Thorned Heart (Cash Me Outside 2)

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“It was an intimate moment, and yeah, a lot of my hookups have been cheap and probably nasty, but this … this makes me feel so small and insignificant. It makes me feel dirty, and I usually like that.”

I try not to think about what kind of dirty things Seb likes.

He goes to the edge of his bed and sits, running his hands through his long locks. “I’ve messed up a lot over the years, but not like this. This is next level.”

“I don’t want to say I told you so, but I do recall telling you to stop with the groupies.” Okay, so I might have had ulterior motives for telling him that, but this proves I had a point anyway.

“Maybe I should.”

I throw my hands up in victory. “He finally gets it. Only took leaked nudes.”

He scowls at me, and fuck, it’s cute.

“Sorry. Too soon?” I ask.

“Way too soon.”

“I’ll handle this, okay? I might not be able to get the source of the photo, but we can bury it and try to get people to stop sharing it.” I turn to leave.

“Wait, now?” He stands.

“The sooner I get onto it, the more chance we have of killing it.”

“What if … what if we just ignore it?”

I frown. “You want me to let it go?”

“I … I don’t want to be alone right now.”

I’m surprised by Seb’s admission, and I think I’m not the only one.

His eyes widen, and he scrambles for an explanation. “I mean, I’m scared I’ll tweet something or say something and make it worse. I need supervision.”

I’m torn. I should go and deal with this, but when Seb asks me for something, it’s next to impossible for me to say no.

“I can get one of the other guys to come down. Maybe Cash and Locke can babysit you while I get to work.”

“No, don’t bother them when they’re in their love bubble.”

“Jasper? Greg?”

Seb shakes his head. “I want you.”

Holy shit.

Holy. Fucking. Shit.

He should not say things like that to me.

I move closer to him. “Are you sure?”

“You know how to deal with my shit better than anyone I know.”

Which is exactly why I should not get in his bed. The way he’s looking at me right now—he’s looking for someone to comfort him. I don’t know if I can handle being the guy he needs right now. Not when I’m that close to him.

“I can’t deal with your problem if I’m in here with you though.”

Seb closes his eyes and lets out a loud breath. “I want to hit pause on the world for a bit.”

As easy as that, I know I’ll give him what he wants. There’s no way I can say no. I tentatively climb into bed next to him and lie on the edge as far away from his side as I can get. “Let’s try to get some sleep, and I’ll deal with this in the morning, okay? If the label asks, I slept through the ten billion notifications I have on my phone.”

“Thank you,” he whispers.

I turn my head toward him. “No problem. Anything for my client. You know that.”

Yes, Thorne. Your client.

Remember that.

Chapter Two

Seb

Client. I hate when Thorne calls me that.

His blue eyes don’t look at me like I’m only a client. They’re soft and kind. His other features—his hard square jaw and his always meticulously neat blond hair—aren’t as welcoming, but his eyes … they give away the kindness under his stoic façade.

Most days it feels like Thorne is one of us, like maybe we’re friends—close friends—but every now and then he throws the client label at me, and I’m reminded he’s only here because we pay him.

I should let him go do his thing, but … I can’t be alone. I just … can’t.

Normally, I’d turn to Cash with this shit. He understands it because he’s been there. Okay, he hasn’t had dick pics leaked, but he’s had personal moments splashed all over the media.

Like the time he wanted to win over Locke and declared his love in public. Viral videos and photos of that moment were everywhere. And yes, Cash voluntarily did it in front of all those people, which is a lot different than a post-sex photo taken without my permission, but Cash would still understand better than anyone. I don’t want to put this on him though. Ever since he reunited with his high school sweetheart, I haven’t wanted to take away from Cash’s happiness with industry bullshit.

And this is complete bullshit.

I remember the guy who did this. I might be blanking on his name, but I remember his face and the cute little smile he had that now looks more sinister than playful in my mind. The memory of him leaving is vague. I swear I told him to let himself out, and then … shit, I guess I let my guard down and fell asleep before he actually left?