Trey laughed. “I’m willin’ to bet that’s the one that’s got you in such a foul mood today, am I right?”
“How the hell am I supposed to investigate this case if I’ve gotta worry about babysittin’ her all the damn time?”
“You don’t have to worry,” Josh said. “She’s in good hands with us. You go do what you need to do.”
Mike wanted to stay and talk to her, hopefully convince her to reconsider her plans for tonight, but he knew in his state of mind, it would likely escalate to an argument in no time. “Fine, I’ll head over to Luc’s office, but I want you to email me everything you have on that Bryan guy.”
Josh saluted him. “Yes, sir.”
“Don’t mess with me. I’m serious.”
“I know you are…” Trey said, grinning. “Seriously messed up over the pretty little blonde with the big ol’ voice.” He looked at his old friend. “You know what they say don’t you, Josh?”
“No, what’s that?”
“The bigger they are, the harder they fall.” He chuckled. “I think this big guy has already fallen hard.”
Tori had never been distracted on stage before. Performing her music always put her in the zone, making her untouchable to outside diversions. But this morning was different. As soon as she felt Mike’s eyes on her, she’d nearly forgotten the words to a song she’d sung hundreds of times. Living under the same roof with that man was torture. Not only was it costing her sleep, knowing he was just down the hall, but his hot and cold attitude was costing her sanity.
“Let’s take five, guys,” Tori said into the microphone. She reached for the bottle of water at her side as her band made their way off stage. She tried to ignore the curious sidelong glances they were shooting her way. They’d been working together for a long time and she knew they’d never seen her this preoccupied.
Titan Records publicist, Avery McCall, raised a finger, beckoning to her.
Tori groaned inwardly, half-expecting to be read the riot act. She was supposed to have attended the opening of a hot new club downtown last night, but she’d begged off at the last minute, claiming she was tired and stressed. The truth was, she just wanted to go home, kick her heels up, and enjoy a quiet dinner with Mike. Unfortunately, the hours they’d spent together left her more confused than ever about the direction they were taking.
She’d suspected trying to forge a friendship with a man she’d been intimate with would be difficult, but she had no idea that thoughts of him would intrude on every other area of her life, including her music.
“Hey there,” Avery said, offering her a cup of coffee, just the way she liked it. “You look like you could use a pick me up. What happened? You didn’t sleep well last night?”
Tori felt like she hadn’t had a decent night’s sleep in weeks. Between worrying about the man tailing her and the sexy cop making himself at home in the bedroom down the hall, she was surprised she managed even a few winks of shut-eye at night. “I’m okay.” She wasn’t one to complain. She’d made it this far by convincing people she was tough, she could handle anything they threw her way, and she was. She just had to refocus.
Avery sipped her coffee before asking, “What happened last night? Why didn’t you make it?”
“I’m sorry I had to bail. I just needed a night off. I hope they weren’t too pissed that I wasn’t there to sign autographs.” Tori felt guilty for shirking her responsibilities, something she’d never done before.
“I just told them you weren’t feeling well. Is that true?”
Tori shrugged. She wasn’t feeling well, but her problem was more mental than physical. She just couldn’t seem to get her head back in the game, and with their group gearing up for a tour, her malaise couldn’t have come at a worse time. “There’s just a lot goin’ on, ya know?”
“I know.” Avery looked around to make sure no one was standing nearby. “Luc told me about the episode at your house the other night. Thank God Mike was there.”
“I know, right?”
“I heard he’s staying with you. Is that true?”
“Yeah, he insisted.” She took a fortifying sip of coffee, suddenly wishing she drank it strong and black, like Mike.
“I think that’s a good idea, but we need to be careful. We don’t want this getting out.”
“You mean about him staying with me?”
“That, and I don’t want people to know about this guy who’s after you. We need to keep all of it under wraps. I don’t want anything to overshadow this tour. I mean, come on, this is gonna be huge. Four of the biggest names in country music touring together. Tickets in every city have sold out in minutes. It’s crazy.”
Avery was married to Ty McCall, one of the artists Tori was touring with, so she knew her publicist was working even harder to make this tour a success for her husband’s benefit. “I won’t do anything to screw this up for everyone, I promise.”
Avery put her arm around Tori’s waist. “Hey, I didn’t mean it like that, hon. I love you. We all do. Your safety is our top priority, you know that.”
“I know, thanks.”
“So about tonight, you’re still going to that benefit with Bryan, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Good, he’s perfect. Exactly the kind of man you want to be seen with.”
Bryan owned a bottled water company that donated a portion of their profits to various charities. According to Avery, it would show the public that Tori cared enough about the important causes to take an interest in a man like Bryan, who lived to help others.
Tori did like him, enjoyed spending time with him and talking to him about his interests, but no matter how hard she tried, she didn’t feel a spark with the man, not like she did with Mike. She had no intention of bringing Bryan home tonight; she’d simply told Mike she intended to so she could put some much-needed distance between them.
“I thought you said bein’ seen with bad boys was better for my image.”
“That was before,” Avery said, sighing. “People were still trying to figure out who you were as a person and an artist. Now they know. You’re a straight shooter. You tell it like it is, don’t give a rip what people think about you, but there’s a compassionate, tender side to you as well. I think it’s time we let people see that.”
Tori wasn’t too keen on baring her soul for the world to see. She trusted Avery. The woman knew her business like no other, but Tori felt like she already gave so much of herself to her fans. She wanted to keep a small part of her life private. “I don’t know where you’re goin’ with this, but—”
“Don’t you worry about a thing. I’ve got it covered.”
And for some reason, that assurance did worry Tori, a lot.
Chapter Seven
Mike walked into Jimmy’s bar to meet his brother, Jay, wishing like hell he could just head back to Tori’s place, open a bottle of wine, and talk until the sun set, just like last night. In fact, he couldn’t think of a more perfect way to spend the evening.
J.T. McCall, the owner of Jimmy’s and a life-long friend of their family, stopped Mike before he could make his way to the table his brother was occupying. “Hey, I’ve been meanin’ to talk to you. I hear you’re hittin’ the road with us.” J.T. was married to Nikki and often toured with her so they were able to take their little girl on the road with them.
“That’s the plan.” And since he hadn’t made any progress on the case yet, he expected to be with them for a good, long while. The thought should bother him. He had open cases at the station demanding his attention, but nothing in his life took precedence over Tori’s safety.
“Great. We’ll have a blast.”
Mike grinned. “I’m sure we will, but I’m not there to have fun.”
J.T. laughed. “Great music, cool people, the best liquor money can buy. How can you not have a good time, right?”
“True.” Mike could care less about the party. The only thing on his mind was keeping Tori safe.
“So, I thou
ght we were friends.”
“What are you talkin’ about, man? We are friends.”
“So, why didn’t you tell me about you and Tori?”
Mike groaned. “How the hell did you know about that?”
“My wife told me. We don’t keep secrets from each other. Tori knows that.”
“Tori told Nikki?” Mike muttered a curse. He trusted J.T. and Nikki to be discreet, but he had no doubt it was only a matter of time before everyone in their inner circle knew about them. J.T. was his stepfather’s brother, which meant it wouldn’t be long before his mother found out about it, and given her feelings about Tori, she’d be riding him relentlessly. “Listen, no one else can know about this. What happened between me and Tori happened a long time ago. There’s nothin’ goin’ on between us now.” Not that he wouldn’t like there to be.
“I’m sorry to hear that. I think you guys would be great together.”
“Too bad she doesn’t share your opinion.”
“Oh yeah? Why’s that?”
“I screwed things up pretty bad. She’s not willin’ to give me a chance to make it right.”
“So, you’re just gonna give up? Just like that, huh?” J.T. tipped his cowboy hat back on his head. “Guess she don’t mean that much to you after all.”
“How the hell do you know how much she means to me?”
“Man, I’ve known you your whole life. When you want somethin’, you go after it. You don’t let anything stand in your way.”
Mike knew his friend was right, but his heart had never been on the line before. That added a whole new dimension of fear. “I just wanna take it slow, see how this whole things plays out.”
“Yeah, and in the meantime, she’s out with that Bryan dude tonight. You think his plan is to take it slow?”
J.T. was obviously trying to light a fire under him, and Mike hated to admit it, but it was working. “Don’t start with me about that guy. Hey, have you met him yet?”
“No, but Nikki has. She’s says he’s really got his shit together.”
Mike knew all about Bryan’s philanthropic endeavors, he’d seen the background check his father ran on him. He even saw his picture online. The guy looked like a model for one of those yachting magazines. He and Tori couldn’t be more different. Mike only hoped that in this case, opposites repelled.
“Hey, Nik told me about this dude who’s been tailin’ Tori, too. What’s the deal with that?”
Given the fact they were in the middle of a noisy, crowded bar, Mike wasn’t too concerned about anyone eavesdropping on their conversation, but he didn’t want to take any chances. “We need to keep that under wraps, man.”
J.T. raised his hands. “No worries, I hear ya.”
“Thanks. Listen, I know my brother’s probably anxious to get home to his wife and baby girl, so I’m gonna head on back there and have a drink with him before he gets antsy and decides to call it a night.”
“You got it. You need anything, you let me know. And as always, drinks are on the house.”
Mike slapped his friend on the back. “Thanks, buddy. You’re the best.”
“Do me a favor. Tell my wife that, will ya?”
Mike laughed. “She already knows it.”
Jay stood up and pulled Mike into a half hug when he reached the table. “What’s up? Seems like I haven’t seen you in ages.”
“Been busy with work.”
The waitress took their drink orders, and Jay eased back against the bench seat. “There’s somethin’ different about you. What the hell’s goin’ on, and don’t tell me nothin’ ’cause I know damn well there is.”
His brother already knew about his night with Tori, so there was no sense trying to hide the truth from him. “Dad convinced me to take a bit of time off. There’s a case he wanted me to work on.”
“Really? What kind of case?”
Mike leaned forward. He knew if he couldn’t trust his brother, there wasn’t a person alive he could count on to have his back. “Somebody’s been stalkin’ Tori.”
Jay muttered a curse. “Why the hell didn’t she tell us?” Jay and his wife, Victoria, were close friends with Tori, but Mike knew Avery wanted her to keep it quiet so it wouldn’t interfere with their upcoming tour.
“I think she was kinda sworn to secrecy. Don’t take it personally.”
Jay smiled at the waitress who set two bottles of beer between them. “Still, it makes me feel better knowin’ you’re keepin’ an eye on her.”
“I was hired to investigate this case, not babysit her.” Mike brought the bottle to his lips. “But somehow I managed to end up lookin’ out for her, whether I like it or not.”
“That must be kinda weird, given your history, huh?”
He tipped the bottle to his lips before he responded. He wished he could have ten more beers to make him forget that Tori was probably dancing in another man’s arms right now, but he still had to drive back to her place… eventually. If he walked in on the two of them… he couldn’t trust himself not to tear the guy apart.
“I’m stayin’ at her place. How’s that for irony?”
“No way!” Jay threw his head back and laughed. “I’m surprised you two haven’t killed each other yet.”
Mike’s mind drifted back to last night. It was the nicest evening he’d spent with a woman… ever. “Actually, it’s been kinda nice gettin’ to know her. I know I don’t have to tell you this, but she’s amazing.” He cleared his throat, trying to avoid his brother’s intense gaze. “I like her, a lot.”
“Define like.”
“Do I have to?”
“Damn,” Jay whispered. “Seriously? After the way you told her to hit the road that night, I thought you pretty much blew any chance of ever seein’ her again.”
“I did. That’s the problem.”
“Ah, makes sense. Tori isn’t like the rest of your little playmates. She won’t put up with any of your shit.”
“Shut up!” Mike already knew Tori was unlike any woman he’d ever met. He definitely didn’t need his brother to remind him. “Look, I know she’s special. Problem is, she won’t give me a chance to prove it.”
“I don’t get it. Why are you here whinin’ to me when you could be at her place, tryin’ to convince her?”
Mike wrapped his hand around his bottle and clenched the cold glass before he brought it to his lips. “She’s out on a date. Don’t that just beat all?”
Jay smirked. “I gotta tell ya, I love seein’ you all bent outta shape like this over a woman. It was a hell of a long time comin’.”
“Enough about me. How’s my gorgeous sister-in-law and niece?”
“Perfect.”
Mike pretended to gag, but he was glad his twin seemed so content with his life.
“Listen to me,” Jay said, leaning forward. “When you find what I have with Vic, you don’t ever wanna let it go.”
“I hear ya.”
“Do you? Really?”
It was difficult for Mike to even think about getting in as deep as his brother was. Marriage and kids seemed a long way off, but leaving Tori’s comfortable home seemed inconceivable to him, too. He already loved it there, though he’d love it even more if he were sharing her bedroom instead of sleeping in the room down the hall.
“Yeah, I hear what you’re sayin’.”
“I knew there was something special between you and Tori that night. Why the hell do you think I encouraged you to go after her and apologize for bein’ such a jerk?”
It wasn’t difficult to imagine how different his life could have been if he’d taken his brother’s advice that night. But at the time, he was scared senseless of what he was feeling for Tori. He was jealous, possessive, and insecure. It all came down on him at once when they finally came together. He reacted the only way he knew how to at the time—he pushed her away.
“I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life, Lord knows…” He sighed. “But that one pretty much topped the list.”
“You�
�re wrong; this one tops the list.”
“What’re you talkin’ about?”
Jay scraped his hands over his face, looking frustrated. “You’re gettin’ your second chance with her, yet here you are bitchin’ to me about the fact she’s out on a date with some other guy.”
Mike drained his bottle. “She asked me to give her a little space tonight. I guess she wanted to bring her date back to the house.”
“Man, you are one dumb S.O.B. If that was my woman, I’d be camped out on her doorstep to make sure she didn’t do somethin’ we’d both regret.”
“I have my pride, Jay.”
He laughed. “Yeah, you have your pride, but he’s got your girl. I’d much rather be in his place than yours.”
Mike stood up and rolled a couple of bills off the top. J.T. never charged them for drinks, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t tip the wait staff well. “Thanks for givin’ me a kick in the ass. I needed it.”
Jay grinned as he laced his hands behind his head. “What’re brothers for?”
Tori tucked her legs up under her as she pulled the faux-fur wrap around her shoulders. There was no reason she should be cold. It was the middle of July. But with Mike gone, the house seemed cold and eerily quiet. Even with the TV on, she still heard every creak.
The sound of a car engine and a soft tap on the door prompted her to mute the sound and listen. When she didn’t hear anything, she ran to the door to look through the peephole. Mike. Thank God. She threw the door open and glared at him. “You scared me half to death.”
He smiled. “Glad to hear it. That means I must be gettin’ through to you.”
Tori tugged on the front of his black T-shirt. “Get in here. You’re lettin’ the bugs in.” She reached for her oversized designer handbag on the console table in the hall. “Here, take this.” She handed him her spare key.
“Thanks.” He pocketed the key and looked around the open foyer. “We alone?”
“Yeah, I was kinda tired, so I took a cab home from the benefit.”
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