Rock Your Body: A BWWM Romance

by Susan Westwood

  Tamra had a feeling that if he could have escaped the room, he would have. Wussy.

  She continued eating the chicken parmesan he’d made. The chicken was tender and the cheese nice and melted. Colin really was a good cook. Guess his mother made him learn. She’d have to ask.

  When she looked back at Colin, he was staring at her wide-eyed, as if she had three heads.

  “No.”

  “Well, I’ve already agreed to it,” she said.

  He couldn’t tell her what to do.

  “Well, un-agree to it. I’m not going along with this. You’ve been hurt once because of this nut job. I’m not letting it happen again,” he said.

  He went back to eating as if the subject was closed. Which it wasn’t.

  “I’m doing it. I’ll be prepared this time.”

  “Prepared? To put yourself in danger? You haven’t recovered yet from the last attack,” he said.

  “I’ll be fine by the time this happens.”

  “Why? When is it supposed to happen?” ” He waved his hands. “Doesn’t matter. You aren’t doing this. I’m not agreeing to it.”

  “So you’d rather spend your days looking over your shoulder until this person finds a weakness and gets to you?”

  “It’ll have to be that way.”

  “Listen to reason.”

  “I’m not putting you in danger.”

  “I won’t be in danger. I’ll be surrounded by lots of people, many of whom will be on the lookout. I’m trained.”

  “And what if you get another concussion?” Colin asked.

  “That’s unlikely, and this one is only my first. I have a few more before I’m in diapers and have to be fed,” she said.

  He was pissing her off. She was a grown woman and she could take care of herself.

  ***

  Colin pinched the bridge of his nose. What was Tamra thinking? She was still hurt from her attack. He couldn’t handle seeing her get hurt worse. This was all his fault, anyway. He had enough guilt this time. Another time might push him over the edge.

  He put down his fork, wiped his face with his napkin then looked at her. “Are you kidding?”

  “No, I’m serious. I think this is our best bet. Otherwise, your life may be in limbo until this person escalates.”

  “How much more can they escalate? They already put you in the hospital! What if you’re next? What if they bide their time and we get complacent and you are next?” Tamra said.

  He didn’t think they meant him any harm. “I doubt they are going to hurt me.”

  “Did you know they were going to hurt me?”

  Docta Hop took his plate into the kitchen. For a moment Colin felt sorry for him. He didn’t sign up for this wackiness.

  “No, but I cannot put you in danger again.”

  “You aren’t. I’m making the call. As owner of the company that is protecting you, I am making the call.”

  “What about as my girlfriend? Don’t I get a say? You’re in my life,” Colin said.

  “One supersedes the other.”

  A stabbing pain crossed his chest. She was dismissing their relationship. “So I get no say in this?”

  “You do, but I’m probably going to go ahead and do this anyway.”

  “What if I refuse?”

  “You’re going to refuse to do a benefit concert? Let down the president of your fan club? Somehow, I doubt that.”

  “That’s emotional blackmail.”

  “Whatever gets the job done,” she said.

  And did that include sleeping with him? Suddenly the past few weeks looked very different than he’d originally thought. Maybe she wasn’t feeling anything for him. Maybe this was all part of the job.

  That hurt. The pain seared across his heart. He blinked. Should he call her on it? Yes, he needed to know. “So all of this we’ve been through is just to get the job done?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You sleeping with me. Was that to get the job done?”

  Her eyes grew wide. “Is that what you think?”

  “I’m asking.”

  “Of course not. How dare you accuse me like that!” that.” She rose. “If you don’t like what we’re doing, then fire us. I can be packed and out of here in less than an hour.”

  She left him pretty pissed off at himself.

  *

  Tamra was not going to cry in front of him, but his accusation had felt like a dagger in her heart. How could he think that? The tears came after she left the room and headed for her bedroom.

  She wanted to be anywhere, but here. She had a job to do. A job to finish unless Colin did fire them. Maybe he would and then she could get out of this untenable situation. She wasn’t one to run away, but that appealed to her at the moment.

  Her feet dragged her up the stairs to her room. She was tired. Again. And her head hurt. She reached the top of the steps and the hallway and wobbled a little. She grabbed the railing and caught herself.

  The world went black, then back to normal. She was just upset. She had to rest and let go of the hurt.

  She laid down.

  “You okay?” Bruce said from the doorway.

  “Just a headache.”

  “I saw you at the top of the steps. You looked dizzy.”

  “I was, but I’m okay,” she said.

  Nice of him to be concerned.

  “You sure? You look, uh, pale.”

  “Pale?”

  Tamra laughed. Ashy, maybe. Never pale. “Bruce, I’m fine.”

  “I’m going to call Kelly.”

  “No, don’t. I’m fine. I just need a nap.”

  He pulled his phone out of his pocket and hit some buttons. He was calling Kelly and Tamra didn’t want to bother her. This could be insubordination on Bruce’s part, but she wasn’t going to call him on it. He was a big sweetheart, despite his scary exterior.

  He spoke to Kelly then hung up. “She’s on her way over.”

  “This really isn’t her concern.”

  “Well, it is because she’s your friend.”

  Good point. “Okay. Fine, but I’ll be okay if everyone leaves me alone.”

  “I’ll leave you alone as soon as Kelly gets here.”

  “What do you think is going to happen?”

  “I don’t know, but I know that Colin is safely back in his studio so I can keep an eye on you.”

  She sighed and chose not to argue with him.

  ***

  Colin left the dishes then went back to the studio. Docta Hop was listening to what they’d recorded that morning.

  “If I may say something,” Docta Hop said.

  “No, but I have a feeling you will anyway,” Colin said.

  He might as well ache, he’d been through the shredder for how he felt.

  “You are an asshole.”

  “Yep, I am,” Colin agreed.

  “You agree?”

  “I do. I never should have said that to Tamra.”

  “No, you shouldn’t have. Now if I were a lesser man, I’d go give that fine lady a shoulder to cry on, but I won’t. You clearly love her, man. Why she has any feelings for you, I have no idea.”

  “You think she has feelings for me?”

  “Yes. If she didn’t, then your accusation wouldn’t have hurt her.”

  Colin realized that the Doc was right. How stupid could he be? Of course she cared about him. And if she did, she wouldn’t put him in danger. That made her idea a good one.

  “I am an idiot, too.”

  “You should go talk to her.”

  “We have work to do,” Colin said.

  “Coward. I can wait.”

  Colin mulled it over. He did have to fix this. “Thanks.”

  He trudged up the steps to Tamra’s room and was surprised to find Bruce sitting in a chair next to her bed. “Is something wrong?”

  “She got dizzy and I just wanted to make sure she was okay. Kelly’s on her way.”

  “Kelly?”

  Colin sat on
the edge of the bed. “You okay?”

  “I’m fine. Just a little dizzy,” she said.

  “Did the doc say that would happen?”

  “Only if I overdid it.”

  “And I didn’t help by getting you upset.”

  Bruce stood. “I’m going to do a perimeter patrol. You’re in good hands.”

  He left.

  “I’m sorry,” Colin said.

  “For what?”

  “Don’t play dumb. For what I said. That I intimated you slept with me because it’s a job. That was wrong.”

  “It’s fine. You’re upset.”

  “And you’re injured. That’s no excuse. And the more I think about it, this benefit concert might be a good idea.”

  ***

  Tamra’s head hurt, but she thought she heard Colin say he’d do the concert.

  “What changed your mind?”

  “I know you love me, whether you want to admit it or not, and you would never put me in danger.”

  Love? She wasn’t ready to go there yet. Not at all. “Well, I won’t put you in danger for sure.”

  “But you’re not ready to admit your feelings.”

  “No.”

  “I can be patient, but I know you love me.”

  “Don’t you have music to make?”

  “It can wait until Kelly gets here. I’m not leaving you.” He pulled the covers back. “In fact, I’m going to keep you company until she does.”

  “No funny business,” she said.

  “No funny business. Just cuddling.”

  She appreciated his warmth as she snuggled up next to him. If she could have, she would have made love to him, but her head was pounding and her stomach was iffy from the room spinning a bit.

  “Don’t you have to rehearse for the concert?”

  “Yes, I will and I’ll have to get some of my usual musicians. They’ll do it if they can. They’re good guys.”

  “Shouldn’t you be coordinating that?”

  “No.” He shifted and pulled his phone out of his pocket. “I’ll get Roger to do it all.”

  “Roger needs a raise or a bonus,” she said.

  He texted with one hand then put the phone on the nightstand. “All taken care of.”

  “I hope you pay him well.”

  “I do. He’s priceless. I couldn’t be me without Roger.”

  She laughed. “You couldn’t be you?”

  “I couldn’t be Colin Brennan, the brand, without Roger. He keeps me on task and organized.”

  She was getting sleepy being next to his warm body. She closed her eyes.

  ***

  Kelly knocked on the door and Bruce answered. “She’s upstairs. Colin’s with her.”

  “Thanks for calling me, Bruce.”

  “She scared me a little. Not sure she even knew I was behind her, but good thing I was. I thought I’d have to catch her.”

  “Give you deadly assassins over a medical emergency any day, huh?”

  “I would rather be looking down the barrel of a Glock.”

  “I’ve got Charlie coming in an hour to relieve you. Can you be back in twelve hours?”

  “Yes, I can.”

  She nodded at him then went upstairs, realizing she had no idea which room was Tamra’s. Then Colin emerged from one, looking mussed. He smiled at Kelly. “She’s asleep. I’d like to talk to you anyway.”

  “About?”

  “This benefit concert.”

  “You in?”

  “Yeah, I’m in.” He glanced at the door to Tamra’s room. “You want to check on her?”

  “Yes, I would.”

  Kelly entered the room almost on her tip toes so as not to make noise. She looked at Tamra who indeed looked pale. She was sleeping peacefully so Kelly would have to be satisfied. This case was bigger than they’d originally thought and Tamra had been the casualty.

  They both knew the risks of what they did. Tamra was more willing to take the physical ones and they’d agreed early on that Kelly wouldn’t unless necessary. When they had no other choices.

  Kelly shook her head at Tamra, feeling guilty for her friend and partner’s injuries.

  Colin was waiting for her in the hallway. “This isn’t your fault.”

  “Not yours either,” she said.

  He grimaced. “Hard to feel that way.”

  “Let’s go talk somewhere else. She isn’t waking for a while, I bet.”

  He led her to the kitchen. “Can I get you something?”

  “I would kill for a soda.”

  “All I have is Diet Coke,” he said.

  She smiled. “Haven’t had one in months. I’ll take it.”

  He pulled two out of the refrigerator and opened them. “You need a glass?”

  “Nope, I like it from the can.”

  Colin leaned against the counter. He crossed his legs at his ankles, the can in one hand. He was clearly a man comfortable with himself. “Do you think this plan to flush out Tamra’s attacker will work?”

  “Yes. We’re going to lay some groundwork to help with it. You need a little more press on that photo shoot you did with Tamra.”

  “Why?”

  “We have to make it clear you are still a couple. In my mind, this is why Tamra was attacked.”

  “I’m not comfortable with it, but I’ll go along. I trust you ladies.”

  “Good. That’s important.”

  ***

  Colin liked talking to Kelly and for a moment he forgot about all the drama surrounding his life. He was used to things going wrong. He was used to activity, but not threats. This was new.

  Somewhere along the line, he must have pissed off someone..

  “So, you don’t have any idea who could be doing this?” Kelly asked. “No one in your past who would have a vendetta?”

  “I have ex-girlfriends just like anyone else.”

  “Anyone you slighted in high school?”

  He thought about that for a moment. “There was one, but I can’t imagine she would still hold a grudge. We were young.”

  “I’ll need a name,” Kelly said.

  “You are not going to disrupt this poor woman now.”

  “I will look into her background. For all you know she’s moved to Alaska. I just want to rule her out,” Kelly said.

  “Fine.”

  He didn’t like that Kelly would have to poke into anyone’s life just because he once dated them. There was no getting around it. He gave Kelly the woman’s name and hoped she had moved to Alaska. That would be the end of it all.

  He’d been in high school. Still a stupid kid.

  “Anyone else you might like me to look at? Any of your recent girlfriends have a problem with you?”

  “Not that I can think of. Most of them are pretty successful in their own careers,” he said.

  “There was that string of supermodels that you dated.”

  He laughed. “Guess you guys know all about me.”

  “Yes, we know a lot about you.”

  “Even the size of my dick?”

  Kelly laughed. “No, only Tamra knows that one.”

  ***

  Tamra came out of sleep as if she’d been under water. Hers was not a quick awakening, but a slow realization that she was no longer asleep. That was odd for her because she normally woke up in an instant.

  Colin had left and Tamra had a vague notion that Kelly was here. Had she heard her voice?

  Sitting up, the room didn’t spin. In fact, Tamra felt better than she had in days. Her strength was back, but she figured if she did too much she’d have a relapse.

  She showered, then wandered down to the kitchen for a snack. Kelly sat talking to Colin.

  “You didn’t need to come here, Kelly.”

  “It’s fine. It ended up being a good rap session with Colin, here. I think he’s more comfortable with the idea of the benefit concert.”

  “I’m going to be very busy pulling this off,” Colin said.

  “So are we,” Tamra s
aid. “You have to perform and we have to do all the security. I’d love a walk through of the place so we have some idea what we’re dealing with.”

  “I can get in touch with Carie,” Colin said. “I’m sure that the school will be amenable.”

  “I hope so, or we won’t be doing this,” Tamra said.

  Kelly looked at her watch. “I need to get Sophie from a meeting. I’ll come by tomorrow and we can strategize.”

  She left.

  Colin looked in.

  “How you feeling? You look better.”

  “I feel so much better. I guess I needed some sleep. Of course I probably won’t sleep tonight, since it’s already well into the evening.”

  “I’m up, so you can keep me company,” Colin said.

  “How is your recording going?”

  “We made a lot of progress.”

  “Where is the Doc?” Tamra asked.

  “He had some errands to run.”

  “I never think of superstars having to do errands.”

  Colin laughed. “I have people to do that for me. You want Roger here for your powwow?”

  “Yes that would help. He’s a great asset.”

  “Yes, he is. You hungry?”

  “Starved.”

  “Sit. I’ll make you something.”

  “Just a little snack,” she said.

  He opened the refrigerator. “I can make you a sandwich.”

  “That’s fine.”

  CHAPTER 21

  Colin liked making food for Tamra. This felt so domestic and he had to admit that he would enjoy this on a daily basis. He had to convince her to stay. He wanted her in his life. Especially in his life regularly.

  Would she go on tour with him?

  Would she be waiting for him when he got home? She had a business to run, but could she do that from anywhere? He had to know.

  Before he handed her the sandwich, he said, “I expect payment.”

  “Oh?”

  “Just a kiss. On the lips.”

  She frowned, then eyed the sandwich. Her lips pressed his and he tingled all over. Damn. He was so done in by her that this was nuts. “Sandwich?”

  She held out her hand.

  He smiled, then put it in front of her. “That wasn’t so awful.”

  “No, it wasn’t.”

  He laughed. She actually admitted it. “I’m wearing you down, Tamra.”

  “What do you have to do to prepare for this concert?”