Unsteady Rhythm (House of Archer Book 2)

by Raine Thomas

  “I’m going to hold you to that,” she said, “because I’m in love with you.”

  He grew still.

  “I’m telling you this in the interest of full disclosure. It isn’t meant to draw a similar response from you, so please don’t think that. I just feel you should know the truth before inviting me into anything more serious than friendship. If that makes you uncomfortable and you just want me to come along on the tour to tutor you, I—”

  Keith cut her off with a kiss. She didn’t even have time to register that he was bending down before his mouth claimed hers. Since she had been in the middle of speaking, he took full advantage, his tongue sliding between her parted lips and rubbing intimately against hers.

  She sagged against him, wrapping her arms around his neck and sinking into the kiss. Her tongue eagerly rose to meet his. The hand in her hair threaded itself more securely in place, holding her possessively as he explored her mouth.

  A low moan emerged from the back of her throat as their tongues met again and again. Thrilling warmth rushed through her, combating the cool wind sweeping around them from the crashing ocean.

  Keith didn’t taste like candy this time. He was all male...spice and mint blended with a hint of the ocean’s spray. Her entire body responded to it.

  Her heart raced as seductive heat pooled in her lower belly. She longed to feel his hands on her, completely lost in the sensation of him.

  A throat clearing finally parted them. Sydney blinked a few times as Keith pulled away from her. Her head felt like it had come unattached from her body. She clung to Keith to stay upright.

  “Care to tell me what’s happening here, Syd?”

  George’s voice finally penetrated her sensual haze. She abruptly straightened and tried to release Keith, but his arm banded firmly around her waist, holding her pressed to his side.

  “Uh, um,” she stammered. “George, I’ve mentioned Keith. He, um, came here to apologize.”

  “Is that what he was doing?” George asked dryly, his arms crossed over his broad chest and his eyes on Keith’s. “It must have been one hell of an apology if you forgave him after what he put you through.”

  Keith’s hand tightened on her waist. “It was,” she hurried to say. “It was kind of a misunderstanding. Uh, Keith, this is my cousin, George.”

  Keith’s grip on her waist eased a fraction, telling her that making the introduction had been the right thing to do. He kept his eyes steady on George’s but there was less hostility in them. He extended his free hand.

  “Nice to meet you,” Keith said.

  George also hesitated a second before accepting the handshake. “Nice to meet you, too. You hurt her again, I’ll put you in the hospital for a month.”

  Sydney’s eyes widened over the casual threat. To her surprise, Keith nodded.

  “You’d have every right,” he replied.

  The two guys grasped hands a moment longer and then finally broke apart. Sydney nibbled on her bottom lip as she tried to decipher the unspoken words between them. Deciding she would never figure out the male mind, she opted to change the subject.

  “It’s getting late,” she said. “We’re supposed to be meeting Ray and Patrick for dinner.”

  “Patrick?” Keith asked.

  “My husband,” George clarified.

  “Ah.” Keith glanced between them. “Can I invite myself along?”

  Sydney smiled. “I’d love that.”

  * * *

  “Why did I agree to do this again?” Lily asked Dane as their car waited in the valet line of one of L.A.’s poshest restaurants.

  “Because your mother blew up your phone about it and we didn’t want her making another surprise appearance on the tour,” Dane answered as he scanned a text on his phone.

  “But dinner with my entire family...I haven’t done this since I was a teenager. It was a nightmare then. It’s bound to be one now. And in public at that.”

  “It’ll be a couple hours out of our lives,” Dane reminded her, putting his phone away and rubbing a comforting hand between her shoulder blades.

  “A couple of hours where most of them will take digs at me and try to hit you up for money,” she said, anxiously twisting the thin silver chain attached to the designer handbag she held in her lap. “If I didn’t know this would make good footage for the show, I never would have done it. I apologize in advance for—”

  “Don’t,” he interrupted, sounding calm and unconcerned. “I can handle your family. I’ve met them before, remember? And they have nothing to dig at, do they? You have a job you love and a boyfriend who worships the ground you walk on. You’ve got tons of fans supporting you. And you look amazing.”

  She glanced down at herself with a knit brow. “I still don’t remember buying this.”

  “You said you checked with Aria and she confirmed you did.”

  She gave him a probing look. Her memory of the shopping trip was admittedly a blur that she had tried to block from her mind, but she had been so sure she hadn’t bought the black Prada cocktail dress she was wearing. She remembered it, of course. She had tried it on at Aria’s urging and had absolutely loved the crêpe dress with its loose, ruffled cap sleeves and scooped neckline. Her favorite part of the dress was the elegant sheer panel of fabric embellished with intricate beading that started mid-thigh and fell to the top of her knees, making her legs look much longer and, according to Dane, sexy as hell.

  Oh, yes...she remembered the gorgeous dress. But she was pretty sure it had been at least one whole zero over her budget.

  Aria had assured her that they ended up getting a deal on it thanks to her negotiating skills. Dane had also pointed out that the dress had arrived at his house with everything else Lily bought, so Aria must be right. Lily had had everything delivered to Dane’s since it was closer to the stores and she knew she’d be spending most of her time there while she was in L.A.

  She still suspected something fishy but supposed it wasn’t worth calling two people she loved liars. She had more important things to worry about, beginning with getting through this dinner.

  Seeing that they were finally pulling up to the valet stand, Lily took a deep breath and pressed a hand to her churning stomach. Dane reached over and touched her cheek, encouraging her to face him. He dragged her close and kissed her, making her stress ease and pleasure surge through her. He only ended the kiss when Barney approached the door.

  She opened her eyes and smiled at Dane. “I love you.”

  “Love you right back,” he replied, rubbing his thumb along her lower lip. “We’ll be fine. I promise.”

  By the time Barney opened the door, Lily felt more optimistic about the evening. Dane got out of the car first and then reached back to assist her out. She didn’t even flinch over the numerous camera flashes and shouts from the paparazzi staged outside. She had fully expected them to be there. Even if the House of Archer crew hadn’t leaked it, her family would have.

  So she smiled at Dane and twined her hand in his as they were escorted by Trey into the restaurant. Lily knew Barney would see that the vehicle was parked and then join Trey in overseeing their security.

  They were greeted by the restaurant’s owner, a guy named Geoffrey who was all smiles and markedly thrilled to have them there. Lily guessed the amount of exposure his restaurant would get just from them being there was enough to overjoy any person. It was kind of neat to be able to have that kind of influence. It occurred to her that she might be able to use some of this new influence to help up-and-comers in their crafts. That would make her feel much better about all of this being in the spotlight stuff.

  Geoffrey led them to a table in a private room near the back of the restaurant. Through the paned glass door separating the room from the main dining area, Lily saw that all of her family members were already there and seated. Dane had insisted on being the last to arrive. She supposed it was strategic. Since she hated getting anywhere late, she didn’t understand it, but she also didn’t care enoug
h to object.

  Her mother was seated at one end of the long table like a reigning queen. Lily’s older half-brother, Scott, sat at the other end...the crown prince. Her older half-sister, Bianca, and her sister, Rosemary, both sat to Scott’s left, their backs to Lily. Caroline and Bridgette sat to Scott’s right, facing the glass doors. Bridgette spotted Lily and Dane first and elbowed Caroline.

  “She’s wearing the necklace,” Lily overheard Bridgette say to Caroline as Geoffrey slid the glass-framed barn door sideways for her and Dane.

  “Oh my God,” Caroline replied, practically salivating. “Look at that Prada she’s got on.”

  “Thank you, Geoffrey,” Dane said as they were ushered into the room.

  “Of course, Mr. Archer,” Geoffrey responded with a slight bow. “Please enjoy your meal.”

  Lily noticed Spence camped out in a corner of the room. By now she had learned that the producers had probably stuck a couple of smaller cams and at least one powerful microphone in the room as well. Dane was also wearing a mic at her request. She didn’t want anything to go uncaptured that evening.

  Why waste perfectly good show content?

  “Sorry we’re late, everyone,” Dane told the room with one of his charming smiles. “The valet line was running a little slow.”

  “That’s no problem,” Lily’s mother said, all graciousness. “We saved you each a seat here at the head of the table.”

  She waved at the single chairs to her left and right, across from each other. Lily knew her mother wanted to have the two most popular people of the moment seated closest to her, rather like commoners worshipping her at the base of her throne. She was probably hoping the House of Archer footage featured more of her this way.

  Dane moved closer to the table. “I’d actually prefer to sit next to Lily,” he said to no one in particular. Lily saw her mother’s expression fall into stony lines as he placed a hand on Rosemary’s shoulder. “Hi, Rosemary. Would you mind moving over there next to Caroline?”

  “Oh,” Rosemary said, looking flustered over Dane’s contact. “O-of course.”

  She rose and paused awkwardly in front of Lily as though not knowing what to do. Something about that struck Lily’s heart. Rosemary was her only full-blooded sibling and the only one in her family who had never deliberately done anything to hurt her, yet they had grown so far apart over the years that they might as well be strangers.

  She smiled to put her sister more at ease. “Hi, Rosie,” she greeted her, using the childhood nickname she’d given her.

  Rosemary seemed relieved, returning her smile. “Hi.” She leaned closer and whispered, “You look wonderful.”

  “Thanks. So do you.”

  As Rosemary headed around the table, Lily noticed Dane was holding out Rosemary’s vacated chair for her. She smiled at him and took the seat, allowing him to push her in. The fact that he was literally placing himself between her and her mother wasn’t lost on her.

  God, she loved this man.

  The glass door slid open again as Dane took his seat. A server stepped in carrying a bottle of wine on top of a white towel in a manner Lily had only seen in movies. Dread settled over her.

  “I hope you don’t mind, Archer,” her mother said with a smile. “We ordered a bottle of wine during our wait.”

  Lily clutched her hands together in her lap beneath the table. She knew the wine was probably outrageously expensive and Dane was the one footing the bill for this circus show.

  He reached over and covered her hands with one of his.

  “I’m glad you did,” he said easily. “What did you order? I’ll verify the bottle for you.”

  Lily listened to her mother rattle off a name that meant nothing to her outside of it being an older vintage cabernet, which she could only imagine meant it was more expensive. She twined her fingers with Dane’s as he examined the bottle presented to him by the server.

  “Looks excellent, thanks,” Dane said, granting the server permission to open the bottle. “Would you care to sample the wine, Ms. Coltrain? I’m not much of a wine drinker.”

  Lily’s mother smiled again, pleased to be given the spotlight. “Of course. And please call me Rhonda.”

  “Sure,” Dane said dismissively.

  Lily was sure he had just pissed her mother off. He pulled Lily’s hand onto his thigh, palm-up, and began rubbing his thumb along it in a way that had pleasant shivers running up and down her arm. Again, the tension that had balled in her belly eased. She watched without comment as the server uncorked the wine and poured a tasting sample into her mother’s glass. Her mother swirled it around like she knew what she was doing, sniffing the wine before taking a sip.

  “That’s suitable,” she said after a long moment.

  Suitable, Lily thought angrily. That was what her ungrateful witch of a mother called this wine that was probably costing Dane hundreds of dollars.

  Just when she gathered a breath to say something about it, Dane’s thumb pressed a spot on her palm that sent pleasure surging all the way through her. She barely stifled a moan and leaned more heavily into his side.

  As the server began making his way around the table to pour the wine, Lily’s mother said, “It was kind of you to invite us all to dinner, Archer. Or may I call you Dane?”

  “Not if you expect me to answer,” he said, turning from her to place his hand over Lily’s wine glass when the server stopped to fill it. “A Lemon Drop Martini for the lady, please, and a Heineken for me.”

  Lily struggled to keep a straight face over Dane’s use of another line, the one about not expecting him to answer, from Pretty Woman. She had made him watch the movie with her during a couple hours of their rare downtime and he had been quoting lines from it just to amuse her. It made her squeeze his hand in appreciation now.

  He winked at her as the server said, “Of course, sir,” before moving on to Bianca’s glass. Lily observed the server waving at another staff member standing nearby. There was something vaguely familiar about the other guy, but he immediately headed to the bar before Lily could place him. She had met so many people in the past three weeks. Everyone was beginning to blur.

  “As for the dinner invitation, Rhonda,” Dane continued, “it’s really not a problem. You expressed how important it was that you see us while we’re in town. I wasn’t about to interfere with anything you might want to say before we head off on the next leg of the tour. And, hey, we’ve all got to eat, right?”

  “I hear you there, Archer,” Scott piped up as though he’d been buddies with Dane his entire life. “And I’d rather have a Heineken, too,” he told the server, who had moved past him to fill the rest of the ladies’ glasses.

  “Of course, sir,” the server replied.

  “Have you been here before, Archer?” Bianca asked from around Lily. “I’m having trouble figuring out what I’d like to order.”

  “Sure, I’ve been here,” Dane said, scanning the menu himself.

  When he didn’t offer anything more, Bianca sat back in her seat in a sulk. Lily wanted to roll her eyes since Bianca was twenty-eight years old, but she was so used to the behavior that it seemed a wasted effort.

  She picked up her menu and read through it. She was dismayed to see that it was far fancier than her typical tastes ran. She didn’t even recognize half of the ingredients in most of the dishes.

  “Archer, are you ready for the concert tomorrow night?” Caroline asked. “Bridgette and I can’t wait to see you perform again.”

  “Ready as I’ll ever be,” he replied. Leaning closer to Lily’s ear, he said, “I already ordered you eggplant parmigiana.”

  She turned to face him. Their foreheads all but touched as she said, “It’s not on the menu.”

  He grinned. “What’s your point?”

  Not caring who was watching, she leaned the short distance and kissed him on the lips. “Thank you.”

  “Of course.”

  Lily felt her mother glaring at them. She wasn’t sure whether
it was because Dane was treating her so indifferently or because she couldn’t stand seeing one of her children in a happy relationship when she had never been able to maintain one herself. It wasn’t a question Lily ever intended to put to her. In fact, if she could avoid speaking to her mother the entire night, she would consider it an amazing success.

  “I’m getting pasta,” Caroline decided.

  “You should really watch the carbs,” Bridgette argued. “We’re going to be on TV now that Lily is getting so popular. We already look fat next to her.”

  “That’s because she weighs, like, ten pounds,” Caroline muttered as though Lily wasn’t sitting right there. “I don’t want to be that skinny. Guys like curves.”

  The server returned with their drinks, interrupting the conversation. Lily gratefully accepted her martini and took a sip. Even with Dane’s help, she wasn’t ashamed to admit she was going to need every drop of liquid courage to get through the rest of the evening.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Archer also lifted his drink and sipped it. His eyes remained trained on Caroline and Bridgette until they noticed him. He wanted them both to learn here and now that he wouldn’t tolerate any other negative comments about Lily.

  Seeing his intent stare, they both hunched in their chairs and hid their eyes behind their menus. They looked like the children they really were. All he cared was that his point had been received.

  Out of the corner of his eye, he also observed Rhonda looking at him and Lily. Because he knew her and her deep-seated jealousy of Lily, he was certain her stare was venomous.

  It was also on camera.

  The server ran through the specials and took their orders. Archer wasn’t surprised when Rhonda ordered the most expensive meal on the menu. He’d have been more surprised if she hadn’t. Likewise, Scott ordered exactly what his mother did. He couldn’t make up his own mind because he had grown up with Rhonda making it up for him.

  Rosemary, Caroline, and Bridgette all ordered pasta dishes. Caroline and Bridgette picked theirs apart, essentially personalizing the entrees so they barely resembled the menu items. The server earned bonus points in Archer’s mind for handling them with unending patience.