Dirty Mind (Nashville Outlaws #2)

by Cheryl Douglas

  “Damn,” Archer said, nudging me with his elbow. “Your girl’s good, man.”

  My girl. I knew I should correct him. I had no right to claim Charli as mine, but these were two of my closest friends and I knew my secrets were always safe with them. “I told you.”

  Reed nodded. “I’m thinkin’ I might’ve just found my next opening act.” He held his phone up and started taking a video of Charli singing an original song. “I’m gonna send this to my manager and Evan, see what they think.”

  “What the hell?” I snapped. “You don’t even talk to me first?” The thought of Reed on the road with Charli for months didn’t sit well. Especially since he was single now.

  “Why should I?” Reed asked, holding the phone steady as he glanced at me over his shoulder. “She’s just your assistant, right?” He smirked. “Like I believe that. You haven’t taken your eyes off her all night.”

  “If she’s goin’ on the road with anyone,” I said, ignoring the shot. “It should be me.”

  Reed chuckled. “Nah, you’ll find a way to screw this up long before that happens.”

  I snatched his phone and slammed it down on the table. “Stop that! You don’t even know if Charli’s interested in going out on the road. Don’t you think you should talk to the girl first? Find out if she’s even interested?”

  “You’re right,” Reed said, slipping his phone back in his pocket. “I’ll steal her away after her set.” He smiled. “Have a nice long talk, get to know her better.”

  Sometimes my best friends felt like my worst enemies. Assholes. “Whatever. If you think you’re gonna get anywhere with her you’re wasting your time.”

  “Why is that?” Reed asked, draining his long neck. “I’m single. So is she.”

  I was gonna kill this guy, friend or not. “You may be single but you’re still in love with your ex. Charli deserves better than that.”

  At the mention of his ex, Reed’s smile slipped. “There’s no goin’ back for me and Brook. She told me to move on. Maybe it’s time I took the lady’s advice.” His gaze drifted to the stage before he said, “And I can’t think of anyone better to get back in the game with.”

  I didn’t know if he was serious or baiting me, but we all subscribed to bro code. We didn’t screw around with each other’s exes. Not that Charli was my… anything. She was my assistant. We’d slept together a couple of times. But my friends didn’t know the whole story. They sure as hell didn’t know how I felt about her.

  “Look at me,” I said to Reed, waiting until he made eye contact. “You value our friendship, you’ll back off. Charli’s off limits. I mean it.” Charli would probably lose it if she heard me issue that warning, but I couldn’t help myself. It would kill me to see her hook up with one of my friends.

  Archer whistled before he said, “I’d heed that threat if I were you, Harris. Doesn’t sound like he’s messin’ around.”

  Reed shook his head. “You can’t speak for the lady. I won’t make a play for her… because I do value our friendship, asshole. But in terms of going out on the road with me, that’s an incredible opportunity for her and you know it.”

  He was right. And since I wasn’t going back out on the road for at least a year, I couldn’t offer her a similar opportunity. She was working for me, and I had a feeling she’d be an invaluable member of my team if she chose to stick around. But we’d agreed to a trial run. That meant she was free to pursue it if something better came along.

  “I don’t own her,” I mumbled. “If she wants to go on the road with you, obviously she can.”

  “Good, glad you see it my way.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and fired off a text. Probably the video of Charli that he wanted his label and manager to see.

  “Jesus,” Archer muttered. “I knew I should have bailed.”

  I looked up in time to see Sky walking toward us. She looked nervous, maybe a little hesitant as her eyes locked with Archer’s.

  I slid out of the booth to give her a hug and Reed did the same, but Archer remained rooted to his seat, tipping his beer back.

  “Nice to see you guys,” she said, sweeping her gaze around the table to include the man trying to ignore her. “How’ve y’all been?”

  “You just saw us at the wedding,” Archer snapped. “Not much has changed in a couple of days.”

  “Obviously,” she said, smiling at him. “You’re still crusty as hell. When are you gonna pull that stick out of your ass, Archer? Admit that we could be one hell of a songwriting team if you set your wounded pride aside and—”

  “Wounded pride?” He shook his head, chuckling. “Sweetheart, you do think highly of yourself, don’t you?”

  She blushed before stealing a glance at me and Reed. “I just—”

  “You just, what?” Archer demanded. “You just thought you could manipulate me into doing what you want just ‘cause we had one shitty night together a lifetime ago?”

  Ouch. It wasn’t like Archer to be so openly hostile. At least with women. Other dudes dealt with his wrath all the time. “Look guys,” I said, trying to diffuse the situation. “Maybe we should all—”

  “Maybe you should mind your own goddamn business,” Archer said, while flagging the waitress. “I don’t get up in your business, so stay the hell out of mine.”

  Everyone gave Archer a wide berth because of his issues since returning from active duty, but I wasn’t afraid to dress him down when he was being an asshole. Like now. “Look,” I said, bracing my hands on the table as I leaned in to face him. “Sky happens to be a friend of mine. That means you’ll treat her with respect in front of me or you and I are gonna have a problem.”

  Archer rolled his eyes. “Gimme a break, man. She doesn’t mean shit to you. You’re just callin’ me out because you’re pissed about Reed wantin’ to make a play for Charli.”

  “You don’t—”

  Skylar curled her hand around my bicep. “Don’t, Dade. He’s not worth it.”

  Archer’s eyes flashed with anger when he looked at Sky. “I’m not worth it? Is that what you told yourself when you bailed? That I wasn’t worth the paper to write a goddamn note tellin’ me you were leavin’?”

  There was so much simmering beneath the surface I couldn’t even read my good friend, but it was obvious he’d never gotten over whatever happened between him and Sky. And she definitely meant more to him than any random hook-up he’d ever had.

  “This isn’t the time,” she said, between clenched teeth. “If you wanna call me and talk like a civilized human being, you have my number.”

  “Don’t hold your breath, sweetheart.” He smiled at the waitress who delivered another round of drinks to the table. “What time you get off, Trish?”

  The pretty young waitress’s face lit up like she’d just been handed a winning lottery ticket. “Uh, not ‘til closing time.”

  His dirty smirk was filled with promise when he said, “I just might stick around, give you a ride home.”

  “I’d love that,” she said, her eyes widening as Sky’s jaw dropped. “See you later, Archer.”

  Sky waited until Trish walked away before she said to Archer, “You make me sick. You’re so pathetic, trapped in your own anger, drowning in negativity, because you feel the world wronged you. But you made the decision to enlist,” she said, pointing a finger at him. “No one twisted your arm. And if it fucked you up, you have no one to blame but yourself!” There were tears in her eyes before she turned away, trying to dodge all the guys vying for her attention as she made her way to the restroom.

  There was a beat of silence before Reed finally said, “Well, that was intense.”

  “Uh yeah,” I said, sliding onto the bench seat next to Archer. “What was that about?”

  I could tell he was clenching his teeth when he said, “Her brother was in the military too. She said he came back different.” He bit into his bottom lip hard, like he was struggling to get the words out. “P.T.S.D. cost him his marriage, a relationship with his
kids, everything. He eventually offed himself ‘cause he couldn’t cope anymore.”

  “Shit,” I whispered. “I had no idea.” Sky and I had become friends on the road. She talked a lot about her friends and family. I knew she had several brothers and sisters, but she’d never mentioned having a brother who’d killed himself.

  “She told you all this the first night you met?” Reed asked, raising an eyebrow. When Archer nodded, he said, “Must’ve made one hell of a connection.”

  “I thought so.” He cleared his throat. “Thought she understood me better than most, because of what her brother had been through.” He shrugged. “Guess I was wrong. She must’ve woken up in the middle of the night and realized my mess was too much for her to take on.”

  I hated that Archer felt like damaged goods because of his issues. He was a decorated war hero. He may have taken countless lives in the line of duty, but he’d saved so many more.

  “Dude, listen,” I said, trying to find the words to help him. “I know you—”

  “No, you don’t know, man.” Archer swiped his hand over his face. “You don’t have a clue.” He nudged me with his elbow. “I gotta get outta here. Now. Tell Trish I’m sorry I couldn’t stick around.”

  I knew he was getting antsy, ready to blow or have a meltdown, and this wasn’t the time or place for that, so I got up, allowing him to slide out of the booth. “I’ll call ya tomorrow,” I said, gripping his shoulder before he could get away. I couldn’t pretend to understand his pain, but during moments like this I felt his suffering.

  He raised his hand before striding to the door without a backward glance.

  Reed stared at the door. “I love that guy like a brother, but he’s seriously messed up. Pushing people away—”

  “You don’t live inside his head, Reed. You don’t know what it’s like to… battle his demons.”

  “Yeah, but why the hell’s he goin’ to war with Sky? Because she made him feel something and it pissed him off? Or because she bailed and made him feel worthless?” Disgust crossed his face. “You know Sky better than I do. You really think she cut and run with no good reason?”

  I intended to find out what the deal was between my two good friends, because if there was any way I could help them make peace, I wanted to. Getting caught between them was bullshit and I was over it.

  “No, there’s gotta be more to the story.”

  Sky was taking the stage and her eyes drifted to our table. I could tell she was looking for Archer and the defeat showed in the slump of her shoulders when she saw he was MIA.

  “You gonna find out what it is?”

  I checked my phone when it buzzed. Another text from my manager asking me to call him. He wanted to know what the hell to tell people about me and Charli. Apparently, he was getting calls demanding a statement about the new lady in my life. Nosy bastards could suck it as far as I was concerned.

  “Yeah, I’ll talk to Sky after her set. See if she wants to talk about it.”

  The owner of Jimmy’s, J.T. McCall, walked up to the table. “Hey, boys. How’s it goin’?”

  He’d given us both a shot playing his bar years ago and it helped us gain a lot of local fans, so we owed him bigtime.

  I offered my hand before Reed did the same. “Can’t complain, man. Hey, I saw your beautiful wife in Houston last month. I swear, she’s getting better with age.” His wife, Nikki Spencer McCall, was the daughter of the founder of our record label and country music royalty. Everyone loved and respected her in our industry.

  J.T. laughed. “Don’t I know it.” He patted his flat stomach. “Gotta hit the gym every morning ‘cause I worry about some other young bastard stealin’ her away.”

  “You know that’ll never happen.” As long as I’d known Nikki she’d only had eyes for one man. She’d called J.T. the love of her life more times than I could count.

  “There’s Charli,” Reed said, sliding out of the booth. “Excuse me, guys. I need a word with her.”

  I watched him walk away, glaring at the back of his head. I knew he wouldn’t make a play for her, but the threat of him taking her on the road for months was real.

  “What’s that look about?” J.T. asked, claiming the seat Reed vacated. “You look like you’d like to take a shot at him.”

  J.T. was probably my old man’s age, but he was cooler than my father had ever been. As a retired bull rider, he’d partied like a rock star with all the buckle bunnies chasing him, so I knew he had some insight into how crazy the chase could get. Especially because his marriage to Nikki gave him an insider’s view into our business.

  “You heard Charli sing earlier,” I said to him. “Reed thinks she’d be a good fit for his next tour.”

  “And that’s a problem because…?”

  It shouldn’t be a problem. I should want the best for Charli instead of selfishly trying to keep her close so we could figure out this thing between us. “You know Reed and Brook broke up, right?” That shouldn’t even be a factor. I knew Reed better than to think he’d disrespect me or our friendship by making a play for Charli, but after watching Knox fall in love with his best friend on the road, I knew anything could happen.

  “Yeah, I heard somethin’ about that,” J.T. said. “But he seems okay with it.”

  “He hides it well.” Reed was a master at pretending everything was fine while he was dying inside and there was no doubt in my mind his heart and soul had taken a beating when Brooklyn dumped him for disrespecting her with other women. “He’s not okay. Not even close.”

  “Sorry to hear that, but what does that have to do with him wantin’ to take Charli on the road? She a friend of yours?”

  I wanted to tell him it was complicated, because it was, but that felt like a cop-out and J.T. deserved better. Unlike most people, he genuinely cared about us, and tried to be there whenever we needed to bend his ear.

  “You know she’s Cece’s sister, right?” Cece and Knox had played Jimmy’s countless times over the years, and like most people, they’d developed a friendship with J.T.

  “Yeah, I heard that. Can’t say I’m surprised she’s so talented. Good genes in that family.” He smiled. “Met her folks a couple of times. They come in for a drink now and then. Her mama’s a real pistol, huh? She was flirtin’ with me right in front of her old man.” His grin widened. “And many people intimidate me, but that’s one dude you don’t wanna mess with.”

  I chuckled. “Pretty sure he hates my guts.” Though we’d gained some ground, I thought. “Thinks I wanna make his baby girl the next Mrs. Jarvis.”

  J.T.’s eyes widened. “You and Charli are a thing?”

  I ran a hand over my head as I watched Reed lead Charli to a booth in the back while Sky geared up to sing another song. People had been watching our table all night and I spotted a few girls at the bar who were probably thinking about moving in on me, but security at Jimmy’s provided the musicians who routinely performed or stopped in for a drink an extra set of eyes and hands to keep eager fans at a distance.

  “I just hired her as my assistant.” I sighed, acknowledging that didn’t scratch the surface. “I know you’re not big on social media so I’m guessing you don’t know what happened at Knox and Cece’s wedding?”

  He shook his head. “No, I hated like hell having to miss it, but Nikki had to be out of town and wanted me to go with her. We just got back today. So, what happened at the wedding?”

  “Let’s just say we both had a few too many and finally acted on a long-standing attraction. It’s got tongues wagging. And the last thing I wanna do is drag her into my drama.”

  “Huh.” J.T. rubbed the salt and pepper scruff on his chin. “If that were true, would she be workin’ for you, Dade?”

  He was right, of course. If I really wanted to protect her, I’d send her on an all-expenses paid vacation for a month until this shit blew over. Not offer her a job, where we’d be together every day. “She needed a job and I needed an assistant.” I rolled my eyes when J.T.’s look
said he was calling bullshit. “And she needed a place to stay—”

  “Hold up,” J.T. said, raising his hand. “She’s staying with you?”

  He made it seem outrageous, which maybe it was, since I’d never invited another assistant, or anyone on my payroll to share my home. “She’s staying with me,” I said, casting a glance around to make sure no one was eavesdropping. “Because the press was camped out at her folks’ house, trying to get a statement about her relationship with me. I didn’t want to subject her or them to that, so I invited her to stay with me for a while.” I shrugged. “It’s not a big deal.”

  “You have feelings for her.” He wasn’t asking. In typical J.T. fashion he was telling me what he’d observed and daring me to argue.

  “I can’t have feelings for anyone,” I said through clenched teeth. “You know my history with women. It’s like pouring gas on dry tinder and striking a match. Only a matter of time before it goes up in flames.”

  J.T. set his elbows on the table and folded his hands. “So, that’s it then? You’re giving up on relationships? Decided you’re gonna be alone for the rest of your life? Never gonna have kids?”

  We’d had numerous conversations about how much I wanted a family, so I couldn’t pretend I’d changed my mind about that without sounding like a fraud. “I don’t know what’s gonna happen in the future. I just know that right now, I can’t go there. The wounds are too fresh—”

  “But what if that girl’s your future?” He hooked a thumb over his shoulder, in Charli’s direction. “I speak from experience when I tell you that love finds you at the most inopportune time.” He smiled. “When I met Nikki, she was too damn young. I was at the end of my career as a bull rider, feeling washed up and lost, and she was on the verge of superstardom. Ready to hit the road on her first tour and take on the world.”

  “What happened?”

  “I pushed her away.” He glanced at the bar where there were patrons lined up from one end to the other. “Thought I had nothing to offer her. I’d made the mistake of messin’ around with a lot of women. Developed a bad reputation. Her old man hated me. He didn’t think I was good enough for her.” He raised an eyebrow, punctuating the similarities between my story and his. “He was right. The man I was then wasn’t good enough for her. But every day I worked at getting better… until I was confident I did deserve her.”