by A. K. Evans
“I love you,” I rasped.
He smiled at me and replied quietly, “I know you do.” I lifted the glass to my lips and took a sip of my drink as Cal went on, “I’m sorry about the morning you had at work, but I’m guessing things turned around, right?”
“Yes, mostly. I was just a bit behind all day, and well, there was one other thing,” I shared.
His brows shot up. “More?” he asked.
“Unrelated to work, but it happened there,” I clarified.
“What happened?”
I gave him a look that I hoped indicated he needed to brace himself because I was going to need his support. Once Demi found out what I did, I had a feeling she was going to want to kill me.
When I was convinced Cal was ready to hear what I had to say, I leaned forward and shared quietly, “Cash Morris showed up at the hotel today.”
“What?”
Cal’s shock was plain as day. I couldn’t say I didn’t understand it, considering I’d felt much the same.
“He came back, Cal,” I began again. “He came back here to our little town of Finch because he wanted to see Demi.”
“You’re making this up,” he accused me.
I shook my head.
“What did she do?”
“She wasn’t there because her last day was yesterday,” I reminded him. “Anyway, he was asking one of the front-desk employees to tell him where he could find her, but they weren’t offering any help. I don’t know what came over me, but I couldn’t walk out of there without giving him something.”
Cal stood up straight and eyed me. “What did you do?” he asked.
I bit my lip nervously.
“Sam?” Cal called when I made no move to respond.
“I told him she’d be here tonight,” I confessed.
He took in a deep breath. “She’s going to lose her mind,” he muttered.
“You have to help,” I begged. “I honestly think this could be a good thing for her. She’s so set in her ways and convinced she won’t ever get a happy ending, but this guy brought his band back here in the middle of a tour because he wanted to see her. Tell me that doesn’t mean anything.”
Cal took in my words and pondered them a moment. I think he was coming to the same realization that I did.
It was no secret that Cash was a player. I mean, he was the lead singer of a rock band. Wasn’t that part of the job description? But the fact that the man had come back here simply to see Demi told me that there was a possibility he could change, that maybe he wanted to change.
“He better not fucking hurt her,” Cal warned.
“I told him the same thing or else.”
“Or else what?”
“He’d have to deal with me.”
Cal burst out laughing, which made me laugh. He did it for a long time before he leaned forward over the bar, put his hand behind my head, and held me there while he kissed me.
It didn’t seem to bother him in the least that we were in his bar where all of his employees could see. Suffice it to say that I didn’t really care either. Cal was kissing me. And that was something I’d wanted for a long time. I wasn’t about to turn him down just because we were in public.
“Oh, my God. It’s totally true.”
At the sound of the familiar voice, I smiled against Cal’s lips. He gave me one more peck before we separated and looked to the side. Demi was standing there, her mouth agape.
“Why do you look so surprised?” I asked.
Shaking her head, she answered, “I know you told me you and Cal were finally together, but I guess I just didn’t prepare myself for seeing it in the flesh. And you’re both now going to do this flaunting thing.”
“Flaunting?” Cal repeated.
Demi nodded. “Yeah. You know, where the two of you have to let the entire world know how much you love each other and are unable to keep your hands off one another.”
Cal chuckled; I laughed.
“It’s not like that,” I assured her.
“It is for me,” Cal chimed in.
I rolled my eyes and smiled at him. When I looked back at Demi, I promised, “We’ll be on our best behavior tonight since this is your party. How was your first full day no longer working as a hotel manager?”
Demi sat down on the stool next to me as Cal set a drink in front of her. “It was glorious. Honestly, I didn’t know it would feel this wonderful. Now, I’m going to fully enjoy these next few days because I’ve got to get down to business on Monday. I’m making it my mission to take Granite to the next level, and with a live band playing next week, it’ll be a great way to start.”
“Just a heads-up on that,” Cal interrupted. When Demi and I brought our attention to him, he gave me a smile before he focused his gaze on his cousin. “Sam and I were talking before you got here. I told her to get some business cards made up and to get a few shirts here. We can display them, have the staff wear them, and maybe drive some eyes to her website.”
“That’s a great idea, Cal,” Demi declared.
Standing up from his hunched-over position, Cal held his hands out to his sides and said, “What can I say? We can’t all be this brilliant.”
I grinned.
God, I loved him.
“Yeah, yeah,” Demi mumbled. She looked at me and asked, “So, how was your day?”
I couldn’t tell her any of what I’d just told Cal, but I still had something I hadn’t shared with him yet. And this would be the perfect time to share it since I had the two people who were closest to me with me.
“Oh, you know,” I started. “It was another day in the life of Sam, the event sales director, as far as work was concerned. But there was one thing that did happen that I wanted to tell you both about.”
I watched as Cal’s expression turned worried. I had a feeling he thought I was going to tell Demi about Cash. I might have been crazy, but I wasn’t that crazy.
“I got a phone call today,” I shared.
“From who?” Demi asked.
“Well, first, I should say I received a voicemail on my cell before I got a call at work,” I clarified.
“Oh no,” Demi murmured.
Cal’s hands were gripping the edge of the bar tightly.
I reached out and placed my hand on top of his. He immediately relaxed.
“Mitch called,” I blurted.
“What the hell did he want?” Cal clipped.
This had been the personal issue I had to deal with today. On top of everything else I’d dealt with at work, I had to not only listened to that voicemail, but I also ended up getting caught off guard when he simply called me at work.
“Apparently, while I was…” I trailed off, trying to figure out how to best put this so I didn’t throw Demi into a downward spiral. I decided to gloss over the details and continued, “Tied up with a bride on the phone earlier today, he must have called my phone. Obviously, I didn’t answer. When lunch rolled around, I stupidly listened to his message.”
“And?” Demi pressed.
“And he told me he had something important he wanted to discuss with me,” I shared.
“Did he say what it was?” Cal questioned me.
I stroked my fingers over his hand because I could feel the tension building inside him.
Shaking my head, I answered, “He did not leave that information in the message.”
“So he called you,” Cal stated, cutting to the chase in search of details. “What did he want to discuss?”
I closed my eyes and sighed. When I opened them again, I shared, “Mitch wanted to apologize for how he handled the situation regarding the move back to Hartford.”
My gaze shifted between Cal and Demi, and they were both leaning in. How they knew that Mitch wasn’t only calling to apologize was beyond me. Deciding it was best to cut the tension, I gave them the rest.
“He also wanted to tell me what a huge mistake it was, and he wants us to get back together.”
“No,” Demi declared. �
�No, no, no. He doesn’t get to do that. I hope you hung up on him.”
I chuckled. “Not immediately,” I responded. “But it eventually got there.”
“What did you say to him?” Cal asked. There was so much concern and worry in his tone, and I hated it.
“I told him that it was never going to happen,” I started. “Though I didn’t think he deserved any explanation, I thought it would be best to let him know exactly where I stood. So, I told him that very soon after I ended things with him, I realized he wasn’t good for me. I told him I’ve moved on and that I’m much happier now.”
“How did he take that news?” Demi asked.
“I wouldn’t say that he took it at all because he basically ignored all of it,” I started. “He insisted that if we just sat down and talked things through, we’d be able to find our way back to one another. I assured him that wasn’t the case and that I had no intention of ever sitting down to talk with him again. I repeated myself and told him that we were officially done and I had moved on.”
“Then what?” Cal pressed.
“He ignored me again and started to explain why I wasn’t thinking clearly, so I hung up on him,” I told him.
“What a clueless jerk,” Demi exclaimed.
She wasn’t wrong about that. Mitch was a clueless jerk. I hated to think I’d ever dated someone who could be like him, but I couldn’t go back and change that now.
Nodding my agreement, I said, “Yeah. Anyway, it’s done and over and tonight is not about him. We’re celebrating Demi.”
She downed the rest of her drink, turned to me, and ordered, “You’re coming with me.”
“Where are we going?” I asked.
Beaming at me, she replied, “To dance.”
“Can I join you?”
My whole body froze.
Demi’s entire body had gone rigid.
And that was because standing right beside her was Cash Morris.
Nineteen
Samantha
Oh no.
This was bad.
So very bad.
I said later.
Later. Later. Later.
Cash was still standing right beside Demi, and at that moment, I wanted to strangle him. I had told him we’d be here this early but that I wanted Demi to have some time to enjoy herself before he showed up. Apparently, rock stars didn’t like to listen to ordinary folk.
And now, Demi was going to hate me for the rest of my life.
Shit.
This was going to be a nightmare. She barely had one drink in her.
Just as I was about to speak up, Demi narrowed her eyes on Cash and barked, “What are you doing here?”
Cash was not the least bit intimidated by Demi’s evident fury at being accosted. The corners of his mouth twitched.
“I came back for you,” he said, his voice smooth as silk.
My eyes widened as I pressed my lips together and looked at Cal. He offered me a sympathetic look, but it didn’t last long because Demi quickly grew impatient.
“What is that supposed to mean?” she questioned him, the irritation in her voice clear as day.
If I hadn’t been so worried about her, I might have laughed. My dear friend was quite possibly the only single woman on the planet who’d ever turn down Cash and do it with so much sass.
“It means exactly what I said,” Cash began. “I was on tour with my band, and we have a short break before our next show, so I told them we were coming back here.”
“And what exactly are you hoping is going to happen with your big band here in this small town?” she pressed.
His eyes searched her face, and it was then I realized she had been right. The more Demi denied Cash, the more intrigued he was.
“This trip isn’t about the band,” he assured her. “It was about me needing to make a statement. You see, there’s this girl I like, and she’s… struggling with how she feels right now. I tried contacting her over the phone, but progress has been slow.”
Demi cocked an eyebrow. “I see. So, you show up here hoping you can strong-arm your way into getting what you want? Are you honestly that hurt by this? I mean, why not just move on to your next conquest? Or, is it just that you can’t handle having a woman turn you down?”
“Because you’re the one that has me intrigued right now, darling,” Cash shared, his voice a low hum. “And when I find something I like, I go after it.”
I loved Cal. I loved absolutely everything about him and would never, ever cross that line. But I didn’t understand how it was possible that Demi’s panties didn’t go up in flames when Cash spoke to her in a voice like that. I would have thought that even the toughest of women, of which Demi was one, would have felt at least a bit of their resolve beginning to wane.
“Well, then I’m sorry,” she apologized. “Because you’re going to have to figure out how to tell that big ego of yours that he’s not getting his way this time.”
Despite her insistence that this wasn’t happening between them, I could see that Cash wasn’t going to allow that to deter him. He might back off a bit and figure out a new approach, but he definitely wasn’t backing down for good.
Thankfully, Cal broke through the tension and interrupted the bitter battle between Cash and Demi.
“Cash?” he called, taking a step to the side so he came in line with him.
“Yeah?” Cash replied.
Cal extended his hand to him and introduced himself. “Calvin Gates. I’m the owner of Granite, and Demi is my cousin.”
Cash reached for Cal’s extended hand, his arm crossing directly in front of Demi. I kept my eyes on her and noticed as she inhaled the scent of him.
Damn, she was one tough cookie if she was having that kind of reaction to him and could still manage to hold herself back.
“Pleasure to meet you, Calvin,” Cash replied.
“Cal.”
Cash gave him a nod of understanding before he looked around the entire space. His eyes landed on the stage briefly. Then he continued his survey of the bar and declared, “This is a great place you’ve got here.”
“Thanks, man. I’m definitely honored that you’d stop in and check it out, even if it’s only to try and warm up my cousin’s cold, dead heart,” Cal joked.
Cash’s gaze went to Demi. “That’s not true, is it? Do you need me to warm up your heart?” he asked, a glint in his eyes.
“What part of the word no don’t you understand?” she countered.
His expression grew even more intense. “I understand the word just fine,” he assured her, once again back to using his sexy voice. “The problem is that the rest of you is telling me what your mouth won’t.”
“You’re crazy,” she accused him.
“And you’re lying. To yourself and to me.”
Demi’s lips parted in shock. Before she could respond, Cash returned his attention to Cal and asked, “Do you have live performances here?”
My eyes shot to Cal’s. I had no doubt he was completely freaking out, especially if he was thinking the same thing I was.
My Violent Heart playing at Granite.
No way.
Keeping himself as calm and cool as ever, Cal replied, “Yeah, we’ve been doing them for a while now. Mostly local cover bands for now, though.”
Cash grinned.
I grinned.
Demi did not grin.
Cal’s face remained neutral. I had no idea how he managed that.
“If you don’t already have someone booked, I can talk to the rest of the band and convince them to play here on Saturday night,” Cash offered.
Cal smiled at Cash and shared, “Well, personally, I’d say yes to that since we don’t have anyone booked. The problem is that booking the bands is no longer my job.”
Cash’s brows shot up. “It’s your bar,” he countered.
“Yep. And I just hired my cousin, Demi, to handle all of the entertainment and events for me,” Cal informed him.
Demi was gro
wing more and more furious by the second. She looked like she wanted to throttle Cal. I had to hold myself back from bursting with excitement for Cal and laughter at the expression on Demi’s face.
Cash turned his self-assured gaze to Demi. “So, what’s it going to be, Demi? Are you and I going to be working together to get this nailed down for Saturday, or are you going to deny Cal from having what could possibly be the biggest thing to ever happen here at Granite?”
Demi scowled at Cash. “I don’t start my new job until Monday,” she seethed. “And tonight, I’m here celebrating, so if you want to play here on Saturday and Cal wants that, he can work it out with you. Sam and I are going to dance right now, and we’re doing it alone.”
With that, Demi slid off the stool, her body dangerously close to Cash’s body. It was clear he didn’t mind the proximity as he didn’t step back to give her more space. She grabbed me by the arm, stepped around the brazen rock star, and dragged me away with her toward the dance floor.
Once we were far enough away not to be heard, I slowed us down to a stop. We hadn’t quite made it out to the dance floor, and I wanted to take a minute to make sure my best friend was okay. Part of me felt terrible about what had happened.
“Are you okay?” I asked her.
“I will be,” she insisted. Her tone was still as annoyed and irritated as it was when she was inches away from Cash.
“Are you sure?” I pressed.
She swallowed hard. “I don’t like the way he makes me feel,” she admitted.
Leaning in closer, I asked, “And how is that?”
Demi lowered her voice and confessed, “Like I want to rip his clothes off and lick every square inch of his body.”
Okay. I hadn’t been expecting that.
“Well, I’m just going to go out on a limb here and say that I don’t think he’d have a problem with that if that’s what you wanted to do,” I assured her.
“It’s not happening,” she said.
“Demi, he came back for you,” I reminded her.
Shaking her head as though trying to rid the idea from her mind, she stated, “No, he didn’t. He came back because this is a game to him. He’s so used to having women fall at his feet, and for once in his life, he’s found someone who isn’t going to do that. He just wants to conquer me. That’s all. And if I were to give in and give him what he wants, he’ll walk away without a second thought.”
