Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 64366 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 322(@200wpm)___ 257(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64366 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 322(@200wpm)___ 257(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
I shrugged. “Mostly he fucks me. But yeah.”
Braden blinked slowly. “What about Vanessa Hale? She was cheating on you with him, right? They were getting engaged, and you were devastated.”
Trey groaned. “Braden, please. Two plus two again, dude. It was Kage cheating on him, not Vanessa.” Trey glanced at me, alarmed that maybe he’d just said the wrong thing.
“Don’t worry about it. I’m over it. He has to do shit for publicity, you know? They’re close friends, but he doesn’t love her.” I was embarrassed at the bitterness I heard lacing my own voice.
“Does he love you?” Braden blurted.
I glanced down the hall to make sure Kage wasn’t listening before answering quietly, feeling like a teenager at a slumber party. “He hasn’t actually said the words, but he acts like he does.”
Braden shook his head, and I fancied I could hear marbles rattling around in it. “How long has this been going on? You were just with Layla a few months ago.”
“Well,” I began, trying to work out the details in my own mind. “I guess it technically started that night we went to the MMA event at Phillips Arena. I met Kage there, and within a couple of weeks I was on my way out to Vegas to be his intern.”
“Your mysterious summer job,” Trey said.
“I still can’t believe it.” Braden jumped up and started pacing the floor. “Michael Kage is gay.”
“Oh, but you have no problem believing I am?”
He frowned at me. “How long have you been in the closet?”
“What?” I tried to wrap my head around the question. “I’ve never been in the closet, Braden. I mean I lied about Vanessa, but you gotta understand. Kage is a celebrity. It’s not like I could just go around announcing it to everybody.” I knew I was sugarcoating in my own favor— that I had technically been misleading people for more reasons than that one, and would probably have continued to do so indefinitely. But it was a moot point now, since Kage had just basically seduced me in front of my friends and left me to take the heat.
In fact, it was some nerve he had to out us and then escape to the relative safety of the bedroom. “Kage!” I yelled, becoming more agitated as things got harder to explain.
It took him all of three seconds to make it back into the living room, pulling his borrowed sweatpants into place as he approached. “What is it?” His muscles were tense, as if he was ready to whip some ass for me.
“Why did you run off and leave me to explain everything? Now Braden’s accusing me of being in the closet, and saying you were cheating on me with Vanessa.”
“I never cheated on you,” he said. “And I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make it seem like I was running off and leaving you alone. I just figured they were your friends, and you’d want to deal with it in your own way, in private.”
“Thanks,” I snapped. “I appreciate it. Meanwhile, you’re in there getting started without me.”
“I guess leaving you wasn’t the right thing to do.” He took a step into my personal space and faced my friends. “Do you guys have a problem with this? I thought you’d be supportive of Jamie. Did I read you wrong?”
Both Trey and Braden shook their heads, and I saw Braden swallow.
“I’ve got no problem with it,” Trey said. “I already knew anyway.”
“Really?” Braden regarded him with a stunned expression. “How?”
“Because I’m not blind. Look at Jamie’s neck. Did you think he’d suddenly developed a half-dollar-sized strawberry birthmark?” He offered Kage an apologetic smile. “Don’t mind Braden. He’s dense as hell, but he’s basically a good guy. When he gets his tiny brain cells wrapped around this whole thing, he’ll be fine with it.”
Braden glared at Trey. “You know, insulting my intelligence doesn’t actually make you smarter. Or better looking.”
Trey glared back.
“Listen,” Kage interrupted. “Apparently, I didn’t handle this well. Let me clear everything up so you two can quit bickering. Jamie and I are together, if that wasn’t obvious. I can make it more obvious if you want.”
“No, thank you,” Braden said quickly.
“Alright then.” He stepped behind me and snaked an arm around my waist, pressing his body against my back. “So you guys understand that this is something you’re going to be seeing from now on.”
They nodded.
“And Jamie thinks it’s a bad idea for the media to find out about us, so if either one of you says anything to anyone outside of this house before we give the go-ahead, I’ll be forced to hurt you. I don’t want to, so please don’t make it come to that.”
The room was silent. No one moved.
Then I broke the silence by spinning around in his embrace and pressing a kiss to his warm throat. “You’re scaring the shit out of my friends.”