“I do not smell like a fruit bowl.” I scoffed.
“Yeah, ya do,” he countered.
“Do you think that is a compliment?”
He shrugged. “Yeah, cause that blanket smells like a fruit bowl and I slept like a baby last night smelling you.”
A tad creepy, but I think he meant it more as a compliment. “That is the strangest thing anyone has ever said to me.”
“Not strange, Vixen. It’s truth.”
I shook my head. “Well, this blanket smells like you, not me,” I insisted.
“And what do I smell like?”
“Not a fruit bowl,” I mumbled.
He tossed the blanket back to me. “Didn’t think I did.”
“Can we watch the movie now?” I wasn’t about to tell him what he smelled like or the fact I liked it.
“You’re the one whose sniffing blankets cause they smell like me,” he drawled.
“I’m ignoring you.” I laid the blanket over me and resisted the urge to sniff it again.
“You smell better than a fruit bowl, but my brain is completely fried from coming up with words that are actually good.”
I glanced over at him. “I’m gonna have to Google your band to find out if that is really true.”
“You won’t be disappointed, Vixen.” He slouched down in the couch and pulled some of the blanket over to his side.
Googling the Wild Preacher’s Club was going to be the first I did in the morning.
*
Harrison
She snored.
It was cute as hell, but she still snored.
Ruby was curled up in the corner of the couch with her knees pulled to her chest, and her head laid back on the couch.
It was half past eleven, and I didn’t have the heart to wake her up, but I did need to get some sleep too.
Her phone rang on the coffee table, and I leaned forward to see Jonas was calling her. Ruby didn’t budge as the phone rang so I leaned forward and answered it.
“‘Lo,” I drawled quietly.
“Harrison?”
“Sup, bro?”
“Huh,” he mumbled. “Why are you answering Ruby’s phone?”
“Cause she's sleeping and I figured if I didn’t answer you would keep calling till you woke her up.”
“Well, yeah, but I can’t believe you actually thought about that.”
I slouched back into the couch and kicked my feet up. “You make it sound like I only think about myself.”
“Uh, most of the time you do.”
That was a lie. Though I could see how he would think that. I was constantly worrying about Darius and the band, but no one ever knew that because I didn’t say anything. “Eh, you know how it is.”
“No, I don’t really know how it is because I don’t know what the heck is going on there.”
I looked around the darkened apartment. “Uh, we watched Ghostbusters and your sister fell asleep on the other end of the couch.”
“Right.”
I laughed. “Not sure what you’re thinking, bro, but you were the one who said it was a good idea for me to stay here while you were gone.”
“Yeah, and then I had a day to think about it and realized it was a horrible idea.”
“I’m wounded, Jonas. What do you really think about me?”
“I think you’re a lead singer of a rock band who just needs to crook his finger and women come running.”
“Wouldn’t that be fucking amazing,” I chuckled.
“I’m serious, man. You live a way different life than my sister.”
“Not sure what the way I live has to do with Ruby. I’m just sleeping on the couch for a couple of weeks, Jonas. I don’t have any other plans besides that.”
Jonas sighed. “Just…” he paused and I knew what was coming next. “Don’t mess with her, Harrison. I want Ruby to get on the right track with her life.”
“And I don’t have anything to do with that. Read you loud and clear, man.” It shouldn’t have hurt what Jonas said, but it didn’t exactly feel good to hear my best friend say he didn’t want his sister tangled up with me. “I gotta get to bed, man. Had a big day at the studio and hope to have another one tomorrow.”
“Harrison,” he called before I hung up. “Just be careful with her.”
“You got it.” I ended the called and tossed the phone down.
That was a shitty end to my night.
I didn’t plan on messing with Ruby, at least not in the way Jonas thought, but I had been wondering if she smelled amazing all over.
That shit wasn’t going to happen anymore.
Ruby was off limits and that fucking sucked.
*
Chapter Nine
Ruby
You got a hook for this yet?
“Pizza?”
“Dawson’s?”
I pooped my hands on my hip. “Is there any other better pizza in town?”
“No, but I didn’t know if you knew that.”
“I’ve lived in the area for over five years. I know about Dawson’s.”
Harrison grabbed his guitar and put his hand on the door handle. “Probably eight again.”
I nodded my head. That totally worked for me. I had three new clients I needed to talk to and then two websites I needed to finish up. Everyone was wanting to revamp their sites for the new year. It was good for me, but it made for super long days. “Anything you don’t eat?” I asked. I crossed my fingers behind my back and prayed he didn’t say onions or mushrooms.
“Good with everything except for olives.”
I let out the breath I had been holding in. Dawson’s pizza was serious business, and I didn’t want to have to get rid of any of the toppings I loved. “I’m good with that.” I never ordered olives anyway.
“Later, Vixen.” He shut the door behind him, and I again slumped against the counter like I had yesterday when he left.
“He’s so hot, Mookie.” I fanned myself with my hand and remembered waking up with my head in his lap this morning.
Totally unplanned, but pretty damn happy it had happened.
There was something special about Harrison that just seemed to draw me to him. We had joked through most of the first movie last night, talking as if we knew each other longer than twenty-four hours and I fell asleep before it was over. I had woken up with his hand cradling my head and his arm draped across my middle.
It was nice.
Way more nice than it should have been.
I had managed to sneak out from his gentle hold and make it to my room before he woke up.
I didn’t even want to think about how awkward that would have been. By the time I had showered and dressed for the day he was making coffee and frying eggs for us.
It was only the second morning we had spent together, but it already felt like we were getting into a routine that was nice.
Now we also had dinner planned for us again tonight.
Harrison Peck was managing to slip perfectly into my perfect little world I was building in the matter of a day.
*
Harrison
“Coffee?”
I held up my travel cup I had filled before leaving Ruby. “I’m good, man.”
Darius plopped down on the couch next to me and kicked his feet up on the coffee table. “You sure I can’t stay with you at Jonas’s?” he asked with a huff.
I glanced over at him. “Pretty fucking sure.”
“So you’re saying there's a chance?”
I flicked my guitar pick at his face. “Not a snowball's chance in hell.”
He grabbed the pic and threw it back. “You’re mighty fucking testy about me staying with you.”
“Bro, I managed to find my own place to stay that isn’t mom and dad’s, and I’m not going to let you horn in on it.”
“The place or the girl?” he asked. “I have to wonder if you would be so against me staying with you if Jonas was there and not his sister?”
“You need to get a li
fe if that is what you have time to think about.”
Darius laughed and shook his head. “Way too protective,” he muttered.
I didn’t know what the hell I was, but I knew I didn’t want Darius staying with me.
This morning I had woken up to Ruby’s head in my lap, and I sure as shit knew that wasn’t going to ever happen again if Darius moved in. I was up before she was and had a few minutes to study her beautiful, peaceful sleeping face.
When she had started to stir I closed my eyes and pretended to be knocked out still. When she snuck from the couch I knew she wasn’t ready for whatever was happening between her and I. Though, Jonas made it very fucking clear to me last night that there wasn’t any Ruby and I.
I had fallen asleep pissed off about what he had said, but after watching her sleep I knew I couldn’t quit this chick cold turkey.
So Jonas didn’t want me going after his sister? Fine, I wouldn't.
But there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it if she pursued me, right?
And although Ruby was shy and a bit standoffish with me, I could tell that she was just as curious about me as I was about her.
“You come in to help me write this song, or just to bust my chops?” I drawled.
He flipped me off. “Here to work, asshole, cause being here is five million times better than being at home. You’re not even going to believe what happened when I got home last night.”
“Bible study?” I chuckled.
He shook his head. “No, they did that in the morning before I had a chance to sneak out of the house.”
“Then what the hell was it?”
He reached into the front pocket on his sweatshirt and pulled out a wrinkled piece of paper. “A list of all of the churches across the country we can attend while we go on tour again.”
I grabbed the piece of paper and scanned it over. “I’m assuming mom and dad don't really get what goes on when touring.”
Darius shook his head. “Clueless about it. I didn’t even know where to begin with explaining what we did. I just listened to their twenty one minute speech before I took the paper and told them we would do the best we could.”
I crumbled it into a ball and tossed it in the garbage can. “That’s where that list belongs.” Our parents didn’t know when to stop. Yes, dad was a preacher, but we didn’t need to have religion shoved down our throats all of the time. One of the many reasons I tended to stay away from home.
Darius grabbed the notebook that was sitting on the coffee table in front of me. “Working on a new song?”
I nodded my head. “Need to keep writing to get this album done.”
“You got a hook for this yet?”
I shook my head. “I’ve been struggling with this one all morning.”
Darius read it over then looked up at me. “We talking about a certain chick here?”
“Does it really matter?”
Darius tsked and handed the notepad back to me. “Might as well just call that one Ruby.”
The thought had crossed my mind. “Let’s get the song written and then we can worry about a name, okay?” So what if the song happened to be about Ruby again? She was proving to be good inspiration to get these songs written.
“Well, if she is anything like this song you are writing then she is hot as hell and I get why you don’t want to share her with anyone.”
I snatched the notebook from him. “This song can be about any chick. That’s why it’s going to be a hit.” Sure, I have been thinking about Ruby when I wrote it, but no one was going to know that.
I had a feeling Ruby was going to be the inspiration for a lot of songs as long as she was around.
*
Chapter Ten
Ruby
…direction of your wink.
“Ice cream?”
“Is that even a question?”
I rolled my eyes and opened the freezer. “I didn’t know if you would be hungry after eating more than half of that pizza.” I set the gallon of chocolate ice cream on the counter and pulled two spoons out of the drawer.
Harrison rubbed his stomach. A stomach, that may I point out, was flat, firm, and muscled. One of the perks of sleeping with my head in his lap was being front row to his hotness.
“There is always room for ice cream, Vixen.” He nodded to the container. “Especially chocolate.”
I reached up into the cabinet next to him and pulled down two bowls. “You’re a bottomless pit.”
“Been told that a time or two before,” he drawled. He grabbed the bowls from me, and his hand brushed against mine. “But it wasn’t about food.” He gave me a sexy wink and set the bowls next to the ice cream.
“So you fit right into the rock star stereotype then.”
He scoffed and pried the lid off the ice cream. “And just what type of stereotype is that?”
“Sex, drugs, rock & roll, repeat.”
Harrison filled each bowl and pushed one toward me. “Pretty sure you can live that way without being a rock star.”
“You’re telling me you’re not into any of that.” I highly doubted Harrison didn’t live a life of excess.
“I’m into two of those things, Vixen. I’ll let you figure out which two.” He set the ice cream back in the freezer and grabbed his bowl.
“You are the son of a preacher so I gotta wonder how you even managed to be in a band.”
He walked into the living room and glanced at me over his shoulder. “The preacher’s kids are always the bad ones. You didn’t know that, Vixen?”
“Another stereotype,” I laughed. “And you seem to live up to them pretty well.” I flipped off the kitchen lights and grabbed my ice cream. I sat down on the opposite end of the couch with my feet tucked underneath me and my knees pulled up to my chest.
He gave me a sexy wink. “Sometimes it’s fun to live up to those stereotypes, Vixen.”
I put my hand up to block my view of him. “You seriously need to stop winking at me.” My ovaries were going to explode if he kept it up.
His even sexier chuckled reached my ears.
Life wasn’t fair.
Why did my brother have to be friends with a sexy rock star who lived on his couch when he was in town?
I was feeling things about him I shouldn’t.
Things that if I acted on would wind us up in bed.
“Am I making you uncomfortable, Vixen?”
More like he was making my panties wet. “Just keep your winking directed that way.” I pointed at the TV with my spoon.
“To the wall and TV?” he laughed.
“As long as I’m not in the direction of your wink, yes.” When I had first seen Harrison my first initial thought was what in the hell was he doing in my bathroom, and then the second was he was hot as hell. I had been trying not to focus on the fact he was hot, but he was blatantly throwing it in my face now. “You can’t wink at women like that, Harrison.”
“I can’t?”
I moved my hand to the side to peek at him, and he was doing it again. Looking hot. “Stop that!” I screeched.
“I’m just looking at you, Ruby.”
“I know,” I gasped. “That is the problem.” I put my hand back up, and inched closer to the arm of the couch and further away from Harrison. The movie stopped, and I heard him stand up. “What are you doing?”
His spoon clanked in his bowl and then he was standing in front of me. “Trying to look at you.”
“I thought we just established that was the problem.” I shuttered my hand over my eyes and ducked my head.
He grabbed my bowl from my hands and set it on the coffee table. “Stand up, Vixen,” he ordered.
“Uh, I think I’m good on the couch. It would be better if you were back sitting on the other end though.”
“Not moving until you stand up and look at me.”
Of course. “Why is it important that I look at you?” I mumbled.
He didn’t answer and continued to stand in front of me.
“Harrison?” I called.
“I can stand here all night, Vixen. I’ve played a four hour set before straight through. This nothing.”
“I can just sleep right here.”
“You could, but I doubt you really want to sleep on the couch two nights in a row.”
I really didn't. While it was nice to wake up with my head in Harrison’s lap, it would have been better if we had been on my bed. Not that he was going to end up in my bed.
No, no, no. That was not going to happen.
“What happens when I stand up.”
“Nothing you won’t like.”
“I don’t know if I believe you.”
“Only way you’re gonna find out if you like it is if you open your eyes and stand up,” he drawled.
Argh. Even with my eyes closed I was still turned on just by his words. I was going to have to be deaf to be able to resist Harrison fully. “I’m standing up,” I announced.
“You won’t regret it.”
Hmph. That was easy for him to say. I dropped my feet to the floor, and slowly stood up. “I’m up.”
“Now open your eyes.”
“You’re awfully demanding,” I grumbled. Music started playing and I cracked open my right eye. “What is going on?” I was eye level with his chest and he was holding his phone up.
“Open your eyes and you’ll find out.”
“Is that you signing?” I asked. If it was, my panties were going to completely combust right then and there.
“Yeah. It’s the song I wrote yesterday. We got into the booth today and were able to lay down a rough cut of it.”
“Am I the first person to hear this?” I whispered. It wasn’t the type of music I thought Harrison made. I had been meaning to Google the Wild Preacher’s Club, but I had been avoiding it because I knew if I did I would be down the rabbit hole of looking at videos and pictures of Harrison for hours instead of working.
“Outside of our producer and the band, yeah.”
I slowly opened my eyes and tipped my head back to look at Harrison. “It sounds good.”
He shrugged. “There are somethings I want to change and add, but it’s a good start.”
Kissing the Bad Boy Page 5
