Play Mine: Rockstar Romantic Suspense (Brooklyn Dawn Book 3)

by Cari Quinn

  The bells started again, and I braced, realizing my phone going off was what had jolted me out of my dream with the little girl. The noise was going to wake Cooper.

  Shit.

  I fumbled for my cell on the nightstand and swiped to answer it as I rolled out of bed as quietly as possible. I was naked. Barefoot. I couldn’t grab the comforter without disturbing Cooper. It was amazing he hadn’t awakened yet.

  In the darkness, I felt around on the floor and found his shirt and my panties. I yanked them on in a hurry. On me, his shirts doubled as dresses, but thank God this wasn’t a video call.

  “Hello,” I whispered as I padded down the dimly lit hall. The person had probably already hung up. There had been no name on the caller ID, so it was probably just a spam call, anyway.

  “Teagan? Is that you?”

  My knees went liquid, and I stumbled into the wall at my side. I still wasn’t used to Cooper’s place, and only a few lights farther down the hall had come on automatically with dusk. Cole was somewhere in the apartment doing who-knows-what, but his light was too far away.

  Except the lack of light wasn’t why I’d nearly fallen.

  It was her. Priscilla Jones. I knew it in an instant and had to lean against the wall to keep upright. I was already trembling.

  She’s on the phone. She can’t hurt you. She didn’t hurt you, even if she tried.

  Instead, she’d screwed with Zane, who never harmed anyone. I’d never met a guy less likely to cause trouble or mess with someone just because he could. He didn’t deserve any of this. But by God, neither did I.

  “Teagan? Are you there?”

  My immediate instinct was to hang up. But I couldn’t do that. If this woman was hassling us—though I couldn’t fathom why—I had to take advantage of this opportunity to get some answers.

  “Yes, I’m here.” Keeping my voice low, I hurried into the bathroom. I flicked on the lights and shut the door, and then turned on the fan in the hopes of muffling my voice. “I’m glad to hear from you. I wanted to give you my number last night, but everything was so crazy.” I let out a hitching laugh that hopefully made me sound hungover. “You know how it is, right?”

  “Oh, sure, of course. After your show last night, you must’ve partied hard. With Cooper, right? He’s gotta be your guy.”

  I didn’t know what exactly she knew. In the end, I followed instinct.

  “Kind of, I mean, when it suits us.” I added another breathless laugh. “We keep it loose. Too young to get settled down.”

  Basically, the girl I was describing was the anti-Teagan. I’d always liked the idea of a family. I never planned to be married with kids super young, but I also wasn’t one to play the field just for the sake of it. Climbing off the dating merry-go-round was just fine by me.

  “I hear that.”

  “Say, how did you get my number? Lucky thing you did. I would hate to lose touch.” I gritted my teeth.

  “Oh, Cooper. I ran into him after I went back to the bar. I think you guys were on your way out.”

  Patently impossible, since Cooper hadn’t left my side once he’d given me the doctored drink, but sure, whatever she said.

  I could lie too.

  “Right. Probably.”

  “I’m actually surprised to get a hold of you. I thought you’d still be sleeping it off, if you know what I mean.” She laughed.

  Oh, I knew. The stone-cold bitch. I just didn’t get what I’d ever done to Priscilla to warrant her stalking me after this time. Or stalking the band and using me as a conduit? Unless she was working with someone I knew and it was just happenstance.

  Like Pat.

  I shivered. “Yeah, I just woke up, actually. We had a hell of a night. The world’s still spinning.”

  “Girl, I know. Me too.”

  “You met someone? Or do you have a boyfriend?”

  She released a chuckle. “I like to leave my options open. Men are interchangeable, aren’t they? They do have their uses though.”

  “Right.” Stomach roiling, I leaned against Cooper’s double sinks. I needed the support. “God, we need to catch up. It’s been so long. I bet you don’t have that little dog anymore, do you?” I laughed. “I guess you couldn’t, not after this long.”

  “No, unfortunately not. He died.”

  I frowned. “Oh, I’m so sorry. The dog probably passed a while ago.”

  And he was a she, but who was counting? If I could remember that, Priscilla should be able to. Who forgot the gender of a beloved pet?

  Now that I was thinking back, I remembered how Priscilla had carried Ginger Snap everywhere, and she’d had her parents bring her to football games. The little fluffy dog had even had her own cheerleading costume, which had made Priscilla’s boyfriend laugh his head off.

  “Yeah, you know dogs don’t live long.” Her voice brightened. “Anyway, where are you off to next?”

  “Philly,” I answered automatically.

  Then I thunked the heel of my hand against my forehead. Jeez, why not give her a roadmap where to find us?

  She probably already had one.

  “Hey, so about your old high school boyfriend. Bobby, wasn’t it? You guys went to the prom together. King and Queen senior year and all that. I have to say, we all figured you two would end up married.”

  “To him?” She let out a shrill laugh. “No way. Bob was okay for a high school boy, but I dropped him like a bad habit as soon as I got to college. Besides, high school relationships never amount to much.”

  “I wouldn’t know. I barely dated in high school.”

  “Right. You were pretty sheltered.”

  I narrowed my eyes. If counting her lies was a game, so-called Priscilla would be voted off the show in about a minute.

  Not only had her steady boyfriend not been named Bobby—try Tony instead—she had not been Prom Queen, nor had he been Prom King. And I hadn’t suffered from a lack of dates. I’d actually been on the Prom Court myself and had probably dated half a dozen guys junior year.

  I wasn’t saying she was privy to my dating history. Even if she had been, she could have forgotten it since it had been ten years since I’d been in school with her. But I’d mentioned her being Prom Queen senior year, and I hadn’t even been a student in California then. I’d moved to New York with my parents when my father got a new job as a professor in the city. Shouldn’t she have at least remembered that?

  But hell, since she now thought she’d been the Prom Queen since I’d told her she had been, what was one more lie?

  I shifted the phone to my other ear and wrapped my arm around my midsection. I just couldn’t get the point to this. Why would she be trying so hard to get close to me, only to drug me? She hadn’t tried to kidnap me last night.

  Did she want to get closer to the guys in the band? Not the first time I’d been used as a springboard for that, but she hadn’t even talked to any of them except Cooper. And she’d told him she wanted to meet me.

  Unless she was pretending to be someone else as part of a much bigger scheme. Maybe for Pat. Maybe for someone else.

  I had to keep this going to try to get more information. I wasn’t the only one at risk here. Cooper was too. And Zane. Hell, Lila had gotten a threatening letter at home. My place had burned, and I’d lost more than I could replace—and not only in physical items I could touch.

  I couldn’t let this go without finding out as much as possible. If all I did was ensure this wasn’t connected to the larger looming threat against Ripper Records, I would have helped.

  The people I loved were at stake.

  “Are you still there, Teagan?”

  “Yes, sorry. Just running water for a bath.” I turned on the faucet for believability. “I’m so out of it today. I have a killer headache, and I’m just zoning.”

  “Wild night. That rockstar life must be exhausting. And then on the road to Philly soon too. When does that happen?”

  Wouldn’t you like to know?

  I bit down on the r
etort. “We fly out Tuesday.”

  In truth, the bus would be leaving Monday. Suck it, bitch.

  “Wow, so soon. Well, we have to get together before you leave. We need to catch up. It’s been so long.”

  “We do. I just have to hear about everything you’ve done since our days at Oakdale.”

  All the lying and drugging and taking on other personalities…

  She chuckled. “I’d much rather hear about you. You’re the one with the exciting life traveling the world. Getting to meet so many new people. Though you’re pretty cozy with your bandmates and especially Cooper, so maybe you don’t care about that. He’s a pretty piece of candy, isn’t he?”

  I gripped the side of the sink hard enough to nearly break my short nails. “He’s a lethal one. He used to be in the Rangers. Takes zero bullshit.”

  “Oh, is that so? I never would have guessed that talking to him.”

  “He’s different with civilians. Especially starry-eyed fangirl types.” It was a screw I didn’t turn often, because I wasn’t the sort to flaunt my status.

  But if this chick wanted to play, I’d play.

  She didn’t rise to the bait. “I’m sure he deals with that a lot. You think you can drag yourself away from him for an hour to have lunch? Maybe longer if we get talking.” She laughed. “Girl talk can get carried away.”

  “I just bet.” I fisted my hand and tapped it against my forehead to keep from swinging at something.

  I was not violent by nature. Crying was my usual response when I got overwhelmed, as much as it irritated me. But this fake bitch was tweaking my last nerve.

  And now a question was hammering at the back of my mind. If this wasn’t the real Priscilla Jones—and I had a strong suspicion she was not—what had happened to the real one? Was she out there living her life, blissfully unaware? Or worse, did this woman know she wouldn’t be called out for being Priscilla because she knew the real one would never sound the alarm?

  “So, how’s tomorrow? Lunch at The Continental Tearoom?”

  “I’ve never been there.”

  “You’ll love it. Hey, I hate to ask this, but maybe just us, huh?”

  “You already asked if I could drag myself away for an hour.”

  “Yeah, but I know how it is with new relationships.”

  I reached up to rub my throat. She knew entirely too much.

  And she wasn’t finished talking.

  “Not that I’d mind getting to know your guy a little better, but you know how men interrupt the flow when it’s us girls.” Her low, intimate laugh set my teeth on edge.

  “Sure. Sounds fun,” I agreed, despite knowing I didn’t have a chance in hell of meeting her alone.

  I had Cole to think about, and then there was Cooper. Once I told him about this clandestine meeting, he’d attach himself to me—after he got done yelling and calling Lila and Noah and God knows who else for backup. But I’d just have to make him see why he couldn’t do that.

  I flexed my fingers. And I wasn’t above using my God-given talents in certain areas to convince him either.

  “Great. I’ll see you at noon?”

  I closed my eyes. “Definitely. Bye.” I hung up and held the phone to my chest.

  A knock came at the bathroom door. “You in there, babe?”

  “Yes, I’m in here,” I called to Cooper. I couldn’t quite catch my breath. “Just a sec.”

  I had to play it cool with him. Somehow. At least until I found the words to tell him this in a way that wouldn’t make him go postal.

  I didn’t think that way existed, but I was the woman who dreamed about finding rainbows. I’d keep hope alive here too. Besides, if I carefully explained my reasoning, he’d see why I’d done what I had.

  He had to.

  Two hours later over wine and a hastily thrown together pizza, I swiftly realized I’d been wrong.

  Forget a hand job to make this go down easier. I didn’t think even a tit fuck followed by anal would do the trick.

  He set down his half empty wine glass and stared at me across the darkened patio. It was a breezy, warm night, and we’d decided to eat outside beside the pool.

  Ambience was also supposed to make this go down easier. As was my lack of a bra or even real clothes. I was sitting outside in his shirt and my panties and hoping like hell Cole steered far clear of us for the rest of the night like he’d done thus far. That was how committed I was to this cause.

  Cooper had brought him some of our pizza. We didn’t want him to be hungry. We just really needed our privacy right now.

  And it was time to face the very ominous music.

  “I talked to Priscilla tonight. If she’s even Priscilla.”

  Coop set down the last bit of his pizza. “I don’t think I heard you correctly.”

  I took a bolstering sip of wine. Then another. “I think we need more alcohol. I’ll go get it.”

  He snagged my wrist before I could move. “Talk.”

  I sagged back into my chair. “Remember how I said I don’t like it when you yell?”

  “I’m not yelling.”

  “Yet.”

  “My voice is remarkably low right now.”

  “We’ll see how long it lasts.”

  I finished my wine and had a moment to rue not having more in my glass before he leaned around the table. Saying nothing, he plucked me into his arms and deposited me in his lap like a bag of feed.

  “Hi, what are you—oof.” My protest disappeared into his mouth as his lips covered mine, and his hand wound in my hair, still slightly damp from the shower. I didn’t consciously turn into him, but my body had a mind of its own. I wrapped my arms around his neck and moaned softly as he slid his hand under my shirt—his shirt—to toy with my nipples. “You’re wine-flavored now,” I said between kisses. “Delicious.”

  “It would be so easy to sweep these plates off and lay you out on this table.” He nuzzled my throat, his voice thick and sexy. “You’d point your toes toward the stars while I open you up and taste you.”

  “Mmm, sounds good. Let’s just talk later.”

  He lifted my head with his fingers still webbed in my hair and bit down on my lower lip. “Nice try, Daly.”

  My eyes flashed open. “Are you trying to seduce the truth out of me? Because I’ll have you know I planned on seducing you not to be angry.”

  He didn’t smile. The worry lines around his eyes only dug in deeper. “You’re keeping the truth from me again?”

  “What do you mean again?” His raised brows made me shove his shoulder. That his hand was still busy under my shirt didn’t slow down either of us. “If you mean Pat—”

  “Don’t say his name while my hands are on you.”

  I shifted around on his lap so I could straddle him. Bumping up against his stiff cock outlined by his soft sweats was just a bonus. “I don’t want to say his name anytime. You’re the asshole who said too.” I leaned down to kiss him, drawing out the moment while he palmed my breasts, and I rocked against him to torture us both.

  “Fine, okay, yeah, I’m still annoyed you didn’t trust me with him. I get it. I just don’t like it.”

  I dragged my teeth over his full lower lip and along his beardy scruff. The rest of my skin that hadn’t been branded already would soon be on fire. But I liked wearing his marks. Including the ones on my wrist when he clamped his fingers there and lifted it to his mouth.

  Watching me, he nipped the tender flesh of my inner arm. “You’re distracting me.”

  “Ditto.” I blew out a breath and tugged down his shirt, reluctantly nudging away his hands. “I never lied to you. I just didn’t know how to talk about him. Then the more time we spent together, I wasn’t thinking about him anymore.” I searched Cooper’s eyes. “I think deep down, I was scared to think about you.”

  He let out a long breath as I curled my hands around the back of his neck. “New technique to distract me?”

  “No, it’s called being honest.” I leaned forward and rest
ed my cheek against his. “She called me. Priscilla.”

  He gripped my shoulders and drew me back. “We need to get you a new number. New phone.”

  I let out an uneasy laugh. “Why a new phone? Think she infected it somehow?”

  “I don’t know what any of them are doing, but we’re not taking any chances.” Rather than put me down, he held on to me as he started to rise—only to thunk back down hard in the chair when I pounded on his chest. “What now?”

  “Are you just going to carry me everywhere? Maybe lock me in a safe room with no windows?” I would’ve laughed if he hadn’t narrowed his eyes as if he was seriously considering it. “Um, no, you are not. I’m here because I want to be. Not because you’re going to chain me up.”

  “If I’m chaining you, it’s not for that, and you’ll be agreeable first.”

  I stared at him and tried not to wiggle on his lap like an overeager puppy.

  Not the right time, horndog.

  “I’m already agreeable. When can we start?”

  His quick grin warmed me way down deep. “Yeah, we definitely wasted a lot of time.” He rested his hands on either side of my waist. “Tell me what happened.”

  I told him every snippet of conversation I could remember. For these few minutes, he wasn’t just my new lover. He was my best friend, the guy I trusted with my life.

  Who I knew cared about me enough to respect my choices even while I watched him swing between concern and annoyance.

  “You’re not going alone.” His tone brooked no arguments.

  “No, I figured not, and I don’t want to, since I have a preference to not end up tied up in the back of a van.” I shuddered. “Or worse.”

  His jaw flexed. “Don’t even joke about it.”

  “I have to. I’m really fucking freaked out that she got my number and seems to have a vendetta against me.” Goosebumps formed along my arms despite the warm night, and Cooper rubbed his big, callused hands over my skin. “You’re really good at that.”

  “I have a number of uses. Including taking care of a duplicitous fake who got the drop on me once but won’t again. I’m still pissed she managed to drug that drink right under my damn nose.”