“Yes,” he mutters against my lips, and his body stills and then jerks as he comes inside me.
“Don’t cry,” he whispers and kisses a tear on my cheek. “Did I hurt you?”
I can just shake my head and blink my eyes. “No.”
“What is it?” His voice is soft.
“This is just new,” I respond and offer him a watery smile. “But it’s good.”
“I was aiming for really good.”
“You have good aim.”
He grins proudly, and my phone starts to play the old Twentieth Century Fox theme song.
“That’s Luke.”
“He can wait.”
Leo kisses my nose, my forehead, and my cheek before settling his lips on mine again and brushing them back and forth.
And the phone goes off again.
“Something could be wrong,” I whisper. “I should answer.”
He regretfully pulls out of me and watches me move off the bed to find my phone that’s still in the pocket of my jeans.
“Hello?” I turn to find Leo lying, face down, face propped on his folded arms, smiling at me. I stick my tongue out at him.
“What the hell, Sam?” Luke’s pissed.
“What?”
“You were supposed to watch Liv today while Nat and I went to the doctor.”
“Oh shit! I’m so sorry, I forgot. I’ve been sick.” Leo frowns at me and sits up, and I turn my back on him.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m feeling better.”
“Well, I hope you’re home ’cause we’re bringing her to you, since the office isn’t too far from you. I’m parking now. We’ll bring her up.”
He hangs up, and I immediately panic.
“Fuck!”
“What is it?” Leo’s standing behind me, his face worried, and my panic rises.
“Luke and Nat are on their way up here with Olivia. I’m supposed to watch her, and I forgot.” I eye his hot naked self, and then start scooping up our clothes, throwing his at him as I go. “Get dressed! Damn, damn, damn!”
Leo starts to laugh, not helping the situation at all.
“You have to hide in the closet.” I pull my shirt and jeans on and turn to find him glaring at me.
“I’m not sixteen, Sam. I’m not hiding for anyone.” He crosses to me and pulls me in his arms and kisses my forehead. “We’ve established this isn’t a one-night thing.”
“Right.”
“Our families were bound to find out sometime.”
I swallow hard. Fuck. “Right,” I whisper.
“Don’t worry.” He smiles reassuringly just as the doorbell rings.
“Get your pants on,” I hiss at his smiling face and cringe when Luke knocks on the door.
Leo pulls his jeans up and fastens them, and I can’t wait any longer for him to pull a shirt on.
I open the door to a grinning Livie but a scowling Luke.
“Gee, thanks,” he mutters sarcastically and hands me the baby, pushing past me into my living room.
Natalie happily follows him, grinning at me when she sees Leo in the kitchen washing his hands. Luke is struck dumb.
“Hi, Leo.” Nat grins and waves.
“Hey, Nat. How are you feeling?” Leo asks and kisses her cheek, drying his hands on a towel.
“If you’re going to touch my wife, you’d better put a shirt on. Dude, what the fuck are you doing with my sister?”
Livie’s eyes fill with tears at her daddy’s harsh voice. I kiss her forehead and bounce her in my arms.
“Luke, chill out.” I pin him with a glare, but he doesn’t care.
“We’re going to be late,” Nat reminds him and offers me a sympathetic smile.
“We will talk about this.” Luke kisses Liv and leans in to whisper in my ear. “Be careful.”
“We won’t be long,” Nat says. “She has snacks, diapers and toys in her bag. She just had a nap, so she should be fine until we get back.”
“Nat, I’m fine,” I assure her and guide them out the door. “Go.”
“She’s cute,” Leo murmurs and runs his hand down Liv’s plump cheek. The baby immediately grabs his finger and sticks it in her mouth.
“Here, take her, and I’ll get her some juice.”
“Whoa, take her?” He takes a step back, his eyes suddenly scared. He’s hilarious.
“She’s a baby, Leo, not a weapon of mass destruction.” I thrust the baby into his hands, pull Livie’s sippy cup from her bag and head to the kitchen.
“Can I put her on the floor with her toys?” he calls out to me.
“Sure, just put a blanket down for her to crawl on.”
Damn, he’s funny.
“I think the baby is about to kill your cat,” Leo says drily, and I hurry back to the living room while capping the cup to find Livie with a handful of the cat’s fur, trying to put it in her mouth.
“Or eat her,” I agree and laugh as Leo tries to untangle Liv’s tiny, and surprisingly strong, grasp from my poor cat.
We sit with her and entertain her with her toys for a while, chuckling at how cute she is.
“This isn’t too hard,” I tell him, and he grins at me.
“Nah, not too hard.” He runs his hand over her soft brown hair and then frowns. “Wait, do you smell that?”
“No.” I stop what I’m doing and sniff. “What is it?”
Leo scowls and glances down at Liv, who’s grinning widely at him, slobber dripping down her cute little chin. “I think she shit herself.”
“Stop swearing in front of her.”
“Me swearing is not our biggest problem right now.”
We stare at each other for a minute and then he digs around in the diaper bag, pulls out a diaper and wipes and hands them to me. “Here.”
“Why do I have to do it?” I ask.
“Because you’re her aunt. Duh.”
“I don’t do poop.” I scowl down at the little girl, like she’s done this to me on purpose.
“What do you normally do when this happens and you’re watching her?”
“My mom changes her.”
“Haven’t you watched her alone before?” Now he’s laughing. Liv is laughing with him, enjoying the joke, and I’m scowling at both of them.
“Dear God, what did they feed her?” I hold my hand over my nose. “Don’t you know how?”
“She’s a girl. I’m not going to jail.”
“Don’t be an idiot. You won’t go to jail for changing her diaper. You might go to jail for not changing her diaper.”
“Come on, Auntie Sammie.” He winks charmingly. “You got this.”
“Leo is going to lose his manhood if he ever calls me Sammie again,” I tell Liv, and she giggles. Then, suddenly, it’s as if she realizes what she’s sitting in. Her pretty face crumbles, and she starts to cry.
“Shit, we need to change her.”
“I’m calling Meg.” Leo pulls his phone out and dials Meg’s number.
“Why?”
“She’s a nurse. She deals with crap all the time. Hey, I’m at Sam’s. There’s an emergency, and I need you to come here ASAP. Uh huh. No, no ambulance, just need your help. Okay, thanks.” He hangs up and stuffs the phone back in his pocket. “She’ll be right here.”
“You totally just lied to her.”
“She’ll be here in ten.”
It’s the longest damn ten minutes of my life.
Finally, the doorbell rings. The only reason I hear it is because Liv has taken a moment to take a breath, thus giving us zero point three seconds of silence.
“Thank God.” Leo pulls Meg into the apartment, and she scowls when she sees the baby in my arms.
“What’s wrong with her?” she asks.
“She has a shitty diaper,” Leo tells her.
“So change her.”
“Leo’s afraid he’ll be considered a pedophile, and I don’t know how.”
Meg takes the baby from my arms and stares back and forth at us, h
er face incredulous. “Are you fucking kidding me? You said it was an emergency. I worked all night last night, and you woke me up for this?”
“Don’t you smell that? It is an emergency.”
“Jesus, you two are worthless.” Meg finds a diaper and wipes, lays the baby on the floor on her blanket, and gets to work. “This is nothing. At least she didn’t blow out the diaper.”
“What does that mean?” I’m not sure that I really want to know.
“When the poop goes up their back, into their hair, all over the place. Now that’s gross.”
“Isn’t the point of a diaper to catch the poop?” Leo plants his hands on his hips, frowning at Meg. “I mean, if they don’t do their job, what’s the point?”
Meg laughs and snaps the baby’s jumper back in place, all clean and happy. “There, all done.”
Liv smiles and leans her head on Meg’s shoulder when Meg lifts her off the floor.
“This is our secret,” I tell her. “Luke will never let me live it down if he finds out that I couldn’t change her diaper.”
“It’s fine.” Meg waves me off and hands me the baby. “Have you fed her?”
And, as if on cue, Liv burps, spitting up whatever she had for lunch.
“I’m so not having kids,” I mutter.
“Good call,” Leo agrees and offers me his fist for a fist bump.
***
~Leo~
“Thanks again for coming to help.” I lean on Meg’s Range Rover and offer her a grin.
“You got me here under false pretenses.” She glares at me and then laughs, shaking her head. “You both looked ridiculous.”
“Yeah, maybe no kids for me.”
“You’d do great.” She shrugs and grins, her dimple showing. “Looks like things are going better.”
I just nod and step back from the car, pushing my hand through my hair. “Yeah, things are better.”
“Good. I’m going back to bed.”
“Okay, get some sleep.”
She grins wider, and I have the feeling she’s about to say something that I really don’t want to know.
“Will’s home. I’m going back to bed but not to sleep.”
“Stop saying shit like that, Meg. I mean it.”
She laughs and pulls away from the curb, waving as she merges into traffic.
And now that I have visions of my sister shagging Will Montgomery, I want to poke out my mind’s eye with something sharp and hot.
I turn back toward the building just as Luke and Natalie return and park. As I approach them, Luke’s gaze is on me, not friendly, and I feel the bro talk coming on.
“Hey, baby, you go on up and get Livie. Tell Sam I’ll call her later.”
“Okay. See you later, Leo.” She waves and walks into Samantha’s building.
Luke watches her until the glass door closes behind her.
“How is she?” I ask him.
“She’s great, baby’s great, now let’s get down to it. What the fuck, man?” He crosses his arms over his chest and scowls at me. I glance around us, watchful of anyone with a camera or phone pointed this way. The last thing we need are photos posted on the Internet of Leo Nash and Luke Williams having it out on a street in Seattle.
“Look, Sam’s great…”
“I know, I’m her motherfucking brother.”
“What’s your problem?” This is more than brother overprotection. “You know I’m a good guy.”
“You’re a celebrity. Sam has been hurt by this industry enough.”
“What are you talking about?”
“That’s her story to tell.” He shakes his head in frustration and paces away. “Your lifestyle isn’t for her.”
“Sam is a grown woman, Luke. She can make her own decisions. You and I both know how damn smart she is.”
“You will hurt her, and I’ll be damned if I sit by and watch.” His index finger is pointing at me, and he’s pissing me the fuck off.
“I’ll fucking protect her. Luke, my band members have wives and families…”
“Is that what you want with her?” he asks sarcastically. “The womanizer Leo Nash wants a family?”
Fuck you, asshole. You don’t know what I want.
“I’m crazy about her, dude. If you think I’ll let anything hurt her, you’re nuts.”
“You can’t protect her from this business, and you know that. You should leave her alone now, before it goes any further.”
“I will do everything to keep her safe,” I repeat, my jaw aching from being clenched so tightly. “I’m not going to stop seeing her.”
Luke watches me rub my chest, where an ache at the thought of not seeing Sam anymore has taken up residence, just shakes his head and sighs. “I can’t believe she’s doing this again,” he whispers. But before I can ask him what the fuck that means, he follows it up with, “I’m telling you, when you’re done with her, she’ll be a wreck. It took her years to recover from last time, and I don’t know that she could do it again.”
What the fuck happened?
“Ready?” Natalie asks as she comes out of the building, holding Liv on her hip. The baby’s face lights up at the sight of her daddy.
“Yeah,” Luke responds and watches me thoughtfully as Natalie settles Olivia in her car seat. “You better protect her, Nash, or I’ll fucking kill you.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Chapter Nine
~Samantha~
“Ms. Williams, your references are impeccable, and your credentials are spot-on. We’d love to have you come down to LA to meet with us and the other editors to see if this would be a good fit for all involved.”
“Thank you, Mr. Foss.” I grin into the webcam on my Mac, and the handsome man on the other end smiles in return. “I’d like that.”
“Would next week work for you?”
“Yes, I believe my calendar is open next week.” I’m bouncing up and down on the inside but manage to remain calm on the outside.
“I’ll have my assistant e-mail with the travel arrangements. I look forward to meeting you in person. Have a good week, Ms. Williams.”
“Thank you, and likewise.”
The screen goes black as Mr. Foss disconnects the Skype chat, and I sit back in my chair, chewing on my lip.
I need new interview clothes.
Shopping helps me think. It may sound stupid, and my brothers tease me incessantly, but roaming through racks and racks of clothes and shoes helps me clear my head.
So I throw on a jacket and grab my handbag and set out for the shopping district.
I don’t live far.
One of the reasons that I chose to buy this condo was the convenience of being downtown. It was close to my old job, shopping, the market, and I love being in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the city.
I’m a city girl.
I push my way into Nordstrom. The heat from inside the store is a deep contrast to the cold weather outside. I make my way to my favorite section of the store, the underwear, and let my mind wander.
LA. Do I want to move to LA?
No.
But I desperately need a job. I have a mortgage and a car and a life to pay for. I’m blessed with a healthy savings, but it won’t last forever.
And I will die before I ask anyone for a handout.
But leaving Seattle means leaving my family. My friends.
Leo.
I still, a pair of black panties with ruffles on the butt in my hands, and feel my face flush. These are exactly like the ones he ripped off me that night in my kitchen.
I may as well replace them.
And grab some pretty new bras while I’m here.
It’s been more than a week since our fight, since I was sick. Since we watched Olivia together.
I carry my undergarment finds over to the women’s section to pick out a new suit for my interview next week and end up with three new outfits, all suitable for interviews.
Because even if the LA job doesn�
��t work out, I’ll have other interviews to go to.
I hope.
As I make my way home with my purchases, my mind wanders back to the sexy, tattooed man who has wormed his way into my life. And it feels natural to have him here.
He’s attentive and caring. He’s amazing in bed. He’s funny.
And I just want to lick him.
But there will come a time, in the not-too-distant future, that he’ll be gone the majority of the time. He and his band will release the new album, and all the hoopla that goes along with it will begin: tours, promo, TV appearances. Lots and lots of travel.
He doesn’t even have a home in Seattle. He’s staying at Meg’s old place. He owns a home in LA.
Oh God, I don’t want him to think that I’m considering a job in California just because he lives there. How mortifying.
The thought of Leo leaving makes me sad. Okay, it makes me feel like my heart is being torn from my bloody body.
But I’ll survive it. And I’ll enjoy him in the mean time.
I kicked him out of my apartment yesterday and told him to go home for a day. Time apart is healthy. We don’t have to be in each other’s pockets twenty-four/seven.
I don’t want him to get sick of me.
He’d reluctantly gone, but then he’d called me at two a.m., complaining that he couldn’t sleep.
I wasn’t sleeping either.
And we had the most fun, sexy-as-hell phone sex I’d ever had in my life.
Yeah, I like him.
I drop my purchases on the ottoman in the center of my closet room and sigh happily. I love this room. Three walls are lined with clothes, separated by occasion: casual, work, formal. The fourth wall houses my handbags and shoes.
And in the center of the room is a long, plush sand-colored ottoman for dressing. Before I can begin putting my newest finds away, my phone rings.
The display reads simply, Nash.
I grin as I answer, “Hey, there, ridiculously sexy rock star.”
“Hey. What are you up to?” His voice is warm and deep and smooth, and I have to lower myself to the ottoman before my knees buckle.
God, I have it bad.
“I had to go shopping, so I’m putting some things away.”
With Me in Seattle Bundle One Page 98
