Without a word, he brought her leg up, anchored it on his hip as he eased back into her body, eyes blazing with heat and lust and awe. “You’re so fucking beautiful,” he whispered, hips back to their slow torture again.

Cherisse held on, meeting him thrust for thrust, basking in it all as she let his words fill up her tiny cracks.

Chapter 21

Keiran

KEIRAN TENDED TO THINK of himself as a fairly patient man. Came with the job when, more often than not, he had to try several different iterations of a beat before they got what they needed. But he loved his job. This session, however, was set to destroy that whole idea. He didn’t need this shit, not after last night with Cherisse.

Keiran had slipped out of Cherisse’s apartment as soon as he’d gotten up, leaving her sprawled on her bed. He’d sent her a quick text about leaving since lingering to find something to write on would take some time. It had been a struggle not to stick around. He’d hesitated, but he didn’t want to invite trouble by running into Remi, and the rain had stopped, so he’d had no excuse to stay. Luckily, he hadn’t seen Remi on his way out. He had run into Jello. The cat had eyed him balefully as if judging him for sneaking away. He’d rather deal with a stare-down from Jello than Remi, so he’d left, squinting against the bright sun.

He’d gotten home a few hours ago, not getting much sleep, his mind racing. So, waking up to Sean Daley, Sean’s publicist, Mara, and Sheila at his front door not too long after had been like a nightmare. Not Sheila so much, but definitely Sean, whose scowl suggested he was ready for round two of their brawl.

Mara had ignored his loud, “What the fuck?” and announced that since he’d been ignoring his father’s phone calls and messages, she’d been sent to issue orders.

“It’s imperative we finish the single for the first teaser promo. So, we’ll be utilizing your incident,” she wrinkled her nose before pressing on, “and painting the fight as a publicity stunt. Sheila’s track speaks to being fought over by two guys, so it’s perfect.”

Keiran had gaped at her. “You’ve gotta be joking.”

“I take my job seriously, and I bet you do as well. Your lack of judgment in this situation could very well affect both you and Sean. Damage control is needed. This has already created a buzz, so now we’ll take control of the narrative and spin it our way. No one is allowed to leak a word of this to anyone yet, so I suggest you say nothing until we’re ready to launch.”

Of course, his father would find a way to use Keiran’s poor choices to his advantage. But as reluctant as he’d been to let Sean into his space right now, Keiran realized he had no choice. He was already receiving backlash from his family and friends for once again acting before thinking. The media was possibly also having a field day with this—he hadn’t looked online—adding fuel to all the rumors about him he’d refused to address. He’d also tried calling Sierra to grovel, but she was off on her honeymoon and obviously in no mood to entertain him. He’d made a mental note to send the largest bouquet of her favorite flowers for when she returned.