Tainted Kiss (Tainted Knights 1)

She saw my reaction shining out of my eyes. There was no way she couldn’t when I wasn’t trying to hide it. Then pink filled her cheeks again.

She quickly looked away, her face going blank, and I realized she was forcing herself into professional mode. I didn’t call her out on it. I didn’t want to embarrass her by pointing out that she had been just as affected as I was. I could wait.

The shoot lasted all morning. Group pictures were sent up to Emmie, and once Santana got the okay, she started pulling us out to do the individual ones. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Even when I tried, I couldn’t do it for more than a few seconds at a time. The way she moved when she walked, when she was lost in taking picture after picture, even the way she kept pushing her long hair over her shoulder—it all entranced me.

Each step she took, each wave of her hands as she spoke was graceful in a way that distracted me. I couldn’t get enough of the sight of her. I wanted to memorize everything about her so I could replay it over and over again in my head.

Travis Braxton arrived during the middle of the group shots, but Santana acted like she didn’t even see him. I had no idea why she pretended like he was a ghost floating around the studio. And every time Travis looked her way, I saw his face tense.

Jealousy started to eat at me, and as the morning dragged on, I wanted to confront him about what was up between him and my girl …

My girl?

Fuck.

I hadn’t even said two words to Santana so far, yet there I was, thinking of her as mine already. I was out of my mind, but I didn’t give a shit. There was something there between us. There was a draw, a chemistry already brewing, and I wanted to explore it.

“You thinking about punching Travis in the face?”

I turned my head away from the man in question to look at Kin. She was wearing one of her typical smirks that was sexy as fuck, but I wasn’t sure she realized it. Jace was rarely away from her side when the rest of the band was near her, but he was in the middle of his solo shoot right then. However, I did feel his eyes on me, as if he was mentally yelling at me to keep my eyes off his girl. The guy was a head case where Kin was concerned. We all liked and respected her, just as we did Kassa. There was no way in hell any of us would try to touch her. Not even Sin was that stupid.

“Thinking about it,” I answered her. “What do you think the deal is between him and Santana?”

She turned her head, looking at Travis who was keeping quiet and messing with his phone in the corner, as far away from Santana as possible. Kin watched him for a few moments, then looked over at Santana before shrugging. “My guess? He tried to come in and take over a shoot, and she put him in his place. I don’t feel anything sexual coming off the dude.” She moved slightly closer to me and lowered her voice as that smirk returned. “But I can’t say the same about you and the hottie photographer, which is interesting enough. What I really want to know is why you, Kale Conway, the guy who has a joke to crack about anything and everything, hasn’t said more than a handful of words since you laid eyes on her.” She lifted her hand and pressed her fingers to my forehead. “Are you sick?”

“Uh-oh,” Kassa’s sweet voice murmured as she joined us. “Is Kale coming down with something?”

I pushed Kin’s hand away. “I’m fine.”

“The last time you were this quiet, you had strep throat and couldn’t talk for three days,” Kassa reminded me.

“Those three days where the most peaceful days of my life,” Kin teased before turning serious. “But I don’t like seeing you all moody. That’s what Sin is for, not you.”

“What are you three doing now?” Cash asked, handing me a bottle of water as he joined us.

“Kale is sick,” Kassa told him, taking her turn to feel my forehead. “No fever, but you do have a glazed look in your eyes. Hmm …” She glanced over her shoulder, and I knew she was looking at Santana. “Maybe you aren’t sick, after all.” Turning those bright blue eyes on me once again, she stepped closer, just as Kin had. “You got it bad for the photog? She’s hot.”

“Agreed,” Cash said half under his breath as he took a swallow from his water bottle.

I tensed when I saw his eyes go toward her. “Don’t you even fucking think about it, dickhead.”

Cash snapped his head around. “What’d I do?”

“Nothing yet, and you better keep it that way.” I straightened to my full height, which was only an inch taller than Cash, but the look in my eyes had his brows lifting toward the ceiling. “She’s mine.”

“Dude, you haven’t even talked to her; how the hell can she be yours?” Cash shook his head. “You’re seriously losing your mind.”

I took another step toward him, balling my fists at my sides as I fought the urge to knock his ass out. “She’s mine,” I said with a coldness that had rarely left my throat.

“Is there a problem over here?”

All four of our heads popped around at the sound of the new voice.

Travis had his hands in his suit pockets, his eyes narrowed on us in a way that told me he would snitch to Emmie if I punched my bandmate in the face. I got dressing professionally for work and all, but I had seen very few people dressed up like Travis in Emmie’s offices. She liked for people to be casual around her, not dressed like they were going to a damn wedding on their lunch break.

Kassa took hold of my left hand, forcing my fist to relax as she pulled me a few steps away from Cash. “Nope, nothing wrong here, Travis.” She gave him a sweet smile that had his eyes dilating in a way that spoke volumes to us all.

That look in his eyes could get him killed. Jace was overprotective of his baby sister, but it wasn’t him Travis needed to worry about. Gray was a damn hothead where Kassa was concerned, and he would act first and ask questions after the guy’s body had already been buried. The way I felt about the fucker right then, I would even help Gray dig the grave.