Infusing as much sincerity and finality as he could muster he spoke calmly and firmly. “Mom, I’m fine. Everything is fine. You don’t have to worry. Nothing’s going on.”
“I’m your mother. I know you.” She used the same argument she’d been rolling with since he was kid. Whatever she said was always supported with, I’m your mother. I know you. As if that was actual proof. “Something’s going on between you two and I just don’t want you to get hurt. There’s someone else in the picture and even though he might be fooling around they’ve been together a long time. I just don’t want you to get tangled up in a love triangle.”
Oh for the love of….
“First of all, you can’t believe everything that you read in tabloids, Mom. And even if everything that was printed was true, it wouldn’t matter because my relationship with Ginny is professional.”
“Do I need to remind you that she’s living in your house?”
“No. You don’t.” No one had to remind him of that. It was all he could think about. After the first night they’d spent together the only room that was “tainted” was the front room and that was mainly the couch. Now there wasn’t a single space he could escape to that she hadn’t left an indelible mark on. He might actually need to move when she returned to Nashville. There was no way in hell he was going to admit that, though. “But I obviously need to remind you that she is a client and she is sleeping in the spare room.”
“Spare room, shmare room,” his mom rhymed dismissively. “None of that matters. I see how you look at her and how she looks at you.”
“You’ve seen pictures. Like I said, you can’t believe everything you see in the tabloids.”
“I do think she can do better than that Derek St. Vincent. Don’t get me wrong, he is very handsome, but I think he has a wandering eye. She’s sweet and sensitive. She needs someone stable who will love her for who she is.”
“You don’t even know her,” he argued even though his mom was dead on, but that wasn’t the point.
The point was she didn’t know her at all. She was projecting who she thought she was. He’d had a Google alert set to his phone for the past week and over that time he’d found out a lot of people had opinions on Ginny and her life. He wasn’t naïve. He understood that she was in the public eye and the unwelcome scrutiny came with the territory. But that didn’t mean he hadn’t wanted to set every single one of them straight. He couldn’t do that, but at least he could set his own mother straight.
“Oh yes, I do know her. Not only do I have all of her albums, I’ve also watched all of her interviews on YouTube. Plus, you know me. I’m a very good judge of character. I can get a sense of someone without ever meeting them.”
His mom had always maintained that she had a gift of “reading people.” She didn’t take it quite as far as to claim that she could see their auras or anything like that, but she did insist that everyone had an energy that was either good or bad and she could discern which a person had instantly. Apparently without even having to meet them.
“Now, stop trying to get me off track. I saw you on TV today. I saw how you looked at her. How protective you were of her.”
“That’s my job, Mom. To protect her.”
“Well, it also looked like you wanted to tear those reporters a new one, is that your job, too?”
Today at the press conference that was supposed to be about the HCWS and the programs and services that they offer, all any of the “reporters” and he was using that term lightly had wanted to talk about was her love life, the fact that she’d fired her label and her manager, and if she had an eating disorder. She’d handled all of it like the pro she was, with grace and poise. Just like she had when the scum suckers were outside his house, camped outside the studio and even in the bathroom in the building the studio was in.
He on the other hand was not dealing with it as well. They hunted her, harassed her and wrote lies about her. She was so talented and he’d seen over the past week that her talent was totally ignored and overlooked.
“I’m really worried about you. You’re out there all alone, with no family. I think maybe your sister and I should come out and visit.”
“No!” he barked. He hadn’t meant to yell, but there was no way in hell he could handle his mom and sister being at his house, too. He was barely dealing with Ginny being there. He lowered his voice as he explained, “I’m fine. You really don’t have anything to worry about. I’m on the job, that’s all.”
The front door of the two-story house opened and he turned and saw Ginny in the doorway. One arm was in her coat and the other was flailing as she struggled to get it in the coat. Amber and Jamie were behind her trying to help.
“Mom, I have to go. I’ll call you tomorrow.” He disconnected the call and in three long strides he was standing in front of her.
She stilled and her arms fell to her sides. At first she just stared at his chest but then slowly her head fell back and she looked up at him. Her eyes widened. “Whoa. Where did you come from?”
He could smell the sweet scent of fruity alcohol on her breath. If he had to guess, he would say that she didn’t drink that often. She hadn’t drank either night she’d performed at The Plate or at all since she’d shown up at his door.
“I was outside on a call.”
Amber was still trying to help her with her jacket but he took over and was able to put her right arm into the sleeve. She didn’t make it easy for him and it took several tries. He wouldn’t have bothered but it was freezing outside. He doubted she would feel it, though.
As he zipped her up she patted him on his head. “Okay. Time to go.” She then proceeded to stumble over her feet and fall against him.
“You got her?” Jamie asked, her voice filled with concern.
He nodded.
“Bye!” She called out loudly as he snaked his arm around her waist. “Thanks so much for having me.”
“Thanks for coming.” Amber waved.
“Make sure to drink some water.” Jamie, who was a nurse and from what Dax had observed a very nurturing person, called out. “Lots of water. And eat something. Call me if you need anything.”
“Okey-dokey, artichokey” Ginny put both hands high in the air and gave a double thumbs up.
On the way to his SUV she was still having a difficult time walking so he made an executive decision and lifted her up, carrying her like a groom would carry his bride. She let out a startled gasp as her arms flew around his neck. As he walked she nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck. He did his best to ignore how good the heat of her breath felt as it fanned against skin. Or how right it felt to hold her in his arms.
It also didn’t help when she pressed her lips against him and whispered, “You smell so good. I want to taste you.”
The brush of her mouth and the provocative words she spoke were not helping his situation. The head on his shoulders knew that this wasn’t going to go anywhere but the one below his belt had other ideas. In all fairness, normally when he had a woman in his arms and she was whispering dirty things against his neck, things were headed in the direction his dick saw them going.
He opened the passenger side door and sat her in the car.
As he pulled the seatbelt out, she reached up and put her hand on his cheek and jaw. Then she began petting him, like he was Capone. “I like your face hair. It feels good. I always want to touch it. Did you know that? Did you know I always want to touch you?”
“No.” He answered as his jaw clenched. Did she know that he always wanted to touch her?
He made quick work of pulling the belt around her and clicking the buckle into place. When he leaned back out of the car she grabbed his jacket and tried to tug him back in the vehicle. He removed her hand and made sure all of her limbs were inside before he shut the passenger door and made his way around to the driver’s seat. He’d barely started the engine when her hand once again touched his face.
“You feel good,” she purred.
“
Thanks,” he managed to say.
His erection was pushing so hard against his zipper he was pretty sure the track would be permanently indented on his shaft. He wanted to blame it on his dry spell but he wasn’t sure he could. He had a feeling that even if he’d just gotten laid, if Ginny touched him he’d be hard as a rock.
“Do you think love is real?”
“Sure.” He knew better than to get into a philosophical discussion with someone who was drunk. The path of least resistance was always the way to go in situations like these.
“I’ve been talking to a bunch,” her arms flew open, “of people about love and you know what?”
“What?” He had to admit, he was enjoying hearing her inner thoughts.
She’d been so quiet over the past week and having this conversation with her, even if chances were she wouldn’t remember it in the morning, really made it clear how much he’d missed her. He missed the girl that he’d stayed up all night talking to.
“None of them really believed in love until they met their plerson…poleson…person!” She giggled. “That’s a funny word, puuuurrrrsooonnnn.”
He was starting to get concerned and he wished he knew how much she’d had to drink. She was tiny, it wouldn’t take a lot to get her drunk.
“And then it dinndent even madder if they believed in it or not, they were in it.” She dropped her hand from his face and laid back against the seat and plopped her arms down on either side of her. “All their stories are so moreantic…no…romantic. Did you know what the firssst thing Alex said to Jamie was? Hmm? Do you?”
“No.” Dax knew that all the Sloan men were married, but he’d never asked for details.
Her head dropped to the side and she leaned towards him and let out an exaggerated sigh. “He said ‘will you marry me?’ That’s the first thing he said.” She slapped his arm. “He wanted to marry her from the first time he saw her. Can you believe that?”
“Yep.” He could. The first thing Dax had told Ace when he’d seen Ginny was, “I’m going to marry that girl.” He hadn’t had the balls to tell her to her face, though. Alex must have quite a pair on him.
“He wusss in the hospital after getting hit in the head with a beam ’cause he was saving people from a fire. He’s a hero! Cause he’s a firefighter.” She sat up straighter and pointed towards Dax. “Did you know that?”
Dax felt ridiculous that he actually got a twinge of jealousy in his chest hearing her talk about Alex like that. Alex was a happily married family man.
“I did know that.”
“He opened his eyes and saw Jamie and asked her to marry him.” She clutched her hands to her chest. “And Amber, Amber knew that she loved Seth before she even knew his name. Did you know that?”
Again, her finger was pointed in his direction, this time it was in a slightly more accusatory fashion. “No. I didn’t.”
“Yep. They had a one-night stand. Not here. In a different state.” She shook her head back and forth. “They didn’t tell each other their names cause they were too busy…getting busy.” Her head fell back as she laughed out loud and slapped his arm again. “Get it? Too busy, getting busy.”
He couldn’t help but smile. “I get it.”
When she finished cracking up at her own joke she straightened back up and he heard her blowing out puffs of air. He glanced over and saw that her hair had fallen in her face and she was trying to blow it off. The only problem with that plan was that the strands did lift up, but then they would just fall right back down, covering her face again.
Reaching over he brushed the hair out of her face and was struck by just how soft it was. It was silky to the touch.
She leaned into his hand and looked over at him with a dreamy look in her eyes. “Thank you. You saved me. You’re not a firefighter but you’re my hero.”
Damn, he wished he didn’t like hearing her say that as much as he did.
“What was I talking about?” She blinked several times in clear confusion.
“Amber,” he prompted.
She snapped her fingers. Or tried to. It didn’t really happen. “Right. Amber. So she called him her Mystery Man and then one day, bing, bang, boom, she’s at her friend’s house to meet the man, the myth, the prodigal Sloan son and guess who it was?”
“Seth.”
“Yes!” She gasped in surprise. “Diddya already know that story?”
“Nope. I’m just a good guesser.”
“Hmmm, I wonder what else you’re good at.” She wiggled her brows.
He knew that if she remembered this conversation tomorrow she’d be mortified, but he couldn’t help but find it amusing. As he pulled into the driveway, he was happy that the paparazzi had not returned. He drove into the garage and cut the engine.
“Wait!” She called out as he reached for the door handle. He froze and turned towards her. She crossed her arms and gave an assessing look. “If you’re such a goooood guesser then guess why I came to Harper’s Crossing. Hmmmmm? Riddle me that.”
Just like Seth, this was an easy answer. “You came to work on your album.”
“Eeeeh!” She made a loud buzzer sound. “Wrong answer.”
Now it was his turn to ask the questions. “Okay, why did you come to Harper’s Crossing?”
She tilted her head and her eyes widened. “Loss of reasons. One of them was you.” Then she pointed at him again, this time using her finger to tap him on the nose. “The main reason was you. You and I wanted to find my grandpa and be all hi, you have a granddaughter, surprise isss me, but that was a big ole bust just like you are. I wanted to kiss you and do all the things I’ve never done before with you. I couldn’t stop thinking about you when I went home. I was madly in crush with you and I thought that you liked me. I thought we could have fun and maybe, jussssst maybe, I could fall in love with you.”
He knew that she was drunk and he should take what she was saying with a grain of salt, but also…she was drunk and a lot of times alcohol served as a truth serum.
“But, whoa boy, was I wrong. You’re not fun!” The accusatory pointer finger was back in action, this time it poked his chest. “You’ve been all,” she dropped her chin to her neck and spoke with a deep voice. “I’m Dax and I’m no fun. I’m all business all the time. No, Seth. Nothing’s going on. I’m Mr. Professional.”
Shit. Had she really come here wanting to hook up with him? He knew that they’d had a connection, they’d almost kissed but he was trying to keep things comfortable for her. She’d said she felt safe with him, he hadn’t wanted to cross any lines.
“So that sucks!” She threw her hands up in the air but then slumped back against the seat. Her eyes were tracking from side to side. “Why is the car spinning?”
Double shit. If she was getting the spins that meant she might be about to throw up.
“Time to get you inside.” He rushed around to her side and picked her up.
“I don’t feel good,” she complained as he stepped over the threshold from the garage into the house.
Capone ran to him and eagerly jumped trying to reach his new favorite person.
“I know. Just breathe through your nose and out through your mouth.”
She did as he asked as he carried her into her room. He sat her on the bed and proceeded to get her water, wheat toast, a banana, and aspirin. He spent the next hour coaxing her to eat and drink. She continued talking about the people she’d interviewed and what their stories were. She also said that she was going to find her person even if it wasn’t him.
Finally, she fell into a sound sleep and he sat posted in the chair beside her bed. Capone sat beside him on the floor and they spent the night keeping watch over her. He thought a lot about what she’d said, that he was one of the main reasons that she’d come here. That she hadn’t stopped thinking about him. That she thought she could fall in love with him.
If she really did feel that way, he still wasn’t sure what she wanted or what he could offer her. Her life was insane and she nee
ded stability and someone that knew how to take care of her, how to deal with the drama that surrounded her. He was having a hard time just protecting her as a bodyguard and he’d never been in a real relationship before.
His head hurt from all the questions swimming around in it. Tomorrow, they needed to have a talk. He needed to clear the air with her about them and he also wanted to follow up on what she’d said about this grandfather that he’d never heard of before.
As he watched her sleeping peacefully he couldn’t believe that he’d been so wrong about her, about them. All his life his mom and sister had said that guys could be so blind, but he’d never really thought he was. He thought he could read women and what they wanted.
Apparently, he was wrong.
Chapter 13
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Ginny breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth slowly. Her stomach was rolling like the time she’d performed on The Country Cruise ship and ran out of Dramamine. She rubbed her belly counter clockwise, a trick she’d learned on that trip, until the feeling passed.
She’d just gotten out of the shower and after drying her hair and getting dressed she was starting to feel a little bit more human than she had when she’d woken up an hour ago. She’d opened her eyes and Dax had been sitting beside her in a chair. At first she’d thought it was a dream but then he’d stood and excused himself after pointing out that there were crackers and a bottle of water on the nightstand. Her disorientation had shielded her from the embarrassment she felt once it wore off and she started piecing together some of what had happened. Last night was fuzzy, but there were definitely snippets that were crystal clear…unfortunately.
All He Feels - Dax & Ginny (Crossroads Book 11) Page 11
