Risk Worth Taking: Music For The Heart - Book Three

by Faith Starr

  “Now bend over slightly.”

  Ah, now I knew his plan.

  He stood behind me, using his palm to start the party, rubbing it against my now hypersensitive flesh. Mmm. He had so many tricks up his sleeve, this one by far an effort to make sure I still planned to attend the fiesta he so diligently organized. Oh, he needn’t worry, I had no intention of skipping out. In fact, I’d be the life of the party, that was how full of lust he had me.

  “So wet. I fucking love it.”

  When he ran a finger down my spine, I shivered, closed my eyes and arched my back. For a minute I wondered whether he’d get me off with his hand alone because it did a splendid job of winding me up, to the point my body felt ready to unravel.

  His other hand spread my ass cheeks wider so he could better align himself up front. My anticipation blossomed like wildflowers. I couldn’t wait.

  My body trembled, but it didn’t stop it from sucking his cock in whole, my palms unsteady on the wall supporting them, my knees already buckling.

  “Fuck yes, Drew,” he huffed against my ear, moving in and out of me at a steady pace, his body slapping against mine more vigorously with his increase in tempo.

  “Logan.” I tried everything within my power to hold back the screams dying to come out. The fantasy playing out in my mind along with the reality of our situation had me on the edge of a tall cliff, ready to take the plunge with my bungee cord intact.

  He moved even faster, my legs barely able to keep me upright. No way was I going to allow myself to fall in dried-up puddles of urine. Gross. I willed and demanded my limbs to hold me up.

  It was ironic that I saw stars, Logan being one and me flying in the clouds closer to them.

  My eyes rolled back, the juncture where our bodies connected sending fireworks of pleasure throughout.

  I arched my back more, thinking it would enable him to fill me deeper even though he filled me to the rim.

  Sweet heaven above.

  I floated inside the small confines of the bathroom, miles above the ground, now an official member of a club I’d only read about in magazines or heard others speak about.

  My body exploded around him, shattering into a million pieces. His went still. He tensed inside me, only for him to put me back together again when he pulled out, the two of us breathing heavily.

  Holy shit.

  I closed my eyes. The thrill of the ride far surpassed anything I had conjured up in my mind.

  He helped dress me, hiking my pants up, my limbs too weak and heavy to assist.

  We didn’t speak. Instead we got ourselves presentable and washed up in the small sink to prepare for our grand exit.

  My nerves kicked in again. Who knew if a line had formed down the aisle, people arguing, cursing us because they only had one vacant bathroom to use, that being the one on the right?

  “I’m going to exit first. If things seem suspicious, I’ll come back inside, complaining of stomach pain. I’ll hold my stomach too. That’ll stop people from questioning me. If all is good, I’ll head up front to my seat. In about a minute or two, you do the same.”

  People were going to wonder why the door remained locked after he exited. The man had basically thrown me under the bus in this operation because passengers would look at me as the guilty party when I made my getaway.

  “Nobody gives a shit. If anything, you’ll get high fives.”

  What?

  I stared at him in awe. He was serious too, and he had read my mind.

  “You’re not funny.”

  “And you’re hot. Welcome to the club, babe. I’ll see you shortly.” He kissed my lips and unlocked the door.

  Oh my God. I fidgeted in place, praying desperately this part of the plan would work.

  When he opened the door, panic set in.

  He faced me prior to leaving, his demeanor calm, as opposed to mine. “Embrace the danger. It makes life more fun.” He blew me a kiss, winked, and left.

  Embrace the danger? I wasn’t sure about that.

  One thing I was sure of—the uneasy sensation in my gut telling me a lot of it would be coming in the near future.

  25

  Logan

  Prancing back to first class, I got a few stares. Not that I gave a shit what anyone thought about me or my actions. My worry lay in thinking about whether Drew could handle it.

  The rest of the flight went by in a flash. It felt great to be on home turf again. I waited for Drew to exit the plane and escorted her to baggage claim to retrieve her suitcase. Kate and her runaway groom greeted her with hugs. If I could have my way, Drew would spend the night at my place. But I understood her eagerness to go home and sort things out with her sister and parents over the entire wedding and honeymoon shenanigans that had taken place.

  Before we parted, I made sure she had all my contact info, a somewhat awkward experience. As much as I wanted to cuddle her in my arms and kiss her goodbye for the world to see, I couldn’t. I had to keep things on the down low, at least for now, a challenging concept for me to face and accept.

  Once I got home, familiarity settled in. I rarely had the opportunity to spend long periods of time in my small house, a place I loved to chill out and relax in. I had bought it a year or so ago. Not the most extravagant of places but definitely a step up from homes I had resided in prior to fame settling in, if one could call some of the shitholes I had slept in that. I didn’t feel or see the point in playing show-and-tell with my residence when I rarely stayed in it, for good reason too. It meant the band did well, and we were in high demand.

  After taking a hot shower, I sorted through my mail, discarding the junk from the bills. My neighbor had been kind enough to get it for me, something he did on a regular basis. Most of my bills were set up on autopay, so I didn’t have too much to deal with. He also had a key to turn on lights, flush toilets, and such when I traveled for extended periods.

  It was nice to have someone I trusted with my personal shit, since I had no family close by to help. It also didn’t hurt that the guy was a judge, his partner a happy homemaker. Every now and then I’d come home to discover new flowers planted in front of my house. His partner loved to garden.

  It also didn’t hurt that I paid them a nice chunk of change to take care of my shit for me. I considered it to be one of my better investments, because in my business, finding trustworthy people who didn’t want to suck you dry or steal from you didn’t come easy.

  Two envelopes stuffed in the pile caught my eye. They were thick, larger-than-average envelopes, similar to those that held birthday cards. My birthday had passed months ago. Who in the hell had sent me cards?

  I opened the first one.

  Dear Logan,

  I miss you. I used to love hearing you guys practice back in the day and play local gigs, but now you travel so much, it’s hard to keep up with you. Social media has been my saving grace, but it’s not enough anymore. I like knowing what you’re up to. It’s probably no good, you bad boy. I wouldn’t mind being bad along with you. And now that you’re on break for a few weeks, it might be the perfect opportunity for me to do so. I’ll be in touch.

  What the fuck?

  I tossed the note aside and opened the second envelope.

  Dear Logan,

  I didn’t know you were traveling with a companion. Usually shots of you posted online with women are singles, meaning there’s one pic of you and your bimbo for the night, but there are multiples off you and your new friend together. It bothers me you’d betray me this way. Here I was looking forward to your return home and come to find you have a girlfriend. I’m not sure what to do with my feelings. I’m both baffled and hurt. I’m beyond surprised you’d slap this in my face without even considering how your behavior would affect me.

  I squeezed the card tighter, grabbing hold of the envelope to check for an address and postage—nothing on either one. How did she know where I lived? And how would she have been able to reference me and Drew when the news of our relationship onl
y broke recently?

  With deep focus I reread the first letter, noting how the person stated knowing me back in the day. It’d be impossible for me to figure out who the note had come from. I might as well pick a name out of a hat because that was how many women there had been over the years. I had no fucking clue whatsoever. For all I knew, if could’ve been a dude. But I seriously doubted it.

  Camilla needed an update on this situation. I snagged my phone from the counter and called her. I wondered whether this was the fan she’d been receiving e-mails from, the one she’d warned me about after our last show. The e-mail I had blown off as nothing to worry about.

  She asked me to send her pictures, so she could see the letters for herself. I used the camera function on my phone and snapped a few shots, sending them to her via text.

  “I can’t say for sure if it’s the same girl, but the wording is awfully similar to the other e-mails we received. My gut tells me we’re dealing with a love-obsessed stalker.”

  Pacing back and forth in my living room, I rubbed my fingers over my brow, my worry growing frantically by the minute. Camilla spoke in a foreign language. I had no idea what she was talking about.

  “Please explain that in plain English.”

  “It’s a psychological disorder where one person becomes fixated on another person and believes their feelings are reciprocal. The people might be complete strangers and know nothing about each other personally. In other words, in this person’s mind, she thinks you’re in love with her, and, by the tone in those letters you received, feels you’re cheating on her with the woman in your pictures. Something else we need to discuss in more detail.”

  Fuck! I didn’t want Drew dragged into this mess.

  “Please tell me how the hell we stop this nutcase.”

  “Well, since she hasn’t made any type of direct threat, there’s not much we can do right now.”

  “She hand-delivered letters to my house, which means she knows where I live. Neither envelope had postage. I don’t like this, Camilla.”

  Anger at the situation consumed me as did a bit of fear. The guys and I had received many fan letters over the months, women telling us how much they loved us, some claiming to want to bear our children, and such, but we regarded them as nothing, feeling untouchable. This shit came too close to home for my comfort level.

  “I understand your concern. But there’s nothing we can do. This woman hasn’t posed any type of a threat to you. Usually, there has to be some type of criminal intent on the part of the stalker to create fear. She’s done nothing so far to indicate any of that.”

  “Key words being so far.”

  “I thought you had an alarm and security cameras around your place.”

  Fuck, yes! Why hadn’t I thought about that?

  “I do. I totally forgot about the cameras.”

  “Why don’t you review some of the footage recorded over the last week and see if you spot anything unusual? And don’t your next-door neighbors take care of your property for you? Maybe you can ask them if they noticed any odd or suspicious activity around your place.”

  “I’m going to take you up on both of those suggestions. My neighbors know how to get in touch with me at all times, even at the ranch, in case of emergency. So I’m sure if they saw anything out of the ordinary or suspected something fishy, they would’ve contacted me. But still, I’m going to speak with them.”

  “Now, about the girl in the pictures, care to share? You only gave me a brief rundown when I spoke with you earlier. I want to know what kind of damage control I’m dealing with.”

  Camilla had a knack for making me feel like the runt of the litter, the odd guy out who always caused trouble when it came to the band.

  “I already told you. She’s an old friend.”

  “Don’t forget who you’re talking to. I’m on your side, remember?”

  It was instinctive by this point to get defensive with her since she blamed me for everything under the sun. But for once, I hadn’t done anything wrong.

  “She’s my ex. She happened to be at the ranch.”

  “Coincidence?”

  “Yes, sheer coincidence. Both of us were beyond surprised, to say the least.”

  “So what’s the status of this relationship with your ex now?”

  “I honestly don’t know how to answer your question. Things were great between us at the ranch, but now that we’re back home, in the real world, my crazy-as-fuck world, who knows?”

  “Very well. Do me a favor and try to keep a low profile. We’re not sure whether the woman sending you the notes is stalking you, watching you from afar, you know? I would consider taking on extra security. I’ll see if Tomas knows of anyone who might be interested in a side job.”

  This sucked. Being followed around by a bodyguard was the last thing I wanted to deal with. I wasn’t ready to take that drastic of a measure yet.

  “For now I’d just like to check out the footage and speak with my neighbors before I agree to put a guard on my tail twenty-four/seven.”

  “Don’t take this lightly. This type of a situation could turn ugly fast.”

  “I’m not taking it lightly. That’s why I called you. I’m freaking the fuck out.”

  “And with all good reason. Let me know if you find anything interesting on the video footage or if your neighbors have any information that might help us figure out who this woman is. It’s important for us keep abreast of this situation and journal the happenings, so if and when the police have to get involved, we can present them with evidence to support our case.”

  “Will do.”

  I disconnected the call and set my phone down. I went into my office and brought my computer to life, wanting to check out the surveillance footage. Joey had requested that both me and Trevor step up security measures at our respective places several months back to prevent situations like the one I currently found myself in from occurring. It seemed the more popular we became, the more hard-core our fans became as a result.

  Since the second letter had to be delivered within the last twenty-four hours, I watched recordings within that timeframe.

  On a positive note, I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary around the immediate borders of my property.

  My next step was to search my name online to see what new and disturbing press and pictures had popped up while I’d escaped to the mountains. The band had a social-media team who managed our posts, since it had become a round-the-clock job that required constant monitoring. Fans loved to post all kinds of crazy-ass shit, some of which our team tried to remove whenever possible.

  Other than the few pictures I had already seen posted of me and Drew on my phone at the airport, I didn’t see anything new.

  While at my desk, I also took care of other business and dropped Drew a text. How bizarre that I missed her so badly when we’d only been apart for several hours.

  Logan: How does it feel to be home?

  Drew: It felt better at the ranch. My parents are still pissed at me for taking off with Kate.

  Logan: I’m sure they’ll get over it. Besides, Kate ended up getting married anyway, so everything worked out for the best, especially the part about us finding each other again.

  Drew: Aww, how sweet.

  Logan: But so true.

  Drew: Yes, I’ll agree with you on that one. As far as my parents go, you and I see the logic, but they aren’t the most rationale people, so they only see the negative in the situation. It’s bullshit. I’m an adult and they still treat me like a child.

  Logan: A mighty sexy one too if I do say so myself.

  Drew: Sexy adult or child?

  Her witty sarcasm made me smile. I typed my reply.

  Logan: Oh, there’s not a hint of adolescence on that flawless body of yours, baby. You’re all woman.

  Drew: Now you’ve gone and made me blush. FYI, my body is not flawless. I think you’re referring to yours.

  Now I think I blushed, a difficult feat for her to tr
iumph. Warmth spread across my cheeks.

  Logan: How about flawless when we’re together?

  Drew:I like that.

  Logan: I like you.

  Loved was more like it. I kept the thought to myself.

  Drew:Such kind words.

  Logan: When it comes to you, I only speak the truth. Do you feel like getting out?

  I did. I had just gotten home from vacation and felt I could already use another one.

  Drew: I’d love to. What do you have in mind?

  Logan: Thoughts not appropriate for a text.

  Drew: You’re quite funny too. Seriously, though, what do you have in mind?

  Logan: I was being serious.

  Drew: Do you think of nothing else?

  Logan: Not where you’re concerned. Fine, how about dinner? Are you hungry?

  Drew: I could eat.

  So could I, my cock and mouth in agreement with her statement, neither with thoughts about food.

  Logan: Shall I pick you up in an hour?

  Drew: How about I meet you?

  Logan: Don’t tell me, you happened to leave out the part about the two of us meeting up at the ranch when you told your folks about your stay there?

  Drew: Trust me, I got an earful from them without doing so. I didn’t want to hear any more nagging from them. I’m surprised Kate didn’t mention anything to them about it either. There must be some goodness in her after all. I’m sorry. I hope you’re not angry.

  Logan: There’s no need for apologies. I’m not angry with you. It’s quite the opposite. But I’ll go on a hunch and say I’m still on their shit list.