Ripped: The Price of Loyalty by Tania Joyce

 

Chapter 4

Everything hurt. Her head. Her leg. Her arm. Attempts to move caused needles of pain to jab Gemma’s entire body. What the hell did she do last night? Oh . . . that was right. The after-party. Hunter. The trunk. Her leg. Panicked people, paramedics, nurses, doctors, X-rays, stitches.

The soft blip of a machine tapped a slow rhythmic pace somewhere beside her. Opening her eyes, nothing looked familiar. These were not her sheets. Not her pillow. Not her bed.

Fuck. She was still in hospital.

With fumbling fingers, she reached up and touched the gauze tugging at her temple. Stitches. Five, if she remembered correctly.

Gemma blinked away her grogginess. The IV in her left wrist pinched and pulled on her skin. White sheets were tucked across her waist so tightly she felt as if she was in a straitjacket. The warm blankets draped over her were uncomfortable and the heavy weight surrounding her leg had reality hit her like a taser.

“Gem. You’re awake.” Hunter’s face, shadowed with dark stubble, appeared before her.

Grabbing the remote beside her pillow, Gemma pressed the button and raised the back of her bed. Hunter sat on a small vinyl chair to her right. Machines stood to her left. Kyle lay stretched out asleep on the sofa by the window. The clock ticked on the wall above the door, it was a quarter to eight in the morning

Hunter clutched at her hand. “Babe, I’m sorry. This is all my fault.” His voice, barely above a whisper, was hard to hear over the trolley carts being pushed down the hallway. “I never meant to hurt you.”

Gemma closed her eyes and clenched her jaw to fight back the tears. She wasn’t going to let this accident get to her. She was stronger than this. She was not a crier. Everything was going to be fine. But Hunter’s pranks and games had gone too far this time. And now she was paying the price. A broken leg. A fucking broken leg. Right before vacation.

The smell of industrial-strength cleaner in the air churned her stomach. The ability to form saliva had vanished. Her parched throat made it difficult to swallow. “I know, Hunt.” She licked her dry lips. “It was an accident.”

“Doesn’t make me feel any better.” He lowered his gaze and tucked his hair behind his ear.

“Hey . . . what happened to your face?” She pointed to the shiny black bruise underneath his eye.

“I hit it on the trunk when we crashed. I deserved more than this for putting you out of action for eight weeks.”

“Eight weeks?” Her voice jumped up a scale. “You mean I’ve got to wear a stupid cast for eight weeks?” She ripped the blankets off her legs and screamed. “Argh! It’s pink. Who put a fucking pink cast on my leg?”

“Not me.” Kyle jumped up from the sofa, grabbed her a cup of water off the tray table at the end of her bed, and handed it to her.

“Thanks. I needed that.” She downed the drink and gave him back the empty cup.

He put it back on the tray table, leaned against the bed, and rubbed the palms of his hands against his eyes. “You can thank Hunt for the cast. He bribed the doctor.”

Gemma dug her nails into the bedsheets. “I’ll kill you, Hunt. I hate pink.”

“I know. That’s what makes this so entertaining.” Hunter beamed, tugging up the sleeves on his sweatshirt to his elbows, revealing the small tattoo of their initials, GKH, on the inside of his left wrist. They each had one exactly the same, in exactly the same spot.

“Just you wait,” she said through clenched teeth. “Vengeance will be sweet.”

“I look forward to it.” Hunter’s eyes sparkled as he scanned up and down her leg. “I think it looks sexy.”

He leaned forward and tickled her skin near the top of her cast. His soft circles and gentle strokes made the hairs on her leg stand on end.

The air prickled. Kyle’s head spun toward Hunter. His dark eyes frosted over. The veins on his neck bulged. Gemma’s blood pressure spiked like an ultrasound, and she slapped Hunter’s hand away. Had Kyle noticed Hunter’s behavior, too? What was with him lately? All touchy, feely. Hunter was not the affectionate type. Although . . . Gemma had to admit . . . she liked it.

“There’s something else we need to tell you.” Hunter’s Adam’s apple lurched, and he stretched his legs out in front of his chair.

“What? What else is there?” Gemma tugged at the neckline of her ugly yellow hospital gown. Her heart palpitations rammed against her ribcage. “It’s my head, isn’t it? There’s something wrong from hitting it? Have I got some kind of permanent damage?”

Oh God. What if there was? What if the hit to her head was serious and she couldn’t sing? Or had mobility issues? What would she do with her life? Music was all she knew, all she loved. There was nothing else.

“No, no, it’s nothing like that.” Concern wedged between Kyle’s eyebrows. “When you were under anesthetic, they couldn’t get your leather pants off, so they had to cut them.”

“They what?” She smacked her hand down against the mattress. “God damn mother—! They were my favorite. I bought them in high school for twenty bucks in a thrift shop. Can they be saved?”

Unable to look her in the eyes, Hunter and Kyle shook their heads, sucked in their cheeks, and tried not to laugh.

She glanced toward the ceiling and cursed again.

Losing those pants was worse than breaking her leg. She loved those pants.

She’d worn them when they’d signed with SureHaven. She’d worn them to their first big concert. She’d even worn them to bed.

“Where’s the doctor?” Her chin quivered. “I want to go home.”

“Gem.” Kyle rubbed her arm. “The doctor wants you to stay in for another night. He said you’re too dehydrated and fatigued.”

Of course she was. She’d just traveled the globe, hadn’t had a decent sleep in months, and she’d drunk an obscene amount of JD last night. The throb in the back of her skull was a clear reminder of her actions.

“Can I sit?” Kyle pointed to the mattress beside her.

“Go for it.” Gemma straightened the sheets and blanket back over her cast and tugged them up to her waist so he could sit beside her. Hunter’s chair scraped loudly on the floor as he drew it closer. Then Kyle shuffled forward a few more inches, settling near her hip. She knew they were concerned about her, but they were acting weird.

She grabbed the triangle bar dangling above her head and hoisted herself to sit upright. “Where’s my phone? I need to call Kara and Lexi to cancel vacation.”

Kyle reached inside his jacket and handed over her phone. “I’ve already called them. They’re going to come in and see you after work tonight. Vacation is still on, but you’ll be sitting on your ass in the cabin rather than snowboarding the slopes.”

“That’s not my idea of fun. But thanks for calling the girls.” Gemma took her phone and squeezed it to her chest. What would she do without him? Kyle was the glue that stuck the three of them together—he kept Hunter’s ego under control, kept Gemma’s head out of the clouds, and kept them all focused on the music.

“Do you want me to cancel going to see my cousin in Seattle and stay with you instead?” Kyle tugged at the threads fraying the knee of his ripped jeans.

Hunter shook his head. “Kyle, you don’t have to do that. Gem, why don’t you come to Chicago with me? My folks and Jenny would love to see you.”

Gemma twisted the sheet around in her hand and stared at the knot she’d created. She loved these guys. She loved Kyle. She loved Hunter. But she needed a break. From them both. She needed to get her head and her heart back under control so it wouldn’t affect her work, their music, and their life.

“I’ll be fine with my girls, but thanks for offering. The three of us need a vacation away from each other otherwise we might end up killing one another.”

Kyle nodded, cleared his throat, and stared down at his hands. “I know. It was just a thought.” He looked up at her from underneath his long lashes. “I . . . I also called your mom. Save you one time from dealing with her. I thought I’d let her know what happened before she found out via social media and hounded you for details.”

Gemma’s chest tightened, and a bitter taste flooded her mouth. She wiped her hands on her sheets, smoothing out the wrinkles. “You shouldn’t have bothered. I’m alive, so I doubt she’d be concerned. She wouldn’t come home from her travels or men for anything less than my funeral or an inheritance.”

Kyle scratched at the few whiskers that had grown since he’d last shaved. “She was in a café or something when I called so it turned into a fiasco.”

“What else would you expect?” Gemma drew the sheet higher onto her waist. “How many times did she drop our name during the conversation this time?”

“In the five minutes I spoke to her, I think”—he counted on his fingers—“at least seven.” Kyle put his hand up to his ear to mimic a phone. “Oh! It’s Kyle from Everhide. Everhide this. Everhide that. Oh no, I’m not coming home. Why would I? Victor and I have opera tickets. We have a Cyprus cruise booked. Then we’re going to Milan.”

Kyle’s impersonation of her mother’s voice, complete with a perfectly nasal Fran Drescher pitch, brought a smile to her face, but tugged at the emptiness in her chest.

Gemma had always been nothing but an inconvenience to her mother’s craving for social status and men, and was often left in the care of neighbors or to fend for herself while growing up. Janine had never supported Gemma’s love of music, never paid for one guitar or piano lesson, and never went to see her perform. But when Gemma became famous, Janine rode off Gemma’s celebrity status like a Kardashian.

While it had broken Gemma’s heart at the time, as an adult, she understood why her father had left when she was twelve years old. He’d tired of her mother’s shallow and cheating ways. She just wished, to this day, that he’d taken her with him.

The door flung open with a whoosh and in walked Amie, with Kate, their publicist.

“Good. You’re awake.” Amie tilted her surgically modified nose into the air and swept her Emma Stone blond bangs out of her eyes. Her voice filled the room with as much warmth and compassion as an ice cube. Gemma expected nothing less.

To Amie, Everhide was nothing but money. If the three of them weren’t performing, making and releasing singles and albums, they weren’t bringing in the bucks. They’d signed her as their manager to negotiate and finalize their deal with SureHaven. Amie had become an instant friend; they’d hung out and made grand plans for success. But now Everhide had become a multimillion-dollar business, Amie had grown a god-like complex and a bitchy attitude to match.

Gemma couldn’t wait to get rid of her and get a better deal with SureHaven. No more manufactured music. Gemma wanted to record her own material, the stuff she’d written with Kyle and Hunter. It was how they’d gotten discovered and what she wanted for their future. They had to deliver one more album under their current contract and then they were done. So for now, the giant, SureHaven Records and Entertainment Group, owned them for nearly every aspect of their music career—from music production and touring, to publicity and marketing. And unfortunately, Amie was part of it all.

“Hey, gorgeous.” Kate dumped her armful of belongings and laptop bag onto the small table in the center of the suite, ducked around Kyle, and gave Gemma a hug. “Are you doing okay, sweetie?

“Yeah, but the cast is itching already,” Gemma said, flicking off her sheet and scratching her skin near the top of the cast.

“Bec will come in and see you later,” Kate said. “She was going to grab an overnight bag of clothes and stuff for you.”

“Thanks,” Gemma said. Bec, their personal assistant, truly was a treasure.

“Right then, you three.” Amie waved her fuchsia-colored talons at Gemma, Kyle, and Hunter. “We have a lot of stuff to cancel and reschedule. Kate?” Amie glanced over her shoulder. “Are you ready?”

Kate, a proficient note taker, flicked her long black ponytail over her shoulder and sat down at the small table. She opened her laptop, cracked her knuckles, and wiggled her fingers above the keyboard. “Yep.”

“Amie, we don’t have to cancel anything.” Doubt strangled Gemma’s throat. “I can still sing. I can still play guitar.”

“I’m sure you could, but with a broken leg, your security and safety are of concern so we will restrict any unnecessary travel.” Amie grabbed her cell phone out of her blue ostrich leather Birkin bag before dropping it onto the floor by Hunter’s chair. “We’ll have to cancel performing at the iHeartRadio Awards and the Kids’ Choice Awards.”

“Cancel iHeart?” Hunter pushed his chair back two feet from the bedside and slumped. “But it’s the first time we’ve been asked to perform there.”

Gemma curled her toes underneath the sheet, so hard they hurt. She and the guys had been looking forward to that show, and now the opportunity was gone. Next year, someone else would be hotter than they were right now and their chance to perform would have disappeared.

Amie spun on the balls of her feet to face Hunter. “You want to go on stage without Gemma? Just say the word. I’ll make it happen.”

Hunter leaned forward, rested his elbows on his knees, and looked up at Gemma. The light in his eyes clouded over. He’d hate not performing; he’d be on stage everyday if possible. But his lips drew into a reassuring smile, and he gave Amie a shake of his head. “Never. That’s not an option.”

“I thought not.” Amie’s fingernails tapped against the screen of her phone. “Hunter and Kyle, you can still fly out to LA to attend.”

Kyle turned toward Amie. “We don’t have to go if you want to cancel—”

“No chance. You’re going.” She cut him off with a wave of her hand.

Everything became a blur to Gemma as Amie and Kate reorganized their lives and schedules for the next few months. So much preparation had gone into getting ready for these appearances and now it was erased within a few quick phone calls.

“What about the Billboards in Vegas at the end of May?” Hunter asked. “That’s only two and a half months away.”

“Gemma will be fine by then. Won’t you, Gemma?” Amie said through tight, thin lips. “You’re going to rest up and heal that damn leg of yours. But just because you’re injured doesn’t mean everything stops. We’ll start work on the new album, get through all the demos, and go through marketing strategies and creatives. You’ll do interviews and local appearances as normal, but no performances until you’re better. And finally, we’ll delay the release of the last single off your current album by a few weeks and shoot the video once your cast is off.”

“This sucks.” Gemma flopped her head back against the pillow. “Can’t I do anything?”

“Yes. Get better,” Amie snapped, turned away from Gemma, and made another call.

Kate stretched her arms over her head. “That’s all for now. I’m going to head into the office and deal with these press inquiries before my inbox and cell phone go into meltdown. Gem, so far the gossip ranges from you collapsing on stage from a drug overdose, to you nearly being killed in an accident and fighting for your life in ICU.”

“Just your average, typical day at work.” Gemma sighed, exhaustion seeping into her muscles.

“Seems like it,” Kate packed up her belongings.

“We’ll be off then.” Amie bent down, taking her time to pick up her handbag, giving Hunter an eyeful of her cosmetically enhanced cleavage. And by God, did he look. Gemma pursed her lips and curled her hands into fists beneath her sheet.

Amie stood up and pulled her shoulders back, enhancing her chest size even more. “If there are any other changes, I’ll let you know.” She gave them her catty smile, waved goodbye, and headed out the door with Kate.

Kyle shuffled back around to face Gemma. “That wasn’t too bad. Only a couple of shows canceled—otherwise, it’s business as normal.”

“Eight weeks will fly by. I’ll make sure it does.” Hunter winked at her and played with his silver necklace.

“After vacation, you could stay with Hunt and me at our place if you want.” Kyle glanced at Hunter for confirmation, who nodded. “So you don’t have to go up and down your staircase. We’ll look after you until your cast is off.”

Gemma’s pulse quickened. She did hang out at their place a lot. She even had a room there, but she liked her own apartment. It gave her some separation from them—even if it was literally only around the street corner. “We’ll see how I handle crutches. Thanks for the offer, though—it’s really sweet of you.”

Kyle’s belly grumbled loudly, and his hand rushed to rub it. “I think that’s my cue. I need food. I’m gonna duck out to the cafeteria. You want anything?”

“Nah, I’m fine.” Even though her belly grumbled, the thought of food made her feel ill. “I’ll eat later.”

“Okay. I’ll be back soon.”

But Kyle didn’t move.

He took a deep breath and wiped his hands on his thighs. Then he looked at her, his eyes so dark her skin prickled. Something was still troubling him. They never got a chance to talk last night, and she hated seeing him look so sad.

“When I get back, we need to talk,” he whispered.

“Okay.” She nodded. She guessed she’d find out what was going on with him when he returned.

“Hunt, you want food?” Kyle asked Hunter, who was swinging back on his chair.

“Yeah sure.” He fell forward, the legs of the chair scraping on the linoleum. “Grab me a wrap of some kind. Thanks.”

“Will do. Be back soon.” Kyle stood, leaned over, and kissed her on the forehead. Tingles shot down through her scalp. Why did she always get them? She shrugged the thought aside when he smiled at her, then turned, grabbed his wallet and phone off the table, and headed out the door.

Hunter pulled the chair in close to her and ruffled his fingers through his messy hair. Dark circles shadowed his eyes, evidence that tiredness was taking its toll.

“Why don’t you go home and get some sleep?” Gemma yawned, covering her mouth with the back of her hand. “I’ll be okay here.”

“Maybe later. After lunch. But I want to talk to you about something.” He tugged at the neckline of his T-shirt.

“Sure. If I can stay awake.” She wriggled her toes and shuffled about. Moving around this time wasn’t too bad; the painkillers dulled the ache in her leg and the throbbing in her head.

“Is your leg okay?” Hunter rested his arms on the mattress, but when his eyes met hers, the air became heavy and settled over her like a huge, velvet stage curtain. Her stomach flipped in aerobatic somersaults. He shouldn’t be looking at her like that. Not with lust and desire and want.

Damn these drugs were affecting her.

“There’s something I want to ask you.” His voice croaked. “Something I’ve been thinking about for the past few months. I’ve thought long and hard about this . . . about you. You know I love you. Right?”

Gemma nodded, but tension tugged at her temples. Had he noticed a change in her behavior and was concerned? “Same goes. I love you and Kyle.”

Hunter’s neck flushed, and he bobbed his head up and down in short, sharp jerks. “I know. But here’s the thing.” He sucked in a deep breath, drawing his shoulders back. “I was wondering if we . . . I mean you . . . would you . . . go out with me?”

“Sure.” Her voice spiked the airwaves. “No worries. We’ll all go out after vacation. Kyle’s always up for something, but my leg will limit our options.”

But Hunter closed his eyes and shook his head. “No . . . that’s not what I meant. Gem, I want you to go out with me. Just me. Like on a date or something.”

Gemma’s heart clambered into her throat. She blinked. She stared. She blinked again. “What did you say?” Maybe this morphine affected her hearing too, because Hunter wasn’t making any sense. She pinched herself to make sure she wasn’t stuck in one of her dreams.

“I can’t stop thinking about you. I want you to be my girlfriend.” He covered her hand in his.

“Since when?” She gasped, drawing her hand away. “Five minutes ago? After you stopped gawking at Amie’s boobs?”

“She does have a nice set, doesn’t she?” A smug smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

“What the fuck?”

“Shit . . . I didn’t mean that.” He winced and shuffled in the chair. “I’m sorry. This is not going to plan. Gem, I’m serious. I want to go out with you.”

“With me? Just me?” Her voice went all soprano. Her heart rate monitor blip-blip-blipped even faster. “How hard did I hit my head last night? Because you do girls, not girlfriends. You’ve never had a girlfriend . . . ever. Not even in high school.”

“Diversionary tactics. They’ve all been practice so I could perfect my skills.”

“You’re nuts, Hunt.” She looked around for the remote. “Where’s the emergency button? Quick, call the nurse and get the defibrillator. I think I’m having a heart attack. This is crazy talk. You can’t say stuff like this to me. It would change everything.”

“I know it will.” He said, fidgeting with his watch.

There was too much at risk. Hearts and music and friendships were all at stake.

“And what about Kyle?” she said. “We have to think about him and the consequences.”

Her head spun faster than a ten-inch vinyl on 78rpm. Her dreams were not supposed to become a reality. Not the ones involving Hunter. She stared at him square in the eye, making sure her head was clear and not fogged by drugs. There was no mischievous grin on his face, no playful glint in his eyes.

Holy shit. He was serious.

“Kyle will be fine. Trust me,” he said.

Hunter’s confidence didn’t convince her. They were three. Not a couple plus one. Backup band members, crew, and management would all come and go in their lives, but the three of them had to remain united.

“I don’t believe that. Hunt, you’re like a brother to me. You always have been.” She squirmed around on the bed trying to get comfortable. “It would be too weird being with you.”

“Gem, think about it.” He took her by the hand. She couldn’t tell whose trembled more—hers or his. Did he really feel the same way about her as she did for him?

But it didn’t matter. It could never work.

“We’d be great together,” he said. “You’ve set a high benchmark, Gem, and no one else compares with you. You’re so smart, I love spending time with you, and to top everything off, I think you’re one of the most sexy, hot-as-hell girls I’ve ever met.”

“But you’re a boob guy.” She couldn’t get the exasperation out of her voice. “I’ve got nothing.” She glanced down at her flat chest.

“I’ve seen ‘em.” His eyes sparked, but Gemma shrank into her pillows, shuddering at knowing that the whole world had seen her naked thanks to her ex-boyfriend. Hunter stroked his thumb across the back of her hand, easing her stress levels. “There’s enough. Trust me.”

Her mouth gaped. How had she not seen the signs that he liked her? Had she been so caught up in her own head and concerned about her growing feelings for him that she had been blinded and not seen that they were reciprocated?

He squeezed her hand, sending her pulse up a notch. “No one gets me like you do, Gem. We have fun together. You don’t put up with any of my shit. You keep me grounded. But I don’t want to be just friends anymore. I’m crazy about you.”

Goose bumps shot up her arm. Hearing he was crazy about her made her guarded wall warp.

“You’re right about one thing,” she said. “You’re mental. What would we do if it doesn’t work out? What if we hurt each other? I couldn’t live with that.”

“I promise we won’t ever let it get to that stage.”

“You say that now.” But everyone she’d ever loved had been hurt or driven away by a failed relationship. Why would he be any different?

“Tell me something. Be honest.” Hunter smiled his cheeky smile. “Have you ever thought about it? Thought about us together?”

Heat flooded her cheeks recalling her dream from yesterday. Hunter had been going down on her in the back of a limo, on their way to some grand event. It had been hot sex. Wild sex. Totally orgasmic sex.

Hunter licked his lips and she imagined what that tongue could do to her.

Holy shit!

She pulled her hand free of his and wiped her clammy palm on her stomach. “Maybe. I might have had the odd dream. But don’t flatter yourself. I’ve thought about doing it with lots of people. Doesn’t mean we should act on it.”

Hunter stood from his chair and sat down beside her on the bed. “Don’t you want to see if what we have is something special?”

She closed her eyes and tried to block him out, but no matter how hard she tried she couldn’t. Knowing he had feelings for her changed her whole game plan. Would she hate herself and regret it if she let this opportunity to find out if they were meant to be together pass her by? Could he be the one?

No. No. No. No. No.

“How can I believe you when you’ve never showed any interest in me before?”

“Yes, I have. Remember New Year’s Eve in Paris, watching the fireworks from our hotel balcony? I wanted to kiss you then. In Japan, after skiing on our day off, I came so close to telling you. Last night at the after-party, I wanted to dance with you more than anybody else. I want to sit up all night writing songs with you, like you do with Kyle. I want to spoil you rotten with fine things and have loads of fun.”

Gemma’s heart couldn’t take much more of him saying all the right things. He had to stop and stop now. Because with each breath she felt herself falling—falling for him.

“But last night you were picking up girls. You tapped some girl in our hotel suite here in New York three days ago. Amie’s tits had you mesmerized a few minutes ago.”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean anything. It’s time to stop all that nonsense.” Hunter drew her hand up to his mouth and kissed the back of it. His lips were soft and tender, and his warm breath shivered across her skin. “You’re probably analyzing every pro and con right now like you always do, but trust me, I already have. Stop over-thinking this and just be mine.”

An I’m-so-in-shock-I-don’t-know-whether-to-laugh-or-cry laugh burst from her mouth. Twelve hours ago, she’d been cussing to herself about Hunter, knowing she never wanted to risk their friendship and bond. Now, here she was in Alice’s trippy Wonderland and he was asking her out.

He nudged her thigh. “So how about it?”

Gemma’s stomach flipped. Could they be more than friends? No one made her laugh like he did. He was the prankster, the adrenaline junkie, the charismatic stand-out in any room. On the other hand, he was a playboy, a huge flirt, and had an ego the size of the Empire State Building. That was a worry.

“Is this another one of your jokes?” Red warning lights flashed inside her mind. “Don’t go messing with my heart, Hunt, because this is serious.”

“I wouldn’t do that to you, Gem. Never. My intentions are honorable . . . but what I want to do to you certainly isn’t.” His eyes hinted at a whole lot of delicious mischievousness and sent a rush of heat to her core.

“Hunt, I’m too scared after what happened with Ben.” Tears stung her eyes.

“Ben was an asshole.”

“You love the spotlight like he did. I don’t want what we do to be splashed across the Internet. I don’t want interviews to be about our relationship. Out there”—she jutted her chin toward the window—“we’re about the music, not our private lives.”

“I agree. So we’ll keep it under wraps. I know how much Ben hurt you. We’ve all been through our own scandals and scrutiny. But since then, we’ve learned how to deal with the paparazzi and reporters. We’ve had enough media training to handle it. We can do this. I promise.” He made it sound easy. Too easy.

Maybe dating someone who knew all the consequences of life in the public eye could work.

The warmth from his smile chipped away at the barrier cemented around her heart. He was getting to her. Hunter’s charm was like an intoxicating drug, totally addictive. And she wanted more.

She swallowed hard. She couldn’t believe she was contemplating this. “I have to admit it, but yes, something has changed between us. If . . . and only if I agree to go out with you . . . there have to be some ground rules.” Her words came out firm and strong, taking her by surprise considering her nerves rattled like Halloween chains.

“Ground rules.” A deep trench forged in Hunter’s brow. “Okay, I’m all ears. Let me have them.”

“This has come out of nowhere, so I need time. Time to make sure that you and I being together will not affect our work. Music is our life and I can’t lose that. I need to know we can connect and that this is something special. We have to adjust, and so does Kyle. So, while I’ve got my cast on, there’s to be . . . no sex.”

Hunter’s eyes widened, and his mouth fell open. “No sex?”

“I mean it. We need to do this without being influenced by sex.” What the hell was she saying? No sex was going to be ridiculously hard for her as well. Especially after all her hot dreams.

“That’s a harsh ground rule, Gem.” Hunter raked his fingers down his face. “Are you sure about that? I can think of five different ways to make you orgasm without it affecting your leg.”

Her insides started to happy dance. But no, she had to stand firm. “Five. That’s all? With your reputation, I hope there’s more than that.”

“I’ll gladly accept the challenge.” He turned on an irresistible smile that made her heart flutter.

“I’m sure you would.”

Eight weeks would give her enough time to see if being in a relationship with him affected the dynamic between her, Hunter and Kyle, or not. This had to strengthen them, make them better, and keep everybody happy.

“Two months.” Hunter scratched his jaw then rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, you’re worth the wait.” A touch of sexy glimmered in his eyes. “So, does that mean it’s a yes?”

If she said yes, there would be no going back. It scared her out of her mind to risk everything. But if she said no, she’d always wonder if he was the love of her life.

She inhaled slowly and nodded.

Hunter’s face lit up like Broadway. “You won’t regret this. I promise.” He leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead.

It was funny. Her skin didn’t tingle like it had when Kyle had kissed her in the same place before. Surely she was just flustered and excited, and definitely overwhelmed.

Hunter brushed his fingertips down the side of her cheek. “We’re going to be good for each other, Gem.”

He edged closer. His mouth hovered an inch from hers. His hot breath flitted across her face. With her heart pounding like a drum, she closed her eyes. How many times had she dreamed of this moment? Too many. She’d lost count. And then, he pressed his lips against hers.

She placed her hand on his chest and felt his heart racing. Hunter’s lips trembled against her own. His long hair fell forward and tickled her face. His stubble scratched her skin like sandpaper. Ouch. They turned their heads in the same direction, at the same time. What the? Their noses butted and bumped together.

Gemma had never felt so uncoordinated in her life.

Then, he stuck his tongue into her mouth.

She pulled back and burst out laughing. “What the hell are you trying to do? Gag me?” She licked her lips and wiped the corner of her mouth. “That . . . was the worst first kiss ever.”

Hunter lowered his gaze and nodded. “Yea-p! Geez, Gem, I really thought you’d be a better kisser than that.” He teased, but his eyes smoldered.

“What? Me?” She thumped him on the chest. “It wasn’t my fault. You’re the one who stuck your tongue in.”

“True.” He took her hand and kissed it once again. “We’ll practice. A lot. I hope that kiss didn’t change your mind.”

Gemma glanced over Hunter’s shoulder and saw Kyle through the window in the door.

Her heart beat faster than a strobe light.

Oh shit.

The handle turned.

Hunter squeezed her hand. “So, Gem, are you still keen to give it a shot?”

The door swung wide open.

Kyle walked into the room. “Give what a shot?”