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If she’d punched him in his sore head, he wouldn’t have ached half as much.

“You know I do. I feel the same. It’s just I can’t deal with the guilt and the lectures and everything lately. It’s all too much.”

“You didn’t let me finish.”

Stiffly, he nodded.

“But when we’re on the job, as we were two minutes ago, you will respect me. What I said to Ricki—Elle applies to you too. Personal business has no room to interfere here.”

“I get that. But you hate Chloe. If I’d asked for anyone else’s number, you wouldn’t have blinked. So you can’t really talk about not bringing personal stuff up while we’re at work.”

She pursed her lips. “I don’t hate her. I have no reason to. She just makes me wary, and whatever your reasons for contacting her, I’d advise you to tread carefully. The man she nearly married tried to bring down Oblivion, Michael. He made all kinds of wild claims that they’d stolen his songs and bilked him out of money he was rightfully entitled to. She had a past with Nick too and she—”

“What kind of past?” he asked sharply. “I mean, I know they were hugging in those stupid pictures the PI took, but I thought they were just old friends.”

“Old friends, yes.” The careful tone of her voice let him know she wasn’t telling him everything. As always.

“Old friends who once were involved?” he pressed.

“It doesn’t matter. It was a long time ago, and she ended up with Snake. Nick feels responsible for her and the baby, because Snake wanted him to be the kid’s godfather so he’s been helping her out here and there.”

Michael dug his thumbs into his forehead. There was a very good chance his brain was just going to explode. “Helping her out how?”

“Financially.”

“So she used to hook up with Nick, and now he’s bankrolling her.” Michael leaned back in the booth and leveled his gaze on his stepmother. “And you’re okay with this?” When she didn’t immediately reply, he slowly shook his head. “Of course you’re not. You’re concerned there might be more there than simple friendship.”

“No.” Her voice lashed out. “That I’m not concerned about. Not anymore. Was I at first? Yes. The situation with your father made me suspicious, but Nick isn’t like that. I trust him implicitly.”

“You just don’t trust her.”

She huffed out a breath. “I don’t know her

well, and I’m probably being unfair. But it’s hard to take back first impressions, and my first one of Chloe was her drug addict fiancé suing my band. Because, yes, Oblivion is my band, just like Warning Sign is. I take it personally when people come after what’s mine. That includes all of you.”

His lips twitched. “So much for keeping things all business, huh?”

Lila shook her head. “You’ve got me there. It is personal for me, but I fight it all the time. I try not to get wrapped up in your lives, and I try not to care more than I should. But I can’t help it.” She leaned forward and took his hands. “Especially with you. No matter how old you get, you’ll always be that boy with the backward baseball cap and a sweet smile. And I’ll always want to protect you, even if you hate me for it.”

He curled his fingers into hers. “L, I married Chloe.”

“You’ll understand someday when you have your own children,” Lila continued as if he hadn’t spoken. “In the far, far off future. But it changes you when you’re responsible for someone else—”

“L, did you hear me? I married Chloe.” He shut his eyes and hung his head. “I didn’t mean to do it, but I did.”

She gripped his hands so tightly that he opened his eyes again. “What do you mean you didn’t mean to marry her?” She threw back her head. “Dear God, Vegas.”

“I may have been just a little…inebriated at the time.” As was she, but he wasn’t about to cast aspersions on his new wife’s character.

She’d married him, hadn’t she? That was aspersion enough.

“You told me you didn’t have a problem. You swore to me you didn’t.”

“Dammit, I got to play with my brother last night. My brother who’s been on the fringes of my life for years. Do you know what a rush that was? And we were incredible. We were the best we’ve ever been, and she was in the audience, and Jesus, she was so into us, into me—I’ve never felt anything like that before.” He couldn’t explain it to himself, never mind his stepmother. “It was chemical. I couldn’t control it. Fuck, I didn’t even realize it was her at first.”

Lila took several deep breaths before meeting his gaze again. “Did you have sex with her?”

“What?” His ears were heating up to go with the back of his neck. “I can’t believe you’d ask me that.”

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