“Loves in a platonic way.” Jase stared Heath straight in the eye. His buddy’s look defied him to disagree.
There’d never been a doubt in his mind Jase wouldn’t approve of a relationship between him and Sam. That was the sole reason he’d never pursued her.
He shrugged. “Yeah. Sure.”
Legs spread wide Jase sat forward and rested his forearms on his thighs. “Yeah. Right.”
Sam hightailed it to her room as fast as she could walk in five-inch high heels. Tonight she’d made a fool of herself and hurt Heath in the process. She wasn’t proud of herself, and while the guys came to her rescue, she deserved the rebuke Jase gave her.
Closing her bedroom door behind her, she walked straight to the adjoining bathroom. She discarded her clothing in a pile on the floor, turned the water in the shower as hot as she could endure, and stood under the spray for a long time.
Uncertain what evil fairy had driven her to prod Heath into the sex store, she hoped he would forgive her for causing this drama. Sure he said he didn’t need an apology, but once again the press created havoc with their lives.
None of it would be an issue if I hadn’t provoked him.
Her neck tingled where he’d touched her, and she ran her fingertips over the spots that still prickled. He’d been so close she could detect how dilated his eyes had been. It’d been hedonistic the way his cinnamon breath had felt against her flesh. The nip of his teeth against her ear had weakened her knees. She’d stopped breathing when he’d slid his mouth along her jaw.
She’d wanted him to kiss her. Had been breathless with anticipation.
Sam sighed. She could not lose sight of the fact Heath thought of her as his kid sister. He’d protected her from Aaron because Heath interpreted the situation as Aaron taking advantage of her. And the actor had tried, so Heath had had cause to be upset, but she couldn’t forget he’d crossed the boundary with her tonight all on his own. Yeah, she’d prodded him with sex toys… because he’d been so angry at her being with another man. At the time, proving she was a woman with needs had seemed like a good idea. Now she could admit her folly.
She should be thankful those reporters had stopped them. Heath would’ve bemoaned his actions in the morning. Awkwardness she could deal with, but his regret would be too much to take.
Thank goodness for Tab’s expertise because Sam had no idea how to fix this dilemma.
She shut off the lukewarm tap and toweled off.
Sadness clogged her throat and settled like a hundred-pound weight in the pit of her belly. She was spiraling out of control with no clear path for her life and no notion of how to regulate her delinquency. She wanted a man she couldn’t have and freedom from a fame she hadn’t sought.
A sharp rap struck her door, and she called out in a raspy voice, “Hang on.”
After wrapping her hair in the towel, she pulled on a pair of loose jeans and a T-shirt. She cleared her throat and took several deep breaths to calm her nerves before opening the door. On the other side Keys leaned against the doorframe.
The blond male was heir to a New York mega fortune, but unless one knew his history, they’d never guess he’d gone to private schools and Julliard, or that his family was prestigious. Charming and good looking, he’d schmoozed gigs out of reluctant venues before Hot Wired had made it big.
He flashed her his megawatt smile, the one she’d seen him use when negotiating the removal of panties. “Caught kissing Fang, huh?”
“Please don’t, Keys, this isn’t a teasing matter. I hurt Heath and—”
“Nah…I don’t think so.”
“—Jase is really upset with me.”
“He’s always a prick.”
Against her better judgment, a grin twitched her lips. She backhanded him on the chest. “Be serious!”
“Who said I’m not?” He stood straight, towering over her at six-five. Tall and built like a brick shit-house, he was without doubt the best-looking member in the band. “When it comes to protecting you, Jase is a prick.”
“You’re an ass.”
“One of my finer traits.” He notched his head to the side. “I’m a better smoocher than Fang. Just so you know, I don’t mind sacrificing myself for future shameless displays of public affection.”
“Stop already!” Sam shook her head and ventured back into her room.
“That’s a sexy look.” He motioned to the towel twisted on top of her head. “It works for you. But I prefer the slut-get-up you rocked earlier.”
Rolling her eyes, she bent at the waist and released her hair. The long wet strands clung to her arms. “You harassing me for a reason?”
“Tab’s on her way over.”
As she picked up her wide-tooth comb, she glanced at the clock. Two in the morning. They all lived rocker hours, so they were accustomed to middle of the morning situations. Tab lived banker hours. If she felt the need to arrive now rather than at a more ‘civilized hour’—as the woman said on occasion—then this fiasco was worse than she imagined.
Working the comb through her hair, she looked at Keys as he sat on the foot of her bed. “I really screwed up this time, huh?”
“Boo, the only screw up I can see in all this, is that you were kissing Fang.”
She hoped he didn’t note her wince. “We didn’t actually kiss, ya know?”
“You misunderstand.” Keys grimaced. “We need to work on your taste in men.”
Rarely solemn, he provided much needed amusement in tense moments. She’d only seen him fired-up once and that was when someone had picked on her six months after she joined their entourage. “You’re not going to be serious are you?”
Deadpan he said, “Not until you admit I’m a better kisser.”
Sam threw her comb at his head. Keys ducked it with a chuckle.
Heath justified his departure from the group with a lame explanation about changing out of his leather pants and into something comfortable. Leather was comfy. He wore them often enough to have become accustomed to their tight fit. Before they could face Tab he needed to regain his composure.
He kicked his bedroom door shut and unbuttoned his shirt. His tabby-colored, Maine Coon cat lifted his head off the pillow where he was curled up on Heath’s bed and mewled a greeting.
“Ignore me, Big Al. Don’t have time to snuggle, got shit-a-brewing.” As he dug his cell out of his pants pocket, the feline stretched and roused to slink across the bed toward him.
He stripped off his top and flung the garment toward the laundry hamper. Missing the mark it fluttered to the floor a good foot away. Good thing he chose singing as a career instead of basketball.
Scrolling through his contacts on his phone, he pulled up Tab and hit the call button. A single ring transpired before she answered. “Heath! The man of the hour. I’m headed your way, you remember this, right?”
Big Al swatted at him with his paw. If ignored much longer the claws would materialize, and he would begin to rake them along Heath’s flesh.
“I wanted to talk to you privately before you arrived.” Sitting on the edge of his mattress, he wedged the phone between his ear and shoulder. The cat rubbed against his back, his purring revving up to interfere with verbal communication.
“Talk fast. I’ll be there in five.” The woman drove like a bat out of Hell. He’d ridden with her once, and that had been more than enough to get a firsthand experience of a near-death understanding. Anyone on that street undervalued their life or they’d vacate the premises immediately.
“I want the fallout for Sam to be minimal.”
He removed a shoe and dragged off the sock as Tab laughed into the receiver. “That’s sweet, Fang.” She made the offer sound like crap stuck to the bottom of her shoe. “But not necessary. I’ve got big plans for the two of you. Lewd, epic plans.”
Doesn’t sound good.
“Wrap your brain around that, lover boy, and we’ll discuss my expectations further in two minutes.”
“I’m suddenly terrified.�
� Epic expectations signaled complications in his mind.
She giggled, a devilish noise that never indicated anything good for the person on the receiving end of it. Heath’s gut twisted. Car horns blared, and tires squealed. He didn’t want to know what almost just transpired.
“See you in a few.” Tab disconnected the call.
Paws hit the back of his shoulders, and nails poked at his skin. Big Al grew desperate for affection. He swiped the tabby up and scratched behind his ear. “I almost kissed Sam tonight. What’cha think of that?”
Big Al meowed.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought. You think she’s yours.” He’d found his feline curled in Sam’s arms or napping with her on many occasions.
He set Big Al on the duvet. Satisfied with the minimal affection, the cat sauntered back to Heath’s pillow and curled into a ball, blinking sleepily at him.
Heath removed his other shoe and sock and lay back on the bed. The moment his spine hit the cool comforter, Big Al began purring once more.
As he popped the button on his pants, a knock sounded at his door.
“Yeah?” He turned his head as the door swung open.
Jase entered without an invitation and slammed his way inside. The frame of the door shimmied from the force of his entry. Big Al hissed.
This should be good. Nice and dramatic. Just the way he hated things to go.
“What are your intentions toward Sam?” Jase leaned against the door, crossing his arms over his chest and an ankle over the other. The pose mimicked a relaxed state, but Heath could feel his friend’s tension.
Heath sat up and rubbed his eyes. “I don’t have any intentions—”
“Bullshit!” The vehemence in his buddy’s voice caused Heath to pause.
He lowered his hand to rest on his thigh and examined Jase.
“I saw the video. I’ve never seen you look at anyone the way you were at her.” He came away from the door with an abrupt jerk and started to pace. “Look, she’s my sister. You’re my best friend. I don’t have a clue who I should be protecting here.”
“Sam. Always Sam. I can take care of myself.” Protecting her from himself was priority number one because he wasn’t certain he could resist his desires for her. He’d gotten too close tonight. The yearning to taste her lips warred with his sensible side, and he was very close to saying ‘fuck it all, I’ll take my chances with the outcome’. As tight-knit as they were with Sam, that was a dangerous road to travel.
Rising, Heath shimmied out of his leather pants and kicked them toward the hamper. Bare-ass naked he strolled into his closet and retrieved a pair of crimson colored University of Alabama sweatpants from a drawer. The country boy could be removed from the farmland, but no one would ever be able to take the redneck, Alabama football fan out of him.
When he returned to the room, he located Jase leaning against the door once more with his eyes closed. “She was out of line tonight, Fang. She’s gotta take culpability for that.”
“Not really.” Heath removed the diamond studs from his ears and placed them in a box on his nightstand. “It’s normal for a woman her age to purchase a dildo.”
“I do not want to talk about that.” His friend caught his hair with both hands and held the strands at the back of his neck. “Just… gross.”
Heath chuckled. “Want to place her in the virgin category while we’ve sexed it up from one tour to the next while she watched? While our fans watched?”
Jase shuddered at what he detailed.
They’d allowed her to witness too many of their exploits, rarely attempting to shelter her from their immorality. As far as role models went, they sucked in a lot of ways. Was it any wonder she’d become rebellious giving the law the one-finger salute? “That’s a whopper of a double standard with unrealistic expectations.”
A slow nod as Jase deliberated in silence. “You got feelings for her?”
Whoa! What a topic change. He would need to play this cool. “Of course I do.”
“You know what I mean.” Jase held his stare, an unspoken challenge for him to give him the truth straight up because any bullshit would send the wrong message. Like Heath’s affections weren’t serious when they came to Sam or he didn’t have her best interest at heart.
Heath sighed. The fib could be pushed between his teeth, but he held little misgivings Jase would recognize the fabrication of the words. “Yeah, I do. But I’m not convinced pursuing them is a good idea.”
“Thanks for your honesty.”
“It’s not easy being candid with you when it comes to Sam.” Especially since he was more comfortable lying to himself.
“How long have you felt this way about her?”
Funny how neither of them termed what precisely he felt toward Sam. “A few years.”
“We’ve shared girls together.”
“Yeah.”
“We’ve made a business out of exploiting sex.” Jase rubbed his forehead, and Heath wondered if this topic gave him a headache. “Sexed it up on stage for our amusement and the fans’ enjoyment.”
“She deserves a better man than me. Doubtful she’d have me anyway.” She knew too much about him, the darker, seedier side of his life. No woman would want to settle down with someone like him. At least not a woman that wasn’t in the relationship solely for the money.
“From your lips to God’s ears, my friend.” Heath’s buddy lowered his arms and shook his head. “You hurt my baby sister, and I’ll kick your goddamn ass, Fang.”
Heath would expect no other outcome. “If I hurt her, I’d nail myself to the cross for you to crucify me. But—I repeat—pursuing her is a bad idea. Nothing good can come of it.”
Jase grunted. Heath had no idea if that was an agreement or something else.
Heath disliked the way Sam distanced herself from the group. Like she didn’t belong in this conversation even though she was at the heart of the debate. It irked him she might think just because she wasn’t normally present for decisions that affected the band she shouldn’t be in this one. Whatever was decided would affect her and not just Hot Wired.
Picking at her nail polish, she stood across the room near the window. This was the first time he’d ever known her to be embarrassed by her behavior after getting caught. She shrugged off her criminal conduct with nonchalance as if those antics were expected of Jase’s kid sister.
“Hot Wired has a bit of a sex-scandal going on.” The excitement in Tab’s voice couldn’t go unnoted. That their agent was eager about something that caused Sam stress rankled.
Sam tensed, her nail-polish-picking halting, and she turned her face aside as if she expected censure. The only individual that might condemn her would be her sibling. Heath planned to put a halt to any criticism if Jase took that road.
“Pandering to the audience is pointless, Tab. Get to it all ready. I have a girl ready to slobber all over me before we cuddle.” Derringer gave her an impatient once over.
“That girl is a four-legged fur-bitch. She can wait.”
Derr shrugged. “That four-legged fur-bitch has given me more pleasure than any woman I’ve met. Including you.”
“You don’t pay me to please you. Deal with the disappointment.” Tab pointed at all of them with the exception of Sam. “I have a task for each of you.”
Sexy, even in jeans and a T-shirt that hid her delectable curves, and her face scrubbed, this was how Heath preferred Sam. Natural. She hugged herself, with her head tilted toward the floor. The predawn hours turned the panes into a mirror, reflecting her face back at him.
“I need Sam and Fang to indulge the fans and pretend they’re a couple.”
Sam’s head jerked back, and alarm crossed her features. She shook her head, but didn’t utter a word.
Keys shot off the couch and pretended a sulk, “I wanted to call dibs on being Sam’s boy-toy!”
“You’re serious, Tab?” Derringer tugged Keys back down onto the sofa. No one took Keys seriously. And Heath knew the male attempted
to relax Sam, but at this point he wasn’t sure anything would alleviate her anxiety. Derr motioned to Sam and scolded Keys. “Sam isn’t in the mood for your silliness.”
No surprise that Derringer noted her uneasiness. He was observant like that.
“I’m very serious.” Tab angled her body just enough that she could see Sam. “They created this scandal, and the band’s going to cash in on it. They will give the fans what they want. Sam owes you all for getting her ungrateful ass out of her legal issues.”
“She doesn’t owe us a thing,” Keys said.
Tab ignored him. “Time to step up and pay the pied-piper, Sam.”
“No.” Sam mouthed the word, and Tab kept talking.
“You three”—Tab pointed at Jase, Derringer and Keys—“are going to go along with the farce.”
“No, no. No.” Sam’s fingers curled into tight fists, and she pivoted to face them. Features ashen, her bottom lip trembled. Given Sam’s tendency for violence, Tab should take better care guarding her back.
“It’s not up for debate.” Tab’s defiant expression dared Sam to test her.
“Agreed.” Sam marched forward like a military General. “I ain’t putting Heath through that or misleading the fans.”
“Heath can speak for himself thank you very much.” The girls disregarded him.
“I can’t buy publicity like this. The fans are eating it up. If you didn’t want to be in the limelight, you shouldn’t have gotten caught in a sex-store almost kissing the elusive lead singer of Hot Wired. Don’t!” Tab slashed her hand through the air when both he and Sam would’ve argued. “I don’t give a goddamn what your excuse is for being there or almost locking lips. Fang has a ‘fuck em and leave em’ style of charm. Tell me the last time he showed interest in a woman beyond the fucking? Oh, I remember…never.” She didn’t wait for any of them to answer her sarcastic question. Although he couldn’t object to the accuracy of Tab’s description, Heath cringed at how shallow he sounded. “Think about it, Sam, you’ve bagged the unattainable. You’re living the impossible dream by catching the most sought after, rocker bachelor.”
Rockin' the Heart (Hot Wired) Page 5
