Toby Keith’s song When You Kiss Me Like That served as the soundtrack to his fantasy, mocking him, reminding him that she had no idea how he felt about her. He stroked her hair and she settled into his arms with a soft sigh. His heart beat wildly in his chest as he tried to control the impulse to tip her head up for the kiss he craved. He knew it was the wrong time and place. It would elicit speculation about their relationship, something he knew she would resent, especially in light of her budding relationship with the musician.
Ryan had no idea emotional torture could produce physical pain until tonight. He had watched Clint holding Brianna, looking at her with longing in his eyes, pulling her close for the benefit of the cameras. But the thing that stung the most was the comment he’d overheard. When a reporter asked about his relationship with Brianna, Clint said, “I hope it is the start of something that will inspire another hit song.”
The start of Clint and Brianna meant the end of Ryan and Brianna. He knew he couldn’t go on being her best friend, loving her and watching her fall in love with someone else. He wanted her to be happy, but he selfishly wanted her to find that happiness with him.
She tipped her head back to look at him and smiled. “This is a wonderful party. I know Clint is so grateful to you for putting it together for him.”
Ryan didn’t want to hear her expressing gratitude on behalf of her date. “It’s the same thing I’d do for any of our artists.”
“You like him though, right? You think Clint’s a good guy?”
He wanted to lie, to tell her a million reasons why this relationship would never work, but he cared about her too much to stand in the way of her happiness. “Yeah, he’s a good guy.” Ryan didn’t want him to be. Hating him, resenting him would be so much easier if he was a self-centered, egotistical jerk, but he wasn’t. He was a decent, honest, hard-working guy who’d earned his big break the hard way: by paying his dues and praying for his opportunity to make fans fall in love with his music.
“He respects you and Evan so much. He knows that he owes everything to you guys for taking a chance on him.” She looked around. “Speaking of your brother, shouldn’t he be here by now?”
“He texted me a little while ago. Said he was dealing with a problem at the office, and he’d be here as soon as he could.”
Brianna looked at her watch. “It’s after eleven. I don’t see Erika either. Isn’t she coming?”
“I have no idea.” Ryan had his own problems without worrying about his brother’s love life.
Evan staggered through the door and headed straight for the bar with a determined look on his face.
“Hey, there he is,” Brianna said. “Uh oh, he doesn’t look so good.”
“Yeah, I noticed.”
Evan downed a shot and pointed to his empty glass, indicating to the bartender he’d like another.
Ryan watched him repeat the action several times before he finally said, “What the hell? I’ve never seen him drink like that.”
“Maybe you’d better go over there and talk to him.”
Before Ryan could respond, Clint approached. “Would this be a good time to cut in?” he asked Ryan.
There would never be a good time for Ryan to turn Brianna over to another man, but his brother obviously needed him. “Yeah, but Avery said she needs to have a word with you, so don’t keep her waitin’ too long.”
“You got it, boss,” Clint said, grinning.
Ryan stepped back and Clint took his place. He wanted to say or do something to warn him off, but he knew it was pointless. Brianna had to make her own decisions, and whether her heart led her to him or Clint in the end, it had to be her decision.
Crossing the dance floor, Ryan waved off the reporters asking him where Clint fit into Titan’s future plans. He promised a comment before the end of the night, but he had more important matters to attend to.
Slapping his brother on the back, he asked, “You wanna talk about it?”
Evan stared at his full shot glass a long time before he threw the amber liquid back. He grimaced and clenched his fist on the bar. “Erika left me.”
Ryan cursed softly, trying to imagine what his brother must be going through. Erika was the only woman Evan had ever loved. Everyone assumed they would marry and start a family one day.
Climbing up on the stool next to Evan, Ryan beckoned the bartender, who placed his beer of choice in front of him. “I’m sorry to hear that. What happened?”
“She hasn’t been happy for a long time. We all know that. I thought things would get better when she moved in with me, but it only made things worse.” He lowered his head to his hands. “How the hell did I let this happen, Ry?”
“Did something happen tonight to make her snap?” Ryan brought the bottle to his lips when his brother seemed reluctant to fill in the details.
“Today’s her thirtieth birthday. I told her we had to attend this party.” Evan’s shoulders slumped as he leaned over the bar. “I offered to take her out for a nice dinner on the weekend to celebrate her birthday.”
“But she wasn’t happy with that?” Ryan couldn’t say he blamed her. It was her birthday, and once again her boyfriend was putting his business first. It had to sting.
“She pretended she was fine with it. Her parents had her over for dinner last night, but I couldn’t make it. Her girlfriends took her out last weekend to celebrate…” Evan raked a hand through his hair and turned toward the crowded dance floor. “I tried so hard to make time for her, but I never had enough hours in the day to get everything done, ya know?”
Evan was a perfectionist who found delegating responsibility difficult. He believed no one else could get the job done to his satisfaction, which made for long days that routinely stretched into nights and weekends. He’d traveled a third of the year last year, and this year was shaping up to be just as grueling. Ryan felt guilty that his brother had sacrificed so much while he maintained a healthy balance in his life, but he wasn’t willing to shoulder more of the burden only to end up alone and miserable like his brother.
“Maybe she just needs a little space,” Ryan said, slapping him on the back. “You never know, she might come around.”
“I think there’s someone else,” Evan said, clenching his fist as he watched the couples on the dance floor intimately swaying to the country music.
“You’re not sayin’ you think she’s cheatin’ on you? Come on, you know Erika wouldn’t do that.” At least Ryan wanted to believe she wouldn’t. He didn’t know how long a woman could hold out when she felt like she was constantly fighting a losing battle to win the attention of the man she loved.
“No, I don’t think she would, but there’s this guy they hired at the clinic. He’s another vet. I’ve met him a few times and I got a weird vibe.”
Ryan braced his elbows on the bar behind him and tried to ignore the scene playing out in front of him. Clint was whispering in Brianna’s ear, making her laugh as he nuzzled her neck. It took everything in him not to go over there and pry them apart. “What kind of vibe?”
“The first time I met him, he told me I was a lucky man. Just the way he said it pissed me off. Son of a bitch had the nerve to tell me I’d do well to remember that.”
Ryan couldn’t deny his brother was lucky to have a woman like Erika in his life. She was beautiful, smart, sexy, and totally devoted to Evan, or so his family thought. They’d all seen signs over the past year that their relationship was in trouble, but everyone wanted to believe they would work it out. “You think she’s been confidin’ in him about your relationship?”
“Yeah, I do,” Evan said, the muscle in his jaw flexing. “Instead of talkin’ to me about our problems, she was cryin’ on his shoulder. She said they were just friends, but…”
“You don’t believe that?” Ryan turned away from the dance floor when Clint brushed a kiss across Brianna’s cheek. His brother’s problem deserved his full attention now. He knew if the situation were reversed, Evan would set everything else aside t
o help him.
“I think it started out that way.” He sighed. “I know she’d never cross any lines, but I think he was wearin’ her down, tellin’ her she deserved better than a guy who was never gonna make her a priority in his life.”
Ryan hated to say it, but the point had merit. “Man, I know how much you love her, but maybe this is for the best.”
“How can you say that to me?” Evan asked, his blue eyes darkening with suppressed rage. “I love her. She’s my life.”
Ryan knew if he didn’t force Evan to face the harsh reality, no one else would. “If that was true, you wouldn’t have put work first for so long. You would have made it a priority to marry the girl and start the family you damn well know she wants.”
“You don’t get it, do you?” Evan asked, rocking back on the heels of his custom dress shoes. “If I don’t give everything I have to this company, we could lose everything. The company our old man spent his life building could be gone.” He snapped his fingers. “Just like that.”
Ryan tried to remember his brother was hurting, and he couldn’t take his comments personally, but it was difficult to grin and bear it when he implied he wasn’t pulling his weight. “Titan is on solid ground and you know it.”
“That’s what you think. Artists hate change. They like to know that their careers are in the hands of someone who knows how to manage them. Our father earned his reputation in this business the hard way. We were born into it, and I know damn well everyone’s holding their breath just waitin’ to see whether we’ve got what it takes to take this company to the next level.”
Ryan brought the beer bottle to his lips. Everything he said made sense, but it still didn’t seem fair that Evan had to sacrifice everything that meant anything to him for the good of the company their father built. “I know you’ve scarified a lot. I appreciate that, we all do. But when is it time for you to find a little time for yourself?”
“I don’t know. I told myself the first year would be the hardest, but we’re nearing the end of the first year and it’s not gettin’ any better. If anything, it’s gettin’ worse.”
“What do you mean?”
Evan sat down on the stool behind him and said, “The old guard is nervous, Ry. Sure, we have a few people like Nikki, Trey, Ty, and Tori who will stand by us through the transition, but I know a lot of our artists will jump ship at the first whiff of trouble. That’s why it’s so important for us to find people like Clint, talent who is loyal to us and trust you and me to lead them, to build and shape their career. The next few years are gonna be all about puttin’ our team in place so that even if the old-timers decide to move on, we’ll still be solid.”
Evan wasn’t telling him anything they hadn’t discussed before. That had always been their strategy moving forward, and it was working. They had already signed Clint and a female artist who was now touring with Ty to build her own fan following. They had their eye on several others who should prove to be strong additions to their roster, but Ryan knew his brother couldn’t leave anything to chance. He was the kind of person who didn’t wait for things to happen; he made them happen.
“Hey,” Evan said, pointing to Clint and Brianna. “What the hell is that about? I didn’t know they were seein’ each other.”
“They weren’t. This is their first date.” Ryan spit the words out, but Evan seemed too caught up in his own problems to notice.
“Huh, it looks like they’re really hittin’ it off, doesn’t it?”
Ryan didn’t trust himself to respond, so he said nothing.
“That could be good for us.”
“What the hell are you talkin’ about?” Ryan didn’t see how Brianna getting involved with another man could be a good thing for him.
“It’ll mean Clint has permanent ties to Titan. We’ve only got him locked down for two years, but if he and Bri get married, we’d be damn sure he wasn’t goin’ anywhere.”
Ryan nearly spewed a mouthful of beer at his brother when he heard that mindless excuse for logic. “Married? Are you out of your mind? This is their first date.”
Evan shrugged. “Isn’t that how it starts, with one date? You never know where it might lead.” He put his arm around Ryan’s shoulders and leaned in, lowering his voice. “Do me a favor, talk him up to her. Convince her he’s a good guy, that they’d be great together.”
There was very little that Ryan wouldn’t do for his family, but his brother’s request definitely made that short list.
***
Brianna stood off to the side and listened while Avery McCall, Titan’s publicist, gave Clint a run down on the type of questions he would field at the impromptu press conference she’d scheduled in just a few minutes.
“J.T. said we could use his office,” Avery said, making some notes on her tablet. “I thought it would be easier this way. Even though we limited the press to a handful of people we trust, they want details about your plans for the near future.” She smiled at Brianna. “And they want to know whether those plans include you, my dear.”
Since Avery had spent the majority of her career working for Titan Records with Brianna’s father, Josh, they had many of the same friends. Avery and Ty had been an extension of their family since Brianna was a little girl.
“Um, this is just our first date,” Brianna said, blushing. Talk about scaring a guy off, putting him on the spot about where the relationship was headed on their very first date. Granted, she wasn’t the one asking, but that didn’t make it any less embarrassing.
“But I’m sure hopin’ it won’t be our last,” Clint said, grinning as he slipped his arm around Brianna’s waist.
Brianna knew Clint was just being polite. The man traveled the world, met new and interesting people every day. He would probably have forgotten all about her by this time next week.
“You two are so cute together,” Avery said, smiling. “Talk about a P.R. person’s dream couple. Clint, you have this sweet, sexy, good ol’ boy thing down, and Brianna’s your complete opposite… in a good way.”
Brianna raised an eyebrow at Avery’s enthusiastic endorsement. “Let’s not get carried away with this. We don’t want everyone talking about us by morning.”
“I think it’s too late to prevent that,” Avery said with a wave of her hand. “The press has been snapping pictures all night. I’m pretty sure they’ve already uploaded some of them.” She tapped her screen with a manicured fingernail. “Just as I thought. Look at this.” She turned the screen to reveal a shot of the two of them kissing on the dance floor.
“Oh no,” Brianna said, pressing a hand to her cheek. “I don’t want…” She looked up to see Clint looking down at her. He looked hurt and adorably confused. “I’m sorry, it’s not that I’m not thrilled to be here with you; I am. But when I appear in court, the last thing I want the judges and other lawyers talking or thinking about is my love life. It’s still not easy for a lawyer fresh out of law school to be taken seriously, and I really don’t want to get caught up in some scandal when my career is just getting off the ground.”
Clint took her hand, holding it firmly. “Brianna’s right. We need to figure out where this is goin’, if anywhere, before we decide to go public with our relationship.”
“Perhaps you should have thought about that before you decided to make out on the dance floor.”
Brianna’s cheeks burned with shame. She was a grown woman, yet the thought of her parents and brothers seeing her engaged in a heated kiss with someone who was still a stranger to them was humiliating. “We were not making out.” Sure they had kissed once or twice, but they’d never crossed any lines.
Avery laughed. “I know, I’m just teasing you.” She looked behind her and beckoned to Ryan. “Ryan is going to be there fielding questions on behalf of the label.”
“Where’s Evan?” Brianna asked. Though they hadn’t exchanged a word, she could tell her friend was going through something. It wasn’t like him to drink heavily, especially not at a party he was attending
to promote one of his artists.
“Apparently he wasn’t feeling well. He decided to head out early.”
Clint frowned. “I didn’t even get a chance to talk to him. A few photographers have asked if they could get a couple of shots of me with both Spencer brothers.”
“Ryan can handle it.” Avery offered a reassuring smile. “Trust me, he’s a one man show when it comes to public relations. I love Luc like a brother, but he was very brusque and had a reputation for being kind of hard-nosed. Evan is a lot like that, but everyone loves Ryan. He’s a sweetheart, always the life of the party, and the press eats it up.”
“Did I hear my name?” Ryan asked, slipping an arm around Avery’s shoulder.
Brianna knew, in Ryan’s mind, Avery was family. Everything Avery told Clint about Ryan was true. So many times over the years she’d secretly admired his ability to befriend people effortlessly. Within minutes of meeting someone, Ryan found a way to put his new acquaintance at ease, making them laugh at a joke or commiserate about a shared challenge. She loved that about him.
“I was just telling Clint that you could handle this little press conference in your sleep,” Avery said, looking up at him.
Ryan chuckled. “I don’t know about that, but I’m not worried.” He nodded at Clint, his smile slipping for a fraction of a second before he said, “You shouldn’t be either. We’ve got this thing covered.”
Brianna couldn’t help but notice that Clint looked at Ryan with a bit of hero worship. Even though they were roughly the same age, Ryan was everything that Clint wasn’t: wealthy, sophisticated, educated, with a personality that made people forget he was all those things and more.
Clint had confided in Brianna earlier that he’d barely managed to get his high school diploma. He worked at several menial jobs, pumping gas, washing cars, and working on his parents’ ranch, before he decided to move to Nashville to pursue his dream. He said if he hadn’t made it in the music business, he probably would have returned home and learned a trade to get him through the lean months on his family’s struggling ranch.
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