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I watch the sway of her hips as she makes her way into my kitchen. Those jeans hug the curves of her hips and ass, fitted all the way down to the thigh-high boots. I bite back a groan and subtly shift my erection.
“I’m not going anywhere with you, Cassie.”
She turns and leans against the counter, eyeing the empty bottles of beer. “I think that it would be a good idea to get out of here and have some fun. Tony wants us to work on our chemistry for the show. We both have a lot riding on it going well.”
There isn’t a lot riding on the hometown show. Not for me and the band. We have another tour lined up. We’re going to be working on another album after that.
It doesn’t matter what Ben and Matt say. Our sales are just fine. They may be lower than they have been in the last couple years, but Gilded Cage is still bringing in the money.
I scoff and lean against the wall just inside the entryway, watching as she grabs a bottle of tequila and looks inside. After a moment, she unscrews the top and takes a swig.
“Sure,” I say, sarcasm coating my words. “Just help yourself to my alcohol.”
“Stop being a cranky asshole and go get dressed. I have plans and we’re not going to be running late for them just because you want to act like a spoiled brat.”
My eyes narrow, but there’s a part of me that is entertained by this entire situation. “You really think that you know what a good time out is? You never used to stay long at the clubs with us. You stayed away from the drugs like a good girl. Hell, you barely even drank. So what is it that makes you think you can show me a good time?”
Cassie gives me that smile that used to have everybody around her melting and bending to her will. This time, the smile doesn’t quite erase the frustrated look in her eyes. It’s clear that she doesn’t want to be doing this any more than I do.
I sigh and push off the wall, heading to my bedroom. As I slam the door shut behind me, bottles start to clink together in the kitchen. If I go back out there and find the bottles cleaned up, I’m going to lose my shit.
Cassie’s never been able to leave anything alone. Never. She was always the one who used to go behind us and clean up the mess. She was the one working hard to keep us all together, even during weeks when the band should have fallen apart.
We did it without her, though. We don’t need her to be part of the band.
Now that she’s back — even if it is just for one show — she’s trying to insert herself into our lives again. I don’t want that. I want her to be as far away from me as possible.
If she isn’t, I’m going to ruin us again. I just know I am.
When it comes to Cassie, it’s all or nothing and I know that I can’t give her all.
I run my hands through my hair and haul open my drawers, grabbing a pair of dark jeans and a black shirt. As I shed my clothes and pull on a fresh pair of boxers, I consider crawling back into bed.
Cassie would storm in here and haul me out by my ankles.
I really don’t know why she wants to spend time with me outside of rehearsals. We could work on the chemistry we have to fake while we’re going through the setlist. Instead, she’s gotten my address from someone and made it past my security team.
She shouldn’t have even been able to get in the building.
The Cassie I used to know was never one to take no for an answer either. Not when it was something she really wanted.
And yet she never returned to the music industry after we kicked her out of the band.
Guilt gnaws at me as I finish getting dressed and head out of the room. Cassie is scrubbing dirty dishes in the sink, her long hair falling in soft waves down her back. I tuck my hands in my pockets, watching her as she works.
“I thought we were going out,” I say, my tone gruff as she puts the last dish in the drying rack and turns to face me. “Why are you cleaning my kitchen?”
“Because you live like a pig.” She wipes her hands on a tea towel before striding over to me. “Let’s get going.”
I snort as she opens the door and walks out. Right now, I could close and lock it behind her. Cassie would just keep pounding on the door until I let her back in.
“You can take your sweet time all you want, but one way or another, you’re coming out with me.” She spins around to face me, tapping her foot on the tiled hallway floor. “The sooner you do what I want, the sooner you can go back to hiding in your apartment.”
“You make a very good point.”
She leads the way to the elevator, not looking at me the entire ride down. The second the doors open on the main floor, she takes off for the doors. I have to hurry to keep up with her as she steps out into the chilly evening air.
The sky is fading to bright pinks and oranges as the sun sinks toward the horizon. Lights shine from the buildings surrounding us and people rush by on the sidewalks. Cassie’s arms swing loosely at her sides as she looks over her shoulder at me.
