Alternating his strokes from shallow to deep, he steadily drove her toward that eye of rapture. One more smooth thrust and her body bowed, her neck arching beautifully as she fisted the sheets. She bit back a scream. As much as he missed hearing it, he understood the necessity of muffling it. Besides, the fierce shudder ripping through her provided enough testimony that he’d properly worked her over with his lovin’. The coaxing flutters of her orgasm too enticing to ignore, he freefell into bliss right along with her. Shudders racking him, he slumped on top of her with a groan, every bone in his body liquefied.
Zoe’s fingertips skated along his spine. Turning his face toward hers, he met her lips in a tender kiss. “Feel free to wake me every morning like that.”
Amusement twitching her lips, she scooted off the bed. “I’ve got to get ready for work.”
Folding his arms behind his head, he watched her select her outfit for the day. “You could play hooky and come shopping with us boys.”
She sent him a look over his shoulder. He chuckled. “I’ll take that as a no.”
“I couldn’t even if I wanted to. My advance chorale class has our concert this coming weekend.”
“Aw, shit. I forgot all about that.” He scooched up on the pillow. “I’ll mention it to Luke and the gang. They might get a kick out of going.”
Her expression clouded. “Please don’t.”
He frowned, befuddled by her response. “You don’t want them to go?”
“It isn’t that.”
“Then what is it?”
Instead of answering, she tugged on her skirt. Not about to be put off that easily, he hefted off the bed and strode to her. He spotted the tears at the corners of her eyes. The sight punched him in the gut. If there was one thing that did him in, it was his angel crying. He caressed her cheek. “Baby, talk to me.”
The air seemed to deflate from her body. Her expression pitiful, she peered up at him. “I know I should be used to it, but I just don’t want to hear him say no. Even if you’re technically the one saying it for him.”
It took a moment for him to wrap his head around her meaning. Finally the light bulb clicked. “You think Luke is gonna blow you off.” The man had done it enough during Zoe’s youth. Not difficult to see why she’d assume the worst case scenario.
“The thought crossed my mind.” Underneath the dryness in her tone lay a world of vulnerability.
He scratched the beard growth overtaking his jaw. “Tell ya what. How about you leave it to me whether or not I bring it up to Luke. Either way, I won’t tell ya my decision. That way if he chooses to be a jackass you won’t ever hafta know.”
She gaped at him. “My mom’s right. You’re the sweetest man on Earth.”
He offered her a lopsided smile. “Would ya mind repeatin’ that the next time my mom comes to visit?”
“You got it.”
After sealing that bargain with a kiss, he left her to finish getting dressed.
***
He arrived at the house on Osprey Lake with ten minutes to spare. Which explained why Luke was just then jumping into the shower. Likely the man hadn’t dragged himself out of bed prior to five minutes before Dylan’s arrival. Shaking his head, he ruffled Hunter’s hair. “How about you go see if Marliss has any of those cinnamon rolls you like?”
His eyes doubling in size, Hunter scurried toward the kitchen.
“That kid is too cute for words.” Trinity propped her slippered feet on the ottoman in front of her. “Almost makes me want to have one.”
“Oh, Jesus.”
She darted a death glare at Malcom, who occupied the adjacent leather club chair. “What is that supposed to imply?”
“I just don’t see you as the mom type.”
“And what? You’re an expert on me?”
“I’ve known you for six years and have spent at least half of that time bunking in a tour bus with you. So I believe the answer to that is yes.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Creepy bastard. You’ve probably listened to me masturbate.”
Malcom flashed his teeth. “I’ve even occasionally jerked off at the same time.”
Trinity grabbed the pillow behind her and lobbed it at Mal’s head. Plenty used to their antics, Dylan copped a squat on the couch, well away from missile range. “At the risk of ruining this slumber party, dare I ask how the songwriting is going?”
“Really well.” Trin smothered a yawn behind her fist. “I think I might even have a killer hit on our hands.”
“Better than Honkytonk First Date?” he teased. The song was a sore spot with Trin. She’d fought tooth and nail with Luke to leave it off the album, but seeing how he carried more weight, her protests had gone down in a blazing glory of defeat. The fact that the tune went on to be a mega hit only chapped her ass further.
Trin muttered darkly under her breath. Mal snatched the pillow she’d pegged him with and squished it in place behind his head. “It blows First Date out of the water.”
“Can’t wait to hear it.”
“Well, you’re gonna be playing it in Vegas.” Trin jutted her chin at a stubborn angle. “If Luke doesn’t like it, he can shove it up his Honkytonk ass.”
Dylan frowned. “Vegas? What are you talking about?”
Trinity exchanged a glance with Mal before she cleared her throat. “Shit. I thought you knew.”
“Knew what?”
Trin dropped her feet from the ottoman and leaned forward in her chair. “County Limits invited us to open up for them at a charity gig they’re doing at MGM. It was kinda last minute, but how the hell could we say no?”
They’d be a fool to. County Limits was the hugest name in the biz. Big of a legend as Luke was, he was small potatoes compared to those guys. Though it sure as shit wouldn’t be wise to tell him so. “Damn. That is amazin’.” Although he wasn’t overjoyed at leaving Zoe so soon, he knew she wouldn’t want him to give up an opportunity like this. Maybe they could even arrange for her and Hunter to come. Nothing would mean more to him than having them there. “When is it?”
“Sunday.”
He gaped at Trinity. “This Sunday?”
“Yeah, told ya it was last minute.”
“No shit.” That wasn’t gonna give him much time to learn a new song. Trin was outta her ever lovin’ mind to suggest debuting it on such short—
His thoughts rear-ended each other as the date finally registered. Fuck. It was the same day as Zoe’s chorale concert.
Groaning, he buried his face in his hands. The steady clomp of cowboy boots approached across the atrium.
“What the hell is wrong with you?”
He lifted his head to find Luke squinting at him. “Why didn’t you tell me about Vegas?”
“Because you ain’t goin’.”
Trin shoved up from her seat. “Don’t cha think he should get to decide that?”
“Nope.”
“God, you are such a jackass,” she bit out. “Despite what you’d like to believe to the contrary, you don’t get the final say on all decisions and you don’t rule our lives.”
Luke glared at her. “Why are ya biting my head off? Are you on your period?”
“Be glad I’m not. Otherwise you wouldn’t even be standing right now.”
Apparently recalling the last time Trinity coldcocked him, Luke wisely shut his mouth. Hunter skipped into the room bearing an icing mustache. “I ates a whole cinnamon roll.”
Dylan lifted to his feet. “Looks like you decided to wear some of it too. How about we go get ya cleaned up?” With an encouraging nudge, he coaxed Hunter toward the downstairs bathroom. He grabbed a hand towel and wetted it beneath the faucet before wiping his son’s face. A shadow fell across him and he glanced up to see Luke standing in the doorway.
Luke jutted his chin in Hunter’s direction. “Ya know damn well that’s part of the reason I don’t want ya in Vegas.”
“It isn’t that I don’t appreciate what you’re doin’, but you wouldn’t treat the oth
ers the same way if it was them in this position instead of me.”
“Damn straight. Cause they ain’t the mama or daddy of my grandson.”
“That’s a bit unfair, don’t ya think?”
Luke’s eyes narrowed. “So what are ya sayin’? You want to go back on your word and leave my daughter and your boy high and dry?”
It took everything inside him not to flatten Luke on his ass for those fighting words. Unballing his fist, he whipped the cloth into the sink. “You know damn well I would never do that. Don’t put your actions on my doorstep.”
Luke had the decency to flush. “I’m not.”
“Really? Cause it seems like that’s precisely what you’re doin’.” Blindly wiping his damp fingers on his shirt, he eyed Luke. “Zoe has a chorale concert Sunday.”
Luke waved his hand. “Well, there ya go. You should be home for that.”
“So should you.”
Weariness etched a few more lines in Luke’s face. He would have felt sorry for the man, if he wasn’t such a jackass at times. “I would stay if I could. Damn it, I would.” Luke’s gaze beseeched Dylan to believe him. “But it isn’t just me I have to consider. Or my daughter. The band is counting on this.”
“A concert is more important than your daughter?”
Fire lit in Luke’s eyes, and for a moment it looked like he was debating throwing a punch or two of his own. “That ain’t what I’m sayin’ at all. Damn you for even suggestin’ it.”
“Ain’t fun having someone accuse you of being a selfish, irresponsible a-hole, is it?” He crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for the moment Luke would see the light.
It arrived with a tiny easing in the tension holding Luke hostage. He heaved a breath. “Okay. I git it. I shouldn’t have said what I did. But I still think it’s a bad idea you comin’ to Vegas.”
“Why don’t you let me and Zoe figure that out?”
Luke looked like he wanted to argue, but miraculously kept his mouth zipped. Hunter tugged on the man’s jeans. “Paw Paw, we goes shopping now?”
Shifting his focus to his grandson, Luke held out his hand. “You betcha.”
Shaking his head, Dylan watched the pair stroll into the hall. If only his dilemma could be so easily solved with a trip to the toy store.
CHAPTER SEVEN
The mall in Kansas City was packed as he’d ever seen a place. Crazy, considering it was a Monday. When he offered that observation to Luke, the man shrugged. “We’re gittin’ close to the holidays. Just wait. This place will be an even worse madhouse in another week or two.”
Dylan grimaced. “No wonder Zoe prefers to do all her shopping online.”
With minimal effort, Hunter managed to sniff out the toy store like a bloodhound fresh on the scent of remote-controlled four wheelers and action figures with accompanying gadgets sold separately. They spent a good hour in the shop—though it felt closer to a lifetime—before Hunter finally settled on a new Ninja Turtle. It was a damn good thing Dylan tagged along on the trip, otherwise Luke woulda bought out the store.
They journeyed back out into the main section of the mall and were momentarily waylaid by several fans wanting autographs. Par for the course. Even with him and Luke going low-key, their faces were too recognizable to go unnoticed.
After a few minutes of him scribbling his name across everything from cellphone covers to notepads, he realized that Hunter was no longer gripping his jeans. He jerked his head up, fear a cold thin blade piercing his gut when he didn’t spot his son anywhere. Heart hammering, he shoved away from the crowd and rushed toward the center court in a blind panic. Blood whooshed in his ears.
How the hell could he let this happen? If anything happened to Hunter—
A familiar Scooby-Doo jacket popped into his vision and his knees nearly buckled beneath him as a tide of relief crashed into him. Quickening his pace, he dashed toward his son. A blonde woman was crouched next to Hunter, smiling at his animated chatter as he pointed at the Nikon strapped around her neck.
Dylan skidded to a halt beside them. “Little Man, don’t ever scare me that way again.”
Hunter peered up at him, his bottom lip trembling. Much as it pained him to see his boy on the verge of tears for being yelled at, Hunter needed to know that he was in big trouble.
“Iz I gonna get a spankin’?”
“If you ever run off like that again, yes. You don’t want that, right?”
The boy gave his head a furious shake. Bending, Dylan scooped him into his arms. He turned toward the woman. “Thank you for keeping him occupied.”
“No problem.” She volleyed her stare from him to Hunter and back again to him. Bemusement tipped her mouth. “So this is kinda crazy.”
He was well used to getting a similar response from fans who ran into him at a public place. He dug in his pocket one-handed. “Shoot. I musta dropped my pen. If you’ve got one handy I can sign whatever you’d like me to. It’s the least I owe ya.”
“You don’t know who I am.” She offered up a rueful grin. “But why would you, right? Duh.” She held out her hand. “I’m Faith Walker.”
He blinked at the last name. “Woah. Are we related?” Oh Jesus. He stared at her more closely. There was definitely enough of a resemblance there that she could be his sister.
“Yeah. Cousins.” Her expression softened. “I’m real sorry about your dad. I liked Dusty a lot. He kinda helped me during a rough patch when I lost my father.”
“I’m sorry to hear it. About your dad, I mean.” He frowned. “Did you know about me and my brothers?”
“Before your dad passed? Yeah. He didn’t have to worry about us saying anything to Theresa. We were never much close with her.”
“We?”
“My parents and my sisters. And of course me.”
More family he hadn’t known he had. She was right about one thing—talk about crazy.
“I’m glad we had this chance to meet.” One corner of her mouth tilted upward. “Although, I almost got to meet you a few years back. I happened to run into Dusty at one of your concerts.” She held up the camera. “Even snapped a pic of him.”
His mind veered back to the box of scrapbooks he’d unearthed in Dusty’s safe. There’d been a picture of his dad wearing a Truckstop Pickup T-shirt. Was that the pic she was talking about?
Fucking crazy indeed. “Why didn’t you come backstage?”
“Believe me, I tried to get your dad to do it, but he was worried you wouldn’t be happy to see him.”
Emotion congested his throat. Faith reached out and took his hand. “I know. I’m so sorry. I’m afraid boneheaded Walker stubbornness is an inherited trait.”
He chuckled. “Ya got that right.”
She checked her watch. “Damn. I’m due back at Santa’s Castle.”
“Lemme guess. You’re an elf?”
Her lips twitched. “Not quite. I’m a freelance photographer. My specialty is wildlife shots, but in the meantime I’m making a little extra cash with this side gig during the holidays.”
“Oh yeah? Any chance ya got a card on ya?”
“Sure do.” She dug in her pants pocket and fetched the requested card. “You’re interested in a family photo session?”
“Possibly. I might even be able to hook you up something with the band.”
“Really? That would be awesome.” She started to pass the card over but hesitated for a moment. “Can I make a request though?”
“After the way you saved my butt regarding Hunter?” He snorted. “Of course.”
“If you happen to meet my mother, don’t tell her you and I met. Better yet, don’t tell her anything about me at all.” She returned his quizzical look with a sigh. “It’s a long story I really don’t want to get into.”
He knew all about those. Only too well. He fingered the edge of her business card. “You got it. But seeing as how I have no damn idea who your mother is—”
She cut him off with a snort. “Trust me, that won’t be a
problem. She’ll be all too happy to fill you in.”
Before he could properly ponder what that meant, Faith tousled Hunter’s hair. “Nice meeting ya, little coz. Make sure to mind your daddy, ya hear?”
Hunter nodded somberly before popping his thumb in his mouth. Faith tossed Dylan a wave before dashing off. A second later, Luke stepped beside them. “Who was that?”
“My cousin.”
“Hell, how many relatives have ya got?”
Dylan shook his head, mystified. “Dunno. I’m still tryin’ to figure it out myself.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
“Lord, I do not know how you can deal with listenin’ to those tone deaf alley cats day in and day out.”
Zoe gave Callie a look before straightening the sheet music resting on the piano. “Um, one of those alley cats is Josh.”
“I know. Hell, he’s the worse of them all. Got that gift of the vocal screech from his mama. Bless his poor little heart.” Callie waved her hand impatiently. “Are you done with yer fussin’? I want to get home before my hot neighbor so I can stake out a good surveillance spot.”
Zoe exhaled wearily. “Something tells me you’re going to be calling me for bail in the near future.” She grabbed her bag. After they fetched Josh from the playground they made their way to the nearly deserted parking lot in front of Red Creek Elementary. Although Callie’s subdivision was just down the block, she and Josh were hitching a ride on the return trip home.
“Who wants to stop for danishes?” Callie piped up in a singsong voice the second they were all buckled in.
Zoe gave her a disbelieving look. “I thought you were in an all-fired hurry to stalk your neighbor.”
“Well, yeah. But I gotta have proper sustenance first.”
Rolling her eyes, Zoe pulled out of the lot and headed downtown. She found an available spot directly in front of Heart Starter and killed the engine. The small coffee shop was relatively quiet, but they were disappointed to note that Lexie wasn’t in. They carried their sweet, sticky treats to the table by the window and took a seat.
Callie took a couple bites from her Bear Claw before licking her fingers and glancing at Zoe. “So I’m wondering why you haven’t yet mentioned that ya set a date.”
Zoe & Dylan: The Sons of Dusty Walker Page 5
