Zach’s laugh was a huge sound, which fit the man perfectly. “First off, you ain’t got the right parts. And second, you’re not as pretty as Nik so if I got hard up, he’d be my first choice, dude, not you.”

  * * *

  “Trudeau, Cory Shirk is here to see you. Can I send him back?”

  For a second, Tru had no idea how to respond to Jess. She hadn’t been expecting Cory, and she had no idea what he was doing here. Unless it had something to do with the deal he was working on with Greg.

  But then she remembered Greg had a meeting with the police department’s public relations deputy secretary.

  “Sure, Jess. Send him back.”

  Her immediate response was to check herself in a mirror or any reflective surface to make sure she looked okay. Which was ridiculous. She knew she looked decent enough to meet a man who was here on business. Just because they’d had one, unimpressive date didn’t mean she had to freak out.

  And she wasn’t. Seriously. The fact that her heart was now pounding a mile a minute didn’t mean a damn thing.

  And the fact that, when he walked into her office looking like he’d just stepped off a GQ photo shoot, auburn hair slightly mussed and blue eyes glittering, her lungs maybe did a little hitch, well . . . it didn’t mean a damn thing.

  Yeah, it only means you’re one screwed-up chick.

  “Hi, Cory. It’s nice to see you again.”

  She stood and held out her hand, which he took with a slightly crooked smile. And if he held on a little longer than necessary and she didn’t make a fuss, well, it wasn’t like she was married. Or dead.

  “Tru. Thanks for taking a few minutes for me.”

  “No problem. What can I do for you?”

  “I had a few more questions for Greg but he’s out so I thought I’d say hello.”

  “I’m glad you did. I hope you’ve made up your mind to become an investor.”

  He laughed, a deep rumble of sound that should’ve made her shiver with desire.

  And didn’t. Despite the fact that she still found him one of the most attractive men she’d ever met.

  “Greg did say you were dedicated to your job.”

  She grimaced, though she tried to make it more of a rueful smile. “Guilty as charged. Sorry, I shouldn’t have jumped on you the minute you walked into my office.”

  “No worries, Tru. And truth be told, I’m still hoping someday you might.”

  Her cheeks flushed a bright red as he continued.

  “I’m not a man who gives up easily, and I realized that about two seconds after I left you that night. So yes, I’m here with an ulterior motive. I did want to speak to Greg but I wanted to see you, as well.”

  “And here I am. What did you want to see me about?”

  Cory leaned back into the chair on the other side of her desk, looking as confident as a man who’d never had a woman say no to him. He probably wasn’t at all used to women shutting him down.

  Which didn’t make him a douche. It simply made him that much more determined.

  And when Sebastian leaves . . .

  “I’m hoping you’ll consider a second date. Let me take you out again. I can’t help but think we didn’t really get off on the right foot. So I’d like to try again.”

  She had to admit, the fact that Cory was here felt like the biggest confidence boost she could imagine. He’d sought her out.

  Could she actually be thinking about going out with this man when she planned to go home tonight with another man and sleep with him? If Baz actually showed up. Last night he hadn’t left the studio. That had happened a few other times over the past three weeks.

  Which forced her to confront the fact that she needed to make a decision one way or the other. Break up with Sebastian before he left her behind, or make the commitment to stick with him and see where their relationship went.

  “I’m sorry, Cory. I’m not free to say yes to you at the moment.”

  One eyebrow rose as he leaned forward in his chair. “That sounds like you might be in the near future.”

  Just the thought made her stomach roll. “Since I have no idea what’s going to happen in my life in the next few months, I can’t say that. I’m really flattered that you’re here. I just don’t have any idea what my life’s going to look like in a month. Or even two or three months. I just . . . can’t give you the answer you want right now.”

  If she thought he’d be angry or huffy, she couldn’t have been more wrong. He smiled, as if she hadn’t just turned him down. Again.

  “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” He rose from the chair, and she stood, too. Which just meant she had to look up at him. Everything about him was appealing. Every damn little thing.

  So why couldn’t she want him like she wanted Sebastian?

  “I’m a patient guy, Tru. Ask anyone who knows me.” He walked to the door, then stopped to turn and smile at her again. “Tell Greg I’ll come by to see him another time, would you? And it was really nice to see you again. I look forward to the next time.”

  * * *

  Nothing good ever came from eavesdropping.

  Baz practically heard his mom’s voice in his head as he stood outside Tru’s office door, listening to Cory fucking Shirk try to pick up Tru.

  He’d probably missed a few points of the conversation because of the furious pounding in his ears but he’d heard enough to know the bastard was trying to convince her to go out with him again.

  What made his heart hurt was the fact that she didn’t give the other guy a flat-out no.

  What the hell did that mean?

  Was he the only one with his emotions invested in this relationship? Was he seeing something with Tru that wasn’t really there?

  Fuck.

  He had to get out of here before Shirk left her office and Tru found him out here listening in to their conversation.

  Tonight, he’d find out how she felt about him. He’d ask her if she returned his feelings.

  And if she doesn’t?

  Shit, he couldn’t even really think about that because it made him want to stomp into her office and kiss her in front of Shirk, hard enough to let the other guy know she was taken.

  But was she?

  She’s never said she loves you.

  Turning, he headed back to the studio, his heart in his throat.

  Jesus, he felt like a sap.

  “Baz. Hey, Baz, wait up.”

  His hand on the door to the studio, Baz turned to find Nik nearly plastered against his back. How the hell had Nik snuck up on him like that?

  Nik’s gaze pierced straight to Baz’s and held. “What’s wrong?”

  He shook his head. “Nothing. What’s up?”

  Nik didn’t look like he was going to let him off the hook. There was a time he wouldn’t have let up until he knew exactly what Baz was thinking.

  Now his eyes narrowed until they were only a glint of ice blue. Then he took a breath and released it on a sigh.

  “I talked to Tom. We’ve got a release date in July which means we have to have the album finished by end of May.”

  “You know that’s not gonna be a problem. We’ve got enough material for two albums and we’ve only got one more song to record and we can get that done today.” At least he’d been counting on getting it done today so he could spend some time with Tru. “We all know this is some of the best work we’ve ever done. We’ve got nothing to worry about.”

  “Are you trying to reassure yourself or me?”

  “What do you mean?”

  Nik sighed hard. “Never mind. Fuck it. I’ve got a track to record.”

  Nik went to push past him but Baz grabbed his arm, determined to get to the bottom of this. “Nikky, what the fuck is going on?”

  Nik didn’t pull away. He looked at Baz’s hand on his arm, then looked up into Baz’s eyes. “Nothing.”

  “Bullshit. Damn it. Come on, tell me—”

  “Baz.” Nik’s voice was lethally sharp. “Let it go for now. Seriously. Let me get these vocal tracks finished. Then we’ll talk. I promise.”

  Baz wanted to press, wanted to shake whatever the fuck was going on with Nik out of him. Then again, maybe he didn’t want to know. That damn kiss still hung between them even if they’d agreed not to talk about it. And maybe that was for the best.

  When did you start sticking your head in your ass?

  He kept his hand on Nik’s arm. “No more bullshit. You and me, we gotta figure this shit out. We’ve gotta be back on the same wavelength. When you and I are onstage, we’ve gotta be a united front. What the hell happened between us? Do you know? Because I don’t have the first fucking clue and I wish to hell you’d tell me.”

  “Fine. You want me to tell you what happened? You nearly fucking died.” His voice rose but wasn’t quite at screaming level yet. “And I didn’t know until months later. You’ve been the only person in my life I’ve ever been able to count on. Do you know that? Do you know what that means to me? I’m not sure you do. And I don’t think you ever will.”

  Shit, this was bad. “I do know that. And I’m not going anywhere. You gotta trust that.”

  Nik shook his head. “I trust you, Baz. I’m just not sure we can ever be the way we were. You’ve got yourself back on track and that’s great. It’s amazing and I’m happy for you. Tru’s great. The music you made for Greg’s film is fucking incredible. I’ve never heard anything like it. But we can’t go back and be like it was before. Everything dies, right?”

  Nik idolized Springsteen and Baz knew exactly why he’d used that lyric from “Atlantic City.” Because the rest of that line held out hope.

  “Yeah. But everything comes back. Right?”

  “Yeah. I guess.” He shrugged. “I gotta figure some shit out on my own but everything’ll be okay. Eventually.”

  It’s what Baz had always told Nik when things had gotten bad when they were kids. Baz had always promised Nik they’d be fine if they just stuck together. And Baz had broken that promise.

  First, by almost dying of an overdose. And now there was Tru . . .

  Shit. Was that part of this?

  He seriously hoped not. Because he wasn’t giving her up.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Jesus, Baz. I can’t believe that after all these years, you still trip over that damn chord change.”

  Nik had a smile on his face that made something loosen in Baz’s chest and he smiled back while giving Nik the finger.

  “Don’t worry. When I have to, I’ll get it right.”

  “Boys, boys, no fucking around now. We’ve got two more songs to rehearse. Then we can call it a night and take a few days off.” Trev shook out his hands and rotated his neck before grabbing his bass and curving his fingers around it again. “And then I’m not gonna look at your ugly faces for at least twenty-four hours.”

  “Jesus, what are you? Eighty? You sound like my fucking grandmother.” Jase threw a pick at Trev, who responded by tossing a nearby water bottle at his head. “But even she doesn’t bitch as much as you guys do.”

  As they continued to toss insults back and forth, Baz soaked up the atmosphere.

  Jesus, he’d missed this. He’d missed the guys. He hadn’t realized how much until they’d all been together in a confined space for weeks on end. First in the studio and now here. This rehearsal space was state-of-the-art amazing and they’d nailed down most of their set list in the past week.

  They meshed liked they hadn’t been apart for almost a year.

  But he couldn’t wait to get back to Tru. They still hadn’t talked about their relationship and what happened when he went on tour. He’d bailed on that conversation a week ago and had practically fucked them both comatose instead.

  He’d decided to drive back to Philly tonight to see her. They’d talked a couple of times since he’d been up here. All calls he’d initiated. And every time they talked, he heard the distance between them grow. But there was nothing he could do about that.

  He’d made a commitment to his band members, that he’d be here and he’d be better than he’d been before. That he’d fix what he’d broken.

  But he didn’t want to lose Tru in the process.

  “Baz, you still with us?”

  He turned to give Zach the finger, who grinned back and picked up his sticks again.

  “Alright, assholes,” Nik stood at the mic and grinned at him. “Let’s get this done.”

  * * *

  “Hey, babe. How’s it going?”

  Tru turned with a gasp, her bag falling to the ground as she lost her grip on it. “Sebastian. What are you doing here?”

  His mouth quirked in a rueful smile. “I kinda figured that’d be obvious, since I’m standing in your doorway.”

  She admitted it’d been a stupid question, but she hadn’t seen him in six days. Six long days during which she’d convinced herself they were over.

  “I wasn’t expecting you.”

  “Yeah, I guess I deserve that. I should’ve called. Sorry. So, are you leaving? Want to get some dinner?”

  Yes, she wanted to get dinner. It’d been a long week. She’d been busy with last-minute details for the release of Greg’s film all day and she’d missed lunch, so now she was starving. She’d had plans to head home, grab something to eat, then take a hot bath and relax with a glass of wine.

  She’d much rather take Sebastian home with her, pick up a pizza, and spend the rest of the night having sex.

  But she knew that was only prolonging her misery. She’d had a lot of time to think this past week and she knew what she needed to do.

  Didn’t make it any less painful.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  He didn’t look surprised by her response. He almost looked like he’d been expecting it. Crossing his arms over his chest, he leaned back against the doorjamb.

  “And why’s that?”

  Oh, hell. Her heart beat like one of Zach’s drum fills as she tried to catch her breath. She wanted to cave and go to dinner with him, spend the night with him.

  Then she stiffened her backbone. “The tour starts in a few weeks. Are you excited to be going back on the road?”

  His gaze narrowed, trying to figure out where she was going with this. “Yeah. I love performing. The rush is like nothing else in the world. The sound of the crowd singing along to a song you wrote.” He paused. “But it’s different now. I never had someone I didn’t want to leave behind.”

  Amazing how such a simple sentence could make her breath catch in her lungs and her stomach drop to her feet.

  God, he wasn’t going to make this easy, was he? And she wasn’t sure she could do hard without breaking under the pressure.

  But she knew if she didn’t keep her heart disengaged, she wouldn’t be able to move on when he left and didn’t come back.

  And she refused to be an overused movie cliché.

  Life wasn’t like the movies. A guy like Sebastian never returned with his head sticking out of a limo to take you away from your life as a prostitute. Or the managing director of a production company.

  And he didn’t show up at your door with flashcards and a boom box to profess his undying love.

  She might work on films but she wasn’t foolish enough to believe in a storybook happily-every-after. Real life definitely didn’t deliver the feel-good ending. Life continued to roll on after the wedding and it took a damn lot of hard, hands-on work to make it last.

  And if you were apart more than you were together, well, the temptation to stray could be overwhelming.

  “I think we both know this relationship has run its course.”

  “Both of us, huh? So now you know what I’m thinking?”

  She’d thought he wouldn’t put up a fight. She’d almost convinced herself he’d be happy she was breaking it off, that he’d be relieved.

  “No, I don’t know what you’re thinking. But we don’t have a relationship, Sebastian. We had a few great sessions of sex and now it’s time to move on. You’re going out on tour and I’m staying here.”

  His gaze narrowed. “And you don’t trust me?”

  “This has nothing to do with trust. This has everything to do with wanting a man who’s actually going to be here.”

  The pain in her chest leaked into her voice more than she’d wanted. And she knew he heard it.

  Damn it, she’d wanted to be rational. Steady. Not an emotional wreck. But now, here he was, right in front of her and she had to stifle every emotional response rioting through her body.

  Tears threatened, pricking at the corners of her eyes but she willed them away. She refused to cry. He didn’t need to be subjected to that and neither did she. Especially since she was the one breaking things off.

  She expected him to fight her, expected him to at least offer some resistance. His arms crossed over his chest. “I never expected you to be a coward, Tru.”

  “I’m not being a coward. This makes the most sense—”

  “And you’re all about making sense of things, are you, Tru?”

  Yes, she was.

  “That’s who I am. You knew that. Or you should have.”

  Pushing away from the doorjamb, he walked over to her. She held her ground but couldn’t help the way her blood fizzed in her veins at his proximity.

  “What I know is I’ve missed you. I also know I’ve been busy and yeah, I’ve been preoccupied. But damn it, Tru, I thought you were braver than this.”

  He kept coming until she had to tilt her head back to look up at him, getting lost in the masculine beauty of his face. So damn handsome. She wanted to sigh.

  And when he lifted his hand to cup her cheek, she wanted to lean into his palm. Instead, she froze, unable to look away.

  His eyes were a sharp blue tonight and they raked over her expression, as if trying to see inside her. When his hand moved, she almost grabbed him to keep him there. But he didn’t move away. His hand drifted back to wrap around her ponytail. He didn’t tug. He stroked his thumb along the strands for several seconds before releasing her, cupping her jaw again before letting his thumb brush against her lips.

  Trying to contain her shiver, she sucked her bottom lip between her teeth. His gaze dropped to watch and heat began to bloom low in her body.

 

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