by Cari Quinn
Jazz groaned. “C’mon, throw me a bone.”
“Okay, here you go. You can’t keep dancing around Gray forever. If I were you, I’d use this vacation from Lila’s clutches to my advantage. Call it an orgasm recovery plan.”
Jazz rolled on her belly, taking the pillow with her. “In case Deak forgot to mention it, I’m exiled with him and the great manwhore at a spa. Nowhere near the secret cabin where Gray and Nick are going.”
“So find out where they’re headed, and in the grand tradition of all cabin exiles, sneak in. Hopefully wearing something skimpy enough that all of Gray’s brain cells disintegrate upon sight.”
“Harp, he kissed me and left with some chick last night. But he claimed he didn’t sleep with her.”
“Do you believe him?”
“I want to.”
“Then go with your gut. And follow your heart.”
“My heart leads me to Gray.” Jazz sighed. “Always.”
“Exactly. Now let your body follow suit.”
Jazz sat up again and heaved the pillow aside. She’d collapsed on her dress, probably wrinkling it all to hell, but who could worry about that at a time like this? “You’re serious. You really think I should do this.”
“I do. Absolutely. You have to give it a try. You’ve wondered all these years. If you don’t go for it, balls to the wall, you’ll always wonder what if. Fifteen years from now when Oblivion’s broken up and you’re married with a pair of adorable babies, you’ll log onto Facebook and start a madcap instant messaging affair with him, thereby homewrecking both of your families. This is much more expeditious. Trust me.”
“I don’t want any adorable babies if they aren’t his.” Jazz frowned and smoothed her hand over her minidress. “I definitely don’t want to be married.”
“Proving my point. Pack some hot clothes, head off to the spa and tonight, attack.”
When Harper started humming the Jaws soundtrack, Jazz laughed. “There’s one little problem. I won’t have transportation for this little sneak attack plan of yours.”
“You can use the catering truck. It’ll be at your service.”
“Won’t you need it?”
“Between the hours of midnight and seven a.m.? Nope. I don’t have a job until eight a.m. tomorrow. So get there late and leave early.” Harper made a purring noise. “And make the most of all the hours in between.”
“Aw, damn, you’ve sold me.” Jazz grinned and jogged over to her closet. “Now help me figure out what to pack.”
Twenty minutes later, she had a head full of sex advice, a packed suitcase, several cases of instruments and her notebook under her arm. Operation Sex-up-Gray achievement unlocked.
On her way out of her bedroom she stopped by her guinea pig Ratt’s cage and stuck her finger through the bars. “Hey there, munchkin. Auntie Harp is going to make sure you and your sister George have plenty to eat and drink while we’re away. So don’t go riding that wheel of yours all night long and getting your cage dirty til I get back. No wild parties, you hear me?” She pressed a kiss to her finger and placed it on Ratt’s furry head. “Be good for mama.”
Hearing herself, she sighed. Yeah, she really did have baby fever if she was actually mothering a damn guinea pig. But along with being cute, he was well-behaved. George, Simon’s kitten, was much more of a miscreant.
She headed down the hall and knocked on Gray’s bedroom door. Hopefully his and Nick’s car hadn’t been early. She’d been so busy squirreling away necessary items for her trip—naughty lingerie, check and condoms, check—that Nick and Gray could’ve split without her knowing. Normally Gray would’ve stopped by to say goodbye, but maybe he was taking Lila’s warning seriously.
More seriously than she was anyway.
On her second knock, he opened the door and gave her a careless grin that didn’t diminish the strain around his eyes. His silver eyebrow ring gleamed, adding a little edge to his casual outfit of jeans, a T-shirt and a vest. While the jeans were snug, the T-shirt seemed a little baggy, but he’d always had energy to burn and a crazy fast metabolism. She gained weight just looking at food and he could eat double cheeseburgers at every meal and not gain an ounce.
“Hey.” He leaned on the doorjamb. “You defying a direct order?”
The amusement in his voice helped ease some of her nerves. She’d been planning for this day for a long time. Now that it was actually here, she couldn’t stop fussing with the hem of her shirt and bouncing around on her Keds. She wasn’t a raving beauty but normally she was fine with her appearance. Sure, her eyes weren’t quite even and her nose was a bit too tiny and she was ridiculously short. She’d gotten used to all of those things. Yet all of a sudden she couldn’t stop analyzing her boobs or how her butt looked in her jeans.
Not that it really mattered. He’d been in her sphere for close to a decade. If he didn’t find the goods up to snuff, there wasn’t much she could do about it. She’d just have to work what her mama gave her and hope for the best.
“You okay, J?”
This zoning out problem she was developing wasn’t going to up her hotness quotient. “Sure. I’m fine. Uh, yeah, about the direct order.” She gave him a bright smile and waved her notebook. “If I keep this in my hand at all times, that makes this within the boundaries of Oblivion biz, right?”
He scraped his hand over the back of his head. “Sure. So, ah, you’re off to the spa soon, right?”
“Yes.” She reached up to toy with the ends of her hair. “I’m thinking of dyeing it again.”
His grin bordered on indulgent. “No kidding? That happens so rarely with you.”
“No, I mean something shocking. Like…platinum blonde.” She tipped her head to the side. “What do you think of that?”
He jerked a shoulder. “It’s a color.”
She frowned at his back as he disappeared into his bedroom. Really? That was his idea of a response?
“I might pierce my nipples and get a nose ring too,” she called, stepping back at his surprise reappearance in the doorway.
“You’ve pierced enough of yourself, don’t you think?” He moved into the hallway, forcing her backward.
Hmm. Which piercing was he thinking of? “You mean my ear piercings?” she asked coyly, flipping back her hair. He’d definitely gotten to know her clit piercing too. Briefly. So freaking briefly.
He hoisted his duffel higher and clutched his guitar in one hand, pulling the door shut with the other. “Yeah.”
Wow. Seriously? She was trying to act flirty and even directing his attention toward sexual areas—nipples, clits, come on—and nada. “I’m pierced other places too.”
“Uh-huh. So did you need something? I think we’re supposed to head downstairs soon.”
She grabbed his arm before he could start down the stairs. “I wanted to know if you had the address for the cabin yet,” she said in a low voice, keeping an eye on the hallway. The last thing she needed was for someone to overhear her setting up an illicit tryst.
“No. We won’t know until we get there, and that’s if they even tell us where we are. Much mystery afoot.” He flashed her a distracted smile and adjusted his grip on his guitar.
“When you find out the address, text me.”
“Why?”
Jazz sent up a quick prayer that she wouldn’t be soundly rejected. “So I can, um, pay you a visit.” She tossed her hair. “You know. At night.”
His eyes narrowed. “Are you okay? You’re acting weird.”
“Yes, I’m fine. Jeez. Just text me, okay?” She gave him a light shove down the stairs. Clearly she needed to adjust her plan of attack, because her casual flirtiness didn’t seem to be having much of an effect.
“Okay. Fine.” He backed down the steps, smiling up at her in that way that caused her belly to twist like a knotted up Slinky. “Have fun getting girly.”
“I’m already girly, you jerk.” She grinned and waved, waiting until he turned around to descend the stairs to cover her stamped
ing heart with her hand.
This had to get easier. If it didn’t, she’d stroke out before she managed to get naked.
A moment later, Deak yelled up the stairs. “Pix? Car’s here. You ready to go?”
“Coming,” she called, returning to her room for her stuff.
Here went everything.
* § *
His life had been circling the drain for a while. Today, Lila had flushed.
“So this is it, huh?” Nick strode across the living room of the rustic cabin where they’d be holed up together for way too long. “These are our luxury accommodations while the three glam girls get their toenails waxed?”
In spite of his dissatisfaction, Gray choked a laugh into his fist. “Two of those three glam girls would kick your ass for saying that. And I don’t think toenails can get waxed.”
“Whatever. I can take Deak and Simon.”
“I meant Deak and Jazz. I think Simon would probably correct you for mixing up your metaphors then show you his manly manicure.”
Nick shook his head and ambled over to the giant fireplace that appeared to have been dug by hand out of the wall. He braced his hands on the mantel and dropped his head. “This really fucking blows.”
“Yeah.” Gray dropped into the nearest leather wingback chair and propped his guitar between his knees. “Have to agree.”
Nick turned away from the fireplace and prowled around the cabin while Gray popped open the case and pulled out his Epiphone. Though the drive from the Hollywood Hills hadn’t taken that long, he still felt too edgy to just calmly check out his new surroundings. He needed something to unkink the knots in his gut and distract him from the urge for a fix. He used to be able to go days between them. Now in less than twenty-four hours, he was jonesing again.
He’d hoped to get a hold of Cricket before the car arrived to pick them up, but Jazz had been talkative and Cricket hadn’t answered his texts quickly enough. When she had, she’d made it clear she’d be providing no more freebies.
If he didn’t pay up his past-due amounts—and/or fuck her brains out, which probably would buy him a week or two and another hit at best—he’d be cut off. And that couldn’t happen. He wasn’t about to put out feelers for another dealer when his name had already been thrown to the media wolves for the Jazz thing.
Bottom line, he needed to get her some fucking cash, fast.
“These bedrooms aren’t bad,” Nick said from down the hall. “I’m claiming the one next to the—holy shit, man, come check this out.”
Sighing, Gray set aside his guitar and got to his feet. He truly didn’t give a crap what Nick had found nor did he care which bedroom he ended up with. Sleeping was pretty much optional for him nowadays, and he didn’t have a need for a bed otherwise. It wasn’t like he’d be getting laid during this misfit toys vacation.
His weird conversation with Jazz popped back into his brain. She’d said something about visiting him tonight. For what? Maybe she figured they could work on some songs away from the rest of the group. They’d always had their own vibe and style of collaboration. It had been a while since they’d tried to write something new on their own, but the whole “Captured” discussion during the band meeting last night had probably reminded her of all the fun they used to have making music together.
“Hang on,” Gray replied, dragging out his phone. “Gotta text someone.”
He’d overheard the address when the driver had been calling in to some kind of dispatch and now Gray typed it out quickly to Jazz. He still didn’t get why she wanted to flaunt Lila’s decree on the very day she’d made it, but his best friend had been a little rulebreaker for as long as he’d known her. He’d always been attracted to the side of her that prompted her to sneak out of her bedroom window to go to a concert or to dye her hair blue with Kool-Aid when no one at school was doing it. She’d never walked the straight and narrow, and damn, she made the crooked seem so fucking sexy.
That even extended to her personal jewelry. He still couldn’t believe she’d pierced her clit. Earlier it had almost seemed like she’d been goading him into mentioning that particular piercing. Something must be up. Maybe he’d figure out her game plan after she showed up.
If she even did. That’d be his luck to get his hopes up for no reason at all.
He texted her the addy and she sent back an answer almost immediately.
I’ll be there by 12:30. One level?
His lips quirked. Was she planning a reverse Rapunzel? His hair had grown longer than he preferred but he wouldn’t be able to use it as a trellis for her to climb up from the ground anytime soon.
Yes, one. At least he was pretty sure there was just one. That’s how it had looked from outside.
Where’s your bedroom?
I’ll let you know in a bit. How’s the spa?
So far I’ve had a kelp smoothie and I’m baking in a green clay face mask. Simon is hitting on Diane, the esthetician, and Deak keeps texting Harper while they do something to his feet. Later I guess we’re gonna try to write.
He smiled, hearing her enthusiastic voice as he read her words. Seeing Jazz happy made up for so much of the toxic shit in his world. He’d give anything to keep her that way.
Glad to hear it. Me and Nick are just checking out the house.
Is it nice?
Yeah, it’s sweet. His thumbs hovered over the keys. He didn’t want to seem desperate, but man, the idea of spending some time with Jazz alone—relatively anyway—sounded better and better. So I’ll see you later?
You will. Text me when you know which room is yours.
KK. Enjoy getting even more beautiful, beautiful.
The smiley face she sent back made him grin until he glanced up into Nick’s amused face.
“A little busy there?” Nick asked, jerking his chin at Gray’s cell.
“Nah, all good. So what does the rest of this place look like?” He tucked his phone in his back pocket and ventured down the hall, stopping in the doorway to a gleaming black bathroom. The tiles, spacious tub and floor were all onyx. And damn, the tub looked like it had a million jets. It was definitely made for two.
He shut his eyes and tried to ignore the sudden pressure below the waist. Two wasn’t a possibility. Hell, he’d probably be hiding out in the shower as much as possible just to avoid Nick’s smirk.
“This place is a fucking wet dream. And dude, I already claimed the bigger bedroom, so you’re out of luck.”
Gray gripped the back of his neck and turned to face Nick. This wasn’t just about disliking the guy. He needed to make this work for the band. That was more important than his urge to plant his size twelve boot right on that sneering face.
“That’s cool. I don’t sleep a whole hell of a lot, so go for it.”
Nick tucked his hands under his arms. “Wow, I think that might be the most words you’ve spoken at one time in…well, ever.”
Don’t rise to the bait. “If we’re going to be writing together, we’re going to be talking, right? Unless you want to try out the whole telepathy deal.”
Before Nick could respond, he slipped past him into the hall and headed into the rustic bedroom on his left. Obviously this was the one Nick hadn’t claimed, since it looked untouched. A thick plaid spread covered the double bed and a plush loveseat and pair of chairs made up a small seating area. The old-fashioned carved armoire opened to a pair of thick white robes. Clearly this place was made for couples.
One more reason to put sex in his head. Fabulous.
He walked to the window and flipped the lock, then dragged up the sill so he could haul in a breath of humid air. Beyond the cabin lay what appeared to be miles of woods. His gaze drifted back to the deck and he did a double take at the huge Jacuzzi. Best of all, a door beside the closet allowed direct access to said Jacuzzi without having to go through the rest of the house.
Shaking his head, he stepped away from the window. Yeah, lovers would have a fucking awesome time here. Him? He needed a hit.
; He tugged out his cell and tapped in another quick text to Cricket. She couldn’t leave him high and dry with Nick. Maybe he hadn’t been clear enough about the desperate straits he was in.
Or maybe he’d have to dig out the weed Jere had given him and settle for that. He wasn’t a big fan of pot, but shit, his nerves were jumping under his skin. If he touched his arm, he was certain he’d feel them wriggling beneath the surface. A few tokes would take the edge off.
“So? What’s the verdict?”
And that right there was a big reason why. Damn Nick. Damn Jazz. Damn everything right now.
“Verdict?” Gray finished his text and tossed his phone on the bed. “On what?”
“On the place. I think—holy shit, look at that Jacuzzi.” Nick strode over to the door and pulled it open before tossing a grin over his shoulder. “Man, dragon lady is nuts if she thinks I’m going to spend the entire time strictly dickly in a tricked-out place like this. This house is practically begging for an orgy.”
“Dragon lady?”
Nick’s grin spread. “Yeah, fits Lila, don’t you think?”
In lieu of replying, Gray dropped to the mattress. He cast a sly glance at his silent phone. What the hell was Cricket doing? She never went this long without answering. Yes, he owed her money. He had a little bit left in his savings account stashed away for the next few months of rent so if he had to, he’d use that. If Cricket ever bothered to return his text.
“You heard Lila,” he said vaguely, still fixated on his cell. “She wants us to concentrate on coming up with material for the album. We need to bond or some shit.”
Nick snorted. “Lila can kiss my ass. She’s not here, and I’m not wasting this kind of setup.”
“So you’re already bailing on the plan. Why am I not surprised?”
“Look, Boy Scout, not all of us do real well at taking orders. I know for a fact that you’re not nearly as lily white as you pretend, so go fuck yourself.” Nick crossed the room and slammed the door hard enough to shake the foundation.
Shaking his head, Gray balled up his pillow. He shoved it under his head and stared at his phone, willing it to ring. He couldn’t do this week without blow. If he had to empty his savings and offer up his dick as a goddamn consolation prize, he’d do it. He had no choices left.
