A Seductive Melody (The Kelly Brothers Book 5)

by Crista McHugh

  A few minutes later, the craving passed, and the world came back into focus. He turned to his computer and did a quick Internet search for his name. No new pictures came up. Whoever the paparazzo was, he hadn’t sold those pictures of him and Becca at the ice rink to any media outlet.

  His phone rang, and he answered without looking at the number.

  “Hello, sweetie,” his mom said in a honey-thick voice. “How are you doing?”

  “I’d be doing a lot better if you’d stop talking to me like I was still five years old, Mom.” He tried to sound stern, but a hint of teasing crept into his words. “Yes, I’m fine. No, I haven’t used any drugs. And yes, I’m back to work. Any other questions?”

  “Where did you learn how to be such a smartass?”

  Laughter broke free from his chest. “Frank,” he replied.

  “I’ll have to talk to that boy when he comes home for Christmas. Speaking of which…”

  He set the marker on the table and hopped up on the kitchen counter. “I’m coming home, Mom. Don’t worry about that.”

  “Wonderful! I’ll get to have all of my boys home at once. We haven’t been able to do that for three years.”

  “It’s not my fault Ben and Frank always have games around the holidays, or that Caleb’s always getting deployed somewhere.”

  “Or that you were always on the road with the band.”

  “Well, I am kind of busy arranging the release of my first solo effort, but I suppose I can put it off until after the holidays.” He closed his eyes and smiled, enjoying the freedom of controlling his career. It meant he could enjoy a peaceful holiday without dozens of reporters hounding his every move. “Is Dan bringing his girlfriend?”

  “Yes, even though poor little Jenny’s going to be massively pregnant by then. Why?”

  The peace from moments before was slowly eroded by nerves. “Um, would it be okay if I bring my girlfriend, too?”

  He could almost picture his mom’s mouth hanging agape during the silence that followed. “You have a girlfriend and you didn’t tell me?”

  “Mom, I’m an adult now, remember? I don’t have to tell you every little detail of my life.”

  “But you should at least tell me if you’re seeing someone.”

  “Not if it’s still early in the relationship. I wanted to make sure she was a keeper before telling anyone.”

  “Exactly how long have you been dating her?”

  He ran his finger along the neck band of his T-shirt. “About three months. Nowhere near proposal time, Mom, so don’t even bring that up.”

  “Fine, I won’t.” Although the exasperated tone revealed her disappointment.

  “And don’t go overly religious with the decorations. She’s Jewish.”

  “Jewish?”

  “I think that’s enough information for now, Mom. Just don’t overwhelm her when you meet her, okay?”

  “Can I at least have her name?”

  “Becca.” He hung up before his mom could pry any more information from him. Becca was already nervous enough about her past being a strike against her, and he didn’t want to give his mom anything that could make her more uncomfortable. She’d respected his identity when it came to meeting her family, and he could do the same for her.

  Besides, they were bound to like her. And once they got to know the real Becca, then he could mention her last name.

  He went back to the white board and continued planning his release, scouting out PR firms until his alarm went off to remind him of his weekly NA meeting. He grabbed his helmet and jacket and wondered what specials Gitta would have this week at her café.

  ***

  Ari did a double take when she came into the apartment. “What are you doing home this early, Becca? Don’t you have your meeting to go to?”

  Becca curled her knees up to her chest, already dressed in her pajamas on the sofa. “I got sick at work.”

  Panic flickered over her roommate’s face. “Stay away from me. I can’t afford to get sick right now. I have a project due before I leave for LA next week.”

  “It’s not that kind of sick.”

  Panic change to concern. “Uh-oh. You’re not pregnant, are you?”

  “What the fuck is up with all the pregnancy concerns?” She tossed a pillow at her roommate. “I’ve been taking my pill every day at the same time like I should, thank you very much.”

  “Sorry, but you seem a little, um, emotional lately.” Ari lowered her bottom to the edge of the chair and folded her hands in her lap. “What’s wrong?”

  “Where do I start?”

  “Wherever you want. I’m still your best friend, after all.”

  For the first time since her meeting with Elaine that morning, she didn’t feel sick to her stomach. “I mentioned to you that I thought I saw someone taking pictures of me and Ethan at the ice rink Friday. Well, I found out why. Elaine hired him to track me. She has photos of the two of us all over the city.”

  Ari’s lips parted in surprise, and her brown eyes grew to twice their normal size. “That fucking bitch.”

  “Oh, you don’t know the half of it. She asked me to write an exposé on Ethan. Told me if I didn’t turn it in by Friday, I was as good as fired.”

  “Oh my god! The nerve of that woman.”

  “And the kicker was that the only reason she hired me was because Daddy called in a favor.” Becca grabbed another pillow and hugged it to her chest. “So now I’m faced with either betraying Ethan or losing the job I only have because of my father.”

  “This calls for wine.” Ari rose from her chair and disappeared into the kitchen. She returned a minute later with a bottle of red wine, a corkscrew, and two glasses.

  “You know I don’t drink.”

  “Yes, but if there was ever a reason to let your rules slide, this is it.” She poured two glasses and handed one to Becca. “So, let’s brainstorm our options.”

  Becca held her glass, refusing to sip from it, but gave her roommate a smile. This was what she loved about Ari. Growing up, she’d always found a way to get around rules and restrictions, and Becca hoped her best friend would help her find a way around this.

  Ari took a generous drink from her glass. “Okay, let’s start with the extremes. Option one: You tell Elaine to take this job and shove it.”

  Becca snorted with laughter as she imagined the editor’s face reacting to that statement. She set her glass down before she spilled the contents. “I so do not have the balls for that.”

  “You used to.” Ari took another drink. “Option two: You beg your boyfriend for the story to save your job.”

  She squirmed at the thought of that. “I don’t know, Ari. Ethan’s very private, and the kind of things Elaine wants—well, I hate to ask that of him.”

  Ari gave her a sympathetic nod. “But if you at least explained your situation to him—”

  “No, I can’t.” Becca threw down her pillow and paced in front of the sofa. “After all, I’m the reason the paparazzi found us. If I hadn’t taken him home for Thanksgiving, then my dad wouldn’t have told Elaine about him, and there wouldn’t be any photographs out there of him. Don’t you see—his privacy is being threatened, and it’s all my fault.”

  “Maybe, but it’s not like you sold him out. After all, he was the one who wanted to come home with you. He’s the one who told your father who he was.”

  “I know, but…” She stopped and pressed her palm to her forehead. No matter how hard she tried to rationalize everything, she still felt like a failure. “I tried so hard to protect him.”

  “But he’s a big boy, Becca. He can take care of himself now.”

  “Is he? To me, he’s still fragile, still in danger of one blow setting him back on the wrong path again.”

  “And you’re not?” Ari stood and came next to her. “Let’s say you do what you consider the ethical thing and quietly refuse to write the story. You’ll lose the only job you’ve ever had, and the market right now isn’t hopping with new on
es. As soon as you give your name, people are going to draw their own conclusions about you. We have this place rent-free, but I can only cover so much of the food and utilities.”

  “You don’t think I haven’t considered that?”

  “So then you’re faced with two other options. One: go crawling back to your father and beg for a monthly allowance.”

  Becca wrinkled her nose, every fiber of her being repulsed at the idea. “You know I won’t do that.”

  “The other option is that you make Ethan your sugar daddy and move in with him. He certainly has the funds to support you, and you’re practically living there anyway.”

  “I’d still be a leech.” She sank back down on the sofa. “The whole idea behind this journalism thing was to be independent, to not have to rely on someone else’s money to get by.”

  “Yeah, but people like you and me are always going to have to prove that we’re something more than spoiled little rich girls.”

  “You seem to have no trouble with your job.”

  “That’s because I’m doing something I love. Press releases, social events, media spotlights—they’re all right up my alley.”

  Elaine’s statements about not letting her emotions interfere with her stories came back to haunt her. “I thought I felt the same way about journalism.”

  Ari sat down next to her and gave her a hug. “Don’t give up on it, yet. You’ll find a way to do what you love.”

  The doorbell rang, and Ari got up to answer it.

  Ethan’s voice came in from the doorway. “Ari, Becca wasn’t at the meeting—”

  She looked up from the sofa, not caring that she was wearing old flannel PJs and sporting a pair of red-rimmed eyes from crying.

  Ethan crossed the room in less than a dozen long-legged strides and crouched down in front of her. “Are you okay?”

  She forced a weak smile on her face for him. “I will be.”

  “When you weren’t at the meeting, I got worried.”

  Her heart flopped, reminding her of all the reasons why she’d never betray him. “I went home sick from work, that’s all.”

  “Would this cheer you up?” He pulled a small box bearing the logo from Gitta’s café. “She said it was some kind of holiday cake and that you would like it.”

  She stroked his cheek. “Thank you, Ethan. That was very sweet of you.”

  His eye flickered over to the glass of wine beside her, and his lips pressed together. “Is there anything else I can do for you?”

  Ari stood behind Ethan, signaling that she should tell him about the situation, but Becca just shook her head. “I just need some time to mend.”

  He glanced once more at the wine glass before rising. “Give me a call if you need anything.”

  He leaned over to place a kiss on her forehead and said good-bye to Ari before letting himself out.

  Her roommate jumped right into the place he’d vacated in front of her. “What is wrong with you, Becca? He wants to help, and you just pushed him away.”

  “I can get through this without him.”

  “Bullshit.” Ari took a step back. “You know trust is essential to a good relationship.”

  “Yes, and he’s entrusted me with his secrets, and I’m not going to exploit them to save my career.”

  “But trust is a two-way street, Becca. You have to trust him, too.”

  “I—” She couldn’t come up with a good excuse. Ari was right. She needed to trust Ethan with her secrets, too. But she hated the thought of dumping her problems on him. “I’ll sleep on it.”

  “Fine, but I hope you get over your reservations, or it’s going to become a big problem between you two.”

  Becca retreated to her bedroom and tried to go to sleep, but no matter what she did, she couldn’t quiet her troubled mind. There simply was no easy way out of her predicament. She tossed and turned well after she heard her roommate go to bed and finally got up a little after one. A few seconds later, she was dialing Ethan’s number.

  “You up?” he asked when he answered.

  “Yeah. You?”

  “Yeah.”

  Her voice sounded small and meek as she asked, “Is it too late for me to come over?”

  “Do you want me to come and get you?”

  “No, I can get a cab.” She checked her wallet to make sure she’d have enough cash for the fare. “I’ll be there in a bit.”

  She threw on some clothes and hailed a taxi.

  Ethan was waiting for her when she arrived and pulled her into his arms. “What’s wrong, Bec?”

  “You know that expression, ‘Between a rock and a hard place’? Well, try smashed between the boulder and cliff face.”

  He tightened his arms around her and led her up the stairs. “Care to explain it to me?”

  “Maybe.” She shook off her jacket and shoes and crawled into bed next to him, her body instinctively curling along his. “It’s a work issue.”

  “Tell me about it.” He massaged her scalp while he waited.

  Her eyes grew heavy from the fatigue of the day, and she risked falling asleep if she didn’t unburden her soul soon. “My editor gave me an assignment I disagree with.”

  “Why?”

  She chewed her bottom lip, wondering how much she should reveal to him. “Because people could get hurt if I write it.”

  “And if you don’t?”

  “I’m fired.”

  He sucked in a breath through his teeth. “Tough call.”

  “Now you know why I’m torn.”

  “Yeah, but I also know you. You’ll listen to your heart and do the right thing.”

  “Even if it means the end of my journalism career?”

  “Who says it’s the end? You’re a brilliant woman, Bec, and it won’t take you long to find another job, even if it’s freelance writing.” He gave her a playful jostle. “Besides, didn’t you say you hated working there anyway?”

  “I do.” She snuggled closer to him, the worries of the day finally slipping away. Ethan believed in her. Now she just had to believe in herself and do the right thing. “Thank you for making me feel better.”

  “Any time.” He planted a gentle kiss on the top of her head and held her until she fell asleep.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Becca strolled into her father’s office Thursday morning, ignoring the protests of his secretary. Two days had passed without a solution to her work problem, but she could at least deal with her father. “Daddy, we need to talk.”

  He looked up from his computer screen, one brow arched above his cool blue-green eyes, and dismissed his secretary. “Have a seat, Rebecca.”

  She took the chair across from him and crossed her legs, her spine ramrod straight with determination. “First off, I don’t appreciate you telling Elaine about Ethan.”

  “We were merely having lunch as old friends, and the conversation turned to you.”

  “Yes, but now she’s forcing me to write a story about his personal life or I risk losing my job. A job, I found out, that I only have because of you.”

  “You were running into dead ends with this ridiculous pursuit of a journalism career, and I opened a door for you.”

  “But it’s not ridiculous to me. This is what I want to do with my life.”

  “Oh, please. You can’t stay clean long enough to hold down a responsible job. And dating another addict like that rock star is only going to drag you down further.”

  She jumped to her feet, her skin burning with rage. “First off, I’ve been clean for almost three years, and it stopped being an issue once I cut myself free from your controlling and manipulating ways. Second, Ethan is a recovering addict, just like me. We help each other stay clean.”

  “Or you can pull each other back into that cesspool of heroin, just like what happened to your mother.”

  She drew in a deep breath before she launched a series of four-lettered words at her father. “I have no memory of my mother, so I can’t say if I’m like her or not. But I do kno
w that the reason I started using was because of you.”

  Surprise flickered across his face, shocking the muscles lax for a brief second before the controlled mask of composure settled back into place. “Don’t try to point the finger at me. We both know that addiction has a genetic component.”

  “Maybe, but the way you always demanded perfection from me didn’t help. Do you have any idea how fucking great it was to not care what you thought of me? To be comfortable in my own skin without being reminded of the hundreds of things you found wrong with me?”

  He settled back in his chair, his fingers splayed against his mouth in a pensive gesture.

  “I know I’ve always been a disappointment to you. I know you don’t expect me to be much more than some loser addict with a trust fund. But you’re wrong. I found something I wanted to do. I wanted to tell stories that invoked change. I wanted to champion the wronged and make others aware of the difficult situations all around us. I wanted to write articles that would eventually make someone’s life better. And no one believed in me except for Ari.”

  She pressed her hands against the immaculate glass top of his desk and leaned forward. “I know why you told Elaine about me and Ethan, and I’m here to tell you that although your stunt may end up costing me my job, I’m not giving up on my dream, and I’m not giving him up, either.”

  She turned around on her high heels and left without another word.

  After spending the last three days feeling like her world was crumbling, she finally felt like she was back in control. Telling her father off got one monkey off her back, and by the time she reached the ground-floor lobby of his office tower, she had an idea about what to do with Elaine.

  ***

  Ethan played a few notes on his piano and wrote them down with a grin. Even though he was still trying to set up the release of a new album, the music kept coming. At the rate he was going, he’d have another album’s worth of material ready to record by spring.

  He only wished things could be this easy for Becca. The last couple of nights, she’d tossed and turned beside him, only sleeping after he made love to her in the wee hours of the morning. She hadn’t gone back to her office, choosing to chew up half a dozen of his pencils while she scribbled idea after idea only to toss her notes into the shredder a few minutes later. This morning was the first time she’d woken up with a determined look in her eye and it gave him hope that she’d found a solution to her problem.