ADELINE
I spentthe next day distracted, tired from the lack of sleep and confused about what I had learned from Abel.
I couldn’t believe the rest of the guys didn’t know about his troubled relationship with Charlie, but I knew it wasn’t my place to talk to them about it. That was Abel’s story to tell, and he had shared it with me before doing so with his oldest friends.
I suspected I knew why. He communicated best through music—his guard had lowered when we’d really gotten into the process—and I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that he’d never intended to reveal his secret to me. It just happened. Music had a way of making honest people out of us.
Halfway through the day, Cole asked if we could talk outside. I followed him down the hall, my eyes catching on how his toned back flexed beneath the fabric of his T-shirt. He cast a look over his shoulder at me and winked, easing my thoughts. We came outside, and as soon as the door slammed behind us, his hands found my waist. He pressed me against the wall of the studio, leaning in close.
“Tell me there will be more.”
I reached up and buried my fingers in the softness of his hair. His eyelids fluttered in pleasure before he forced them open, pinning me with his heated gaze.
“Tell me, Adeline. If you say you don’t want it again, you’ll need to make me believe it. If I sense the slightest hesitation in your refusal, I won’t back down.Wewon’t back down.”
I trailed my fingers from his hair down to his cheeks, his short beard, his soft lips. He let me touch him, his expression unwavering, with only his heavy breaths giving me an indication of the effect I was having on him.
Why should I deny myself this? There was joy and pleasure for all three of us in this arrangement, and a distraction for me. When we were together, I didn’t think about the difficulties of my life or what would come next after they left. I simply felt and lived in the moment, unburdened and exhilaratingly alive.
I sighed. “You’re sure this won’t affect the recording process?”
A curl fell into Cole’s face. “It might, but only for the better. I don’t think you understand how much you’ve done for us by just being here. We’ve never worked together this well before.”
Abel’s words flared in my memory. “I could tell that you would make them fall in love with music all over again, and I hated the whole thing. Hated how you’d make them want to keep going.”
What did he mean by that? I’d been so absorbed by the revelation regarding Charlie, I hadn’t had an opportunity to truly process those words.
Cole continued, oblivious to my thoughts. “There is something here. I know you feel it, too.”
Of course, I felt it. I’d felt it enough to initiate this whole thing, and despite my subsequent protests and denials, I didn’t think I was strong enough to walk away.
“I’m worried about what would happen if the others find out,” I confessed, still hung up on how Silas and Abel would react, and even more confused about my feelings toward the singer after last night. We had almost kissed. I knew he’d been emotional and upset, but what was my excuse? If he knew I’d slept with Cole and Ezra, would he still want to kiss me?
The corner of Cole’s mouth inched up. “If the others find out, I think their first question will be to ask if there’s room for more. Whether that’s a problem or not is…entirely up to you.”
My eyes widened, and my pulse hammered in my ears. Was he implying what I thought he was?
Cole held my gaze, daring me to consider the meaning of his words.
Room for more. He believed Silas and Abel would want to join us in this…arrangement. And what about me? What did I want?
I shut my eyes, forcing myself to focus on the answer that suddenly seemed a lot easier to give.
This thing between Cole, Ezra and I… Once was never going to be enough.
“Okay,” I said, biting my lip as I watched Cole’s face light up. “Let’s keep going. I know we’ll have to say goodbye soon, but I want to enjoy the time we have left.”
He pulled me close, kissing my ear and then my neck, before finally finding my lips. “Thank fuck,” he said with a grin when we finally broke apart. “You know how to make a guy nervous.”
I laughed, but some unease still lingered. Cole must have noticed, because a wrinkle appeared between his brows. “Is there something else?”
My mind sifted through Abel’s words over and over again, until a terrible suspicion made my stomach twist.
“What are your plans for the band after this album?”
My suspicion was confirmed by how Cole’s face immediately grew pale. He took a step back and asked wearily, “Why?”
“Abel said something to me earlier. He implied you didn’t want to keep going.”
