a stop when I realize Finn is completely silent, which is pretty unusual for him. Finn always has something to say, especially when it comes to me.
“Are you even listening to me?” I ask, glancing over at him just in time to see a smirk disappear. “Were you just smirking at me?”
Finn lets out a small laugh as he hits the turn signal at the first intersection.
“Layla, I have been listening to every single word you say. Listening and taking notes. You think Billy Badass is pretty, and you want to play with his gun,” Finn states sarcastically, dimples forming on his cheeks as he presses his lips together in irritation. His bright blue eyes are swimming with anger hidden just below the surface.
“Are you high? You haven’t listened to one word I’ve said since we got in this car. I thought I’d give him the benefit of the doubt even though Eve hired him, and surprise, surprise, he shows his true colors.”
I turn my gaze to the front window and cross my arms over my chest with a huff.
Why the hell did he have to smell so good? From a distance, the jerk seemed bored and like he hadn’t showered or shaved in days. Up close, he was all chiseled jaw hidden underneath day-old stubble, and I had a fleeting thought about what that prickly hair would feel like scratching against my inner thighs. A recent shower was evident by the clean, soapy smell with a hint of masculine body wash that came from him and surrounded me, tickling my senses since I stood so close.
I almost sniffed his fucking shirt. I actually looked him up and down like he was a piece of meat, which he obviously noticed. Son of a bitch!
“We don’t know anything about this guy yet. Just because Eve hired him, doesn’t mean he’s all bad. Although, I have to say, a little bad might do you some good,” Finn says with another smile aimed my way while we wait at a stop light.
“If he’s on my mother’s payroll, he’s the enemy. If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the past year, it’s that. With the exception of you, of course,” I tell him, pasting a fake smile on my face to hide the pain my words bring.
I can feel Finn’s eyes on me, but I refuse to look over at him. I can’t stand the look of pity that I know is on his face.
“Not every guy you meet is going to be like Sam,” Finn says softly.
I bite down on my bottom lip and squeeze my eyes closed to ward off the memories that name brings, but it’s no use. They overwhelm me and I can’t help but succumb to them, just like I do every time I think of him.
Stepping into the bathroom at the Los Angeles Staples Center during a commercial break at the Grammys, I rush into an empty stall while Finn stands guard just outside the door, and Sam waits for me back in our seats. As I secure the lock on the bathroom door, a sparkle catches my eye, and I glance down at the six carat, radiant-cut diamond on the ring finger of my left hand. After seven months of dating, Sam dropped down on one knee and proposed last week. It was fast, I was young, and Finn wouldn’t stop listing all the reasons why it was a bad idea to marry Sam Stettner, a twenty-eight-year-old rising star in the country music industry. Sam liked to call me his lucky charm. He’d been trying to make a break in the industry for years, and a few weeks after we started dating, his new album went to the top of the charts, and he’d been in high demand ever since.
Finn just didn’t understand how lonely I was. Finn had never been lonely a day in his life; women always wanted to be close to him or love him. The small handful of relationships I’d had over the years always fizzled quickly. The guys couldn’t handle my tour schedule or other people demanding my attention. Mostly, they couldn’t handle the fact that I was a huge star, their egos often getting the best of them and the green-eyed monster of jealousy rearing its ugly head. But Sam was different. He was happy for all of my success, and since he was in the business, he understood everything that being a singer entailed. He supported whatever decision I made,