I heard the door open and slam against the wall with a loud bang.
“Rhett!” I couldn’t see him from my position near the floor, but I recognized Alex’s voice instantly. “Quick, get dressed. Now!” He sounded like he was trying to catch his breath.
"No can do," Rhett replied calmly, thumbing through his notebook. I guessed this wasn’t out of the ordinary for Alex.
"The triplets, dude!" he said, his tone full of innuendo.
I saw Rhett’s head shoot straight up. Apparently, our songwriting session was about to end before it began. But then he surprised the hell out of me. “No thanks, man, I’m busy.”
Alex continued. "This is their last night in the city, and they want us to take them out one more time.” My eyebrows rose, instantly curious. “Man, triplets don't come along every day. That was the wildest night of my life." I noticed Rhett giving Alex a look that implied he wanted him to stop talking about two minutes ago. Meanwhile, I was enjoying his discomfort—for the second time tonight. "If you ruin this for me, so help me—" Alex finally stepped into the room, and his eyes immediately zoned in on me.
“Hey.” I waved with a wiggle of my fingers. “Triplets, huh?”
He looked sheepish. “Shit. Uh… yeah. I mean…” He looked wide-eyed over at Rhett. “Heads up next time?”
“Yeah, I’ll give you about as much help as you gave me with that poster.” Rhett pointed above my head.
Alex's face brightened, and he looked at me and said, "He's had a crush on you since he was teenager. It's a bit embarrassing. I can't tell you how hard he's been geeking out over this whole gig with you."
I rolled my eyes at his blatant lie. We all knew how Rhett felt about me. Attention whore was the term I think he used.
“Fuck you, dude,” Rhett said lightheartedly.
“So… tonight?” Alex tried again.
“You’re on your own. Ever and I are writing.”
I stood up. “I can call Beau. We can try this again tomorrow?” Although I knew good and well my schedule was fully booked.
"Nope. Park it, Pipes." He pointed to his couch, and I dropped down to sit.
“Shit…” Alex huffed. “Well… maybe I could go at it myself…”
“Not a good idea.” Rhett chuckled. “You’d only embarrass yourself.”
Alex paused and appeared as if he were honestly considering it. I couldn’t help but laugh under my breath. “Damn it, you’re right,” he said. “Who am I kidding?” He threw his hands up in the air and deflated right in front of me.
“Where’s Sienna tonight?” I figured I might as well start putting Operation: Get Alex and Sienna Together in motion.
“I don’t keep track of her,” Alex replied. “Probably with Gage… who knows?”
“Nope, Gage is wrapped up in Lola for the third night in a row,” Rhett said nonchalantly.
“Excuse me?” My eyes bugged out of my head. “My Lola?”
“Uh, yeah, those two have been going at it like rabbits,” Alex stated.
"That slut! She hasn't said a word to me!" I stood so I could retrieve my phone. Lola was going to hear a thing or two from me. I thought she was out doing freelance work while she had some downtime. She did my makeup daily, but I hadn't needed her for any major photo-shoots or appearances this past week. Usually, she liked to stay as busy as possible by picking up jobs with other celebrities. Apparently, her downtime lately had been spent in Gage’s bed.
Two hands grabbed my upper arms and spun me around. Gently but efficiently, Rhett moved me away from my phone and toward his bed. He pushed me to sit down, and my stomach did a little flip at the idea of Rhett pushing me down onto a bed. The little flip turned into a flop when he took the sofa.
“They won’t answer their phones, anyway,” he said.
Good point. I'd give that little sneak a piece of my mind later.
“Oh, dude!” Alex exclaimed, then up and left the apartment.
Rhett and I looked at each other, and he shrugged a shoulder. Not even twenty seconds later, Alex was back, slamming a small box down on Rhett's desk.
“I took your last ones. You know… just in case,” he said with a wink.
I rolled my eyes when I realized they were condoms.
Rhett said, “Dude, she has a boyfriend.”
“Oh shit, really?”
"Yeah, ever heard of Noah Reynolds?" I could have sworn I saw Rhett’s eyes roll when Noah's name left his lips.
"Damn. Yeah, I have. That guy rocks," Alex said, and Rhett scowled. "Well then." Alex pointed at his friend. "Don't get caught up with this douchebag. Noah probably treats you like a damn princess."
Rhett blatantly coughed out the word ‘bullshit.’ Then, as if he realized what Alex had implied, he sat up straight. “You don’t think I can treat a girl well?” Rhett bristled at what I’m sure was just a harmless jab.
"Of course you can. But… you know, he's a movie star. An Oscar winner. He probably wines and dines her every night, brings her bouquets of flowers that cost more than you make in the subway in a week, and flies her on private jets to exotic, romantic resorts just because it’s Tuesday."
Rhett looked pointedly over at me, and I shrank back. I had gone to fancy restaurants with Noah, yes, but they were always business dinners. I couldn’t say that I had ever received a bouquet of flowers from him, nor had I flown anywhere other than LA for a movie premiere with Noah. I also couldn’t think of one person that would say Noah treated me like a princess. Not that I needed to be anyone’s princess…
"Well, I guess you two really will be just writing. You sure you don’t want some triplet action?” The guy was persistent, I’d give him that. So far Operation: Get Alex and Sienna Together wasn’t looking so good.
Rhett didn’t respond.
"Okay… I'll leave you to it then." I heard the door close with a final click as Rhett and I continued to stare at one another.
“Let’s start,” I said, feeling uncomfortable under his scrutiny.
“Last time you got flowers?”
I paused, surprised that he had asked. “Let’s just write.” My voice came out weaker than I would have liked.
“Last vacation you went on with him that wasn’t work related?”
“This isn’t your business,” I snapped. I reached over, grabbed his journal and flipped it open to a random page. He had words scribbled across every open space on the paper. Nothing was written in a straight line. It looked as if he had blindly penned his words without even looking. When I attempted to actually read what was written, the book disappeared from my hands.
The bed shifted as Rhett sat down across from me. "You deserve better," he whispered under his breath. He didn't look up at me. Instead, he started flipping through the pages. I hated that I felt like I was disappointing him somehow.
"Noah and I are fine," I whispered back.
He huffed out a frustrated breath. “If my girl ever describes our relationship as fine… please, just put me down.”
There was nothing wrong with fine. Fine was stable. Fine was consistent. Noah and I were fine. I was fine. At least I used to be before Rhett started putting these thoughts in my head that maybe this life I was living wasn't as great as I thought it was.
Maybe it could be so much better than fine.
Damn him.
— TEN —
For the first time in forever, I woke up with the sun shining on my face. With my eyes still closed, I angled my face toward the warmth of the light and felt fingers tug my hair. My eyes popped open, and I remembered where I was—Rhett’s apartment. My head on his lap. The same position I had been lying in last night as we were creating a rhythm. We had almost made it through our second song when I felt sleep pull on my eyelids.
Two songs! I couldn’t believe I was part of writing two whole songs that actually stood a chance of being produced. For the first time, my name would appear under the credits for more than just vocals. I cou
ldn’t contain the smile.
Rhett was passed out, his back against the windowsill and his head drooped forward. His neck was going to be a wreck when he woke up. I looked up at the clock on the wall and gasped. It was almost eight-thirty. I hadn't slept past five a.m. in years. Sleep and I didn't get along. Four hours was usually the maximum my body would allow.
I slowly rolled off of Rhett's lap and sat up. My movement jostled him, and he tried to lift his head that I was sure had been hanging for a few hours. A sharp breath sucked in between his teeth, and then a loud groan followed.
He grabbed the back of his neck as he fell down onto the mattress. "Ah…" he moaned. "Fuck…" He attempted to rub the cramp out of his neck, but his eyes were pinched together in obvious pain.
I scooted closer and leaned over him, swatting his hand away. Then I tried to massage the muscles that were strung tight in his neck. I had fallen asleep one too many times in a sitting position and knew the pain.
My fingers grazed the ends of his hair, and I fought the urge to run my devious little digits up into the sandy blond locks. Rhett really was a beautiful man. As I kneaded his sore muscles, I argued with myself for thinking of him in any way other than professional or friendly.
“Shit… that feels good.” He sighed in relief.
“Crap, sorry guys.” I looked over my shoulder to see Alex backing out of Rhett’s apartment. “Didn’t mean to interrupt anything!” he called out while shutting the door.
“Well, now he really thinks we’re sleeping together,” I grumbled, still leaning over Rhett on my knees. “Does he always just walk in here?"
Rhett moved his neck from side to side, stretching out the muscles. Then he raised his head, and we both sat against the wall under the window with our legs straight out in front of us.
“Yeah.” His voice was groggy from sleep. I didn’t want to even acknowledge what hearing his morning voice did to me. “Granted, he’s not used to anyone else being here.”
I cocked an eyebrow at him in what I hoped translated into, Yeah right…
He chuckled. "I don't usually bring girls home. I'm not saying it never happens, but it's not a normal thing. This place is small, and it's mine. I don't need drama here. It’s kind of my solace, and too many people bring too many problems."
"Makes sense," I replied. "And you know… it's not really big enough for… triplets," I teased.
He winced at my joke. “In my defense, they weren’t actually triplets. Alex may have been a bit intoxicated and thought the three girls with brown hair were triplets. We’ve just called them that ever since. But…” He groaned and covered his eyes with the palms of his hands. “It all kind of sounds really douchey when I explain it out loud to you.”
I swatted his chest lightly and laughed. “While I do feel a little bit better that you weren’t actually sleeping with sisters, there’s no judgment from me. I’ve been in the limelight since I was sixteen with way too much money and access to anything and everything I wanted. Trust me, I’ve seen it all, heard it all, and participated in a lot of it.”
He raised his head as quickly as his stiff neck would allow, and his eyes narrowed. "I almost want to ask, but I don't think I'll like the answer."
I shrugged in response. “Do you think you’ll move into the hotel? Abe’s room is empty now.” We needed a change in subject.
He cringed almost immediately. “I don’t know how well I’d get along there. Too much… of anything and everything.” He raised his eyebrows while tossing my words back at me. “I like simple… this is simple. Plus, my best friend is across the hall. The other two live a few blocks over.”
I frowned, not expecting his answer. The band had always lived together, even when we weren't in the hotel. We each had our own private apartments, but we were all in the same building. It made for more natural bonding and late-night practice sessions. But even I'd admit, at times, it was a bit… cramped.
"The construction on our apartments will be done next week,” I told him. “You'll have your own place there. The building owner found some pretty extensive plumbing issues and everything had to be gutted. I own two floors of the building. Beau and I live in two apartments on top. Rose, Lola, Nixon, Jared, and Abe live in the four below. Nixon and Jared share one. Abe's old place is now yours. It's just something we've always done…"
“Where is it? Let me guess, something with a Central Park view. Like the Upper West or Midtown.” He rolled his eyes as if that were so cliché.
I crossed my arms over my chest and glared. “SoHo.”
His eyebrows rose in surprise. “SoHo? Nice. I could walk there from here. Why would I need to live there?”
I thought about my answer and knew precisely the thing that would convince him. "Because we're writing our own stuff now. How annoying will it be when I have a stroke of genius, and I have to call you at three a.m. to walk six blocks in the freezing cold?"
“Who says I’ll come?” He cocked an eyebrow.
“You wouldn’t?”
Silence.
“Fine. I’ll consider moving in, or at least staying a few nights here and there. I can’t give this place up,” he mumbled. “But not at the hotel. I’ll wait until the apartment’s done. How much will that cost me?”
I gasped. "I own it. It will cost you nothing." My words were terse, revealing how offended I was that he’d even suggest such a thing. I pushed forward on the bed to get up, but Rhett grabbed my arm before I could stand.
“You bought everyone in your band and crew an apartment? A Manhattan apartment?” He stared at my face with something that looked like amazement.
I pulled my arm from his grasp but didn’t move off the bed. “I bought two floors of a building and converted them into six separate apartments.”
“And then proceeded to give them to people…for free,” he assumed. Correctly.
"It's easier," I stated, knowing full well that wasn't the complete truth. "I don't…" I started but stopped myself. I was getting too personal.
“You don’t what?” He moved forward a bit so he could look into my eyes. Damn, he knew he had me with those deep blues.
“I don’t like to be alone.” Just saying the words out loud made me feel the weight of them more than ever.
We continued to stare at one another for what felt like an eternity. I tried with everything I had to figure out a few of his mysteries. He broke the spell when he blinked and then gave my arm a gentle squeeze. I shook my head when I felt as if he had stolen all of my secrets and left me with none of his. Why did it always seem he could learn so much about me with just a look?
“Think there’s room for Alex in my new apartment? It’ll be hard to shake him.” He smiled, instantly severing the intensity of the moment and breaking our connection.
I laughed. “That’s not exactly the best way to get the ladies, is it?” Why the hell did that just come out of my mouth? I hated the idea of him and other ladies.
Now I wanted to smack myself. Why was I worried about that? Ugggh. It was time to get moving… away from Rhett. He was muddling my brain.
“Don’t worry, there’s only one lady on my mind.” He looked right at me with those stupidly gorgeous eyes and a freaking adorable dimple made an appearance. He was flirting and I…
Hated it.
Loved it.
Wanted him to stop.
Craved more of it.
Damn it!
Glancing around the room, I tried to clear my head. We had made quite the mess in his little apartment. Empty sushi boxes were strewn about, showing how hungry we had both been around midnight. I’d asked what he wanted and almost yelped in excitement when he suggested sushi, because I had been craving the same.
Rhett had claimed the only good sushi was eaten in a restaurant, but I told him I could prove him wrong. When he said his favorite sushi restaurant had already closed for the night, I’d smiled at the challenge. One phone call to my assistant and thirty minutes
later we had amazingly fresh sushi delivered right to Rhett’s building. He’d received his first taste of celebrity status.
We also had popcorn delivered from Pop Karma. It was silly, but I’d really wanted some. I could only have the plain with a dash of sea salt because I had already blown my diet out the window with the sushi. Rhett, on the other hand, had mercilessly teased me with his white truffle cheddar flavor that smelled divine. And that was how we ended up in a mini popcorn food fight.
I chuckled at the memory of how hard he’d made me laugh last night. Deep belly laughs that made my abs hurt.
"You don't happen to have a dog, do you? He would be real helpful right about now." Little white puffs lay scattered all over his dated hardwood floors.
“Oh shit, yeah. Let me just call him out. He must be in the other wing.” Rhett put two fingers in his mouth and let out a whistle. “Rover! Come here, boy!”
“Ass.” I laughed at his sarcasm. “And who names their dog Rover? Come on, you’re supposed to be the creative one.”
Just then, Alex opened the door and peeked in. "You call me?" he asked, and Rhett and I burst into laughter. "You guys are weird," he said while we tried to catch our breaths. He closed the door when he realized we were laughing at him.
I hopped off the bed and stretched my arms up high. Now that my blood was flowing, I started to think of all of the things that needed to get done. "I'll call Beau to come get us so we can get some breakfast. My trainer is going to kill me for missing our session this morning. You should come so I can lay part of the blame on you." I smiled back at Rhett as he continued to lounge on the bed. "Rose can get someone to clean all this up. I have a few meetings today, and then we can get back to writing… if that’s okay with you?"
He stared at me for a bit, as if all of my words were slowly reaching him.
“I’ve never heard anyone speak so fast this early.” His voice was still scratchy. “You’re awfully perky for the crack of dawn.”
Ever Lonely (Ever James Band Book 1) Page 14