“None of your business,” I mutter. “And why didn’t you text before you came over?”
“I did,” Ray insists. “Why didn’tyoureply and tell me your place was currently a sex dungeon before I arrived?”
I open my mouth, but no words come out to refute his claim. Therewasa lotof sex happening here over the last twenty-four hours.
“Fuck,” Ray mutters and rubs his temple. “I should have known this was going to happen the first time your eyes landed on him,evenafter I warned you to be careful after what happened with Jamie. I had half a mind to make a contingency plan then, and I really should have. So what, you guys a thing now?”
“We—”
I glance at Rowan, whose expression is rock hard, and it’s impossible to decode what he’s thinking. His mouth is a flat line of unspoken words that I can’t decipher.
It was just sex. A release of sexual tension that’s been brimming between us.
But I can’t bring myself to say that out loud. The words feel too minuscule to describethis, whatever this is.
I’m saved from having to answer when Ray interrupts.
“You know what? Let’s deal with one fire at a time. I’ve talked with the publicist, and we’ve worked out a plan. The article was met with mixed opinions, but it seems a majority of the fans have dismissed the article as unfounded speculation. We can work with that to try to make this yesterday’s news instead of something big.”
“So the plan is…” I prompt.
“The plan is for you to do absolutely nothing. We keep everything as it is,” Ray says with a grin. “We all agreed that the best course of action is to act like this article doesn’t exist. It won’t become a thing if we don’t make a big deal out of it,” Ray explains.
I nod, though I’m not really sure if this plan will work. Then again, I’m not an expert on these things, so what do I know?
“There’s a small portion of people who are using this article to spread hate about your supposed sexuality, but those voices are mostly being suppressed by the Itty-bitties. #roloforever is trending even more since this morning. There’s also a group of fans who are very loud about you not owing an explanation to anyone. Your sexuality is nobody’s business but yours. We think if we stoke the fire a little more, the masses will all adopt this way of thinking. At least enough of them will, for nothing else to matter.”
His words leave me speechless. “You’re saying the fans don’t care?”
Ray laughs. “Of course they care. They care about your individual right to privacy. You may be their idol, but that doesn’t mean they’re entitled to every part of you. The times sure have changed.”
Ray’s grinning. It’s genuine, which means he’s really not worried about this becoming a major breakout scandal.
I’m still speechless. I had no doubt Ray would be able to take care of this—he always does—but I never thought the fans would handle the situation without needing much intervention.
Ray’s right about the times having changed. If this were when MYTHS was still together, any hint that we were even the slightest bit involved in a scandal would have thrown our entire group into total chaos.
It’s a part of the reason the group chose to break up when it did. To leave under a legacy that we’d simply outgrown, rather than parting with the MYTHS name stained with negative public opinion.
My chest pangs, this time for a reason that’s completely unrelated to Rowan. It’s unpleasant.
Rowan must sense a shift in my mood, because he’s instantly by my side. He takes my hand in one of his, using his other thumb to gently release my lip from my teeth.
I didn’t even realize I was biting my lip again, or how hard I was chewing, until the taste of copper touches my tongue. He wipes the blood away with his thumb.
“Ihate seeing you hurting,” he murmurs, and his gentle caress washes away the unpleasantness that’d just been bubbling inside and fills it with sweetness instead.
“I think we left the ointment in the car on our trip to visit Ethel. I’ll go get it,” he says, then quickly tugs on his jeans and shirt right there in the living room.
He doesn’t bother putting on his underwear, and I’m going to have to pretend I’m not thinking about him going outside commando.
“You’re smitten,” Ray says when Rowan’s gone.
“Huh?”
I’m still looking toward the elevator as if I could still see the man.
“Fuck, it’s serious,” Ray mutters, and his tone has me turning toward him. “You love him.”
