by Skye Turner
Summer is staring at me as if I disgust her. I do. I’m disgusted with myself, too.
I reach out to touch her and she jerks back so quickly she almost falls. I feel it like a knife to my chest. She glares at me with extreme disgust. “Don’t touch me.” Then, she looks away as if the sight of me makes her ill.
Dropping my hand to my sides, I pull at the material of my pants and try to ignore the tightening of my stomach. “Summer… look at me.” Her jaw clenches and she stares harder at the wall just over my shoulder. “Please. I never say that to anyone, but I’m saying it to you. Can you please look at me?!”
She shudders but her eyes slowly move to meet mine. I see the myriad of emotions swirling in her honeyed depths. “I’m sorry. This isn’t a game to me.
“You… you aren’t a game to me. You never were. At first, sure, I thought you and I could have some fun and it would be just a fling and nothing else. But you liked me. I knew that. I could see it. I could feel it. You didn’t treat me like the other women who want me treat me.
“I wasn’t Sean Scott, the promiscuous rocker, with you. I was just Sean who happened to be in a rock band.” Her eyes are warily watching me. Her expression shows her distrust. I can’t exactly blame her. “But, I liked you, too…” She gasps. “I liked you… I do like you, Summer.
“I like you and it’s not like anything I’ve had with anyone else. At first, I thought I’d just ignore it and it would fade away. But it didn’t and as you flirted I found myself wanting to flirt back in ways I wasn’t used to… You’re so sexy, but you’re innocent. Not like a child, but innocent like you’re genuine with what you’re feeling. You were genuine with your attraction.
“And then… you stopped flirting with me. You just stopped.
“You stopped and I missed it. Because every time we’d kiss or whatever, it would cause these unfamiliar feelings and I wasn’t sure I wanted to deal with them, so I ignored them and acted like they weren’t there. But, as soon as you stopped… I missed the flirting with you. I miss the conversations and the easy companionship we shared. I miss everything that I didn’t think I wanted.
“Last night… I went into the arena to talk to you. I don’t know about what. I didn’t care about what. I just wanted to talk to you and have you smile at me like you used to…” I groan and punch my palm as frustration fills me. She jumps and I glare at her. “Only, you were kissing Jake.
“You were kissing Jake and I really didn’t like it.”
She frowns and snaps. “I can kiss anyone I want to kiss, Sean…”
I cut her off. “You’re right. You can. But the fact that you are… I don’t really care for that fact.”
She looks at me incredulously. “You don’t care for the fact that I was kissing Jake? Are you fucking kidding me?” She laughs though it’s very obvious that she’s not humored by what I’m saying. Hell, I don’t even know what I’m trying to say, but she doesn’t seem too keen on what I’ve said so far. Her hands slap on her hips and she shakes her head as if she can’t believe she’s hearing what I’m saying. She points at me. “No, seriously. You fuck every woman who wants a piece of you, Sean. Every night… every night, you’re screwing whoever the flavor of the hour is… Yet, now you’re telling me that you what? What are you telling me?
“Ok, so you don’t like that I’m kissing Jake… Why not? You and I… we’re nothing. We’re tour mates.
“You bed women like people go through the DMV, Sean. I swear you need a ticket dispenser just to know which slut is up next.
“And now… now I’m dating… or I went on a date with a nice guy who doesn’t screw various women like a rabbit and actually likes me… and that’s an issue for you?! You have got to be kidding me…”
“I’m not interested in you because Jake is interested in you, Summer!” I exclaim in ire.
She snorts. “Sure, you aren’t.”
Stepping toward her, I watch as she freezes and her breathing accelerates. When I’m hovering over her, I lean down and breathe in her face. “I’m not sixteen, Summer. I like you… I was trying to show you that when I saw you with Jake. I didn’t know you two were a thing. So, are you a thing? Because if you are, then you have some major explaining to do to your boyfriend about what happened in here tonight.”
I hold my breath as I wait for Summer’s reply to my question.
Is it too late for me and you?
Did I totally fuck this up?
Because I’m about 99.99% certain that I’m not going to be ok with that scenario if you say it’s too late.
Finally, Summer sighs and shakes her head. She gnaws on her lip as she stares at her now cold coffee. Her eyes turn back to me. “I don’t have a boyfriend, Sean. I like Jake. I was hoping to see if he and I were a good match.”
My voice is husky as I stare down at her and ask. “Ok, so do you think you’re a good match?”
Her eyes are shining up at me as I wait for her reply. She nods. “I think we could be, yes.” My stomach feels like someone just grabbed my intestines and twisted the fuck out of them. “But, I can’t deny that the things I feel for you. My response to,” her hands flutter, “all that’s just happened are a testament to that.” Her hands rest on my chest and I know she can feel my heart beating.
I whisper. “Ok, so since you don’t have a boyfriend and I can’t get you out of my head… how about spending tomorrow with me? You spent today with Jake. Spend tomorrow with me. Give me a chance…” I stare at her. “I’m asking you for a chance.”
Chapter Five
Summer
I toss in the already twisted sheets of the hotel bed and groan in frustration. My hand curls and I slam it against the mattress. “Ugh! He wants a chance. And I said yes. Why did I say yes?” My hand covers my face and I groan. “I said yes because I want to give Sean a chance. And now, I’m talking to myself in the middle of the night with him in the next room. Great.”
Glancing over at the clock on the night stand, I groan as the red lights stare back at me. It’s 4AM. I need to sleep.
Yeah, because if you didn’t fall asleep at midnight and you’ve been swimming all over this bed for four hours, you’re going to sleep for the next few.
I’m spending the day with Sean today…
Sean.
The whole day. I spent the day with Jake yesterday and now today, I’m going to be with Sean.
Who is this woman?!
I’m not the woman men vie for the attention of. And now, two men… two vastly different men are paying me attention.
What do I do?!
I texted Jake back last night. Apparently while Sean and I were hot and heavy against the wall, Jake responded to my text.
I feel so guilty that I was making out with Sean when Jake was texting me. But we’re not exclusive. I mean, we just went on our first date yesterday. I have nothing to feel guilty about.
Uh huh. Then why didn’t you tell Jake that you were spending the day with Sean when he asked you to lunch?
I told him I had plans for the day. He said that was cool and that maybe we could catch dinner or have a drink or something tomorrow night.
I said that would be great and I’d let him know when I was free.
Sean said he’d be over to grab me at 10AM. It’s 4AM… I know damn well I am not going to sleep, so what the hell do I do for the next six hours?!
Rolling, I bury my face into the pillow beside me and scream into it. Turning my head, I glare at the offending red lights and mutter, “Oh, stop staring at me.”
It’s 8AM and I’m on my second cup of coffee while I stare out at downtown Nashville through the window. My cell pings on the table and I grab it. Smiling, I open the text.
“Daisy
You awake? I’m up. Rafe is still sleeping and I can’t just sit in here quiet as a mouse. I haven’t even had coffee and I’m dying!”
Laughing, I take another sip of my coffee before texting her back.
“Summer
I’m up. Been up
a long time… come over. I need someone to talk to and you can use my coffee pot!”
She doesn’t text back, but I don’t expect her to. I just smile as I wait for her knock on the door.
Less than a minute later, I hear it. Pushing the button on the coffee pot, I set it to brew and open the door. Daisy groans as she smells the air behind me. Chuckling, I walk into the room and point to the pot. “That’s yours. You look like a retriever smelling the air like that. You’re welcome.”
She mutters, “God, I love you. I was in hell over there. Rafe was sleeping so soundly and we were up late, but I knew that if I turned on the coffee pot, it would wake him.”
I watch as she adds just a tiny splash of Pumpkin Spice creamer to the cup before stirring it and turning to face me. She sniffs the coffee and grins before taking a few sips. “Damn, that’s so good. It’s not Community, but it’ll do for now.” She looks at me over the rim and arches her brow. “Why are you up so early?”
Plopping onto the couch in the sitting room of the suite, I curl my legs under me and say, “Get comfortable.”
Her eyes widen and she sits. “Ok, so what’s up? Did something happen with Jake? I didn’t hear from you last night… is everything ok? Date not go well?”
To give myself a little more time, I take a sip of my lukewarm coffee before meeting her curious face. “Oh, the date was great. We went to Belcourt Taps and then to his family’s ranch to ride and have a picnic. It was nearly perfect. He’s so sweet and it was so comfortable and romantic.
“He brought me here just after dark and well, we were kissing in his car… in the parking garage. Roger caught us…”
Daisy chokes on her coffee and looks right at me. “He caught you? What do you mean? Were y’all naked in the backseat or something?!” Her eyes widen in horror. “Oh my God, please say no! There are cameras in there… Security cameras…”
My own eyes bug out and I snap. “No, we weren’t naked! We’re not horny teenagers! Jeez, Daisy!” I sigh. “No, we were just kissing. It was nice and he’s a perfect gentleman. But we were under the light and Roger was in the stairwell… with Sean…”
“Roger was with Sean?! In the stairwell? What the hell are you talking about? Sean had a woman in the stairwell?!” Daisy shrieks.
I shake my head. “What? No, why would you say that!? No, he didn’t have a woman. At least not when Jake and I were kissing in the car. He was in there like exercising or something.
“But Roger saw me and Jake and he tapped on the window. We obviously stopped kissing and Jake went through the front doors of the hotel while Roger and the team took Sean and I up the stairs before putting us in an elevator…”
“I didn’t know that Sean was in there until I walked into the stairwell… he saw me and Jake…” My eyes raise to my sisters and I shrug. “He said some rude things to me and then took his shirt off in the elevator.”
“He took his shirt off?! What? Why?” Daisy is eating this up.
“To mess with me of course. He’s Sean…” I look right at her and blurt out the rest. “But he’s next door.” I point to the door between our rooms. “I came in here and showered and got comfortable.” I point to my night clothes. “He knocked on the door. I opened it because I’m stupid and he came in. We ended up against the wall over there and things were… um, they were intense. We almost has sex. But we didn’t. He stopped. He stopped when I wanted to keep going and said he couldn’t treat me like that because he liked me and he missed me and it had nothing to do with Jake. Then, he asked me to spend today with him and we argued about him and what he was doing, but then… I said yes. And I’ve been up all night because I couldn’t sleep from thinking about Sean… and Jake… What do I do, sis?”
Daisy is staring at me in utter stupification. Her mouth is hanging open and she just keeps staring at me… unblinking.
Finally, she shakes her head and inhales. She holds it for a minute before releasing it with a whoosh. “Well, ok then. I wasn’t expecting that.” Her head cocks to the side. “Ok… So, what do you want to do? You obviously want to spend time with Sean… you did say yes. But, what about Jake? Do you still want to see Jake, too? Does Jake know that Sean asked you out? Or that you said yes? I can’t tell you what to do, sis. Only you can decide that.” Her face softens as she looks at me and she reaches over and cups my hand. “But, just be careful. I know how you feel about Sean… so do you. I can’t and won’t tell you not to see what’s there, Summer. That’s not my place and I like Sean. He’s Rafe’s best friend. He’s not a bad guy. He’s just… well, he’s Sean. But you know all that. Just be careful.” She smiles slightly. “And you have to be honest with Jake. He may not be ok with dating you if you’re also seeing Sean and that’s his choice. But, it’s his choice. Don’t hide it from him.”
She’s right! She’s always right.
I have to tell Jake. Sean knows I spent the day with Jake and that we kissed… but Jake doesn’t know anything about me and Sean. Not what’s happened between us in the last few months OR what happened last night… after our date.
He deserves to know. Not that I’m doing anything wrong. I’m not. But he does have a right to know.
Sean
I wake to the sun streaming through the window I forgot to close last night. Squinting at the bright light, I turn to glance at the clock. Almost nine. Lying flat on my back, I stretch and my ears perk up as I hear someone through the wall I share with Summer’s room.
Is it Jake? Is Jake in there?
Seriously, Sean… you’re first thought is “Is it Jake?”
Craning my neck, I angle my head toward the door and listen intently. The voices are muffled, but both sound female. A sigh of relief escapes me.
What? It’s not spying. I was just wondering.
Right… sure you were.
Choosing to ignore my own self-censure, I jump out of bed and head to the shower to get clean and dressed before grabbing Summer.
Should I text her to make sure she hasn’t changed her mind?!
No, because then she could say “no”. If I just knock and expect her to be ready, she can’t say no.
Of course she can, you idiot.
Muttering out loud, I stroll to the shower. “Shut up, Sean.”
It’s five minutes to ten and I’ve been pacing the floor from the bedroom to the sitting room for half an hour. I’m surprised that there isn’t a pathway showing in the carpet.
Grabbing my wallet and sunglasses from beside the TV, I turn to the adjoining door. As I reach it, I turn and grab the black fedora from the chair. I might need this if we want to stay incognito. Then, I turn back to the adjoining door. My hand is poised to knock when I realize I don’t know which door I should use.
Do I use the connecting door? Or should I go into the hall and knock on the front door?
If I go into the hall, security and anyone else up here will see me…
So what? Maybe Jake or one of his buddies will see me going into Summer’s room.
But, what if she doesn’t want them to know?!
But, what if I knock on this door and she just ignores it?!
Shit! What the fuck do I do right now? I am so out of my element!
Making a quick decision, I knock on the adjoining door.
At least if she rejects me or ignores me, no one will see it!
I wait to see if she’s going to open it…
Within a minute, I hear the lock turn on her door and it’s slowly being opened.
She smiles at me shyly. “Morning.”
Grinning back, I step up to her. She hastily steps back and only stops when she bumps into the coffee bar. Her hands reach out to grab the edge to steady herself.
Leaning over her, I take full advantage of her surprise and press a quick kiss to her moist, parted lips. She gasps and I have to really force myself not to slide my tongue past her lips. Lifting my head, I smile down at her. “Morning. You ready for the day?”
She doesn’t say anything as she con
tinues to stare up at me as if she’s frozen.
A muffled laugh reaches my ears and I turn with a start. Daisy is sitting on the couch with Fannie and McKenzie. All are raptly staring at me.
Oh shit… I didn’t know anyone else was in here.
Daisy removes her hand from her mouth and her lips are twisted with humor. “Morning, Sean.”
Fannie and McKenzie are both still wide eyed, but manage to find their voices as their eyes flit from me to Summer. Both finally smirk and mutter, “Morning.”
They all stand. Summer is still just standing there staring at me with her hand over her lips.
Is she ok? I probably shouldn’t have done that… And the girls all saw.
Daisy is going to tell Rafe!
Shit! I didn’t tell any of the guys I was going to spend the day with Summer today.
Well, I didn’t really know until last night…
But still… I should have given them a heads up.
Daisy leads the other two girls past me and turns as they reach the door. “Have a nice day, you two.” She winks at me and then levels a look I can’t read at Summer before all three of them slip out the front door.
Summer and I are once again alone in her room. Only this time, she’s looking at me like she doesn’t know if she wants me here.
Chapter Six
Summer
Sean and I are alone in my room. We’re alone in my room after he just kissed me in front of my sister and bandmates.
Oh boy… I wasn’t expecting that. I mean I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t for him to kiss me as soon as he saw me.
Not that it was even a major kiss. It was just a quick pressing of his lips against mine.
But my heart is racing as if we just made out for an hour.
I can’t control my response to him. How am I going to make it a whole day with him if I can’t handle five seconds?!
Finally, I stand tall. Well, as tall as I can since I’m so short. He smiles at me and I find myself unable to stop the smile from forming on my own face.