Imperfect Harmony (House of Archer #1)

by Raine Thomas

  What the hell was wrong with her?

  “Yeah, well, I warned you about A.T.,” she managed to reply over the driving beat of the club’s music.

  “That would be a snarky and borderline racist acronym about my lack of punctuality,” Aria said with an unapologetic grin, extending her perfectly-manicured hand. “Hello, Archer. I’m Aria Simpson.”

  “Of course you are,” Dane said, grasping her hand while keeping his other arm thrown casually over Lily’s shoulders. “I’ve seen your face in a few magazines and in Lily’s Facebook feed. Hard to miss someone so striking.”

  Lily rolled her eyes, but Aria seemed charmed. Turning to Sydney, Aria nudged her in the side to prompt her to introduce herself. Sydney’s eyes were wider than usual and her lips were slightly parted. It was hardly the first time Lily had seen someone get star-struck in Dane’s presence. She found it amusing that this time it was someone she knew.

  “Dimples,” Sydney breathed, her gaze transfixed on Dane’s face.

  “What was that?” Dane asked, leaning closer to Sydney.

  Lily all but saw little hearts burst out of Sydney’s eyes over Dane’s proximity. Fighting back a laugh, Lily came to her friend’s rescue and said, “This is my other roommate, Sydney Ward.”

  Dane once again extended his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Sydney. I’ve heard a lot about you from Lily. Teaching kids with special needs must be a rewarding challenge.”

  It was exactly the right thing to say to snap Sydney out of her spell. “Y-yes, it is,” she stammered, smiling shyly and taking his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, too. Thanks so much for inviting us along on the tour.”

  “Are you kidding?” he responded, looking from her to Aria and Lily. “I’ve got three beautiful women with me for two whole months. Thank you.”

  “Don’t think you’re going to get away with what you did that easily,” Lily said, crossing her arms and glaring up at him.

  “What did I do?”

  “You know what you did. It took us an extra twenty minutes to get into the VIP section because they had me down as Lily Momilly and you weren’t answering your cell.”

  The nickname was one he had given her years ago when they had been killing time between interviewing potential Void members by singing “The Name Game.” While it was a rather sweet inside joke between them, having it used against her when she was already running late in her uncomfortable shoes had sorely tested her temper.

  Cluing in, he gave her a winning smile. “Oops. I’m sorry. Guess I didn’t think that one through.”

  She just glowered at him.

  “I promise to make it up to you,” he said, giving her shoulder a companionable squeeze before turning to Aria and Sydney. “Why don’t I get you ladies something to drink and then introduce you to the rest of the band?”

  “What about the women you just abandoned?” Lily asked, lifting her chin towards the table of females who now stood staring at her with undisguised envy and curiosity.

  “Oh, right. Just a minute.”

  Dane strode back to the table. Lily, Aria, and Sydney watched as he spoke a few words, flashed his incredibly charismatic smile, and quickly extricated himself to return to Lily’s side. The females all looked like he’d just proposed marriage to each of them. Lily didn’t know how he did it.

  “All right,” Dane said, looking between Aria and Sydney as he reached them. “Lemon Drop Martini for Lily. What can I get you ladies?”

  Rather than being irked about him assuming what she wanted, Lily appreciated that he remembered her drink of choice. They followed him to the bar and soon had drinks in their hands. Lily felt the first sip of her martini as it traveled from her throat to her belly, spreading warmth along the way. She’d have to be careful or the alcohol would go straight to her head.

  “I’m so glad you’re here,” Dane repeated near her ear, taking her free hand and giving it a squeeze as they edged around another table.

  “Of course,” Lily said, trying to ignore how her heartbeat sped up again when she felt his body heat through his T-shirt. “You wanted me here. I wouldn’t have missed it.”

  His answering smile made it harder to ignore her unsettling reaction to him. She deliberately shifted her attention to the table they were approaching. She spotted the band’s bassist, Keith Connors, and Nikki Calvey—whom Lily knew as a long-time Void groupie but Dane mentioned was now Keith’s semi-serious romantic interest—as well as the band’s laidback rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist, Xander Phillips. Several other people Lily didn’t know were standing or sitting at the table as well. The strangers didn’t bother her nearly as much as the cameras did. They seemed to swarm in around them.

  Keith spotted Dane first and nodded in greeting before glancing automatically at Lily. His double-take was almost comical. Keith was one of the most straight-faced people Lily knew, rarely showing his reactions. Now he looked like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

  “Holy shit,” he said, confirming his reaction. Dane took Lily’s drink from her as Keith moved forward to pull her into a hug. “You look amazing tonight, Lily.”

  “She always looks amazing,” Xander corrected in his easy-going way as he joined Keith. “Give me some love, Lilliputian.”

  Xander was the only one allowed to refer to her that way and that was because at six-feet, five inches, he stood over a foot taller than her. His hug engulfed her and made her smile.

  “Hi, guys,” she said. “It’s so good to see you. You, too, Nikki,” she said, exchanging waves with the other female. “Let me introduce you all to my friends.”

  Aria and Sydney seemed to enjoy meeting some of the people who had been a big part of Lily’s life over the past seven years. After a while they were joined by Sage Strickland and The Void’s drummer, Noelle Fox, who was at the party with her long-time girlfriend, Mandy. Lily sipped her martini and tried not to focus on how closely Dane was standing to her. His hand kept reaching up to touch her back or shoulders, something he had always done but that now affected her far more than it ever had before. Thoughts of Johnathan ran through her mind in an attempt to shake off the odd feelings. She was sure it was just the excitement of the evening getting to her.

  When she emptied her drink, Dane took the glass from her and headed back to the bar without her having to ask him. She watched his departure and noticed that he took a winding route to avoid Brandon Evans. Her gaze moved to Brandon and narrowed. He was laughing at something his companion said but his cool blue eyes followed Dane’s trek across the room.

  She had hoped to get to the party before Dane had to interact with Brandon so she could support him through it. After all, that was one of the main reasons Dane had wanted her there. She was glad Dane didn’t seem too worried about it.

  He returned a minute later with her drink and she leaned closer to him so he could hear her over the music. “How have things gone with dill-hole so far?” she asked.

  One corner of his mouth lifted. “About how I expected. He still thinks he’s God’s gift.”

  “Did he insult you?”

  Dane shrugged and looked away, trying to appear indifferent. Lily’s temper once again flared. She handed her drink to Dane and turned to start in Brandon’s direction. A hand quickly slid around her waist to pull her back. Dane’s laughter reached her ears.

  “This is why I wanted you here,” he said as she turned around to frown at him for interfering. “You’re my champion. I promise, Lil, I’m good.”

  She read his face to make sure he was truly okay before nodding. “Fine. But if he so much as looks at you funny, I’m going to use these uncomfortable shoes to beat him to death.”

  “It would be a painful and strangely suitable way for him to go,” Dane said, his eyes alight with amusement.

  After she took her drink back from him, he held her gaze for a long moment. His expression went from pleased and grateful to thoughtful. She knew that look well. He had a way of seeing things about her that no one else
could.

  “You’re starving,” he announced. “Why didn’t you say so?”

  He turned and grabbed a passing server before she could respond. Whatever he said had the server nodding and hurrying off. Lily figured they would soon get food. Her empty stomach growled in gratitude.

  The server soon returned with reinforcements carrying trays of food. Lily was relieved when they lowered a couple of the round cocktail tables to serving level and brought a few more chairs so they could all crowd around the food.

  It thrilled her to see many of her favorite foods among the tapas-style options. She didn’t usually eat meat and wasn’t a very adventurous eater overall, so she often had trouble picking things off a menu. Dane caught her gaze and winked, telling her he had chosen the foods with her in mind. She smiled back at him as she picked up a mini grilled cheese sandwich with a tomato soup shooter.

  Everyone dug in. Thanks to the loud music, Lily couldn’t really hear anyone but Dane and Aria, who sat on her left. That just allowed her to focus on eating for a few minutes.

  “Are you working on any big articles right now?” Dane asked her before he bit into a stuffed mushroom.

  She shook her head and swallowed the bite of mini quiche in her mouth. She was about to tell him that she hadn’t wanted to take on any big stories right before the tour, but she was interrupted by three of the females from the table Dane had been at when she arrived. They leaned down and spoke to Dane, their words lost to the music.

  Lily ate her food and tried to ignore them. This was nothing new. She’d had many a conversation with Dane interrupted by females over the years. She’d even served as his wing-woman on occasion, screening candidates ahead of time to see which might be of the most interest to him. Now, however, she resented the intrusion. She told herself it was because she hadn’t seen Dane in so long.

  Whatever Dane said had the females once again departing and casting resentful glares at Lily. She just stared back at them until they turned around and continued on their way.

  “Sorry about that,” Dane said.

  “It’s fine,” she returned with a shrug. “Do you want me to talk to any of them for you?”

  He blinked at that. An expression that might have been annoyance flashed briefly and then was gone. He shook his head.

  “No. I don’t need any help in that area.” His gaze met hers. “Do you?”

  She knew he was asking her if she was in a relationship. She had mentioned Johnathan to him before but Dane didn’t know about his proposal. Now was the perfect time to tell him about it.

  So why were the words stuck in her throat?

  “She sure can use some help,” Aria answered for her. “I’m hoping she comes to her senses on this tour and drops Johnathan’s boring ass.”

  Gasping, Lily swatted Aria’s upper arm. “Aria! That’s terrible.”

  “Well, it’s true.”

  Mildly embarrassed, Lily glanced at Dane. He was studying her with an unreadable expression. Whatever he saw on her face had him smiling.

  “Have you gotten enough to eat?” he asked.

  “Yeah,” she replied, deeply relieved that he was dropping the subject of her love life.

  “Then let’s dance.”

  Grinning, she took his hand and followed him through the crowd. They had always paired well on the dance floor. Her aching feet were soon forgotten as they joined the thriving dancers in moving to the music. She laughed breathlessly a number of times as Dane led her through a series of up-tempo songs.

  When the music eventually transitioned to a slower song, Lily expected Dane to lead her off so they could rest like they usually did. He surprised her by tugging her against him and continuing to dance with her. Her arms wound instinctively around his neck as his hands spanned her waist, pressing her closer.

  Her eyes met his. They conversed without words, moving rhythmically and sensually in sync with the music. Dane leaned down and breathed in her scent. It affected Lily like a hot caress. She had to tighten her hold on him before her knees stopped supporting her.

  The song transitioned back to a fast tempo before Lily was ready for it. Dane didn’t immediately push away from her, but instead grew still and pressed his damp forehead to hers.

  “I’m so glad you’re here,” he murmured again.

  She sensed he was saying so much more. That realization left her feeling dazed, baffled, and more than a little guilty. She was one “yes” away from getting engaged to another man, for heaven’s sake.

  Dane hadn’t ever shown this kind of interest in her. She couldn’t help but wonder why he was doing so now...and what in the world she was going to do about it.

  Chapter Six

  Early the next morning, Archer hit the gym of the hotel where he and the band had stayed overnight. He was joined by all of his band mates, some of whom were more enthusiastic about being there than others. Knowing how important it was that they all develop the strong cardio and stamina needed to perform for hours a day for days on end, Christopher had gotten them all into a health and fitness routine early in the band’s formation. They also took care in what they ate and drank, focusing on keeping their energy up and their immune systems boosted.

  When he was done with his workout, Archer returned to his room and showered. He tugged on jeans and a dark green T-shirt, then sat on the edge of the king-sized bed and pulled on his socks and sneakers. He idly considered how much Lily would mock him if she knew how much the shoes had cost him. The thought made him grin.

  She’d been on his mind from the moment she finally entered the VIP area the night before. The sight of her had literally stolen the breath from his lungs. He hadn’t even recognized her at first. His reaction to the vision in purple had been purely visceral. Discovering it was Lily had nearly knocked him on his ass.

  Now he felt guilty for being so surprised over how hot she looked. It wasn’t like she was an unattractive woman. Still, considering the thoughts he’d been having about charming her into getting involved in House of Archer, he couldn’t help but wonder if his strong reaction the night before had been influenced by that. Had he subconsciously found her so appealing because it would make it easier for him to pursue her romantically?

  Damn, he hoped not. He didn’t want to be such an enormous asshole.

  “Trey, I’m going to run down to the coffee shop and then stop by Lily’s room for a few minutes,” he told his tall, muscular bodyguard currently sitting on the suite’s couch watching sporting news on the television.

  “Sure thing, sir,” Trey said, starting to rise.

  “No need for you to come along,” Archer said as he put his wallet into the back pocket of his jeans and grabbed his cell off the charger. “I won’t be gone long and it’s too early for many people to be up and around yet.”

  “You sure?” Trey asked, looking doubtful.

  “Yeah. I’ll meet you at the transpo when we’re scheduled to leave. I’ll call if I need you.”

  “All right.” Trey still didn’t look comfortable with staying behind but he knew Archer well enough not to argue.

  “Later,” Archer said as he headed out.

  Lily was sharing the suite he had booked for her with Aria and Sydney down the hall from his room. He paused briefly by their room to make sure he heard movement and voices before continuing on his way to the elevators. Lily was a notorious bear in the mornings. He knew she’d need some coercion to get out of bed this early, especially after such a late night. Hopefully her friends would make some headway with her before he got there.

  Much as he expected, there weren’t any other people in the hall. It wasn’t even six o’clock yet. He waited in peaceful silence for the elevator to arrive and stepped aside when the doors opened so he could let anyone off if needed. The sound of squealing nearly made him jump. Two females rushed from the elevator and threw their arms around him. He prayed they didn’t wake up the entire floor even as he struggled to put some distance between them.

  “Oh my god,�
�� the first female shrieked. “It’s Archer!”

  “I knew we’d find you!” the second declared just as loudly.

  As the females stepped back, the scent of stale cigarette smoke and alcohol-infused perspiration clung to the air, making him think they’d been out all night and hadn’t ever gone to bed. It took him a moment to realize that he actually knew the young women. They were Lily’s half-sisters, Caroline and Bridgette. Rather than feeling relieved over the discovery, he wished he could shove them back through the closing elevator doors and pretend he’d never seen them. Lily would be royally pissed off to find them there.

  “What are you two doing here?” he asked, doing his best to keep his voice down.

  “We’re here to see our sister off,” Caroline said.

  Her eyes roved along his body, making it clear she wasn’t really there for Lily. Archer knew very well that the sisters were Void groupies. This wasn’t the first time they had turned up at one of the hotels where the band was staying, though he’d never shared that with Lily. Her family was a touchy enough subject with her as it was. Typically the sisters never made it past the hotel’s security. They’d obviously gotten a little savvier in their approach.

  “Did Lily tell you we were staying here?” he asked.

  Bridgette shrugged. “She didn’t have to. We got the deets off Facebook. You guys stayed here last night and you’re heading to Seattle this morning, performing at some kind of charity gig tonight on your way.”

  Archer was going to have to nudge Christopher about speaking with Victoria Rucker, the band’s social media manager. She wasn’t supposed to share things like the specific hotel where the band was staying for reasons just like this. Lily had been bugging him for ages to liven up the band’s social media content anyway. Maybe this would be the impetus to make a change.

  “This worked out perfectly,” Caroline added, running her hand along his bicep. “We never get to spend any time with you. You’re one of our sister’s best friends. We really should get to know you better, don’t you think?”