Free Toxic (Addiction #1) by Meghan Quinn Page B

in the limo that was waiting for them and headed to the restaurant. Rook stayed as far away from Maisy as possible in the limo and kept his head down. If he looked up, he knew she would catch him staring and that was the last thing he wanted.  
    They pulled up to the steakhouse that actually turned out to be quite nice, almost ritzy. Rook knew the label wouldn’t make them eat at a place where the house challenge was eating a ten pound steak, baked potato and buttered biscuit, but he was surprised they sprung for a ritzier place than usual.  
    The restaurant overlooked the Willamette River and the ambiance was candlelight with a rustic feel. It was romantic and all Rook wanted to do was jump back in the limo and head back to the bus. The last thing he needed was to be in a romantic setting with Maisy looking like she was.  
    Media stood outside of the steakhouse and took pictures of all of them walking into the restaurant. Shattered Souls stopped and took a picture together, then had Twisted Perfection join them, just like the label asked. Grey answered questions about the band and introduced Kaid to the media. Willow and Maisy stood behind Kaid and smiled, just like they were so dutifully taught.  
    “Can we get a picture of all of you one more time?” A cameraman asked politely, surprisingly.  
    They all linked arms and took one last picture. Rook was on the end, next to Kaid who was next to Maisy. He could smell her from where he stood and she smelled intoxicating. Whatever she was wearing was doing the trick because he felt himself drift over to her.  
    She looked up at him and smiled, he returned the smile. A camera flashed in their eyes and they turned to see the rest of the gang headed inside. They turned to retreat after them when a cameraman made one more request.  
    “One picture of the two lead singers together.”
    Being the ever-so-accommodating rock star, Rook wrapped his arm around Maisy’s waist and pulled her in close. She fit perfectly in his grasp and he felt his heart starting to meld with hers. It was bad news, but he couldn’t pull away for the life of him. While the cameras flashed, he leaned down and whispered into her ear.
    “You look beyond stunning tonight.”
    The shocked look on her face hurt him. She thought he was a monster and the fact that he would give her the time of day to lend her a compliment shocked her to the core. It was upsetting to see the impression he gave her. He wanted to distance himself from her, not make her feel like crap around him. If he thought about it, that’s what being an asshole was, making people feel like the crap you just shit out. Fantastic!
    He grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the restaurant. When they got out of camera shot, she tore her hand away from his, leaving him cold and confused.  
    “What the hell was that?” she said, while pointing toward the doors.
    “It’s called the media. I thought they briefed you on that earlier today?”
    “Don’t be a smart ass. What was all that affection about?”
    “Affection? I was just taking a picture with you. Don’t read too much into it, boo.”
    “I’m not your boo!” she practically shouted.  
    Rook just shook his head and walked away. Why did he always have to end up being an ass? Was it actually ingrained in his blood? That would be a sorry life to live, if it was. He knew he could be a good guy when he wanted to be, but apparently, whenever he was around Maisy, she brought the asshole out in him. He knew he was being an ass, that wasn’t a surprise to him because it was the only way he knew how to guard his heart.  
     
    ***
     
    Maisy had no clue what the hell just happened, but the last thing she knew, Rook was whispering in her ear about how good she was looking and holding her hand and then next thing, he was walking to the table without her. The man was so damn confusing, she didn’t know how to react most of the time.  
    When she first walked out of the studio with