by Chloe Cole
Her cell phone buzzed and she plucked it from the bedside table, heart pounding as the familiar number lit up the screen.
“Hey, Mitch, what did you find out?”
“I’m doing well, and you?” he drawled, sarcasm thick in his tone.
“Sorry. I’m just a little frazzled. How are you?” Christa drummed her fingers against the phone, calling on her last vestiges of patience. Usually her college friend’s dry humor made her laugh, but today it made her want to shake him.
“Fine. And sorry, I can tell you’re not in the mood, so I’ll get right to it. Tai-Nan Jose Rivera, age twenty-seven. Changed his name to Tai Liu about eight years ago, which was probably why we couldn’t find him the last time we looked. Liu is his mother’s maiden name. Apparently, he changed it back to Rivera the year before last after being reunited with his paternal grandmother. They’re very close now, he flies to Puerto Rico at least three times a year to visit her and also pays her rent. His father Manuel is serving fifteen years in Cook County Jail for a laundry list of repeat offenses including battery and armed robbery.”
Christa slumped forward, clutching the phone tight in her suddenly sweat-slicked palm. “He was a real winner when we were young too. Sending Tai letters once every few months, making promises he never kept. I knew he was a deadbeat, but this…”
Her throat ached at the memory of Tai’s tough-guy front when his dad blew off yet another milestone event. No wonder he changed his name. That explained so much. And the love of his grandmother convinced him to change it back. That was Tai, leading with his heart. She swallowed a sob.
“What else? Tell me what else.”
“Well, with the new info on the names, we’ve managed to fill in a lot of holes but there’s still a big blank stretch between the ages of seventeen and nineteen. It’s like he was just totally off the grid those two years. I spoke to a buddy of mine and his records are still sealed. We’ll have to grease some palms but he’s going to poke around and see what he can come up with as far as where he was and where he might have went after juvie.”
Father had told her that Tai would do six months max, especially considering the statement she’d given. A slap on the wrist and a stay at juvie for a first-time offender. The six months had come and gone, and he’d never come back to town. She’d been looking for him ever since, with no luck.
The shuffle of papers echoed over the line. “Put himself through music school,” Mitch continued. “Then went on to become a studio bass player, sitting in with some pretty big names. Last year he signed up with Hank Lemon and the Law. Never married and no co-habs that I can see, except his mom. Looks like he just bought a house a few blocks from hers in Maryland. He seems to be her sole source of financial support as well. You know the rest.”
She heard the rest, but one part continued to ring in her ears long after it was said. Never married. Neither had she, although she couldn’t even hope his reasoning was the same as hers. She’d just never found someone who could compare to him.
“As soon as I hear back from my guy with the connection at the precinct, I’ll get back to you. He’s on vacation until Wednesday, so don’t start bugging me about it until at least next week.”
“I really appreciate it, Mitch.”
She pressed the end button and tossed the phone on the bed. The fear of further rejection that had kept her up all night and in her hotel room all day melted under the burning need to learn the truth. If she had any say at all, she was going to know what happened to Tai after that terrible night long before Mitch called her back. She was going straight to the source.
* * * * *
“Everyone say cheese!”
Tai complied, forcing a smile. The pounding headache that had started between his eyes was making its way over the top of his head and heading down his neck. The young woman behind the camera gave them a thumbs-up and the band broke their friendly embrace.
“Thanks so much for doing that, you guys. This is a birthday I’ll never forget!”
She and her friend ran off giggling as the next group in line stepped up. Tai swallowed a groan. The buxom blonde eyed him as if he were the last life vest on a sinking ship, an almost desperate need pouring off her. Although he wasn’t into it, usually this kind of thing didn’t bother him. He knew how it was to be a fan. Hell, there was a time he would have given an arm to get this close to one of his favorite musicians. Still, this woman seemed to have much more than music on her mind and he was working on no sleep. Not a good combo.
Quinn caught his eye and raised a brow. He held up his index finger then ran it across his throat. One more photo and he was out of there. She nodded.
“Can I just take mine alone with Tai?”
It wasn’t an uncommon request, and the rest of the band melted away, Beau giving him a shit-eating grin.
Tai held out his arm and she snuggled under it, handing Quinn her camera.
“Say Cincinnati rocks!”
Tai just smiled as the blonde followed Quinn’s directive with gusto, adding on a “Whoohoo!” and breast bounce for good measure.
“Thanks for coming to the show,” he said, pulling away. She kept her arm locked around his waist and gazed up at him with adoring brown eyes.
“You’re going to be here for another night, right?” she asked hopefully.
“Yeah. We’re playing at Simmon’s Theater tomorrow.”
“My friends and I are going to try to find tickets. Maybe afterward…” She licked her lips and gave him a flirty smile.
“We’re leaving right after the show.”
“What about tonight?”
“I’m pretty tired, and—”
“Hey, didn’t you say we were all going to Moody’s for a beer tonight?” Beau cut in, his eyes twinkling with repressed laughter.
“Yeah, after we hose off we might stop by there. No guarantees,” he warned as her face shone with excitement.
Shit, maybe Beau was right. He’d been on him for almost a year now to start taking advantage of the bounties fame had to offer. The thought had never appealed to him, until the driving need to fuck had come roaring back with the baffling appearance of Christa Reilly last night. Sure, there had been a few affairs over the past ten years, but they were fleeting and unfulfilling. He had serious trust issues. So far no woman had managed to surmount them. Grueling workouts, a nimble right hand and some good old-fashioned porn had gotten him through the rest of the time.
Then Christa showed up, and ever since, despite his roiling emotions, he was a walking hard-on. When he wasn’t jerking off thinking about her, he was picturing fucking her. Hell, he even fucked her in his dreams. The softness of her skin, the sweetness of her breath, those lean, supple thighs. Her very essence surrounded him like an intangible mist. He literally could not escape it. Maybe a nice hard lay would do the trick.
He gazed down at the woman on his arm and nodded. “Yeah, I’m thinking a beer sounds really good right now.”
She beamed at him. “Awesome. We’ll see you there. My friend Maya will be with me too. My name’s Anya, by the way. Don’t forget it.” She leaned into him, pressing her impressive rack against his chest. “Or me.” She bounced up to her tiptoes and bussed him lightly on the mouth before rushing off to find her friend.
Beau let out a low whistle. “She’s a looker, Tai. Don’t let me down, bro.”
Gigi elbowed him in the ribs and he grunted.
“Hey, I’m not saying I like looking at her, I just want to see my man get some action. Girl, you know I got all the action I can handle,” he murmured and bent low to kiss her.
The hand that had started off pushing him away suddenly curled into his shirt as she melted into him. Tai looked away. The biggest part of him was happy for his two friends. They made such a great couple, and were obviously madly in love. But a small, bitter piece of him, lodged in the place where his heart had been, wanted to punch something. He would never have what Gigi and Beau had because Christa had broken something inside
of him. And the woman with the power to fix it just didn’t exist. Period, end of story.
When Beau finally came up for air, he called over to Quinn and Rex who were chatting with the crew about lighting for the next show.
“You two lame-o’s coming with us or what?”
“We’re going to check and see if the baby is awake first. If not, we’ll swing by for one beer.”
Quinn rolled her eyes. “If she’s awake? Babe, you go in and rub her back until she wakes up half the time.”
“Wow. That’s a pretty harsh accusation,” Rex said, feigning hurt.
“But you’re not denying it because you know it’s the truth.”
“Is it my fault she knows her daddy’s touch and wakes up because she wants to spend some time with me?”
Quinn shook her head and chuckled at her husband. If Beau and Gigi were tough to watch, Rex, Quinn and baby Rosie were even worse. They were everything Tai had ever wanted in a family growing up, and still yearned for as a man. He couldn’t even conceive of having a father who would forgo a beer so he could stand over his daughter’s crib just to be near her. And Quinn was amazing. She’d been prepared to walk away from her dream, her life’s work, if she hadn’t found the perfect nanny to bring on tour with them. That’s exactly the kind of parent he would have been if he’d ever found the right woman, but some things weren’t meant to be.
Yeah, it was definitely time for that beer.
Chapter Four
The toilet in the stall next to hers flushed for the eighth time and Christa grimaced. She’d been hiding in the bathroom for the past twenty minutes like some kind of fugitive because she couldn’t muster the guts to go out there and risk Tai’s rejection. Again. The pain was still fresh from the night before. She’d never forget that icy look in his eyes. Even now it twisted her up inside. If she went out there and he looked at her like that again it would crush her. But he’d risked far worse for her and if that was what he felt he needed to do, so be it.
She drew in a deep breath and opened the stall door to the now-empty restroom. The bar had been pretty slow since she’d arrived right after the concert. She’d managed to score some last-minute scalped tickets to see the show, but they’d been crummy seats. Not that she minded. It gave her two blissful hours to watch Tai do what he loved. Watch his eyes close as he lost himself in the music. See his beaming smile as he interacted with his band-mates, toes tapping, hips twitching to the beat. It was as if all his cares melted away.
Those two hours could’ve carried her through until tomorrow’s concert, where she’d managed to get floor seats and hopefully have the chance to talk to him again. But fate, that fickle wench, had stepped in for the home team this time and she wasn’t going to have to wait after all. Tai and the rest of the band were coming to Moody’s. If she played her cards right, she might be able to try to talk to him tonight.
She’d planned to give herself a week. One week of going to shows, just letting him know she was there. That it wasn’t a whim and she wasn’t giving up so easily. This time. If he still wouldn’t talk to her, then she’d leave knowing she’d done everything she could. Because if there was one thing she couldn’t abide anymore it was living with regret.
She took a quick look in the mirror, wincing at the pale face and haunted eyes that stared back at her. That wouldn’t do at all. She pulled out her makeup bag and swiped a fat blush brush over the apples of her cheeks. After a quick check to make sure she didn’t have any lettuce in her teeth, she slicked peach gloss over her lips. With a fluff of her hair, and smoothing hand over her sweater, she headed to the door. She stepped into the main bar area and scanned the stools and tables. No Tai yet, or any of the band members, for that matter.
A flash of white-blonde hair caught her eye. What had her friend called her? Anya, that was it. She’d overheard them chattering in the parking lot after the show about meeting the band here.
Christa watched as the other woman adjusted her cleavage while ordering a drink and her heart sank a little. Was that the type of woman Tai was attracted to now? She sent a pitying glance to her own modest cleavage. Decidedly lacking. A surge of envy pulsed through her before she was able to stop it. Big boobs weren’t the be-all end-all, right? Too bad she also had on a super sexy mini-dress that showed off a mile of leg and a spectacular bottom to go along with it.
Christa turned away with a groan. What had she been thinking, wearing jeans and a sweater? She’d been going for soft and approachable and instead ended up looking as if she should be in the carpool line at an elementary school.
She smoothed her sweater again and made her way to the opposite side of the bar. Maybe she couldn’t change her clothes but there was no point in setting up a side-by-side comparison shot either. It was a race she just didn’t have enough horse to win. Hopefully her history with Tai would give her some leverage to at least get his attention for a few minutes so she could say what she needed to say.
“Help you?” The slim, bald bartender approached. Beads of sweat clung to his forehead, and he gave her a rushed smile.
There were only thirty or forty people in the place, but he seemed to be on his own. “Just a glass of Merlot, thanks.”
As he strode off to get her drink, she kept her eyes locked on the door. Not thirty seconds later, almost as if she’d conjured him, Tai stepped into the frame. The breath whooshed out of her as she took in the sight. He’d changed from his stage clothes into a white button-down shirt left untucked, which still managed to cling lovingly to his lean muscles, paired with faded, much-loved jeans. His black hair was damp from the shower and a bolt of lust hit her right between the thighs.
She swallowed hard and tore her gaze away as the bartender returned with her drink.
“Cash or you want to start a tab?”
The ten-dollar bill she’d been holding was crinkled and a little moist as she handed it over with an apologetic smile.
“Keep the change.”
She swiped her damp palms on her jeans and took a long sip of her wine. If seeing Tai from across the room made her this nervous, how the hell was she going to have a conversation with him? Get a hold of yourself, girl.
Before she had the chance to obey her own command, a squeal cracked the air.
“You made it. Whoohoo!”
Christa didn’t need to look to know it was Anya yelping, but she did anyway. Tai stood next to Anya’s stool and was giving her a melt-worthy grin. “I said we’d come out for one, didn’t I?”
Gigi closed in behind him. “Hi, again,” she said with a tolerant smile at Anya and her friend.
The women barely acknowledged Gigi with a quick nod, then both focused their attention and their breasts back toward Tai. “So where’s Beau? And is Rex coming too?”
Tai started to speak, but Gigi cut in. “Beau, my fiancé, is outside taking a photo with one of the bouncers and Rex is with his wife checking on their baby.” Every word was delivered with a smile, but her tone was dead serious.
“Hey, girl,” Beau called to Gigi as he approached, wrapping his big arms around her from behind. “You getting cranky without your big daddy already?”
Christa bit back a smile as Gigi rolled her eyes while simultaneously flushing with pleasure. Christa had liked Gigi the second they’d met, and Beau’s warmth and buttery Southern charm had practically oozed off the stage. It was a delight to get to watch them together. If she ever found that combination of genuine like for someone along with the passion they obviously felt for each other, she’d hold on tight and never let go. She’d had it once…or at least she thought so.
“Who wants to do some body shots?” Anya squealed, her eyes locked on Tai.
Tai shook his head. “Show tomorrow, so I’m just here for a beer. Sorry, babe.”
His endearment made the wine in Christa’s mouth go sour and she turned away. Clearly, this was more than just a couple of groupies following the band. She’d stepped right in the middle of a planned hookup, or worse, some kind of
weird date, and there was no way she was going to put herself through the torture of watching it to its inevitable conclusion.
“What about you, Maya? Wanna show Tai how to do a body shot?”
Oh lovely. Now they were going to crank up some girl-on-girl action to try to lure him in.
Make up your mind. It’s go big or go home, Christa.
She’d flown to Cincinnati for two reasons. To try to find out what had happened to Tai that night so many years ago, and to see if there was any chance that he might give her another shot. She’d let her father keep her from him then, and had spent the next ten years regretting it. She was a grown woman now.
She squared her shoulders and pushed off the stool.
No regrets.
“Hey.” A soft voice broke into the conversation and Tai closed his eyes. His mind must have been playing tricks on him, because there was no way—
“Hello, Christa.” Gigi’s voice could’ve given a polar bear frostbite as she took a protective step closer to him.
His heart knocked against his chest and he turned away from Anya to face Christa. She was looking up at him, her big blue eyes already sucking his soul out by inches.
“What are you doing here?” he growled.
“I-I came to see you.” She sank her teeth into her lower lip then looked away. “I just want to talk to you for a second, Tai.”
Short of making a scene and confirming to her and everyone else there just how much she affected him, did he really have a choice in the matter? That didn’t mean he had to make it easy on her, though.
“Yeah, no problem. What’s up?”
She flicked a glance at the four other people surrounding them, then locked her gaze on him again. He raised a challenging brow.