He shrugged. “I usually sleep alone. Only one other chick slept in this bed.” He covered his mouth. “I’m sorry. I don’t really know what I’m doing.”
“Relax.” She moved toward him and kissed his lips. “It’s all good. I’m not stupid. I know I’m not your first.”
He bit his tongue so he wouldn’t tell her she was like number 500 or something. “Can I hold you?”
“Yeah.” Some of her lovers tried that after sex, but she didn’t allow it.
He put an arm around her and pulled her to him. “Your kisses are addictive,” he whispered as he brushed his lips over hers. “Never wanted to have something with someone until recently. Glad we met.” He grabbed the back of her head and covered her mouth with his.
When his tongue touched hers, her entire body reacted. She wanted him all over again. She clung to him and didn’t let him pull away. Then she realized what she had done.
“Sorry.” She moved back a bit.
He grinned. “Don’t be. You make me crazy.” Then a thought occurred to him. “I need to tell you something else.”
“You’re married?” She stared at the bed. Her chest constricted.
“No. Nothing like that.” Tommy took a deep breath. “There is a girl, though. She’s with someone else.” He took her hand in his again. “All we do is fuck, but we do it in a threesome. Me, her and her man.”
She slowly looked up. “You’re bi?”
“Uh-uh.” His eyes opened wide. “Wait. No. We don’t—I—damn it.” He squeezed her fingers. “He don’t touch me, and I don’t touch him that way. Well, we fuck her together, but there’s nothing gay about it.”
Her face fell. “Are you homophobic?”
“No.” He wondered why she asked. “Two of my good friends are bi men. I’m fine with it. As long as they don’t hit on me.” He laughed. “You’d never believe me if I told you who they were.” He didn’t plan to out them, but it was true. Scott and Austin from Wicked End played straight too well.
She smiled. “Good.”
“Why?”
She moved closer again, then whispered in his ear, “ ’Cause I’m bi.”
“Score!” He grabbed her and kissed her lips hard. “Can’t wait to see that. Most chicks just fake it.” He took her in his arms and held her cheek to his chest. “This OK? Or too much?”
She mumbled into his skin, “Can’t… breath…”
He let go. “What?”
“Couldn’t breath.” She looked up at him. “Mind if I turn around? I’m not used to being held.”
“Yeah.” He smiled; glad she liked his favorite position. When Crystal had been around at least.
Hailey slowly turned over and pulled a pillow down to get more comfortable. As soon as she was still, Tommy’s arm that was under her slid forward as he got closer. His body soon touched all of hers from behind. He cradled her in a semi-tight embrace. A hand held her left breast. She looked down. Then she traced the spider he had inked on his hand. That had to hurt.
Tommy felt content with her in his arms. “ ’Night.”
“ ’Night. I was wrong about you,” she whispered as he tugged her closer to him.
Chapter 20
Dominic and Noelle walked into Demonfire the next Wednesday afternoon hand in hand. He was glad to have her back. The week had been quite difficult for him. The homecoming erased the loneliness instantly. He hadn’t done much more than hang out with his family most days.
For once, the studio was quiet. No one was in the main room. Dominic tugged Noelle from room to room. If the front door wasn’t locked someone was there. He finally found Jon in his office, headphones on, but he stared at his laptop.
“Hey!” Dominic knocked on the desk.
Jon jumped before he looked up. “Thanks for scaring the shit outta me.” He set the headphones on the desk. “Sorry. Just thinking.”
“We just got back from the airport.” Dominic watched Jon’s hands. They shook. “Everything OK?”
Unsure if he should say anything, Jon looked down at the email on his laptop. “Uh, I guess.”
“So, not ready to talk about it?” Dominic saw worry in Jon’s eyes.
Noelle realized what Jon meant. “I can leave the room.”
“Nah, don’t.” Jon didn’t want to hurt Dominic.
He felt like he would be bragging if he revealed what had happened in his life. To hide them, he pressed his shaky fingers to his thighs. He wondered if there was a way to put it so that it wouldn’t be painful for his friend. Then he pursed his lips. Dominic would find out anyway.
“Um, wait. Maybe.” Jon looked up at Dominic. “I got some news today that might make you kinda upset.”
Noelle patted Dominic’s arm. “I’ll go watch TV.” She had seen the lounge while they searched the studio earlier.
Dominic closed the door and sat down in the free chair. “Did something happen to Tommy?” He hadn’t wanted to alarm Noelle, so he pretended he wasn’t nervous about Jon’s news.
“No. No. No.” Jon shook his head. “It’s not about Tommy. It’s about me. Sorta.”
Somewhat relaxed, Dominic leaned back in the chair. “OK.”
“Um…” Jon pinched the bridge of his nose. He hadn’t expected the nervous reaction. “Uh, well… I have a kid.”
Dominic instantly stood up. “You what? When the fuck did that happen?” He knew one of them would knock up a groupie one day.
“Sit down.” Jon waved his hand. “There’s more.” He closed his eyes and took a few breaths. “Sean’s 17.” Jon’s stomach was full of butterflies.
“How do you know he’s yours?” Dominic mentally went back 18 years and tried to figure out who Jon dated back, then. He was quite sure he didn’t have a girlfriend.
Jon sighed. “The DNA test says I’m his father. 99%. I’m sorry if this hurts.”
Then it hit Dominic. Annabeth. Jon meant Annabeth. Sean and Annabeth were born only a few years apart. He closed his eyes as his chest constricted. Jon was right. It hurt that Jon’s child survived, and his didn’t. That wasn’t Jon’s fault, though.
“I’m sorry.” Jon felt awful. “I shouldn’t have bothered you with this.”
Dominic took a deep breath and forced his emotions back. “No. You need to talk about it. Your fucking hands are shaking.” He swallowed and slapped his thighs. “Have you met him?”
“No. I wanted the test first.” Jon glanced at the pictures Emma had sent him after they got the test results. “He looks like me, and he’s six-five.” He smiled proudly. Sean had his genes for sure. “I don’t know how to be a dad. He likes our music, but he doesn’t know about me yet. I told Emma we need to talk about how to deal with this first. But I don’t know what to do.”
Dominic thought quickly. Jon anxious and unsure was unusual. “First off, are you positive she didn’t fake the test?”
“Yes. I had it done at that place that tests Dean.” Jon was glad he insisted on that. “He thinks it was for a scholarship drug test. At least, we think he bought that. He didn’t question it.”
Dominic shrugged. “You do realize I only have experience with babies. Well, I guess some with Bethany and Anthony’s kids.”
“Hey, how’s he been?” Jon had interviews planned with Anthony and Tony on Monday. He wanted them to settle in first.
With a smile, Dominic replied, “Better. Not an easy situation.”
“Nope.” Jon leaned forward. “Do you wanna see Sean?”
“Yeah.” Dominic stood and walked around the desk. He watched a short slideshow. “Wow. He looks just like you as a teenager. That’s weird. When are you meeting?”
Jon shrugged. “I don’t know. Hopefully soon. I’m nervous as hell he’s gonna hate me for not being there.”
“You knew about him?” Dominic couldn’t imagine that.
“No.” Jon exhaled loudly. “Remember spring break in Florida?”
Dominic laughed. “Yeah, you guys were like maniacs, and I had to clean up the mess every night.�
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“Well, remember that night I was freaking out, and you thought I was tripping on acid?”
“Oh hell yeah.” Dominic rolled his eyes. “Wait. You had blood on your clothes, too. Then you asked me about periods. She got pregnant on her period?”
Jon reminisced as well. Although he thought about fucking her. “No. She was a virgin. I popped her cherry, and the condom slipped off while I was fucking her. She didn’t know how to find me when she found out she was pregnant.”
“Damn, that sucks.” Dominic sat back down. “Imagine getting pregnant your first time?” He knew Jon was trashed as hell that night. It made sense he didn’t pay attention to the condom. “Sorry. So… You OK with being a father?”
“Yeah.” Jon smiled. “I think this will finally slow me down.” He leaned back and rocked the chair a few times. “What do I say to him, though?”
Dominic wasn’t sure. “I wish I knew, but I’d be talking outta my ass. Maybe you should talk to Shane about that. He might have advice.”
“Good idea.” Jon pulled out his phone and set it on the desk.
“Where’s Tom?” Dominic got to his feet again; ready to leave. “I didn’t hear from him today.”
Jon smirked. “He’s meeting some chick downtown. Wouldn’t tell me her name. He snuck off Monday, too.” He checked the time. “Come to think of it. He’s been gone a long time.”
“Maybe he took her home with him?” Dominic knew Tommy was selfish sometimes.
“Nah. House of Insanity is coming in to lay some tracks down.” Jon glanced at his phone. “I’m gonna call Emma and set up a day to meet Sean. Don’t know what I’m gonna do if he hates me.”
Dominic put a hand on Jon’s shoulder. “If he does, I’m here for you.” He smiled and hid his jealousy. “Congrats, Dad.”
“Oh, don’t tell anyone. Please.”
“Not even Noelle?”
Jon pursed his lips and thought about it. “Just tell her to keep it to herself. Thanks.”
Dominic walked out to find Noelle. He opened the lounge door. “You read—”
He stopped when he found her asleep on the couch. She had stayed up all night so she wouldn’t miss the very early flight. Obviously, she didn’t sleep enough on the plane. He left the door open, grabbed the remote from next to her and relaxed on the recliner. No way would he disturb her.
* * *
“Hey, Emma,” Jon said into the phone nervously. It was the first time they spoke that day. All other communications had been via text and email. “Uh… I was… I was thinking. Um, can I meet Sean?”
Emma smiled. “Jon’s he’s not gonna hate you. Will you relax? I swear to you. He knows I couldn’t tell you about him.” She checked behind her to make sure she was still alone. “I haven’t told him yet, though. I was waiting for your OK on that.”
Jon smiled. She made it so much easier on him. He imagined anyone else would have been a bitch or destroyed any chance he had at a relationship with his kid. Even with the situation as strange as it was, he started to calm down.
“Please do.” His hands still shook. “Should we do it together? Maybe meet at a restaurant or something?”
She frowned. “I don’t want to blindside him. Let me do this slowly. He only asked about his father once. I’m not sure if that means he doesn’t want to know or doesn’t want to hurt me by asking.”
“Can you give me updates?” Jon hoped Sean took it well.
Emma nodded. “Yeah. I’ll text you every time we talk. He’s a great kid. I think you’ll get along fine.”
“One thing.” Jon bit his lip, scared she would balk at the stipulation. “Can we keep this hush-hush for now? Otherwise, the press is gonna have a field day with it. We need to let Sean decide on going public with it.”
She agreed. “Good idea. We won’t tell anyone else until the three of us get together and talk about it.”
Jon was still nervous once they disconnected. He brought up Shane Martin’s phone number and hit the call button. “Hey, man. How you doing?”
Shane was home, watching television alone. “I’m better than last time we talked. Me and Tommy started going to see bassists.”
“I heard. Good for you.” Jon paused. “Can I talk to you about something? I need you to keep it to yourself, though.”
“No worries.” Shane paused the show he watched and paid attention. “What’s up?”
Jon closed his eyes and blurted out, “I just found out I have a 17-year-old son. I’m gonna meet him sometime soon. What the hell do I say to a kid that age?”
Shane’s jaw had dropped. He was speechless. That was not remotely what he expected to hear. His mind raced. He wondered what he would do about a surprise kid, especially one who was almost an adult already.
“Uh…” Shane still didn’t know what to say. “Wow.”
Jon understood the shock but couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah. That’s how I felt when she told me. I remember her. Thank God. And we had a DNA test taken. Sean’s definitely mine. I don’t know how to talk to kids. Any advice?”
“Well.” Shane sat up. The shock wore off some. “Kids that age think they know everything. Usually, they’re a pain in the ass.” He gritted his teeth. “Hope your kid ain’t like that.”
Jon sighed. “Emma says he’s not. Hope she’s not blind to drugs or something. I don’t wanna have to be the bad guy. I met her when she was 17. She was a wild one. Damn, she’s my kid’s mom.” He felt like his head spun. His entire world had turned upside down. “Never mind that. I’m not sure what to say to this kid. ‘Hey, I’m your dad. Nice to meet you.’ That sounds so lame.”
It was Shane’s turn to laugh. “That is lame. Just be yourself. Kids need to know you’re not faking it. They can see right through you somehow. Tell him you’re happy to meet him and wish you had met him sooner. Or that you wanna make up for lost time. Just don’t try to buy his love. That backfires… believe me.”
“Thanks.” Jon leaned on the desk. “Any other advice, Shane?”
* * *
Tommy walked into the building. He heard a television, and Jon’s deep voice came from his office. He headed that direction first.
Jon was still on the phone. “What if he asks me what I been doing for 17 years? I been screwing girls all over since then.”
To let Jon know he was there, Tommy knocked softly. “Who’s on the phone?”
“Shane.” Jon sat back again. “Got the email today.”
Tommy’s eyebrows furrowed. “What email?”
“About Sean. He’s mine. I’m nervous about meeting him. Dom suggested talking to Shane. Oh, Dom was here.”
“Was?” Tommy turned to the hallway. “Who’s in the lounge? The TV’s on.” He had been preoccupied with thoughts of Hailey when in the parking lot.
Jon stood up. “Maybe he’s still here. Thought he was leaving.”
Tommy shrugged a shoulder. “I’ll check on him. Tell Shane I say hi. And Jon… I’ll support anything you need me to on the Sean thing. Good luck.”
He left the room and headed to the lounge. “She crashed, huh?”
Dominic’s head whipped around. “Uh, yeah. When’d you get here?”
“A few minutes ago. Did Jon tell you?”
“About Sean?” Dominic saw something new in Tommy’s eyes. “Yeah. Hey, what’s up with you?”
Tommy forced a straight face. “Not much.” He bit his lip to stop the smile. “Nothing new.”
Dominic knew he hid something. “How was Friday night?” He was supposed to tag along but changed his mind.
“Good.” Tommy couldn’t hide the smile that time. When he realized, his cheeks heated up.
“Damn. Didn’t know you could blush, Fischer.” Dominic wanted to laugh but stifled it, so he didn’t wake Noelle. “What happened?”
Tommy checked out the floor. “Uh, well… We didn’t find a bassist.” He knew his face showed more than he wanted it to.
Dominic quickly got to his feet as ideas flooded his mind.
“Not Crystal, right?”
“Huh?” Tommy didn’t get the connection.
“Something happened last weekend.” Dominic scowled at him. “You didn’t break up Crystal and Giovanni, right?”
Tommy put his hands up. “No way. I swear.”
“Then you met someone?” The deeper blush on Tommy’s cheeks was too adorable. Dominic chuckled softly. “You did. Wow. That’s big news.” He put a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “It’s about damn time you stopped being a slut.” He laughed some more.
Tommy glared at him. “Shh. I’m not ready to share it yet.” He didn’t want to explain the dynamics, Dominic wouldn’t understand. “She’s not ready for that, either.” He grinned widely. “She accepts me for me, though. I saw her today.”
“Yeah… And?” Dominic couldn’t wait to meet her. If she snatched Tommy up warts and all, she had to be crazy.
While he reminisced, Tommy sighed. “After court, we went to a hotel and fucked. Then we talked.”
“She sounds perfect for you. Letting you get off, so you can think straight.” Dominic laughed a bit louder. “Only you could find a chick as horny as you.”
Noelle woke up with a jolt. “What happened?”
Dominic rolled his eyes. “I’m so sorry.” He went to her and knelt on the floor. “Tommy told me something kinda funny, and I laughed too loud.” He was glad Tommy found someone, though. “Hey, Tom. Good luck with that.”
“Can we go?” Noelle yawned. “Sorry. Didn’t sleep.”
After he placed a soft kiss on her lips, Dominic nodded. “Sure.” He turned back to Tommy. “If you need to talk, let me know.”
“I will.” Tommy grinned again. “It’s good so far.”
Dominic gave Noelle a hand to get up. “Good. Dewdrop is next Friday, right?”
“Yep.” Tommy pulled out his phone and brought up his calendar. “Triple Threat goes on at 10.”
“We’ll be there.” Dominic put an arm around Noelle’s back to hold her up as he walked to the door with her. “I’ll see if Anthony wants to go too.”
Evolving Urges (Gasoline Book 2) Page 15