His mouth went dry as all the blood rushed to his dick. “Why didn’t you tell me that sooner?”
He tossed her over his shoulder and ran toward the cabin with Becca laughing the entire time.
***
Becca snuck into the kitchen and closed the back door as silently as she could behind her. The house was bathed in dark shadows and as silent as the falling snow outside. She’d dozed off after Ethan had made her come for the fourth time that evening, but her growling stomach reminded her that she’d missed out on most of Thanksgiving dinner. She was tiptoeing toward the fridge to find some leftovers when the lights came on.
Her heart jumped. She froze and dared to peek over her shoulder at the person who’d caught her.
“Can’t sleep either?” Claire asked. She wrapped her dressing gown around her nightie and tied it closed as she came closer. Even after having Jacob, she’d retained her ready-for-the-runway figure that had helped her grace dozens of magazine covers in the late eighties and early nineties.
“Just hungry.” She opened the fridge and grabbed the container of turkey, followed by the bag of bread. “Can I make you anything?”
“No, but I’ll have a few sips of milk.” She sat down on one of the stools surrounding the giant island in the center of the kitchen.
“Coming right up.” She added the milk carton to her pile and made her way to the other side of the island. She poured a glass for her stepmother. “Sorry about dinner, Claire. I tried. I really did.”
“I know, dear, but you know your father.” She gave a weary sigh and stared at her milk, not touching it. “I give kudos to Ethan for standing up to him like he did. None of your previous boyfriends had the gumption to do that.”
Becca smiled as she fixed her sandwich. “Yeah, he’s a great guy.”
“I didn’t know he was famous until he told us, but once your brother pulled him up on the Internet, I recognized him.” She took a sip of milk. “He looks better with the short hair.”
Becca found herself giggling. “He’s pretty sexy, all right. But he’s more than a hot bod with a dreamy voice. He makes me feel like a million bucks when I’m around him.”
“How did you two meet?”
She hesitated, wondering how Claire would react if she knew the whole truth. “We, um, met at one of my NA meetings.”
Her stepmother raised both brows. “He’s a recovering addict like you?”
Becca nodded, finishing her sandwich and starting on another one for Ethan. “His best friend died of an overdose, and he took that as a sign he needed to get clean before he ended up the same way.”
“But isn’t that dangerous? Aren’t you worried he’ll relapse and tempt you to do the same?”
“Not at all.” She layered slice after slice of turkey on the bread, followed by a leaf of lettuce. “I’m so proud of how far he’s come. And we’re good about supporting each other to avoid that temptation to relapse.” She paused, remembering something he’d said to her months ago. “He gets me.”
“I understand that, Becca, but I’m still worried.”
“Don’t be.” She shook the milk carton. There was enough left for her and Ethan to each have a glass. She tucked it under her arm and grabbed the plate with the sandwiches on it. “Seriously, Claire, you have no idea how good he’s been for me. And every time I’m around him, I find myself discovering one more reason to fall in love with him.”
She started for the door, but Claire dashed in front of her and cut her off. Her stepmother wrapped her arms around her in a hug. “I’m glad to hear that, Becca, but please, don’t run off and elope without first letting me know.”
Becca laughed. “We’ve only been dating two months, Claire. Marriage is way off in the distance.”
“But sometimes you just know.” She twirled the wedding band around her own finger. “Your father and I had only been dating that long when he proposed.”
Yeah, and I still don’t see how someone as wonderful as you has stayed married as long as you have to someone like my father.
She gave her stepmother a tight smile. “Like I said, we’re in no hurry.”
But as she made her way back to the bungalow, she found herself wondering what it would be like to be married to Ethan Kelly.
Chapter Thirteen
Ethan pressed one side of the headphones against his ear and grooved along with the song. “This is fuckin’ awesome,” he told his sound engineer, Damian.
“Thanks, man.” He gave Ethan a fist bump. “But seriously, dude, those are some killer sweet tracks you laid down. Made it easy to mix them into that.”
The song ended, but the grin on his face didn’t fade. The new album was different from anything he’d ever recorded. For the first time in his career, he didn’t have a record label telling him to stick with the hard rock sound that had made Ravinia’s Rejects famous. The rock influences were still there, but he’d mixed in blues and country and electronic beats, depending on the different songs. The result was a compilation that was uniquely him.
And he liked it.
Up until this point, he’d been plagued by fear, doubt, and the ever-persistent cravings. Many nights, he left the studio wondering what he’d gotten himself into. He questioned his talent, his vision, even his sanity. His old muse beckoned him to return, but he fought back by holding on to his newfound freedom and the joy of making music that wasn’t tainted by heroin. As Becca told him months ago, the cravings never completely went away, but they became easier to deal with.
Today, however, was the first day he could listen to his music and not associate it with the past.
He put down the headphones and pointed to the thumb drive on Damian’s laptop. “Can I take that home to show my girlfriend?”
“It’s all yours.” Damian made a few clicks on the keyboard and popped the drive out. “Let me know if you need me to tweak anything else.”
“Will do. And remember, this needs to stay under wraps until I drop the news.”
“No problem, man. I’m cool like that.” He started packing up his gear. “And any time you want to work together, I’m game.”
“Right on.” He tucked the USB drive in his pocket and grabbed his jacket. He couldn’t wait to see what Becca thought of it. “Talk to you soon.”
Ethan got on his motorcycle and zoomed out of the parking garage under the recording studio. The early December air had a definite bite to it as he rode from Hell’s Kitchen to Midtown, but the bright lights and holiday decorations chased away the dreariness of the long nights.
That, and the constant presence of a certain warm body in his bed every night.
He pulled in front of the building where Becca worked and he parked his bike, waiting for the moment where she’d emerge from the revolving door. He didn’t have to wait long.
Becca came running out of the lobby wearing leggings that clung to every delicious line of her legs. She blew him a kiss before putting on her helmet and climbing behind him. “Right on time.”
“Wouldn’t want to keep you waiting.” He revved the engine up and ventured north toward Central Park.
It was Friday afternoon, and he had a fun date planned for the two of them. After a string of high-society events over the last two months, he was looking forward to the opportunity to just be a regular person. As he got closer to the park, he slowed down until he found a place to safely park his bike.
“What are we doing?” she asked.
“It’s a surprise.” He helped her off his bike and secured the helmet. “Just come with me.”
They strolled through the park arm in arm, talking about their day, but he didn’t tell her about the finished album. The USB drive in his pocket reminded him he still had one more surprise for her after this.
Her eyes lit up in delight when they turned the corner and she saw the Wollman ice skating rink. “Is this
what we’re doing?”
“Yeah.” He guided her to the front of the line and pulled out the two advance tickets he’d purchased earlier that week. “I figured Rockefeller would be a little too touristy, but I still wanted to do something to get us in the holiday mood.”
“You do realize that Hanukkah is a minor holiday and still a week and a half away?” she teased before giving her shoe size to the clerk at the skate rental stand.
“I know, and Christmas is even further off, but I don’t care. I wanted to experience the excitement, the thrill of being a kid again and marveling at the twinkling lights.” He handed her the rental skates. “Humor me.”
She playfully rolled her eyes, her grin defying any hint of sarcasm. “I guess I will.”
The skates weren’t like the hockey blades he’d learned to skate on as a child, and when he got onto the ice, he stumbled forward. His arms flailed out in an attempt to catch his balance, smacking Becca in the chest. A sick feeling formed in the pit of his gut, but he couldn’t tell if it was from accidentally hitting her or from making a fool of himself in front of everyone.
Becca’s laughter eased his nerves. She took his hand and led him around the ice. “First time skating?”
“Please. My older brother’s an NHL goalie. We all spent time on the ice growing up.” He pointed to the jagged tip on the blades. “Of course, hockey skates don’t have these on them.”
“It’s called a toe pick.”
“Whatever.” The toe pick caught the ice again, pitching him forward. “Motherfucker!”
Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea after all.
“You’re doing it wrong,” Becca said, still laughing. “It’s meant to be used like this.”
She let go of his hand and glided out toward the center of the ice, picking up speed as she skated. Then she planted the pick into the ice and jumped. Two revolutions later, she landed on one blade and moved into a fast spin, her elegant arms reaching up into the sky.
He watched her, his chest swelling up with pride. She was beautiful, and he still couldn’t believe she was his.
When she skated back to him, he gave her a lighthearted bump with his shoulder. “Show-off.”
“Hey, five years of skating lessons paid off.” She took his hand again. “Are you ready for your lesson, Mr. Kelly?”
“No, I’d rather circle the rink a few times with a gorgeous woman by my side.”
Her cheeks turned pink. “I work at a magazine. I’m sure we could secure a model for you.”
“I don’t need a model, not when I have you.” He brushed his lips against her forehead.
Her blush deepened, and she bit her bottom lip.
God, does she have any idea how much that turns me on? The blood rushed straight to his dick, and he resisted the urge to suck that lip between his own teeth in a kiss that would make the parents at the rink cover their children’s eyes.
She pushed off with her skates, moving them back into the rink’s traffic. “So, what were holidays like with your family?”
“Chaos.” But as he shared stories from his childhood, he grew nostalgic for the times he’d shared with his brothers. Caleb and Frank were usually the ringleaders when it came to getting them in trouble, but Adam was always the one who kept them from burning the house down or getting arrested. In the end, he wouldn’t trade any of those memories.
He grew quiet and looked down at Becca. A thoughtful smile lingered on her lips, and her distant gaze was far beyond the rink. “What are you thinking?” he asked.
“That your experience was so different than mine.”
If Thanksgiving was any indication, he could only imagine how stiff and formal her holidays must have been. “No food fights over the dinner table or stuffing your face full of chocolate?”
She shook her head. “Jacob is four years younger than me and could’ve gotten away with it, but my father kept me on a tight leash. I was even limited to only one piece of chocolate gelt a night during Hanukkah. But Claire would always slip me a few more when he wasn’t looking.”
“Are you planning on celebrating Hanukkah with them this year?”
She drew in a sharp breath, her entire body tightening. “Not likely.”
He skated halfway around the rink, gathering up his courage before offering to bring her into his insanity. “Would you consider coming home with me for Christmas?”
She pulled him out the traffic and spun around in front of him. “You’re inviting me to meet your family?”
“Don’t act so surprised. You took me to meet yours.” He cradled her face in his hands, his heart pumping full of an emotion he still was frightened to acknowledge. How could he have fallen in love with her so quickly? And yet as he stared into her bright blue-green eyes, he couldn’t imagine not loving her. “I promise to protect you from Jasper. And Frank.”
She leaned forward, perfectly balanced on those damn toe picks, and kissed him. “I may have to consider your offer.”
“What is there to consider?”
“Meeting your mom, for starters.” She slipped back to his side and merged them back into the throng of skaters, her gaze fixed on the ice. “I know I don’t have the best reputation.”
Guilt nagged at him. Her reputation was one of the reasons why he hadn’t told anyone in his family he was dating her. They would jump to the worst conclusions based on her past behavior. “Maybe, but you’ve changed. Besides, we don’t have to tell them until they get to know you first and see how far you’ve come from your former life.”
“Do you really think they’d be able to?”
“Absolutely,” he said, full of false confidence. Of course, Adam would probably order a background check on her, and her mother would pick her apart like the prosecuting attorney she’d once been. But once they got to know her, they’d see all the wonderful things he did.
He squeezed her hand. “They’ll love you.”
Almost as much as I do.
***
Becca made revolution after revolution around the rink with Ethan, still mulling over his request. He wanted her to meet his family. And if his mother was anything like her prior boyfriends’ moms, she’d instantly assume Becca wasn’t good enough for her son and go about proving it. All it would take was one Google search to bring up the mistakes of her past as evidence.
Of course, it was the next step in a relationship—meeting the other family. Most girls would be thrilled at the idea of having Ethan Kelly take them home to meet his mother, but all she knew was fear. She was falling in love with him. Her estrangement from her father made his disapproval of their relationship easy to ignore, but would Ethan be able to do the same if his family hated her?
Ethan remained silent for several minutes before saying, “Sorry to spring that on you, Bec. I just thought—”
She shushed him with her finger. “It’s fine. I’m more nervous than anything else, that’s all.”
“Don’t be.” He pulled her into his arms, tucking her hand under his beside the place where his heart beat. “If my brother can introduce his pregnant girlfriend to my mom over Thanksgiving and not land in deep shit, I can definitely bring you.” He paused, his brows drawing together. “Unless you’re knocked up and haven’t told me yet.”
“Oh, good grief!” She tried to wriggle out of his arms, but he held on tighter, laughing the entire time. “Don’t even joke about that.”
“Just trying to show you that you have nothing to worry about.” He placed a quick peck on her lips and let go.
As she spun around, a camera flash caught her eye. Normally, she’d expect families to snap photos of their kids on the ice, but she couldn’t shake the chill that crept up her spine from it. She searched the crowd for its source and spied a man holding a camera with a massive zoom lens pointed right at her and Ethan.
“I think we’ve been spotted.” S
he gave a discreet nod toward the photographer as they continued to skate, noting how he followed their every move.
Ethan watched him out of the corner of his eye, his jaw clenching.
“Want to leave?” she asked.
“Yeah.” He led her to a bench and yanked off his skates. “I fuckin’ hate the paparazzi.”
“Who likes them?” But the tingle along her spine wouldn’t ebb. There was something familiar about that photographer. She’d seen him before, but for the life of her, she couldn’t remember where. Her younger years had been a blur of camera flashes, so it wouldn’t be too much to assume she’d seen him then.
Ethan turned in her skates and herded her away from the rink. “Here’s to hoping we can lose him in the park.”
They made it back to his bike without any more camera flashes. Ethan remained tense and silent as he handed her helmet to her, every inch of him hyper-vigilant as though he was expecting a knife-wielding stalker to rush at them at any moment.
“It’s just a photographer,” she said in an attempt to calm him down.
“I know, but I also know how dangerous they can be when they’re pursuing their targets.” He strapped his helmet on. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”
But as they rode back to his place, Becca couldn’t help but feel that part of their fairytale romance was coming to an end. It was one thing to just be a normal couple. But when fame entered the equation, it added a whole new level of complications.
“I’m sorry our date had to end on a sour note,” she said once they reached his loft.
“I’m not.” He propped his motorcycle up in its usual spot and hung his jacket on the hooks next to the helmets. “Besides, it gives me a chance to show you this.”
He pulled a thumb drive out of his pocket and plugged it into his laptop.
She peered over his shoulder as he entered in a password to access its contents. “Top secret information you stole from the Russians?”
Rockers After Dark: 6 Book Bundle of Sexy Musicians Page 106
