“That was enough for Amy to know who you are. Did they go to number one or something?”
“Well, no. But the first two songs off the second album hit the top twenty on the U.S. charts.”
“So you are a rock star, then.” With the jeans, T-shirt, military-style boots, and tattoos, he looked the part.
“I like to think of us as currently popular. But we’re still an opening-act band—hardly rock star material.”
“Who are you opening for?”
“Endless Motion.”
Now, them I had heard of. Heidi talked about them all the time. She had a mega-crush on their lead singer, which meant she probably knew who Pushing Limits was. Now that I thought about it, the name did sound vaguely familiar. Maybe she had mentioned them a few times, but because they weren’t country music, I hadn’t paid a whole lot of attention to what she’d told me.
“So you’re not on tour right now?” I asked, remembering how he had said he couldn’t get a dog because his job involved a lot of traveling.
“We have a week off, and Jared, our guitarist, got married yesterday afternoon.”
“And that’s why you were able to check on me after my brother called you?”
He nodded.
“And that’s why you can spend the day in Desert Springs?”
Again he nodded. “Maybe even tomorrow too. I figured I could use a minivacation before we get back to touring, and this place seems as good as any.”
Made sense.
“Do you enjoy it?” I asked. “The touring?”
Bernie stopped, almost yanking my arm out of my shoulder because I wasn’t paying attention to him. He lowered his head, nose to the ground, sniffing.
“I do,” Mason said as we waited for Bernie to start moving again. “It’s a great way to meet the fans. The industry is crazy, but the music and the fans are the real thing. They make everything worth it.”
I’d have to take his word for that.
“Is that your favorite part about what you do?”
He didn’t even have to think a moment before answering. “Well, that and being with my brothers—more specifically, my bandmates. They mean everything to me. They’re my family.”
Bernie finished sniffing and lumbered onward, his pace that of an elderly woman with a walker.
No, correction—the woman would have moved faster.
Chapter 6
Mason
Bernie might have been the size of a horse, but he didn’t move as fast as one. Not even one headed for the glue factory.
His sluggishness as we walked along the sidewalk reminded me why I was staying in Desert Springs for a day or two. And it wasn’t just Bernie. The street was the opposite of what I was used to in L.A. Here it was quiet, with the occasional car driving past. I’d seen more cyclists and pedestrians than cars in the last few minutes, and none seemed to be rushing to their next destination. They were appreciating the slow pace of living in a small town.
The last few months had been hectic, and it was nice for once to take it easy. Until now I hadn’t realized how crazy everything had been. After our last tour, we had originally been scheduled to have several months off to recover and write songs for our second album. Too bad Ronald Remar, the president of the record label, hadn’t bothered to check the memo—he’d pushed up the recording date for that album so we could work with a famous producer. No sooner had we finished with our final date in L.A. than we were forced to spend three intensive weeks writing new material for the next album.
After that came the preparation for the next tour, promoting the new album, and then opening for Endless Motion during their ten-month tour. But at least I was getting to live the dream. Thousands of musicians would kill to be where I was.
“Do you like living here?” I asked.
“I do. I originally grew up in Vegas, then my mother moved to L.A. when I was eleven. I was used to the crazy city life. At first, when Heidi suggested I join her here, I thought she was nuts. But the town grows on you.”
“Would you ever move back to L.A.?”
She shook her head. “No. This is my home now. Plus I’ve got the boutique, where I’m practically my own boss. Heidi trusts me to do what’s best for our store.”
“When do I get to see it?”
She eyed me like I was as crazy as the L.A. city life. “You really want to see the place?”
“Sure, why not?”
“All right, I’ll take you there this afternoon. I have to pick up some paperwork from there anyway.”
“You’re working even though it’s the weekend? I thought the benefit of living in a small town was the more relaxed lifestyle.”
“Welcome to the realities of owning your own business. And like you’re one to talk. I bet you don’t get weekends off while touring.”
She had a point.
Bernie stopped walking and took a dump on the grass alongside the sidewalk. If I thought he was massive, that was nothing compared to his pile of crap. You know the scene in Jurassic Park when Laura Dern’s character shoves her hand into the mountain of triceratops poop? Well, that dinosaur had nothing on Bernie. “Holy shit.”
Nicole screwed up her nose and untied a blue baggie from the leash. Better her than me. “And this is why I want a smaller breed,” she muttered.
“You want a dog?”
She nodded as she scooped up the shit. Bernie oversaw her work, and I could’ve sworn he looked proud of his accomplishment, head held high.
“I want a dog one day, and a cat,” Nicole said. “But I also want the husband, the two-point-four kids, and the white picket fence.” She shrugged. “So far the closest I’ve come to any of that is walking Bernie the few times Beatrice has been away.”
She finished picking up after the giant dog. “What about you?” she asked as we continued walking. “Are you looking to one day settle down and have a family, or are you going to be a rock star forever, always on the road?”
Now it was my turn to shrug. “Can’t say settling down is on my agenda for anytime soon. Maybe one day. But my career’s associated with a high divorce rate.” Mostly because musicians have a hard time keeping their dicks in their own pants while on tour. And while Nolan and Jared weren’t the type to cheat on the women they loved, they were a rarity.
“I guess that’s true,” she said. “It’s the same with actors, especially when they’re married to other actors. Someone is always away on location. Must make for a lonely life.” And a lot of cheating, if what I’d heard about the Hollywood scene was anything to go by.
Nicole glanced at me, as if to determine whether or not my life was lonely. I guess that depended on how you defined lonely.
Not wanting her to come to her own conclusions, I picked up the pace, to poor Bernie’s dismay. Nicole tugged on his leash as she tried to keep up with me.
We finished our walk, which was a lot shorter than I’d expected…but I doubted Bernie would have agreed with me. He looked ready to take a good long nap. We said goodbye to him, with the promise to walk him again in a few hours, and left his house.
At Nicole’s home, she unlocked the front door, then threw her body against it as she turned the handle. The door remained stuck for a second, then gave way. She stumbled through the doorway with an unfazed expression.
And I mentally added “fix front door” to my to-do list.
Chapter 7
Nicole
I parked at the far end of the strip mall parking lot. The hem of my dress was halfway up my bare thighs, and for a second Mason’s eyes were focused on them before he glanced away. Just the thought of his lips against my skin was enough to cause an ache between my legs, and I sighed dreamily.
You’re not having sex with Mason. So get your head out of the gutter.
Easier said than done, especially since I wasn’t getting sex on a regular basis.
“You sure you want to come inside?” I asked. The only time guys ever entered the store willingly was to pick up flowers to imp
ress a date or a significant other.
“You know all about my job. Now I want to see where you work.”
I laughed. “This is hardly the same thing. It’s not like I was on tour with you.”
We got out of the car, and Mason and I headed to the store.
I opened the door and stepped inside. A blast of air-conditioning greeted me, along with the classical music playing softly in the background. Cindy was at the register, taking a customer’s order, and glanced up. She smiled at me, and her gaze darted momentarily to Mason before returning to the customer.
Mason scanned the store, which hadn’t changed since Heidi and I had taken over the boutique. Other than the brick wall behind the register, the walls were light gray. The shelves and counters were brown and fully stocked with tubs of various types of flowers. A sweet floral scent filled the air. The smell was one of my favorite parts about working here—it soothed the soul and calmed even the crankiest of customers.
“Eventually I plan to have a section of gift glassware,” I explained to him. “I’ve been working on my own designs to etch on them.”
Well, it was more like I’d been playing around with ideas for the theme surrounding the designs. So far I hadn’t come up with anything meaningful. All I’d figured out was that I wanted to avoid anything to do with flowers, which seemed too clichéd.
“Did you make those?” Mason pointed to the floral arrangements filling one counter.
“No, that was all Heidi. She’s a natural. I tried to do it a few times. The outcome wasn’t pretty.” Which was like saying it was slightly cool in Antarctica. “That’s why I stick to the business side of things and dealing with the customers. I even created our website.” A few small businesses in town had asked me if I could design theirs too. Heidi didn’t know about that—she complained enough as it was about how much I was working. “We’re even on Instagram and Facebook, and I blog a few times a month about special events Heidi’s been hired for, which lets me showcase her creations.”
Cindy finished up with the customer and came over as I was explaining the different flowers to Mason.
“Oh my God,” Cindy said, her eyes as round as daisies. “You look exactly like the drummer of Pushing Limits.” Her gaze shot back to me with an unspoken question.
“I get that all the time,” Mason said, his expression serious—other than the glint of mischief in his warm brown eyes. “Except I’m better-looking than him.”
I snorted a laugh.
Mason turned to me, eyebrow raised. “What, you don’t think I’m better-looking?”
“Oh, I don’t know. I bet the real deal has amazing abs.” I had no idea if that was true or not, but based on what I could tell, I’d have bet I wasn’t far off.
He yanked up his T-shirt, revealing some very lickable abs. Cindy was practically drooling at the sight of them.
“Not bad,” I said, doing my best not to laugh.
Mason crossed his arms, chin raised, one side of his mouth tilted up. “Damn straight they’re not bad.”
“But I bet the real deal is a better kisser.” The words tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop them.
“Only one way to find out,” he shot back. “Kiss me.”
I’d been ready to tell Cindy the truth, but his eyes possessed a challenge I couldn’t ignore, so I reached up on my toes and planted a quick kiss on his lips. The action was innocent—the unexpected electrifying hum through my body not so much.
As if hit by a bolt of lightning, I jerked away from Mason, my gaze going everywhere but to him.
“Looks like fake Mason kisses better than the real one,” Cindy said mischievously. Mason opened his mouth to protest, but Cindy just giggled and waved her hand. “I know you’re the real Mason Dell. Your voice gave it away.”
Just then the bell over the door jingled, followed a second later by “Oh my God! You’re…you’re…”
Cindy laughed as I turned to find Heidi staring at Mason as if she was either going to faint or start screaming like a fangirl.
“Yes, he’s Mason Dell,” Cindy said.
“Mason,” I said, “this is Heidi.”
The tattooed rocker held his hand out to her. “Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you too,” Heidi replied, shaking his hand. She threw me a questioning look.
“He’s Zack’s friend,” I said in an attempt to explain everything. “As you know, my phone died when I accidentally dropped it, and because I was so busy, it took several days before I could take it in to be fixed. Zack freaked out and figured something bad had happened to me. And the next thing I know, Mason was at my front door, making sure I was still alive.”
Heidi rolled her eyes. “When will your brother realize you’re a big girl?”
I snorted. “Never.”
“That sounds about right.”
“I think it’s great that he’s so protective,” Mason said. The slightly defensive edge to his tone made me wonder if I was missing something.
“I dropped by to pick up some paperwork I need to finish before Monday,” I told Heidi, ignoring Mason’s comment.
“It’s the weekend, Nicole. Do you even know what that means?”
“Sure. It’s the two days between Friday and Monday.”
“God, what am I going to do with you?”
“Says the woman who just came into the store today.”
“Because I have a big order for tomorrow and I need to get started on it.”
“You know I can help, right?”
The answering smirk said it all. Then she changed the subject. “So what happened with your big date last night?”
“Let’s just say there won’t be any more with him.”
“Why not?” She briefly glanced at Mason, as if he had crashed the date and caused Carl the accountant to run for the hills.
“We had nothing in common.”
“You knew this from one date?”
“And there was no chemistry between us,” I added. “Let’s just face it. You’re dating the only guy in Desert Springs who’s worth dating.”
She flashed me the same dreamy look she always wore when it came to her boyfriend, which I took to mean she agreed with me. “So what are you gonna do?”
“Become some crazy cat lady.”
“You can’t do that!”
“Can I become a crazy cat lady?” I asked Mason. Before he had a chance to respond, I said to Heidi, “See? He agrees. Crazy cat lady it is.”
Mason chuckled. Heidi didn’t.
“Is that why you two kissed?” Cindy asked from the counter. I hadn’t realized she was listening to our conversation.
“It was a joke,” I explained.
Cindy laughed. “Didn’t look like a joke from where I was standing.”
“Seriously? If you call that kissing,” I said, barely bothering to stifle a snort, “then you’re doing it all wrong.”
“We could do it again to prove it was a joke,” Mason added. I threw him a you’re-not-helping-me-here look. “Just a thought,” he said, grinning.
“No, that’s okay,” I choked out, heat rising to my cheeks.
If that was what happened when our lips barely touched, what would’ve happened if we had really kissed?
Kaboom, my girlie parts not-so-helpfully pointed out.
Unfortunately for them, they would never find out if that was true or not.
His smile widened, perfect white teeth contrasting against beautiful brown skin and dark stubble. “You sure?”
I was so busy staring at those full lips, I only vaguely heard what he said. It took a second for it to sink in. I blinked and turned away from his mesmerizing smile before it pulled me in deeper.
“Yes, I’m sure.” I decided to walk toward my office. Surprisingly, my legs complied.
I could hear Heidi following me as I approached my desk, cluttered with floral design catalogs, sketches of wildlife I’d drawn, and educational journals for small business owners. I gathered the papers
together in a small pile, waiting for her to say whatever it was she felt she needed to say to me. The soft sound of the door clicking shut seemed louder than normal.
“So what’s really going on between you and Mason?” she finally asked. It wasn’t concern that I heard in her words, just curiosity.
“I already told you.” I located the documents I needed and turned to face her. “Zack sent him down to check on me. He’s going to spend a day or two here to relax before he and his band return to touring.” And I would go back to dating boring men while searching for Mr. Right.
“But you’re interested in him.”
It wasn’t a question, but no way was I letting her in on the truth. “Right. Because he’s everything not on my list,” I said with what I hoped was enough sarcasm to distract her from the real answer. Plus it wasn’t like that between Mason and me. It was just my body that was reacting to him. It didn’t go both ways. “And have you not seen his tattoos?” The tattoos that elevated his hotness factor.
“Just how many tattoos does he have?”
My first mistake? Ignoring the alarms in my head at her deceptively casual tone. The second was blurting out, “Four.”
Her eyebrow jerked up, followed by the corner of her mouth. “Four? Because with his T-shirt on you can only see three. So you want to explain why you’ve seen one more than I just counted?”
“Because before you arrived, he flashed his abs for Cindy. He has one on his rib cage. Honestly, Heidi, you’re reading way too much into this.”
She opened her mouth to say more but never had a chance. The office door opened and Mason popped his head in.
“Are you ladies finished talking yet, or should I wait a little longer before Nicole and I go shopping?”
“No, we’re good,” I said, brushing past him as I walked out of the office—saving me from accidentally blurting out something to Heidi that I shouldn’t.
That something involving thoughts about Mason that would make a virgin nun blush.
Chapter 8
Mason
“I was thinking we could hit the hardware store next,” I said, after paying for my purchases in the clothing store Nicole had taken me to, “so I can get moving on some projects around the house while I’m here.”
I Need You Tonight Page 4