Hotshot Deceiver: A Hero Club Novel

by K E Osborn

  The tingle starts in the base of my spine, the pressure building in my balls, and I know I’m so fucking close. My skin slickens as I bring Lyri to her high, hoping to meet her with it. She gasps, her muscles contracting around my cock, squeezing me for all I’m worth as her lips break from mine.

  “Eddie!” she calls out, her head rolling back in the throes of passion.

  Her climax hits her hard, making her entire body convulse and tighten which only aids me in mine.

  Feeling the way her body reacts to me makes me gasp and my balls pull up, and I feel the pressure run from the tips of my toes all the way to my cock. I groan, pulling her down on me farther, then I push up into her with a deep throaty growl. “Fuck, Lyri,” I call out as the pressure escalates, then suddenly explodes while I come so fucking hard inside of her my breath disappears. My body fails me as I fall back. My muscles relax completely as I finally find my breath while Lyri cuddles into my chest.

  I’m home.

  My hands run up her back as we both pant for breaths. My fingers smooth her hair, then she plants a tender kiss on my shoulder.

  We stay like this on the sofa, not saying anything, just coming down from our joint high. The shadows from the fire are flickering around the room, and the perfume of the flowers mixed with the aroma of our sex somehow makes it smell even better than before.

  She slowly lifts her head from my chest. “You think we’re gonna be okay?” she asks out of nowhere.

  I cup her cheek with my palm. “Yeah, Lyri, we’re gonna be just fine.”

  I lean in, kissing her again.

  You never know what could be around the corner. I guess life isn’t always sunshine, rainbows, and damn Pixy Stix, but fuck if I’m not going to go out of my way to make sure Lyri’s taken care of in every way possible.

  Now we have to get on with our lives together.

  I just hope my father knows to keep out of our business.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Lying on my sofa, I can’t tell if the warmth in my body is from the open flames flickering, the amazing sex we just had, or the knowledge that Lyri is mine again. She’s on top of me, her head on my chest, her hair fanned out over my shoulder as I stroke her blonde waves, loving every second of just feeling her naked body on mine.

  It doesn’t get any better than this.

  Her finger gently runs circles over my chest as we lay together in comfortable silence. I’ve never felt more at home in my home. I guess my home is wherever Lyri is.

  Her head slowly shifts up, her warm eyes boring into mine as I continue to run my fingers up and down her bare arm. She exhales. “We both messed up. But if we can get through this, we can get through anything.”

  My lips turn up in a smile. “Lyri, I don’t want to be away from you. I realized something just before, and it’s made me come up with an idea I want to run by you.”

  Her eyes narrow on me as she pulls her lips into a tight thin line. “Mm-hmm.”

  “My home is wherever you are. I need to be with you. This time without you proved to me that I can’t live without you, Lyri… and I need to confess something if we’re being honest with each other.”

  She sits up a little on my chest, glancing down at me. “Another secret?”

  I grimace. “Kinda. While we were apart, I couldn’t stand to be away from you… so, during the day, I would sneak into your backyard and play with Mikey and feed Polly through the window.”

  Her expression doesn’t change. I wonder what the hell she’s thinking, but I continue anyway, figuring I’d better tell her everything, “And then at night, I would sit outside your window until you would fall sleep.”

  She sinks back down on my chest, but her eyes lock on me. The corner of her mouth twitches slightly. So not what I was expecting.

  “I know.”

  I jerk back a little in shock. “Wait! What?”

  She leans down, pressing a light kiss on my lips, then pulls back. “I saw traces of apple in Polly’s cage. I knew he wasn’t getting it from me. It all started clicking into place… the footprints outside in the garden, the noises outside my window at night, the sexy-as-sin dogsitter Mrs. McIntosh kept talking to me about. Plus, today Polly kept repeating ‘love her.’” I let out a small laugh. “I knew, hotshot. I just didn’t want you to know I knew. I guess I wanted to see how far you would take it. And I guess I kinda liked that you were there while I was falling asleep each night. It made it easier for me knowing you were still with me.”

  I move my hands to her bare ass and grip tighter, pulling her closer to me. She lets out a small moan. “You saucy little minx. You were playing me.”

  “You were stalking me. It’s a felony to stalk people, you know?”

  “You trying to get me back in prison, hummingbird?”

  She leans in, pressing her lips to mine softly. “Hmm… maybe. I have a thing for orange jumpsuits.”

  I groan, rocking my hips into hers. “Don’t even joke about that. We’re moving off-topic.”

  She kisses me again. “And what topic is that, cellmate?”

  I chuckle. “That I don’t want to be without you. Here’s the deal.”

  She pulls back, her eyes focusing in on me, taking on a more serious expression. “We’re making a deal?”

  “We already touched on this once before, but this time it’s actually going to happen. Either you, Polly, and Mikey are moving into my house, or I’m moving into your place. Which I have no problem with, seeing as your place feels more like home to me anyway. The point is, I need to be with you and our boys, Lyri.”

  Her eyes well as she bites her bottom lip. “Our boys?”

  I move my hand to her hair, swiping it behind her ear. “Yes, Polly, Mikey, you, and me. We’re a family. We have to all be together under the one roof.”

  She suddenly jumps off me and sits beside me on the sofa. I move slowly, sitting up next to her, hoping I haven’t thrown a grenade. I’ve just gotten her back, so I know moving in is a huge step.

  But I want this.

  I need this.

  She reaches out, grabbing my hand in hers. A single tear falls down her cheek which I swipe away. A knot forms in my gut as tension runs through me.

  She turns to face me. “Eddie, I moved out of Beverly Park to get away from the music lifestyle, or should I say, that lifestyle.”

  My body turns ice cold. Is she breaking this off already? We haven’t even had a chance to get back on track.

  “But if I’m going to be with a music producer, then I’m going to be surrounded by it, right?” My heart rate spikes again at her words. She shrugs. “So, I may as well have all the offerings that life has to bring without having to do any of the work.”

  I pull her closer to me. “You’re moving in here?”

  She looks around the sunken living room, then dips her head. “Yes. Me and our brood of pets.”

  Our—I like that word.

  I pull her into a tight hug, kissing her temple. “You’ve made me the happiest man alive.”

  “Polly will be happy that you can feed him his apple from inside and not through a window, which is the single, sweetest thing I think I’ve heard you do, by the way,” she tells me, pulling back and looking in my eyes.

  “I didn’t want Polly to miss out on his apple. Plus, I missed that crude, but somehow wise, bird.”

  She leans into me, her firm breast sliding against my chest and making my cock begin to harden again. “The fact you fought so hard for us, Eddie, means everything to me.”

  “I love you, Lyri. I’d shift heaven and earth for you.”

  She plants a delicate kiss on my lips. My cock twitches slightly with the thought of starting this all over again. But then she pulls back with a startled expression on her face. “Shit, I punched Jase in the eye. I need to apologize to him.”

  I chuckle. “You’re thinking about Jase when you’re naked with me?”

  She rolls her eyes. “It’s not like that. I feel bad.”

  “Do
n’t feel bad. He’s going to be happy when I tell him we’re good. He helped with the plans to win you back.”

  “I need to thank him… and I want to meet your parents. Officially. I know they mean a lot to you, so I want to meet everyone in your life. I don’t want you to hold anything back, even if I know they will try to convince me to sign with Ego Star.”

  I let out a small grunt. “They can try, but don’t worry, babe. It’s not going to happen.”

  “Oh, believe me, I know. I’m quite happy being the little florist girlfriend of an EVP. That will do me just fine.”

  I entwine our fingers, examining her left hand. A thought crosses my mind.

  She laughs at the blank expression on my face. “What are you doing?”

  “Nothing, just taking a mental note of the size of your fingers.”

  She giggles. “What a weird thing to say.”

  I thread our fingers together again, then kiss the back of her hand. “Your hands are so tiny compared to mine.”

  “You love what my tiny hands can do to you, Mr. Covington.”

  I roll her onto her back, making her squeal. “Hell, yeah, I do.”

  THE NEXT EVENING

  Lyri is over-the-top excited to be heading to her parents’ home to catch up with her mother and father for dinner. It’s been three years since she’s seen them and now, she’s getting them both. Hell, she can’t even remember the last time her entire family was together. With her brother and sister off touring as well, the family schedules never match. But Lyri is just like a kid at Christmas, bouncing in the car seat at the idea of seeing her mom.

  “Calm down, hummingbird, you’re going to wet yourself,” I tell her as I pull up to the tall gates with a gold treble clef in the center. There’s no mistaking the fact that rock royalty lives here.

  She bounces in the seat again. “I think I just might. Eddie, I’m so excited. I haven’t seen them together for so long. And they’re here. For me.”

  It’s about time they paid attention to their eldest. Her life could have been so different. She could have had her name up in lights, she could have been a superstar just like they all are, but she’s not because of the life they made her live and the people she met. I get it. I know why she doesn’t want this life, and I will stand by her. I do mourn for the world at the loss of her talent. Her past made her see that the bad sides of this music world life can outweigh the good. As I said, I get it. It’s her choice. I support her in it. It’s just sad.

  “Well, Lyri, you’re worth it, and so much more. They see that.”

  Her hand tightens on mine as the gates open, and I pull down the long drive. Any normal man would be in awe of this place, but I live in Beverly Park. I know the mansions around here, and this one is no different. The giant lawn out the front with a water fountain. The marble steps to the front of the home. The giant floor-to-ceiling windows. It reminds me a lot of my home, just maybe on a grander scale.

  I can’t help but notice the flower garden out the front by the stairs. The one Lyri told me about. It’s still immaculate as we pull up.

  “Here we go,” I tell her as she opens her door.

  She bounces on her seat as I step out. The cobblestone beneath my feet crunches as I make my way to Lyri, who’s staring up at the mansion like a million memories are mulling through her mind. I reach out for her hand, our fingers threading together. “You okay?”

  A bright smile lights her glorious face. She’s beaming. “It’s been so long since I’ve been here. I guess I didn’t think I’d ever be back. It’s a little overwhelming.”

  I tighten my grip on her hand. “C’mon, you can do this, Lyric Griffin. If there is one thing I know about you, it’s that you’re as strong as they come.”

  Footsteps crunch on the ground making us both turn.

  A very old man wearing green coveralls and a worn floppy brown hat approaches. “Is that you, Lyri?” he calls out.

  “Thomas?” Lyri shrieks as she races off toward him.

  A smile brightens my face as she slams into the old man almost knocking him over. They embrace tightly as I make my way over to the pair.

  “I haven’t seen you for years, my girl. How’s the shop? Your father has told me only good things.” His voice is raspy, frail. I have no idea how old he is, but if I were to guess, maybe in his seventies or even eighties?

  They separate. Lyri’s glowing, the energy shining from her is so bright I’m sure they could see her from space. “It’s going so well. Actually, it’s how I met Eddie…” She turns to me. “Eddie, this is Thomas. The man who changed the course of my life.”

  Thomas chuckles placing his hand out for me to shake. “That’s a big accolade, my girl, but I did no such thing. You put in the hard work. I simply showed you the way.”

  It clicks into place. The dirt on his knees, the fact they know each other so well. “You’re the groundskeeper?” I ask, shaking his hand firmly.

  Thomas nods. “And you’re the boyfriend?”

  “Shit! Yes. Sorry. Eddie. He’s my boyfriend, and I’m so glad you both could meet. The two men who have changed my life dramatically.”

  My chest warms as I reach out pulling Lyri to me. “I think it’s you who’s changed our lives.”

  “I’ll drink to that,” Thomas replies, making me laugh.

  “It’s good to meet you, Thomas. Thanks for teaching Lyri everything you have. Without her moving into floristry, we wouldn’t have met.”

  Thomas waves his hand through the air. “Love has a mysterious way of working out. You would have met in one way or another, but I’m glad to have been a part of letting love flourish.”

  Lyri smiles so wide, then she pulls Thomas in for another embrace. “I better let you young whippersnappers get inside. Wouldn’t want to keep those rock stars waiting.”

  “I’ll try not to keep it so long between visits,” Lyri tells him as she squeezes his hands.

  “I’d like that.” He dips his hat, then takes off at a slow pace, picking up a rake which was leaning up against the house as he goes.

  “I really like him,” I whisper against Lyri’s ear, and she exhales contentedly.

  “Today’s going to be a good day. I can feel it.”

  “Shall we go inside?”

  She turns to face the main entrance. “Let’s go!”

  Lyri steadies her shoulders, and we walk up the white stairs to the front door. She bursts out laughing as her eyes widen when she turns to face me. “Holy shit! I have to show you something.” She presses the doorbell, and it plays a Savage Lies chorus from their very first hit.

  I glance at Lyri, and she’s beaming.

  “How cool is that? Did you know you can get customized doorbells?”

  My chest swells at the pride she has for her family. “Gotta give Stylo credit. He does love his band.”

  Lyri exhales. “Oh, I know that all too well.”

  Lyri chuckles to herself as she goes to push the door open, but just as she touches it, the door swings wide, and a beautiful woman stands in the archway. Her blonde hair is pulled back in an updo like she’s going to a red-carpet event. Diamond earrings dangle from her ears sending shards of sparkling light into my eyes, almost blinding me. She’s wearing a tight-fitted black top with stripes cut out of it revealing skin just above her breasts. It’s risqué to say the least. Her jeans are ripped and so tight it’s a wonder she can breathe. I think for a moment she looks like she’s getting younger until the faint definition of crow’s feet around her eyes give her away. She’s definitely having work done to keep her looking this good, but damn, she looks the same as when I saw her last time. She hasn’t aged at all.

  “Mom,” Lyri yells, then slams forward, wrapping her arms around her in a tight hug. “It’s so good to see you.”

  Her mom eyes me, a little too suggestively as she wraps her arms around her daughter tightly then swings her from side to side. “Baby girl! When your father said you had lost weight, I didn’t think he was telling me the
truth. You were always a little tubby in the belly, but look at you, getting all trim for your man.”

  I furrow my brows at her. Who says shit like that? Lyri pulls back, glancing down at her tummy with an exhale. “Speaking of… Mom, this is my boyfriend, Eddie.”

  She sticks her hand out for me to shake. “Eddie… I think we met once when your company was dealing with Savage Lies.”

  I tilt my head. “Oh?” is all I can manage to say.

  This woman’s really rubbing me the wrong way.

  Her eyes linger on me longer than necessary. I can’t help but feel uncomfortable.

  “Your father was in a meeting with the band, and I was waiting outside the office. I asked for coffees… with something a little stronger.”

  Shit. Yeah, she grabbed my ass and asked if I could lace the coffees with whiskey. I was younger then.

  “Oh… yes. Good to see you again, Mrs. Griffin.” I grab her hand to shake, but she turns her hand as if she wants me to kiss the back of it.

  I don’t.

  “Annie, please. We’re practically family.”

  Lyri glances from her mom to me and back to her mom. She can either see the way her mom is eye-fucking me or the way I’m definitely uncomfortable, so she grabs my arm, effectively pulling my hand away from her mom’s. “Is Dad inside?” Lyri asks.

  “Yes, baby girl, come on in. Make yourself right at home.” She waves her hand through the air to lead us through as Lyri scrunches up her face.

  “This was my home, Mom.”

  Annie grimaces. “It still is, baby girl.”

  Lyri clings to me as we walk inside. The tiled floors sparkle like the cleaning lady has just polished them on her hands and knees with a toothbrush. I take in the opulence of this mansion. It’s definitely more upmarket than mine. Not that mine isn’t fancy and sophisticated, just this? This is how rock-star royalty live.