I couldn’t argue. I was hungry, and the guys still had to take their lunch. It would be well over an hour before anything much got done, and I loved the little café near the river. Kane and I had eaten hundreds of meals with each other over the years. Not once had any of our meals been awkward or abnormal.
But then, we’d never kissed before either.
* * *
Kane sat across from me, leaning back in the booth as I fumbled with the silverware after we’d ordered and couldn’t bring myself to look him in the eyes. “I’ve been thinking.”
“About?”
“Well.” My mouth suddenly went dry, and I couldn’t say another word with my tongue practically glued to the back of my lips. Grabbing the water glass, I finally let my eyes wander to his as I gulped it down, not stopping until the contents were half gone.
He crooked an eyebrow, watching me closely, but didn’t say a word. That was Kane. The strong, silent type, typically unreadable to most, but never me. But as I sat across from him, trying to avoid the conversation of last night, I couldn’t think of anything else.
“Oh. My. God,” a waitress said as she approached our table. Her gaze moved from me to Kane, sweeping across his upper body and soaking in every morsel of his rock-hard goodness. “Betty, it’s them.”
“Hey.” I smiled, not unused to the attention of fans, especially in small little towns like this.
Kane’s jaw tightened, but he somehow managed a tight, yet friendly smile. “How’s it going?”
The woman pulled out her phone, and Betty came to stand at her side. “Look.” She pointed at her screen before both moved their faces closer, getting a better look at whatever held their attention there.
I thought they wanted a photo. Kane was always a big hit with the ladies. They waited to get his attention, usually lost for words when they finally saw his impressive size in person.
“Well, day-um,” Betty said, stretching the word out over a few seconds as she gazed at Kane with a smug smirk. “Looks and can kiss.”
My hands flattened against the table, and my body became immobile as my heart sped up, working double time. “Um, what?” My eyes widened, gaze darting to Kane, who had the exact same deer in headlights expression I was sure spread across my features. Nothing rattled the man. Someone could’ve lobbed a hand grenade into the café, and he would’ve dropped, rolled across the floor, and launched it back through the window without even blinking, but this was something neither of us had prepared to handle.
“Jesus, that’s hot,” Carol, at least, that’s what was printed on her name tag, said as she tapped on the tiny screen, and the music from last night filled the café.
My eyes grew wider, and the hunger in my stomach vanished, replaced by nothing more than dread. I sucked in a breath as sheer panic settled in my bones, knowing that our first-ever kiss had been filmed and shared with the world.
Kane tipped his head back and studied the women as they ogled the screen and our most intimate moment. “Ladies, mind if I see that?”
Carol flushed and didn’t move for a second until Betty elbowed her in the ribs, forcing her to hand it over. Kane smiled, nodding a thank you before he looked at the phone screen, finally seeing what they had seen.
My heart was a wild mix of alarm and silence as his eyes darted between the screen and me. The face that had been unreadable moments ago was now all types of fire and fury and one I’d seen before.
“What the hell is this?”
Betty placed her hand on Carol’s arm and answered the question for her. “It’s Connect.”
“Which is?”
“The biggest social media app in the world. People can post live videos, share their life and photos.”
“So, what the hell?” Kane’s loud growl caught the attention of half the café, and the entire place quieted to a whisper as they all turned their attention on us. “Someone filmed us?”
Betty nodded quickly and a little overly excited. I guessed she didn’t get the pissed-off vibe Kane was throwing and the petrified one I was sporting. “Yeah. I’ve followed a few of the guys from your set since you hit town. Asher posted this last night, and I couldn’t stop watching. I mean, look!” She leaned forward, pushing her tits a little too close to Kane’s face as she pressed against the screen. “Over one million views.”
“Why would someone do that?” I whispered, more asking the question to myself than anyone else. It was a total invasion of privacy and not something I’d do to even my worst enemy.
“Who the hell posted this garbage?”
“Asher,” Carol answered, snatching her phone from Kane’s grip with the quickness of a ninja.
Kane glanced at me, his face scrunched up because the name didn’t ring a bell. But that wasn’t a surprise. It took Kane more than a few weeks to learn someone’s name, and even then, they had to be memorable enough for him to even bother. The man was all about respect, and you had to earn it before he cared enough to know who you were, especially a name. “Who the hell is Asher?”
“The new kid.”
His eyes narrowed, his hand tightening into a white-knuckled fist. “That little…”
I shook my head, not wanting to create any more of a scene or give them anything to sell to the tabloids. Based on the number of hits to our video, the story was about to explode, but not before Kane had a chance to wrap his hands around the hipster’s neck. “Ladies, can we get our food to-go?”
“Sure. I’ll get your waitress.” Carol jammed her phone back into her pocket. Betty stood at her side as they both gawked at us for another moment.
We smiled, both more uncomfortable than we were before we walked in, which was shocking because the silence between us was already palpable.
“Calm down,” I said softly as the other customers finally went back to their food instead of the show over at our table. “Keep your shit together, Kane.”
He leaned forward, pushing the water glasses out of the way with his arm. “That little fucker better run fast, because if I get my hands on him…”
“Sorry about this,” Tammy, our usual waitress, said as she placed a white plastic bag on the table along with our check. “I would’ve said something to you about this sooner, but I figured you knew about the video.”
“Jesus,” Kane mumbled, his eyes locked on mine and not paying any attention to Tammy. “Has everyone seen the damn thing?”
“No,” she said, laughing nervously. “Only about a million people on Connect.” She paused and tapped her finger against her chin. “Then there’s the couple million on Instawatch, plus anyone who’s been on that online entertainment magazine. You two are all the rage right now.”
“Fucking hell.”
I shook my head and glared at him. “Thanks, Tammy. Sorry if we made a scene.”
“Don’t be silly. It’s exciting to have celebrities in town, Ms. Kit. You and Kane are our favorites. We’re rooting for you two.” She smiled, blushing a little as she said the words. “That kiss was something else.” She fanned herself, but when her eyes met Kane’s, she scurried away.
“Don’t act like a damn fool,” I warned him as I reached into my purse and grabbed a twenty. “Just play it off. Getting pissed will only draw more attention to it.”
He placed his hand on my arm, the one still on the table, and gave it a light squeeze. Lifting his ass, he pulled a twenty from his pocket and threw it on the table before I had a chance. “Looks like it’s getting plenty of attention when we didn’t even know the damn thing existed.”
He had a point, but that didn’t mean we needed to create a scene in public. I already knew that half the world was talking about us, and we didn’t need to compound the problem.
We walked out of the café, half the eyes in the place following us as we left, which only made Kane angrier. I was afraid that by the time he got his hands on Asher, I’d be bailing his ass out of jail for assault and battery.
The storm was about to make landfall.
6
/>
Kane
The slimy, backstabbing, hipster asshole was hiding. I knew that the second I hopped out of my truck and hightailed it to the cabin. My crew was quiet, but they didn’t hold back with the stares I knew must have had something to do with that fucking video.
“Where is he?” I asked Dale, kicking aside a tub of drywall mud that sat at his feet. The guy was tall but still had to stretch his neck to look at me. I could make out the small threads of worry, maybe because he knew what I’d do to that little shit when I got my hands on him, but Dale had my back. Probably why he didn’t immediately let his lips loose.
“Man, what are you gonna do to that kid?”
I took a step, catching a whiff of Kit’s perfume when she finally caught up to me and came into the cabin. Dale’s attention went to her for half a second, then that wide gaze shot straight to my face. “You gonna tell me?” I tilted my head, not able to keep the grit from my voice. “You of all people should know about loyalty.”
“Fuck that kid, Kane,” Dale said, his eyes widening as though my questioning his loyalty was an insult. “I just don’t want you catching shit for beating on a little punk that can’t defend himself.” The guy straightened his shoulders, head shaking when Kit came to my side. “Doesn’t seem like a fair fight.”
“It’s not,” I agreed.
She gripped my arm, and for half a second, I forgot what had put me in such a bad mood. But that slight touch had voices going quiet around us, as if the crew hadn’t seen Kit touch me like she did just then a hundred times before. Shit, we were friends and she was female. In fact, she was a touchy-feely sort of female. Kit was affectionate to everyone.
So why the hell were they all gawking at us like we’d just come back from our honeymoon?
Without thinking about it, I glanced down at Kit’s fingers wrapped around my arm then right at her face, and she got the message, stepping back to shove her hands into her pockets.
“The kid,” I said to Dale, and this time, my voice went louder, not hiding the anger that had surfaced the longer I stood there waiting for an answer.
“What are you gonna…”
A quick head shake had Dale shutting up before I pointed to myself. “Fucking. Storm.”
He nodded, and with that explanation, Dale’s face relaxed, like he was only just remembering how I handled bullshit when it came onto my set. “Out by the trailers. Hiding. His girlfriend is an intern with the makeup crew.”
I was already to the door when Kit hustled behind me, keeping her hands off me, which kind of pissed me off. That kiss last night…fuck me, it was good. It was the best, but shit, was she drunk. I figured she hadn’t even remembered it or maybe she had and was embarrassed about it or just damn well wanted to never mention it again. Then those fucking waitresses had to show her the video, and by that time, I was so pissed, I clean forgot to think about what she’d meant by it. Or if she’d meant anything at all.
This was why I should have stayed clear of her. At least, with this list. Kit asked for my help, and I wanted to give it to her, but shit was it hard keeping her at a distance, especially since I now knew what she tasted like, how those perfect pink lips and soft tongue felt against my mouth.
“Fuck,” I muttered, scrubbing my hands into my eyes as I stomped out of the cabin.
“Kane, come on, be rational,” Kit was saying, moving at a close jog as she tried to keep time with me. “What happens if you go in there and rough up that little guy? You’ll get fired and…”
“I have a contract.”
The farther away we walked, the more attention we drew, but my focus was on the gray trailer near the back of the property and the noise of movement I heard going on behind those thin walls.
“Bill will find a way, you know he will. You’re on his list.”
“Fuck Bill’s list,” I told Kit, reaching the trailer just in time to hear a whisper that was no whisper at all of, “Hide in the cupboard, Asher,” before Kit stepped in front of the door, holding out her arms to block me.
“Think about consequences…”
“Oh, I am,” I told her, lowering her arms to move her out of the way. “Little fuckface in there needs to learn about consequences.” I reached a fist over Kit’s head then pounded on the door. “Hear that, asshole? The storm is here, and it’s a fucking tsunami wrapped up in a typhoon.”
The rustling in the trailer got faster, and I knew I caught definite shouts of “Oh, shit!” and “Run!” But then Kit touched my chest, lowering my arm with a smooth swipe of her fingers on my bicep, and I forgot for a second about the jackass inside who needed a lesson in bad fucking weather.
“Kane, please.” Her voice was even, and something deep in my gut warmed me from the inside when she spoke my name like that. It was how she’d sounded last night, when my name on her lips had come out like a moan. Fuck, I’d wanted her, and for a second, I could only watch her, thinking stupid, pointless thoughts about what it would be like to have her to myself, to remind her of how it had felt to be in my arms.
“The video was…”
“He’s a kid,” she said, and I swore her voice sounded like music just then. Kit had a way of working me, with a look, with a jerk of her chin, with a motherfucking sigh that got me to do things no one else could. She was doing it again, and for the life of me, I couldn’t find it inside my head to give a single shit.
“Hmph.” She smiled at the grunting sound but didn’t move away from me. There was something buzzing between us then. At least, that’s what I tried to convince myself I felt. A vibe, a buzz, a hum of energy that only sparked between two people who were connected. Like fucking magnets, we moved toward each other. Closer, breaths held, waiting and…
“Guys! There you are,” Bill called, running toward us with his voice a little harried.
Fucking hated that asshole.
When he stepped to us, Kit and I backed away, me with my hands through my hair, trying to distract myself from what was probably something I made up in my own head, and her, just standing there looking like a fucking angel, all smiling and perfect and shit.
I’m pathetic.
“Listen, this whole video thing,” Bill said, facing the trailer as though he didn’t want anyone but Kit and me to hear what he had to say. A quick glance behind him told me he was likely giving us a heads-up before the small cluster of reporters—national, by the looks of them—made their way to us.
“The studio is eating this shit up. Whatever’s going on, keep it up. They want to milk it.”
“There’s nothing…” I started, but Bill shook his head, interrupting me before I could explain anything.
“Doesn’t matter. Since that video went live, our ratings have jumped. They want to keep up the momentum. They’ve had millions of new subscribers, and if we play this right, we might land a better time slot.”
The reporters were noisy, their feet rustling against the leaves on the ground. I had just enough time to spare Kit a look before she plastered a wide, forced smile on her face and ran her fingers through the ends of her dark hair to straighten it before the questions started.
“Kit, can you tell us if you and Kane are an item?”
“Kane, do you think your female fans will be disappointed to discover you’re off the market?”
“How long have you two been a couple?”
Between the frantic question-asking and the shuffling movement of cameras and lights, I felt the tension rising in the back of my head.
“Please, everyone, let’s not jump to conclusions,” Kit said, holding out her hands to bring the focus to her. Damn, she was good at this celebrity bullshit. She glanced at me, a half smile and a wink calming me before she faced the reporters again. “There seem to be some assumptions being made that are a little…premature.”
Next to her, Bill cleared his throat, and I had to fight the temptation to glare at him.
“But the video, Kit…”
“Was a lost bet,” I chimed in, ignoring Bill’s d
umbass throat clearing. “Look at her, she’s beautiful, but that shi…stuff last night was two friends making stupid bets while drinking a lot.”
“So you’re saying there’s nothing going on?” The reporter who asked the question looked disappointed; she lowered her shoulders, and I swore I spotted a slow pout forming.
“We’re saying,” Kit interjected, “that Kane and I are very…close.” There was a smile working over her lips that I spotted immediately as Kit’s bullshit grin. She used it all the time when we played poker with the crew. The interns always lost to her. I never did, and that grin was the reason why.
“So, you’re confirming…”
“She’s telling you folks that it’s not up for discussion,” I said, exaggerating the gruffness in my voice. It was something Kit fucked with me about sometimes when the cameras were rolling. We never flirted, on air or off, but Bill liked it when I was the butt of Kit’s teasing. It gave the fan sites shit to gossip about. This video sure didn’t do a thing to quash that gossip.
“Okay, guys, we’re filming the header install today, so we need you to head out,” Bill said, waving the reporters back as Kit smiled. She turned her back to them, arms crossed as she nudged the trailer step with the tip of her boot.
“Think they bought it?” she asked, looking down, subtly glancing back to see if they were still watching. When she spotted the cameras continuing to roll, Kit squeezed my wrist, dropping it immediately as though she only just noticed they were still filming.
“Nice,” I said, laughing as she feigned worry over getting caught.
“I did take acting classes at the community college.”
“That explains a lot.”
Kit smiled, but it didn’t seem genuine to me. There wasn’t the usual laughter coloring her skin, and I wondered if this was too much—the kiss she didn’t remember, the faked flirtation with me
“Hey,” I said, not caring who was watching when I grabbed her arm. “Anytime you wanna call bullshit on this, you say the word. I don’t much like pretending for an audience, but this is your gig.”
Nailed Down: The Complete Series Page 5
