They’d driven her into the arms of another man. The entire tour knew she was sleeping with Kyle and everyone was happy about it but Logan and Decklan. He treated her well, got along well with her family, even wrote a song about her. The young man considered the brothers his mentors but they certainly hadn’t taught him anything about how to treat a woman.
There were a few whispers about Kyle’s drummer, Finn, joining them some nights when they went upstairs but no one paid any attention. Most of the crew had seen so much when it came to the brothers, whatever Brooke was doing was pretty tame.
It made Logan and Decklan completely crazy to consider the truth to those rumors. To know she was sleeping with another man was hard. To think about her being with two men at the same time – men who were not Logan and Decklan – that drove them wild with jealousy.
As far as they knew, Kyle hadn’t slept with anyone else since the first time he’d taken Brooke for coffee. He’d been satisfied to wait for her, to spend time with her without sex until she was ready. She might never have been if she hadn’t witnessed them taking yet another woman into their room with all intentions of fucking her brains out together.
Since she’d caught them having sex four times, never with the same woman, it had been more than she could stand and neither brother blamed her.
It didn’t make them want her any less.
At last, she’d had enough. Still, she didn’t punish them openly or even snipe at them privately. Treating them like nothing more than co-workers seemed so much worse somehow. After Phoenix, Brooke made sure her suite was on a different floor from the Bradshaws. She didn’t care if she was the only person from the tour on another floor. The chance of running into them or their conquest of the minute was too high and she was only human.
As the tour wore on, some of her fan mail started getting intense. A few fans were getting a little too obsessed with her. The record company was keeping track for the feds in case anything came of it. There was a guy writing constantly from different locations, explicit in the things he wanted to do to her and some of them went far beyond normal kink. The computer techs couldn’t narrow down a suspect but no one was overly concerned. All the hotels had ample security and with so many people in her entourage, Brooke felt safe.
They were adding dates to the tour due to sold-out concerts. Just before rehearsals for the two-night Chicago show, Kyle’s drummer came down with food poisoning from takeout sushi. Jackson offered to help them during rehearsals until they could get a drummer locally. He’d done so well, they’d told him to do the main show with them.
That night, Brooke watched her little brother during the opening act’s entire set and cheered for him. Logan and Decklan stood beside her, all of them so proud of Jackson they were even holding hands while he played.
At the meet-and-greet, women young and old had asked him for his autograph. Shy at first, explaining he was just a fill-in, his natural extroverted personality soon took over and he laughed with Kyle and the fans. Brooke couldn’t stop smiling as he took photos. As his sister, she hadn’t noticed how tall and good-looking he’d gotten.
Dean and Abel grinned as she signed their chests and she had to laugh, “Aren’t you getting tired of the same autograph and same pictures at every show?”
“Unless you’re willing to go out with me, no, I’ll take what you’re willing to give me, beautiful Brooke. I love seeing you after a show, so hyped up and happy from doing well.” He leaned forward quickly and kissed her cheek. She jumped, wondering how she could be flattered and instinctively want to withdraw at the same time. Giving them the same thing she always did, her smile was forced and she found she was glad to see them disappear through the crowd.
After the fans had been appeased, Jackson took Brooke aside and told her he wanted a tattoo for his sixteenth birthday. Since he hadn’t asked her for anything else, she held back her immediate ‘no’. “A…a tattoo? Jackson, I don’t know. Don’t people get, like, diseases from tattoos? Aren’t you too young? What if you hate it later?” Being a big sister was often a stuffy position to have.
Rolling his eyes, Jackson said, “Brooke, you have to find a good shop. You can’t just pick one on the side of the road. You asked me what I wanted and I said I had to think about it. It’s what I want. Please?” His entire demeanor was pleading and she caved with a nod like he’d known she would. He hugged her hard and picked her up to spin her around.
Breathless, she said firmly, “I need the name of someone reputable.” He nodded, thrilled. Kyle came to tell her he was heading back to check on Finn and kissed her when she told him to tell Finn she hoped he felt better. “Let me know if you need me to bring you anything.” He thanked her and took off. After he was gone Logan and Decklan said they’d go with her and Jackson for his tattoo. Brooke narrowed her eyes suspiciously, “Why?”
“Because you’re not going to some tattoo place this time of night by yourself, Brooke,” Decklan said irritably.
Putting her hands on her hips, she said carefully, “Honestly, I think we’re fine. Don’t you have plans?”
Rubbing their faces with their hands in a twin-specific move, Logan answered, “Despite appearances, we can take a night off from whoring. Jesus. No, we don’t have plans. We’ll go with you.”
“Fine. Wait here,” she said imperiously and didn’t realize her commanding voice managed to make both of them hard. Brooke walked to a small group of the arena security guards waiting for the last patrons to leave so they could lock the main doors.
They watched her approach with obvious admiration and she asked if any of them had tattoos. Each raised their hands with a smile. She sighed in resignation, “I need a good place for my brother. Reputable. Seriously, he’s my only brother. I need someone good.”
The biggest of the three took out a notebook and wrote down the name of a tattoo parlor, then took out his cell and called the shop. It sounded like they all used the same local place.
Hanging up, the security guard smiled, all teeth, “This place can take Jackson, Brooke. It’s called Black Ops and its open all night. You’re in luck, too. The owner is covering tonight for a sick employee. He’s the best in Chicago. He’ll take very good care of you.”
Taking the details she gave him a grateful smile, “Thanks so much. You’re Sampson, right?” He nodded, looking pleased she’d remembered. “You’re the one who got me inside tonight and kept those three guys from ripping my arm off. I really appreciate that. Can I sign something for you? A couple of things you can auction?”
The three guards shook their heads in wonder. Sampson said sincerely, “You are the coolest chick we’ve ever had here. Damn.” She smiled and signed several posters with the band’s picture on them. “Guy’s name is Rex. He’ll treat you right and it’s a real clean place. He has the best rep in Illinois. He’s normally booked for weeks. All his people are good but he’s the best. You shouldn’t have trouble finding it. Be safe and thanks, Brooke.”
“I’ll see y’all again tomorrow.” She turned to go and stopped, asking with one hand on her hip, “What tattoos do you have anyway?” With the confidence of a man who knew his skills, he rolled up his snug black security shirt and she checked out the tribal on his massive bicep. He pulled down his collar and showed her the Marine Corps emblem on his upper chest. “Very nice.” She wasn’t just talking about the tattoo. “I love the Marine ink. Thank you for serving.” Pausing, she added quietly, “You’re certainly appropriately named, aren’t you?”
His laugh was full and loud, “I was an eleven pound baby. I know…my poor mother. They kind of figured I’d be big.” He scribbled his contact info on another piece of paper, “You’re ever back this way and interested in some company, I am very strong, Brooke. I would be happy to demonstrate.”
Winking, she tucked the paper in her pocket and walked back to her brother and the Bradshaws. Heading to the limo, she was quiet. After telling the driver the name and address of the parlor, with a request to avoid the media, s
he slipped inside and stared out the window. She didn’t want reporters ruining Jackson’s present and she was considering a couple of things of her own.
Once they were moving she called Jeanette and Sidney. “No movie marathon tonight…what? He told you what he wanted? Thanks for the heads up. I would have downloaded ‘don’t do it’ information before he asked me. Yeah, I know he is. I’ll see you in the morning.” She hung up the phone and said to her brother, “I don’t know if I should be doing this, Jackson.”
“It’s going to be fine, Brooke. You’ll see. Nothing tacky, I promise. So, you got Sampson’s digits? Gonna keep ‘em?” Jackson asked cheekily.
“Yup.” She said the word quietly to Jackson but the brothers heard it. Logan and Decklan gasped in shock. They couldn’t believe Brooke would be the kind of woman to cheat on anyone or anything. She was the most honest person they knew.
Slamming back against the leather seat, Jackson sneered, “You two sure are slow, aren’t you? You’re so caught up in your own world of fortune, fame, and fucking you don’t see shit else. It is amazing.”
“Jackson…,” Brooke started warningly.
“No, Brooke, I can’t believe how much I like two guys who are so obviously mentally deficient. You’re looking at her like you’re fucking disappointed. As if you’d have room to talk about shit with your behavior.” He leaned toward them and his face was furious, “Kyle is gay, you assholes. So is the drummer. They are together. Brooke is his cover since no one can think of a single gay country star. God, y’all are incredible. Fucking the planet and daring to look at her funny. I should kick both your asses.”
He met their eyes and they saw the man, not the boy, “You breathe one word about Kyle and I will personally take you both on. He adores Brooke. He wrote her a song in thanks for being so accepting, for helping him because he was worried people were beginning to suspect.” He sat back, shaking his head at the two dumbstruck men across from him.
“And don’t start sniffing around my sister again. She’s too damn good for you. She deserves men who’ll actually think of her as more than a hole.” Brooke gasped as he put his MP3 player in and pointedly ignored all of them.
The brothers were staring at Brooke who wouldn’t look away from the window. “Just so you know, I never said anything to Jackson or the girls about you. Must be your own reputations and the fact he’s not stupid or blind. Right now, both of you leave me alone. I have nothing to say about Kyle and it is none of your fucking business.”
Logan and Decklan were in shock and not hiding it well. Coupled with the fact that everything they’d thought for weeks hadn’t actually happened, knowing Jackson knew so much about their habits was shaming.
Brooke looked ready to claw someone’s eyes out and was likely furious with her brother for saying anything about Kyle. It was obvious she was using him just as much as he was using her. She was his disguise and he kept men away from her.
They drove in silence to the tattoo parlor and Brooke was the first one out when the limo came to a stop, not even waiting for the driver. She walked resolutely to the door and entered the brightly lit shop. A bell tinkled and classic rock played from a stereo in the back. The place looked as sterile as a doctor’s office with tattoo designs behind plastic on the walls.
A massive man with a Marine haircut turned as she approached the counter. He took in her figure, slowly, his eyes roaming from her cowboy boots, over her tight jeans, practically stroking the leather vest and nude top she wore, to her long blond hair and blue-green eyes.
His smile was both masculine and sensual and Brooke was shocked at her body’s instant reaction to a man she’d just laid eyes on for the first time. His deep voice sent a shock of sensation into her lower belly when he said, “Oh, honey, please tell me what I can do for you. It can even hurt a little bit. Hell, it can hurt a lot if you want. You with a whip in your hand, and me tied to your bed, damn, I’d die a happy man.”
He came up to the counter and planted his huge palms in a wide spread on the top. The way his black eyes touched her was like a physical caress over her skin and she thought a cold shower might be in order. “Dear lord, woman. Where have you been all my life?”
“Idabel, Oklahoma,” she told him in a whisper. His dark brows lifted in surprise. Laughing nervously, she held out her hand and he enveloped it in his. If his strength hadn’t already been obvious in his body, she would have felt it in his hand. “I…I’m Brooke Kincaid. I was referred to you by Sampson over at the arena.” Her voice sounded different and she didn’t know why, “About getting my brother a tattoo for his birthday. I was told to ask for Rex.”
His half grin broadened and showed dimples which offset the massive biker dude quality about him, “I would be Rex, thank God.” Brooke was wet. She knew it and she wanted to die from embarrassment.
He never took his eyes off her, never looked at the three males behind her. As if no one mattered but her. He still had her hand and felt the light tremble that coursed through her. With a light squeeze, he released her and said, “I tell you what, you sit where I can see you when I look up and I’ll do his tat for free. I’m going to give Samson a free tat for sending your fine self to my shop.”
Finally glancing up, he watched Jackson looking at designs. The twins were standing just inside the door and not looking happy in the least. His grin was smug as they scowled, “You boys look territorial. I’ll wrestle you for her.”
Trying to gather her wits, Brooke laughed lightly, “That won’t be necessary, I promise. I have a question.” She leaned in conspiratorially, “What’s the recovery time on something like this? I have another show tomorrow night, would I be able to work with it?” He nodded slowly and a small sigh escaped her at the flexing of the thick muscles in his neck. She didn’t have a clue what the hell was wrong with her.
Clearing her throat, she managed, “There’s a design I have in mind but I’d want it really small, where no one could see it if I didn’t want them to.” She grabbed a piece of paper and sketched a picture for him. It was a half moon and half sun, melded together with four stars around it, two flaming comets arcing over the top. Turning it to him, she asked, “I’m a crappy artist but hopefully you get the idea. Could you do that?”
His smile was contagious and she had the insane urge to curl up in his lap and just let him hug her. She’d spent way too much time around a lot of men without any male affection. “Oh yeah. This looks very personal. It symbolizes some very specific things in your life, doesn’t it?” She nodded. “I can do it, where do you want it?”
So quietly he barely heard her, she said, “The…the bend of my hip.”
“Thank you, lord. It will be my pleasure.” She laughed and motioned him closer. He leaned over the counter and she whispered something in his ear that none of the others could hear. When she pulled back, his eyes were huge and flicked down her body.
Every muscle in his body seemed to tighten. “Did the devil send you here to tempt me or something?” Brooke shook her head, tugging her lower lip between her teeth, and thought it was funny he said the same thing she was thinking about him. “Honey, I can do it but I can’t promise to be a gentleman.”
“Well, fortunately I’m a big girl so I can handle that.” He groaned and dropped his head for a moment. She watched the play of muscles across his upper back and shoulders, praying he didn’t hear her breath hitch.
Raising his head to meet her gaze, the look in his eyes told her he’d definitely heard. “Who goes first?”
“Jackson. Logan and Decklan can take him back to the hotel when he’s done then you can…do mine.” She never blinked and the heat in his eyes was sending shivers down her spine.
Footsteps approached and Decklan said behind her, “No damn way, Brooke.” Pausing, he looked at Rex. “Do you know who she is? I’m not asking to be a shit, I’m asking because we cannot just leave her here, damn it.”
He tilted his head, looking at her for a long time before he asked, “Are you tha
t sweet little country singer who played the arena tonight? Is that who you are, honey?” She nodded with a self-mocking smile. “Well, I’ll be damned. I saw a billboard with a picture of the three of you on it. Broken…something.”
“Broken Bronco,” she supplied helpfully.
“It is not happening, Brooke.” Logan was beside her. “We’re not leaving you here.” Looking at the big man behind the counter, he added, “She goes first. Sorry, man, but we’re not leaving her. She’s eighteen and part of our band in an unfamiliar city. You’re a stranger in a tattoo parlor. Her brother and two sisters depend on her. Come on, you wouldn’t leave her either.”
Rex didn’t break eye contact but sighed, “Alright. I can kind of see their point, sweetheart. Come on in the back.” Logan made to follow and the huge man held up his hand. “Dude, there’s a limit. It takes less than five minutes. What kind of trouble can I get her into in five minutes?”
Decklan moaned, “Plenty. Dear god, look at her.”
Chapter Eleven
Brooke laughed and shook her head. Rex chuckled, “Good point. Fuck, are you her big brothers or something?” He observed the protective stance the twins had around her, “No, you don’t stand like her brothers. You act like her lovers but she’s playing so you’re…no, not tapping that. Hmm. Her little brother can come in and turn the other way in the door. That should keep me honest. Considering where my hands will be, not entirely, I’m sure you can understand.” His smile was infuriating to the Bradshaws but he had them and all three of them knew it.
Logan growled, “Jackson, do not leave her alone for one second. I’m not kidding.” Jackson rolled his eyes and nodded as he followed Brooke and the tattoo artist back.
Jack took his place in a small doorway down the hall and they heard Brooke say, “I should probably ask your full name since we’ll hardly be strangers shortly.”
Yes to Everything Page 9