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Casey took a breath and exhaled slowly. “Haru, I’m not sure what Nash thinks is going to happen, but I know Dev. He is not going to hook up with Nash because he and I are”—what were they exactly?—“a thing. And I know for a fact that Dev is not okay with cheating.”
Haru’s smile was wry. “Wish I could say Nash felt the same.”
“It won’t matter. Not where Dev’s concerned. Whatever you and Nash decide is up to you, of course, but whatever Nash decides, please believe that neither Dev nor I will hold it against you.”
“How can you be so sure?” Haru’s tone was bleak. “I’ve been living with Dev’s ghost since the moment I joined the band.” He turned his head sharply, sending his shiny black hair swinging a shampoo-commercial-worthy arc to settle on his shoulders. “Sorry. This isn’t your problem.”
“Maybe not,” Casey said slowly. “But I’ve discovered lately that problem-solving is something I’m kinda good at. So if you want to talk or grab a coffee? You’ve got my number. It’s in the welcome email I sent you after we signed the contract.” He frowned. “Unless that only went to your manager?”
“No.” Haru faced Casey again. “Well, yes, it did. But he forwarded it to all of us. Thanks. I might take you up on that.”
Casey nodded decisively. “Good.” He led the way around the stairwell to the southeast bedroom, which, for some reason, was called Charlotte’s Room.
“There are two other bedrooms on this floor. The green room, next to Nash’s, and the room in the middle. This one’s my favorite, though, because it’s got windows on two sides, and one of them overlooks the oak trees in the front yard.” He grinned as he threw open the door. “It’s like living in a tree house. And the other window faces east, so you get really lovely morning sun.” He bit his lip. “Although I suppose musicians are more likely to be night owls than early birds. Would you rather—”
“No. This is wonderful.” Haru set his guitar case inside the door and gazed around at the full-sized bed with its white wrought iron headboard, the vintage nightstand—another of Kenny’s finds—and matching bureau. “Thank you.” He ran a hand over the trailing star quilt in the purples and greens of the lilac bushes. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to rest for a bit now.”
“Of course. Just let me know when you’re ready for that tour.”
Casey stepped back onto the balcony and closed the door softly. “Whew.” He padded to the stairs and headed down, nearly colliding with a scowling Nash on the landing. “Oh. Hello. Would you like me to show you your room?”
“No, I don’t want you to show me a fucking room that I shouldn’t be in anyway.” He narrowed his eyes. “Whatever you think you know about Dev, whatever you think you’re doing with him, you’re wrong. By this time tomorrow, you’ll be back on the bus to whatever podunk town you came from and he’ll be plowing my ass like one of these fucking cornfields.”
Casey blinked. “Uh…”
“What’s the matter?” Nash sneered. “Don’t tell me you haven’t had his dick in you yet. That’s the only reason he’d waste any time on you, and now that I’m here, you’re irrelevant.” He shoved past Casey and marched up the stairs. At the top, he leaned over the banister and jabbed a finger in the direction of the front door. “Go on. Head back to Podunksville now and save yourself some embarrassment.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Casey caught the door to Charlotte’s Room closing and winced. Haru had probably heard that entire exchange. Rather than get into a pointless conversation with Nash—or any conversation, for that matter—Casey simply turned and walked downstairs.
He was heading for the kitchen when a big brown hand reached out of the dining room archway and grabbed his arm. “Eeep!”
Dev hauled Casey against his chest and kissed him, hard and hot. When he pulled back, his gaze on Casey’s face was intense but unreadable. “Come with me.”
“O-okay.”
Dev laced their fingers together and hauled Casey across the kitchen. They banged out the door, Dev’s longer legs eating up the distance across the field so Casey had to trot to keep up. When they reached Dev’s cottage, Dev flung the door open and pulled Casey into the center of the living room. He took a huge breath before taking Casey’s shoulders in a surprisingly gentle grip.
“Nash Tambling is full of shit.”
Casey had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling. “I’m aware.”
“I don’t want him. In fact, I’d just as soon never see his stupid face again.”
Casey winced. “I’m sorry. If I’d known—”
“No!” Dev grimaced. He stroked Casey’s hair. “I don’t blame you. You didn’t know. If I’d had any notion that Nash would get it into his head that this whole thing was for his benefit, I’d have warned you. But I figured he’d moved on.” His expression turned fond, and he trailed a finger along Casey’s cheek. “I certainly have.”
“Dev—”
“Remember Bradley the non-fiancé?”
Casey snorted. “How could I forget?”
“It’s like that.”
A laugh caught Casey by surprise, and he gasped through it helplessly while Dev’s expression darkened.
“What’s so damn funny?”
