by B. B. Miller
Cassidy tightens her hand around my arm, her eyes glassy. “Thank you, Tucker. You don’t know what this means to me.”
Tucker shrugs, his half grin back in place. “Just look after this one over here.” He nods in my direction. “You taking him off my hands is actually a good thing. I should be the one thanking you.”
That gets a laugh out of Cassidy, and she leans into my side. “I don’t think he’s nearly as bad as you make him out to be.”
Tucker scoffs. “No. You’re right. He’s worse, but we’ll keep him around.”
“Your life would be as dull as a burned-out light bulb without me in it, mate.” Tucker laughs but doesn’t dare disagree. He knows the truth all too well. “Thanks, Tuck. I’ll give you a ring tomorrow, yeah?”
“Sounds like a plan. Talk to you then. Take care of him, Cassidy.”
“I will,” she says, meeting my gaze. I’m aware of the chat window going black, and then her mouth is on mine. Despite the seesaw of emotions we’re both dealing with, she does a damn fine job of taking care of me.
Cassidy
“What color is your hair under all this dye?” I drag my fingers through his soft hair. The vibrant purple has dulled a bit, making it look like the color of evening shade against the mountains in Wyoming where we camped when I was a child.
“You don’t want to know. Besides, it’s been so long since I’ve seen it, I think I’ve forgotten.” We’re stretched out on his sofa, luxuriating in the afterglow of the blowjob I just gave him. I swear to God, his cock is magical. Watching him fall apart with my mouth around him makes me feel like a superhero.
After talking to Tucker, I needed what I always seem to need lately. Sean. The shock of hearing there were no pictures—and the implications of that—was almost too much, and he centers me like no one else ever has.
“I do want to know.” I finger a silky strand. “Considering your twin’s hair, I’m guessing it’s red.”
He sighs and opens one eye to peer at me. “Where did this sudden interest in my hair come from?”
I shrug. “Just wondering. I find your hair fascinating. And I like red hair.” It’s also helping me delay dealing with my problems. I slide my hand over his chest, toying with some of his reddish-gold hairs, and he covers my fingers with his. “Why not let it go natural for a while? Is it this color? Kind of golden red?”
“Keep guessing.” He looks up at me. “You like red hair, huh? Harbor a secret love for gingers, Fly-girl?”
A giggle slips out and I kiss his chin. “Maybe. You never see Prince Harry complaining about his hair.”
He barks out a laugh. “That’s because he’s a prince, love. You should’ve seen him at his brother’s bachelor party. He—” The trilling of his phone interrupts him and he scowls at it.
“You’d better get it.” I look at it like it’s a rattlesnake. “It might be Tucker again.”
He gives me a quick kiss before helping us both sit up. Snatching it off the coffee table, he frowns at the screen. He taps it and holds it out in front of him—he must be Facetiming. “Hey, Matty, what’s up?”
“Hey, uh, how’s it going, man?” a deep voice answers him.
“Peachy.” Sean cocks an eyebrow at the screen. “What’s going on, mate? Are you…are you fucking blushing?”
“Fuck you. Of course not.” Sean rises and walks over to sit at the kitchen counter. “Um, Tess was just asking about you, so I thought I’d check in.”
“Oh no, you don’t!” A woman’s amused voice rings through, and Sean smiles at the phone. “Don’t you dare pin this on me, Matthew Thomas Logan!”
Sean laughs at the grumbling from his friend. “Just a second.” I hear what sounds like footsteps on wooden stairs, and the woman’s merry laughter fades.
“What the hell are you doing?” Sean demands, amusement coloring his voice. “Why the fuck are you going down to your garage? Are we plotting a coup or something?”
“So, I was just, um, talking with Tucker about the setup for the next show, and I thought I’d see what you thought about it.” I don’t know this man, but even I can hear the false note of nonchalance. Sean rolls his eyes.
“About the next show. Which isn’t for eight months,” he says flatly. “Bullshit. He fucking told you, didn’t he? He called you and you two gossiped about me like a couple of fishwives, didn’t you?”
He sweeps his hand through his shaggy hair, and I can’t help but giggle at his aggrieved expression. I uncurl from my comfy spot on the sofa and saunter toward him, smoothing down my sweater.
“No! He, uh, just mentioned…” I hear a deep sigh. “Fuck it. Yes, fine. He may have mentioned something about a girlfriend. I accused him of having a concussion or something because the Sean Murphy I know doesn’t have that word in his vocabulary. He told me to do something anatomically impossible, so I figured he was serious, and that I’d better check to see if you’ve been abducted by aliens.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” Sean groans, palming his face. His phone chimes twice, and he taps at the screen. “Brilliant. Now the other two are texting. Bunch of nosy gits. I swear to God, you lot are like a gaggle of twelve-year-old girls.” He sets the phone on the counter, propping it against a small basket of apples.
“Please. Like you aren’t always in all of our business?” Matt’s sarcasm is tinged with humor. “What is it you always say—that you’re just looking out for us? Well, right back at ya, big guy.”
Sean looks at me wide-eyed as I approach and waves his free hand at me, as if to ward me off. Screw that. I laugh softly and come up behind him, slipping my arm around his waist, and propping my chin on his shoulder so I can see the screen. “Hello, I’m Cassidy Skinner. May I assume you’re the Matt Logan I’ve heard so much about?”
An attractive man with short, dark blond hair, and scruff covering a sharp jawline is grinning from the screen. “That I am. Nice to meet you, Cassidy. And whatever stories he’s told you about me are no doubt exaggerations. Just bear that in mind.”
I laugh. “I will.” Sean twists so I move from behind to stand beside him and he slings his arm over my shoulders.
“Okay, okay, so you’ve met her and can report back that she’s not an axe murderer or something,” he says, but Matt seems to scan the screen, and his eyes open wide in awe.
“Wait—are you at your place? She’s at your place?” he asks in disbelief.
What’s this? I glance at Sean, who scowls at the screen, but shoots me nervous glances out of the corner of his eye. “Of course we are. Where else would we be?”
Running his hand through his hair, Matt laughs, his eyes bright with glee. “Holy shit. That’s one of your top ten Murphy’s Laws! I can’t believe it. This is a momentous day.”
“Murphy’s Laws?” I ask, my head swiveling between them. Matt huffs a laugh.
“You haven’t told her about your laws yet? Cassidy, he’s been lording them over us for years. Got ’em for everything, although most of them revolve around sex. Right now, he’s breaking number eight, I believe.”
Sydney’s voice rings out behind us. “Actually, it’s number five.” I look over my shoulder to see her toss an armful of shopping bags on the sofa we’d vacated. Her long auburn hair is piled on her head, and she’s wearing a long paisley-print tunic over jeans. “I believe it’s ‘never bring them back your place,’” she recites, walking over and leaning in so she can see the screen. “You wouldn’t believe how many laws he’s breaking these days. How are you, Matty?”
“Syd! It’s nice to see you, gorgeous. Tess was wondering if you’d picked out a dress yet.”
She chuckles and pats me on the shoulder. “I have indeed. Cassidy is creating it just for me. She’s a brilliant designer.”
My cheeks heat from her praise as Matt grins. “You don’t say? So is that how you all met?”
Sydney and I begin to answer, but Sean snatches his phone off the counter and hops out of his seat, striding away from us. “Yes, yes, that’s enough show
-and-tell for now. Say hello to the lovely Tess for me, eh? And you can tell HRH and Three I won’t be answering their texts. I’ll see you all for the taping of your buddy Landon’s show, yes?”
Matt snorts. “He’s not my buddy, and you know it.”
“Keep telling yourself that, mate.” Sean sticks his tongue out at Matt. “See you in three weeks.” He pockets his phone and turns to face us; Sydney and I are both standing with our arms crossed. “What?”
“Who’s HRH and Three?” I ask, curious.
“His nicknames for Kennedy and Cameron,” Sydney answers for him. “He has nicknames for everyone, except me.”
“Yes I do.” He smiles sweetly at her. “Demon twin.” He ducks her sudden swing easily, laughing as she rolls her eyes at him.
“Asshat,” she says, allowing him to pull her into a hug.
“I know, but you love me anyway. You have to. It’s in the twin contract.” He smacks a kiss against her cheek and laughs when she shoves him away and wipes her face with a hand. “Did you accomplish all your shopping goals?”
“I did. Did you achieve your goals?” She looks between us.
Her question brings back the subject I’ve been trying to forget. I clutch the back of the chair Sean had left and swivel it side to side. “We made a good start.” The anger wells again; I take a deep breath and force a smile for Sydney’s sake. “So, what are these laws you’re breaking?”
Syd laughs; her brother ducks his head but can’t hide the rosy glow on his cheeks. “I’m going to let you explain this one.” She gives him a playful shove on the shoulder. “I need to add all this to my luggage for tomorrow.” She waves toward her purchases and then walks over to me. “Do you need anything from me until I come back for the bash?”
We’d planned for her first fitting in three weeks when she returns for the opening celebration of Sean’s music academy. “No, I’m good.” I manage a more real smile. “You selected the perfect shade of cream. I can’t wait to see it on you.”
She beams. “I can’t either!” She folds me in a tight hug, and I welcome her sweet, soothing scent. “You’re very good for him, Cass,” she whispers in my ear. “Thank you.”
Surprised to be blinking back a few tears, I give her a crooked smile and nod when she pulls away. Sean’s soft smile tells me he knows exactly how I feel, even if I don’t.
“What are you thinking?” We’re entwined in his huge bed, lying on our backs and watching a cloud scud past the moon through his skylight. I sigh and snuggle closer in his embrace.
“Right now, I’m thinking I need to take up Pilates or something to keep up with you.” I’m deflecting, but not much. I used to think I was in shape; it’s amazing how being drilled by a certain British sex god on a regular basis can change your perspective.
His soft chuckle is warm against my neck. “You know what I mean. Do you want to talk about it?” I tug the sheets up over us. I usually dread talking about this, but Sean makes it easier. He’s genuinely concerned and just wants to help. Opening up to him feels cathartic in a way I haven’t felt before. I don’t feel like I’m in this alone any longer.
“I still can’t quite believe there aren’t any photos—that there never were.” The anger still simmers just below the surface, beginning to boil again. I shift in his arms, my hand tightening on the sheet. “I need to find out what my father knows.”
He grunts and shifts next to me. Above us, the clouds shroud the moon, dimming its glow. I bet it starts raining again soon. “Are you sure you want to do that?” he says finally. “Why should you spend one more minute with that fucker Canton? He doesn’t deserve to breathe the same air as you. I like Tucker’s idea. Just have him deal with it and leave you out of it.”
“I can’t,” I whisper, shaking my head. I move around until I’m facing him. “I’ve let others deal with things for me for too long.”
He brushes some hair out of my face, his eyes searching mine. “I understand. I hate the idea of anything more happening to you, but I understand.”
“I don’t want to spend any time with Dale either, but I have to find out if my father was part of this, or if Dale was acting alone. It’s…hard to fathom Dale would take a step sideways that my dad didn’t know about.” I frown, thinking of how Dad and Dale have always moved in lockstep. “Dad trusts Dale implicitly. That’s why I need to talk to him. And I need to do it in person.”
He cranes his neck to press a kiss between my eyebrows and then rests his forehead against mine. “When?”
“Not as soon as I’d like.” I kiss him gently. “He leaves soon for a diplomatic trip to Australia and Japan. I’ll have to wait until he returns.”
He slips his hands around my waist and pulls our hips together while nibbling on my neck. “When will that be?”
“I’m…oh, that feels nice.” My fingers tighten on his shoulders as his lips send little jolts of electricity running under my skin. “I’m not sure.” I’m about to let myself go when another thought occurs to me. “You and Matt seem pretty close.”
He hums, and I can feel him nod as his hands slide over my body. “We’re all close—like brothers. The brothers I chose. But you’re right; there’s a little something extra between Kennedy and Cam, and between Matty and me.”
“Why did you get so upset about them talking about us?” While it was funny to see him get so flustered, it was confusing, too. He was so calm and determined with Tucker, but Matt threw him off his game.
Sean sighs and pulls back a little, flopping his head on the pillow. “I wasn’t upset, not really.” He twists a strand of my hair between his fingers. “It surprised me, that’s all. Matt was right—usually it’s me getting into their business, not the other way ’round.” He huffs a soft laugh. “I guess I should’ve expected it. I know I shocked Tucker, so it stands to reason he’d bring the others into it.”
Some of Matt’s words come back to me. “Shocked him by your request or with my situation?” I take a deep breath. “I know it’s embarrassing—”
“Shocked him by being so obviously serious about taking care of you: a beautiful woman I’m also obviously head over heels for.” His hand travels the length of my spine, making me shiver. “Believe me, love, nothing you could ever do would be as embarrassing as some of the shit the band has done over the years. It’s that I have a woman in my life besides my sister that’s shocked them.”
“Oh, come on. We’ve already talked about your not-so-saintly past,” I tease, tracing his lips with a fingertip. “Surely there’ve been women who—”
He cuts me off again with a quick kiss. “Nope,” he whispers, pressing his forehead to mine again. “There’s only you, Fly-girl.”
Warmth seeps through my veins, lighting me up inside. My God, I may be falling in love with this man. My heart leaps with the revelation, and I don’t know what to do with the sudden rush of emotion. So I change the topic.
“Are you going to explain these laws of yours to me?” I pinch his ass playfully, and he laughs, grabbing me and rolling us until he’s looming over me in the darkness.
His voice in my ear is a wicked purr. “Let’s break a few more first.”
Murphy’s Law No. 17: If you live in a bubble for too long, it’s bound to burst.
Sean
“DON’T YOU HAVE SOME PLACE to be?” Cassidy’s eyes never move from the intricacy of her work. She’s been at it for hours, and I can’t get enough of being with her in her space while she creates something beautiful out of a mere idea in her head.
“Right here’s the place to be.”
“Watching me work?”
“Mhmm.” From the bed, I prop my hand under my chin and adjust my position.
She shakes her head. “You really are a nut job.”
“Keep talking about my nuts.”
A small smile plays at her lips. “Behave.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t recognize that word.”
“Sean…”
“Cass…”
; “Sixty-five hundred Swarovski crystals aren’t going to hand sew themselves.”
I blow out a long breath, glancing out to the rain pelting the windows. “Don’t I know it. I’ve probably seen you sew 1,400 of them.”
“You’ve only seen 840. Stop exaggerating.”
I scoff. “I never exaggerate.”
She snorts, and it somehow ends up sounding cute and sexy at the same time. “I guess you don’t need to.” Her eyes lift to mine from behind her sexy as all hell dark blue framed glasses she’s got on. It’s only for the briefest of moments, but her eyes widen as she takes me in on the bed.
“Really? Again?” She looks pointedly at the tented sheets. I push them down deliberately.
“Always seems to be in this state around you, love.”
“You’re insatiable.”
I laugh, taking a long, slow stroke of my cock. “Ah, pot, kettle? I wasn’t the one waking you up in the middle of night.”
“Is that a complaint?” She pushes her glasses up the bridge of her nose.
“Merely an observation.”
She hums, focusing back on her task. I know this dress is important, just like all of the others she creates. I also know she’s behind the deadline. She hasn’t exactly come out to put the blame on me, but I’ve been spending nearly every waking and sleeping moment with her for the last two weeks. I like distracting her, and she has yet to complain.
Since the revelation from Tucker a couple of weeks ago about the photos, or lack thereof, things have been intense. The concept of having a woman take over my life was inconceivable to me only a few months ago, but I now understand what’s happened to the rest of the guys. Having someone to look forward to at the end of a day, to share the little things with, makes life infinitely more fulfilling.
She’s been to the music academy, which is almost ready for our grand opening. She’s met Nari Johnston, the academy director, and the pair of them got on like a house on fire. Nari tried to teach Cass a few bars on the piano, but that was hopeless. Cassidy’s artistic flare is well routed in design and couture and ends there. Her pout was adorable when she couldn’t figure out the keys, and she promptly declared she’d leave the music to me.
