EPIC (Book 1 of the Soundcrush series)

Chapter 42: Rock Stars Don't Like Being Ignored

Kat

"Get your fine ass up, Katheryn," a voice growls in my ear.

"Why do you keep sneaking into my room and waking me up?" I groan and wiggle my head under the pillow.

Colin rips the covers off .

 "Colin!!!"

"Shit! Sorry!" he yells and throws them back over me, stepping back, covering his eyes with one hand.

I'm naked. I just didn't feel like putting on pj's last night. My clothes are in a pile beside the bed.

I flip over, holding the covers to my chest. I squint at him. "Get out, pervert!" I yell at him.

He turns away from me, facing the door, one hand still covering his eyes to make a point that he's not trying to look. "I'm going, as long as you're getting up. You can't keep doing this—" he picks up the empty Ben and Jerry's carton off my nightstand, "without some of this—" he pumps out power squats with perfect form.

I sigh, admiring his cute heiny. It's really too bad I couldn't bring myself to fall in love with Cols. I still think Trace is wrong about him. He's not an abuser; he's more like a hapless super-hero. Clark Kent most of the time, but when he goes Superman, he doesn't know his own strength. He is maybe a little controlling, though. He needs a girl that loves being taken care of. That's not really me. I mean...not the real me.

But he is sort of right, about the depressive ice-cream eating. And I really do like the way he pushes me at the gym. At least, when I look in the mirror.

"Get up, Ballard!" He picks up a discarded pillow near the door and tosses it over his shoulder. It hits me square in the face. Prolly cause of the x-ray vision.

"I hate you," I mumble.

He pauses, his hand on the door. "You hate everybody right now. Even Maddie and Laurel. Why did you send them home, anyway?"

"They were getting on my nerves, wanting me to accept those clubbing offers so they could come with," I mumble.

"Well, I don't want you to prostitute yourself for fame. I want you to get the fuck up and put that rage on the road. We're doing a 10K this morning."

He stalks out and closes the door. I sigh. I pick up my phone,ignore Trace's morning text and dial Ben's number. I'm sure he's downstairs in the kitchen, where I've found him every morning for the last four or five.

"Need something, Ms. Ballard?" Ben abruptness always surprises me a little.

Yeah, I do, Ben. I need to bitch at somebody, because the somebody I want to eviscerate with my words is occupied with his wife. "You suck at your job," I tell him. "That's the second time in two weeks you let my ex-boyfriend sneak into my bedroom."

"This time he didn't sneak. I let him in."

"Oh, now you are aiding my stalker? He saw me naked, Ben."

"Sorry about that, but we both know that Colin is no stalker. And I thought you would be expecting him. It's not like we haven't run every morning this week."

"Maybe I wanted to sleep in today, Ben. Did either you or Colin think of asking me?"

"You need the endorphins. Makes you feel better."

"God, Ben, you're my security guy, not my therapist."

"I'm just saying, most people don't cry when they put soda cans in the recycle bin. Who does that?" he challenges.