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He actually laughs out loud at that, and I glare at him even harder. “No offense, but I don’t think anyone is that good of an actress, Brynn. You forget, I was inside you. I could feel the way you were clenching around me. I could feel those little tremors running through your body. I know what it feels like when a woman is on the brink and can’t control how good I’m making her feel.”

My face flushes with heat, and I duck my head, trying not to let him see how even his words about what happened are affecting me right now. It’s not fair.

“This doesn’t have to be a bad thing,” Tate continues. “Whatever is going on with you and Ares is between the two of you. No reason we can’t keep getting to know each other, considering how good the chemistry is.”

“There’s a lot of reasons why we shouldn’t.”

I’m doing my best to keep the emotion out of my voice, trying to be chill and removed and act like this isn’t sending me into a fucking spiral. I definitely don’t look at Tate in the mirror anymore, so I don’t have to see his mouth and remember it crashing into mine over and over again.

7

ARES

Tate’s been in the bathroom with Brynn for too long.

I can hear the two of them talking in low voices, and just thinking about the two of them together makes me clench my jaw so hard the bones start to creak a little. I loosen up, but it doesn’t do anything to take away the irritation simmering under my skin right now.

Tate didn’t know who Brynn was when they hooked up on the plane. I know that for a fact because even though I’ve ranted and vented to my two best friends about Brynn and what she did to me and my family, I’ve never used her name. I couldn’t bring myself to say it. Brynn’s widely known for her music, and there was a fucking pit in my stomach every time I thought about Tate and Callan hearing one of her songs and thinking about what I told them.

Part of it was that I just don’t say her name much anymore. It’s been years since our whole falling out, but the wound hasn’t really ever healed. It just scabs over, ready to bleed again whenever I find myself picking at it. No matter how much time passes, no matter how much I hope I’ll get over it, it’s just always fucking there.

And now Brynn is here too. In my space. Interacting with my friends.

Sleeping with my fucking friends.

I don’t even want to think about that. Tate laughs from the bathroom, the rich chuckle that means he’s enjoying himself, and my hands curl into fists immediately.

I don’t know what to do about any of this.

But I force myself to take a deep breath and to shake out my hands and relax my jaw. Distance was the best thing for me and Brynn, and now that’s shattered.

“Hey.”

I glance over and Callan is looking at me, his brow drawn down with concern.

“What?” I ask.

“Are you gonna be okay? You look like you’re about to explode.”

I feel like I’m about to fucking explode, but I can’t do that. Not here in this tiny ass room where everyone would see it. I take another breath. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’ll be fine. I should’ve known I might see her. It’s a small ass town, and there’s always a chance she’ll come back for the holidays. Especially this one.”

I haven’t been back in a few years, with the shooting schedule for my show, but now that it’s over, my time is a lot more flexible. Even if it wasn’t I would’ve come back for the festival, so it makes sense Brynn would too. I’m sure her family wouldn’t have accepted anything else.

Callan gives me a look like he doesn’t believe me, but he doesn’t push. His face changes a little, into something I can’t read, but before I can ask what he’s thinking, the bathroom door opens and Tate comes out.

Brynn’s in the doorway, and she announces to the room that she’s taking a shower, without looking at anyone.

She grabs some things and then closes the door again.

The room is quiet when she goes, and the sound of the shower kicking on sounds louder than it should. Or maybe that’s just the pipes in this old inn.

Tate looks at me, and I glance up, our eyes locking for a second.

“Are you good?” he asks.

“Yup,” I say back, and cringe internally at the way that sounds. Tate and Callan know me better than anyone these days. They’ll be able to tell I’m not as fine as I keep saying I am.

Callan and Tate exchange a glance, and I grit my teeth. What the fuck do they want me to say? This shit is weird. I don’t want to be trapped in a tiny room with Brynn, and I don’t want to keep thinking about the fact that Brynn and Tate hooked up.