She blushes!
I roll my eyes as she replies, “Tenielle does take after me, yes. What are you two doing for lunch? Shall I cook something for you?”
“Mum that’s not necessary,” I say.
She gives me a pointed look. “Are you going to cook a huge lunch for him? I think not. And he’s a growing man, he deserves a good meal.”
Saxon tries to hide his smile and fails.
I sigh as my mother gets up and starts searching through my cupboards, looking for ingredients to cook for Saxon. “Maybe we should invite Layla over too? And your father and Ryder.”
Here we go.
She doesn’t wait for a reply, just pulls out her phone and starts calling people over. Saxon looks amused as all get out, while I just want to go back to bed.
“Do you need any help?” he asks my mother, going to stand next to her.
That traitor.
My mother beams at him like he just asked her if she wanted a million dollars. “Aren’t you a sweet boy. Maybe you could run to the shops to pick up some groceries?”
Great, my mother is asking a famous rock star to do a grocery run for her.
“Of course,” Saxon says, standing up.
“I’ll write you a list,” my mother says, pulling out a pen and paper from her handbag. Saxon walks into my room and comes back out wearing a shirt and shoes. He puts a cap on his head to hide his hair and grabs his keys from the table.
“Do you want anything babe?” he asks me, grinning.
Alcohol?
Drugs maybe?
“Chocolate please, and lots of it,” I tell him, earning me a laugh. He comes towards me and kisses me on my mouth. “Okay, I’ll be right back.”
“If you want to run away and don’t come back I’ll understand,” I whisper to him, earning me a laugh.
When he leaves my mother turns to me with a look of disapproval. “Chocolate? Not a good idea. You need to watch your figure.”
I sigh dramatically and bang my head on the table.
*****
As my last family member leaves, I close the door and lock it behind me, then lean back against the door.
“I think I’m going to need to build up my chilli tolerance if I’m going to be dining with your family again,” Saxon announces.
I laugh at the look on his face. “I think you handled it very well.”
My mother cooked a Sri Lankan meal and it did indeed have a fair amount of spice in it, which is standard for her cooking.
“Well thank you for saving me with the ice-cream, because my mouth was on fire,” he admits.
I grin at him. “I always have your back, don’t worry. And there’s no point in drinking water because it doesn’t help.”
“Duly noted.”
Saxon helps me clean up the kitchen and then we take a long shower together.
“I want you,” I tell him, as the soap washes off our bodies.
“You said you were sore this morning,” he replies, gripping my ass into his hands and squeezing.
I pull back from his mouth. “Are you a boob man or an ass man? Because you seem to like both equally.
“I’m a Tee man,” he says, then kisses me, licking at my lips. I moan as I’m gently pushed against the tiled wall, forgetting all about the cheesiness of his line.
“I want you, I’m wet for you,” I tell him as his lips find that sensitive spot on my neck. He licks a trail down to my collarbone as my fingers grip him at the back of his neck.
“Fuck, are you sure?” he asks.
I nod, lifting my right leg around his hips. He instantly grips my thigh, lifts me up and slides into me in a smooth thrust. I ignore the tiny ache I feel and lift my other leg so he’s holding me pinned against the wall. I hold on tight and enjoy the ride as he slides in and out of me, his mouth finding my breasts. Water drips over us, steam filling the bathroom.
What a perfect end to an extremely odd day.
Chapter Sixteen
Saxon
“There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you for a while,” I say, grimacing slightly.
“What?” she asks, wearily, lifting her head off my chest to look at me.
“I have to leave at the end of next month for a six month tour,” I blurt out, rushing the words.
She sits up and pulls the blanket over her tits, not a good sign.
“How long have you known about this?” she asks, scowling.
“A few days,” I admit, “But…”
She places her finger on my mouth, hushing me. I kiss the tip and wait for her to speak, hoping she isn’t going to be too angry at me.
“Why did you wait a few days to tell me?” she asks, looking curious.
“Six months is a long time. I sure as fuck don’t want to be without you that long but I can’t expect you to up and leave your life for me.”
No matter how much I want to.
“Six months huh,” she replies, avoiding my gaze.
“If there was even a tiny chance that you could come with me, I’d love that,” I admit, watching her and hoping that she will say that she’ll try. It’s selfish of me, knowing her career.
She has an odd look on her gorgeous face and I have no idea what she’s thinking. “Maybe I could come for a month, but definitely no longer than that.”
Okay, that’s better than nothing.
It also gives me hope.
Five months without her is going to fucking suck but both of us love our careers, and we can’t just give that up. “A month with you sounds perfect, but fuck I’m going to miss you Tee. If we ever get more than a few days break I’ll fly back to be with you.”
She smiles—a little sadly. “Let’s worry about this later, okay?”
“You know I’d never cheat on you right?” I blurt out. It’s important that she knows this. No matter where I am, no matter who I’m with, I won’t ever be unfaithful to her. I understand that what happened with Lexi is a strike against me, but Tee isn’t Lexi.
She’s the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with.
She’s in a league of her own.
“There is no one else I want, and I wouldn’t fuck this up for anything,” I tell her.
She sighs. “Four months without sex is a long time. And with willing women throwing themselves on you every night?”
My body stiffens. She really doesn’t trust me, and it fucking hurts. “Is this because of the Lexi thing or because of my job?”
She lays her head back on her pillow. “It’s just your lifestyle, I guess.”
“Ryder—”
“Lexi will be there with Ryder the whole time,” she cuts in.
“Exactly. Do you think anyone on that bus is going to cover for me if I was with another woman? Which I wouldn’t do whether or not someone was there. For this to work you need to trust me Tee.”
“I don’t know...” she says, closing her eyes.
My throat burns.
I’ve never given her a reason not to trust me.
She’s holding a grudge against me over something I did a long time ago. I was a different person then, and it’s clear that Lexi wasn’t the one for me.
Tee is. But she’s fighting it.
I know she’s afraid of being hurt. Tee is a fighter—she’s strong and capable, but she also has a heart of gold.
A heart that can easily be broken.
It’s why she’s never really committed to a man before. She wasn’t willing to take that chance, but I need her to do that now.
With me.
Not wanting to push her away, I lean over her and kiss her softly. “We will work this out.”
She looks at me then, a vulnerable expression on her face. “Okay. I guess we have a few weeks to decide.”
To decide what? Breaking up isn’t an option, that’s for damn sure. I’m not going to lose her no matter what. The thought of another man with his hands on her makes me want to punch something.
My hands clench.
“We’ll make it work
,” I tell her in a strong tone.
There is no alternative.
*****
I jot down the lyrics as they come to me. Every song I write these days is about her—it’s like she’s taken over my mind. Ryder walks into the studio and flashes me a grin. He stands behind me and reads over my shoulder.
“Oh come on man,” he growls. “I don’t want to read this shit about my cousin.”
I don’t bother to hide my smirk. “I have to read your shit about my ex-girlfriend.”
Ryder thinks this over. “I think my situation is worse.”
I laugh and agree, “You bet your ass it is.”
“So things are going well then?” he asks. “I heard some of the family came over for lunch. I was invited but Lexi and I were out of town.”
“Yeah Layla, Chase, Cole, and Tee’s parents came over,” I tell him. “Then Sasha, James, and their kid dropped by, followed by Jet and his dad, Finn.”
Ryder laughs gleefully. “Full house then huh, and that wasn’t even a quarter of the family.”
“Everyone was nice,” I tell him, annoyed by the look in his eye. “It wasn’t bad at all.”
“I heard Tee took the spare key off her mum and gave it to her dad to hide,” he adds, shaking his head.
“You’re such a gossip, you know that?”
Jet and Kidd walk in together causing Ryder and me to look up.
“Hey Saxon!” Jet calls out the same time Kidd says, “Hey bro.”
I lift my chin in greeting.
“So how was meeting the family?” Jet asks. “You didn’t look scared one bit.”
“I wasn’t,” I reply. “Tee loves her family, they are important to her, so they’re important to me too.”
Someone makes a whipping noise.
I choose to ignore it.
“Let’s get some work done,” I suggest. “I have a new song I wrote that I want to run by you all, see what you think.”
“Is Tee your muse?” my brother asks, smirking.
“You shouldn’t be complaining. We need to get this new album finished instead of spending all day looking at fan mail,” I tell him, giving him a pointed look.
He grins back at me then grabs his guitar.
We get to work.
Chapter Seventeen
Tenielle
As another photo of Saxon and I surfaces, I sigh and tell myself there is no point stressing over it. I can’t control the media.
Yet—an evil voice in my mind says.
I grin and look back down at my to-do list for the day.
1. Do more research on the Grafter case.
2. Buy jam donuts.
3. Decide the fate of my relationship with Saxon.
4. Find a solution to world hunger.
Looks like I have a busy day ahead of me.
I didn’t know what to do about Saxon. He is leaving for six months and many things can happen in that time. It’s not like I could ask if we could put our relationship on hold—we were either all in or all out. Breaking up seems to be the easiest option, but it’s not the one I want. Though doing long distance while my man is overseas surrounded by beautiful willing women doesn’t sound all that appealing either.
What the hell was I going to do?
I don’t want to be apart for six months, but I can’t just up and leave my job. I worked my ass off to get where I am today and I won’t consider throwing that away over a man.
Even though he might be the man.
Fuck how I’ll miss him when he goes. Great. I’m turning into one of those women who’s obsessed with their man and can’t live without them.
How the mighty have fallen.
Taryn walks in and says something but I don’t pay attention, too lost in my thoughts.
Could I go on tour?
It’s not really like me to lose my job over a man. Then why am I tempted to do it?
Damn Saxon and his panty-melting grin and huge cock.
He wormed his way into my life and now I find myself actually… loving him?
Love.
Is that what this was?
I cover my face with my hands but all I see is his face.
It’s official—the bastard has ruined me. I look back down at my list and decide to get number one done right now. The rest can wait.
I’m halfway done when my phone rings. From the Sam Smith ringtone I know that it’s Lexi, because ‘Stay With Me’ is her favourite song right now.
“Hello friend,” I answer.
“Are you coming on the tour?” she asks, excitement filling her tone.
“Me on the bus with my boyfriend, his ex-girlfriend, and two of my cousins. It sounds like the start of a bad joke,” I tell her.
She giggles. “Oh come on, it will be fun. An adventure. And you can keep me company.”
I sigh heavily. “I don’t know yet Lex. But I’m thinking about it. I need to talk to my boss first.”
“I really hope you can come. It will be like old times, you and me traveling the world together.”
I grin at that. “Except now you’re tied down and I’m…”
What the hell was I?
“And you’re in love,” she whispers dreamily. “It’s like old times but with a twist. A happy ending twist.”
When did she get so sappy? “Please don’t take up writing songs for the band Lexi.”
Her laugh makes me smile. “You didn’t deny it.”
“Right this is my cue to hang up,” I tell her.
“Drinks after work?” she suggests. I know she just wants to drill me for information but catching up with her sounds good.
“Knox Tavern?”
“Is there any other place?”
My lip twitches as that. “See you there about seven?”
“Sounds good, bye Tee.”
“Bye.”
I message Saxon and tell him I’m going out with Lexi, then resume my work. By the end of my work day, I tick the first two things off my list.
I still need to work on the second two.
*****
“Who are you?” I ask of the pretty blonde manning the bar.
“I’m Anna who the fuck are you?” she replies, raising an eyebrow.
I grin at her language. “I’m Tenielle. Where are Ryan, Reid, or Tag?”
“They had some family thing happening tonight, so it’s just me for the next hour,” she explains.
“How long have you been working here?” I ask her.
“A couple of weeks. Just part-time,” she replies.
“Cool. Can I have a beer please,” I ask her.
“Which one?”
“Surprise me,” I say.
Nothing like living life on the wild side.
She comes back and places a beer down in front of me. “Tenielle. Why does that name sound familiar.” She suddenly grins, her eyes widening. “You’re the drunk lawyer, that’s right!”
Eh, I’ve heard worse.
“That would be me. I’m the guys’ favourite customer,” I let her know. “I see they have been talking about me.”
She laughs and pulls up a sticky note. It reads: If Tenielle comes into the bar, pretend we’re out of tequila.
I laugh with her. “They tried that last time. It didn’t work.”
I notice a sexy looking biker walk into the bar and sit down. He may have the best beard I’ve ever seen on a man. She looks over at him and sighs.
“That man has a great beard,” I mumble.
Anna smirks. “Tell me about it.”
Definitely something going on there. I’m about to ask if that’s her boyfriend when Lexi walks in, wearing black skinny jeans and a red skull top. She kisses me on the cheek and plops down next to me.
“How was your day?” she asks. “I’m in desperate need of some girl talk.”
“Not bad, how about you? What do you want to drink?” I ask.
She shrugs. “Ryder was in the studio all day, and I was bored out of my mind. Oh I’ll just have what you�
��re having.”
I ask my new friend Anna for another beer.
Lexi looks around. “Where are all the hotties who usually work here?”
“At some event apparently.”
“So are you thinking about coming on tour? Did you ask your boss yet?” she asks me as Anna slides her a beer. “Thank you.”
“Not yet,” I reply, fiddling with the label on my beer bottle.
“So, remember ages ago when I told you that Saxon couldn’t keep his eyes off you?”
How could I forget?
I take a sip of my beer. “I remember. I also thought you were batshit crazy.”
“Well,” she says with a cute grin. “Who’s crazy now?”
“I think both of us are,” I mumble, leaning against the bar.
She pulls her honey-coloured hair away from her face as she searches my gaze. “Tell me what’s going on.”
“Six months is a long time, and I can’t exactly just quit my job and follow Saxon around on a tour bus,” I tell her in a quiet voice, averting my gaze.
She bobs her head in agreement. “You can make it work. I’m sure he could fly back here every chance he gets.”
Maybe.
Maybe not.
“I guess we shall see,” I say to myself, then turn my body towards my best friend. “Want to play some pool? We could make a bet.”
“I should know better than to challenge you,” she smirks. “But you’re on.”
I laugh and turn to Anna. “What time are you off?”
“Whenever Ryan gets here,” she says, wiping her hands on a tea towel.
“Want to come play some pool with us when he gets here?” I ask her.
She grins. “Count me in.”
Chapter Eighteen
Saxon
Two weeks pass and Tee doesn’t approach the subject of the tour. We pretend as if I’m not leaving in another two weeks. It’s worked thus far, but soon I need to know what she has planned. I leave the studio early and drop by her office, hoping to take her out for lunch. As I walk in the door, the sour-faced receptionist bats her eyelashes at me. I look down at her name tag. So this is Taryn.
“Hello,” I say. “I’m here to see Tenielle.”
Her eyes flare and she swallows. “Right, of course.”
She picks up a phone and tells Tee that I’m here. She doesn’t seem that evil, but Tee is sold on the fact that she is, so of course I’m going to believe my woman.
Saxon Page 8
