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I lightly slapped his shoulder. “That was a dirty trick,” I muttered.

He grinned, shrugging. “I misjudged the distance, sorry.” He was clearly, unabashedly lying and it made me laugh. I knew it was all harmless and fun.

And of course that’s the first thing Calder saw when he walked in the door. Me in another man’s arms, enjoying myself.

I glanced up, saw him, and froze. He’d come. It had actually worked. One post and he hadn’t just called. He’d shown up. And I knew with one look that I might have bitten off more than I could chew.

Shit. Had he seen Tommy’s prank of a kiss?

Calder was frozen too. And as I watched, rage lit his eyes, traveling through his face like fire down a detonation cord.

I straightened, glancing at Tommy. He’d noticed my husband’s entrance, as well.

“Uh oh,” he said simply.

Yeah. Uh oh. My eyes swung to Asha. Her arms were folded across her chest, a smug expression painted on her face. It was the happiest I’d ever seen her. Figured.

Gerard cleared his throat. “We’re good here, guys.

“Should I stay or run?” Tommy asked me gamely. “Which would piss him off less?”

“Run,” I said quietly and succinctly.

Tommy didn’t hesitate. “Always a pleasure. Catch you at the next show.” He hugged me briefly, kissed the top of my head, and took off.

I watched Calder watch him leave. His nostrils flared like a dog’s catching a strange scent.

He was clearly struggling not to either A. Confront the other man. Or B. Outright attack him. It looked like it was a close thing. I was very relieved when it became apparent that he was going to restrain himself from doing either.

I approached him with no small amount of trepidation. I stopped about three tense feet away.

He watched me with cold eyes, not making a move to close the gap between us.

“Calder! What a pleasant surprise!” I said with a big, bright, fake smile. “What brings you to this neck of the woods?”

His eyes ran up and down me with a strange combination of hostility, detachment, and pure sex. “Can’t you guess?” he drawled.

I blinked. Well, that was direct. “Excuse me for a minute,” I told him in lieu of an answer. I indicated my outfit. “I need to change. These aren’t my clothes.” I went to change in the dressing room that Asha had insisted upon.

Calder didn’t excuse me. Instead he followed me. It was a very small space. He moved into a corner and folded his arms over his chest, dominating it.

“You enjoy wrapping everyone around your finger, don’t you?” he asked as I was pulling a shirt on.

I studied him. He had that certain look about him, like he wanted to fuck me and strangle me all at once. He wore it well.

“I don’t know what you mean,” I finally responded as I bent down to slip on my shoes.

“Oh yes you do. You had your ex drooling over you at the same time you had me dropping everything and rushing hell-bent across town. All exactly what you intended. Tell me, has a man ever not done exactly what you wanted him to?”

I straightened. I didn’t know where to even start in responding to everything incorrect he’d said. I singled out the strangest one. “My ex?” I asked.

His nostrils flared. I wanted to climb him right there and then. “Are you going to try to tell me you and that guy don’t have some sort of history? An ‘old friend?’ What the fuck does that mean?”

“It means we’ve known each other for a long time,” I said slowly, like I was speaking to a crazy person. “I never dated Tommy.”

He looked like the he was struggling to swallow something for a good thirty seconds before he spoke again. “Did you date a lot of male models? That’s a thing, right? You’re all pretty and you date each other.”

I had to swallow a smile before I spoke. “No. I’ve never dated a male model.”