She came, but it was obvious she was wary. Nervous. He wondered if she regretted coming after him. If she wished she’d sent someone else.
He wouldn’t blame her if she did. God knew, even he wouldn’t be here if he didn’t have to be. He’d spent most of his life wanting to shed his skin like a snake. To leave behind who he was and start over as someone new.
Someone better.
Someone who hadn’t fucked up everything he’d ever touched.
No way would he pick himself if he had the choice. Not in a million years.
And yet, even as he told himself that, he didn’t let her go. He couldn’t, not yet.
Not when her body felt so soft and warm against his arm. And not when her chest was rising and falling so rapidly, her full breasts straining against the soft cotton of her hot pink tank top. If he moved, just a little, her nipples would brush against his chest.
Because he couldn’t resist the temptation of that, he did, taking that last little step that closed the gap between them completely.
She gasped, her eyes growing even wider as his body pressed against hers from chest to thigh.
“You okay?” he asked, his thumb burrowing under her shirt to stroke the silky smooth skin of her waist.
“Me?” She sounded breathless and incredulous all at once. “I came out here to ask you the same question.”
He forced a grin he was far from feeling. “Don’t worry about me, sweetheart. I’m always fine.”
“You sure about that? Because you don’t look fine.” Once again her fingers ghosted over his battered hand.
He shrugged. “Just trying to do what’s good for the band.”
“You’re what’s good for the band, Wyatt. Anyone with a brain or any musical knowledge whatsoever knows that much.”
“Not Bill Germaine, obviously, and he’s one of the smartest guys in the business.”
“Bill Germaine is an asshole who can’t see past his bottom line to save his life.” Her response was much more adamant—and vicious—than he’d expected. “He’s so wrapped up in what happened three months ago that he’s not looking down the road to three months, or three years, from now.”
“He is looking down the road—to however long it’s going to be before I fuck up and fall off the wagon again.”
“Is that what you’re planning on doing? Falling off the wagon?”
“I’m not planning on it, but I’ve spent my whole life being a fuck-up. I can’t blame him for being concerned that I’m going to do it again.”
“You should blame him. It’s his job to be behind you right now.”
Her voice rang with conviction, and he appreciated the support, he really did. But she didn’t know what she was talking about. Not when it came to this. “It’s his job to sell Shaken Dirty albums and tour seats. Coddling me isn’t in his job description.”
“Coddling you, no. But he should have your back.”
He shook his head, grinned indulgently. “You’re a lot more naive than you look.”
“It’s not naive to expect a little human decency from a guy you’ve made tens of millions of dollars for.”
He wasn’t sure what it said about him that, despite everything going on, watching her get all worked up was turning him on. Then again, from the moment he’d first laid eyes on her, everything about this woman had made him hot. “It is when I’ve also lost him millions of dollars. Besides, all label guys are the same.”
“No, they aren’t,” she insisted. “And you shouldn’t have to put up with what he just pulled on you.”
“Whatever. He was just saying what needed to be said. It’s all good. No big deal.” He forced the words out when all he wanted to do was curl up in a ball and howl.
He’d quit the band because it was the right thing to do, because it would protect the people who mattered most to him in the whole fucking world. But that didn’t mean losing Shaken Dirty hadn’t just ripped a giant hole right through the center of him. Because it had.
Fuck, had it ever.
“Are you serious right now?” She grabbed his arm, got in his face. “It’s a huge deal. This is your career! You need to get on the phone with your lawyer and your manager right now and figure out what your options are. Then you need to go back to Germaine from a position of strength. He wants Shaken Dirty, and he wants you guys bad. It’s obvious today was just a fishing expedition. He wanted to see how far he could push before you fought back. You need to show him—”