’t felt like this in…well,ever.I want to be excited. And I want you to be excited with me.”
“On one condition,” she said.
“What?”
“No more disappearing acts.” She gave me an accusatory stare. “He needs a support system, but so do you.”
“Promise.”
She rose to her feet. “Come on, then.”
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“I’ve got ten more minutes before I have to go,” she said with a grin. “And if you think I’m leaving you to your own devices to pick out an outfit, you’re out of your mind.”
FOURTEEN
Luca
“So, where should we start?”McKenzie asked from the passenger seat of my Tesla. She looked especially cute in tight black jeans, boots, and a button-up sweater that dipped in the center. The cardigan had slipped off her shoulder, revealing a lace strap, making me wonder what was hidden beneath the heavy fabric.
I cleared my throat, refocusing my attention on the road. “Actually, Dallas called the realtor he used when he moved here, so we’re meeting with her at eleven thirty over in Midtown.”
“Realtor?” she asked. “I figured you’d just be looking to rent for now.”
“I am, but apparently, she deals with fully furnished rentals too,” I explained. “She has a lot of…clients like me.”
“Ah,” she said as though it all made sense. “High profile people. Celebrities. Rock stars.”
I grimaced. “Former rock stars.”
“Pretty sure it doesn’t work like that,” she said, smiling over at me, her eyes obscured by a pair of aviators. “Once you’re in the club, you don’t get to leave.”
“Someone’s been watching too many cult documentaries,” I said with a smirk.
“Is it a club you even want to leave?” she asked, gazing out the window.
“What do you mean?”
“Did you want the band to break up?”
“There wasn’t exactly a band to continue with after Derek and Jax decided to leave.”
She pinned me with a pointed stare. “That’s not what I asked.”
I flexed my hand against the steering wheel. “No, I didn’t.”
