As I listen to their conversations and smell the food, I realize how hungry I am. I leave the stable through the back without a word to anyone. I make the short drive home and make lunch. I relax on my front porch for a few moments before heading back to the stable. Ian texts while I stare into space.
Ian: How’s your day?
Me: The guys and I are working on the stable for Red.
Ian: At least you have Kip for entertainment.
Me: Not so much.
Ian: What’s wrong with Kip?
Me: Nothing I guess. We aren’t speaking right now.
I wait for a reply, and nothing comes so I head back to the stable. Everyone is working when I emerge and Koi shoots me a questioning glance. I turn the music back up so I don’t have to speak to anyone. After several hours, we complete three stalls, but there are eleven stalls remaining. I utter a quiet and quick goodbye not staying long enough to hear anyone’s reply.
Cash climbs onto my bed when we reach the house after all he worked very hard today chasing his tennis ball and napping. I find some comfortable clothes to change into and then jump into the shower to wash the day away. I let the steam cleanse my mind, and the warm water loosen my sore muscles. I turn the water off when my fingers become wrinkled and open the shower door to Ian sitting on my toilet.
“What the fuck?” I scream.
“Sorry,” he smiles holding his hands up in defense.
“You scared me! What are you doing here?”
“I’m worried.”
“You could’ve called or sent a text saying you would show. Fuck, I’m going to have a heart attack if you people keep scaring me!” I scold.
Ian’s eyes leave mine and travel down my body. Shit, I didn’t grab a towel. I was more concerned about him scaring the hell out of me. I grab for the towel, but Ian takes it from my grasp. I shoot him a questioning glance.
“Let me,” he says.
He dries my hair gently before he dries my body. Fuck you sex gods. Fuck you in the ass without lube. This is so unfair. When I’m dry he hands me my robe, and commands me to sit on my bed where he combs my long blonde hair. It’s so relaxing and I get sleepy. As I feel myself nodding off, he stops combing.
“Turn around,” he gently commands.
I arch my eyebrow.
“No arguments, rock star.”
He unfolds my legs from their crossed position, and massages lotion onto my feet and calves. Mmmm… I should fall in love with Ian. He works his way to my thighs where he slowly massages lotion in small circles. The higher he gets the more notice my pussy takes. You should fuck him. Why is my vagina talking to me? When I’m just about to grab his hand and place it where it belongs, he orders me to turn around again. Tease.
He eases the robe off my shoulders, and it falls to my waist. Fuck me. I’m so weak. I’m feeling like a cat in heat. Seriously, I think I may rub against him and meow until he gives up the wang. This slow torture will drive me insane. Does he want to fuck me or is he just being a good friend? I am of the current opinion that a good friend would fuck me right now. Don’t you think?
When he has fully moisturized my back, he works on my arms, and then he reaches around me to rub the shit onto my stomach. As he inches towards my breasts, my head instinctively falls back and a small moan escapes me. My vagina is such a betraying, horn dog of a bitch. That cunt has no poker face what-so-fucking-ever!
“Fuck,” he growls.
Not the growling. I cannot handle that shit right now.
His lips find my shoulder where he softly nibbles and kisses from one side to another and continues up my neck so painfully slow. Cash interrupts the moment by lunging off the bed and barking up a storm throughout the house.
Towards the center of the house his bark grows more ferocious by the minute, causing alarm. I pull my robe back on and we both follow Cash. When he sees we’ve followed he scratches at the door.
“He needs to go to the bathroom,” I say.
“I’ll walk with him,” Ian offers.
Ian opens the door and Cash sprints out. He probably heard a damn squirrel and wants to play with it. I return to my bedroom to dress. When I open the front door for Ian and Cash I hear Ian calling for the puppy.
Ian climbs the steps quickly holding a rose, “I believe this is for you.” He looks angry as he hands it over.
A small envelope is attached to the single rose with a string. I open it hoping it isn’t Jagger. I told him I need to stand on my own two feet, it would be wrong to wave Ian in front of his face.
“My Dearest Love,
I’ve waited so long for you to return home. It felt like an eternity, but now you’re here I can relax a little. I need to breathe the same air as you to feel complete. I’ve watched you work on your grandfather’s land for weeks now, and have often thought of lending you a hand, but am too mesmerized to watch you take each breath that extends your precious life. I’ve given you time to sew your wild oats, but the time has come for us to be together. You should dismiss your male friend as it would be cruel of you to break his heart in the future. I am the only one that can ever love you and give you all that you deserve. You are my queen, and I your king. Soon I’ll hold you in my arms, but until then think of me.
Love,
Randall”
“Who the fuck is Randall?” I ask.
“You don’t know a Randall?” Ian asks with alarm.
“Not a mother fucking one. This has to be a joke.”
“Who would do that?”
“Under normal circumstances, I would say Kip or Rhys; however, Kip is not speaking to me, and Rhys is still in California,” I explain.
“You sure Kip wouldn’t do this?”
“I’m positive.”
“It just seems like something Kip would do. The way he phrased the letter sounds like the shit that comes out of Kip’s mouth,” Ian states.
“It’s not Kip.”
“You should call him to make sure,” he advises.
“It’s not Kip!” I scream and then realize I’ve raised my voice. “Fuck! It’s not Kip, Ian. It’s not Kip because the last time I spoke to Kip was after I woke from an overdose at UCLA. It was after he and Jagger found me seizing and watched me fucking die. It can’t be Kip because he walked away from me and hasn’t so much as uttered a ‘Fuck You’ since.”
You know the look people have when they’ve found out someone they thought highly of did something unspeakable? The look family members and wives get when they find out their loved one murdered someone or committed some sadistic act. Ian is giving me the same look. We stare at each other, I guess waiting for the other to speak. The silence is crushing. Kip walked away from me, does this mean Ian will too? Will I lose another friend because I made a mistake? Fuck, I made a huge mistake. This wasn’t some white lie mistake, it was monstrous… a fucking beast that will haunt me for the rest of my years.
“I know,” he finally says.
“You know what?” I ask.
“I already knew about the overdose, the drug use, your disappearing act, the whole damn thing.”
“How do you know?”
“Jagger called.”
“What do you mean Jagger called you?” I ask in astonishment.
“He called when he realized you came back to Georgia. He thought you might need a friend close by. He said…” Ian rubs his hands over his face clearly looking for the right words. “He said if the roles were reversed, he would want me to tell him. He would want to me to tell him if you were hurting and needed him.”
“What in the hell does that mean?” I ask.
“Fuck, Hen. It means… it means if I were on the outs with you but knew something he didn’t, he would want me to tell him, because he gives a shit. He cares so damn much, and regardless of where that relationship stands, both of us would want to make sure you’re okay. We want to know if you’re hurting and whether you need us to put you back together. We want t
o love you.”
Chapter 7
Henley
His phone rings, and he looks at the screen, “I need to take this.”
I nod in understanding. We want to love you still echoes through my head. He can’t mean it like that, so I’ll ignore it. Saved by a phone call.
“Kip, I’m putting you on speaker.”
“Okay.”
“I’m here with Hen. She received a rose with a note attached. Before I tell you any more, did you leave anything at Henley’s today?”
“I haven’t left anything for her, why?”
“Is Rhys still in California? He hasn’t come in ahead of schedule?” Ian asks.
“No. He’s flying in this weekend,” Kip says. “What the fuck did the letter say?”
Ian reads him the letter.
“Either this is a bad joke, or Henley has a stalker,” Ian informs and the hair on my neck stands up.
“I’ll call Cory. He was flying out with Rhys but he will want to get here sooner if there is an issue. Does anyone else know about this?” Kip asks.
“No, we just found it. Cash went ape shit at the door, so the items were left very recently. I suspect the pup detected whoever it was,” Ian says.
Breathe. You do not have a stalker. Someone did not invade your privacy and home.
I lower myself to a nearby chair, and attempt to think happy thoughts. This can’t be happening right? It has to be a prank.
Puppies, bunnies, little piglets, Daniel Tosh, rescuing every homeless dog in the world, feeding every hungry person in the world, liberating countries, ending racism.
“She doesn’t need to stay alone tonight,” Kip informs Ian.
“I’m staying,” Ian advises.
“Hen?” Kip calls my name. It is the first time he’s spoken to me since I was in the hospital.
“Yeah?” I ask confused.
“You okay?” he asks.
“I will be.”
“Call me if anything else happens. I’m calling Cory, and then your dad, grandfather, and Koi. Please don’t stay by yourself at any point until we sort this out,” Kip says.
“I won’t.”
Ian and Kip continue their conversation as I walk through my home and check every door and window to ensure they are locked. Cash follows me around sniffing like hell which only freaks me out further. What does he smell? If there was ever a time I wish he could speak, it would be now.
As I finish checking the windows in my bedroom, Ian walks into the room upset with the potential situation at hand.
“Is everything locked up?” he asks.
“Yeah.”
“I’ll take the couch tonight in case someone comes in through one of the main doors,” he says.
“The hell you will. You’ll get your gorgeous ass in my bed, lock my bedroom door, and we’ll both have a shotgun on our sides of the bed.”
“Hen, you scare the shit out of me sometimes,” he laughs.
“Why?”
“You have two shotguns? What woman owns two shotguns?” he asks.
“I do. I live by myself most of the time. I don’t take chances. I can fight like hell and hope I win or put a hole in somebody’s ass and live to die another day.”
He laughs again and then takes his clothes off. Naughty thoughts cross my mind. Ok, you’re right. They do more than cross my mind. I have a dreamy sixty-second flick of Ian and me going at it. Damn him and his sexiness. I quickly get comfortable under the covers and try to ignore the sound of his jeans moving down his legs. I’m aware of what the man is packing underneath all that denim and cotton, and it takes me to a happy place. I cannot be in that happy place right now.
Cash jumps onto the bed and settles smack dab in the middle of it. Good boy.
Ian crawls under the covers and utters a, “Good night, rock star.”
“Night, movie star.”
***
What the fuck is that?
“Turn it off.” I murmur.
It’s blaring. What the fuck is that sound? Trying to sleep. Cash is barking.
“Stop barking, buddy.”
“What the hell?” Ian asks.
“Make it stop, please.”
“Shit, Hen, Get up!” Ian yells.
“What?” I ask sitting up in the bed.
“It’s our car alarms,” he says.
I jump out of the bed, throw jeans on, a pair of boots, and grab my shotgun.
“Jesus! What are you doing with that?”
“My cars are in the fucking garage! If my alarms have been set off then some stupid mother fucker was in my garage, which is essentially being in my house. Not to mention I was sleeping really fucking well and this ass hat woke me. Fuck that, somebody is getting shot.”
I hike down the main hallway and into the living room, open the front door, and look around.
“All right, psycho, where the fuck are you? You think you love me but you ain’t seen shit until you wake my crazy ass up. I’m a ray of fucking sunshine!”
I fire off a shot and reload the gun before firing off another shot.
“Where are youuuuuuu?” I sing and then wait a beat. “Chicken shit!” I yell and let off another round. “If I find your ass, love won’t be the first word that comes to mind you little dick mother fucker.”
I slam the door, lock it, and stomp back to my bedroom.
As I enter my bedroom again, Ian bursts into a fit of laughter, “Feel better?”
“No. I’m tired.”
I prop the shotgun by the bed, and search for the key fobs to my vehicles, and then hit the lock button to stop the alarm from screaming like a damn banshee. I crawl into bed, and sigh as soon as I find that spot.
“How come my stalker has to be stupid?” I ask.
“Hen, are you losing it?”
“Never had it. I mean my stalker is stupid, not the brightest crayon in the box. If he wants to win my affections, waking my ass up is not the way. Bring me coffee and homemade desserts, or buy me flowers I like. I hate roses, they are so… cliché and not a very pretty flower. If you are going to stalk be a smart stalker, find out the things your prey likes.”
“I think you need sleep.”
“I do, movie star.”
“Night again, rock star.”
I shut my eyes and sink into a slumber when the fucking alarms go off again. Somebody is going to die. I turn and look over at Ian who is dressing in jeans. He retrieves his phone from the nightstand and presses something or another.
“Koi?” he asks and then pauses.
“Glad he gave you a heads up. We may need help over here. Our car alarms have gone off twice,” he advises and then pauses again.
“I didn’t exactly do anything. Hen opened the front door, screamed at the individual and fired off several shots from her shotgun,” he chuckles and pauses again.
I find my key fobs and deactivate the alarms again. I think this is just a prank. A stalker would be sweet, right? They would want to win my heart and all that sappy bullshit.
“Koi said he is on his way,” Ian says.
“Did you tell him to bring his guns?” I ask.
“He is related to you, apparently I don’t have to tell him to bring weapons.”
I put on some sweat pants and a tank, then make coffee since I predict this will be a long and eventful night. Koi calls in a few moments to notify he will enter my home. He would apparently like to avoid getting shot. Southern men are so smart sometimes. Ian hands him the note and rose, so my brother reads it over several times.
“Wasn’t Kip. We were in the studio most of the day. Rhys is still in LA,” Koi says.
“Fuck me,” is all I have to say.
“Anyone you can think of that might play a prank?” Ian asks.
“No,” and as I issue my answer, car alarms screech again.
Koi and I pick up weapons and march outside. Koi’s truck alarm is also going off besides Ian’s.
The little fucker is outside.
“Hey asshole! Come out and play,” Koi yells.
Key fobs silence the alarms, and we grab coffee and sit on the front porch so my intruder will leave.
***
“Wake up girl,” a male voice says.
I open my eyes to find Cam standing over me with a cup of coffee and a smile. I smile back weakly and sit from my porch swing where I fell asleep in the wee hours of the morning. I rub my neck and pat for Cam to sit next to me. Once the fog clears, I notice strange men and vehicles in my yard and weaving in and out of the tree line.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
“Sheriff’s department is looking for any tracks or footprints to see which way your little friend came from. Looking for tire tracks which can tell us where he’s parking,” he informs.
“Why me? Why do I have a stalker?” I ask.
“Because you’re so fucking awesome!” he answers sarcastically and I laugh.
I shower after I devour a biscuit my grandfather brings me from his home and watch as the deputies continue to work. Cory arrives in the midst of all the chaos, and coordinates with the authorities before he greets me.
“I’m installing trail cameras all over these woods. It appears he came in from the other side of the creek that lines your property. They aren’t sure where he parked, but I want an angle on this house from every direction. I’m also installing cameras on the exterior of the house with motion detecting exterior lights,” he says.
“Sounds great, Cory. Thank you for arriving ahead of schedule.”
He squats down in front of me, “You okay, Henley?”
“I’m good, just a little freaked out,” I admit.
“You okay with me updating the alarm system in the house?” Cory asks.
“I want the best of everything inside and outside of the house. I don’t want to be afraid of some psycho stalker if that is indeed what is happening here,” I answer.
“Do you think this could be something else?” he asks.
“I guess I’m still hoping this is a prank.”
Guitar Face Series Box Set: Books 1-4 Page 61
