Page 71 of Follow the Rhythm
Kieran scowled. “They definitely want a solo album.”
“And being an asshole doesn’t keep you from being successful.” Charlie had approached without my noticing. “Can I talk to you for a second?”
“Oh, yeah, I guess so,” I said, a bit surprised. I hadn’t spoken to him, other than telling him where Ellis was hiding the night he blew everything up. I followed him out into the hallway, aware of Kieran’s eyes on my back.
“Are you alright?” Charlie asked. We had stopped just out of sight of the conference room door.
“Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I wasn’t sure if… Nevermind. Um… I’m probably going to be going back to L.A. soon.” He rubbed the back of his neck and looked at me through his lashes.
“Okay. Good for you. What does that have to do with me?” The sooner he left, the better. I could pretend this whole weird part of my life was just a nightmare.
“Oh. Right. I just wanted to - before I left - make sure that, you know, you didn’t want to…” he trailed off again, looking a bit lost.
“Yes?” I prompted.
Charlie looked at me carefully. I had gotten used to how handsome he was, mostly, but sometimes it still hit me like a truck. His cherry scent was strong in the narrow hallway, and he was clearly anxious about something because it had gone slightly medicinal. I shut down the Omega instinct to comfort him. He wasn’tmineto comfort, no matter what my hormones said.
“Does this conversation have a point?” I asked, more annoyed at my reaction than at him.
Charlie sighed and visibly deflated. “No. I guess not.”
“Great. I’ll see you around then. Or not.” I stalked back towards the conference room. Kieran was waiting outside the door, watching us.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“It’s fine,” I said, then took a deep breath. “Can we just get out of here?”
Kieran’s apartment was incredible: an open-floor-plan marvel of dark wood, white marble, and soft cream upholstery. His sweet strawberry scent had permeated everything, and the mint note tickled my nose when I sat down on the couch.
He moved efficiently around the kitchen, making a pot of tea. I didn’t have the energy to tell him I hated tea and had frequently referred to it as “dirt water.” I just wouldn’t drink it.
Instead, I looked out the window at Fairview in the late afternoon. His apartment was high enough to see the bay, glinting under the cloudless summer sky. It felt strange being back in the city. Or maybe I just felt different.
He set a cup of tea in front of me with a clunk that broke me out of my reverie. He sat next to me, close enough that I could feel the heat from his body.
“You’ll have to talk to me eventually, love. Could it be now? Please?”
I heard the note of anxiety in his voice, and my heart sank. I wanted to deny it or play dumb, but he was right.
I’d avoided serious conversation until then. Kieran bought me a plane ticket home, which I’d tried to refuse. I should’ve known better than to even try. He’d wanted me to stay with him at his place, but I’d convinced him I needed some time alone to decompress after so much traveling.
Ihatedthat Ellis’s drunken rant had affected me so much. It made me feel seventeen years old, letting him break my heart all over again.
I’d woken up the morning that Ellis had fucked up everything happier than I’d been in years. I’d been snuggled in Kieran’s arms, basking in the warmth of his skin and scent, and filled with deluded hope that maybe, just maybe, I’d found my person. But if what Ellis said was true, if Kieran was just going to get sick of me like so many other women before me…
“Did I do something wrong?” Kieran asked, touching my hand briefly.
“No. Maybe. I don’t know,” I paused briefly. “Ellis said some things that got into my head.”
Kieran’s face darkened. “What did he say?”
I met his gaze, anger flaring in my chest. I held tight to it. Anger was much easier to deal with than feeling like a pathetic little girl. “Basically, that I was just another groupie chasing after you.”
“Ah. I see.” His voice was tight with anger.
“Is that true? Am I just another conquest?”
