All I hear is her hiss, “Get our lawyer on the phone,” to her assistant, before the shouting crowd takes over.
Phones rise, flashing photos and videos of the kiss, and me staring straight ahead with a blank face, trying to pretend it’s okay when, really, I know my mates are going to kill me.
Timber
Istill can’t look at Kane without wanting to attack him. My manager and Marilyn have been working overtime on damage control, but an influencer even hunted Kane down on the street to make him answer questions about Ollie and me.
After all that shit about not pushing us and waiting patiently, the fucker thrust us straight into the limelight.
And Marilyn sits behind her desk, looking at me pointedly, her lips twisted into a stern smile.
“I’m as pissed as you are,” she says with a light growl, instantly setting me to attention.
The newer players make fun of us for treating Marilyn’s word like law, but they’ve never seen her when she’s on the attack.
I’m the one getting grilled when I’m sure Kane deliberately gave that TV show those pictures. How he even got one of us kissing, I had no fucking clue, but it’s exactly the kind of games my ex-wife used to play. Because why else wouldn’t they have released them straight away?
I feel like I’ve been transported back in time to when I was still with her. Marilyn would pull me into her office whenever some story broke about me. The first time I saw that exact expression on her face was because reporters got a shot of my ass when my ex-wife perfumed and got me going in an elevator.
I swear, I had no idea!That’s what Kane insisted, but I can’t trust a single person in my life anymore. I’m even paying my manager extra fees to handle it, so everyone is winning.
I sit there as Marilyn goes into a detailed plan of how we can address the issue, barely listening because Ollie is in my house packing up her fucking stuff. I’d planned to go home to talk it out,withoutKane, but I’ve made so many excuses to myself about why I can’t be there, and now it’s too late.
It’s crazy that I’m actually scared to see her.
I should have told Marilyn I was busy, but she gave me The Look. And no one ever escapes Marilyn when she gives us The Look.
“Have you already spoken to Kane?” I ask.
“We’ve already proved the talk show sprung it on him. His onlyotherproblem is swearing on live TV, which is hardly anything new for you boys.”
I go quiet, a deep tremor rumbling through me as the dark anger I’ve held back pushes through.
Why the hell does he get a pass when I’d put up with endless rounds of shit from him?
“He’s the one who kissed me,” I say gruffly.
She sighs loudly again, tapping her severe French manicure on the surface of her desk.
“Do you really think I care? I’m just pleased that you’re finally releasing the sexual tension we’ve all had to endure for years.”
“What the fuck are—”
“Anyway. This omega.” She smoothly cuts me off by sliding a photo of the kiss toward me. She points directly at the back of Ollie’s head, which is barely visible in the crush of mine and Kane’s chests. “Who is she?”
Marilyn is too sharp and would catch me instantly if I lie, and I’m too tired to be sly. That’s Kane’s shtick.
“Luke Newham’s sister,” I mumble, and she stills.
“The one who’s in the hospital after a car accident?” Her gaze softens. “I’m so sorry, Timber. That explains why you and Kane have been so frazzled. Why didn’t you come and talk to me about it?”
My eyes widen because I might have totally fucked us over. Ollie said she’d already talked to Marilyn, but I wasn’t sure how much she’d smudged the truth. Though we’re all liars at this point.
“The accident happened after her date with Kane.” I nod to another photograph on her desk, where Kane has his nose pressed against hers. Something he conveniently forgot to share with me when I went to visit Luke.
“Right, well,” she says. “It looks like you’ve both found an omega, so we can focus on other things.”
“Just because we kissed doesn’t mean they’re my mates.”
