Sweet Temptation: A Players Rockstar Romance (Players, Book 3)

by Jaine Diamond

  “Rich grandparents,” she said vaguely. “They’re getting really old now. My dad never wanted this place, but it’s worth a hell of a lot of money, so it’s staying in the family.” She shrugged a little. “I didn’t really want it either, and they always adored Justice, so.”

  “Your parents must be interesting people,” I said.

  She looked at me. I could see her glittery eye makeup, even in the near-dark. “Why?”

  “I doubt uninteresting people name their kids Summer and Justice.” I’d already heard her brother’s name, and I knew it was his real name.

  She didn’t say anything, just looked out the window. She didn’t seem to be in the greatest mood. At least, around me.

  She’d definitely smiled at Andre when he’d opened her door for her.

  When we parked and he got out to do it again, she smiled at him again.

  I got out on the other side. The bass was loud now, and it was coming from beyond the house, which I could only glimpse through the woods ahead of us. There were maybe two-dozen cars parked along the drive leading to the house, and we’d parked in line.

  We walked up to the house, and with every step we took, the music grew louder.

  The house was all wood, simple, and not overly large. Probably wasn’t ever the rich grandparents’ primary residence, then. It looked newly built and smelled of fresh cedar.

  “Will your parents be here?” I asked her, suddenly wondering if I was about to meet her father.

  She gave me a weird look. “Uh, no. It’s not really their scene. They live on Vancouver island, in Victoria. They never come out here.”

  As we approached the house, I took a good look around, into the dark. I didn’t see any people, yet. Andre was behind us, also scoping things out. “I didn’t know there’d be a party.”

  “Well, here’s a tip, Ronan Sterling.” Summer paused at the door to the house. It was a screen door; the interior door stood open, and I could see bodies moving inside. She turned to me, and we locked eyes. “If you roll with me, you can always expect a party. That way, you’ll never be unprepared.” Then she pushed through the door into the house.

  I glanced at Andre, to see if he’d heard that sass.

  He did. He cocked an eyebrow at me, like, What did you do to piss her off?

  I ignored him and walked into the house, staying close to her. The living room was empty, everyone in the kitchen beyond.

  “Oh.” Summer stopped short and turned to put her hand on my chest. My nipples immediately hardened. They were as eager as my dick was to get naked with her, apparently. I could imagine her tongue lapping over them as she pressed in, and I almost shuddered. “I’m not telling anyone you’re security,” she informed me. “So. Try to blend in.”

  She looked me over and kinda shook her head, like that might be hopeless.

  Then she turned and strut into the party, and I followed.

  There were a handful of people hanging out in the kitchen. Summer said a quick hello to a few of them, but led us straight through.

  And when we stepped out the back door, I quickly realized this was no ordinary house party.

  It was like we’d stepped into an enchanted forest, and all the woodland creatures were on acid.

  The party spilled out onto the back deck and down into the yard, if you could call it that. It was sheer rock, slightly uneven. We were literally in the mountains here, and there was no lawn. Just clumps of bushes and then the woods surrounding the house. Rugs and artificial turf had been laid out, obviously to make a danceable area. Multi-colored lights were strung overtop and all through the trees. And the whole dance area was surrounded with huge painted panels that leaned against the trees, neon-bright blacklight paintings of organisms that looked half-biological and half-machine.

  There was a giant purple elephant sculpture up in a tree, for some reason.

  There was also what looked like an Ewok village in the woods.

  Beyond the dance floor, several wooden ladders had been built from the ground up into the trees. I could make out a hanging bridge connecting a couple of the largest trees. And right in the middle, there was a massive treehouse structure on stilts, built around a couple of trees, with a walkway on either side. There were people up there, dancing, talking… and in the center, there was a DJ playing on the balcony overlooking the dance floor.

  What seemed like a ridiculous amount of overkill on the sound system—stacks and stacks of speakers—were set up in the trees in a half-circle all around the yard. It was fucking pumping, but since we were outdoors, the music had a long way to go. Incredibly, it wasn’t too loud to carry on a conversation.

  There were just a few dozen people out here, scattered around, not too much of a crowd yet. But it was clear that the night was just getting started.

  “I take it your brother has a lot of parties?” I said dryly, as I followed Summer across the deck and down the steps; the Ewok village definitely seemed like a permanent fixture.

  “You could say that.”

  “Don’t think I’ve ever seen a setup quite like this.”

  “Well, let me orient you.” She pointed up at the DJ and said, “That is one of the hottest DJs in the country. That,” she pointed at the stacks of speakers, “is my brother’s sound system.”

  “He owns all those speakers?”

  “He makes them. And this,” she made a sweeping gesture to indicate the yard, “is where we like to smoke peyote and bark at the moon.”

  I looked at her.

  “Relax.” She smirked at me. “Come meet Justice.”

  I shadowed her around as she said hello to a few people. They were arriving in a gradual, steady flow. Some through the house, others straight around the house from the driveway. And it took us a while to make our way across the yard.

  Summer introduced me along the way, and almost every person I met gave me a lingering, gentle hug. They were all welcoming, and they all had made-up names like Sparkle and Talula.

  Even the dudes.

  But despite the warm welcome, I couldn’t shake the first impression I’d had when we arrived on the property. It was an unsettling feeling, and it wasn’t just the sass Summer was serving my way or the fact that she was pissed at me about this morning.

  I wasn’t sure why, but I felt my instincts prickling. Like something wasn’t right here, even though I had no reason to feel that way.

  “Your brother makes speakers?” I asked her, as I followed her over toward the tree line, where people were gathered by the ladders up into the trees.

  “He designs sound systems,” she informed me, leaning in so I could hear her well. “And they are killer. As you can hear. Everyone wants my brother’s sound. His systems are on tour all over the world right now, with some of the top bands and EDM artists.”

  “EDM?”

  She gave me a strange look. “Electronic dance music. You really don’t know much about music, do you?”

  “I know what I like when I hear it,” I said.

  “Good.” She stopped, and studied me a moment. “Then that’s really all you need to know.” She gave me a small, genuine smile… and something happened. I felt warm all over.

  My body responded to this woman in ways I couldn’t even control. This wasn’t normal for me, and it put me on edge.

  “You won’t know it, trust me,” she said. “But this asshole is a genius.” Then she hooked her arm around a man standing behind her. He had his back to her and spun around. When he saw Summer, he threw out his arms and enveloped her in a bear hug.

  “Summer!” He lifted her off her feet, then put her down and kissed the top of her head.

  I was really hoping this guy was her brother.

  “This is my baby brother, Justice,” she told me with a smirk.

  When he realized she was talking to me, he looked at me.

  “Heyyy. Welcome,” he said, and threw out his arms. Then he gave me a hug.

  I returned it stiffly. “Hey. Ronan. Nice to meet you.”


  The guy had a huge smile and looked not much like Summer at all. And not much like what I’d pictured. Maybe because she’d described him to me as her “baby brother.” He towered over her, pretty much at my height, with medium-brown hair, a more angular face, and some beard scruff. Slim build, but strong, like he did a lot of physical work. Maybe he built these giant speakers himself?

  He wore a pair of baggy brown cargo-like pants with a million pockets on them and a long-sleeved T-shirt that said BASS SLUT.

  His eyes glittered like he was intoxicated, and he just kept grinning at me. He was fucking happy, for sure. “This is my wife, Mia-Bear,” he said, pulling a woman over to us. She had an Aboriginal-meets-South-American look about her, and she was dressed like a forest nymph, with a flowered headband thing, a gauzy gown and a furry vest.

  “Summer!” she said, and swept Summer into a hug. Then she looked at me. She extended her hand to me with a smile. “Hi, there.”

  Finally, someone who knew how to shake hands.

  “Ronan,” I said, shaking her hand.

  And then she gave me the hug.

  “We’re so glad you could come,” Mia said, and she seemed to be talking to both of us, even though I was pretty sure she only found out I existed three seconds ago.

  “Ronan’s friend Andre is here, too,” Summer said. “I think we lost him in the kitchen.”

  Actually, we lost him on the back deck, where he had a great vantage point over the whole yard and was watching our backs right now.

  “Well, welcome,” Mia said. She looked at Summer’s empty hands, then mine. “Do you need a drink or anything?”

  I wasn’t sure what anything was, but she didn’t elaborate.

  “I’m going up to talk to Trevor,” Summer announced, nodding toward the DJ platform above us. Then she glanced at me. “Why don’t you… mingle?”

  “Sure,” I said, though I had no idea why. The last thing I knew how to do at a party like this was mingle.

  I watched Summer climb up the ladder to the bridge that connected with the treehouse thing, my eyes glued to her ass in the those black satin pants. She went up behind the DJ and slipped her arms around him. He turned and when he saw her, he took off his headphones and greeted her with a hug, lifting her right off the floor.

  “Who’s Trevor?”

  The question fell out of my mouth before I could stop it.

  “Oh, that’s Toxic,” Mia said. “But spelled with two K’s and an S.”

  Huh?

  “So as not to be confused with all the other DJ Toxics out there,” she explained with a small smile.

  “Oh.”

  “Can I get you anything?”

  “No, thank you. Maybe in a bit.”

  “The kitchen is stocked if you want anything. Please, help yourself.”

  “Thank you.”

  I stood there, not sure what to do. Usually, as a bodyguard at events, I’d been more of a shadow figure, trying to make myself as invisible as possible on the sidelines. But my clients didn’t usually introduce me to their family members like I was a friend—or a date—and refrain from telling them I was security, then leave me to “mingle.”

  I looked around. Justice had turned away to talk to some guys, doing the hosting thing.

  Mia looped her arm through mine. “Come with me.”

  Maybe she’d taken pity on me. Did I look that socially inept?

  She introduced me around to some of her friends. They all seemed nice. High, maybe, but nice.

  All the while, I kept looking around, watching the yard fill up. Summer seemed safe here. It was her brother’s house. And everyone seemed to be having a good time.

  So what was that prickle at the back of my neck about?

  Mia stopped to chat with some friends, and I stood by, trying not to look too awkward or out-of-place. In my simple black jeans and leather jacket, I definitely wasn’t dressed like most of the people here were. There was more faux fur, glitter and ruffles than I’d ever seen in one place—and I’d once had a drag queen as a client.

  It was like everyone was in costume, and yet I got the feeling they dressed like this all the time.

  I wasn’t the only one not drinking, though. There were conspicuously few people with drinks in hand. And if people weren’t drinking alcohol at a party this cool, there was usually only one reason.

  I wondered what kinds of drugs were going around.

  I kept an eye on Summer up in that DJ treehouse the whole time. And I wondered if she’d left me with her sister-in-law on purpose, knowing that Mia would show me around.

  Maybe she was hoping I’d loosen up a bit.

  I wandered over to a small table nearby, where a few girls stood under the giant purple elephant. There were a bunch of pink drinks in little cups, and a sign someone had painted with a heart on it was on the table.

  “Would you like a love bomb?” one of the girls asked me. She wore sparkly makeup and what looked like a custom-made pixie costume. It was elaborate, fluttery layers of pink and silver, with glittery wings.

  “What is it?” I asked her.

  She leaned closer to me and put a finger on my chest, lingeringly. “You’re not a cop, are you?”

  “Nope.”

  “You look like one,” she said, looking me over, with a big smile on her face.

  “Thank you,” I said.

  She laughed, and Mia appeared, slipping her arm through mine again. “He’s here with Justice’s sister.”

  “It’s pomegranate juice,” pixie girl said. “With agave nectar and ecstasy.”

  “It’s pure pharmaceutical grade MDMA,” Mia corrected her. “I mixed them.”

  “We’re giving out hugs, too,” pixie girl offered.

  “I’m thirsty,” I said. “I think I’ll grab a beer.” I glanced at Mia. “Kitchen, right?”

  “Help yourself,” she said, her arm slipping from mine. I could feel them watching me as I headed back up to the house.

  Fortunately, I was pretty sure they were checking out my ass more than anything.

  As I climbed the steps to the back deck, I found Andre hanging out in the corner, watching over the party in the yard. He was doing his duty to try to blend in, holding a beer in his hand.

  “Eyes on Summer,” I told him.

  “Glued,” he said.

  “I’ve got a weird feeling.”

  “About what?”

  “Don’t know yet. I’m gonna take a look around.”

  He nodded and I headed into the house.

  I ran into Summer’s brother inside, and I talked to him for a bit. He was definitely a music/tech geek, kind of like Summer in that way, maybe. Seemed like a good guy. Was totally friendly with me.

  But by eleven o’clock he was openly snorting lines of what I assumed was coke in the living room with some of his buddies.

  One of them had walked in and dropped a baggie of white powder right on the coffee table before he even said hello. Dealer, maybe. He had that vibe about him.

  Justice leapt up to shake his hand. I noticed he didn’t hug him, which stood out.

  A few other guys piled in with the coke fairy, and they all looked sketchy as fuck. A space was cleared on the coffee table as they talked, and lines were cut right on the varnished surface of the table with someone’s drivers license. I got to my feet and edged out of the circle around the table before someone invited me to partake.

  Justice didn’t seem to notice.

  More people flowed in as I made my way through the house. It was getting crowded inside.

  Eventually, I helped myself to a beer from the kitchen.

  When I headed out back again, Andre was right where I left him, keeping an eye on Summer.

  “She been up there the whole time?” I could see her in the treehouse, talking to the DJ.

  “Yup. I think she’s about to take over.”

  “What?” I leaned in to hear him better.

  “She’s gonna play a few songs, I think.”

>   I watched, and she did seem to be taking over. Both her and the other DJ were standing at the deck, but then he stepped back and she was there alone.

  “I’ll take a walk around?” Andre offered.

  “Yeah. Stay away from the love bombs.”

  He gave me a questioning look, and I sipped my beer. I wasn’t really drinking it, but a couple of sips wouldn’t hurt.

  Andre headed into the house. He’d probably find the bathroom, dump his beer down the sink, get a fresh one, and scope things out.

  That’s what I’d do.

  I watched the crowd in the backyard. There were a lot of people dancing now.

  And I watched Summer.

  Fuck, the woman was hot. I could see her up there in her black mesh shirt. She’d ditched her jacket and her hot-pink bra was showing through. She was lost in her music, dancing as she played.

  So. Sexy.

  I got kinda lost in the vibe of it, her energy pouring over the crowd, over me… even as my eyes continually swept the crowd, and the tree line, and the dark between the trees.

  Nothing looked off, but it didn’t quite feel right, either.

  I scoped out a few of the guys who’d been doing lines with Justice inside a while ago, but they were just partying. Talking. Some of them were in the crowd, dancing.

  I didn’t see Justice anywhere.

  Mia was over by the love bomb table with her girlfriends.

  After a while, Andre came up beside me. “All good?” he said.

  “Yeah. You?”

  He nodded over my shoulder. “Take a little walk back through the kitchen. Check out the dude with the tats.”

  I nodded. I stood with him for another minute or so, watching the crowd, just pretending to enjoy the music. I was enjoying it.

  But then I headed left, down the steps and back around the house, in through the front door. I found the bathroom and poured my beer down the sink, left my bottle with a few others on a shelf. I made my way through the crowded living room and into the kitchen. Grabbed myself a fresh beer from one of the metal tubs of ice.

  I paused to pop the top off and check out the dude with the tats.

  There was only one guy in the room who obviously fit that description.