by K. A. Linde
“Mi abuelita is the best of us,” I said automatically.
She was the strongest and bravest and the best cook. She was my entire childhood, wrapped up in one teeny package. She was only four foot nine, and we used to have a holiday when any of us got taller than her. We’d celebrate while she reminded us that she was still the smartest of us all. She’d looked utterly ridiculous on Hollin’s arm, considering he was easily six and a half feet tall.
“Surprised you were missing your other half,” he teased.
“Peter?” I asked in confusion.
My twin had somehow weaseled his way out of church this morning. Jerk.
Hollin laughed. “I was thinking Bradley, but yeah, it’s weird that Peter isn’t here either.”
“Oh.” I glanced down at the spattering of rain on the concrete. “We broke up.”
“Good,” Hollin said, hunger in his voice.
My chin jerked back up at his tone. “Good?”
“Yeah. You were way too good for him.”
I narrowed my eyes. “You do know that you’re supposed to show sympathy, right?”
“For what? A guy you were over before it ended?”
My glare faltered at his words. He wasn’t wrong. I had been over him. He wasn’t the only person who had noticed. But still, I hadn’t expected him to. “Don’t act like you know me.”
“Of course not, Pipes.”
“That’s my family’s nickname for me. You can’t call me that.”
“Why not?”
“You’re not family.”
He raised his hands in defense, but I could only see the predator scrawled on his face. He liked when I got defensive. He liked working my anger out of me. I needed to calm down, but he made it so goddamn hard.
“What do you want, Hollin?” I demanded now that no one else was around to admonish me for my tone. “You’re here, bothering me. I didn’t ask for this. I’ve had a very long weekend. So, get to your point.”
“My point can’t just be this?” he asked.
“No,” I snapped.
He laughed casually. “All right. Well, I’m glad that you and Bradley broke up. That makes this easier.”
I furrowed my brow as he pulled a lanyard from his pocket. “What’s that?”
“Campbell got me a bunch of backstage passes and the Owner’s Club for his Dallas show next weekend. Want to go?”
“With you?” I stammered out.
“I would be going, yes. He’s my brother.”
I stared at the pass with blatant desire. I wanted that pass. I loved Cosmere’s music. I wasn’t as into it as Jennifer and Annie. They’d always been obsessed. But I knew all their songs and loved to listen to their latest album. Even if critics were saying it wasn’t as good as the last. Plus, backstage. I had never been backstage at a show before. Or in a box for that matter. Both were big dreams of mine. Still…it was Hollin.
“I’m not going on a date with you,” I said stiffly, still eyeing the pass.
“You sure?”
“If that’s the requirement to go, then have a nice time.” I took a step away from him, but he grasped my elbow. He was laughing.
“Christ, Piper, I’m kidding.” He stuffed the pass in my hand. “I know you love Cosmere. You’re coming with us.”
I gingerly took it in my fingers and stared down at it. “What’s the catch, Hollin?”
“You think so little of me?”
I arched an eyebrow. When had he shown me otherwise?
He shrugged. “Look, I’m inviting everyone. You’re the first person I saw. Actually,” he said, reaching into his pocket, “give these to Blaire and Jennifer when you get home. I was planning to invite them, too.”
Now, I had three backstage passes to the most anticipated concert of the year.
My eyes lifted to Hollin’s, and he grinned. That same fuck-me smile. But there was no catch. I was confused. And why did he have to look at me like he wanted to eat me alive? And I needed to cut down those thoughts. Right the fuck now.
“Well, thank you. I’ll…I’ll tell the girls.”
“Piper!” Campbell called as he barreled out of the church toward us, stopping right before the rain. “You’re coming to the show, right?”
“I just invited her,” Hollin said.
I held up the passes. “Thank you so much. This is incredible.”
Campbell sexily ruffled his hair. “Hey, it’s no problem. I want all y’all there.”
“Well, I’ll ask Blaire and Jennifer, too. I’m sure they’re free.”
Campbell’s Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat. “Blaire? You think she’ll go? I didn’t think she liked our music.”
My gaze shifted to Hollin, but he was looking pointedly at his brother. Something had happened with Blaire, but I had no idea what. Maybe some unrequited shit from high school. They’d been in the same grade in the same school, and everyone had loved Campbell, even then, from what I’d heard. But Blaire never talked about it. Not even to me, and I was her best friend.
“She’ll be there,” I told him. “How could she say no?”
Campbell grinned. It was an onstage smile. One he used for cameras and fans. “Good. I’m glad you’ll be there.” He patted Hollin on his back. “Come on, bro. I have some merchandise to pick up for Vail.”
Hollin grumbled under his breath, smacking his brother upside the head. “You’re an idiot.”
Campbell laughed and ducked under his arm. Hollin smiled at me. A real one this time. Then, he tipped his head at me and disappeared.
I stared down at the backstage passes in my hands. Next weekend was sure as hell going to be interesting.
Part II
Bad Habits
9
Piper
My eyes were wide as I stood on the tarmac outside the hanger where the Wrights kept their private jet. Some part of me had known that the Wrights had their own jet. I’d heard it mentioned that Jensen Wright flew up to New York City on the regular to see his son. That Jordan and Annie had flown to Seattle in it. Still, somehow, I hadn’t known. And I’d certainly never thought I’d be on it.
But Jordan shrugged like it was nothing and said, “I got us the jet. It made more sense.”
I blinked at Blaire. “It just made sense.”
She cracked up and pushed me. “I’m not going to argue with him, are you?”
“Nope!”
I slung my weekend bag over my shoulder and followed Blaire up the stairs onto the Wright jet. Dallas was five hours away. We would have needed two cars to get all of us there. This was a hundred percent preferable even if it felt ridiculous.
Jordan, Julian, Annie, and Jennifer were already on board when Blaire and I entered the plane. It was bigger than I’d imagined with a long couch and seats larger than ones I’d seen in first class of most commercial planes. A flight attendant stored our bags and offered us drinks.
“Oh, I’ll have a Bombay and lime,” Blaire said.
“Excellent,” the man said. “And for you?”
“Uh, just water.”
Blaire nudged me. “Free booze, Piper. Live a little.”
I laughed. “All right, fine. I’ll have what she’s having.”
“Coming right up.”
I’d just gotten my drink when Nora stepped onto the plane in crazy high heels. She handed off her bag and took the seat next to me.
“Where’s August?” I asked. “Isn’t he always at your side?”
Nora wrinkled her nose. “He had to work. So annoying. I asked Tamara to go, too, but she already had plans. Why are my friends so lame?”
“Excellent question,” Blaire said, raising her glass.
Nora removed her trusty iPad and a stylus. Then, she opened a document, where she started shading in the barn at Wright Vineyard.
“Whoa, did you draw that?”
Nora waved her hand noncommittally. “Yeah.”
“It’s really good.”
“Nah, it’s just doodling. I like to draw a
ll of my ideas for my clients. This is for Morgan and Patrick.” She turned the screen fully to me. “See how I want the chairs to be set up?” She flipped to the next page. “And this is the altar view.”
“Wow. Do you do this for all your weddings?”
“Not all of them, but the big ones, I include it in the package. You really like it?”
“Yeah. Did you do this for Peyton, too?”
“I didn’t. She didn’t ask for it. But I could! If you wanted to see it.”
“Not if it’s a lot of work.”
“Girl, I love it. It’s the best part of the job,” she said with a laugh.
Blaire leaned over. “Wow, Nora, you’re so good.”
Nora flushed. “Thanks. You think so?”
“Definitely. Would you be interested in designing some logos like this for Blaire Blush?”
Nora’s eyes widened. “Seriously?”
“Yeah. I have Honey doing so much of the behind-the-scenes stuff, but she doesn’t have a design eye like this.”
“Oh, Honey,” I said with a laugh.
Blaire had gotten a new assistant at the beginning of the year. She’d been handling her Blaire Blush blog and all her social media platforms herself for so long that she claimed she didn’t need anyone. But when she took over Jennifer’s photography accounts, it had been too much. Enter Honey. Yes, that was what she asked to be called. Honey, despite the name, was a godsend for Blaire’s work. She’d had a few virtual assistants, but it was so much better to have someone in town.
“She’s nice,” Blaire said.
“She’s enthusiastic,” I offered.
“Maybe more accurate.”
“Hey, where’s your brother?” Julian called over the seat. “He was supposed to be here first.”
Nora held her hands out. “I don’t know. I’m not his keeper.”
“He has the tickets. So, we can’t leave without him,” Julian said.
“You were planning to leave without me?” Hollin asked as he climbed on board.
My mouth went dry. He looked…so fucking good. How could a man in jeans and a black T-shirt look like him? He shot me a half-smile filled with a dangerous energy that tore straight through me. I looked back down at Nora’s iPad and pretended not to notice.
“Course not,” Julian said. They clapped hands.
“You’re perpetually late right now,” Jordan said, low and slightly annoyed.
“Ah, Jor,” Hollin said, ruffling Jordan’s hair. Jordan looked ready to knock his teeth out for the gesture. He wasn’t exactly the kind of person used to being trifled with. “You know you love me.”
Jordan reared back from his hand. “You’re lucky I do.”
Annie chuckled. “Poor baby. Need me to fix your hair?”
He shot his fiancée a look, and her smile widened as she reached out to fix his hair. He grabbed both of her wrists. She squeaked as he kissed her.
Ugh. The level of cuteness. Sometimes, I was so jealous of other people’s happiness that it ate away inside of me. Blaire never seemed to care. Her followers liked that she was single. She got enough marriage proposals on the weekly that she felt perfectly loved. But I wanted that…that right there.
The guys joked around for a while as we prepared to take off. We looked over some more of Nora’s designs and then took our seats. I rummaged in my bag for my Kindle as we taxied down the runway. I was in the middle of Sierra Simone’s A Lesson in Thorns. The girls in my smut book club had recommended it, and I’d sunk into the story like inserting an IV into a vein.
We’d just lifted into the air when a voice spoke behind me. “Hey, what are you reading?”
I slapped the book down and looked into Hollin’s face. “What?”
“What’s the book?”
“Oh. Pride and Prejudice,” I lied.
It had become a common pastime. Not that I was ashamed of the amazing books I read. But everyone was always so weird about the fact that I liked romance and erotica. They said that I didn’t give off the right vibes. Whatever the hell that meant. Romance held the entire book industry afloat. It was single-handedly the best genre, and no one could convince me otherwise.
“Huh,” he said. “Is it good?”
“Sure. Darcy. Lizzy. Pemberley.”
I had read Pride and Prejudice in high school, but I was a bigger fan of the Keira Knightley version.
“Cool.” His eyes swept my face before he leaned back in his seat and started talking to his sister.
I turned away from him. Blaire arched an eyebrow, and I shrugged. I couldn’t explain Hollin Abbey.
With him occupied again, I pulled the book back up and began to read the sexiest truth-or-dare scene I’d ever read. A girl folded over a lap, skirt raised, getting spanked in front of all of her friends. I shifted in my seat and swallowed. Maybe this wasn’t the best choice to read around company.
“You’re free to move about the cabin,” the pilot said, coming over the speakers.
Jordan, Julian, and Hollin unbuckled their seat belts and went to sit on the couch. Blaire and Nora settled into seats nearby. I could sort of hear their murmurs about possible design logos. Jennifer had her camera out and was snapping shots of us all up here in the private jet. Annie was posing like a model. Blaire laughed and adjusted her arms and feet for proper posing.
I lost the train of the conversation as Auden and Poe in the book took control of my entire world. I licked my lips and squeezed my legs together. I wanted to stop reading, so I wouldn’t be this turned on, and I also had no interest in stopping at all. If I were home, I’d slip my hand into my jeans and get off right then and there. But…there was no chance of that here.
I was so consumed in my own world that I didn’t even notice that Hollin had moved from his seat with the Wright brothers. Not until I felt his eyes reading over my shoulder.
“Well,” he breathed, “that isn’t the Pride and Prejudice I read.”
My heart galloped ahead at the words. I was turning to castigate him for reading over my shoulder when plucked the Kindle out of my hand. I could barely react as he took the little Paperwhite in his massive hands.
“Hollin,” I protested. “Give that back.”
“What are you reading?”
I came to my feet, glaring. “Give. It. Back.”
The others were looking at us now. Color was coming to my cheeks. They were going to ask. I’d have to explain. Jennifer knew what kind of books I read because she sometimes borrowed them from me. She wasn’t in this particular smut book club though. Too dirty for her poor sensibilities.
“Hollin, stop being a jerk,” Nora admonished.
Hollin’s eyes skimmed the page I was on. The particularly filthy page where everyone watched the heroine get spanked. Like how bad of luck did I have?
“Hollin,” I growled.
He smirked up at me and passed it back. “I was just curious.”
“Asshole.”
I flopped back into my seat with the Kindle in my lap. Hollin stepped around me and took Blaire’s empty seat.
“What do you want?” I demanded.
He grinned. “Why did you lie about what you were reading?”
“Why do you care?”
“Well, I didn’t pin you as a classics reader.”
“What does that mean?”
“I don’t know. I thought you’d read nonfiction or something.”
“Like biographies?” I asked dryly.
“Or…I don’t know…self-help or business or productivity stuff.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Why?”
“You seem like you’re a hundred and fifty percent on all the time.”
“I am,” I ground out.
He laughed darkly. A sound that went straight to my curling toes. “And yet you’re reading…that.”
“I can like romance and be a smart businesswoman.”
“Clearly.”
But there was a sparkle in his eyes. A light that I hadn’t seen before. It wasn
’t his teasing. It was something else, something sultrier. As if this had opened up his entire world. Like it had blown his mind that I read raunchy romance novels. And he…liked it.
He nodded his chin at the book. “That what you always read?”
“So what if it is?”
“Nothing wrong with it. It’s just…hot.”
My cheeks flamed at the word that had come out of his mouth. The way his eyes slid down to my lips. The tension in his body at the thought that I was reading about sex on the regular. Fuck.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
I needed to somehow swim out of the deep end. Otherwise, I wasn’t going to be able to breathe. Or think. Or exist.
This wasn’t how things were supposed to go with Hollin. He was supposed to needle me, I’d tell him to fuck off, and we’d part. This was…personal. It was definitely so much more personal.
I pulled back from that thought. This was Hollin Abbey. He didn’t care about anything but the chase. He didn’t give a fuck about me. He was interested in the book because of sex and nothing else.
“Hot,” I said flatly as I came to my feet. “Well, thanks. Needed to know you thought I was hot to survive today.”
He huffed. “But didn’t you?”
I rolled my eyes. “Whatever you want to believe.”
Then, I made a hasty retreat to where my friends were sitting. I didn’t turn my book back on the rest of the flight and tried to stay present as the girls chatted about logos, photography, and posing. But still, my brain was always a little aware of Hollin’s presence at any given time.
10
Hollin
My brain was on sex.
How the fuck was I supposed to focus when Piper was reading a girl getting her ass spanked? Because I sure as fuck could not focus on anything else. I kept getting flashes of me bending Piper over my lap and doing the same shit. But Piper’s ass wasn’t mine to spank until she came.
And she’d jumped away from me as quickly as she could when I told her it was hot. That she was hot.
Usually, I let the innuendo do its job.
Today, I hadn’t been able to do shit.