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"Logan is smarter than he seems. He can tell you're going to be the next big thing and he wants to get you cheap." Mal chuckles. "And he thinks it bothers me that he wants to fuck you."
"Does it?"
"You're a beautiful woman. Every guy in this restaurant wants to fuck you."
"I'm not sure about that."
He leans back as he gives me a long once-over. His eyes rest on my chest. "I am."
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My cheeks flush. God, the way he looks at me… it's intoxicating. I want to bottle it and carry it around for whenever my self-esteem is dropping.
Mal's gaze shifts to something behind us. Our server. She's quiet and serious and she doesn't ask about the band as she drops off our waters and takes our orders.
I haven't even looked at the menu.
I let Mal order for me.
We're having some fancy fish dish. One with plenty of vegetables on the side.
My lips curl into a smile.
He shakes his head knowingly. "If you want something else, I'll order you a second dinner."
"I don't."
He nods I know. His posture shifts, softer and harder at once. "It's a fucking great song, the one Logan wants you to shoot. It will be huge."
"As huge as Mal half naked?"
"Well…" He shifts back in his seat and cocks a brow.
"I thought you didn't make dick jokes."
He shrugs maybe I do, maybe I don't.
He's effortless today.
At ease.
He really is happy for me.
"It's been a long time since I've taken this kind of risk, but I remember how terrifying it was." His eyes fix on mine. "Our second album, the label wanted us to go pop-rock. That was the sound that was getting radio play. It still is. We tried, but we couldn't make it happen. It wasn't Dangerous Noise. We had to decide—sink into our sound and possibly miss out on mainstream success or compromise our sound for a better shot at fame and fortune."
"The pop-rock won, right?" I tease.
He smiles. "Of course." His voice drops to something serious. "That was our moment, though it wasn't really one moment. It was hundreds of decisions. It was negotiation. We fought like cats and dogs. Joel and I have always wanted to do what it takes to blow up the band. Ethan has never given a fuck about anything but getting the song right. But, coming together, making music… it's this fucking magic salve that cures everything. By the time we were done with the album, we all knew that it had to be that."
"It's a perfect album."
"It's not, but then nothing is." His eyes meet mine. "It's our imperfect album. I knew we were right to put it out that way, but I was terrified it would flop and break up the band. Ethan would have been devastated."
"What about you?"
"What about me?"
"Whenever you talk about something that hurts you, it's always what it did to someone else."
