“I think I have everything I need,” Marina told me. “But you don’t have to go.”
Joe shifted uncomfortably yet said nothing. This was why I should’ve brought my own car. Having a way to leave any situation was something I should’ve paid more attention to.
“I’ll come back and see you later,” I told her. “And Joe, here are your keys.” I pulled them from my pocket and tossed them over. Then I left.
If I’d brought my own car, I could have driven myself home. As it was, I had to request an Uber and since this was a smaller city, I had a little wait. As I waited, I found a small area out of the way where anyone passing by wouldn’t see me. Well hidden in case Booker decided to follow.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Booker
Shit, Paige was pissed. I figured she would be after Lawson told me he’d been a dick to her, but seeing it was another thing altogether. My instincts said to chase after her immediately but something about the way she looked at me made me think I should give her some time. Like maybe she wasn’t ready to hear my apology. Plus, I’d come to see my sick mother and should visit with her for a bit first. One of the things Paige seemed to like best about me was the way I loved my mother. Ditching Mom the minute I got there would’ve flown in the face of that.
Dad filled me in on what the doctor had last said about her test results and it appeared she was improving. I couldn’t have been more relieved. She wasn’t one hundred percent yet, but today was better than yesterday. I couldn’t imagine being Paige and finding my mother unconscious on the couch. She wouldn’t panic. I sure as hell would’ve.
“What’re you doing here?” Mom asked again.
Well, now I was just confused. “Dad called and said—”
“That’s not what I mean,” she said, brushing me off.
I glanced over at Dad. He had to have said something to her, but he shook me off. Not good enough. “What’d you say to her?” I pointed at Mom.
“Nothing. We got here and she was awake. Do you think I’d waste my time talking about your romantic problems? I think not.”
Yeah, that really wasn’t like him, so how… ?
“Nobody needed to tell me anything, Booker. I’m your mother,” she said. “I know you better than anyone and that means I know how you feel about Paige. Probably knew before you did.”
“He ignored her calls,” Dad offered up.
Mom’s face widened in horror. “Why would you—?”
“I did not.” I threw Dad a dirty look, then turned back to Mom. Dad looked to be enjoying this a little too much. Me on the hot seat with Mom didn’t happen too often so this was a treat for him. “It’s a misunderstanding that I will rectify.”
“Oh, Booker. Why are boys so stupid?”
Dad chuckled. “That’s a question with a long answer.”
Fucker. He was right, but still. And I had to try not to laugh right along with him.
“Have a seat, Booker.” Mom pointed to the chair next to her bed. I did as she instructed. “Whatever you did, fix it.”
“I didn’t—”
She cut me off. “Whatever you did, fix it,” she repeated. “I’m not saying that women never do anything wrong. Far from it. But I know Paige by now and she wouldn’t be angry if you didn’t hurt her in some way.”
I scrubbed my hands through my hair.
“I didn’t mean to,” I said quietly. “It’s a misunderstanding.”
“Even if you didn’t mean to hurt her feelings doesn’t mean she isn’t hurt. I also know you and know you wouldn’t do it on purpose. Booker, you’re used to worrying about yourself. But if you’re going to bring someone into your life seriously, which you’ve never done, you’ll have to learn to put her first sometimes.”
“All the time,” Dad added.
“What do you want, Booker?” Mom asked. “Outside of the band.”
“Paige,” I answered without hesitation.
“Then you better go get her,” Mom said, but she laid her head back, as if this little talk was almost too much for her to handle.
“But you—”
“I’ll be fine. I could use a nap anyway.”
Well, that I wasn’t going to argue with. I dropped a kiss to her forehead and told her I’d be back later.
It hadn’t been that long since Paige left though it felt like forever. The elevator was too slow. It took too long for the car to show up. It was one of those times that I wished I could just blink and be somewhere else. The only upside to having this extra time was that I could go over what I wanted to say to her. How I would explain. Some might call it obsessing but I’d honestly never felt for anyone what I felt for Paige.
Now I needed to not fuck it up.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Paige
Booker coming to the hospital shouldn’t have been surprising. I should’ve known he’d show up as soon as Joe told me he’d talked to Booker. Marina was his mother. A mother he loved and Booker was a good son. Of course he’d show up no matter what.
A raindrop landed in a puddle on the window as I stared out at the scenery passing me by on the way home. Since I’d called an Uber I could zone out while someone else did the driving. The downside was that while zoning out, I had time to think about how I’d let Booker in when I probably shouldn’t have. How I’d let myself care too much too quickly. How I should’ve known better because the amount of hurt I was feeling was too much for someone I hadn’t known all that long.
The kicker was that I knew better. I knew better. Barret and me against the world. We didn’t let people in. The one time I had as a kid, other than her, and he died. I’d need to protect myself better in the future.
When the driver pulled up to the Coyotes’ door the sky hadn’t completely opened up to rain yet but those little dots sprinkling the window indicated that it was only a matter of time. I got into the house just in time because that was when it really started. At the time I’d gotten Joe and Marina something to eat, I hadn’t wanted anything for myself. Honestly, I didn’t want anything now but I had to follow my own advice. I dropped my things in my room and returned to the kitchen to make myself a sandwich.
A loud crack of thunder startled me as I spread mayo over a slice of bread. Damn. I was glad I’d gotten home when I had and wouldn’t have to deal with the mess starting outside.
Just about to cut my sandwich in half when I felt a person slide in right behind me. So close that I could feel the heat of their breath on my back. What the fuck?
I spun, knife still in hand, ready to fight to the death. Fight to death with a butter knife.
“Christ, Booker. I almost stabbed you,” I said when I realized it was him and not a rapist/murderer. My heart raced, and adrenaline made my body tremble. Finding someone familiar stalking me did nothing to assuage my body’s fight instinct.
“Sorry.” He stepped back while giving me a sexy grin. “I thought you knew I was here.”
“How would I know you were here?”
He leaned in and slowly took the knife from my hand, a butter knife I’d been gripping as if it contained the cure for cancer. “Let’s just put that down first.”
I snorted. As if I’d actually stab him. I shook my head and asked him again as he dropped the knife into the sink.
“I came in the front door,” he said. “I assumed you heard me.”
“It must have been when that huge crack of thunder shook the house because I heard nothing.”
“Yeah, startled the shit out of me, too.”
Now that my heart was starting to slow down, and my breathing was returning to normal, I rested my hands on the edge of the countertop behind me. This uncomfortable silence hung in the air but I knew I sure as hell wasn’t going to speak first.
“I’m sorry,” he finally said as he gave me his best smolder, but it was also sincere. I raised an eyebrow at him. “I’m sorry I missed your calls,” he added.
“Missed?” I asked. That’s what I’d thought at first. At least u
ntil the other guy picked up and the doubt set in.
Booker stepped closer to me. “Missed. My phone died. I didn’t have a charger and we had to play.”
“OK,” I told him. “I can see how that would happen. But who answered your phone when I called? And why did he act as if I was irritating him?”
His jaw tightened and he took another step forward. “Our manager, Lawson. I’m going to deal with him. This isn’t an excuse but he was likely crazy busy and took it out on you. But because he answered the phone I didn’t see that you’d called.”
While I took a deep breath, I had to glance away from him because the heat beginning to creep up in his gaze was threatening to melt me. I needed to hear him out first. “He made it sound like me calling was a problem.”
Booker’s teeth ground together so forcefully that I heard them.
“He said if you wanted to talk to me, you would’ve answered,” I added.
“Fuck him,” Booker spat. “He had my phone, Paige. To charge it. He never should’ve answered it in the first place and he should’ve told me that you called. I’ll deal with him.” He slid his hands up my arms, the contact causing that familiar swirl in my stomach. Familiar only because it was him. “I had no idea you’d been trying to get a hold of me until my dad called.”
“You get the little number on your phone icon. Showing that you have missed calls,” I pointed out.
“Yeah. But I wanted to call you and didn’t take the time to look.”
“Wait… call me?” He hadn’t called me.
“Yeah. You didn’t answer. I assumed you were asleep. Then I called you later and left a message.”
“Really?” I asked quietly as I tried not to cry in relief.
“I swear, Paige. I called you back; that has to say something.”
Wait… no, he didn’t. I raised an eyebrow, then walked away from him int my bedroom to grab my phone. If I wanted to prove he hadn’t called me, I’d need it. I grabbed my purse and headed back out to him as I fished around for the damn thing. Finally, I found it.
“Fuck,” I said with a groan, as I walked slowly back out to the kitchen. I sucked on my bottom lip and looked up at him sheepishly as I got back in front of him. Then I held up my phone for him to see.
“What am I looking at?” he asked.
“My phone.” His face went blank with confusion. I sighed and decided to own up to my part in all this. “I was pissed after talking to that guy, so I turned it off and threw it in my purse. I haven’t touched it since then.” I grew quiet then said, “Ho fucking stupid.” More to myself than to him because I should’ve had it on for Marina and Joe. This wasn’t how I worked. Booker was fucking with my head and that couldn’t go on.
One corner of his mouth ticked up. “Turn it on.”
I did as he suggested and as soon as the thing was fully powered up, it dinged seven times. Missed calls, voicemails, and texts. I set the phone on the counter. “Sorry. I should’ve left that on.” That had been a stupid, childish thing for me to do.
Booker rested his hands on my hips. “Let’s just chalk this up to a misunderstanding and move on.”
I nodded.
“Paige,” he said dangerously close to my lips. “I really need to kiss you.”
“So kiss me already.”
I’d barely gotten the words out before his lips crashed into mine. Booker cupped my cheeks, one of my favorite things that he did, as he devoured me. I almost couldn’t keep up. His hands slid over my shoulders, then back down my arms as I just tried to hang on, my hands on each side of his very hard stomach. Each muscle tensed against my touch. The idea that I affected him as much as he affected me… priceless.
“Paige,” he said before moving to kiss down my neck, almost as if he didn’t know he’d said it out loud. My name fell from his lips almost as a praise and a warning at the same time. However he meant it, my name… the way he said it… made my legs weak.
I moved my hands under his shirt, finding that warm, velvet skin waiting for me. There were so many things I wanted to do with Booker… to Booker, most of which I had very limited experience with given my… well… very limited experience. I’d only lost my virginity at nineteen and the encounters I’d had over the last three years had been a means to an end. I needed a release, they gave it to me. They were never something I’d ever wanted to take my time with or savor. Booker… I wanted to savor.
“Paige,” he warned when I started pushing his shirt up his body. He placed a hand under my chin, then lifted so I’d look up at him. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he kissed me instead. Then he pulled back and yanked my shirt off me in one fluid move. “Is this OK?” he asked with a husky voice, the one he got when he was turned on.
“More than OK.” I lunged at him.
Our hands were everywhere; I couldn’t keep track. I popped the button on his jeans, reaching inside and wrapping my hand around his cock. Booker flinched back as if I’d shocked him, but I didn’t stop stroking him until a deep groan told me I needed to and then he slowly removed my hand.
Booker unhooked my bra and slid it down my arms, then dropped to his knees. He cupped, kneaded, and sucked on my breasts, taking a nipple into his mouth one at a time. I was about to let him take me right then and there as he trailed kissed down my stomach, only pulled back when he hit my waist band. Until I remembered where we were.
“Booker,” I said, but it came out more like a moan. “Booker.” I gave his hair a yank, forcing his head back and up toward me. “We’re in your parents’ kitchen.”
“I don’t care.” He stuck his tongue out and licked my left nipple causing my body to shiver.
I yanked at him a little harder. “I do.”
Finally, he understood and climbed to his feet. Booker put me in front of him, then began to walk me down the hallway, brushing my hair to the side and nipping at my bare shoulders at we went. My room came first. Booker somehow opened the door, kept me moving, supported some of my weight when his mouth made me weak, and got us inside all at the same time.
He shucked off his shirt and toed off his shoes. But he kept us moving until my legs hit the bed. I climbed up and Booker followed, yanking off my shorts and panties before covering my body with his. He moved against me, working the very core of me with his delicious friction before letting his talented tongue take over until I reached that nirvana of pure pleasure.
“Drawer,” I was barely able to say. He’d knocked me off my axis but I wanted him inside me which wasn’t going to happen without protection.
Booker barely moved off me when he reached for a condom. I hardly felt him lift off me when he put the condom on. But I sure as hell felt it when he sank into me.
There’d be time for us to go slow later. He moved and I countered. He hooked my leg up onto his hip and raised my pelvis to meet him. We found our rhythm as if we were always meant to be together.
It was like nothing we did got us close enough. We were as connected as two people could possibly be yet still I wanted more. Booker had the talent and know how to keep me guessing where he’d kiss me next, whether his touch would be rough or soft at times when I wanted both equally. Being with Booker involved more than just my body. He took over my senses.
It was everything and not nearly enough all at the same time. Like all of the best things, an end had to happen but it was an end that left us both satisfied and happy.
We lazily lay in bed, having tired ourselves out in the middle of the afternoon. Booker lay on his back with me tucked into his side as closely as I could get while his fingertips trailed up and down my bare arm. I just tried not to fall asleep.
“Why’d you pull my hand off you in the kitchen?” I asked. I suspected the answer, but I wanted to hear him say it. The idea of my touch pushing him over the edge made me feel like a badass.
“I was about to come and I’d rather do that in you than in your hand today.”
I giggled into his chest. “But… ” I took a deep breath. If
we were going to be together, I needed to be able to say anything to him. “There are some things… I’m just not good at because I’ve either never done them at all or have just never perfected them and I want to learn to keep you happy.” I spat it all out so quickly that my words began to run together. But I’d said them. That was a start.
“Paige.” He tilted my head toward him. “You can try out or learn anything with me. I’m a willing participant to your education.”
“Yeah,” I said rolling my eyes. “Because you’ve done everything.”
“No, listen.” He scooted himself down so we were eye to eye. “I don’t care about anything I’ve ever done before. I love you.”
My eyes widened. I couldn’t believe he’d said that. I’d known there were feelings between us but I thought I’d been the one falling too fast. It made sense. The regular girl and the rock star. Of course I’d fall for him. But, now, here he was haven already fallen for me.
“I love you,” he continued.
“I love you, too, Booker.” Now I couldn’t believe that I’d admitted that out loud but I loved the guy. There was no sense in trying to deny it at this point.
Booker moved in to kiss me again at the same time I heard the front door open, then close. I flung myself up, clasping the comforter to my chest almost hitting him in the head with mine. He sat up behind me, his trailing up and down my bare back.
“Probably my dad,” he said, his breath feathering against my naked skin, followed by three wet kisses up my back.
“Booker.” I twisted toward him in sheer horror. “My shirt and bra are in the kitchen.”
“It’s fine.”
“It’s not fine.” I began to scoot to the end of the bed. “I work for them, Booker.”
“OK. OK. Wait.” He flung the comforter off him, then swung his legs over the bed before walking over to where we’d left his jeans. “I’ll go out there and get them. You stay. Preferably naked.”
I gave him a grateful smile and said, “I’m getting dressed.”
Booker (Courting Chaos Book 3) Page 14
