“That’s plenty of time,” Kate assured him, biting back a question. She’d know soon enough who was going to come through the door.
She’d thought Syon was the one she couldn’t really deal with, but Ramsey stalked into the suite and sent her look that made her blood boil.
He was spoiling for a showdown.
The problem was, so was she.
Professionalism…
“Thank you for coming. I’ll try not to take up too much of your time.”
No, not too much time at all, because the sooner her task was finished, the sooner she could stop holding her breath. She reached for a bolt of muslin and tore off two pieces to begin draping him so she would have a perfect pattern tailored to his specific measurements.
Ramsey grunted, and she caught the hint of a warning in his eyes. He shrugged out of his leather jacket and tossed it on the cutting table, presenting her with his bare chest. She ignored the urge to scan the perfection and started by pinning the fabric at his waist.
A half hour of total, awkward silence later, and Kate took the patterns off Ramsey.
“All done,” she said.
Ramsey gave her one last acerbic glare and turned to leave without another word. Her temper got the better of her as he was shrugging back into his jacket.
“Okay, explain your problem with me.” Kate pushed some hair that had worked its way free of her clip out of her face, and glared back at Ramsey.
“Don’t have a problem with you,” he blew her off and continued toward the door.
“Bullshit.” Kate tossed the mock-up over the back of her chair and stepped into his path. “I thought it was just me throwing off the all-boy vibe, but I’m dangerously close to thinking there’s more to it than that.” She stepped aside. “By all means, take off and prove you’re nothing but a prick who’s worried I’m going to somehow stand in the way of you scoring tonight.”
He jutted out his chin, started to shake his head, but stopped. She could see the indecision in his dark eyes. He ended up crossing his arms over his chest and sitting on the edge of her cutting table.
“Syon means a lot to me. A fucking hell of a lot, and he’s got it bad for you, but you…” His eyes flashed. “You don’t think he’s good enough. That’s what’s pissing me off. He’s going to get his heart shredded by your holier-than-thou ’tude.”
Ramsey considered her. “You’re not the first bitch who looked down her nose at him or me. So don’t expect me to kiss your ass because you don’t like my attitude or the way I live my life. It pisses me the fuck off to see you disapproving of the way my best friend spends his free time. He’s walked through fire to be what he is today and doesn’t owe you shit.”
He started to walk away. Kate lunged after him and hooked his arm. He jumped and turned around to snarl at her.
“You’ve had your say, now it’s my turn,” she informed him.
“Is that right?”
“It is,” Kate snapped. “For the record, I didn’t say Syon wasn’t good enough for me.”
Ramsey snorted.
“What I question is how healthy this environment is for a relationship.” She pointed in the direction of the hallway. “Do you even remember the names of the girls passed out in your bed or wherever you left them?”
Ramsey shook his head without a shred of remorse. “Most of them don’t want me to. They want a buzz and a mind-blowing experience, and they sure as shit don’t want it to follow them back to their nice, respectable lives. You know what I’ve got down the hall? One’s a school teacher. She’s getting married next summer.”
“She told you that?” Kate asked incredulously.
“No.” Ramsey reached for his jacket and pulled three cell phones out of the inside pocket. “I found that little tidbit right…here.” He dangled a smartphone from his fingers. “I was trained to disarm complex programs. These little civilian devices are a piece of cake for me.”
“You hacked their phones? What’s wrong with you?” She paused as his words sank in. “You should tell her fiancé.”
Ramsey only shrugged and slid the phone back into the jacket pocket. “It’s not my shit-pile life. She might even make a good wife, now that she can enjoy her memory of fucking a rock star when hubby can’t go down on her worth crap.”
“That is so messed up, Ramsey. She’s got no right to use you like that.”
“I used her too.”
He was trying to blow it off, but Kate wasn’t buying it. She could see the pain in his eyes. He changed the subject.
“Syon hasn’t touched another woman since he saw you.”
She failed to hide just how much she appreciated hearing that. A little bubble of happiness just rose in her chest and sat there, glowing. Even the knowledge that the time frame under discussion was a whole two days didn’t dampen her joy. Ramsey bit something back after reading her emotions off her face.
“Just…understand this. We spent years playing together before our parents decided to ship us off to the military so we would grow up and lose our adolescent dreams of playing in a band. It turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to us, but this is what we are.” He opened his arms wide. “It’s the fire that’s been in our bellies since we were eight years old. I’m sick of seeing Syon torn between what he loves and his damned desire to please the rest of the world.”
“You’re sick of being judged,” she said as understanding dawned. It was a painfully clear sunrise too. Success didn’t promise happiness, even on the level Toxsin was experiencing it.
Ramsey’s eyes narrowed. “This isn’t about me.”
“Yes it is.”
He shook his head, but Kate reached up and cupped his cheek to stop him.
“It’s about you because of the connection you share with Syon.”
Ramsey lifted his chin to sever the contact. “He’s the only family I have, since my blood thinks I’m infecting the youth of America with Satan’s plots…or some shit like that.”
He turned and started stalking toward the door.
“I’ve worked my ass off for what I have too, Ramsey.”
He froze. She watched him fight the urge to turn around and fail. He faced her with a grudging expression.
“Professionalism is the foundation of my business.” She spoke quietly. “Jumping my clients doesn’t fit that image. My reputation is all I have. If you guys trash my performance on this tour, everyone who works for me will suffer. I’ve got a damned good reason to think before acting. Syon made this my workplace. So…I have to hold on to my professionalism.”
He studied her for a long moment. She could see his outer shell cracking, granting her a glimpse of the wounded soul behind his public persona. His lips twitched, just a bit, into a genuine grin. “I’m beginning to see why Syon is fascinated with you.”
“Huh?” Confusion stole her composure as Ramsey strolled back toward her with that sexy prowl of his. She tipped her head back to maintain eye contact and didn’t care for the feeling of exposure that washed through her.
“You have integrity.” He reached out and tapped her on the lips with his index finger.
Kate jumped back, feeling like a live wire had touched her.
Ramsey laughed, low and deep. “That’s sexy. Really sexy. Sucks that you prefer Syon.”
“Yeah, I heard how pitiful your night was as you longed for my company.”
He smiled before moving back toward the door and knocking on the drywall. “It’s not that thin.” His eyes flashed. “What can I say? I do a fantastic job at everything.”
Kate groaned and pointed him toward the hallway. “I’ve got all I need from you, thanks.”
He licked his lower lip. “No, you’re still hungry.”
She raised her voice. “Bye!”
He chuckled knowingly at her before disappearing into the hallway.
She was going to be insane by the end of the tour.
Chapter 3