Part 21 (2/2)

Beautiful Crazy Kasey Lane 93760K 2022-07-22

”It happened.” Her voice wavered. ”You're in love.”

”Jesus, how can you tell?” Exasperated, but loving how she knew him so well.

”Cut the c.r.a.p, Mason” He could always count on his sister to cut to the chase. ”Spill it. And I mean all of it.”

And it poured out. Everything. From the supposed one-night stand to the last fight to the meeting with the GEM board. Jami peppered questions here and there, but she mostly listened to his description of the tour and his relations.h.i.+p with Kevan.

”You really love her, don't you?” she asked quietly.

”I do.” He paused. ”I love her so much it hurts to breathe, knowing she might not love me back.”

”But why wouldn't she love you? I mean, besides all the work stuff, which doesn't even matter.”

”We're so different. I mean, she's gorgeous and smart, but we come from very different worlds.”

”And that matters how?”

He thought for a second. ”It doesn't.”

”Then my advice is to go get your girl, a.s.shole.” Wow. His little sister almost never swore. When he didn't respond, she yelled, ”Now.”

”I love you, Jami.” He grabbed her and hugged her so hard she smacked his arm.

”Shut up and go fix this, because that's what you do.” She shooed him out the door.

He doubted it would be so easy to convince Kevan they belonged together. But he was going to do whatever it took to convince her. He was done pus.h.i.+ng all his feelings down and trying to disguise his love as something else. He was going after his girl.

Chapter 23.

The bright glare of light burned through Kevan's eyelids, and the noises outside the bus sounded like they were coming through a megaphone, sc.r.a.ping against her skull. Realizing they must be in Reno, the last stop of the tour, she rolled over in the cold bed to glance at the alarm clock glowing 11:23 a.m.

Holy s.h.i.+t. She'd gotten almost ten hours of sleep, the most she'd gotten in months. Kevan cringed at the ache wrapping around the back of her head and burning in her eyes. Perhaps the tequila hangover wasn't worth the oblivion of a few hours of sleep. Already predicting a long day of meetings, sound checks, and what was expected to be an epic, according to Jax, after-party, she sat up and groaned.

Kevan kicked off the blankets and made her way into the restroom to start her last day on tour with Manix Curse. As she stared at her naked, disheveled self before stepping into the warm shower, she realized that the overwhelming sense of doom clinging to her for the last three days had been replaced by numbness. She wasn't afraid, nor was she worried about the outcome or the band's decision? The last thing she really wanted to think about right now was going back to work. And maybe Bowen could come home early and go to meetings, or she could probably get the guys at the shop to run some kind of fundraiser to help with the rest of his rehab. Or she could add some modeling jobs and another part-time job.

Yeah, sure. And I'll get my own personal unicorn, and rainbows will shoot out of its b.u.t.t.

n.o.body really needed her anymore, and she didn't need them. None of it really mattered. She'd follow through on her commitment to the band tonight. Then she'd crawl back to her little apartment and coma sleep for a couple of days before she went to grovel for extra work. Maybe she'd get lucky, and Tony would give her more hours or need some more pinup tattoo shots for the shop or their signage. Everything would go back to the way it was-the same. It would be fine.

She tried to pull a deep breath into her lungs, but the air caught in her throat. She choked down the inevitable sobs threatening to bubble up. Again. The Chevelle's line ”send the pain down below” ran through her head. Yep, shove that s.h.i.+t right on down. But it was so hard. So hard to forget his hands in her hair, his mouth on her neck, his arms around her body. d.a.m.n. Maybe her heart did still twinge a little. Would she ever get the smell of him off her?

The band was still at their sound check, so Kevan took her time getting ready. Their first appointment was an interview at a local Reno radio station. After a short acoustic set at the local college, they'd do their show and top it off with the huge end-of-the-tour party. She'd been working all the social media angles for the past week, building up to tonight's show at the Knitting Factory. Old and new fans were pumped about the band's appearance, and the venue manager expected tickets to sell out.

Any other day, she'd be proud of the schedule, proud of what she'd accomplished. Today, she couldn't bring herself to care. She faced the harsh truth of betrayal by her friend-and Mason, probably the one true love of her life. There, at least she'd admitted it. She had fallen in love with the straitlaced suit. It was humiliating enough that he didn't love her back. h.e.l.l, she was used to that, but she had actually trusted him to ”fight fair.” Kevan now had confirmation she was a complete failure in love and in business.

She turned off the water and pulled herself out of the shower. She leaned her forehead against the wall and stopped fighting. One more time she let the relief of the tears come. Just this once and then she'd let go and move on. She let the salty tears streak down her face. Yep. One more good cry and she was sure she'd be better.

While running the towel over her wet skin, a thought flitted through her sluggish and tear-drowned brain. What if Mason hadn't screwed her over? What if he'd actually had an explanation for the mess the other night? She never had given him a chance to explain. For a moment, she didn't feel so heavy, so numb. For a moment, she clung to the idea that there was a possible future for her and Mason.

But no. He would have said something then, when she had accused him. It was too late now anyway. The bridge had been burned. She laughed to herself, the sound echoing off the small stall. That bridge had been exploded in a scene from a blockbuster action film. But maybe she could still salvage the contract and get her family back together. Be there for her brother like he'd always been there for her.

She finished toweling off and wrapped her hair up in a big, wet bun before throwing on some jeans and a T-s.h.i.+rt. After making some coffee, she plopped down in front of her computer to work. She went through the motions-emailing, calling, and working on a tour announcement press release-until the afternoon rolled around and it was time for the band's promo appearances.

Manix was in rare form during the radio show and the short acoustic set at the college. The band's enthusiasm actually lifted Kevan's spirits. She even threw Jax her best sa.s.sy smile when he constantly shot her concerned glances and told her twice that they needed to talk. Then she'd done everything possible to stay out of his path.

With two record-label executives in the audience, she'd made every effort to dress in her regular attire and affect a professional appearance. She wanted the band to be successful, even if they were ambivalent about her part in their future. She owed the guys the best representation possible. When Kevan made a promise, she always did her best to follow through. So many people broke their promises to her, and she did the opposite. It was part of her moral code. If she didn't, then what did she have left? Not a f.u.c.king thing.

While the opening band played, Kevan introduced Joe to each of the record-label reps. The three men chatted, and a pitching war started between the two execs, reminding Kevan of a not-so-long-ago campaign in Joe's office. The memory twisted in her, sharp and fresh.

Excusing herself, she headed for the bathroom but found her path blocked by a very good-looking, very tall, tattooed drummer. If the look on his face was any indication of his mood, she was in for a lecture, or inquiry, or something. He regarded her with narrowed eyes and a pretty d.a.m.n serious set to his jaw when he wrapped his fingers around her arm and pulled her into the back office.

”It's time for our talk, Kevan,” he said as she tried to pull her arm free from his grasp. ”Now.”

Jax pushed her toward the worn love seat and turned to lock the door. He leaned his long, muscled body against it.

”What the f.u.c.k, Jax?”

”What the h.e.l.l is going on with you?” The muscles in his jaw tightened, and his eyes went sharp.

”I told you I'm fine. All right?”

”You're a terrible liar, Kevan Landry. In case you've forgotten, I was there during the Professor f.u.c.khead s.h.i.+t. I was there when Bowen was beat to h.e.l.l by that a.s.shole. And you were upset.” He crossed his inked arms. ”But I've never seen you like this. What's going on?”

Kevan sighed, vowing she wasn't going to cry. Not again. ”We had an agreement, Jax. And he lied-about everything. I thought I was falling in love with him. And I thought he was starting to love me too. But it was all a lie.”

He shook his head, disbelief clouding his features. ”No, he told me early on he was serious about you. He got very possessive. Kind of p.i.s.sed me off at first. But he asked me to give him a chance. With you.”

”When? What are you talking about?”

”Mason told me he really cares about you and he wouldn't hurt you. That's what I was trying to tell you when you got p.i.s.sed.”

He cares about you.

She shrugged. ”He lied.”

”Are you so sure?”

”He made me fall in love with him and then went behind my back to steal Manix away from me. We had this stupid agreement.” Kevan stood and paced in front of the couch. ”We were going to compete for you fair and square. Just him and me, no company resources, no outside help.” She stopped and looked up at him, blowing a loose blue curl out of her eyes with a burst of air. ”I believed him. Like the f.u.c.king idiot I am.”

Jax shoved his body off the door and reached her in two long steps. He grabbed her shoulders. ”Look at me, Kev.”

Slowly, she looked up, trying to force her face into a mask of defiance, until she saw the compa.s.sion was.h.i.+ng from his.

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