“I mean it. Logan is off-limits.” My voice is stern. They need to know I mean business.
“It’s her, right? She’s the one from Hawaii?” Tristan asks.
I nod. “Off-limits,” I repeat.
“You staking your claim?” Cole chimes in.
“She’s my fucking assistant,” I seethe. I’ve never staked my claim, never wanted to. Right now in this moment, I want to, if not for the simple fact that I don’t want them to touch her. Memories of her writhing beneath me flash through my mind.
I cross my arms over my chest and square my shoulders, letting my eyes linger on each of them. “I need to hear it,” I tell them. I need to hear them each agree that she’s untouchable.
“Got it,” Gavin agrees.
“Sure, man,” Tristan follows suit.
“Yeah,” Cole says.
I nod once and turn to go. I just need a minute to process this shit.
“Wait!” Cole calls for me. “We need to hear it.” I raise my eyebrows in confusion. “We need to hear you say that you understand that Logan is off-limits,” he smirks.
“It’s my rule, jackass.”
This causes Cole to grin. “Let’s hear the words, Kace.”
Fuck! I’ve already been inside of her; this rule should not apply to me. But I know that it does. She’s now my employee. “Fine. I get it,” I say, storming off down the hall.
I find myself outside of the office that is now hers. I rap lightly against the doorframe. Her head pops up. “Hey, I just wanted to let you know that I talked to the guys. I made sure they knew to leave you alone.”
She nods. “Thank you, that wasn’t necessary. I can handle them. They’re harmless really.”
I have no doubt, just from the small amount of time I’ve known her, that she can, indeed, handle herself, but I don’t want them messing with her. She’s here to do a job, which is already strained due to our . . . rendezvous in Hawaii. “I’m sure you can, but I figured a little reminder wouldn’t hurt.”
She stands from her chair. “Okay, well if you don’t need anything else, I’m going to head home. I just talked to Cassidy, and she’s tied up, so we’re going to meet here tomorrow morning at nine.”
I watch her as she gathers her purse and slips her cell phone into the outer pocket. “I’ll walk you out,” I say, stepping aside, allowing her to walk in front of me. Her legs look incredible in those heels and that skirt. A memory of what it felt like to have those legs wrapped around me flashes through my mind.
Fuck!
I stand on the front steps and watch her as she drives away. Yesterday, when I woke up and she was gone, I was disappointed. I wanted more of her. Today, she’s here in my house, working for me, and I still want more of her. It’s going to be a true test of my willpower to keep my hands off her. Not only mine, but the guys.
I find the three of them in the living room. Gavin and Cole both have their guitars while Tristan holds a pair of drumsticks that he uses to tap out a beat on the arm of my couch. All three of them have notebooks sitting in front of them.
“Hey, man, you up for writing?” Gavin asks.
Hell yes! This is the part of music that I love. The creation. “Let me grab a quick shower and I’ll join you.”
Taking the stairs two at a time, I grab some clothes and head to the shower. I’m eager to get started on this next album. The guys have been working off and on since I’ve been in Hawaii. They all opted to come home instead of visiting paradise with me. It was nice to get away from everything and everyone. Well, not everyone. If I hadn’t gone, I would not have met Logan. I guess that’s not true either. I would not have slept with Logan, but she would still be here as my assistant.
Even though I know I have to keep my distance now that she works for me, the time I spent with her, being inside of her, is an experience I definitely do not want to forget. It hits me that if the guys would have come with me, they would have met her at the same time as I did. I can’t help but wonder if she would have fallen to their charms instead of mine. I don’t play games. I’m more of a see what you want and go after it kind of guy. Then again, they make a game out of it because they can. When you have girls falling at your feet willing to do anything you ask, making a game of it is mandatory. Girls like Logan are few and far between.
After throwing on some basketball shorts and a t-shirt, I grab the notebook from my nightstand and my guitar. As I reach the living room, I can hear the guys discussing a new beat.
“Where are we?” I ask as I take a seat next to Tristan on the couch.
“Just trying to work out the beat for the one you sent us last week,” he tells me as he continues to tap his sticks against the couch.
I glance over at his notebook and see it’s the ballad I had been working on in Hawaii. We don’t do a lot of them, but we want this next album to be eclectic. Wrapping my arms around my guitar, I close my eyes and begin to sing the lyrics, which are already memorized.
Reality is closing in
Is it me or is it you
The lines are blurred within these walls
How do I know when to take the fall?
Just like that, I’m lost in the music. We stay in the same spot until the early morning hours. We make it through the entire song with lyrics and rhythm that we’re all pleased with. I’m exhausted when I reach my room, but sleep evades me as I think about her. This extraordinarily fucked-up day turned out better than I expected.