“Carly isn’t your responsibility, Johnny,” she said quietly.
“She’s as much my responsibility as yours.”
“How do you figure that?” she asked, frowning. “I’m the one who left that little girl to fend for herself, proving that I care more about my own backside than hers. Hell, I’m no better than Rex in that regard.”
For the first time in a very long time, Johnny’s eyes turned dark, almost feral. “You are nothing like him. And you are not her parent.”
“You and I both know being a parent doesn’t have as much to do with blood as it does with love, Johnny. And I do love that girl. If not as a mother, then at least as a big sister. You and I had each other. Who does she have?”
He thought about that for a moment then nodded. “You’re right. But I’m still coming along.” He reached between them and placed his hand on hers. “I’ll always have your back, Alice, you know that.”
“Yeah”—she smiled back at him—“I know.”
“And maybe she’d like a big brother, too.”
JOHNNY CHECKED THEM into the Ritz, under an assumed name, of course. After they freshened up, Alice went alone to Carly’s room, leaving Johnny to fend for himself for a little while.
Carly was still in her pajamas, but her face was washed, and her teeth and hair brushed, suggesting she had been up for a while.
After squeals and welcoming hugs, Alice stepped back. “I swear you are more grown up every time I see you. You are blossoming into a beautiful young woman.”
The color rose in Carly’s cheeks. “You see me practically every day.”
“True, but seeing you on a computer screen isn’t the same thing as seeing you in person. You could be using a SnapCat filter for all I know.”
Carly laughed at the deliberate pun and pointed to the domed room service trays on the table. “I ordered breakfast. Hungry?”
“Famished. And is that coffee I smell?”
“Of course.”
“Then let’s sit down and eat. And while we’re eating, you can tell me what’s going on.”
An hour later, the delicious omelet and toast sat heavily in Alice’s stomach. Carly had tried to downplay the situation, but it was easy enough to read between the lines. Instead of stepping up as she had hoped, Rex had spiraled even further downward. According to Carly, his latest personal assistant was a tigress named Valerie who liked bossing everyone else around ... and hated her.
“Did you talk to your dad?” Alice frowned.
Carly shrugged. “I tried to, but she’s always there. She doesn’t let him out of her sight, and she got him to hire her two skanky friends as her personal assistants. They keep him drunk and happy, if you know what I mean.”
Yeah, Alice knew exactly what she meant. And it broke her heart.
“Okay,” Alice said, summoning a smile. “Enough of that. We’re burning daylight. Go on and get dressed. We’ve got a full day ahead of us.”
Alice went back to her room. It was hard to say which emotion held the largest sway—anger or sadness—but at that moment, anger was edging ahead. Things had to change. A plan had already begun forming in her mind, but she wanted to talk it over with Johnny first. In the meantime, she was going to give Carly a day to remember.
She found Johnny sprawled on the sofa, watching old cartoons and finishing off what looked like at least one of everything on the room service menu.
“What?” he asked innocently.
“Nothing. Get dressed. We’re going to have some fun, goddammit.”
MUCH LATER THAT NIGHT, Alice and Carly collapsed on the huge bed in Carly’s suite. Johnny had been sent off to his own room so the girls could have a night together. They’d had a wonderful day exploring the city. The hardest part was deciding what to do. Ultimately, they had decided on Madame Tussauds museum, where Johnny had posed with his waxen doppelganger, incognito, of course. Then they’d enjoyed cupcakes at Magnolia Bakery. From there, they’d walked around Times Square, taken a horse-drawn carriage ride around Central Park, and did some shopping on Fifth Avenue, finishing up with an amazing dinner at one of Alice’s favorite restaurants in Little Italy. Alice wasn’t sure who was acting like the bigger kid that day—Johnny or Carly.
“Johnny is awesome,” Carly said on a yawn.
“Yeah, he is.” Alice had been a little worried about how Carly would react to his presence at first, but Johnny had charmed her within minutes. Carly had been enamored with him for the rest of the day.
“Do you love him?”
“Yes,” Alice answered truthfully.
Carly was quiet for a moment, then said, “I can see why you left my dad for him.”
Alice decided it was time to be honest with Carly. “I didn’t leave because of Johnny. I do love Johnny and he loves me, but it’s more like a brother-sister kind of thing. We grew up together in the same group home.”
Carly’s eyes lifted. “A group home?”
“Yes. A home for kids with no families.”
“Oh,” Carly said slowly. “You guys didn’t have any family, so you created your own.”
“Yes, I guess we did.”
Carly thought about that for a minute. “Can I be part of your family, too?”
Chapter Nine
A commotion outside the tour bus woke him up ... and pissed him off. It felt as if he had just hit the sheets. His schedule was insane. No sooner did he finish one show than they were moving on to the next. No downtime. No R&R. Just the rock and roll life, twenty-four-seven.
He was turning into his father. Rex Senior had lived hard, played hard, and died surrounded by strung-out groupies. The official cause of death was listed as an overdose, though everybody knew he had suffocated after aspirating his own vomit in the back of a tour bus, much like the one Rex was on now. The world had mourned the loss of another great talent taken too soon, but not Rex and his mother. They had been too busy struggling to survive.
Rex Senior had been a lousy husband. A shitty father. Sex, drugs, and rock and roll wasn’t just an edgy motto; it had been his father’s way of life.
Now it was his.
At least he hadn’t been stupid enough to get married. But you do have a daughter, his conscience piped up.
He pulled a pillow over his head and told it to shut the fuck up.
When the scene outside intensified, he growled. He didn’t need this shit. He needed sleep. About twelve more hours, give or take. But apparently, that was too fucking much to ask.
Rex forced his eyes open, reacclimating himself to the world of the living. As his vision cleared, he confirmed the fact that he was still in his bedroom at the back of the tour bus and not somewhere else. His head was spinning, but the rest of him didn’t sense movement. Had they reached the next venue already, or had they just stopped for gas and supplies?
A dull thud sounded against the side of the bus, followed immediately by a few more thumps in rapid succession, like someone pounding their fist against the exterior. Just what he needed—another rabid fan attacking his goddamn bus. Couldn’t he get a moment’s peace?
“You crazy bitch! Security!” Valerie’s shrieks pierced his aching head.
“Get out of my way. This is important!”
Rex stilled, his ears pricking up in interest and his entire body going on high alert. Was he still dreaming? Surely, that couldn’t be who he thought it was.
He scrambled to the window, jerked up the room darkening shade, and looked down, catching a glorious mane of chestnut silk below. Alice!
“Yeah, yeah, that’s what they all say. Get lost, cougar.”
“Cougar? Why, you snot-nosed little ...”
Rex scrambled off the bed and tugged on his jeans, feeling like a kid on Christmas morning. He didn’t bother with a shirt or shoes or anything that would slow him down. He wouldn’t have even taken time for the jeans if it hadn’t been for the shitstorm that bit of public nudity had brought his way a couple weeks earlier.
Excitement bubbled up insid
e him, feeling foreign and unexpected. He exited the bus, lifting his nose to catch Alice’s delicious scent as his feet ate up the distance between them.
Alice and Valerie faced off against each other, moments away from an all-out cat fight. As fun as that might be to watch, Rex couldn’t let that happen. Valerie towered over Alice, and as fierce as she was, Alice was no match for a pissed-off tigress.
Christ, she was a sight for sore eyes. Her hair was hanging in loose, natural waves, making his hands itch with the urge to fist them. Her hands were propped on her full, round hips, hips encased in form-fitting denim. The soft white cotton top she wore did nothing to downplay the swells of those generous breasts. His dick went from rock to iron.
“What the hell is going on?” he growled.
Alice’s eyes turned on him, flashing fire and sending his heart into a thunderous, heavy backbeat. Just that quickly, the music in his head started up again, the beginnings of a melody emerging from a sea of harmonizing chords.
Alice opened her mouth, but before she could answer, Valerie stepped between them, obstructing his view. Rex fought the urge to reach out and swipe her to the side.
“This ... woman,” Valerie hissed, “insists she knows you.”
“She does. Get out of the way, Valerie.”
The tigress scowled. “But Rex—”
He let the warning rumble build, reminding her of his dominance.
Her eyes widened, and then she lowered her gaze in submission before stepping to the side. He didn’t fail to notice the hateful, proprietary look Valerie shot Alice as she did so, though. He would have to ensure that Valerie and her minions didn’t get Alice alone, which, of course, meant that he had to keep Alice close to him at all times.
Unlike Valerie, Alice was not cowed by his display. She glared at him, ready to take him on. Fuck, that was hot. He had missed her sass. Missed her.
“Al.”
Her lips thinned at the hated nickname, sending a thrill of joy through him.
“Rex, we need to talk.”
“All right. Talk.”
“In private.”
He appeared to consider it, though the truth was, he was totally on board with that plan. In fact, having Alice in a locked room all to himself for a couple days was one of his recurring dreams. Not that he would ever let her, or anyone else, know that. He was the alpha, and alphas never revealed their weaknesses.
He nodded then turned and walked back to the bus, leaving Alice to follow. She did.
Swiping his forearm over the table and one of the bench seats, he cleared a place to sit then slid in, patting the small space beside him in invitation.
She looked down in disgust. “I’ll stand, thanks. Unless you’ve got a full body condom I can slip on first.”
Rex grinned. Now that Alice was back, now that the music was back, things would start getting back to normal.
Valerie came in behind Alice and tried to take the spot for herself. Rex stopped her.
“No. Out.”
Valerie looked as if she might self-combust at any moment, but she wisely turned on her heels and sashayed off the bus, bumping Alice’s shoulder on the way. To her credit, Alice didn’t budge. Didn’t even appear to notice, in fact. For such a little thing, his Alice was fierce.
“You look good, Al.”
“Wish I could say the same for you.” Some of the anger faded, replaced with genuine concern. “When was the last time you had a decent meal? Or”—she scrunched up her cute little nose—“showered?”
Rather than be offended, he was delighted. “We could take care of that right now. You wash my back, I’ll wash yours. I’ll even feed you afterward.”
Alice made a soft feminine sound of disgust, the same one his daughter made so often, and averted her gaze, but not before he caught the spark of interest. Not before he felt the air between them sizzle with unrealized possibilities.
As difficult as it had been, maybe this time away had been good for her. Maybe she had finally decided to stop fighting her attraction and let nature take its course. He had known it would happen eventually. It was inevitable.
“I’ll pass.”
“So ...” He leaned back, pleased by the way her eyes followed the ripple of movement along his bare chest and arms. He wouldn’t gloat. Much. “Have a change of heart, did you? Come to beg for your job back?”
Alice’s eyes snapped back up to his. “No. I’m here about Carly.”
Well, that was a bit of a buzzkill, but then he realized Alice wasn’t the type to capitulate so easily. Just coming here must have required swallowing a big ol’ mouthful of pride.
He wasn’t entirely heartless. If she wanted to use his daughter as an excuse, he would go with it to make it easier for her.
“What about her?”
“I want her to come live with me.”
Unexpected, but he would play along. “Why?”
“Look around you, Rex. This is hardly the environment for a fourteen-year-old girl.”
“Didn’t seem to bother you before.”
“Before, I was here, looking out for her. Now she has no one.”
His nostrils flared. “She has me.”
“Does she?” Alice crossed her arms over her chest.
“Of course she does. We’re living the dream.”
“No, Rex,” Alice said on an exhale. “You’re living your dream. Carly doesn’t want this. She has her own goals and dreams.”
That generosity of spirit he had been feeling was fading swiftly, replaced by something else—growing anger. Why was she pushing his buttons? Couldn’t she see that he was trying to make this easier for her?
“She tell you that? Because she sure as fuck hasn’t said anything to me.”
“Have you ever asked her?” Alice asked softly.
He didn’t need to ask. The kid had everything she could possibly want. Clothes, money—anything she fucking wanted. What kid wouldn’t want that? He sure wished he’d had that when he was his daughter’s age while living in cars and shitholes and lurking outside restaurants to pilfer food tossed away at the end of the day.
“My kid’s just fine,” he said, anger now coloring his words. “And what the hell gives you the right to judge? You’re the one who walked away, Alice, not me.”
Pain etched her beautiful features. “You’re right; I did. But now I’m trying to make things right.”
Make things right? The only way things were going to be right was if Alice got her sweet little ass back here where she belonged.
“You want to make things right? Come back.”
“I can’t.”
Rex was standing now, too, his body as tight as his chest. “Why not?”
She looked away. She didn’t say the words, but he heard them just the same. He was the reason she wouldn’t come back.
His hands clenched into fists, the desire to lay waste to everything around him growing with each aching beat of his heart.
“You still with that panther?”
“Yes.”
Rex felt like he had just been gutted. Betrayed. Alice had chosen another. And now she wanted to take his cub.
“You want to help Carly? You do it here. Otherwise, don’t let the door hit you in the ass on your way out.”
Her swift intake of breath was clearly audible in the silence. When Alice nodded and turned to go, part of him wanted to leap forward, grab her, toss her over his shoulder, and refuse to let her leave. He didn’t. Instead, he watched her walk away and allowed Valerie to come in and wrap herself around him.
Alice paused and looked back. His acute lion vision caught a tear streaking down her cheek unchecked. He lifted his chin in challenge.
They stared at each other for a long moment before Valerie went to her knees in front of him. Rex closed his eyes and hissed, wishing he could be soothed so easily. When he pushed Valerie away and opened them again, Alice was gone.
Chapter Ten
Alice went back to the parked limo and climbed inside
. Carly looked at her hopefully, but that hope faded as she read the truth in Alice’s face.
“I’m so sorry, kiddo.”
Carly summoned a weak smile and pretended to shrug it off. “Hey, no biggie. You tried, right?”
“There must be something we can do,” Johnny said. “I’ve got a few friends that specialize in family law and child welfare cases. I could feel them out; see what they say.”
“No,” Carly told him, shaking her head. “I appreciate it, but it’s okay, really. Most kids my age would love the kind of freedom I have. And it’s only for a few more years, right? As long as I can keep in touch with you guys, it’s all good.”
“Of course we’ll keep in touch. Every day.”
Summoning a weak smile, Carly said, “Well, I guess that’s it, then. I’d better go before the buses take off.”
Carly got out of the car. Alice watched her walk across the grassy expanse that separated them from the trio of parked tour buses that comprised Rex’s traveling entourage.
At one point, Alice reached for the door handle and said, “Screw it. Screw Rex. I have enough money saved to take Carly and just disappear.”
Johnny stopped her with a warm hand on her arm. “Calm down, momma cat. Rex might not be a great parent, but that’s not illegal. Kidnapping, however, is.”
She sat back slowly, willing the powerful urge to run, grab, and protect Carly into something more manageable.
As usual, Johnny was the calm, rational voice of reason. Alice envied him that, especially when her emotions were likely to have her doing something stupid.
Johnny was right, but that didn’t make it fair. And it didn’t mean she had to like it.
“I don’t think he even knew she was gone.”
In her peripheral vision, she saw Johnny’s features harden. Alice knew he was thinking the same thing she was—that Carly deserved better. Too bad her own father couldn’t see that.
Johnny followed Alice’s gaze until Carly disappeared into one of the trailers, not Rex’s. At least that was one positive in a day full of negatives. When they were on the road, Carly had her own private room in the back of a different bus, providing some insulation between her and Rex’s party ride.
Rock Hard: BAD Alpha Dads Page 5