“Whatever.” She stifled a yawn behind her hand. “Now that you’ve said your piece he’ll probably table it.”
“What a shame.” I smiled when she shook her head in disgust.
“I’m going to grab another one of these,” she said, raising her coffee cup. “You want one?”
“I’d love one. Thanks, babe.”
The simple things, like sharing a coffee with her, were becoming the highlight of my day on this tour. It used to be the screaming fans and the energy they gave me every night. The excitement and anticipation of a new city. But these days it was more like the lure of a big empty bed and making Cece scream my name. I just had to figure out how the hell to get safely out of the friend zone first.
I scanned my phone while I waited for her, checking random texts and emails that didn’t mean shit to me. I sighed, setting my phone back down on the table, before looking up to see Leo crowding her at the coffee machine across the room. That dude was dangerously close to getting his ass fired.
I watched the exchange, curling my hands into fists. I knew Cece was a strong woman who wouldn’t appreciate me riding to her rescue every time she had to deal with a tough situation, but my protective instincts kicked in whenever I saw someone hassling her. Especially someone who’d once shared her bed.
Ugh. That image made me wanna wretch. Hadn’t bothered me before, but it sure as hell did now. Because whenever I thought about Cece in bed these days, it was with me. I was the guy pleasuring her, making love to her, making her forget every other sonofabitch who’d fallen short of the mark before me.
I wanted her. To the point the need was taking on a life of its own. Distracting me from everything else. My career. Other women. Friends. Album sales. Critics. I didn’t give a shit about any of it. I had tunnel vision and this woman was the only thing I could see at the end of that tunnel. Cece… naked and beckoning me. Crossing that line, into unchartered territory, and that could mean the beginning or the end for us. That unknown risk was paralyzing me.
She shook her head, her face as a mask of loathing and revulsion, as she let him have it. Yet again. I was thirty seconds away from shoving her rejection down his throat when he spotted me and raised his hands, backing away. Smart move. May have saved him a trip to the hospital.
Cece was all fired up by the time she returned to the table with our coffees. “Ugh! I hate that man. Why won’t he just leave me alone?” Tears burned her bright green eyes and with a flash of clarity I knew what I had to do.
“Be right back, sweetness.” I squeezed her hand. “Sit tight.”
“Where are you going?”
“To do something I should have done a long time ago.” I strode across the huge open space, my boots echoing on the floor.
Leo turned to face me and I could tell by the look of dread on his face that he knew what was coming.
“Listen, Knox—”
“No, you listen!” I got in his face. “I should’ve beat the shit out of you the night I walked in on you in my dressing room with that little skank. Cece didn’t deserve the hell you put her through. Havin’ people talk behind her back, pity her, because you were too stupid to know a good thing when you had it.”
He ran a shaky hand through his hair, swallowing. “You don’t think I know that? Ever since I lost Cece my life’s been a mess, man. I can’t eat, can’t sleep. She’s all I can think about.”
That was the only thing I had in common with this bastard. “Too bad. She’s done with you.” I stabbed a finger into his chest. “And so am I.”
He paled. “What’re you talking about?”
“You’re done. Fired. I want you off this tour and out of my sight. Now.”
Firing him felt like a hundred and seventy pound weight off my shoulders. I didn’t know why the hell I hadn’t done it sooner, why I’d subjected Cece to this asshole for so long. But I did know. I’d loved her as a friend before. Would do anything for her, but this was different. I was fallinginlove with her, and I’d rip apart anyone who hurt her.
“You can’t be serious. You need me.”
I laughed. “You’re an idiot. I’ve got lots of friends in this business.” I snapped my fingers. “I’ll make a call and have someone here to replace you before the show tonight.”
“But you—”
“Shut. Your. Mouth.” Pissants like this didn’t argue with me. Not in my sandbox, where I made the rules. “And get out of my sight. You got me?”
He nodded dumbly, knowing he had no other choice.
When I returned to the table, Cece shook her head. “You shouldn’t have gone to battle for me, Knox. I can handle myself.”
When I saw a tear slipping down her cheek I knew I’d let him off too easy. He should have left carrying a few teeth in his pocket. “It’s over,” I said, brushing the tear away. “He’s gone. You’ll never have to deal with him again, angel.” That’s what she was, an angel.My angel.
She opened her mouth before snapping it shut. “Please tell me you didn’t fire him. You need him—”
