I watched the exchange, curling my hands into fists. I knew Cece was a strong woman who wouldn’t appreciate me riding to her rescue every time she had to deal with a tough situation, but my protective instincts kicked in whenever I saw someone hassling her. Especially someone who’d once shared her bed.
Ugh. That image made me wanna wretch. Hadn’t bothered me before, but it sure as hell did now. Because whenever I thought about Cece in bed these days, it was with me. I was the guy pleasuring her, making love to her, making her forget every other sonofabitch who’d fallen short of the mark before me.
I wanted her. To the point the need was taking on a life of its own. Distracting me from everything else. My career. Other women. Friends. Album sales. Critics. I didn’t give a shit about any of it. I had tunnel vision and this woman was the only thing I could see at the end of that tunnel. Cece… naked and beckoning me. Crossing that line, into unchartered territory, and that could mean the beginning or the end for us. That unknown risk was paralyzing me.
She shook her head, her face as a mask of loathing and revulsion, as she let him have it. Yet again. I was thirty seconds away from shoving her rejection down his throat when he spotted me and raised his hands, backing away. Smart move. May have saved him a trip to the hospital.
Cece was all fired up by the time she returned to the table with our coffees. “Ugh! I hate that man. Why won’t he just leave me alone?” Tears burned her bright green eyes and with a flash of clarity I knew what I had to do.
“Be right back, sweetness.” I squeezed her hand. “Sit tight.”
“Where are you going?”
“To do something I should have done a long time ago.” I strode across the huge open space, my boots echoing on the floor.
Leo turned to face me and I could tell by the look of dread on his face that he knew what was coming.
“Listen, Knox—”
“No, you listen!” I got in his face. “I should’ve beat the shit out of you the night I walked in on you in my dressing room with that little skank. Cece didn’t deserve the hell you put her through. Havin’ people talk behind her back, pity her, because you were too stupid to know a good thing when you had it.”
He ran a shaky hand through his hair, swallowing. “You don’t think I know that? Ever since I lost Cece my life’s been a mess, man. I can’t eat, can’t sleep. She’s all I can think about.”
That was the only thing I had in common with this bastard. “Too bad. She’s done with you.” I stabbed a finger into his chest. “And so am I.”
He paled. “What’re you talking about?”
“You’re done. Fired. I want you off this tour and out of my sight. Now.”
Firing him felt like a hundred and seventy pound weight off my shoulders. I didn’t know why the hell I hadn’t done it sooner, why I’d subjected Cece to this asshole for so long. But I did know. I’d loved her as a friend before. Would do anything for her, but this was different. I was falling in love with her, and I’d rip apart anyone who hurt her.
“You can’t be serious. You need me.”
I laughed. “You’re an idiot. I’ve got lots of friends in this business.” I snapped my fingers. “I’ll make a call and have someone here to replace you before the show tonight.”
“But you—”
“Shut. Your. Mouth.” Pissants like this didn’t argue with me. Not in my sandbox, where I made the rules. “And get out of my sight. You got me?”
He nodded dumbly, knowing he had no other choice.
When I returned to the table, Cece shook her head. “You shouldn’t have gone to battle for me, Knox. I can handle myself.”
When I saw a tear slipping down her cheek I knew I’d let him off too easy. He should have left carrying a few teeth in his pocket. “It’s over,” I said, brushing the tear away. “He’s gone. You’ll never have to deal with him again, angel.” That’s what she was, an angel. My angel.
She opened her mouth before snapping it shut. “Please tell me you didn’t fire him. You need him—”
“I don’t need him.” I scoffed. “Are you kidding me? There are a hundred guys who do what he does on my speed dial.” That may have been an exaggeration, but I knew I could call in a few favours and find a replacement for him without breaking a sweat.
She covered my hand with hers. “But to let him go during the middle of a tour—”
We had a contract. There might be ramifications for breaking it, but I didn’t care. Cece’s peace of mind was worth a hell of a lot more to me than money. “Baby, you let me worry about that.” I leaned in, curling my hand around her neck. My lips brushed hers, and I knew our crew was around, but I didn’t care. “You know how much you mean to me.” She didn’t, but she would eventually because I didn’t think I could keep these feelings on lock down forever. “I’d do anything for you, Cec. Anything.”
“I love you,” she whispered, brushing her hand over my bristled cheek. “You are one of the best friends I’ve ever had. Seriously. I don’t know what I’d do if I ever lost you.”
“Not gonna happen.” It was tough to get the words out past the lump in my throat. I was actually considering laying it on the line for a chance to take what we had already built, an unshakeable friendship, to the next level. A level I’d never even considered until something shifted inside of me and made me see the obvious: this girl could be my forever.
Chapter 8
Cece
When my phone rang and my sister’s pretty face popped up, I immediately answered before slipping into our dressing room for some privacy.
“Hey you,” she said, grinning at me. “Mama told me you and Knox stopped by their place for dinner. How’d that go?” she laughed. “Like I don’t already know.”
“You know them,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Whatever pops into their heads flies right out of their mouths. No filter.” That used to embarrass me as a teen, especially during parent-teacher interviews or around my friends, but since I’d grown up and cared less about what others thought, I’d made peace with their… candour. More or less.
“Mama said you and Knox seemed close.”
I could hear the teasing question hiding behind that comment, but I wasn’t taking the bait. “Knox and I have always been close. Mama reads too much into everything.”
“She is perceptive though.” She laughed. “Ya gotta give the ole girl credit for that.”
Sometimes too perceptive. “Yeah, I guess. So, guess what? I’m not gonna have to deal with Leo anymore. Knox fired him today.”
“Shut up!” She squealed and I could almost hear her stomping her little feet in excitement. “It’s about damn time you got rid of that guy. What finally pushed Knox over the edge?”
His feelings for me. But I couldn’t say that without inciting a whole barrage of questions. “Um, I think he just got tired of the drama. You know Knox, he runs a tight ship and he doesn’t like anything distracting from the production. He wants to give his fans the show they came for every night and he’s afraid he won’t be able to if there’s conflict behind the scenes.” I wasn’t lying, but there was so much more to Knox’s decision than I could share with my sister.
“Uh huh. And?”
I should have known she’d call me out. “And what? I just told you. He got tired of me and Leo goin’ at it every day so he cut the guy loose.” Perfectly reasonable reason, I thought.
“Maybe it’s because Knox wants you all to himself and is trying to get rid of the competition.” She laughed. “Knowing that guy, it wouldn’t surprise me.”
The heat coursed through my body as I imagined a world in which Knox was willing to fight for me. For us. The subtle shift between our old relationship and new was making me imagine all kinds of crazy scenarios.
“Oh please. Knox and I are just friends.” God help me, I was a terrible liar. I didn’t even know why I bothered trying.
“Yeah right, and I just ate one square of chocolate last night, not the whole freakin’ bar.”
&nb
sp; I smiled. My sister, like me, was a chocoholic who wasn’t looking for a cure. “What? It’s true.” Trying to throw her off the scent, I said, “You’re never gonna believe this.” I was whispering, even though I was alone in the room. “I slept with Auden the other night.”
“What?”
“You heard me.” I expected the screech of excitement, but when I didn’t get it, I frowned. “You know, Auden, Knox’s opening act.”
“Yeah, I know who he is, but why would you do that?”
“Uh, because he’s hot.” She’d met the guy, I didn’t have to tell her that. “And into me.”
“But what about Knox?”
Why was she making such a big deal about Knox? I’d never told her I was starting to question my feelings for him, and we weren’t twins, so we didn’t have that whole telepathy thing going on.
“What about him?”
“How does he feel about you and Auden?”
Her question prompted a stab of guilt, like maybe I should have considered Knox’s feelings before I jumped into bed with his opening act. But that was stupid, because Knox and I had just been good friends when Auden and I did the deed. That was before the weird sexual tension thing we seemed to have going on now.
“I don’t know.” Yes, I did. He didn’t like it.
“What’s going on with you, sis?”
Uh oh. I knew that tone. She was on to me. “What are you talking about?”
“Mama said she definitely picked up on some strange vibe between you and Knox and now you’re acting all weird about him.”
“No, I’m not!” Yes, I am. Because I don’t know how I feel or how he feels and I’m so messed up right now. “Knox and I are good. Solid. Friends, just like always. Nothing’s changed.” Except it feels like everything’s changed when he looks at me… or touches me. “Besides, you know Knox. He’s a man-whore, Char.”
Knox didn’t do relationships. One-night stands with groupies in towns we were just passing through was more his speed. He claimed things wouldn’t get messy if he slept with women who lived in a different city. No expectations beyond a few toe-curling orgasms, and I had a feeling he’d be the king of those too.
“Who says he couldn’t change, for the right woman?”
I barked out a harsh laugh. “Are you listening to yourself right now? Really, Char? Aren’t we supposed to be smarter than that these days, expecting a man to change?” I shook my head, even though she couldn’t see me. “No way, I accept Knox for who he is. I don’t ever expect that guy to change. He is who he is, bad habits and all.”
“Then maybe you’re selling him short.”
I didn’t think so. He’d never even indicated he wanted to change. And why would he? He had the best of all worlds. Rich. Famous. World travel. And women who were just happy to go along for the ride, with no expectations. What guy wouldn’t want that?
“And maybe you’re imagining things that aren’t there.” My sister was a hopeless romantic, always looking for her HEA and assuming everyone else should want the same. “Just because Mama put some crazy idea in your head—”
“Hey, speaking of Mama and her crazy ideas…”
Oh good, time for a subject change. “Yeah?”
“She said something about Dade Jarvis looking for an assistant. That’s not true, is it?”
I should have known this was coming. Mama never could keep anything under wraps. “I don’t know. I haven’t talked to him in a while. Knox may have mentioned something about it.” I wasn’t outright lying, just downplaying the truth.
“You think you could get me an interview with him, since y’all are friends? Or would it be with one of his team members? Yeah, that’d be more like it. It’s not like it’d be with the man himself. He’d probably be too busy to meet with every person who applied for the job. Someone is probably doing the preliminary interviews and he’ll just meet with the top few candidates or whatever, right?” She was rambling, which meant she was either excited or nervous.
“Cece? Are you still there?”
I smiled when she finally wound down. “Yeah, I’m still here.”
“So, what do you think? Could you put in a good word for me, maybe get me an interview?”
My sister rarely asked me for anything, so it was hard to turn her down when she did. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea, honey.”
“Why not?” She sounded hurt and maybe a little disappointed. “You know I’m damn good at my job. You think I couldn’t handle it? Couldn’t keep up with the demands—”
“This has nothing to do with your skill or work ethic.” There was no easy way to put it, so I was just gonna blurt it out. “You’ve been crushin’ on this guy forever. If y’all met you’d probably go all fan girl on him and make a fool of yourself.” And me.
“I would not!” She paused. “Okay, maybe I might want to, but I’d rein it in. I can be professional.”
“I know you can, honey. But this is Dade Jarvis we’re talking about. Not the cute barista at Starbucks who winks at you whenever you order coffee.”
She huffed. “Would you give me some credit? I can treat Dade like any other guy, I swear.”
I wasn’t convinced. “You may think that, until you meet him.” I’d been watching people get all stupid and tongue-tied around Knox for years. Meeting your idol up close and personal was always crazy exciting and there was no way to downplay that reaction.
“I don’t care. I still want this chance, Cec.” She hesitated. “And how cool would it be for us to live in the same city again? I’ve missed you.”
Ugh. She always knew how to wear me down. “Fine, I’ll call Dade and talk to him about it, but I’m not making any promises.”
“Thank you!” Squeal. Foot stomp. Deep, cleansing breath. “You’re the best!”
I chuckled. “Way to play it cool, sis. “Do us both a favour, huh? No squealing or foot stomping when you meet Dade, okay?”
“Oh, shut up! And you do me a favor, okay?”
“What’s that?”
“Don’t be so quick to write Knox off. Mama says he has a thing for you, and the crazy lady’s usually right about these things.”
I laughed, trying to quash the flutter in my tummy. “Whatever you say.”
Knox
“Hey, I heard you got rid of Leo,” Auden said, grinning. “Smart move, man.”
Yeah, too bad it’s not so easy to get rid of you. “It was time. He was pissin’ me off, hassling Cece. I’d had enough of his bullshit.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You’re pretty protective of her, huh?”
“We go way back.” In other words, I’ll be a part of her life long after you’re gone. “You know how it is. You got anyone like that in your life, a girlfriend?”
He raised an eyebrow at my choice of words, but they’d been pretty deliberate, intended to send the right message.
“Uh no, can’t say that I do.”
I grinned. “Then you’re missin’ out.” I chuckled. “Cece’s the one person in my life I can always count on to give it to me straight.”
“Does it ever get weird?” he asked, leaning on the edge of the stage as he tuned his guitar. “You know, her being with other dudes, you being with other girls?”
“Are you askin’ if we’ve ever crossed that line?” I’d be happy to tell him we had. Just a couple of days ago, in fact. After he was itching to get Cece back in his bed. “Sure. I guess that’s just the way it is when you’ve been friends as long as we have. Things happen.”
His eyes widened as the grip on his guitar tightened.
Good. Let him be pissed. If I had my way he’d be the next obstacle I got out of my way. “Problem?” I knew he had questions, I just wanted to know if he had the kahunas to ask them.
“I don’t know what the hell I’m supposed to do with that.”
“What?” Like I didn’t know.
“You’re my boss. Cece’s—”
“What?” I crossed my arms over my chest and his gaze drifte
d over the ink decorating my arms. I had interlinked C’s on my bicep and I could tell he was dying to ask whether they were for her. They were. A tribute to the one girl who’d always had my back. “Cece’s what to you? Nothing, that’s what she is.”
He may not have deserved my bad attitude, but he was getting it anyways. I wasn’t even mad at him. I was frustrated with myself for not storming Cece’s bus and taking her the way I wanted to. I wasn’t the kind of guy who held back or second guessed myself. When I saw something I wanted I went for it. But the voice inside my head kept warning me that taking a risk with Cece could be the biggest mistake I’d ever made because it could cost me one of the most important people in my life.
So I stuck in the land of indecision. Firmly planted between tearing her clothes off and hooking up with a groupie tonight to try and forget her.
“We had a good time together.” His gaze was harder, challenging me. “I thought she was into me. But she’s been acting weird lately. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”
I didn’t owe him an explanation and neither did Cece. Sure, she might have slept with the guy, but a roll in the sheets didn’t warrant a Q&A in my world. “You’re gonna have to talk to the lady about that.”
“I just get the feeling there’s something goin’ on between you two and she’s afraid to tell me.”
“Why the hell would she be afraid to tell you anything?” I clenched my teeth. “You’re nothin’ to her. You got me? Nothin’.”
“What’s your problem, Knox? You want Cece? Be man enough to say it.”
Maybe the little puke was right. Maybe it was time for me to man up. “Are you—”
“Hey,” Cece touched my back as she came up behind me. Her eyes darted back and forth between me and her pretty boy. “What’s up?” When neither of us responded, she said, “Things looked intense from where I was standing. Just wanted to check in, make sure everything was okay.”
Auden jerked his head towards me. “He was just telling me you lied to me. That y’all have messed around.”
Bad Habits (Nashville Outlaws #1) Page 7