Page 21 of Bad Habits
“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.”
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?”
