scraped her hands down her cheeks. “Talk about a bad decision.”
Now he got it. “That’s all this is? I’m one of your bad decisions?”
Kylie looked down at the table. “Technically, yes.”
He stood up so fast his chair toppled to the concrete. “A way to burn off a little post-graduation steam before getting on with your real life? Glad to help you check off the boxes for adventurous sex and sleep with a celebrity . Guess you’re all done now. Done with me.”
Kylie stared out at the flat farmland zipping past the window. The interstate to Fargo, North Dakota, wouldn’t normally be exciting enough to hold her interest. But right now? It was far preferable to making eye contact with anyone else on the bus. Jake thought she was a slut. Tony blamed her for causing the fight between Jake and Cam. Jones was miffed she’d slept with Cam and not him, on principle. And Cam…Cam actually believed that he’d been just a fling for her. That hurt most of all.
“I’ve got something for you.” Jake waved a cookie bigger than her fist in front of her face.
She kicked off her sandals to curl her feet beneath her on the recliner. Leaned her forehead against the cool glass. Wished it would chill the throbbing ache in her temples from crying all night. Kylie had chosen to ride on this bus both to avoid Cam’s injured sulking and because she knew nobody on the other one would talk to her. Why was Jake interrupting her pity party?
“I’m not hungry.”
“The cookie’s just a bribe. You don’t have to eat it now.”
“A bribe to get me to do what?”
He came around to squat in the space between her chair and the window. “Listen to my apology.”
That was…unexpected. Kylie wasn’t ready to meet his gaze, though. She lifted her eyes only far enough to stare at the tribal tattoo ringing his biceps. “I’m sort of a captive audience here, Jake.”
“Well, good. Because I know you’re mad at me. And you should be. I was a jerk. If not a full-on fucktard.”
She might be licking her own wounds, but she knew that Cam needed to hear this more. “Shouldn’t you be saying that to Cam?”
Jake’s shoulder jerked. “Yeah. And I will. I’ll let you in on a secret. Our fight wasn’t really about you.”
“No kidding,” she said dryly enough to clue him in that Cam had told her the whole sordid story. Kylie tugged down the hem of her Greek Week tank as she shifted to face Jake head on. If he was going to man up and apologize, it was the least she could do.
“We’ve got what you might call unresolved issues.”
Not quite. “Pretty sure your issues with Cam are resolved with this awesome new music you’ve created. You just haven’t decided to put them all behind you.”
A muscle in his jaw worked, and his Adam’s apple bobbed. “Maybe so. But that’s another conversation. Point being, I don’t think you’re a groupie slut.”
“Thanks.”
“I’m serious. You’re smart. Savvy about music in a way that few people are, even if they’ve been in the business for years. I’m glad you came on this tour. And I’m sorry as shit that I said those things to you. I deserved that punch that Cam threw at me. Yeah, I was angry, but there’s no excuse.”
“Apology accepted.” Kylie laid a hand on his arm. “I appreciate it.”
“So we’re good now?”
“Sure.”
“Then can I ask you something?” Jake tapped her knee. “Why’d you really come on this trip? Were you running away? Or running toward something?”
Well. That was direct. Insightful. And really, really annoying. “Don’t pretend like you’ve got a psychology degree. I know everything about you from the Riptide fan boards.”
White teeth flashed against his deep tan. “My mom’s a shrink. She had me and my sister navel-gazing before we were out of diapers.”
“I joined the tour because it was an opportunity.” Okay, it had been an escape, too. A super convenient dream come true. A chance to live a
Now he got it. “That’s all this is? I’m one of your bad decisions?”
Kylie looked down at the table. “Technically, yes.”
He stood up so fast his chair toppled to the concrete. “A way to burn off a little post-graduation steam before getting on with your real life? Glad to help you check off the boxes for adventurous sex and sleep with a celebrity . Guess you’re all done now. Done with me.”
Kylie stared out at the flat farmland zipping past the window. The interstate to Fargo, North Dakota, wouldn’t normally be exciting enough to hold her interest. But right now? It was far preferable to making eye contact with anyone else on the bus. Jake thought she was a slut. Tony blamed her for causing the fight between Jake and Cam. Jones was miffed she’d slept with Cam and not him, on principle. And Cam…Cam actually believed that he’d been just a fling for her. That hurt most of all.
“I’ve got something for you.” Jake waved a cookie bigger than her fist in front of her face.
She kicked off her sandals to curl her feet beneath her on the recliner. Leaned her forehead against the cool glass. Wished it would chill the throbbing ache in her temples from crying all night. Kylie had chosen to ride on this bus both to avoid Cam’s injured sulking and because she knew nobody on the other one would talk to her. Why was Jake interrupting her pity party?
“I’m not hungry.”
“The cookie’s just a bribe. You don’t have to eat it now.”
“A bribe to get me to do what?”
He came around to squat in the space between her chair and the window. “Listen to my apology.”
That was…unexpected. Kylie wasn’t ready to meet his gaze, though. She lifted her eyes only far enough to stare at the tribal tattoo ringing his biceps. “I’m sort of a captive audience here, Jake.”
“Well, good. Because I know you’re mad at me. And you should be. I was a jerk. If not a full-on fucktard.”
She might be licking her own wounds, but she knew that Cam needed to hear this more. “Shouldn’t you be saying that to Cam?”
Jake’s shoulder jerked. “Yeah. And I will. I’ll let you in on a secret. Our fight wasn’t really about you.”
“No kidding,” she said dryly enough to clue him in that Cam had told her the whole sordid story. Kylie tugged down the hem of her Greek Week tank as she shifted to face Jake head on. If he was going to man up and apologize, it was the least she could do.
“We’ve got what you might call unresolved issues.”
Not quite. “Pretty sure your issues with Cam are resolved with this awesome new music you’ve created. You just haven’t decided to put them all behind you.”
A muscle in his jaw worked, and his Adam’s apple bobbed. “Maybe so. But that’s another conversation. Point being, I don’t think you’re a groupie slut.”
“Thanks.”
“I’m serious. You’re smart. Savvy about music in a way that few people are, even if they’ve been in the business for years. I’m glad you came on this tour. And I’m sorry as shit that I said those things to you. I deserved that punch that Cam threw at me. Yeah, I was angry, but there’s no excuse.”
“Apology accepted.” Kylie laid a hand on his arm. “I appreciate it.”
“So we’re good now?”
“Sure.”
“Then can I ask you something?” Jake tapped her knee. “Why’d you really come on this trip? Were you running away? Or running toward something?”
Well. That was direct. Insightful. And really, really annoying. “Don’t pretend like you’ve got a psychology degree. I know everything about you from the Riptide fan boards.”
White teeth flashed against his deep tan. “My mom’s a shrink. She had me and my sister navel-gazing before we were out of diapers.”
“I joined the tour because it was an opportunity.” Okay, it had been an escape, too. A super convenient dream come true. A chance to live a
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