“Thanks, but it doesn’t matter.It won’t be happening again.”Kyra stared at the floor.
Van suppressed his knee-jerk denial.This wasn’t the time or place to state his case.
He couldn’t allow himself to be distracted until he’d eliminated any threats to her.
So he stepped closer and tucked an errant curl behind Kyra’s ear, hoping the gentle touch told her things he obviously wasn’t good at communicating otherwise.She looked up at him once more.“I know for sure one thing that won’t be repeating itself.Number One isn’t going to bug you anymore.Maybe you’re right and what happened was nothing.But just in case, I think I’ll check out the storage unit where the PR company stashes the band’s fan mail.Is it okay if I go through the stuff you’ve gotten lately and see what I can dig up?”
“Isn’t that in L.A.?”Her eyes went wide.
“Yeah, so?”He spread his feet, prepared to stand firm.
Kyra sighed, the fight going out of her.“Sure.If you insist on wasting the whole week of break scouring bins full of signs and cards and letters for a figment of my imagination instead of spending time with me—”
He tried not to let his disappointment show, because yeah, he’d been hoping to get closer to her, not farther away, on their time off.“I do.I’m leaving.”
Kyra’s eyes lost some of their sparkle.
Van leaned in and kissed her on the forehead despite how awkwardly close that put him to Ollie.Too fucking bad if she didn’t like the rest of the world knowing she’d slummed it by sleeping with him.He couldn’t hide how he felt about her.Their friends weren’t idiots either.
Kyra seemed unfazed by his show of affection.She deadpanned, “Knock yourself out.”
“Want me to go with you?”Jordan offered immediately, though he winced as he did.
“No.You guys have been looking forward to your reunion for a few weeks now.”Van smiled at Kason and Wren, who were flanking their lover.“Besides, I’ll feel better knowing someone here is watching Kyra’s back.”
“I can take care of myself.”She wrenched her face away from him, leaving him empty-handed.He stepped back, away from Ollie, and, therefore, Kyra.
“That doesn’t mean I won’t feel better if I know you’ve got friends nearby.”Van sighed.He had no idea how to get through to her.To convince her that leaning on him, or anyone else, wasn’t some indication that she was weak.Nor would it keep him from pursuing her as soon as he ensured Number One was as innocuous as she believed.
“I’m more than happy to watch every part of her for you.”Ollie winked.
Van tried not to glower, but he wasn’t very successful in the face of the other guy’s deliberate provocation.
Kyra elbowed Ollie in the ribs as she smothered her grin behind the fingers of her other hand.“Quit it.Don’t antagonize him.”
“It’s the truth.”Ollie’s gaze heated up as it sank in that Kyra would be spending a heck of a lot more time there, with him, at Hot Rides.
“She’s right, you know.It’s not a good idea to push me,” Van snarled as he turned toward his unlikely ally and rival.“Like she told you, I’ve already seen every part of her and enjoyed the fuck out of them, too.”
“So we’re clear…” Kyra put her hand on her hip, making Van’s dick hard as he remembered vividly what it had been like when she’d taken charge and ridden him.It made him want to show her exactly how reserved he’d been so far.But he wasn’t likely to be able to let his true self loose around her or any woman.“Just because you and I hooked up once, it doesn’t mean you’re the boss of me.Hell, even if we were more than…whatever the hell it is we are...I’m not the sort of woman who takes well to being ordered around.”
And that was the problem exactly, because Van enjoyed being in control.At least in the bedroom.Kyra was flat out telling him that they weren’t a match, no matter how much it had appeared otherwise that day in her bunk.
“Got it.”He nodded brusquely.“You’re in charge of yourself.But you’re also not stupid.So stay here, where you’ll be protected.Whatever else happens, well, that’s up to you.As long as you’re safe, I’ll be glad.”
Kyra tipped her head as if she’d expected a fight.“You seriously don’t give a shit if I shack up with Ollie in his teeny tiny campervan while you’re away?”
“Hey, it’s not that small,” Ollie objected, making the Hot Rides guys crack up.Van was too concerned by whatever was going sideways with Kyra to worry about Ollie’s wounded pride.
“It’s only got one bed,” she pointed out.
“That’s a perk as far as I’m concerned,” Ollie muttered under his breath.
“And you?”Kyra met Van’s gaze, unblinking as she challenged him.“That’s fine with you?”
Her scathing tone made it clear he’d said or done something wrong, but hell if he could figure out what.Did she want him to be possessive and jealous or not?Like always, she made his head spin.Maybe it was because he was so fucking attracted to her he couldn’t think straight.
It was probably for the best that they take a break and put some distance between them, so they could decide where to go next and how to get there, hopefully together.