Troublemaker (Songbird #6)

by Melissa Pearl

  I closed my eyes and rested my head against the cool glass.

  “That’s your job, and I’m trusting you to do it. Now, get Chaos safely to their next venue then head back to LA. I don’t care what you have to do, but make sure Caris has apologized to that leeching bastard by the end of the week.”

  I hung up and stared out at the twinkling lights with a frown, which ever so slowly morphed into a smile.

  As much as I didn’t want to have to face the Caris fiasco, I was getting back to LA early. Spinning on my heel, I raced for my laptop and plopped down on the bed. It didn’t take me long to find the song I wanted. I quickly attached it to Kelly’s personal email then smiled as it whooshed out of my heart and into her inbox.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Kelly

  “Back For You” by One Direction blasted through the house. Marcus had sent it to me the night before, and I’d been listening to it all day. He was returning early. He didn’t say why, but I couldn’t help the zing that kept buzzing through my chest every time I thought about seeing him again.

  I’d given him my address so he could come around as soon as he returned. I felt a little edgy about that fact. I didn’t share my address with many people, and my mother would have a conniption if she knew I was inviting random men over. Marcus wasn’t random, but as far as my mother was concerned, he’d be a no-go, which was why she could never find out about him.

  I danced around the kitchen, pouring myself a drink and singing the words I knew. Marcus hadn’t texted all day, and I wasn’t sure what time he’d arrive. I did know he was traveling a lot with Chaos, and he’d most likely catch the red-eye to LA. Would he come straight over and see me?

  Probably not. Knowing Marcus, he’d be too polite to wake me.

  A smile brushed my lips as I headed for my phone, set on texting him so he’d know I’d get up in the middle of the night to let him in. The doorbell stopped me. I glanced at the clock, surprised that he’d made it so soon. Turning down the volume, I skipped to the door and flicked it back with a grin that immediately disappeared.

  “Fletcher? What are you doing here?”

  My ex stood in the doorway, tall and enigmatic in his charcoal suit with a crisp white shirt. He was tie-less and the top button was undone, giving me a glimpse of his collarbone. I always loved how strong and angular it was. I used to run my finger along the hard edge then trace the line between his pecs.

  “Hi, Kelly.” His deep voice was smooth yet husky, a spine-tingling sound that still got to me.

  I gripped the door and gazed up at him. “What are you doing here?”

  “Can I come in?”

  “Um.” I pinched the crook of my neck.

  “I just want to talk for a minute.”

  Pressing my lips together, I stood aside to let him walk past me. He smelled good. I couldn’t place the scent, but it wafted up my nose and tickled my taste buds.

  Fletcher glanced around my minimal apartment, sliding his hands into his pockets and turning to give me an appreciative smile. “This is nice.”

  “Thank you.” I crossed my arms. I was wearing sweatpants and a fitted tee. It didn’t matter that they were both designer. Next to Fletcher, I looked like a frumpy slouch.

  In spite of my self-conscious qualms, Fletcher gazed at me with a sweet warmth. It reminded me of my freshman year at Stanford and how I had lived for that look every day of the week. It had melted my insides every time. I glanced away from it.

  “Sorry to turn up like this, but after seeing you yesterday, I just…” His soft snicker was abashed. “I can’t stop thinking about you.”

  I gripped my arms and shifted uncomfortably, hating the effect his words had on me.

  He doesn’t mean it, Kelly! Remember!

  I raised my chin and glared at him. “How are the wedding plans going?”

  “I don’t know what I’m doing.” Fletcher closed his eyes with a heavy sigh.

  Was he talking about being at my apartment or the wedding?

  “Evangeline is a sweetheart, she really is, but…” Fletcher’s jacket rustled as he shrugged.

  I made the mistake of looking at him. His gaze caught me and locked me in place. I couldn’t move as he stepped forward, stopping close enough that I could feel his words on my skin. “She’s not you.”

  It was hard to breathe. “You chose her.”

  “No, you left me, and I had no other choice.”

  I stepped away from him, bumping into the side table and rattling the keys in the bowl. “You’re marrying her.”

  “That doesn’t mean I’ll stop loving you.”

  His words twisted my stomach into a tangled knot of confusion.

  He reached for me, cupping my cheek and brushing his thumb beneath my eye. “We were a good match, Kelly. You always looked better on my arm than she did.”

  “So, what are you saying? You want to call off the wedding and marry me instead? You can just keep Evangeline around for hot sex when I’m too frigid for you, is that it?”

  Fletcher grimaced and dropped his hand. “I didn’t mean to make you feel that way. I was confused and I wasn’t sure what I wanted…or needed. When you left, I thought it was so easy, decision made, but you’re always in the background of my mind, taunting me, reminding me of what we had.”

  “You dumped me first, remember?”

  “Yeah, a mistake I’ll always regret.” His expression crumpled with remorse.

  I snapped my eyes shut, trying to sever our connection.

  “You remember the times we had. We looked so good together.”

  Fletcher was smiling. I could hear it in his voice, but I didn’t want to look. My heart was thumping so loud I could feel it in my head. What the hell was he trying to do to me?

  An old, desperate part of my heart wanted me to open my eyes and run into his arms. But the girl I was slowly becoming opened her eyes and managed to throw him a hot glare.

  “You’re engaged to another woman. And you’re standing in my apartment telling me all this stuff? How do you think Evangeline would feel if I told her?”

  He gave me a chastened grin. Dammit! Even his half-smile was charming. “Maybe you’re right. I probably shouldn’t be here, but I just can’t help wondering if letting you go was the biggest mistake I ever made.”

  I smashed my teeth together. Hot tears were building beneath the surface. It would have been so easy to take that route. My mother would love it. I could go back to striving for the life I’d mapped out—the perfect wedding, the perfect man. Fletcher was right about one thing—we looked good together.

  But something inside me couldn’t go back.

  I didn’t recognize what it was at the time. All I knew is that a silent force within me had the strength to utter, “You may have made the wrong decision, but I didn’t. I can’t trust you, and that means we can’t be together.”

  “Kelly…” He reached for me again, but I slapped his hand away.

  “I want you to leave.”

  He stepped back, his nostrils flaring slightly as he gazed down at me. I kept my eyes on his shiny, black shoes and opened the door for him. I wanted to say something snarky but couldn’t think of anything clever. So, I silently stood by the door, forcing air through my nose and trying not to cave in as once again I let my first love go.

  I slammed the door behind him and slid to the floor. I’d done the right thing. So why did I feel so bad?

  I couldn’t figure it out. Fletcher would only hurt me again. Being with Marcus was safe and secure…yet it wasn’t. He made me feel things that terrified me. He opened me up to a life I’d never experienced before, and as tantalizing as that was, could I honestly make it long-term? How would that even work?

  There was no way my mother would accept him. I could just imagine him at our dinner table trying to strike up a game of “Would you rather…” She’d peer over her crystal glass and say everything with one demeaning glare. I didn’t want to expose him to that. He deserved better. Appearance
was everything to my family, and Marcus could never fit the mold. He was too homegrown and sweet for their tastes.

  Tears burned my eyes as I stopped and forced myself to really think it through. No wonder I’d wanted to keep things quiet at work. I didn’t want to have to admit who I really was and what my future held.

  What I had with Marcus could never have been more than a reckless fling.

  I slashed a tear off my cheek and sniffed. “Time to pop the bubble, Kelly.” I dipped my head with a whimper and, for reasons I couldn’t understand, my stomach started jerking with uncontrollable sobs.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Marcus

  “Caris, you know I love you,” I lied, “but we can’t move forward with this lawsuit hanging over us. You have got to find it within your gracious self to apologize to the hotel.”

  Her skinny legs were crossed, and she swung her booted foot up and down with a childish pout. “They’re being ridiculous! I did apologize.”

  I cringed and tipped my head. “I don’t think five words scribbled on the back of a Burger King receipt is really what they’re looking for.”

  “Oh, come on!” She slapped the table. “You know they’re only doing this for publicity. You are feeding into their hands by agreeing to advertise for them.”

  “Why’d you have to trash the room?” I rubbed my forehead, wondering if I was leaving red marks behind.

  “I was drunk. I didn’t know what I was doing.”

  “How’d you even get the alcohol!”

  She smirked—a playful, flirty one that I simply glared at.

  “Don’t look at me that way.” She frowned. “You’re my manager. You’re supposed to be taking care of me. I could choose any record label—”

  “Yeah, I know.” I raised my hand to stop her, squinting across the street. We were sitting outside at the Quirky Corner Cafe. I took all my artists there. It was private and out of the way so we could have uninterrupted conversations. I thought back to the chat I’d had with Jimmy all those months ago. Man, he’d come a long way, and so had I.

  I started to grin, remembering how I’d told him about Kelly. She was mine now. Damn, it was unbelievable.

  “What are you smiling about?”

  I glanced down at Caris’s swinging boot, rubbing a hand over my grin. Like hell I was telling her about my love life.

  “Okay.” I tapped the table and checked my watch. It was nearly five. I hadn’t seen Kelly since I got back and was desperate to get around to her place before she left for dinner at her parents’ house. I was hoping to convince her to come back to mine after she’d eaten with them. What I really wanted was to join her, but I couldn’t see her agreeing to that in a hurry.

  “Caris, honey, I need you to help us all out and tell the hotel that you are gravely sorry for damaging their property.”

  Her sharp face bunched into a tight scowl, accentuating her high cheekbones. “I’m not doing it in front of a camera. The press will go to town on me.”

  “No, we’ll keep it out of the press. We’ll just quietly drive down there tomorrow and you can say a formal apology. If the press gets wind of it, it’ll reflect well on you. Shows your humility.”

  She huffed and rolled her eyes, flicking a thick curl over her shoulder. “Oh fine, then. I’ll say sorry, then sign some shit for his kids or something.”

  “And, maybe sing at his daughter’s fifteenth birthday party?” I mumbled.

  “What!” Her petite face scrunched into an ugly scowl.

  “Come on, it’ll be one hour out of your evening. I had to pull something big to appease this guy.”

  “He’s an asshole!” Caris’s hoop earrings swung as she jerked her head.

  “You and your friends caused thousands of dollars’ worth of damage.” I tapped the table to emphasis my words. “They had to refurbish two entire rooms.”

  “They can afford it.”

  “You can’t.” I leaned toward her. “Do you get that?”

  Her eyes sparkled as she eyed me up. “Torrence is not going to drop me.” She smirked. “I’m a gold mine. Anyone with half a brain knows that.”

  I looked away from her triumphant snigger and cleared my throat. Adjusting my tie, I stood from the table and threw a couple of bills down. “I’m late for a meeting. Do me a favor and don’t get into any more trouble.”

  Her tongue skimmed the side of her mouth when she winked at me. I turned away to hide my disgusted frown. The only thing stopping my mood from turning completely black was the thought that I’d soon be holding Kelly and giving her a hello kiss to remember.

  *****

  The door eased open to reveal my stunning girl. She was still in her work clothes, but her blouse was untucked and her feet were bare. She looked like she was about to get changed for dinner.

  “Hey.” Her smile was soft as she looked at me and leaned her head against the door.

  “Hello, beautiful.”

  Her gaze shifted to the floor, and she stood back to let me in. I wandered past her, checking out the apartment as I shrugged off my jacket. It was nice, although completely different from mine. Hers was all muted tones and straight lines. There was one feature wall painted grape purple and showing off an abstract oil painting that probably cost more than my car. The living area was spacious, squared off by two black couches with thick, rectangular cushions on them.

  Kelly hadn’t said anything as I admired her open-plan house. The kitchen was off to the side, and I could see a stack of subscription magazines and flyers on the counter that had yet to be sorted. She must have only just gotten in.

  “How was work?” I spun to watch her move to the stereo and flick it on. “One Step Closer” by Shane Harper filled the room. I grinned. Man, I loved her taste in music. Her smile was stiff when she turned back to face me. “It was okay.” She shrugged. “Nothing exciting to report.”

  My brow dipped as I moved across to her. Gathering up her hand, I pressed her knuckles against my mouth and whispered, “What’s the matter?”

  She shook her head and stared at the floor. Her fingers felt a little hot and sweaty. I gave them a squeeze before dropping her hand—I could sense her wanting to step back from me.

  I clenched my jaw, sliding my hands into my pockets and trying to appear casual as my insides started quaking.

  “I, um…” She licked her lip. “I need to get ready to go out.”

  My smile was forced. It was impossible to hide my disappointment. “You’re not happy to see me.”

  Her brow crinkled and she glanced away from me, blinking rapidly. “It’s not that.” She sucked in a shaky breath. “I just…I’m not sure what we’re doing.”

  I narrowed my gaze. “I think it’s called dating.”

  A fleeting smile brushed her lips, but as usual, she bit it into submission.

  “Kelly, where’s this coming from?”

  I made a move toward her, but she swiveled out of my reach and stepped into the lounge, creating a distance that was trying to cut off my air supply.

  “Do you honestly think this could work?” She pointed her finger between us.

  “Yes.” I nodded, stepping after her. “I love you, and I know you feel something, too. You’re not ready to admit it, but you like us.”

  “This bubble is going to pop.” Her voice shook. “And then all we’ll be left with is two broken hearts. We should get out now before that happens.”

  “What, so we’ll only be left with one broken heart then?”

  Her expression crumpled at my sharp tone. I swallowed back my angst, scouring my mind for a way out of the soul-destroying conversation. We’d been together less than two weeks and she was already putting the brakes on. This couldn’t be happening.

  “Kelly—”

  “I think you should go.” She was a trembling mess. Her voice was all over the place, and her fingers were shaking as she tucked her hair behind her ear.

  “I’m not leaving.”

  She closed her eyes. “M
arcus, please. I can’t give you what you want.”

  “I just want you.” Emotion was making my voice thick. “And you can give me that, Kel. It doesn’t have to be complicated. You and me. It’s that simple.”

  Her lips wobbled as she brushed a tear off her cheek.

  I couldn’t stand it anymore. I closed the gap between us, wrapping my arms around her and skimming kisses up the side of her face. She held me tight, her nails digging into my shoulders as I met her lips with a kiss neither of us could pull away from.

  The music shifted to “Marvin Gaye,” and we started swaying to the beat. I clung to her with all I could, pouring every emotion I felt into the kiss. I wanted it to be enough. I needed it to be enough, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that maybe it wasn’t.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Kelly

  “Marvin Gaye” by Charlie Puth was playing.

  Marcus’s arms were around me. He smelled like Sovereign cologne, and his tongue was in my mouth, electrifying my core…making it impossible to pull away. I wanted him. I wanted to feel every inch of him and stay wrapped around him like there was no place but a little bubble containing two people who loved each other.

  My insides shuddered.

  I didn’t love him. I couldn’t.

  Pushing out of his embrace, I tried to step away, but he tugged me back, spinning me around so my spine was pressed against his muscular torso. His chin rested on my shoulder while his hands danced across my belly.

  The song, Marcus, my need all combined to take control, and before I knew what I was doing my thrumming body took over.

  “Touch me,” I whispered.

  Grabbing his hand, I guided it down between my legs. He lifted my skirt and cupped my panties. I tipped my head back, resting it on his shoulder with a soft whimper. We were still swaying to the beat, my bare feet brushing across the carpet. Marcus’s lips skimmed my neck, his tongue drawing a fire trail up to my earlobe. While his tongue got busy, he unbuttoned my shirt. I leaned forward and dropped my arms so the fabric could slide away. I then listened to the zipper of my skirt coming down, and I was soon dancing against him in nothing but my soul. He pulled me back, crushing any space between us, and his deft fingers found my sweet spot, sending me up to that cloud he’d helped me discover only two weeks ago.