by Kaylee Ryan
“So, who taught you to cook?”
A wistful smile crossed her face. “My mom and my gran.”
Her smile makes those brown eyes sparkle. “My mom tried.” I laugh. “I didn’t have much interest. I can grill just about anything, but get me in an actual kitchen and you need to be on high alert.”
A giggle escapes those pink lips and I want to pull her mouth to mine and kiss her. Shit! I’ve got to get a handle on this. She’s my employee. Maybe if I try imagining her as Paige in Hawaii and Logan here in Tennessee it will be enough to separate the two? I take another sip of my coffee, mulling it over.
“My brother’s pretty much the same way.”
Her voice brings me out of my silent musing, causing me to turn my head to look at her. There is no way I can pretend she’s two different people. I’m captivated by her. Still.
“What the hell smells so damn good?” Cole grumbles from the doorway.
“Good morning, grumpy,” she teases him. “I’m making breakfast. Coffee is waiting. This will be ready in about ten.”
Cole strides toward me and gives me a knowing look. “Either make me a cup or move out of my way. I need caffeine.”
I step to the side, allowing him to move in and make his own. My intention is to stay close, so as soon as he’s done, I can resume my spot next to her. Cole has other plans. He mimics my previous position and starts up a conversation with Logan.
“You know you’re the best assistant ever, right?” he asks.
Looking up, she grins at him. “Duh.”
They both laugh and, for some reason, it bothers me. I watch as Cole leans in closer and inhales. He gives off the impression he’s smelling the sausage she’s browning, but I can tell from the blush on her face she knows otherwise.
“Let her finish!” I snap at him. Of course, once the words are out of my mouth and I see the smirk on his face, I know he was trying to get a reaction out of me. Congrats, fucker, it worked. Now step away from the girl.
“I’m starving,” Cole cheers as he casually steps away and pulls up a stool at the island.
I stay rooted in my spot, just a few feet away from her. I want to move in next to her, but not with Cole’s watchful eyes. If they know how much I still want her, they’ll step up their game with flirting with her, and I don’t believe I could handle watching. This girl has me tied up in knots, and I need to figure out a way to deal with it. I’m at a complete loss, but one thing I do know for certain is I will not watch them fawn all over her. Not going to happen.
Chapter 13
Logan
“Breakfast is ready,” I tell Kacen and Cole. “Should I wake the others?” I ask.
“No,” Kacen’s words are clipped. “They’ll wake up when they’re ready.”
“Well, all right then. What do you all want to drink? Anything other than coffee?” I ask.
“Logan, sit down and enjoy the breakfast you just made. If we need something, we can get it. You don’t have to wait on us,” Kacen tells me.
“You see, that’s kind of my job,” I reply.
“No, it’s not. You are here to keep us organized and run errands, yes, but you’ve already gone above and beyond by cooking breakfast when you could have just ordered something on your way here. Nowhere in your contract did it say you were to be the wait staff.”
He sounds a little angry, and I’m not sure why. I decide to just let it roll. I’m sure he’s still tired from his flight and writing with the others last night. “Okay, well, I had a bagel at home, so I’m just going to be in my office waiting for Cassidy.” I scurry out of the room before he can protest.
By the time I have my computer booted up, Cassidy is standing at my door. “Good morning,” she says cheerily.
“Morning. I made breakfast, if you’re hungry,” I offer.
“I know. My nose led me to the smell. All four of them are shoveling it in,” she laughs. “You’re already spoiling them.”
“Nah,”—I wave my hand on the air—“feeding them is part of the job. I enjoy cooking and the guys said they rarely get home cooked meals. I don’t mind.”
She laughs. “Fair enough. All right, are you ready to get started?”
“As I’ll ever be,” I tell her.
“Really, it’s pretty easy. Like we talked about yesterday, when they start working on a new album, they pretty much hibernate here at Kacen’s. You need to make sure they have food, as you seem good with, and there is a cleaning lady who comes twice a week. She cleans and does the laundry.”
“Got it. What’s her name?”
“Nancy. She comes on Tuesdays and Fridays, so you can meet her today. Other than that, you and I will work closely together because of the label. There are events the guys will need to attend; you and I will work to coordinate schedules. It will be your responsibility to get them there, book their flight, hotel, etc.”
Okay, so that doesn’t sound too bad. “I think I can handle that. Besides, you said you and I will work closely, so I’ll have you to bounce questions off.” I can hear the hope in my voice.
“Absolutely. Honestly, this is more of a ‘learn as you go’ position. Each day brings something new in this business, so it’s hard to know what to expect. The big thing is to just keep them in line and on schedule. From what I saw yesterday, you can handle yourself with their flirtatious ways. Really, the four of them are harmless. All the other PAs fall for the charms and end up being scorned that they are not going to live happily ever after with a rock star.”
I wonder if that’s what Kacen thinks of me. No, he couldn’t; I didn’t even know who he was. “So are the four of them commitment-phobes?” I prod her. I really don’t care about Cole, Gavin, and Tristan; I just want to know if Kacen is afraid of commitment.
“Honestly, I don’t think they are. All of them have had a few serious relationships since I’ve known them. The struggle is their schedules and jealousy is a huge issue. You have to have trust, and the girls who present themselves are usually callous bitches who want the fame, and if they feel the slightest bit insecure, the claws come out. This is not something that makes a strong relationship. I honestly think, if and when any of them find the right girl, none of them will hesitate to hold on to her.”
“Okay.” I need to change the subject, even though I’m the one who broached it in the first place. “Any events or anything else coming up that I need to be aware of?”
“Not right now. The guys try to lay low for several weeks after a tour. They were on the road for eighteen months, so they need some down time. There is a charity event in several weeks. I’ll e-mail you the details. Just from talking to Mr. Jones, there are also going to be a few events the label needs for them to attend. I’ll send that as soon as I have final dates. Other than that, just get to know them. Make sure they are fed, and I’ll be in touch.”
“Thank you so much, Cassidy. I’ll be calling you with questions soon, I’m sure.”
“No problem, they’re good guys, just a little spoiled. If you can overlook the orneriness, then you are good to go.”
What about the fact that I’ve slept with Kacen? Can you help me overlook that? “Great. I’m sure we’ll get along fine,” I say instead.
“I’m sure you will. Well, I’m going to head back to the office. You have my number if you need anything.”
“Thank you, again. I’ll walk you out.” I stand and follow her out of my office. Kacen meets us at the end of the hall.
“Hey, I was just coming to find you,” he says to me.
“Well, I’ll leave you to it,” Cassidy says and leaves us standing there in the hall. Kacen doesn’t even acknowledge her.
“You found me,” I say with a cheery smile.
“I want you to meet Nancy.” He reaches out to grab my hand and I pull back. Not a few days ago, I would have latched on without a thought. Things have changed. “Right, she’s in the kitchen.” He motions for me to walk ahead of him.
In the kitchen, there is a woman in her
late fifties with salt and pepper hair standing at the kitchen sink washing dishes. “Nancy, this is Logan, my new PA. Logan, this is Nancy. She cleans twice a week and keeps this place from showing the signs that four grown pigs live here.” He winks at her.
“Oh, you,” she shoos him away. “You boys don’t make that big of a mess. I just tidy up a little and do your laundry.”
“You spoil us, and we love you for it,” Kacen says as he pulls her into a one-armed hug. He seems very fond of her.
“Logan, it’s nice to meet you.” She extends her hand for me to shake.
“You as well. You have your hands full with this crew,” I joke.
“Oh, honey, you have no idea.” She grins, turning to Kacen. “I like this one.”
“Me too, Nance. Me too,” he whispers the words, but I hear them.
“Now, off you go so I can finish this up. Logan, I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot of each other.” With that, she turns back to the sink, continues to hum a tune I don’t recognize, and starts back in on the dishes.
“Kace! Get your ass in here.” I hear from the living room. I don’t know which one of them it was.
Kacen just shakes his head and holds his arm out for me to lead the way. Cole, Gavin, and Tristan are sprawled out over the huge sectional couch. Kacen sits on the love seat and pats the spot next to him for me to sit as well. As soon as I sit, my personal cell phone vibrates in my pocket. Pulling it out, I see Daniel’s name on the screen. Not wanting to deal with his drama, but needing a distraction from sitting next to my sexy new boss, I open his message.
Daniel: I’m sorry. I miss you. I love you. I don’t know what I was thinking.
Me: It’s over. Stop texting.
Daniel: It’s never going to be over with us. We have too much history.
Me: It’s over!
“Boyfriend?” Kacen asks, causing me to jump and throw my phone. He catches it with ease and looks down at the screen.
“Ex,” I say, reaching for the phone.
“Sounds like he wants to change that.”
“Well, what he wants and what he gets are two very different things. I don’t play games.”
My phone vibrates in my hand.
Daniel: NOT OVER!
I feel Kacen lean in close. Glancing up, I see his eyes are locked on the screen of my phone, reading Daniel’s last words. His jaw is tight. I start to wonder why he would be angry, and it’s then I remember I’m working, not just hanging out with a group of rockers. I lock the screen and slip the phone back in my pocket.
“Well, I’ll just be in my office if you need me,” I say as I go to stand.
Kacen grabs my arm and pulls me back into the sitting position. “Is he harassing you?” he asks. His voice is low, but I can hear the edge of anger trying to push through.
“Logan, breakfast was fantastic!” Tristan says. I hear Gavin voice his agreement.
“Come with me,” Kacen says. He grabs my hand and leads me out of the room. I don’t fight it as I let him lead me to my office. Once we’re inside, he shuts the door. “What’s going on, Logan? You had a boyfriend while we were together?” he seethes.
“What? No, of course not. I don’t do that. I don’t even have one-night stands. I can count on one hand the number of people I’ve slept with.”
I watch as he runs his fingers through his hair. “So if you weren’t with him, what’s with the messages?”
“Not that my personal messages are any of your business, but we broke up a few weeks before Hawaii, and he’s not impressed that I’m no longer playing his games.” My anger rises. It’s none of his damn business. We are not together. Our current relationship is strictly professional.
“Games? Did he hurt you? You’ve got to give me something, Logan. My mind is going crazy here.”
Sensing that he’s coming from a good place, I release a heavy sigh and plop down in my chair. “If you insist on hearing the story, you might as well sit,” I tell him. Surprisingly, he does as he’s told and takes the seat across from my desk. “Daniel and I dated for three years. We were constantly on again off again due to his need to ‘take a break.’ My friends tried to warn me about the stories they had heard, but I was naïve enough to believe his words over theirs. On graduation day, I overheard some girls in the restroom talking about how great he was, yada yada yada. The same girl was also telling her friend how he promised her that he would break things off with his girlfriend for her. That was the final straw for me. I was tired of feeding into his lies about our future, the dream of marriage and kids. I want that. He said he did too, but it turns out he was just telling me what I wanted to hear.”
I pause and take a sip of the bottle of water I brought with me today. “So you see, I don’t play games. He doesn’t want me. He’s just pissed off that he got caught and I called him out on his shit. Regardless of what he wants, it is most definitely over.”
Chapter 14
Kacen
As I sit here and listen to her story, the only thing running through my mind is that this guy is a fucking moron. He had her. He had Logan in the palm of his hands, and threw her away. She finishes and I’m floored as to what she put up with from this guy. Even more so that he wasn’t smart enough to cherish her.
“Wow, that’s . . . I’m sorry, but he’s a jackass.”
This has Logan throwing her head back in laughter. My eyes lock on her slender neck as I remember what it was like to trace the lines with my tongue.
“I agree, this is totally a laughing matter,” I say with a grin. “He let the best thing that ever happened to him slip away, for what, a new piece of ass? Not worth it.” My voice is clear and stern. Something inside of me needs her to understand that she’s worth it, that he’s, well . . . a jackass.
“I have to agree with your jackass assessment,” she says with grin. “It’s over. Any feelings I had, or thought I might have had for him, are gone. I left them in the bathroom stall that day. I’m sad for what I lost. Three years of my life I spent with him, dreaming of a future that he never wanted.”
“Now he sees the error in his ways and is harassing you.”
“Not harassing, just text messages and phone calls. He’s never been mean or threatening, just adamant that what we had is not over. He’s wrong.”
“Good. If he gets out of hand, or even if he doesn’t, and you want me to step in, you let me know. If I’m not around, talk to the guys.”
“Honestly, Kacen, it’s more of an annoyance than anything. He’ll eventually get the hint.”
I nod, letting her know I agree. “You mentioned something else, something that I have no right to ask of you, but you brought it up.” I wink at her. I’m hoping to keep this easy banter going between us so she will not balk at answering my next question.
“Three,” she replies.
My mouth falls open, again causing her laughter to fill the room.
“Are you shocked at the number or at the fact I knew what you were going to ask me?” she asks.
“Both,” I say with no hesitation. “Logan, you’re an attractive girl. How is that even possible?”
“Well, Mr. Rock Star, I was in a long-term relationship with Daniel for three years, regardless of breaks between us, I was faithful to him. I believed he just needed room to breathe. My first was my date to my senior prom. It was more of a pull the Band-Aid off kind of situation. We both wanted to. There were no expectations of love or forever, just two kids who had gone to school together their entire lives not wanting to head off to college as virgins. Number three was this guy who swept me off my feet while on vacation with my best friend Stacy. It was a fling that gave me memories I will always cherish,” she says shyly.
Holy. Fucking. Shit.
I open my mouth to speak, but I can’t. We’ve not really discussed that night much, but here she is throwing it out there like a casual greeting. I’m floored even more so by what it meant to her. I’m relieved I’m not going crazy when I think about the connection we seem to
share.
“So, Kacen, what about you? Care to give me a number?” She smirks.
My eyes meet hers and I hold her stare until I get the courage to speak. “My number is higher than yours. Not outrageously so, but compared to yours, yeah, it’s higher,” I confess. I cannot believe we are having this conversation. She’s my PA now. This should not be happening.
“So what are we talking fifty, one-hundred?” she prods.
“Fuck no!” I say, my voice louder than what I expected it to be. Did she really think that of me? “You were number ten,” I say, my tone quiet.
“Ten, hmmm . . . not so bad. Of course, it shouldn’t matter what I think. You’ve already sampled the goods.”
“Jesus, Logan! Would you stop talking like that.”
“What? It’s the truth. You could have said one thousand and it would not have made a bit of difference. We’ve already been down that road.”
“Five of them were long-term relationships, and five of them were casual one-time things,” I confess.
I watch her as she raises her hand. “Put me in the casual column.” She grins.
She can tell this conversation is uncomfortable for me, and she’s loving every damn minute of it.
“It didn’t feel casual,” I say and the smile falls from her lips. Take that. Only it’s the truth. Nothing from that week with her felt casual.
The iPhone lying on her desk rings. Picking it up, she says, “This is Logan.”
“Sure, I’ll be right out,” she says to the caller as she hits end and places the phone back on her desk.
“Who was that?”
“Gavin, they’re hungry. I told them I would make lunch.”
“Just call something in and have it delivered.”
“Nah, I’m good with cooking. Are we good, or did you need something else from me?” she asks.
No, we are not good. I need . . . Fuck! I don’t know what I need. “No, we’re good,” I grumble and follow her out of her office and into the kitchen.
My mind told me to go hang out with the guys, but my feet carried me right along behind her. Speaking of behind, I’m sitting at the island watching as Logan is bent over in that skirt and those heels, pulling ingredients for tacos out of the fridge.
