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After breathing out my nerves and disconnecting our chat, I open my bedroom door and tiptoe down the hall.
Don’t ask me why I’m tiptoeing. It just seems like the sensible thing to do since I have no clue how Laken feels. Maybe it is the thrill of the forbidden maintaining his interest more than I am.
“Nicole!” In his eagerness to wrap me up in one of his famous hugs, River slips off the couch and races my way.
His steps are thunderous. They could wake the dead.
And they do.
“I thought you were going to have a power nap after talking with the girls?”
I return River’s hug before spinning to face Knox, my questioner. He’s standing in the doorway of his office, his shoulder butted against the glossy wood.
“I was. I just—”
“You heard me,” he interrupts, his smile picking up. “I should have known. These walls are paper-thin.” He takes a moment to read my neutral expression before asking, “So, what did you think?”
“About?” I ask, confused.
“The gigs I’ve secured you. The Late Show. Peterson. Bobby Macguire.”
My mouth falls open at his last name drop. “Are you serious? Bobby Macguire wants to interview me?”
He nods. “And that’s only the beginning. The label’s phone has been ringing off the hook.”
“Oh my god.” After the brutal beating my ego took only days ago, this is better than anything I could have anticipated—though not quite as good as how Laken ended our fun-filled day.
Nothing will ever top that.
A snippet of doubt creeps in when Knox’s demeanor seems off. “They specifically asked for me, right? They’re not expecting Rise Up to attend with me?”
“Rise Up wasn’t mentioned once. They wantyou, Nicole. They’re so desperate for an interview that they're offering incentives to ensure you sit across from them first. They are talking two to three live performances per interview.”
With my excitement too high to wrangle back for a moment longer, I throw my arms around Knox’s neck and hug him tight. “I can’t believe this. I’m so excited.” I inch back so he can see the sincerity in my eyes. “Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome.” I’m shocked for an entirely different reason when he ups the ante of our innocent exchange. After gripping my head with both hands, he leans in and plants a sloppy kiss on my mouth.
His hold is so firm it takes me almost ten seconds to break free from his lip-lock, and by then, it’s too late.
Laken has already witnessed it.
His balled hands announce this, not to mention the tightness of his jaw.
I doubt he’ll believe my “we’re only friends” line now.
“Laken, I—”
He spins on his heels and walks out the door he only recently entered before one-tenth of my explanation leaves my mouth.
24
LAKEN
“If you’ve come to apologize about this morning, walk the fuck back out of my office and close the door on your way out. I don’t need to hear it.”
I swallow down the brick that hasn’t been freed from my throat for days but maintain my ground. “I—”
Knox drops his pen onto a stack of papers before raising his eyes to my face. They’re not filled with the anger I’m anticipating. They’re more glitzy than pissed. “Did I stutter?”
