“Darling, I don’t know what you told Madison to get her to let you babysit, but you have no idea how to take care of a baby, I doubt you’ve ever looked after a little rug rat in your life. Besides, you need me to help; what are you going to do when it’s time to get this little guy to sleep?” Ross blew on the spoonful of macaroni, put a noodle to his bottom lip and determined it was cool enough for Will. He pushed the bowl and spoon onto the baby’s tray and let him have at it.
“How hard can it be? I’ll change his diaper, give him a bottle, and off to sleep he’ll go.” She nodded her head before taking a seat at the table.
“Is that so? Okay, good luck with that.” He smiled and took his seat. So much for checking out the hot spots of this town; he had babysitting lessons to give. There was no way he’d leave Darling alone with the baby. She was a sweet, gentle kid but totally clueless about taking on a baby. Besides, he was having fun playing house.
What the fuck was he thinking? It was going to be a long night.
Chapter 10
It had been a long night. She hated to admit it, but Ross had been right. Babies were not all that easy to take care of. Little Will had managed to get more of his dinner on his face and even in his hair than into his belly. She ran a bath for him only to have Ross check up on her and declare the water too hot and tell her she could drown the baby by putting him in a bath without a tub seat. Who knew all this stuff? In the end she gratefully watched him take over. He put a plastic laundry basket in the tub and dropped Will into it since Madison hadn’t packed a bath chair. She dug through her friend’s bag and found the baby shampoo and thought all would be smooth sailing only to discover that some kids considered a hair washing to be torture. He howled as if she’d been putting acid on his skin.
Fortunately Ross was once again Johnny on the spot with a dry washcloth to cover the baby’s eyes with for the rinse off. Heck, even Beauty Belle was better with a baby than her. She trudged into the temporary nursery with a fresh diaper held gently in her mouth and dropped it on the small settee. Ross chuckled over the dog’s helpfulness. “Guess she’s helped Madison with this type of duty before.”
He bundled William up in a soft towel and proceeded to give her the post-bath demonstration. Apparently you should put lotion on the skin and sprinkle some powder in the diaper area prior to slipping a fresh Pampers on the little tyrant. The two teeth in his mouth had to be wiped with a wet cloth after the sippy cup of milk was chugged down. They placed him in his port-a-crib, turned on the closet light, and quietly left the room.
Darling was tired, and it was just eight o’clock. Her T-shirt was soaked from splashed bath water, and her hair clung to her forehead messily. Ross, in contrast, seemed fresh as a daisy. And he looked too damn good. She swore the man looked sexier dressed in faded jeans and diapering a fifteen-month-old than any tuxedo-clad male model she’d ever seen. Exactly what she didn’t need: to have a crush on a guy out of her league and very soon to be out of her life. “You want to watch TV or something?” she offered, not sure what to suggest.
“I’ve got something we could do,” he murmured, looking her up and down. She bit her lip, trying to decide if she was reading him right. Was he making a move on her?
Ross pulled her into his arms, kissed her softly, and maneuvered her against the wall. All her wicked thoughts came back, about how good he felt pressed up against her, how delicious he tasted. Mmm, to create a recipe that’s as scrumptious as he is. She ran her fingers through his shoulder-length hair. One of his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her hips into his; the other arm cradled her head, fingers lightly touching her neck. Her mouth opened, and he swept his tongue in, sending shivers down all the way to a core she didn’t know she had. Oh my. One of his hands slid from her jawline to the back of her neck and pushed her lips into harder contact with his own. The other hand gently tugged her jaw down so her mouth opened slightly. His tongue slipped into her mouth and tickled her inner lip. He swirled his tongue around and caressed hers. She tasted the heady mix of mint and man on their mingling breaths. Before she could stop herself, she let a little moan escape. Their mouths became even hungrier for each other, and she pressed her breasts to his chest. He nibbled her lip a bit and resumed the dueling of tongues deep in her mouth. The hand on her neck dropped down and gently squeezed her ass, pushing her harder into him. She felt his erection against her lower belly, and very wicked parts of her longed to pull his jeans down and stroke him. Darling rolled her hips against him and was rewarded with a wonderful growl.
He slid his hand up her loose, baby-bath-damp T-shirt and cupped her breast. This was so wrong, but she wanted more. Her breasts swelled, and her core became soaked with just the rhythm of his tongue in her mouth, sliding in and out and around. His slender fingers slid their way under her bra, and finally, he stroked one engorged nipple. The blood in her body flooded to two very special spots.
“Waaahhhhh!” cried out baby William, no longer dozing in his port-a-crib. Ross released her, growling and shoving his hands through his tousled hair. Adult playtime was over. She instantly cooled. What the hell was she doing? Another minute and she would have happily let him take her up against the wall. She’d been so out of control she hadn’t even thought about the mess her period would make of things.
Chapter 11
“You’re being awfully quiet today. So what happened? I’m thinking something very interesting went down last night. You didn’t by chance happen to get frisky and find a certain missing O with a certain moody Texan, did you?” Madison punctuated her teasing tone by poking Darling in the ribs. The friends reclined in old Adirondack sun chairs at the little beach surrounding the dock. It was ten a.m., and the sun was already out in force. It was going to be a scorcher today with temperatures going well over ninety. Not that concerns of overexposure to skin cancer would prevent Madison from insisting they lie out, tan, and have talk time. No way. Madison was in one of her determined moods and wouldn’t let them go inside until she finished the interrogation.
“Oh my God, I can’t believe you said that! No, nothing happened.” Darling squirted some more sunblock SPF 50 into her palm and applied it to her already reddening thigh.
“Oh, come on. He was supposed to be going out for some nightlife last night. But Link and I return, and you two are asleep next to each other on the couch, baby Will curled up in Ross’ arms. It looked awfully cozy to me.” She pulled her sunglasses down, giving Darling the raised eyebrow full-on.
“Ha, as if. Everything was going fine until I tried to get Will to go to sleep. He just wasn’t having any part of it without you there to tuck him in. Ross decided to stay in and help me since he knows a lot more about babies than I do. It had nothing to do with me.” And that’s the story I’m sticking to ’cause I can’t be trying to have a fling with a widower who’s leaving town in a few hours.
“Uh-huh, sure. I’m pretty certain we’ll have to mop up the drool from the kitchen floor after this morning.” Madison giggled before continuing. “When he saw you come down in your swimsuit, his eyes practically fell out. You’ve dropped twenty pounds and shed your insecurity layers this weekend. Face it—you look hot. Whatever you’re selling, I’m sure he’s interested in buying.” Madison rolled onto her stomach and pulled her Kindle out of a straw beach bag.
“I don’t think he even noticed me. His nose was pressed deep into whatever he was reading.” She never would have pegged her hunky houseguest as a big reader, but he was always with a book.
Madison snorted. “If you’d looked more carefully, you’d have noticed his e-reader wasn’t even on. Oh and actually, I stole the keys from the hook by the door, so he couldn’t have gone anywhere last night even if he wanted to—so since he didn’t go yelling about that, he must have wanted to stay.” She smirked, quite proud of her maneuver.
“No way, Madison. I can’t believe you did that. What if he had tried to go out? He might have thought I was some kind of controlling crazy stalker. I’m not ready to
get involved with anybody, especially a musician. He’s gorgeous and all, but the guy is leaving in a few hours to hop on a flight to London, so if there are any glances being exchanged, it’s just that. Nothing is going to happen.” Darling reached into her bag and grabbed her e-reader, flicking through the different books she had half read. She hoped against hope that Madison’s questions and interference were done with.
So what if last night Ross looked good enough to eat while they’d been taking turns trying to soothe the distraught baby? She felt a flutter in a place that she’d barely noticed before and got a little breathless. They’d exchanged another one of their heated kisses, and maybe if William hadn’t started howling like his crib was on fire, something more would’ve come of it, but in the end she was glad of the interruption. She just wasn’t ready to get involved with anyone and certainly wasn’t ready to have a one-night stand, especially not now. She never wanted to feel like that again.
Then again, why not? She was a grown woman who could make her own choices, even if they might not be the best ones. Hell, she was probably just as shocked as Madison when their entry into the house late last night startled her from sleep. She had been so warm and cozy cuddled up against Ross’ shoulder, the sleeping baby in his arms. But that was just playing house, and she was too old to play such games.
“Maddie, I need to go inside. I can’t take much more of this sun on me, I’m half Irish.” She sat up in her lounger. Darling dropped her book back into the bag and started collecting her towel. “You want me to bring you a Diet Coke or something?”
“No, I’m okay. I’m just going to lie out here and doze a little in the sun. This feels so good. Wake me up at lunch so I have time to pack all of our stuff before we head out. This has been such a great weekend, and I am going to miss you so much while we’re in Europe.”
Hoarse laughter interrupted the girls’ conversation. Darling glanced behind her just before a shadow fell over her, blocking the bright sun. Madison let out a little shriek of surprise.
The man stopped his laughing and used his sleeve to wipe the sweat from his brow. “Well, look what we got here. You ladies having a little girl talk and beach time?” He leered at Darling. The attention left her feeling vulnerable. The man’s gaze fell back to Madison. “I must’ve missed the invitation, I always like a party. You could have called.”
He laughed at his little joke and took a sip from a large coffee mug. The aroma of Scotch wafted from the cup, reminding her of the smell of old Band-Aids. It was a scent she despised. Darling looked warily over toward the house. They were only about fifty feet from the deck, but it was unlikely the men practicing inside would hear her. She tried to keep her face impassive and think of the best way to get the guy to go back to where he came from. The man shifted unsteadily, his grass-stained jeans and sweat-stained T-shirt not providing enough support to keep him fully upright.
Before she could respond, Madison stepped in. “Hey, mister, maybe you want to take it easy on that stuff and get out of the sun.” Madison nodded her head toward his cup.
“Well, well. You girls got some spunk. It’s okay, though. I’m not here to rain on your sunbathing party. Just thought I’d come by, say hello, and be neighborly. I’m just the lowly peasant, John Whitaker, who lives in the little cottage over there. Heard there were some folks staying here, and I finally got around to saying hello. So, hello.” He called out the last hello in a near shout.
Darling gave Mr. Whitaker a weak wave and a quiet, “Good morning.” She was relieved when he started to stumble away with an extravagant bow for her and Madison. Vaguely she recalled Mr. Whitaker had a small landscaping operation and two boys, one younger than she who was possibly autistic and an older son she never really knew. This was David’s father, the one who slept a lot—passed out, more likely. Now that she thought back on it, she realized that Mr. Whitaker had been an early suspect in her mom’s disappearance.
“Well, that was unsettling,” Madison said with barely concealed sarcasm. “You have a slightly raging alcoholic who likes to come down to your beach and spy on you.”
“It gets creepier. According to my aunt, he’d had the misfortune of having mowed the lawn that day. The police questioned him over and over again, probably missing out on viable leads while they shook him down. Apparently he’d been rather cagey when they first talked to him, because he’d taken a break from mowing the lawn and gone into the woods to smoke some weed. He hadn’t wanted to come out and tell the police that. In the end, having the town cops find out he was a closet marijuana user was a far better choice than letting everyone think he abducted and murdered his neighbor’s wife while her nine-year-old daughter was doing a timeout in her bedroom.” Darling kept her attention on Mr. Whitaker’s retreating figure as she spoke.
“Forget dozing out here—I think I’m good to go inside for a while.” Madison began to gather her things up.
Darling had finished packing and pulled herself together. “It’s for the best. Too much sun early in the season could leave you with a nasty burn. Besides who knows what those boys are letting William do while they practice.”
“You sure you don’t want to come with us? I don’t like the idea of you alone with a former murder suspect living next door.” Madison led the way toward the house. Darling was beginning to think she should be concerned herself.
Chapter 12
“That I like. Damn, we might have something. Do it again,” Ross said and began making some notes in his book. Link complied, replaying the riff on his guitar, and after a few bars, Ross joined in beating out a rhythm using his drumsticks on the coffee table. It would have been an interesting sight for fans to see, two multimillionaire rock stars doing an impromptu jam session in the living room with only baby William as audience. But it was great as always. One of them would just start it, and pretty soon the other would join in. It would be better if their singer and bass player could’ve been with them, but there’d be time to work on some of their new stuff in the couple weeks before they actually started their European tour dates. Ross knew Thomas and Link were going to be doing some family stuff with their wives and kids, but he was sure they’d get to do band work too. They were all too committed to keeping Becket in the number one position to ever blow off music for long.
“Damn, Junior, could be we got something. I’ve got to make sure I write this out for when we see the other guys.” Link placed his guitar back in its case and carefully closed it up. He tickled William, sending the baby into gales of laughter.
“So I heard you gave up going out to help Darling babysit. I thought for sure you would want to get out and see some live music or something.”
“Nah. I was tired, and Darling doesn’t know much about babies, so I figured I better help out. I practically raised my brothers. My mother was always picking up shifts at the diner to keep us in food after my old man took off. It was okay, though.”
“I forgot that you had it pretty tough growing up.” Link rolled a plastic ball toward Will. “You ever think about kids? You know, having one of your own?” The baby squealed in delight and pushed the ball to Ross, giggling when the drummer caught it and spun it balanced on his drum stick.
“In case you haven’t noticed, I’m on my own these days.” He tapped the ball back to William. “Besides, you knew Lisa, she wasn’t the maternal type, and she could make a hornet look friendly at times.” He easily caught the ball rolled his way and twirled it around. “Nope, I think I’ll leave the repopulation of the world to the rest of y’all.”
“So you and Darling get anything going on, or was it all diapers and cartoons?”
“Nah, it’s nothing like that. I don’t need those complications,” Ross answered without looking up from his notebook.
“I just meant something for the night, not a walk down the aisle.”
“She’s not that type of girl and besides…” Ross shrugged.
“Yeah, I get you. She’s no Lisa.” Link nodded to him.
�
��What’s that mean?” Ross asked quietly, not wanting to know.
“You know what I mean. Darling’s a nice girl, been friends with Madison for years, but she’s kind of plain-looking, and well, she’s boring.” Link held his palms out and gave a half smile that Ross wanted to peel off his friend’s face.
“Dude, what the fuck! That girl has some sweet curves, and once you get her riled up, she practically spits fire.” Ross slammed his notebook shut, picked up his drumsticks, and stalked up the stairs to his guest room.
* * * *
He had his duffel bag packed, phone charged, and the guest bed made up when he heard Madison calling his name. He stuck his head out the door and yelled back down the stairs, “Be right down.” He grabbed his Kindle off the nightstand and pushed it into his bag. Madison was talking again at him, but he was only catching a few words. “Maddie, honey, you’re talking so fast my head is spinning. What’s the problem?” He reached the bottom of the stairs and waited.
She took a deep breath, shook her cell phone toward him, and explained. “Thomas called. He was trying to reach you, but you weren’t answering, so he called Link.”
Ross watched her and prodded her along with, “And what?”
“Well, there’s a problem with your visa. For some reason Interpol has put the brakes on you getting a visa to go to Europe. Something about the investigation into Lisa’s death still being open. Do you know anything about this?”
“Hell no. This is the first I’ve heard of that. Ah, that dog don’t hunt. Is Tommy on the phone still, I need to talk to him?”
“No, he’s boarding the jet so he’s out of touch. He already called the Canterbury records attorneys to try and figure out if there’s anything they can do. Link is putting our stuff in the car, and he’s going to call his lawyer as well. Thomas said to just hang tight, and they would get it all settled.”
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