Chapter Twenty-Two
Matt watched her from the hallway.
At the kitchen island, with her hair in a loose braid down her back, Gina drenched her hands in olive oil and pressed her fingers into the dough, making dimples in it.
Focused as she was on her task, she didn’t notice him standing there, not six feet behind her.
She worked in quiet contemplation, gnawing at her lip as she went, and he wondered what was going on in that beautiful mind of hers.
Something stirred. She’d been preoccupied—almost pensive—since he’d picked her up at work Wednesday morning.
Matt thought of asking her about it, but other than catching Gina musing when she thought he wasn’t looking, nothing felt amiss.
She gazed at him, love and longing in her eyes, and kissed him with unquestionable desire.
Not one to hold back, she’d give voice to her thoughts once she was ready to, and when she did, he’d hold her and listen.
He wound his arms around her middle, his nose nuzzling into the graceful curve of her neck, as she washed the oil from her hands. “You smell so damn delicious. I want to devour you.”
“Again?” And with a giggle, Gina turned around, her wet hands dangling over his shoulders. “It’s got to be the focaccia you’re hungry for.”
“No.” He lowered his lips to hers, their noses touching, and tasted her sweetness. “It’s definitely you.”
Gina cinched her arms around his neck and, drawing him even closer, slipped her tongue inside his mouth. Enthusiastic. Engaged. Connected. She kissed him the way every man wants the woman he loves to kiss him.
“I love you.” Soft lips swept over his cheek, then she turned back around, sprinkling salt and fresh rosemary on the dough. “Twenty minutes in the oven, and we should be good to go. I whipped up some ricotta with olives and roasted red peppers to take along, too. It’s amazing on warm focaccia.”
“Isn’t that what the eggplant stuff we made last night is for?”
Gina had him chopping the baby variety into little cubes, along with onions, garlic, peppers, celery, and olives.
She insisted each ingredient had to be sautéed until caramelized separately.
Matt didn’t understand why that mattered so much, but he rolled with it.
Bo was having a cookout so the boys could work on the songs for the new record while the girls hung out together, and he understood she wanted to make a good impression.
“The caponata?” She threw him an amused grin, sliding the baking sheet into the oven. “I figured we could bring both.”
“Why not?” He picked her up and sat her on the quartz countertop, wrapping her legs around his waist. “Variety’s a good thing, right?”
“It’s the spice of life, so I hear.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked, detecting the snark in her tone.
She only shrugged. “That’s what they say, isn’t it?”
And just who the fuck is ‘they’?
“If there’s something on your mind, Gina, then say it.” Matt squeezed her shoulders with a heavy sigh. “Because watching you wrestle with it is making me nuts.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“I can see that it does.” With his finger caressing her cheek, he kissed her on the forehead. “Whatever it is, we can talk about it.”
Gina rubbed her lips together and exhaled. “Are you bisexual? And before you answer that, I want you to know it’s okay if you are. It doesn’t change anything.”
The words tumbled from her mouth with such earnestness that his eyebrows shot up, then, holding onto her thighs for support, laughter bubbled up from his chest. “No, I’m not.”
“I knew he was lying.” She lifted her chin, a smile crossing her face. “Told him so, too.”
“Who?”
“CJ.”
That motherfucker.
“He’s such a dick. I can see why the band fired his ass.” Her legs around his waist cinched tighter, holding him between her thighs. “I mean, c’mon, did the guy really think I’d believe that you fuck other men?”
“Uh… well…” He had, and he wouldn’t deny it. Matt cleared his throat. “I have in the past.”
“Wait, you just said—”
With the fragrant aroma of her rosemary bread filling the kitchen, he sealed her lips with his own. Then he kissed her, pressing the erection in his jeans against buttery-soft silk to remind her who he got hard for. “Because I’m not.”
“I don’t understand.”
With a slight headshake, Gina’s hazel-green gaze clouded, and Matt was reminded just how innocent she was until he got his filthy hands on her. This is what Sloan warned him about, and why Tony didn’t want them to be together.
He brought her fingers to his lips and kissed them. “Yeah, I’ve fucked a dude, but that doesn’t mean I’m bi.”
“What does it mean then? Bi-curious?”
“It doesn’t mean anything.” Holding her face in his hands, Matt looked into the eyes he loved. “I’m attracted to women—you, specifically. And the fact that I’ve had sex with men on occasion doesn’t change that.”
She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.
He lowered his forehead to hers. “A person’s sexuality isn’t as definitive as you might think.”
“So, you’re not attracted to men?” Gina asked, playing with the hairs on his chest. She sounded so hopeful.
“No.”
“But you’ve fucked them.”
“Yes.”
Her head flicked back slightly. “Why?”
To let the beast out.
He wasn’t about to say that, though.
“Because I could.”
There was something about playing in Bo’s basement.
Familiarity. Comfort. A throwback to the days of their youth.
Matt couldn’t quite put his finger on why, but down here the music flowed effortlessly, as if the songs were already written in their final form, when in reality they were merely rough outlines of what they would eventually become.
With every session, the band of brothers came closer to perfecting their sound.
The deal with UMG was still on the table, and Brendan wanted to have demos ready to go when they asked for them.
After the bullshit with their former label, Matt wasn’t sure it was a good idea to sign with another.
In the three years since they’d gone indie, Venery had managed to put out two albums that went platinum and sell out a tour on a schedule convenient to them, yet he couldn’t deny the advantages Universal could offer.
He just hoped they wouldn’t have to sell their souls or hand over the masters in exchange.
Jesse came down the stairs, Brendan trailing along behind him. The cousins took a seat at Bo’s piano in the corner, listening quietly until they finished the song they were playing.
Taylor put his guitar down. “Well, what did you think?”
“I dig it,” Jesse said and then kissed him.
“Same. That’s your next hit single right there.” Brendan leaned back against the piano, and, giving them a thumbs-up, he released a deep, gratifying sigh. “Those execs at UMG are gonna lose their fucking minds.”
“Just you wait.” Sloan proffered a smug grin, casually anchoring his hand on his hip. “We’ve got some tracks we’re still messing around with that are even better.”
“Sweet. I have a Zoom call with them on Monday.”
His thoughts froze. It occurred to him then. How did CJ know? Deals like this one are usually kept under wraps until the ink is dry, and the label makes an official announcement.
“Who else knows we’re in negotiations with Universal?”
Brendan’s head flinched back with a frown. “No one that I’m aware of, why?”
“CJ mentioned it to Gina.” With a shake of his head, Matt flicked the snaps open on his guitar case. “He told her a big label was looking to sign us.”
“Where’d she see him at?” Bo asked.
“Rossi’s.” Glancing over at their drummer, Matt explained, “Tony had her come by to pick up dinner to take to work, and he was there.”
“Sounds like an arranged meeting to me,” Bo surmised.
Funny thing was, he’d concluded the same.
“Trying to scare her off, was he?” Sloan chuckled as if the thought amused him.
“You think?” Matt shoved his guitar into its case and slammed the lid closed. “CJ told her I fuck men, and he had pictures of us together from the festival on his phone. He wouldn’t tell Gina how he got them, though.”
“Don’t be daft, mate.”
Taylor threw a sharp glance his way, which Matt rolled his eyes at.
“The wanker took the photos himself.”
No shit.
“How bad could they be?” Kit took a step toward him, then, with his eyebrows drawing together, he stopped and cocked his head. “CJ didn’t threaten her, did he?”
“No, I don’t think so.”
“Word was bound to get out. Nothing stays a secret for long.” Brendan’s hand came down on his shoulder, and he squeezed. “I wouldn’t worry about it.”
But he was worried. CJ had proven himself to be a slimy motherfucker who’d sacrifice anyone to get what he wanted. And what he wanted now was retribution. Matt wasn’t about to stand by and let him make Gina his pawn to get it.
Rubbing his fingers on his shirt, Kit bit at his lip. “Do you think CJ’s gonna try to fuck things up with UMG?”
“He can’t,” Brendan said without hesitation. “The guys at Universal have wanted Venery for years. They would’ve reached out sooner, except they didn’t want to deal with CJ. They can’t stand him.”
“Heh, and the dude thinks he did so much for us.” Exhaling a heavy breath, Kit sneered. “The bastard held us back.”
Brendan nodded. “I’m told CJ’s still tight with your old label. He’s managing a couple of new bands for them.”
Well, that explains a lot.
Suckers.
Sloan’s lip slowly curled. “Makes me want to sign with UMG even more.”
“I hate to bust this up.” Jesse leaned in. “But the kids are getting antsy.”
“And hungry.” With a nod, Brendan chuckled. “The girls asked us to come get you.”
“Oh, yeah?” Wiping the sweat off his chest, Bo got up from his kit. “Well, you don’t have to tell me twice.”