Chapter 10
“I obviously walked into something.” Enzo puts his boxers back on and smiles at me. “Want to clue me in?”
He’s gorgeous. I hit the jackpot with him. “It was nothing. He just wanted to talk about the other day when he pushed me away.”
He leans down and kisses me. “If it becomes more, make sure you tell me. I’ve honored this friends with benefits pact and been monogamous and it’s been great, Kat. But when it’s done, it’s done. No fault, no explanation.”
“Of course.” I watch him as he digs through his suitcase. I wish I could love him. It would be so easy with him. We’re so alike and face the world with the same chip on our shoulder. Mine stems from my incredibly shitty childhood and his from the constant competition to live up to his brother’s legacy but we both fight for everything that’s worth it. I’m lost in thought.
Lorenzo is staring at me. “You could do worse.”
“What?” I giggle when he shakes his head.
“Chance. You could do worse. I don’t care what he wanted to talk to you about. The dude had a look on his face that wasn’t one from just talking.”
“It’s because you were standing there. He’s obviously a fan. I thought he was going to shove me off of you and take my place.” I laugh remembering the introduction.
“He might have shoved you off me but it wasn’t to take your place. That’s a man on a mission. And your lips were pretty swollen from the talking.” He winks and pulls a shirt on over his head. “I’m going to go get us some coffee. Don’t go far. Round three starts in about ten minutes.”
I watch him leave the room. I don’t want to lose what we have but when the season starts, I know he’ll be gone for months. It’s not fair to make him give up potential women just because I’m selfish and enjoy the sex a little too much. He’s incredible and he’s the best male friend I’ve ever had.
That isn’t true. I close my eyes and remember the scared, little boy I knew when I was twelve. He was my everything and even though it was only a couple weeks, he was my lifeline. He was the definition of what a man should be. He kept me warm when I was cold, he stood up for me when things weren’t going my way, he kept me safe when I was scared. Then he was gone and my life was empty again. I wish I knew who he was and where he is. I was just a kid but I knew I was supposed to meet him. He’s the reason I can’t get close to most people. He’s the reason I will never fall in love. He was gone in the blink of an eye and never came back for me.
“Player,” Max starts laughing as he sits next to me. “I hear there’s a celebrity in our midst.”
“I wish you guys would have been in that elevator when Chance saw him. Priceless.” I sip my coffee and let the warm liquid energize me. “If you’ve got some time today, I’d love to do an interview.”
“Works for me. Lorenzo going to beat my ass for taking you away for a bit, though?” Max winks at me and I can’t help but wonder how Rachel survives his charms.
“No. It’s nothing like that. He’ll be happy to have some down time.”
Chance practically throws himself in the seat next to me and waves at the waitress. “I’m dying.”
“There’s no way we’d get that lucky.” The words sting a bit and Max’s eyes widen at me.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the Ice Princess.” Chance orders some coffee and glares at me. “You’re two completely different people. All smiles and laughter with the rest of the guys and as soon as I walk in, the concrete wall around your heart is fortified and you start to fight.”
“Your point?” I sip at my coffee and attempt not to look interested.
“My point is that you make me feel very powerful because I’m the only one who can affect you like that. There’s a very fine line between love and hate.”
Max practically chokes on his coffee as he laughs. “You two are exhausting. Speaking of, Chance, you look like shit.”
“I feel like shit. Everything hurts. I’m going to skip the group hang today. Hope that’s cool. I just need to sleep this off.”
I look at him and notice how flushed he is. We’re all in tanks and shorts and he’s in a hoodie and sweats. His hands shake a little when he reaches for his coffee. As if it’s instinct, I reach over and touch his forehead. He’s on fire.
“You’re burning up. Do you have anything you can take for a fever?” I dig into my purse and grab the bottle of Tylenol I have for emergencies. “Here.”
He takes the bottle from me and downs three tablets right away. He puts his head down onto the table and I look at Max wide eyed. I’ve stalked these men long enough to know they never get sick.
Lorenzo walks up to the table after his workout. He winks at me and looks at Chance. Even he can tell Chance isn’t feeling well. “Big night last night or is it not that exciting?”
He barely responds. Just shakes his head no. After his reaction to Enzo last night, I know he must be feeling like crap.
“Well, shit.” Max texts Joshua. “I’m going to have Seymour send someone over to see you. We’ve got a show tomorrow and you’ve got to be better. We’ve cancelled too much shit in the last year with everything that’s happened. There’s no time for anyone to be sick.”
“I’ll be fine. I just need to sleep.” He pushes his coffee cup away and it’s still half full. “I’m never sick. It’s just a temporary setback.”
“Not good enough. He’ll send someone up. Go get back in bed. If you need anything at all, call me and I’ll head your way.”
“Can you get from here back into the hotel without a big stir? I had a ton of followers when I walked over here.” Lorenzo looks over the menu. “Second thought, Max and I can head out there together. That should get their attention. You guys should be able to get back into the lobby and up to the room without problem. You ready?”
Max stands up and follows Enzo out the door and into a rapidly growing crowd. The bodyguards I hadn’t noticed stand up from a table in the corner and make their way outside. Never a dull moment with these guys.
I stand up and put my hand on his shoulder. “Come on. I’ll walk you back to your room. You need to get in bed and keep your germs away from all of us.”
“And a piece of the wall crumbles,” he mumbles as he pushes back from the table. “Let’s go.”