Krit had the power to hurt me because I cared about him. I wanted him. I craved being close to him and hearing his laugh. I didn’t feel all that when I was with Linc. Did that mean Linc was the friend and Krit was the one I could love?
“Deep thoughts again,” Linc said, leaning down to cup my face in his hand. “Why the deep thoughts? Are you okay?”
He was so sweet.
“I’m sorry. I was lost in work when you came in and—” I stopped. I was lying. I didn’t like lying, but that was exactly what I was doing. I shook my head and let out a sigh. “No. That’s not true,” I admitted.
Linc’s concerned frown deepened. “What is it?”
I had to lay it out there for him. He deserved to know. Keeping him on the side for when Krit dumped me was wrong. I wasn’t going to be evil. I refused to believe I was evil, and I wasn’t about to start doing bad things now. “You met Krit,” I said, and when he nodded slowly, I decided not to give him time to say anything. I had to talk, and if he said anything bad about Krit, I would immediately go on the defensive mode. He would judge Krit without knowing him.
“Well, he’s a friend. A good friend. We eat dinner together most nights. He brings takeout over before he goes to sing at whatever club he’s at that night. Anyway, I like him. I like him more than he likes me. I like him as more than a friend, and he isn’t that kind of guy. He likes to stay free and doesn’t do relationships. I knew and I still know this, but I still can’t help the way I feel about him. So, I’m dealing with how to keep my friendship with him from being harmed because I let myself care about him in a way he wasn’t asking for.”
Linc didn’t say anything. He turned his gaze to stare at the wall across from him, and the muscles in his jaw tightened. I had needed to talk to someone about this, but Linc wasn’t the person I should have unloaded on. But at least he knew the truth now. I wasn’t lying to him.
“Has he kissed you?” Linc asked in a deep even voice. One would never guess he was upset in any way unless they knew he didn’t normally talk in a voice that deep.
“Uh.” Again I didn’t want to lie, but I was pretty sure you weren’t supposed to kiss and tell. Should Linc have even asked me that question? I didn’t ask him who he had kissed. This wasn’t a fair thing to ask me. “I don’t think that is the point of this conversation. You asked me if I was okay, and I didn’t want to lie to you.”
“So he has,” Linc said, and stood up from the desk.
“I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to,” he replied almost too calmly.
I wasn’t sure what to say then. I didn’t expect this reaction.
“I need to go. I’ll see you later,” he said without looking at me, then left the office with long fast strides.
Well, that was great. Now I had to work with his dad and deal with that awkwardness. Guess that friendship was over, but at least I had been honest. I wasn’t going to lie and hurt someone to benefit myself. That would never be me.
* * *
Standing in front of the mirror, I stared at myself. I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to dress to even go to this club. I didn’t have the kind of clothes I had seen Krit’s normal dates wear. This was the closest thing I had to sexy. Maybe. The dark blue sundress was strapless, so that was something at least. The flowers on it, however, had made me feel pretty in the store but didn’t really seem like something you would see at a club. It was short, and the girls at Live Bay the other night had been wearing short skirts. So, that might make up for the fact that it was a floral print. Looking down at my feet, I had on a pair of blue ankle boots. They seemed to give more of an edge to my dress. This was the best I could do. I just hoped Krit wouldn’t be embarrassed by me.
I glanced back at my closet and looked at the jeans hanging there. It was still eighty degrees most nights. The idea of being in a packed club in this heat wearing jeans seemed miserable. But maybe they would be sexier.
A knock on the door told me my time was up.
“Where you at?” Krit’s voice filled the apartment. “And why isn’t this door locked?”
Smiling, I stepped out of the bedroom. “I like the riffraff who finds their way in here.”
Krit turned to look at me with a grin that froze on his face. He let his eyes trail down my body slowly and back up again. Then he let out a low whistle. “Damn, love. You make innocent and sweet sexy as f**king hell.”
I let out the breath I was holding. I passed inspection. He wasn’t embarrassed. “Oh, good. I wasn’t sure what to wear to this,” I admitted.
He walked toward me, and the tight black jeans he was wearing with black combat boots made my mouth water. “Truth is, little dancer, you could wear a granny gown and turn heads.” He reached for my waist and pulled me close to him. “You ready to do this?”
If he meant kiss, then, yes, I was very ready.
He kissed the tip of my nose and stepped back, a playful grin on his face. “Let’s go. The guys are waiting on us downstairs, and Matty, like the dickhead he is, will start blaring the horn in a minute.”
I grabbed my purse and followed him to the door. He stepped back and let me go first, then he held out his hand for my keys. I gave them to him and watched as he locked the door up tight and then handed the keys back to me. “Time to party,” he said with a sexy wink.
KRIT
Green was standing outside the black Escalade that we had bought from Matty’s dad. It was our traveling vehicle. It was roomy enough and had the power needed to pull our trailer with the instruments.