Rocking Standby

by Cassandra Lawson

  “I don’t know about you, but after all that manly posturing, I need a drink,” Harley remarked before calling out. “You boys stay there.”

  “Now, even Harley is trying to steal my girl,” I heard Gage complain from behind me.

  “Do they always compete like that?” Cami asked.

  “Not always,” Harley replied. “They are in rare form tonight.”

  We ordered our drinks as I took in the club. Much to my annoyance, as soon as I left the dance floor, a woman moved in on Gage. It was clear he was turning her down, but I still felt the uncomfortable twinge of jealousy.

  “Don’t worry about Gage,” Harley said from close to my ear. “He’s only had eyes for you since you met on that flight.”

  I felt my cheeks heat from embarrassment at being caught glaring at a groupie with Gage. “I’m not normally like this,” I admitted. “In fact, I’ve never been jealous with any of my exes.”

  “Your exes have all been pretty boring,” Cami pointed out.

  “They were not boring,” I argued before adding, “I suppose compared to Gage Addison, they were boring, but Gage is a rock star.”

  “Don’t call him or any of the other guys that,” Harley told me. “Their egos are already too big. I won’t be able to fit on the bus with them if they get any bigger.”

  “What’s it like touring with the band,” Cami asked.

  “It’s both annoying and awesome,” Harley replied. “I love playing with the guys. They’re all like brothers to me, and we’re a great team. Bus travel with them is incredibly irritating most days.”

  “I can see how the guys might be too much after weeks with them,” I agreed.

  “It wouldn’t be so bad if they wore pants on the bus,” Harley muttered.

  “Hold up!” Cami interrupted. “The male members of Reckless Release walk around the bus with no pants on?”

  “I’m sure they aren’t completely naked,” I told Cami.

  “They keep their shorts on,” Harley said with a snort. “I’d still prefer to have them keep their pants on.”

  “I’ll bet they do it to get a reaction from you,” I told her.

  “Probably,” she agreed.

  “So, all you have to do is stop reacting, and they’ll wear pants,” Cami suggested.

  “Easier said than done since Xander goes out of his way to find superhero boxers that are sure to get a reaction out of me,” Harley told us.

  I giggled. “This is hilarious. From everything I read about the band, I pictured Xander as some suave ladies’ man.”

  “Me too,” Cami agreed.

  “He’s a total dork,” Harley confirmed. “Women seem to like that about him. I’m looking forward to meeting your brother next week. Gage says he’s filling in for me at a show.”

  “Yes, he is,” I replied.

  “You sound worried,” Harley remarked.

  “Lex will be fine,” Cami assured me.

  “I know he will,” I replied. “I’m worrying over nothing.”

  “Austin sent me the video of his old band playing,” Harley added. “They were good. It’s too bad about what happened to the drummer.”

  “This is a sore subject for Bentley,” Cami told her.

  “One she needs to get over,” Harley added. “Unless I’m mistaken, this thing with your brother is why you were so reluctant to give Gage a chance.”

  “It is,” I agreed.

  “I don’t want to see Gage get hurt,” Harley began. “He’s going through a lot with his mom right now.”

  “I know,” I assured her. “Hurting Gage is the last thing I want. That doesn’t mean I can suddenly let go of my hang-ups, but I’m trying.”

  “That’s all I’m asking,” Harley told me before letting out a sigh. “It looks like the guys aren’t going to give us anymore girl time.”

  When I looked over my shoulder, I saw them approaching. My gaze immediately went to Gage. His smile warmed me all over. Harley was right about him being a good guy. I really hoped I’d be able to give him the chance he deserved.

  Chapter 48

  Gage

  The evening was going great, but I’d still rather be home with Bentley. I don’t mind admitting I’m a selfish bastard who doesn’t want to share her with anyone.

  “See this wasn’t too bad,” Bentley commented. She was sitting beside me at the table. We’d added extra chairs to make room for our group, so Bentley was pressed against my side—an added benefit to the crowded table.

  “I was thinking the same thing,” I admitted.

  Austin’s fist slammed down on the table, drawing everyone’s attention. He shook his head and said, “It can’t be.” He jumped to his feet and stalked across the room, looking ready to kill. I quickly chased after him with Xander by my side.

  “Austin!” I called out, but he ignored me. His entire focus was on the redhead leaning over the bar to talk to the bartender.

  Her leather skirt was so short I was surprised it still covered her ass with her leaning so far forward.

  “Piper!” Austin shouted.

  At the sound of her name, the redhead spun around. When her eyes landed on Austin, I saw a range of emotions. For the space of a heartbeat, she looked happy to see him. That quickly changed to hurt and then settled into anger.

  “Isn’t that sweet,” she began with a saccharine smile. “The big rock star remembers my name. What do you want Austin?”

  “First, I want to know why you’re dressed like that,” he demanded as he gestured to her leather skirt, spiked-heel boots, and nearly transparent white blouse.

  “None of you damn business,” she snapped. When she tried to turn away from him, he caught her shoulders. “Let me go, Austin,” she hissed.

  “Not until you’ve answered my questions,” he ground out. “You have no business being in a club dressed like this.”

  “Austin.” I placed a hand on his shoulder to get his attention. “We’re drawing a crowd. This is not the sort of thing you want to end up on the internet.”

  “That’s right, Austin,” Piper crooned. “You wouldn’t want your precious image to be tarnished, would you? Imagine the pictures of you manhandling a bar tramp ending up all over your fan pages. It will only get worse when they find out my mother used to be your dad’s whore.”

  “Don’t,” Austin warned.

  “Don’t what?” she asked. “Is it only okay for you to say that kind of thing?”

  “Piper,” he breathed out. It seemed he wanted to say more, but Piper cut him off.

  “Save it,” she told him with a haughty flip of her hair. “I don’t want to talk to you.”

  “Then why are you at a party for my band?” Austin demanded.

  “Call it curiosity,” she replied with a shrug. “I wanted to see the rebound guy in person. Now, why don’t you run along? Like I said before, you wouldn’t want this to end up in the tabloids.”

  Austin was beyond pissed. His jaw was clenched with fury.

  “How about if we give them something really interesting?” Austin suggested with a smirk. “Since you seem so determined to show the whole bar your ass, why don’t I turn you over my knee and spank you.”

  Piper gasped and started to take a step back before thinking better of it. Austin had plenty of time to stop her when she pulled her hand back, but he did nothing as her palm made contact with his cheek. “Fuck you!” she shouted and stormed off in the direction of the elevator.

  “Don’t even think about it,” I warned Austin.

  “Who the fuck was that?” Xander asked. “Don’t tell me it was no one. She clearly has a lot of anger toward you. What did she mean about your dad and her mom?”

  “Let it go,” Austin told him with a frustrated sigh before walking past us and taking his seat at the table.

  “Have you ever heard anything about this Piper chick?” Xander asked me.

  I shook my head. “This is the first I’ve heard of her, and Austin doesn’t seem interested in talking.”
<
br />   “She is pissed,” Xander stated, looking over his shoulder to where she was stepping into the elevator. “And hot as fuck.”

  “Something tells me Austin would kill you if you tried anything with her,” I pointed out.

  “No shit,” Xander replied. “I’ll leave that one alone even if I find out she makes the best waffles in the history of breakfast foods.”

  “We should call it a night,” I suggested. “I’m not sure if Piper will come back, but I’m positive Austin won’t behave if she does.”

  “You just want to go home and play with Ginger Ann,” Xander accused.

  I grinned. “That is an added benefit, but this really is about Austin.”

  Xander nodded. “For the record, I don’t blame you for wanting to go home to be with your girl.”

  “Don’t tell me you’re looking to settle down,” I said in mock horror.

  Xander laughed at my statement. “Not a chance. I got the number of that hot little blonde I was dancing with earlier. Maybe I’ll call her after I drop you off and see if she wants to worship at the altar of Xander. You know what I mean, right?”

  “No, and I don’t want to know,” I assured him.

  “You’re no fun anymore,” he complained. “Don’t you remember all the women we used to share?”

  “We never shared a woman,” I told him.

  “And now we never will,” he said with an exaggerated sigh. “You’re going to end up marrying Ginger Ann and having a dozen babies. That threesome will never happen.”

  “I hate to break this to you, but I never had any interest in seeing you naked.” I told him.

  “Lies,” he accused as he took his seat at the table.

  “What’s a lie?” Bentley asked, and I groaned, knowing she’d opened us up to one of Xander’s crazy rants about how every one—woman or man—wanted him. At least, Austin was laughing by the end, and we managed to get him out of the club before Piper returned.

  Chapter 49

  Bentley

  “You need to go with Austin,” I told Gage when we got back to his place. I’d been tempted to insist Xander drop me at my place, but I decided it would be easier to get Gage to leave me if he knew I’d be waiting when he got home.

  Gage let out an exasperated sigh. “You’re right.”

  “I don’t need a babysitter,” Austin muttered. He was standing outside Xander’s SUV in front of Gage’s house. He’d been doing fine when we left the club. Then he’d called his cousin, the owner of The Project, and learned that Piper was not only an employee, she was also living with the manager of the club. It would be an understatement to say Austin hadn’t handled the news well.

  I rolled my eyes and walked over to smack him in the back of the head.

  “What the hell?” Austin demanded, looking to Gage for answers rather than me. Gage shrugged, so Austin’s attention shifted to me. “Why are you hitting me?”

  “What are you planning on doing when you leave here?” I asked.

  “I’m going to get drunk,” he replied.

  “Then your friends should be with you to make sure you don’t do anything stupid,” I stated.

  “What do you think I’m going to do?” he asked.

  “Hunt down that Piper chick and get your ass arrested,” Xander replied from behind the wheel of the SUV. “Get your sorry ass back in here. You can crash at my place after you’re too drunk to stand.”

  Fists clenched at his sides, Austin considered what everyone had said before nodding. “You’re right. I need to stay the hell away from Piper. All I ever do is fuck things up when I’m around her.”

  “I’ll drive over to your place,” Gage told Xander. “I don’t want to be stuck sleeping with Austin.”

  “All right,” Xander called out. “I’ll see you there.”

  Gage guided me to the front door with a hand on my lower back. “Fucking Austin,” he muttered.

  “We still have all day tomorrow to spend together before I need to head home,” I told him.

  When we were inside, Gage pulled me close and kissed me until my knees were weak. When he finally broke the kiss, he was as breathless as I was. “You had better be naked and in my bed when I get home.”

  I had no problem following that order.

  Chapter 50

  Gage

  An hour later, I was sitting in Xander’s living room, watching Austin stare at his shot glass. I had no clue what Xander had poured him since I was avoiding the hard stuff. I needed to drive home as soon as we got Austin settled in.

  “Time to tell us who Piper is,” Xander began after Austin downed his third shot. “We’ve been patient.”

  Austin sighed and leaned back on the sofa, closing his eyes. “She’s just some kid I knew.”

  “Bullshit,” I replied.

  “She doesn’t look like a kid,” Xander added.

  “Fine,” he relented, still not opening his eyes. “Piper was the daughter of our groundskeeper.”

  “You had a fucking groundskeeper?” Xander asked.

  “We already know Austin lived a charmed life growing up,” I reminded Xander.

  Austin snorted. “Charmed. That’s not exactly the word I’d use for it, but I will admit to being a spoiled rich boy.”

  “And you decided to slum with the groundskeeper’s daughter,” Xander deduced.

  “Nothing like that,” Austin told us. “Piper is a couple years younger than me, and she was cute, in an awkward way. She always made me laugh by doing something goofy. When my parents would fight, she’d listen to me bitch about my parents and try to cheer me up. I didn’t realize how much I liked her until she snuck into my room when she was sixteen. I’m not blind. I’d noticed she was growing up, filling out in all the right places, but she was still a kid to me. I’ll never forget that night. She was dressed in this white sundress that showed off far too much of her body. She looked pure and seductive at the same time. I wanted her. I was too old for her, and I was already planning to move to Los Angeles. I had no right to take what she was offering.”

  “I know where this story is going,” I muttered.

  “I doubt it,” he said with a humorless bark of laughter. “The fact that I wanted her made me angry, so I was a complete dick. I called her a child and sent her away. I was such an asshole that I wanted to punish her for my own reaction to her.”

  “That was harsh,” Xander added.

  “Yeah, but sending her away was the right thing to do,” Austin insisted. “She claimed to be in love with me.”

  “Based on the slap you got from her earlier, I’m guessing you did more than just send her away,” I remarked.

  “I did a hell of a lot more than send her away,” Austin admitted after downing his shot. “A few days after I turned her down, I caught my dad fucking her mom in the kitchen. I was pissed. I called him an asshole and called Piper’s mom a whore. Then I went after Piper.”

  “Please tell me you didn’t do what I think you did,” Xander muttered.

  Austin buried his face in his hands. “She was so sweet. I fucked all that up. I’ve tried talking to her since then, but she always shoots me down.”

  “You still like her,” Xander deduced.

  “Yeah, but I sure as shit don’t deserve her,” Austin replied.

  For the next two hours, Austin drank and avoided talking about Piper. Eventually, he laid down on the sofa, and fell asleep.

  “That shit is completely fucked up,” Xander muttered. “I still can’t believe Austin went from being a dick to a pussy with Piper.”

  “I wouldn’t recommend teasing him about this in the morning,” I warned.

  “No shit,” Xander replied. “I can finish taking care of Austin’s sorry ass from here.”

  I nodded and headed toward the door. “Call me if you need help dealing with him tomorrow.”

  “We’ll be fine,” Xander assured me. “If he’s still a problem tomorrow, I’ll get Harley to help out. Enjoy the rest of your weekend with Bentley. She’s g
ood for you.”

  “Yes, she is,” I agreed with a grin.

  Chapter 51

  Bentley

  It was nearly four in the morning when Gage finally climbed into bed. He’d murmured something about me following orders. I assumed he was happy to find me naked in his bed. After that, he’d fallen asleep with me in his arms. I decided to let him sleep when I woke up at nine. I headed into the kitchen to make breakfast. While I wasn’t a gourmet chef, I could cook fairly well.

  Gage had played it off like he didn’t cook, so imagine my surprised when I gazed upon his fully stocked cupboards. He had spices I’d never heard of. I’d already noticed his refrigerator was stocked with the necessities. I cringed when I found a package of turkey bacon at the bottom. We would definitely discuss that later. There was no substitute for bacon. This wasn’t an opinion—it was a proven fact. There were also peppers, onions, and cheese. I could make vegetable omelets.

  I was sliding the last omelet onto a plate when Gage wandered into the kitchen. He chuckled at my annoyed expression. “Why do you look so irritated with me?”

  “I was going to surprise you with breakfast in bed,” I admitted.

  “You certainly surprised me,” he stated. “I didn’t know you could cook.”

  “I could say the same about you,” I told him. “Aren’t you the king of take out?”

  “I am,” he replied. “My aunt stocked the kitchen. I don’t even know what half the stuff in my cupboard is. The produce, I bought. I like fresh fruits and vegetables, and I make sandwiches on occasion.”

  “Can I assume she is responsible for the turkey bacon?” I asked hopefully.

  “I like turkey bacon,” he replied. “It’s not as good as real bacon, but it’s not bad.”

  “At least, you admit it’s not real bacon,” I stated as I sat across from him at the table. “Turkey bacon. That is not okay, Gage.”

  He chuckled at my irritation. “I’ve never heard a woman get this upset over turkey bacon.”

  “That’s because you’ve been dating the wrong women,” I told him.

  “You won’t get any argument from me on that subject,” he stated before taking a bite of his omelet. “This is great.”