Текст книги "Out Of The Blue"
Автор книги: Carina Adams
сообщить о нарушении
Текущая страница: 4 (всего у книги 20 страниц)
I felt her eyes on me, but it took her a few minutes to say anything. “How long we been friends, Mike?”
“A long fucking ass time, Mols. Six, seven years? Long before I joined the guys.”
“Yeah,” she agreed. “If I have to spend the next few months celibate, living with someone in small spaces, and stuck with that person twenty-four hours a day, at least it’s you.”
I nodded in agreement. Molly was a great friend—a kid who needed some guidance, sure, but at least I enjoyed being around her. There weren’t many women I could say that about. “Completely agree, brat.”
“So”—she settled back into her seat, propping her now bare feet on the dash—“how did Jake take the news of you leaving?”
I smiled. “Better than I did.” And he had.
When I’d gone to pick him up on Thursday afternoon, he’d known immediately something was wrong. I couldn’t hide anything from my kid; probably because he was just like me, down to his very last mannerism.
He’d come running over to me, concern etched on his face. A face that had started to lose every inch of the youthful glow it had once contained. Now it had widened slightly, the way all boys’ features do as they hit puberty: a strong jaw, wide nose, well-defined cheekbones would dominate in just a few years. He was growing up, but I missed my little boy.
“What’s wrong?” His voice held no note of fear, but his eyes betrayed him. One day, he’d get so he could conceal his feelings, probably even from me. I liked that he wasn’t there yet.
I’d shaken my head, pulling him in for a hug and ruffling his hair, because I knew how much he hated it. “I need to talk to you about something, bud.”
He pulled back quickly, his eyes searching mine as I saw his body stiffen in preparation for bad news. When in the hell had he grown up?
“Uncle Nate and Aunt Lia have asked me to come back on tour with them. I’ll still keep my apartment, and I’ll come see you every time we have a break, even if it’s a short one” I added in a rush, trying to show him that I wasn’t leaving him again. I was already to tell him that I’d cancel, that I would tell Lee to go fuck herself, if he wanted me to stay home when his face split into a giant, too-big-for-his-mouth toothy grin.
“That is so freakin’ cool!” he shouted. “Are you gonna be doing the same thing?”
That could mean so many things, but I knew he was asking if I’d have the same job I’d had for years. I shook my head. “Not this time. Sam took over for me, remember? But this time, I’m going to be watching out for Mols. Making sure she’s safe.”
His eyes practically bugged out of his head. “Does that mean you’re gonna live with her?”
I nodded, confused by his reaction.
“Holy shit!” He said the word slowly, following it with a whistle.
“Hey!” I snapped, stepping closer to him. “Watch your mouth.”
Jake, being one hundred percent my child, ignored my tone. Instead, he pumped a fist in the air. “I’m so freakin’ jealous! Not only do you get to live with Courtney, now you get to spend all day, every day with Molly Ray.” His eyes filled with excitement when they met mine. “No other dad in the world is as lucky as you, you know that, right? I wanna be you when I grow up.”
It took me a second, a long second, to understand why he was so giddy about my new job. I shook my head, questioning my sanity. Jake wasn’t interested in girls yet. He loved sports and action movies and his little sister. Right? I replayed random conversations that we’d had over the summer, relieved when none of them were about girls.
So, it was an utter shock when he said the next words, causing me to take a step away from him in surprise. “I read that she might pose for Playboy. If she does, do you get to go to the shoot, too? Can you get me a signed copy?”
No way in hell my twelve-year-old son had asked me if I could get him a copy of a centerfold. No way in hell asking me to see a woman naked. Not just any woman, mind you, but one that he’d known half his life. I was so not old enough, or mature enough, to deal with that shit yet.
So I just shook my head. “Not gonna happen, Jacob.”
Thinking of the disappointment on his face made me smile. I could understand why he was bummed out, but it was still a shock to me that he had a crush on my friend. The friend that was sitting next to me right now, staring at me, waiting for me to elaborate.
Fuck. I glanced at her quickly. Did she have plans to pose? I’d meant to ask Lee about it, but with everything else going on, it’d slipped my mind. Lee would never let her do it. At least, I hoped Red had more sense than that.
Yeah, if Molly put back on some of the curves she’d lost, she’d be playmate material. She always had a banging, tight little body with curves in all the right places, making men stare after her wherever she went. Add that to the sexy as fuck tats she had everywhere the eye could see, and I do mean everywhere, the piercings she had when she wasn’t on tour, and the crazy hair, and Mols became the bad girl fantasy every man had. She’d sell more copies than any other model ever had.
I doubted that she would ever do it. She was crazy, and did stupid shit all the time, though. I’d been hired to protect Molly from herself for a reason. The thought of having pictures like that, Mols bared for the world to see, out in cyberspace where anyone could see them, where we’d never get them back, pissed me off.
No. It wasn’t gonna happen. I would haul her over my knee and spank her like the naughty child she was if she even thought about posing for any magazine that paid her to take off her clothes. Fucking hell.
Chapter Five
~ Molly~
The best part about riding in a car to the hotel was who I got to ride with. Being off the bus was great, don’t get me wrong. There really was only so much of the boys bickering a girl could handle without losing her mind. Plus, riding on the bus is more like traveling in a studio apartment—there isn’t any space to have even five seconds of privacy. Sometimes, you want to be in a car, turn up the tunes, stare at the pavement through the windshield, and watch the miles get eaten. But sitting beside Mike, talking about nothing like two normal friends was the highlight of my day. Hell, it was the best part of the tour so far.
When Tim and I had done things alone, it had made me uncomfortable. Not because he creeped me out, or I didn’t trust him—because he didn’t and I did—but it was because our time was filled with the awkward silence that typically surrounds first dates. We didn’t know each other, and there is only so much small talk you can have with a person who makes you feel like a pain in the ass for wanting to have a conversation. It had been his job to be my shadow, to watch out for me, but that was Mike’s job, too. Yet he had absolutely no problem filling the silence with stories and chit chat.
The ride was supposed to take hours, but when we pulled up to the ritzy-looking five-story resort, I was surprised. It barely felt like an hour had passed. I unbuckled, stretched my arms above my head, and reached for my shoes.
Mike left the car running as he opened his door. “I’ll go get us checked in. You stay here. I’ll be back as soon I know where our room is.” He shut his door and made it halfway around the front of the hood before he paused, glancing back at me through the window. Shaking his head, he came over to my door, twirling his finger around, telling me to roll down my window. “Lock the doors,” he said, his voice low as if he didn’t want anyone to hear him. “I’ll be right back.” He reached in, tapping a finger on my nose twice, and then strode over to the revolving lobby door.
I rolled up my window and locked the doors like he’d asked. There wasn’t a soul around, though, so I wasn’t sure whom I was keeping out. After five seconds, I grew bored. Without my phone to play on, or people to watch, I had absolutely nothing to do. I bent over, trying to find a halfway decent song on the radio when a sharp knock on my window scared the shit out of me.
I sat up, glancing over as I did. The man on the other side of the door glared in at me. His face was wrinkle free, and even though his dark hair had a few strands of silver gray mixed in, I would have bet he was younger than me. When his lips twisted into an angry scowl, it made him look much older. I glanced around the parking lot quickly, wondering where he had come from.
“Can I help you?” I asked, not even reaching for the window switch.
“You can’t park here.” The agitation in his voice sent a nervous whisper down my spine.
I nodded. “I’m not parked. My friend is just checking us in, then he’ll move it.”
He glanced over his shoulder, as if looking for Mike, and then crossed his arms as he turned back to me. “There are a few empty spots out back. You can move it and then meet your friend inside.”
“I can’t move it, I don’t have shoes on.” I held up my shoes so he could see, as if that was a good enough reason to stay put.
He shook head and rolled his eyes. “Look, we’ve got a big party coming in and I can’t have you parked here. If you want, you can get out and I’ll move it and leave your keys with the girl at the desk.”
I felt bad for him. The big party he mentioned must have been us—two buses, numerous SUVs and vans, and a few tractor-trailers clogging up parking lots tended to irritate hotel staff. Plus, this guy obviously hated his job, or maybe he’d have a little more patience with the guests. Been there, done that. But it didn’t matter how much I understood his irritation, I was not unlocking the door until Mike was the one about to open it.
I shook my head. “Sorry, I can’t.”
His eyes narrowed at me briefly and then glanced back over his shoulder toward the hotel. Before I knew what he was doing, he’d crossed in front of the car, heading straight for the driver’s side, reached out and pulled on the handle, as if testing to see if it was really locked.
“Hey!” I hollered. “Stop!”
“Get out.” He growled as if I would actually listen to a thing he said. When I didn’t move, he went to the back door, testing that handle. And then the trunk door.
“Get away from me, now!” I screeched back, wrenching myself around in the seat and climbing into the back, hoping he couldn’t see me through the tinted windows.
It didn’t work. He stepped up to the passenger side rear door, cupping his hands against the glass, and leaning his face close. “You’re going to get me fired. Is that what you want?”
I was going to get him fired? Was he for real? His behavior was going to get him fired. This place looked like it charged a few thousand a night, and somewhere that high end should not have employees that talked to, or treated, guests like this. I didn’t care what time it was, as soon as Mike came out, we were going straight to the manager on duty.
I’m not sure what happened. Suddenly, he dropped his hands and backed away from the car. I watched him cross the driveway and around the side of the building. When Mike knocked on the passenger window, I shrieked.
“Mols? Where are you?” His low voice, filled with humor, instantly calmed me.
Moving from my crouched position in the middle of the back seat, I stumbled back to the front and hit the lock key so he could get it. He only opened the door, moving himself into the opening, and reached for my face, concern covering his.
“What’s wrong, babe?”
“I just had the weirdest run-in with the valet.”
His brows crinkled in confusion, but as I explained the last few minutes to him, he started to tense. Glancing the way I pointed, the way the man had gone, he took a deep breath.
“Next time, you’ll come in with me. I didn’t know they had a valet on duty this time of night, or I’d have just let him park for us anyway.” He got me turned around in my seat, shut my door, and then climbed into his own. He circled the stone pillars of the entry way and pulled the suburban into the first spot he found—one of at least a dozen that were in the front, but I hadn’t seen because of the shrubs that stood between them and the entryway.
“Weird. He said the only open spaces were out back.”
“That is weird.” Mike shifted into park and turned to me. “There aren’t a lot of guests here right now. Lee rented almost the entire place for all of us, so there wouldn’t be many rooms left.”
Right? I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of that before. I rolled my eyes at myself.
“It was probably a fan who recognized you and wanted to get your autograph. Somebody pathetic who panicked. Let’s go talk to the concierge.”
The hotel clerk, a very handsome man named Kenneth, listened to Mike retell the things I had just told him, looking more appalled as each second passed. When the story was over, he swallowed nervously and shook his head. “I am so very sorry. That is absolutely unacceptable!” He glanced down at his computer, fingers swift over his keyboard as he looked something up. “I will bring the employee in immediately and address the issue. Please know that I will take care of it.” He made eye contact once more. “Is there anything I can get for you, Ms. Ray? Anything at all?”
I shook my head. My feet had been screaming in protest as soon as I put my shoes back on. I just wanted to get out of these shoes for good, stick my feet—and the rest of me—in a hot bath, put on some comfy clothes, and crawl into a warm bed.
Kenneth nodded. “Please let me know if you change your mind. Again, I apologize.”
Mike steered me to the elevators, his hand never leaving the small of my back. I couldn’t handle it anymore, and as soon as the doors were closed, I turned, bracing my hand on his forearm, and slipped out of my shoes. I almost cried in relief.
I didn’t look up again as I followed Mike to our room. As soon as we were through the door, I glanced around the space, not paying attention to how beautiful the room was; I could appreciate it later. Mike moved into a room on the left, flipping on an overhead light, and making almost no noise as he moved around the space.
He smiled at me as he came out. “All set, brat.”
I nodded, not having enough energy to thank him. The bedroom was just as gorgeous as the common room had been, but I headed straight for the bathroom and started to fill the giant garden tub. Once steam started to drift up, I headed back into the bedroom to get my clothes.
It was then that I realized my bag wasn’t on my bed. Usually, when we stayed at hotels, the roadies moved our luggage to the room while we performed. Mike and I had left right after the concert, without my cell phone or purse, so why in the hell was I surprised that I didn’t have any clothes? I shook my head, irritated at myself.
A quick look in the bathroom, behind the door, and then the closet, proved that while this hotel was beautiful, they didn’t provide comforts like robes. Normally I’d be happy to stay somewhere the hot water never ran out and the bed was bigger than a twin, but tonight, the lack of posh extras disappointed me.
Hurrying back to the bathroom, I shut off the water and debated stripping and climbing in anyway. After a soak, I’d never be able to get these pants back on, not that I’d want to considering how sweaty and smelly I’m sure they were, and my top barely covered my boobs, let alone anything else, so I couldn’t wear just that. I could crawl into bed naked, but I shook my head, laughing off the idea as soon as I thought it…my luck, there would be a fire drill, or some other emergency, and Mike would have his hands full trying to hide all that from the prying eye. I giggled at the image of him trying to hold a towel in front of me, sheltering me from photographers.
Mike! He hadn’t carried a bag in with us, but maybe he had one in the car. I was sure he’d let me borrow one of his shirts for the night. I glanced at the tub with longing, and then headed back to the main room to find my friend.
He leaned casually against the counter in the lounge area between what I assumed was his bedroom and mine, one foot over the other, playing on his phone. “That was quick.” He glanced up when he heard me come in, a smile falling from his lips. “I thought you were gonna take a bath.”
“Did you bring any extra clothes?”
His eyes drifted over me, from the flimsy, long-sleeved belted halter that just barely held me in to the skin tight leather pants that were too long without my heels, and back to my eyes. “Shit, brat. I didn’t even think about it.” Before I could say a word, or turn back to my room, he dropped his phone onto the counter with a thud and reached his arms back over his head, pulling his tee shirt up.
I swallowed, distracted by the way his jeans sat low on his hips, fitting him in a way that should be illegal. As the cotton moved higher, I was graced with a view I hoped never to forget: muscles, muscles, and more muscles. A perfect blend of a six pack, toned stomach, and ink-free skin. I don’t know what I’d done in a past life, but the gods were smiling on me at this moment.
I stared until he cleared his throat, drawing my eyes away from his body to his hand holding out the shirt to me. “It’s not great, but at least it’s something to wear.”
I nodded, forcing myself to reach out and snatch it before I turned and fled, wanting to put distance between us before he realized how red my face was. I made it to my room before I heard him laugh. Dick. He was an absolute dick.
Forcing my pants down my hips, I peeled them off my legs and kicked them across the room before practically ripping my shirt off, not caring if I ruined it. My bra followed them in a quick throw, and I sunk into the still hot water, hissing a little as my blisters felt the heat.
It wasn’t like I hadn’t seen more of him before. Hell, when you live with a gaggle of men, or as I like to call them, my flock of cock, in a rolling house the size of dorm room, you tend to see more than you want. Ink in places I shouldn’t know there are tattoos? Yeah, I’d seen it. Morning wood? Yeah, that was a real thing, especially if they’d been out drinking the night before. I unfortunately knew which of my friends had no problem pleasing their partners, and which ones had to obviously get freaky in order to compensate for their, uh, shortcomings. I’d even been asked to check not one, but three, genital piercings when their owners were sure they were infected—they weren’t, the big babies.
I’d seen and heard it all. But watching Mike strip seemed more intimate than anything I’d ever done with the boys. Shit. I shook my head, trying to force the thoughts away. I’d blame my sudden obsession with his body on the fact that I was trapped in the never-ending dry spell and it was fucking with my head. I’m sure people could survive decades without sex, but I didn’t want to. I’d already started to lose my mind.
I leaned my head back, forcing any thought of the opposite sex from my mind, thinking instead about the upcoming tour and wondering how my wardrobe would change now that I didn’t have a sexist prick making the rules. I’d love to dress more like me; it would definitely make me feel more comfortable up on stage in front of thousands of strangers. Maybe Lia would go shopping with me; it would be awesome to have some girl time. But the idea of going to a mall only brought up the image of the bodyguard that would have to go with me.
Sighing, I pushed myself out of the tub and let the water drain. Drying off with an oversized fluffy white towel, I eyed the navy blue shirt I’d dropped as soon as I shut the door, unsure if I wanted to put it on or give up and just sleep in the buff. I killed a few minutes cleaning up my own clothes and hanging up the towel before telling myself to grow up, grabbing it off the floor.
I was surprised by how big it was on me, falling mid-thigh with the sleeves dropping well below my elbows. I glanced at myself in the mirror and laughed. I looked like a teenager playing dress-up in her dad’s clothes. Hell, I’d worn dresses half the size before and had them cover everything that needed to be hidden. Apparently, I’d never realized how big of a guy Mike actually was.
Without my bags, I couldn’t brush my teeth or comb the tangles out of my hair. Sighing, I glanced at my reflection. I looked exhausted. Like death warmed over exhausted. Without the caked-on makeup, the deep black bags under my eyes were hard to ignore. Stress and sleepless nights definitely did not agree with me.
I shook my head at the stranger in the mirror, wondering where in the hell I’d gone and when exactly I’d left. The only jewelry I wore were the diamond stars in my ears that Nate had given me for Christmas two years ago. My hair, while having a few streaks of color, was cut in a conservative style and mostly blond. Gone was the crazy girl who thought of her body as a temple to decorate how she saw fit. Staring at her, this new woman I’d become, brought up tons of questions. Most importantly, was I gone for good?
I reached over and flipped off the light as I walked into the bedroom. I was too tired to self-analyze tonight, and in no mood to be hard on myself. Hollering a quick goodnight to Mike, I pulled back the covers and crawled onto the soft mattress. I was asleep before I gave another thought to the creepy guy from the parking lot.
