Love Damaged: Rock-N-Roll Heiress Book 2

by McCracken, Kelli

  “Dad, stop it.” Mia approached us. She grabbed her father’s arm and pulled him back. “We don’t have proof that Izzy’s baby belongs to Ayden. You know how much she lies. We all do.”

  Her words didn’t seem to sway her father. He stood a few inches from me as he glared. This was not the way I wanted our first meeting to go, and I didn’t know how I could stop it from getting worse.

  Maybe I’d made a mistake in coming here.

  At least Mia was defending me. It didn’t mean she wasn’t upset with me for coming, but she wasn’t allowing her father to badger me.

  “Izzy isn’t innocent by any means. She screwed over Ayden when they dated years ago. Did you know she cleaned out his bank account after she cheated on him?”

  The hardness on her father’s face faded. He regarded me once more before backing away. “No. I don’t know anything about their previous relationship. Izzy doesn’t tell me anything.”

  “As far as what happened between Ayden and me, it happened because of two obsessed people with too much time on their hands. Can you say you would have reacted differently had you and Mom gone through the same thing?”

  Her father raked his fingers through his hair. He peered at me once more, then stepped around me. “I need a drink.”

  As he disappeared into the parlor, Mia followed. So did I. It was pointless to stand in the foyer by myself.

  When Mia reached the doorway, she stopped. I hesitated behind her. We stood so close that the heat of her body radiated around me. Maybe it was just my desire for her. A night without her was too much. After what we went through a few months ago, I was terrified to let her out of my sight.

  She glanced at me as her head tilted back. “I’m sorry for my dad’s behavior.”

  “I deserve it. I’ve put you through hell, Mia.”

  Her hand touched mine. “We’ve both made mistakes, but we forgave each other. Trust me. My dad will come around.”

  She didn’t say anything else. Once she released my hand, she entered the room. I followed, but I kept my distance and remained near the door.

  Mr. Brooks was standing between the liquor cabinet and the one that held the glasses. One was sitting on the counter as he poured what appeared to be scotch inside it. He lifted the glass to his nose, sniffed it, then took a few sips.

  After he replaced the bottle inside the cabinet, he walked to the window overlooking the grounds. Mia stood near one of the chairs, midway between the window and the doorway, observing him. She didn’t say anything when she approached him, but he must have heard her footsteps.

  “I’m sorry.” He hung his head. “I shouldn’t have said some of the things I did.”

  Mia placed her hand on his shoulder. “It’s easy to judge people when you don’t have all the facts.”

  It was a hard dose of truth. I’d judged her before I got to know her. Now I couldn’t imagine her not being in my life.

  “You’re right.” Mr. Brooks nodded at his daughter. “Guess that makes me a hypocrite.”

  Mia’s face scrunched. “How so?”

  This time, he turned around. Once he spotted me, he grimaced. “I’m sorry for grilling you. The truth is, your situation brought back many painful memories for me.”

  “I didn’t mean to cause any problems for you, Mr. Brooks.”

  “There’s no need for formalities, Ayden. You can call me Shane.” He glanced at Mia just before he took a seat in one of the chairs. “I know what it’s like to be in love with someone and have another woman claim you fathered her child.”

  “Are you talking about Izzy?” I wasn’t surprised when he nodded.

  Mia sank into the oversized chair beside him and motioned for me to join her. Once I did, her hand brushed mine as she adjusted her position. The cushion gave, causing our legs to touch. She was aware of the lack of space between us, but she didn’t move. We focused on her dad instead.

  “I never believed Izzy was my daughter.”

  His statement confused me. “Didn’t you have a paternity test?”

  “No. I didn’t see a point. I lost Mia’s mother, and it devastated me. It took me years to grieve her death. By that point, I didn’t care anymore. Izzy’s mother was in jail, and she needed someone. I felt sorry for her.”

  His words sounded eerily familiar. It was my sympathy for Izzy’s baby that was causing issues in my relationship with Mia. I couldn’t keep my thoughts or feelings to myself.

  “Did you do it so you could have legal guardianship?”

  “Yeah.” Shane stared at the glass in his hand and avoided looking our way. “I think another part of me was scared. If I found out she wasn’t mine after losing my wife, it would have killed me.”

  “So there was a chance of her being your child?”

  He shrugged in response to my question. After he took a few more sips from his drink, he leaned back against the chair. “According to Izzy’s mother, Selena, I got drunk while at a Casino in Vegas. She claims we met at the bar before I invited her to my room and had sex with her. Yes, I was drunk, but I don’t remember talking to anyone.”

  The hairs on the back of my neck stood. “That sounds a lot like what Izzy’s claiming.”

  “So I’ve heard.” He peeked at Mia then back to his drink. “I guess that’s why I reacted the way I did earlier. I lost my wife because of those accusations. You and my daughter already had a horrendous fight. I don’t want to lose my daughter because Izzy follows in her mother’s footsteps and decides to . . .”

  He couldn’t finish. I’m glad he didn’t because I knew where he was going with his rant. The thought of Mia being dead had plagued my mind once before. It tormented me until I thought I would break.

  Shane Brooks didn’t just understand what I was going through. He lived through the same bullshit. His wife was gone because of it.

  I couldn’t lose Mia the same way. God help Izzy if she even tried. She wouldn’t have the chance to sit in a jail cell like her mother.

  If Izzy hurt Mia, she would get buried in six feet of dirt.

  * * *

  ~Mia~

  Though their introduction didn’t get off to a great start, the rest of the time Ayden and I spent with my father was enlightening. The things he told us about his past were things I’d never heard before. After my mother died, he became reclusive, hiding in his room most days. It’s one reason I grew close to my grandparents. They stepped in and took care of me.

  Once my father retired to the room he stayed in whenever he visited Greg, I showed Ayden to my room. He glanced at the walls as I closed the door. When he heard it click closed, he faced me.

  “Are you upset with me for coming?”

  I moved closer to him, shaking my head as I did. “No. I wanted you to come, Ayden.”

  “Then why did you leave without me?”

  His question stung. I didn’t know how to respond when I had no valid excuse. I left because I gave in to my fear and assumed the worst.

  “I thought I explained everything in the letter I left.”

  “And how do you think I felt when I found out you left and didn’t say goodbye except in a note?”

  “I imagine it was the same way I felt when I thought you were bonding with Izzy.”

  He lowered his eyes toward the floor and huffed. “Izzy. She’s cancer to our relationship.”

  “Yes, she is, but I shouldn’t have left the way I did. I could have called Greg and told him I’d be arriving later. Instead, I used it as an excuse to get away from what was happening. I was afraid you would agree to take care of her, and I didn’t want to hear you decline my offer for you to go.”

  “Izzy wanted me to take care of her, but I made sure she knew I don’t want to be anywhere in her vicinity. I told her I wouldn’t go to any more appointments either. Before I left this afternoon, Chris called and said she was coming in later to have her blood drawn.”

  “That’s good to hear. At least you’ll have answers soon. I’m related to the child either way.”
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br />   He reached his hands toward mine, waiting until I accepted them, and then drew me closer. “I hope the real father will show up and take care of his kid. Otherwise, I worry what will happen to your niece or nephew.”

  “So do I.”

  He squeezed me tighter. “Enough about your sister tonight. I want to talk about you. Your dad mentioned something about taking you to see a doctor today. What’s wrong?”

  “Just allergies.” I sniffled. “I’m used to the desert. All the trees and grass are killing me.”

  Relief covered his face. “Well, that will subside once we return to Music Haven. When do you plan to return?”

  “I was going back tomorrow, but now that you’re here, I’d like to stay a few days longer. It would do us both good.”

  “I couldn’t agree more.” The corner of his mouth lifted in a lazy smile. It made the butterflies in my stomach flutter to life. We hadn’t been intimate since he’d proposed. Knowing we were inside this gigantic house, in a wing to ourselves with no one around to hear us, had me thinking devious thoughts.

  Ayden must have been thinking the same. He guided my mouth to his and kissed me so hard my lips tingled. The passion he evoked took control as he tore at my clothes. I didn’t complain. I was doing the same to his, not caring in the least if I ripped them off his body. I needed him.

  In a dance of desire, everything disappeared. The room shifted as the bed greeted my body. Ayden’s skin heated mine. Then he drove his cock inside of me.

  I cried out, not caring how loud my voice grew. No one would hear me anyway. Each time he thrust inside of me, sounds escaped me. I couldn’t control it, didn’t want to.

  Hearing Ayden’s grunts turned me on even more. He focused every ounce of his attention on me, grinding his body against mine, hitting the deepest part as my clit throbbed against him. I curled my toes as he put my legs over his shoulders and leaned in to kiss me. That’s when he sank the deepest. My body twitched in anticipation, waiting for that sweet release I knew he would give me.

  He stared into my eyes as he accentuated his thrusts, rolling his hips at an even pace. The harder he rubbed against me, the more my body trembled. My nerves were overloaded by pleasure, making every inch of me tingle.

  His breath blew against my shoulder as I held him close. I needed him close to me, needed to feel his skin next to mine.

  “Harder,” I whispered in his ear. “Fuck me harder, Ayden.” I cried when his next thrust went deeper. “Take what’s yours . . .”

  He growled against my shoulder then nipped my skin. I moaned louder as he pumped his hips faster. My ass left the bed with each powerful thrust.

  The ache inside of me came to a head. I let go, surrendering to the sweet sensations taking over my body. His cock swelled as I contracted around him.

  He came a few seconds later.

  Heavy breathing filled the room. It was the only sound I heard, other than the whip-poor-will singing its infamous song outside the window. Ayden hovered above me, staring in my eyes.

  When he found the strength to roll to his side, he drew me to his chest and wrapped his arms around me. We lay there, holding on to each other until our breathing went back to normal.

  My eyes burned from their heaviness. Sleep was imminent, no matter how much I wanted to lie there and enjoy every second I was with Ayden. Yet before I gave in and closed my eyes, my phone chirped.

  It was Andi. I assumed she was texting to see if Ayden made it. Knowing her, she was apologizing for giving him the address to find me. Now that he had, I was grateful she caved.

  “That’s Andi.” I spotted my phone laying on the nightstand where I placed it after we came into my room. “I’m sure she’s checking to see if you’re here.”

  “Don’t go too hard on her.” He stroked my cheek as he teased me.

  “I don’t plan to.”

  Grabbing my phone, I tapped the screen and pulled up the message she’d sent. After reading over each word, my head began thumping. “Good grief.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  I scanned over the message again.

  Izzy’s on a rampage. She’s threatening to leave Music Haven. Thought you would want to know before you came back.

  “Looks like Izzy figured out you left.” I turned my phone so that he could read the message.

  “So she’s going to leave? Good. I’ll be glad when she’s gone.”

  “Ayden, I want her out of our lives just as much as you do, but . . .”

  “But what?”

  I didn’t want to answer him. It would be easier to ignore my sister and let her leave without so much as a goodbye. “We still don’t know who fathered her child. Can you live the rest of your life knowing there’s a chance you could have a child out there?”

  Regret played in his eyes, and it was that same regret I knew I would see in them ten years down the road. He had to find out if he was the father of Izzy’s baby before she left.

  Like it or not, we had to return to Music Haven as soon as possible.

  Chapter 17

  ~Mia~

  As much as I’d wanted to stay in New York with Ayden a few more days, it felt good to be home. The dry heat was much more tolerable than the humidity on the East Coast. From the moment we stepped off the family jet, my allergies settled down.

  My heart was a different story.

  The thought of seeing Izzy frustrated me. She did her best to ruin any time Ayden and I had together. He wasn’t looking forward to seeing her either. Most of the ride back to Music Haven had been quiet, but he’d held me close the entire trip.

  If my sister didn’t have her blood drawn for the paternity test like he had asked, she wouldn’t get another reaction from him. He promised he was done playing her games.

  After Ayden carried my suitcase and his duffle bag into my suite, we made our way across the grounds, toward the arena. The unmistakable sound of guitars and drums echoed off the rocks surrounding us. I admired the building the closer we came to it. When the upper level was extended and a concert was taking place, the arena looked like a spaceship ready to take flight.

  It was good to know Andi kept things running smoothly while I was gone. We’d worked together side by side for so many years she knew how to run this place as well as I did. That knowledge had me reconsidering my father’s suggestion that I take a break.

  Maybe it was time for a vacation. I couldn’t remember the last one I’d taken, aside from the trip to D’s father’s house in California. Had Ayden and I not had that huge fight, I wouldn’t have left then.

  I didn’t consider the trip with D a vacation anyway. It’s not like I was having the time of my life making memories with the guy I loved. I was running away from drama, and my ex-boyfriend came to bail me out. He provided me with a safe haven where I cried myself to sleep every night. As much as I appreciated what he did for me, it wasn’t the type of trip I had in mind.

  This time, I wanted to go somewhere special and make memories with Ayden. We both needed to get away from the pressure weighing us down, namely my sister.

  Unfortunately, he’d be leaving for their tour soon. At least he’d only be gone for a few months. Once he returned, it would be nice to head to some tropical resort for a week or two. By then, he’d know for sure if he was the father of Izzy’s baby.

  If the test results came back proving him as the father, he could do little about the situation until Izzy delivered. At that point, it would give us more initiative to get away for a little while. However, if the results proved my sister was a liar, and the baby wasn’t Ayden’s . . . It would be the vacation of a lifetime.

  Stepping into the elevator, Ayden held the door for me as I joined him. He pressed the button for the top floor, and then he pulled me into an embrace. “I want to savor these last few minutes with you. No one even knows we’re back yet. Are you sure you want to do this tonight?”

  “I don’t want to any more than you, but we have to Ayden. What if we don’t find Izzy and she dec
ides to leave in the middle of the night? We can’t take a chance of her disappearing before the paternity test is completed. I’ll send Chris a text if we don’t see him at the bar.”

  He nodded as his chin lowered to his chest. I wanted the drama with Izzy to be over, not just because of the stress it brought our relationship. Ayden didn’t deserve to be tormented by my sister. She’d hurt him enough in the past.

  I knew she was obsessed with him the way Wesley had been obsessed with me. Still, this whole pregnancy fiasco was meant to hurt me as well. Ayden was being punished twice.

  Pushing up on my toes, I wrapped my arms around his neck and swept my lips over his. A soft groan left his throat. Then he gazed at me.

  “I thought you said you wanted to find your sister.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, if you keep this up, the only thing you’re going to see is your bedroom ceiling.”

  I chuckled before he pressed his lips back to mine. At least my plan had worked. I was able to lighten his mood, even if it were only for a few minutes. After we found my sister and confirmed she had her blood drawn, I had no doubt we’d de-stress with mind-blowing sex.

  The elevator doors opened to the upper floor. Ayden remained behind me as he guided me through the hallway. A few people were standing about, chatting. Many paused to wave and welcome me back. I did my best to smile at them, but deep down, I was a ball of nerves. Ayden and I were in a good place again. I didn’t want Izzy to ruin it.

  We made our way through the bar, waving at different guests and staff. I hadn’t spotted Andi anywhere. She wasn’t at the end of the left bar working like we usually did, nor was Bentley in the spot where he and Ayden always sat.

  To top it off, I didn’t see Chris either. If Izzy was following his orders, she should be in her suite. Perhaps he was checking on her. It wasn’t unusual for him to make house calls, especially to a patient he’d placed on bed rest.