More of Us ( A Love You More Rock Star Romance #3) - Laura Pavlov Page 0,83
was asking of me. No one could begin to guess how crazy Steven Winslow could be. This was like a bad Monday night movie, all twisted and dark. But unfortunately, it was my life. And I needed to figure out how to manage this situation without devastating Cruz.
“No one likes a tattletale, Bernie.”
“I’ve been called worse,” he said with a laugh.
I waved and stepped inside just as my phone vibrated. A FaceTime call from Cruz.
Here we go.
“Hey,” I said, dropping to sit on the couch.
“Did you just get in?” His voice was gruff, and I studied his handsome features as he leaned his back against the headboard in his hotel room.
“Yes, just got home from class.” I dropped my backpack on the couch.
“You got out late today.” He quirked a brow. How does he do that? How does he know when I’m avoiding something?
“Well, I uh, had a little visitor.”
Cruz pushed to his feet and ran a hand through his hair. “Dex? Where the fuck was Bernard?”
“It wasn’t Dex. And Bernie was there.” I rolled my eyes and waited for him to sit back down on the bed. I haven’t even told him anything yet and he’s already worked up.
“Bernie?”
“What? We’re friends now.”
“That’s impressive. It took me a lot longer to worm my way in,” he teased. “So who was this visitor?”
“Your dad came to see me.”
“My dad?”
“Yep. The one and only.”
“What the hell was he doing there?”
There were a couple ways I could answer this, but none would be well received. So, I twisted the truth just a little bit. Just enough to spare his feelings.
“Well, apparently he had a meeting with the dean about making a contribution to the science department,” I said. My stomach twisted as I tried to word things as gently as possible.
“Such a baller. Always flaunting his money. He probably needs a boost as his image has taken a hit lately. Affairs with teenagers tend to knock you down a few notches in the public eye. So, you ran into him after his meeting?”
“Yeah, I was coming out of class, and ran right into him.” It was kind of true. I’d leave out the part that he was actually waiting there for me.
“Did you talk to him?”
“Yep. For a little bit.”
“Jade. You’re being fucking cryptic. What did he say?”
“He thinks you should stay in the band. He doesn’t want you to quit,” I said as I twisted my promise ring around my finger.
I’d skip the part about him threatening me.
Insinuating that my father and I could be bought.
Offering me a million dollars to end our relationship.
“It’s the same old shit with him. He needs to let it go. I told you I thought he and Dex were scheming. It’s not a coincidence that you ran into Dex on campus, and now you miraculously run into my father there as well. Not completely surprised he took a shot at you. He’s running out of options. Was he at least friendly? Or was he nauseatingly flirty?”
Definitely not flirty.
“No. But it’s no secret that he isn’t my biggest fan.” I laughed and tried to lighten the conversation.
“He wasn’t a dick to you, was he?”
“No. He was fine.”
“Where the fuck was Bernard?”
“Bernie was there. He let us talk, but he was at the end of the hallway. Your dad actually threatened to have him fired when he approached,” I said.
“He’s such an asshole. Glad to see you’ve warmed up to Bernie a little though.” He laughed.
“Yeah, he’s not so bad after all,” I said, and it was the truth. I wondered how different things would have gone today if he hadn’t been there. Steven Winslow had a hard time controlling his temper with Bernie standing just a few feet away. I shook off the thought.