Текст книги "Touch Me"

Автор книги: Olivia Cunning

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Текущая страница: 11 (всего у книги 12 страниц)

She stepped out of the bathroom, smoothing her hair with her palms and trying not to feel overly self-conscious about how much skin was showing. The back of the dress was cut so low, she wouldn’t be surprised if she had plumber’s crack going on back there. And to say the neckline plunged was an understatement.

Owen glanced up from his phone and froze with his finger hovering over the screen. His jaw dropped and eyes bulged. His phone hit the floor and he didn’t even bother to pick it up before striding toward her.

“Good God, woman, you are not wearing that.”

“Yeah, I realized how ridiculous I look the second I put it on.”

He was staring at the inner and under curves of her breasts that were far too visible for her peace of mind. If she wasn’t already used to him seeing her naked, she would have covered herself with her hands.

“Fuck hot,” he said, and then he shook his head as if to clear his thoughts. “You look fuck hot, Caitlyn. Too fuck hot.”

“Fuck hot?”

“That’s way hotter than regular hot,” he said. “On the hotness scale there’s hot, really hot, and then fuck hot. I think we need to invent a new hot just for you.”

She shook her head at his silliness, but she couldn’t help it—she liked his over-the-top compliments. He made her feel good about herself. She’d always been confident about her intelligence and her creativity and her ability to lead a team, but physically? She was the woman who’d tripped over her own feet at an indoor football game and ended up with her face buried in the crotch of the team mascot. She wasn’t used to being admired for her physical attributes.

Owen’s finger traced a path along the inner curve of her breast. “Where did you get this dress?”

“I borrowed it from Jenna.”

“I’ll thank her next time I see her.”

“You plan to see her again?” Caitlyn squeaked. Jenna had dated a lot of men in her day, but she was happily married now. Or did her friend have something she needed to talk to her about?

“She’s a big part of your life, isn’t she?”

“I wish she was more a part of my life,” Caitlyn admitted.

“And I want to be a big part of your life.”

“You do?”

He traced the inner curve of her other breast, and she shivered with delight. “Yes.”

“Oh.” She wasn’t sure how to respond. Wasn’t this just a long version of a one-night stand? But it didn’t have to be. “Okay,” she said. “I guess we can go out again.”

He chuckled. “You guess?”

His hand slid into the front of her dress, and he palmed her breast.

“I’m not rejecting you, Owen,” she said.

“Good, because I don’t handle rejection well.”

“Kellen sort of told me that in the limo outside the club.”

“He’s been quiet all day; I’m not sure what’s wrong with him. He really shouldn’t go to Galveston tonight. Surrounding himself with happy memories does not make him happy with the present.”

“What’s in Galveston?”

“The house he bought her after she died.”

“Huh?”

He shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

“You can talk to me about it. I know you’re concerned for him.”

“I’m more concerned that someone other than me will see you in this dress and try to do this.”

His thumb rubbed her nipple, and she moaned in pleasure. This dress had one thing going for it. It made getting to second base a breeze.

“I think Kellen’s trying to let her go,” she said, struggling to follow the thread of their conversation while her body awakened beneath his expert touch.

Owen shook his head. “I think seeing me and you together is really bothering him.”

“Do you think he wants to hook up with you?”

His eyes widened, and he shook his head. “No. I think seeing me with a woman makes him miss her. You’re still caught up on that thing that happened back at the club?”

“You called his name when I was screwing you, Owen. And he touched you. I saw him. And I think he rather enjoyed touching you. I know you enjoyed it. I didn’t know your O-face at the time, but I know it now, and you were about to come in his hand.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“If you say so.”

“I say so. Drop it, okay?” he said.

“I won’t mention it again.” She meant it.

“Now that you’ve dropped that, you need to drop this dress. There is no way I’ll be able to perform with you standing in my corner of the stage looking this fuck hot. And if another man sees you in this, I’ll be tempted to kick his ass.”

She couldn’t picture Owen getting into a fight. Like Kellen had said, Owen saw the good in people. In all people.

“Well I wouldn’t want you to hurt your knuckles on some guy’s face. I guess I’ll go change.”

She took a step back, but he grabbed her and pulled her against him, capturing her in a tight embrace. “I think you should wear it just a little while longer. There’s no one here but you and me.”

“And me,” Kellen said from the living area.

Owen stiffened. He was probably wondering the same thing Caitlyn was wondering: how long had Kellen been there and had he overheard their conversation about him?

Owen immediately relaxed and stepped away from Caitlyn. “You’re the only dude allowed to see her dressed like this. Doesn’t she look fuck hot?”

“Fuck hot,” Kellen agreed with a half-smile.

“Couldn’t you just bend her over that table and fuck her for hours?” Owen said.

Caitlyn slapped at him for making her blush again.

“If you’d like to tie her up sometime, I could give you a hand,” Kellen offered.

Owen’s breath caught in his throat. “You mean it?”

Kellen nodded. “Yeah. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. I need this last night to let her consume me. Seeing you with Caitlyn today made me realize that no one will ever take Sara’s place, but maybe no one is supposed to. Maybe someone could find a different spot to fill inside me. I seem to be full of holes.”

Caitlyn nearly melted at his admission. The man had a truly romantic soul. She wondered if he wrote lyrics. He seemed the poetic type.

“I have more holes than you do,” Owen said, fingering the piercing in his brow and both ears. He didn’t have to remind anyone about that extra hole down below.

Caitlyn chuckled. Trust Owen to take everything at face value.

“That’s not what I meant,” Kellen said. “I meant—”

“I know what you meant,” Owen said. “You’re making me look shallow in front of my chick, coming in here all deep and philosophical while I spout off incoherently about how hot she looks in a dress.”

“I need that,” Caitlyn admitted. “That fills a hole in me.”

“I’d like to fill a hole in you right about now,” Owen said.

Kellen chuckled and headed for the exit. “I’ll leave you two alone,” he said. “So Owen can fill some holes.”

“Could you do me a favor?” Owen asked him.

“Name it.”

“Go buy Caitlyn a Sole Regret T-shirt. I can’t have her looking fuck hot in front of the crew.”

Kellen appeared to be less than thrilled to be used as an errand boy, but he asked, “Anything else?”

“Give me twenty minutes of privacy and then bring me a sandwich.”

“Pastrami?” Kellen asked.

“You guessed it.”

Caitlyn gasped when Owen lifted her skirt by sliding his hands up her thighs. “Mmm,” he murmured. “I am definitely going to need a pastrami sandwich when I’m done with you.”

Now that sounded promising.

Chapter Twelve

After the show, Owen threw a couple of guitar picks into the audience, kissed his fingertips, and tossed the sentiment to the crowd. He then jogged down the steps to the floor beside the stage.

“Oh my God.” Caitlyn squealed and launched herself into his arms. His bass guitar made a low grinding sound as her belly rubbed against the strings. “I thought you were hot before, but now I’d have to say you’re on fire. Molten. Nuclear.”

He chuckled at her enthusiasm, but her deep, seeking kiss cut off all sound but the groan in the back of his throat. His arms moved around her body to pull her closer. The familiar stirring in his lower belly announced that he wasn’t finished with her. Not by a long shot. He couldn’t remember the last time a woman had consumed him so completely, so quickly.

She broke away and caught his face between her hands. Her brown eyes shone with admiration and, dare he hope, unquenchable lust. He was more than ready to see if he could satisfy it. At least temporarily.

“Wow,” she said. “Just wow.”

“So you like our music?”

She shook her head. “Not at all. I think my ears are bleeding. But I like you, so I’m willing to suffer to watch you on stage. You have an amazing presence.” She leaned close and whispered in his ear. “My cow panties are drenched.”

He laughed, not the least bit offended that she didn’t like Sole Regret’s music. He had a feeling it would grow on her, but if it didn’t, that didn’t matter. Not having everything in common actually made getting to know her a challenge. He hadn’t been aware that that’s what had been missing from his love life. His time with Caitlyn hadn’t started with a challenge—getting her in bed had been easy—but he had a feeling that keeping her attention outside of the bedroom would hold his interest for a long time.

He traced the Sole Regret logo across her chest. “So you aren’t wearing this kick-ass T-shirt because you’re a fan?”

“I’m definitely a fan, honey. I just don’t like your music.”

“Hey,” Kelly said from beside Owen. “I’m heading out.”

“Are you sure you want to go?” Owen said, instantly concerned for Kelly. It couldn’t be good for him to sit in that house by himself all night. “I can come with you if you think you’ll be lonely.”

“I need to be lonely for a few hours, get my head on straight. So don’t try calling to check on me; I’m going to turn off my phone.”

Owen nodded, even though he didn’t understand what had Kelly’s head so crooked all of a sudden.

“It was nice meeting you, Caitlyn,” Kelly said, extending a hand toward her.

She ignored his hand and gave him a hug, seemingly oblivious to the sweat glistening on his bare chest. “Likewise. If you need Owen, call him. He’ll come.”

Kelly met Owen’s eyes over Caitlyn’s shoulder. His gaze was so intense that Owen’s heart skipped a beat. Then Kellen grinned. “I’m sure he will, if he’s between your legs.”

Caitlyn slapped him in the chest. “Behave.”

“Don’t listen to her,” Owen advised. “Get into a little trouble. You’re starting to bore me.”

Kelly chuckled and lifted his knuckles to share a bro-tap before walking away. Owen watched him until he disappeared through an open door and then turned to Caitlyn, who was scrutinizing him.

“You need to have a long talk with him,” she said. “Sort through your feelings.”

Owen rolled his eyes. You call out a guy’s name once while enjoying an explosive orgasm as a woman fucks you in the ass, and she just won’t let it rest.

“Come on,” he said. “Let’s go get naked on the bus.”

He removed his bass, handed it off to a technician, and wrapped an arm around Caitlyn’s shoulders. She turned her face toward his chest and inhaled deeply.

“Mmm, you smell so good.”

As sweaty as he was, he surely smelled like a dirty jockstrap, but he never turned down a compliment.

“And you look good enough to eat,” he said into her ear. “One guess what I’m thinking about eating right now.”

“Pastrami on rye?” she asked, her eyes sparking with mischief as she gazed up at him.

“I’m sure before the night is over I’ll be craving pastrami, but right now I want pie.”

“Cream pie?”

“If it’s not creamy yet, it will be when I get my mouth on it.”

She sucked in a scandalized breath and then laughed. “Why are you the guy my mother always warned me about? She should have shoved me in your direction. Who knew bad boys were so much fun?”

“I told you I’ll be bad if it turns you on.”

“Everything you do turns me on. And seeing you on stage…” She took a deep breath and relaxed into a full-body shudder. “I had no idea how incredibly sexy I’d find that.”

“That’s the first thing that attracts most women.”

“I find that very hard to believe, blue eyes.”

He directed her behind the stadium where the buses were parked. One of their security team followed, keeping enough distance from them to not invade their privacy.

“So what are you doing tomorrow?” Owen asked.

“Returning to San Antonio to spend the day with Jenna,” she said. One part of her still felt terrible for running off with Owen. It was supposed to be their BFF week and here she was tagging along after a guy. “I already ditched her once.”

“And what do I have to do to convince you to come with me to Beaumont?”

“Call Jenna and explain why I’m being such a wretched friend.”

“Done. I’ll even take all the blame upon myself.”

“I don’t know if my body can take two consecutive nights with you. I’m not as young as I used to be.”

“We don’t have to have sex,” he said. “I just like spending time with you.”

She stopped in midstride and looked up at him, her eyes blinking. “Well, that might be enough for you, but my hormones are raging like a river thanks to you, and you better believe that you’re going to do something about the state you put me in, Mr. Owen Pierced-Cock Mitchell.”

He rubbed her lower back. “Maybe we’ll try it without the piercing this time.”

She winked at him. “Maybe.”

“So will you accompany me to our next gig?”

“Depends,” she said.

“On?”

“If you let me buy you dinner tonight.”

“I think the tour bus is leaving in the next ten minutes.”

“Oh.”

“But you can buy me dinner tomorrow night.”

“And the night after that?”

He grinned. “Probably.”

Owen caught movement out of the corner of his eye a split second before one of their security team tackled someone to the ground right next to them. Caitlyn stumbled sideways as Owen instinctively shoved her behind him. She clung to his waist, her face buried in his back. Expecting to see an army of Samurai, he was surprised to peer down at a completely non-threatening individual.

“Oh God,” the security guard said. “I’m so sorry.” He couldn’t seem to figure out where to put his hands. He brushed off the girl’s pink-and-white-striped T-shirt. Then he lamely patted her head. “I saw you running toward Tags and I just reacted. Are you okay?”

The slender girl ran her hands over her distended abdomen, her golden blond hair obscuring her face. “I think so,” she said breathlessly. “Luckily I landed on my butt.”

Owen’s muscles stiffened. Her voice was familiar, and he had a sinking suspicion as to her identity. Please, let me be wrong. This was the last thing he needed when he was trying to convince Caitlyn that he wasn’t a man whore. He reached down to help the young woman to her feet, and she lifted her face. He cringed. There was no mistaking those big blue eyes as she searched his face. Her bottom lip quivered.

Oh no, no, no. No crying.

“I’ve been looking for you,” she said, rubbing her hands over her pregnant belly. “I have something I need to tell you.”

Chapter Thirteen

Owen’s chest constricted until he feared he’d suffocate. “Lindsey?” he croaked.

“Oh, you remember my name,” Lindsey said, and she struggled to her feet. “I’m surprised.”

The security guard began brushing off her butt with both hands. She gave him a look of disbelief, which halted the man’s attempts to undo the damage he’d caused. What the fuck was he thinking? Tackling a pregnant woman to the ground? What an incompetent asshole.

There were a lot of women Owen had slept with whose names he’d admittedly forgotten, but Lindsey wasn’t one of them. She’d been the last woman he and Kelly had pleasured together. He sometimes thought she’d somehow wrecked Kelly. It was either something Lindsey had done or that wrist cuff Owen had given him for Christmas. That’s when Kelly had started pushing Owen away, so no, Owen wasn’t likely to forget her, even if it had been six months since he’d last seen her.

“How do you know her?” Caitlyn asked, her arms crossed over her chest.

Uh…

Now would be a good time for a meteor to strike him dead.

“Um, well, there was snow,” he said, as if that explained anything.

Lindsey looked at Caitlyn and scowled. “Excuse me, lady. I’m trying to tell Owen that I’m pregnant with his child. You need to go away. This is a private matter.”

“What?” Caitlyn spat.

“What?” Owen bellowed.

“What?” the security guard sputtered.

An unseen man in the parking lot yelled, “What!” and his companions laughed at his cleverness.

“I’m pregnant,” Lindsey said.

“I can see that,” Owen said, his gaze glued to her abdomen. Dear God, there was no denying she was pregnant. “What the fuck does that have to do with me?”

“Is this your wife, Owen?” Caitlyn asked as she took several steps backward, shaking her head and pushing her hands uselessly out in front of her.

“No, she’s not my wife.”

“Yet,” Lindsey said.

“She’s not even my girlfriend,” Owen said.

“I see.” Caitlyn said with a nod. “She’s just a toy that you used to get your rocks off. Kind of like me.”

Owen shook his head. “No. It was different with you. I like you.”

“You don’t like me?” Lindsey wailed. Then she broke into gut-wrenching sobs.

Owen squeezed his eyes shut. He’d made a pregnant woman cry. A pregnant woman who might or might not be carrying his child. He needed to sit down. Or lie down. Or drown himself in a toilet.

“I’m out of here,” Caitlyn said.

He watched her march up the bus steps and then emerge thirty seconds later with her purse and overnight bag. It was as if his feet had taken root and his mouth had been sewn shut. When Caitlyn brushed past him, he caught her arm.

“Don’t go,” he said. His biggest fear slammed him in the chest. Not fatherhood, though he hadn’t quite processed that yet, but rejection. She was flat out rejecting him, and he couldn’t fucking stand it.

Her eyes narrowed, and she gave him a look that ripped his heart out of his chest and left a gaping chasm in its place. All the warmth had left her gaze when she looked at him. “You don’t really expect me to stay, do you? What are you going to do with her?”

Owen glanced over at Lindsey, who blew her nose on a tissue offered by the concerned security guard. The guy glared at Owen, his mouth tight, his expression disapproving.

Oh yeah, I’m the bad guy here.

“I’ll figure something out,” Owen said to Caitlyn. “It’s probably not even my baby. She slept with the entire band that night. No telling who else she spread her legs for.”

Caitlyn rolled her eyes and jerked her arm out of his grasp. “Right. Men! All a bunch of fucking liars. And you’re the king of them, aren’t you?”

“I asked you not to call me a liar, Caitlyn,” he said, his own ire rising. What did she expect him to do? He wanted her to stay, but if she trusted the word of a sobbing, pregnant, twenty-year-old groupie over his, then maybe it was best if she said goodbye now.

“Goodbye, Owen.”

He flinched. Nope. It wasn’t for the best at all. “I’ll call you,” he said, glad they’d exchanged numbers at dinner, before his life had exploded into chaos. “Once I get this straightened out.”

She tossed a hand up over her head as she stormed away. Did that mean not to bother or that she’d talk to him later or what? He watched her retreating figure for a moment before he started after her. “Wait, Caitlyn. I’ll have the limo take you home.”

“Don’t talk to me right now, Owen; I’ll figure out how to get home on my own. I don’t need your help. The weepy, pregnant girl needs your help. Go take care of her.”

But he didn’t want her. He wanted Caitlyn.

“Fuck my life,” he said under his breath and spun on his heel so he didn’t have to watch Caitlyn walk away. He was sure she’d find a way home. She was an independent, resourceful, intelligent woman. Those were the qualities he admired most in her. Didn’t she realize that he didn’t want a girl? He wanted a woman. And not just any woman. He wanted Caitlyn.

“Thanks for getting rid of her,” Lindsey said. “She was making me feel awkward.”

If she’d been a dude, he would have decked her. “I didn’t get rid of her. You got rid of her. Now, what are you doing here and why do you think I’m the father of your baby? We used protection.”

“It isn’t one hundred percent foolproof. And I know you’re the father because I hadn’t had sex with anyone for weeks before I was with you and I haven’t been with anyone since.”

“What about Shade? Adam? Tex? Gabe? Ringing any bells? I wasn’t the only one who had sex with you that night.”

The security guard no longer looked concerned. He looked slightly scandalized and very intrigued.

Tears flooded her eyes. “But I want it to be yours.”

“Shit, that doesn’t make it so. Are you here by yourself? You’re a long way from Idaho.”

“I lost my job and my parents disowned me. The entire town turned its back on me. I didn’t have anywhere else to go.”

“What about your friend, the one who was with you on the tour bus? What was her name?”

“Vanessa?”

“Yeah. I’m sure she’d help you out.”

Lindsey shook her head. “She joined the army to get away from that place. She’s in boot camp in South Carolina right now. Don’t you think it was hard for me to come here? I wasn’t even going to tell you. I was going to raise him on my own, but I don’t have any money so I… I… I can’t.”

She burst into tears again.

Owen wrapped his arms around her and drew her into a comforting embrace. He stroked her hair and murmured, “Don’t cry. We’ll get this sorted out. Don’t worry.”

So he held the woman who might or might not be pregnant with his child, a woman he had no interest in on an emotional level, while the woman he really wanted had left, perhaps forever. Why did he have to be so fucking weak to a woman’s tears?

“I know it’s your baby, Owen. When I feel him move inside me, I know he’s your son.” Lindsey’s sobs increased without provocation. “Oh God, I love our baby so much.”

Every hair on Owen’s body stood on end. No. Just no. He was in no way ready to be a father and certainly didn’t want to have a baby with a woman he didn’t love. “You can’t know that it’s mine,” he said. “You slept with every guy in the band that night. What makes you so sure I’m the father?”

Her sob fest made him wish he hadn’t said anything.

“You hate me, don’t you? I should just kill—”

He took her by both arms and shook her. “Don’t finish that sentence. Even if it isn’t my baby, I’m not going to toss you out in the street. Come inside while I figure out what to do with you.” He really wished Kelly’s calming presence was here. Kelly would help Owen figure out what to do. As it was, Owen couldn’t think. What he really wanted was to push Lindsey aside and go after Caitlyn. Not that he expected Caitlyn to ever speak to him again after what she’d just witnessed. He rubbed the center of his chest, took Lindsey by the elbow, and helped her ascend the steep steps of the tour bus. Adam, Shade, and Gabe’s round of laughter died as their eyes settled on Owen with Lindsey in tow.

“What happened to your other chick?” Shade asked.

“She, uh, had to go. We have a little situation here,” Owen said.

“I remember you,” Gabe said to Lindsey, a smile of recognition on his lean face. “Christmas Eve. We all…” His eyes widened as they settled on her distended abdomen.

“Is she…?” Adam’s dark eyebrows rose to comical peaks.

Lindsey avoided their eyes but straightened her shoulders. “I’m having Owen’s baby.”

“You can’t be sure that it’s mine,” Owen insisted. “Is there anyone on this bus you didn’t fuck that night?”

Her big blue eyes flooded with tears. “I know it’s yours, Owen. I just know.”

“Did you do her without protection?” Shade asked.

“No, I wore a condom. Did you forget?” Owen asked Shade.

“Of course I didn’t forget. I might be dumb, but I’m not stupid.”

“I wore a condom and I’m getting a vasectomy, so it’s definitely not my kid,” Adam said.

“You have to actually have the procedure done before you have unprotected sex,” Shade reminded him.

Adam turned green. “Shit! That’s right. But still, it’s not mine.”

“Well, it sure as hell isn’t mine,” Shade said. “I already have one!”

“That doesn’t matter. Having one does not decrease your odds of having another,” Gabe said.

Owen looked at Gabe. His last hope.

“I only came in her mouth,” Gabe said. “Adam and Tex were taking turns and she was sucking me and… Wait… I was drunk. Don’t remember everything I did. But I always wear protection. Always.” Gabe blinked hard and turned his green-eyed gaze to the floor. “It’s not mine.”

“Was Tex wearing a condom?”

“Yes, we all used protection, Owen,” Shade said, “so it must be yours. Or Kellen’s.”

“Kellen didn’t even penetrate her. And I know I was protected. I didn’t even drink that night, so I clearly remember everything I did.”

“This is the worst episode of Jerry Springer ever,” Adam said.

Owen laughed so he wouldn’t start crying.

“You were all careful,” Lindsey said. “Condoms are not one hundred percent fail proof, you know.”

“Seriously?” Owen asked. She must have poked holes in their condoms hoping to get pregnant and make herself some bank off a group of idiotic rock stars just having a good time one Christmas Eve. They’d joked about it how many times? And now it had come to fruition.

“You don’t think I wanted to get pregnant, do you?” Lindsey said, emotions going from distress to anger like a switch had been flipped. “I had plans for my life! Now I’m knocked up, homeless, and considered a whore by my entire family. I wouldn’t have even come to ask for help if I had a choice.”

Owen looked imploringly at each member of the band and realized that even if the baby wasn’t his, he was going to be the one who took care of this. Why? Because he was a sucker. Or nice. Or something.

“She’s not coming on tour with us,” Shade said. “Put her in a hotel until after our show tomorrow night and then we’ll figure out something more permanent.”

Their driver, Tex, announced his arrival on the bus with a loud belch. “Y’all ready to hit the road? Where’s Kellen?”

“Kellen will meet us in Beaumont tomorrow night,” Owen said. “And no, we’re not quite ready to go. We have a bit of a problem.”

Owen shifted his position so he wasn’t blocking Lindsey from Tex’s view. Tex smiled when he recognized her. “Oh hey, honey, back for some more Texas-sized lovin’?” He wriggled his eyebrows and adjusted himself in the crotch of his pants.

Lindsey burst into tears again.

“What?” Tex said. “Hey, now, you didn’t complain the last time. Begged for more.”

Owen cringed and shook his head, hoping to get Tex to shut his big mouth.

“Did you remember to use protection that night, Tex?” Shade asked.

“What? ’Course I did. Don’t know where these loose groupie girls have been, you know? Gotta protect Big Hoss. Wouldn’t want him to catch nuthin’.”

Lindsey swayed sideways, and Owen grabbed her before she collapsed. “You okay?” he asked.

She leaned heavily on him, clinging to his arm for balance. “I think so. I feel a little dizzy.”

And who could blame her? He felt a little dizzy too.

“What’s this all about?” Tex asked. “Y’all are acting kinda strange.”

“You’re going to be a father, Tex,” Adam said. “Well, one of you are. It isn’t mine.”

“We’ll figure out who the father is when the time comes,” Gabe said. “Just shut up about it for now. You shouldn’t get a pregnant woman emotionally upset. It can harm the baby. Owen, help her sit down.”

But if she sat down, that meant she’d be staying.

“What?” Tex said. “She’s pregnant?”

“Just over six months pregnant,” Owen said. “Which correlates to—”

“The Christmas Eve fuck-fest!” Tex interrupted. His eyes widened as one and one made three. “I swear it isn’t mine.”

Lindsey flinched as if someone had slapped her. Now that his initial shock had receded a bit, Owen started to imagine what it must feel like to be her. To become pregnant while having a bit of sexy fun—which he did all the time, so he couldn’t judge her for it—and not know who had fathered the child. How would it feel to be ostracized by your family for making a mistake and have no one to turn to? He wouldn’t want to be in her shoes. But he could help her. Even if the baby wasn’t his. And he prayed to God it wasn’t his. He didn’t want to be a father but at the same time, he didn’t want harm to come to the child. It wasn’t the baby’s fault that no one wanted him.

“Just so everyone shuts the fuck up,” Owen said, “I’ll claim the child until we find out otherwise, okay?” Under his breath he added, “Someone around here needs to take responsibility for the places he sticks his dick.”

Owen eased Lindsey onto the sofa. She immediately covered her abdomen with both arms and gazed up at him with wide eyes. She had the face of an angel with the exception of the dark circles under her eyes. Physically, she was so Kelly’s type it was ridiculous. Kelly couldn’t resist a woman with big blue eyes and a look of innocence about her. But Lindsey wasn’t Owen’s type. Caitlyn was Owen’s type. Why did this have to happen just when he was finally ready to consider a serious relationship again? Another snafu—situation normal, all fucked up.

“You okay?” Owen asked her.

Lindsey nodded and wiped her tears on the pink-striped T-shirt at her shoulder. As much as he didn’t want to be involved in this mess, Owen couldn’t stand anyone to look so upset. So desperate. So alone. “Do you want something to drink? Are you hungry?”

She hesitated and then nodded again. “I haven’t eaten since yesterday.”

“That’s not good for you or the baby,” Shade said. He opened the refrigerator and peered inside. “Neither is beer and leftover sushi.” He closed the refrigerator door with his foot.

Adam rattled the single remaining peanut at the bottom of the can. “Have a peanut.”

Shade slapped the can out of his hand. “Get the woman some real food. She’s pregnant. Have you ever dealt with a hungry pregnant woman?”

“No.”

“Well, I have and it ain’t pretty.”

“I didn’t mean to get pregnant,” Lindsey whispered, gazing up at Owen imploringly, as if she’d been declared guilty and he was her executioner with a readied ax slung over one shoulder.

Owen smiled at her and smoothed her check with one finger. Her eyes drifted closed, and large tears dripped from beneath her lids. He wished she’d stop doing that already. Did she have any idea what a sucker he was? Actually, that was probably why she’d approached him first.

“I believe you,” he said. “Now don’t cry any more. We’ll take care of you.”

“Let’s go get something to eat before we hit the road,” Shade said. “Then we can ditch her at a hotel until after the next show. We have a few days’ break before our two shows in New Orleans; we’ll get this mess straightened out then.”