“Was it ever simple?”
No. Nothing about this was simple. I was feeling things for both of them that were incompatible, that didn’t make sense.
“We need to get to work,” I muttered as I busied myself with my bag. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see him shaking his head. It had been a mistake for me to be with him while he was drunk and raw. We’d crossed a boundary that day, and now we were in a foreign land where neither of us knew the rules.
“If you want something, you should try just asking for it,” he said in a rough voice.
What the hell did that mean? Irritation flooded me. It was time put him into the same line of fire. “And what about you, Kaz? Do you know what you want?”
He fell silent, staring at me with narrowed eyes.
I huffed. “Yeah. That’s what I thought.”
I flipped open my laptop and typed out an email, forcing myself to focus on my task. When I looked up after I’d finished, he was no longer in the living room.
I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair, trying to calm my racing heart. This could have been simple, but I’ve made it complicated. Now it was on me to live with the consequences of that decision.
18
MOLLY
I’d beenon the fence about sticking around for the party, but the afternoon came and went, and I was still at the guys’ house when the doorbell rang, announcing the arrival of the first guest. It was Charlotte, all done up in high heels, a flattering dress, and perfectly curled hair. Mason greeted her with a hug and tugged her in the direction of his room. A burning sensation spread through my chest. She passed by Kaz and I, giving us a tight smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
Kaz watched the two of them with clear disapproval.
“How are they doing?” I asked.
“How should I know?” he responded irritably.
Kaz had been off all day, and I was starting to get concerned. At first, I thought he was angry about our earlier conversation, but his bad mood didn’t appear to be entirely directed at me. For once, it hadn’t been tension between Mason and I sucking out the air from that basement room. Kaz had snapped at Mase while they were working on their next single a few hours earlier, accusing Mase of being all over the place. Mason hadn’t taken Kaz’s curt tone well.
Where was this coming from? Kaz seemed more volatile and uneasy with something, but I couldn’t figure out what. First there’s been the startling declaration about Last Rites leaving Hyperion if they sacked me, and now this aggression toward Mase…
“Are you and Mason okay?” I asked, taking a seat on the couch.
“Yes. Just an off day.” Kaz turned on his heel and disappeared into the kitchen. I heard him opening the fridge and then slamming it closed. He didn’t want me to push him, but at the same time, it was sort of my job to make sure Last Rites were doing fine. The photoshoot was on Monday, and if their tempers flared then, it could derail the entire thing. If there was even a small chance I was somehow at fault for Kaz’s current mood, it was my responsibility to fix it.
I accepted the beer he handed me and made space for him on the couch.
He sat down, his thigh pressing against my own. His spicy, masculine scent filled my lungs, sending my mind back to the last time I was in his bed.
Focus!
I cleared my throat, trying to ignore the fluttering sensation between my legs when he wrapped his palm over my knee.
“I never properly thanked you,” he said, meeting my gaze with his.
“For what?”
“For keeping me company on Monday.” His eyes were dark-green pools simmering with intensity.
I gave him a soft smile. “I hoped I helped?”
“Yeah, you did.”
“If you ever need someone to talk to about anything, you can talk to me.”
His expression cracked, spilling out something precious and vulnerable.
