“Now I feel bad.”
“Why?”
“She was fighting because of me. I got her hurt.” I hated that. Don’t get me wrong. Catfights were hot as hell, but I didn’t want my friends hurt because of me.
Harper shrugged it off. “Dallas was half-drunk. She’s always looking for some kind of drama when she gets like that. That’s why I make sure Linc goes out with her when she wants to go clubbing.”
“Really? Sweet little Dallas likes drama? I never would have assumed that of her.” Harper’s giggles were sweet to listen to. I wanted to capture it so I could listen to it forever.
Chapter 8
Harper
I had to admit that Shane could easily make me laugh. I loved that about him.
When it was time for me to go, I was reluctant. So of course the words slipped out before I could call them back. “Want to come play racquetball with me and my stepdad?”
His eyes widened as if my question startled him. “You want me to come with you? Meet your stepdad?”
“Yeah. It will be fun. You’re really athletic so you should be able to keep up with him better than I can.”
He glanced down at his gray T-shirt and basketball shorts. I liked them on him better than the club clothes he'd had on the night before. It hid more of his sinfully sexy body, and I could think easier like this.
“Okay.”
I wasn’t sure how Cecil was going to react to Shane. I had never introduced him to a guy that I liked before. He was protective of me, more so than he had ever been of Ariana. But then again, he knew that no matter what he said or did, Ariana would do what she wanted regardless.
When we got to Fit for Life, Cecil was just warming up. When he saw me his face lit up. I threw my arms around him, and he hugged me tight. “There’s my girl!”
When he released me, I stepped back and gave him a once over. He was tall with jet black hair, sprinkled with gray, and blue eyes. He was still a handsome man even in his late fifties. Ariana had gotten a lot of her features from her dad. Sadly enough, she had gotten her personality from her mother, who had been best friends with my mom until her death.
“You look tired,” I scolded. “Don’t you sleep enough?”
“I’ve been in meetings for over a week straight, baby cakes. The new takeover is draining this old man.” His deep voice sounded a little hoarse, and I wondered if he was getting sick or if he had started smoking again.
“Cecil…” I started to ask which it was when he glanced over my shoulder and noticed Shane.
Cecil’s blue eyes narrowed, taking in the rock star. “Who’s this?” Although his eyes weren’t exactly friendly, his tone was. That’s what I loved about my stepdad; he wasn’t readily judgmental about people. He gave them a chance.
“This is Shane Stevenson. He plays the bass for Demon’s Wings.”
“Ah, Lana’s brother-in-law’s band.” He had met and liked my new roommate on sight. Cecil stepped forward and offered Shane his hand. “Good to meet you, Shane.”
Was it just me or did Shane look nervous? I bit my lip to keep from grinning at that crazy thought. “Good to meet you too, sir.” Shane said as he shook the older man’s hand.
“Do you play?” Cecil asked, motioning to the racquetball room in general.
Shane shrugged. “A little. Haven’t had much time for it in the past, though.”
“Well, now is as good a time as any to start, son.”
Twenty minutes into our first game and I was sitting in the corner, winded and watching the two men playing like pros. For Cecil, that was the truth. He had been playing for most of his life. Shane, on the other hand, had openly admitted to not playing much racquetball. He was naturally athletic and after stumbling for a few minutes, he’d picked it up like he had been born playing.
He sure was giving my stepdad a workout. Cecil was enjoying the challenge, laughing and teasing Shane. I could feel him warming to the rock star with each passing minute. Shane seemed to be having a good time too. He had relaxed considerably since we had first arrived. I thought it was adorable that he had been nervous, if that really had been the case.
Half an hour later and the men were shaking hands. Cecil had won, but I wondered if Shane had let him have the victory. Actually, I was sure of it when Cecil ribbed him about it and Shane caught my eye and winked. My heart melted a little, loving that he had taken my stepfather’s feelings into account like that.
“Loser has to buy dinner,” Cecil informed him, dropping his racket into his bag before wiping his face with a towel. “I’m starving. Kicking your ass has given me a big appetite.”
“Absolutely,” Shane readily agreed. “I have a change of clothes in my locker upstairs. Beautiful, do you need to go home and change?”
There he went again, calling me beautiful. I didn’t know if I liked it or not, but I wasn’t going to ask him to stop. When he used that term of endearment, I almost felt like it was true. “No, I have a change of clothes in my locker too.”
Cecil rubbed his hands together. “Good! Let’s hit the showers.”
Dinner was maybe one of my favorite meals ever that evening. Shane took us to one of Manhattan’s exclusive restaurants. We didn’t have to wait to be seated, and our table was one of the best in the entire dining room. I guess Shane was trying to impress Cecil, and he did that in abundance. My stepdad might not be a snob, but he had expensive taste. He had been born into the world of money and had more than tripled his family’s fortune since taking over for his father twenty years ago.
I wasn’t exactly comfortable in the big money world. I didn’t like that lifestyle and had witnessed that it wasn’t exactly the road to happiness. But with Shane there, looking down his nose at all the money bags shooting us questioning glances, I felt like I belonged.
When dessert arrived I dug in with fervor. I’d be hitting the gym first thing the next morning, but it would be worth every miserable second of thigh burning torture for just a mouthful of the decadent dessert I had ordered.
“That looks good,” Shane said, staring down at my chocolate mousse. “Can I have a bite?”
I glanced over at his dish of some kind of torte. “Only if I can have a bite of yours.”
He grinned. “Okay.” He lifted a spoonful of the cake that was filled with whipped cream, nuts, and some kind of jam. “At the same time,” he suggested, and I lifted a spoonful of my moose.
It was a very intimate thing to do, feeding each other dessert like we were. I was glad that Cecil had excused himself to take a call from work. My body felt like it was afire as I watched Shane’s mouth open and his lips close around the spoon. I felt a little dizzy and wasn’t paying attention as he put his own spoon to my lips.
Belatedly, I opened my mouth to accept the bite, but some of the whipped cream smeared at the corner. I licked it away and heard Shane mutter a groan filled curse. “Dammit, Harper. I can’t sit here and watch you do things like that without hurting.”
I chewed and swallowed my mouthful of torte, giving myself time to figure out how I wanted to respond to his confession. “I’m sorry,” was the only response my overheated brain could come up with, however.
“I’m going to kiss you goodnight tonight,” he threatened, leaning toward me. “And you are going to kiss me back.”
I couldn’t have responded if I wanted to. My brain wasn’t cooperating enough to think of what to say.
Luckily, Cecil came back from taking care of his business call. Unfortunately, he had to say goodnight. A situation that required his attention had come up and he had to fly to London on the redeye. “Sorry to cut the night short, baby cakes.” He kissed my temple. “I’ll call you in a few days, okay?”
“Be careful. Don’t work too hard.” I hugged him close for a moment, always hating to tell him goodbye when I knew he was going to be gone for a while. “Love you, C.C.”
He chuckled at the old nickname I had given him when I was a little girl. “Love you more, Harpie.” I frowned at hi
s revenge nickname for me. “Take care of my girl, Shane,” Cecil said, shaking the rocker’s hand.
“I will, sir,” Shane promised with sincerity. “Have a safe trip.”
Shane
I now knew what other guys were talking about when they said it was a nightmare meeting a girl’s parents for the first time. I had been nearly shaking in my sneakers when Harper introduced me to her stepdad.
He was a cool guy and we hit it off. Of course it helped that I had let the man win then filled his belly with expensive steak and even pricier bourbon. I liked Cecil Calloway, and he got top scores for treating Harper so gently.
But I was more than happy to shake his hand goodbye after dinner. I was ready for some quiet time with Harper. I ached to taste her lips again, and that ache was only growing more painful as the evening proceeded. Dessert had been pure torture!
With the bill and generous tip taken care of, I took my girl’s hand and we headed out. We were almost out the door when I noticed someone sitting at a corner table with some model that was making a name for herself lately. When he spotted me he raised his hand and waved me over.
Knowing I had to speak to the guy, I tugged Harper toward the couple.
“I thought you were ready to go?”
“I have to say hello to someone.” I gave her fingers a gentle squeeze. “Then I’m taking you home and kissing you.”
I thought I felt her shiver, and my dick twitched against the fly of my dress pants. I pulled her closer as we reached the other table, trying to disguise my instant reaction to the beautiful creature that had me in her snare, as well as to protect her from the man I was about to introduce her to.
“Stevenson!” Rich Branson greeted us with his megawatt smile. He really needed to stop going to the dentist so much to get his teeth whitened. “How has New York been treating you, man?”
I shook his hand. Technically, Rich was Demon’s Wings manager but Emmie was the one that handled all our tour dates and everything else. Since Axton had dropped OtherWorld’s contract in the spring, Demon’s Wings was Rich’s biggest client. Emmie worked her ass off to take care of us, while Rich sat back and played with all the money we brought in for him. The guys and I had been talking about dropping our contract at the end of the year when it came up for renewal.
“It’s been good,” I told the man honestly. “Drake seems to like his new gig.”
“Good, good.” Rich hadn’t been all that enthusiastic about Drake signing on with America’s Rocker, but he had little say in what we did in our down time. Of course with Emmie’s pregnancy and Nik not wanting to take on big commitments for long tours, free time had been in abundance lately. Which meant Rich wasn’t raking in the money off us like he had gotten so used to over the last ten years.
The model sitting at the table cleared her throat, making it sound delicate. I turned my gaze in her direction and nearly rolled my eyes at the way she was sizing me up. Knowing that she wanted my attention, I ignored her and introduced Harper instead. “This is my girl, Harper. Beautiful, this is Rich Branson. He manages the band.”
“Hello, Mr. Branson.” She offered her hand and I gritted my teeth as Rich latched on.
“What’s a nice girl like you doing with Stevenson?” Rich laughed, trying to tug Harper closer. “You should dump him and come talk to me.”
Harper pulled her hand free. “I’d rather cut your throat and watch you bleed.” Her sweet tone mixed with her feisty words made me hard as a rock. I pulled her back against my chest. Unable to mask my amusement the way I did my sudden raging erection, I laughed.
“Ah, another one,” Rich murmured, reaching for his scotch, not at all amused by the rejection.
“Another one?” Harper raised a brow at him.
“Emmie, Layla, Lana.” Rich shrugged his thin shoulders. “Beautiful on the outside, pure bitch on the inside.”
I tensed, ready to rip the guy’s head off for daring to call my girl a bitch when Harper laughed. “You think I’m beautiful?”
Sighing, I pulled her back a few steps. “Baby, you really need to look in the mirror,” I whispered against her ear before stepping in front of her.
Rich obviously thought he could speak to my girl any which way. Not only had he insulted her, but also the other women in my family, and I wasn’t about to walk away without correcting him. With Harper safely behind me, I bent over the table so I could meet Rich eye-to-eye.
“Speak like that to her, or any other female in my family, and I promise you will live to regret it. How will you afford those little blue pills that keep your dick hard while you fuck fake hos like her if the Demons suddenly drop you on your ass?”
I took pleasure in watching the man pale before straightening. With my hand to the small of Harper’s back, I guided her out of the restaurant and into the back of a taxi that had just let a couple out.
“I’m sorry about that.” I was quick to apologize to her. “I should never have put you in that position…” I broke off when she started shaking her head.
“It’s okay. I’m fine. You are the one I was worried about. Do you normally shake like that when you’re upset? Do you have high blood pressure or something?” Her tone was full of concern.
I hadn’t even realized I was shaking. I didn’t normally let my emotions get the better of me, but my rage at the other man was barely restrained. I wanted to beat the fuck out of him—badly. No one talked about Harper like that! No one.
A gentle hand covered my heart, and just like that I felt the anger start to drain away. Glancing down at her hand on my chest, I felt something deep inside constrict. It was almost painful and totally scary. Without thinking about it, I pressed her into the corner of the taxi’s backseat and kissed her.
She had the sweetest taste. My tongue stabbed inside her willing mouth and I sipped her nectar greedily. I wanted more, ached to hold her naked body against my own. I needed to be inside of her; my body was screaming for it—my dick weeping for it.
Instead, I only took what I knew she was ready to give. Each second the kiss lasted I savored, loving how she innocently kissed me back. I was her first kiss, and I was determined to be her last.
Chapter 9
Harper
How long the taxi had been sitting in front of my apartment building I wasn’t exactly sure. But with the meter running, the taxi driver wasn’t exactly complaining about the delay.
With a tortured groan Shane raised his face from my neck, having buried it there several minutes before. His lips had left a scalding trail from my lips to my jaw and down to the base of my neck as he had kissed me. “I don’t want you to go,” he whispered, kissing my lips quick and hard. “But I know you have to.”
My brain was foggy with desire, so I didn’t understand. “Why do I have to go?” I whispered back.
Another kiss to the corner of my mouth. “Because you aren’t ready. You don’t trust me enough.”
“But…”
His lips stopped me from saying anything else. My fingers tangled in his hair, and I held on tight, trying to keep up with his demanding kiss. His hands stroked up and down my sides, his thumbs caressing the underside of my breasts, making me dizzy and aching in a way I wasn’t sure I had ever felt before.
There was a tap on the window behind Shane, and his head jerked around to see some guy in a suit standing outside on the sidewalk. Muttering a curse, he tossed a bunch of bills at the driver and opened the door. The business man, who I was sure lived on the eleventh floor in my building, was grinning when Shane helped me from the back of the car.
Shane growled something under his breath at the man, who smartly remained quiet before getting into the waiting taxi.
With a hand on the small of my back, Shane guided me inside and pressed the button to call for the elevator. The doorman gave us a nod in greeting but otherwise remained quiet until the elevator’s doors were closed behind us.
Shivering with suppressed desire, I leaned against the big man who wrapped his stron
g arms around me. The trip up to the twelfth floor felt like it took an eternity, yet was over far too soon. His arms tightened for a moment, his lips lingering at my ear, before he finally released me and walked me down the corridor to the corner apartment.
I tried to find the words to ask him to come in. “Do you...”
He shook his head. “No, beautiful. As badly as I want to, I can’t come in.” He lowered his head and brushed a tender kiss over my lips, then my nose, and lastly over my eyes. It was so sweet that I felt my throat clog with tears. “Can I see you tomorrow?”
All I could do was nod as he stepped back. Our hands were still linked as he started to turn away, holding fast until we could no longer stay linked. “Good night, beautiful,” I heard him say as I watched him walk backwards toward the elevators.
I bit my lip and watched until he disappeared behind the elevator doors before opening the front door of my apartment.
Of course no one was home, and I hadn’t been expecting them to be. It was Saturday night. Linc was probably on the prowl for a sleepover friend and he must have taken Dallas with him. Just as he was her guard, she was his. As for Lana, I was happy that she was spending yet another night with her Drake.
But that meant I was all alone in our big apartment, with an aching body and a whirling mind. I wanted to talk, take a long cool shower, and fall into bed. Sighing, I locked the door and headed toward my room. A cool shower would have to do.
I was stripping when my phone chimed with Shane’s designated text tone. Glancing down at the screen, I saw his message.
A goofy smile spread across my face, and I sat down on the edge of my bed, holding my phone close like a love sick fool. Finally, I texted him back.
Wish you had stayed.
Almost instantly he sent a return text. Me 2. C U tomorrow, beautiful.
--
I was determined that I wasn’t going to let the attraction I felt for Shane get in the way. We were friends and I wanted it to stay that way.