“Nothing,” she told him. “For once I didn’t do a damn thing. Georgia rushed the stage, kissed…the guy preforming, and got escorted out of the club with her hands cuffed with zip ties. Lucy gave us a ride home and Marcus here walked us to the door to explain to my father and Jillian what had happened. Georgia got a pat on the head by mommy dearest and I got grounded indefinitely for not using my ‘influence’ to get her out of trouble.”
A shrill honking from the direction of Georgia and Carolina’s car had us all turning our heads. I rolled my eyes at the irritated look on the older girl’s face and turned back to the others. Angie’s eyes were narrowed, darker, and cold as she continued to stare over at the little sports car.
“We’ll see how long you stay grounded once Daddy gets here,” Angie muttered before giving the two sisters a one-fingered hand wave that had me bursting into a fit of laughter.
I was sure of it now. I was really going to like these two. Especially if Angie could smile so sweetly while throwing those two bitches the bird.
“But we aren’t going to get to hang out tonight, are we?” Caleb asked with a pout.
The grin on Kin’s face dropped. “No,” she muttered, her eyes falling to the asphalt to hide her tears.
Unable to stand the sight of her tears when she’d been so happy just a few seconds before, I rushed to offer to help. “How about I take you two out on the town tonight? Marcus and I will pick you up at your hotel and take you to dinner and then to First Bass in the VIP lounge.”
Kin’s smile was small but at least she wasn’t crying. “Yeah, you two. Go out with Lucy and have a good time. When Carter get’s here we can have our time.” Georgia pressed down on the horn again, longer and louder before Kin’s face twisted with anger and the twins hugged her again. “I’m so happy you two are here. I love you both so much.”
“Kin!” Carolina stuck her head out of the passenger window. “Let’s go. Mother is expecting us.”
She muttered something under her breath that I didn’t catch before moving out of the group hug she was being smothered with. “Did you guys bring any cash with you? You might have to bail me out of jail later after I beat the shit out of those two.”
“You scared to get into more trouble?” Angie asked, a thoughtful look on her face.
Kin’s brows rose toward the sky. “Ang, really? Have you forgotten me so easily?”
When Angie smiled this time, it nearly scared me. I could see the wheels turning in her evil mind right then. “I’ll call you later, sugar bug.”
“Did I mention I’ve missed you?” Kin laughed. “Because I have. So bad.” She blew her stepsister a kiss before jogging off to get into the back of the expensive sports car.
We all tensed as we watched Georgia back out of her reserved parking spot, nearly taking out the front bumper of a parked car as she did so. My gut clenched and I knew I wasn’t going to have any relief until I called Kin later to make sure she had made it home okay. Marcus was watching them go with a little more concentration than I was used to seeing from him, letting me know just how upset he was that Kin was in the back seat of that car.
I tried to push my fear for her to the back of my mind and turned to smile at my two new friends. “So, what hotel are you two staying in? We can pick you up around seven? What are you in the mood to eat?” I could tell from the expressions on their faces that food was the last thing on their minds when they were just as worried about Kin as I was.
Caleb stared after the retreating car for a moment longer before forcing a smile. “It doesn’t matter, Lucy. Anywhere you take us will be fine.” He pulled his cellphone out of his front jeans pocket. “Give me your number and I’ll text you the address. Or we could meet you wherever. I rented a car, so it wouldn’t be a problem.”
“Nah, I’ll pick you up. We can all get to know each other a little better on the ride.” I gave him my number and as soon as he texted me, I added him to my contacts list, noticing that I had two missed texts from Harris.
When are you coming tonight?
Miss you so bad, sweetness.
My heart melted at the sight of that last text and I held my phone against my chest, trying to absorb the rightness of where he and I were going with our relationship.
“I guess we’ll see you tonight, then.” Angie gave me a grim smile and grasped her twin’s arm. “It was so good to finally meet you, Lucy.”
“Yeah, you, too. See you tonight.”
--
I was running late. Of course I would be when I was trying to impress two of the people Kin actually loved.
It wasn’t all my fault, though. My dad had wanted to know everything about the two people I was going to be having dinner with that night. He was still asking questions when I grabbed my jacket and purse off the table in the front hall. I tried to appease him as much as I could, telling him everything I knew about Angie and Caleb Jacobson.
“Will Harris be with you?” Dad asked as I opened the door to find Marcus already sitting in the front seat of my Range Rover in front of our house.
I’d texted Harris when I’d gotten home to see if he wanted to have dinner with me and a few friends, but he’d said he was buried at work until later and said he was just going to order a pizza or something. I’d been disappointed, but had understood. Harris had responsibilities. I respected that he couldn’t go everywhere with me.
“No, Daddy. He has to work, but we’re going to stop by First Bass afterward.” I frowned when he seemed to relax. “Daddy, it’s okay. Marcus is going to be with me. It’s not like I’m going to be in any danger or anything.”
Jesse Thornton’s wide shoulders lifted as he drew in a sharp breath. “I know, baby. I just feel better when Harris is with you.”
His confession gave me hope for when I told him about Harris and me dating. Smiling happily, I wrapped my arms around my dad’s waist and stood on tiptoes to kiss his scruffy cheek. “Night, Daddy. Tell Mom and the boys I love them.” I pulled away and wrapped my jacket around my shoulders. “Love you, Daddy.”
“Love you more, Lu.”
By the time Marcus pulled up in front of the Sofitel, we were nearly twenty minutes late picking up the twins. Caleb was already standing out front of the hotel and when I rolled down the back window, he was grinning. “Sorry we’re late,” I apologized.
He opened the door and climbed into the back with me. “No problem.” When he shut the door, I frowned and he shrugged. “Angie had to bail. Sorry. She had a few things to take care of. Girl things, she said.”
I got the feeling it was more than just girl things. Maybe more like Kin things. Remembering the look on Angie’s face as she’d watched Kin driving away, I wondered if Caleb really was going to have to bail out Kin before the night was over. I didn’t press the issue, though. “Okay, then. I guess it’s just you and me. My aunt has a table at Alejandra’s if you like good, authentic Mexican food.”
“Sounds good.”
It didn’t take long before I realized that I enjoyed Caleb’s company. He was fun to be around, easy to talk to, and showed me repeatedly that he loved Kin as much as his twin. By the time I’d paid the check—something I’d had to nearly fight him over—we were laughing and acting like we’d known each other for years rather than just a few hours.
Back in the Range Rover, I turned to face him after I’d snapped my seatbelt into place. “Has Kin told you much about First Bass?”
He shrugged his massive shoulders. “Not really. Just that you two go there often. Your friend owns it, right?” I nodded, not sure if I should correct him that Harris was my boyfriend and not just my friend. “And she said she’s been singing her songs every Wednesday night. She’s never let me hear one of her songs before. How does she do?”
“She’s great. Harris has gotten even more business on open-mike nights because of her, I think. I think she’s gotten offers to buy some of her songs, but she hasn’t said whether or not she is going to do it or not. Maybe she’s waiting un
til she’s eighteen and she won’t need parental permission or whatever.”
His eyes widened. “Whoa. That’s amazing.”
“So she hasn’t said anything else?” I was fishing, trying to figure out if Caleb knew about Jace or not. Kin hadn’t told me not to mention Jace when I’d spoken to her earlier that evening, but I still wanted to be careful. Caleb definitely gave off the protective big brother vibe where Kin was concerned and I knew that he’d been pissed when Jace had left Kin earlier in the year.
“Nope.”
“Well, this should be a really fun night, then.” I wondered if I should call ahead and ask if Jace was there, but I already knew that answer. Jace was always there. While the other members of Tainted Knights spent their free nights either with another job or partying like the rock stars they were, Jace was at First Bass. I wasn’t sure if it was because of his friendship with Harris or what, but for the first time since I’d met the rocker, I wished he would just go home and have a night to himself.
Marcus pulled up in front of First Bass before I could decide whether or not I needed to ask Harris to make his friend leave—just to avoid any blood being shed. Caleb stepped out on his side as my bodyguard opened my door and handed over the keys to the valet. Stepping onto the sidewalk where at least two hundred people were waiting behind the ropes in hopes of getting into the club, I bypassed the man with the clipboard and went straight to the front door.
When I stepped inside, Tiny was waiting at the bottom of the stairs to the VIP entrance. His white teeth flashed in the dimly lit corridor when he saw me. “Miss Thornton. How’s the hand?”
I lifted my hand, still in the soft cast. “I get to take this thing off next week. Hopefully.” I turned to Caleb. “This is my friend, Caleb Jacobson.”
The smile disappeared when Tiny noticed the guy standing just behind Marcus. “Where’s Miss Montez?”
“I don’t think she will be around, at least for a few days. Caleb will hopefully be coming with me from time to time, though.” I glanced over at him and grinned. “If he likes it here, that is.”
“Should I let the boss know that you’ve arrived, Miss Thornton?”
I shook my head. “Don’t bother him. I texted him earlier and he said he was busy. I’ve caused enough trouble lately to want to pull him away from work tonight.” The head of security stepped to the side, finally letting us pass. “See you, Tiny.”
“Miss Thornton,” he inclined his head courteously.
Upstairs, I pulled Caleb straight toward the bar. Nate was working, like always, and I waved at him as we stole two seats near one end. Caleb was an actual gentleman and pulled out my seat before dropping into the chair beside me. “What are you having?” I asked.
“Beer is fine,” he said to Nate before flashing him his ID.
“I didn’t realize that you were twenty-one yet.” I thought Kin had told me her twin stepsiblings were only twenty, but of course that could have changed since I had no clue when their birthday was.
Caleb scratched at his chin. “Just turned. Angie and I wanted to come out and celebrate our birthday with Kin, but Angie ended up having a stomach bug and we had to cancel.”
“Your usual, Lucy?” Nate asked as he placed a bottle of beer in front of Caleb. His eyes were going back and forth between me and my new friend, curiosity shining bright in his eyes.
“Yes, please.” I gave him a bright smile.
Nate was quick to get my glass of ginger ale. When he placed it in front of me, he didn’t walk away, even though there were obviously other people waiting for drinks. He rested his elbows on the bar top and leaned forward on them. “Who’s this?” he asked shamelessly.
I couldn’t help but smirk at the bartender. “Nate, this is Caleb. Caleb, Nate.”
Nate offered his hand. “Caleb.”
Caleb took it, shaking once before pulling away. “Nate.”
“Where ya from?”
“Virginia.” Caleb took a swallow of his beer.
“Which part?” Nate looked like he wasn’t going to leave anytime soon, obviously wanting his questions answered.
“We own a house in Wythe County, but I go to school in Blacksburg.” Caleb took another swallow of his beer and set the glass bottle on the bar top. “I’m a senior at Virginia Tech with a major in engineering. I want to design cars when I grow up.” He smirked and turned to wink at me before going on. “Want to know my social security number, too?”
Nate didn’t even blink and I held back a sigh. I’d thought the inquisition was over when I’d left my dad at the front door earlier that night. I had to admit that it was nice that Nate actually cared enough to want to try and scare off my new friend, though. “If you live in Virginia, what brings you to Cali?”
“The usual reasons. A beautiful girl.” He shrugged those massive shoulders and reached for his beer again. “I think someone’s trying to get your attention down there,” Caleb said, using his bottle to indicate the two hockey players standing at the other end of the bar trying to get Nate’s attention.
Muttering a curse, Nate pushed away from the bar and went to get the other VIPs their drinks. I shook my head as I watched him walk away. What had that been about? Not wanting to have to go through it again, I picked up my drink and stood. “Let’s find a couch and veg out until Harris can come hang with us.”
“Sounds good.”
Chapter 8
Harris
I was neck deep into paperwork that had landed on my desk earlier that evening when Tiny’s scary-ass voice suddenly filled the office. “Miss Thornton has arrived, boss.”
Involuntarily, my body tightened at just the thought of Lucy. I gripped my pen tight as I fought down the urge to say to hell with all the fucking paperwork and seek out my girlfriend. But I still had another hour’s worth of work that I had to get through before I could call it a night.
“Thanks, Tiny.”
“She’s not alone.”
I frowned. “Kin’s with her?”
“No, boss.”
The frown deepened. “So who is it?”
“Some guy. Never seen him before.”
The paperwork in front of me no longer seemed as important. Reaching for my phone, I pulled up the security feed for the VIP area and found Lucy sitting at the bar with a guy who’s shoulders were as wide as my fucking desk was long. What, did he bench press small cars in his spare time? Fuck. Nate stood there, his mouth moving and a frown on his face. Lucy looked good. Mouthwateringly good. She was wearing some kind of mini skirt, black leggings combo again with a top that made her breasts look good enough to eat. And the guy she was with kept turning from Nate to run his eyes over my girl.
Who the fuck was this guy?
And where was Marcus? Changing the camera I was looking at, I saw Marcus leaning back against a wall. He was watching Lucy, but didn’t seem concerned that the guy she was with could be a danger to her.
Jealousy burned in my gut and I tossed my phone on the desk and headed for the elevator. My hands balled into fists as I counted down the seconds before I could reach Lucy. The elevator door had barely opened before I was stepping off and headed straight for the VIP bar, but by the time I got there, Lucy and the dude were gone.
I waved Nate over. “Where is she?” I demanded before he’d even reached me.
Nate nodded his head behind me. “Over there somewhere.”
Muttering a curse, I stomped away. It took a few seconds before I spotted her sitting on one of the leather couches in a corner. The guy she had been with at the bar was sitting beside her, beer in hand, eyes eating up my girl. He said something I couldn’t hear over the music and the noise of the crowd, making her throw that curly head back and laugh.
If I’d been jealous at the sight of her sitting at the bar with this tool, it was nothing compared to the burning acid that was slithering up my spine to infect my mind now. I’d never really contemplated that whole ‘seeing red’ concept. Not until that moment. I wanted to punch something??
?preferably that prick’s face. I wanted to go all caveman and grab Lucy, toss her over my shoulder and lock her in my office until I knew that this guy was never going to show his fucking face again.
As if she could feel my gaze on her, Lucy turned her head and those dark eyes collided with my own. Her smile grew bigger, those beautiful nearly-black eyes filling with a warm welcome. I didn’t return her smile, unable to control the muscles in my face when I was so consumed with the green monster churning inside of me.
Her eyes lost some of their warmth, her smile dimming a few watts. Her gaze moved over me, taking in my clenched fists, tense shoulders, and tight face. “Hey,” she said when I reached her, her voice full of cautious concern. “What’s the matter?”
“How long have you been here?” I demanded, knowing I sounded like a dick but not giving a damn.
She shrugged. “Only a few minutes. You said you were busy so I didn’t want to bother you.”
“Not that damn busy.” Never so busy that I would just sit in my office when my girlfriend was out with some other guy. A guy I didn’t fucking know.
Lucy’s shoulders tensed at my tone and she shot the guy sitting quietly beside her a grim smile. “Will you excuse me a minute, Caleb?”
“Yeah, sure, Lu.” Blue eyes filled with concern and my need to punch that asshole doubled. What did he think I was going to do, beat her? “Will you be okay?”
She stood, her shoulders squared and determined, but she gave the guy a reassuring smile. “I can handle this. You hang out here with Marcus.” She nodded toward the other couch where Marcus was sitting, a glass of soda in hand as he watched me through emotionless eyes. “I’ll be back in a few minutes. If you want anything, just let Nate know. I always have an open tab here.”
“Lucy…we can go if you want. I don’t want to cause any trouble.”