“Good. I don’t want him to get hurt. I’m supposed to play the venue solo. That’s the deal I cut with Harry,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest. I’d talked to him last night on the way back from Hayden and Briar’s, telling him I wanted to be on the stage alone—mainly so I didn’t have to save face with Hayden, who I didn’t think would show.
Mila turned to glare at me. Oh, right, I hadn’t mentioned my hope Jordan wouldn’t be able to resist the free shot—literally—at my head or arse to her. I’d forgotten how to do this sharing-of-lives business.
“But you invited me yesterday,” Hayden said, “And I’ve invited Jake.”
“We’ll have to borrow a drummer,” Jake said. “I’ve talked to Harry about it and he’s got a few options for us to talk over.”
“No,” I said. “I don’t want you there.” That sounded the worst kind of harsh. I tugged at my eyebrow ring. “I mean, I do, but I don’t want you to get hurt. Bloody hell. I can’t let you put yourselves in harm’s way. Jake, you can stay here with Mila. So I know she’s safe.”
“I’m coming with you,” Jake said, his chin thrust out with determination. “No way you get all the limelight.”
“I can’t protect all of you,” I gritted.
“Nor should you have to, big brother,” Jake said, his face falling into serious lines. “We’re all in this because we choose to be.”
“Right,” Hayden said. “We left our band image, hell our relationship with you, a mess for the world to see. It’s time everyone realizes we’re a group. You’re my mate, and I’m there with you— especially through this point in your life.”
Hayden kept his eyes trained on me, and that damn lump in my throat swelled up again. I gulped the rest of my coffee so I could get the words out. “But you could get hurt. Any of you.”
“Staying here at the hotel almost got me killed yesterday,” Mila said. “I don’t see how it’s more dangerous for us to be on the move.”
“You are not coming.”
She blinked up at me, her eyes filled with hurt. “You don’t want me there?”
I shoved my hand through my hair. “That’s not what I said, and it’s not what I meant. Mila, you almost died. He’s tried to kill you twice now. One of these times he just might.”
“But he hasn’t. And if I’m with you, at least I can see what I’d be getting into with the touring and concerts and such. I never did much of that with you before because of my coursework, then my residency.”
“You have patients now that you’re supposed to be seeing,” I said, grasping for something.
She raised her brows. “Someone told my boss I wouldn’t be in this week. Apparently, I have loads of free time. Now, if you don’t want me there, just say it. I’ll figure something out.”
“That’s not it, Mila! Of course I want you.” I huffed out a breath, annoyed to be fighting, baring my soul in front of such a big crowd.
“I’ll come, too,” Briar said.
Hayden jerked beside her, his eyes narrowed.
“I’ll keep Mila company backstage. It’ll be good, as Mila pointed out, for me see more of this touring business.”
“Well, I don’t want to miss the party,” Noelle said. “I mean, I’m not involved with one of the members of the band, but it sounds like fun.”
I wanted to rip out my hair, break something. “Don’t you get that there’s a mad man out there with a gun, shooting at us?” I gritted out.
All the eyes in the room blinked up at me. Hayden stood, walked around the coffee table and laid his hand on my tensed shoulder.
“Of course we do. But we’re your family, and you’re not doing this alone.”
23
Mila
Murphy stood in a single lunge and pulled Hayden into a bear hug. He turned and did the same to Jake. “You’re not allowed to get hurt. No matter what. You’re not allowed.”
“Can I talk to you, Mila?” Noelle asked.
I nodded and started to leave the room. “No,” Murphy said. “Stay where I can see you.” Realizing how harsh that command sounded, he added a soft, “please.”
I nodded, smiling, and moved to the other side of the room. I reached through the bars of the cage and petted Alpie, who cooed in response.
“What’s up.”
“Are you okay?” Noelle asked. “I mean, with all the coverage about your miscarriage and hospitalization? Murphy said you’re dependent on your pills.”
I blinked, surprised to realize I hadn’t thought about my next hit since . . . well, since Murphy made me forget last night, and again this morning.
“It’s early days yet,” I said, feeling out the words, “but I think I’m going to be fine.”
She blew out a slow breath. “Well, if there’s anything worth getting addicted to in this world, it’s that man. Good Lord, he’s hot, Mil. Especially when he goes all alpha male around you, snarling and snapping at anyone who gets too close.”
I nodded. He was. But being with Murphy meant sharing him with his adoring fans. The ones who stripped naked at shows and no doubt did all kinds of naughty things I’d never considered. I’d only been with three men in my life, and Murphy was my longest relationship by far. In my last lonely year, I’d read a lot of possibilities for sexual play in the erotic romances Noelle kept leaving at my house or sending me via her Kindle. How could I compete with women who not only knew about those kinky options but put them to good use?
“One of your patients came into my ER last night.”
I pulled my mind from its rabbit trail. “Who?”
“Tanya. I happened to be leaving when they admitted her. I helped her get settled in. She said to let you know she’s thinking of you.”
I closed my eyes. Twenty-seven and alone, Tanya struggled with her pregnancy, first with an inability to hold anything in her stomach, then with bleeding. She’d reminded me of me from that initial appointment—her hope warring with fear and boiled down to an essence of determination to do anything she could for her unborn child. For me, that wasn’t enough. I didn’t want Tanya to go through the same hell I’d lived.
“What for?” I asked.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” Briar asked. She laid her hand on each of our shoulders, squeezing just enough to let us know she meant her words. I liked her. A lot.
“We’re discussing one of my patients. She’s in the ER.”
“No, they moved her to Labor and Delivery,” Noelle said. “They’re monitoring her.”
“Oh, I’m going to the hospital in a little while. Want me to check on her?”
“Would you mind?” I asked.
Briar smiled. “Not at all. In fact, it’s one of my favorite parts of my new position. I like cheering people up. What’s wrong with her?”
“Placenta previa,” Noelle said. Tanya’s situation kept getting worse. She was young, single and about to be put on bed rest. There was no way she’d be able to keep up with the bills, especially without an income.
“Crap,” I said. “She’s still got eleven weeks left. Bed rest is going to be a real problem.”
“The admitting wants to keep her another day or two,” Noelle added.
“And then?”
Noelle shrugged, an attempt to wrest away from the pain of getting too involved in a patient’s life.
“Why don’t I go see her later this morning?” Briar said. “We leave Friday for the concert.”
“It’s this Friday?” I asked, startled. Definitely some details Murphy and I would have to work out. Number one among them was communicating our schedules.
“From what Hayden’s said, they’ll do press today and practice with their fill-in drummer,” Briar said. “That’s the schedule until the concert.”
I shook my head, trying to wrap my mind around the fact I planned to tour with one of the hottest bands in the world. “This is so different from when they were playing pubs in Sydney.”
“You have no idea,” Briar sighed. “It’s the part I li
ke least.” Her eyes softened as they drifted over to Hayden. Jake, Hayden, and Murphy were huddled together, their sun-kissed locks nearly as beautiful as their faces, all set in concentration. “But I can’t imagine being happy without him. So I deal.”
“Smart words,” Noelle, said.
She fell back into her thought, which made me ask, “This about Kent?”
“Hmmm? I don’t know,” Noelle responded, a frown pinching her brows.
“He wants more?” I asked.
Noelle shook her head, her lips pressed together. “He wants to keep doing what he’s doing. But he’d be perfectly fine if I worked around his schedule, his life.”
Briar made a grumbly noise in her throat. “Doctor?” she asked.
Noelle nodded.
“Figured,” she said with a sigh. “There are some really great ones. Like you, Mila.”
“Kent’s one of the good ones,” Noelle responded. “But his schedule is insane.”
“So you’re going to coast along with him until something better comes along?” I asked.
Noelle’s gaze slid over Murphy before landing back on me. “You’re one to talk.”
“It’s . . . we’re complicated,” I sighed as I hugged my arms tighter to my chest.
Briar’s smile turned rueful. “Any relationship worth having is. Once emotions get involved, all that cool logic goes right out the window.” She shook her head. “I sound like my sister. She’s so freaking smart.”
Murphy’s tears last night haunted me. “I’m worried he’s only with me because of the baby. Well, now because he’d feel horrible if Jordan hurt me.”
“I don’t know him well,” Briar said. “In fact, I’ve made a point to avoid him after he tried to keep me away from Hayden, but I can tell you he never looked at any of the women on tour like he looks at you. He wants to bundle you up and hide you from the world.”
“He has,” I said, my voice sour.
“Because he cares about you. And that hug when you came out? Even though you two had just been arguing, he couldn’t bear to be apart. That’s sweet.”
“Not the word I would have chosen for Murphy Etsam, but yeah, it was,” Noelle said.
“How’d you know?” I asked. “That Hayden was worth the risk? The headaches of the travel schedule?”
Briar’s dreamy expression stayed in place, building into a large cat-with-cream smile. “Easy. He ripped my heart out and took it with him when he left. The only way I’d be whole was with him. Thankfully, that goes both ways.”
I glanced over at Murphy, who stared at me. His interest created a powerful reaction in my body.
Oh, how I wanted this man. I hoped when he took my heart on his next trip, I held his.
After Briar, Hayden, and Noelle left—now each with their own security detail since they’d decided to attach themselves more closely to us—Murphy moved his things from the second bedroom. Jake wanted a lie-in and Murphy said he wanted to spoon me. That wasn’t what he wanted, but he did win points for saying so.
“What are you thinking?” he asked when I settled on the side of the bed, too restless to actually lie down.
“One of my patients was admitted to the hospital last night. Briar offered to visit her today, but I’d like to see her. Soon.”
“That’s not a good idea. Not with Jordan still running around, armed and crazed.”
“Murphy, this young woman reminds me so much of me. She’s single. Her boyfriend jumped ship when she found out she was pregnant.”
Based on Murphy’s thin-lipped response, he didn’t like that comparison.
“I’m sorry, that started out badly,” I sighed. “What I mean is, she’s struggling through this pregnancy, fighting and clawing every step of the way to bring this baby into the world. She’s been thrown so many curves, Murphy. The baby,” I swallowed, “the baby likely has Down Syndrome, and she’s never changed her course, never been anything other than a loving mum.”
He sighed. “Do you want to go there now?”
I gripped my shirt. “Do you think it’s safe?”
“I can ask Kevin if you’d like.”
“You don’t think it’s safe,” I whispered.
His arms tightened around me, squeezing too tight. “Christ, Mila. I can’t deal with all this heavy shit. The last time I left, you were shot at.”
“So were you.”
He pressed a kiss to my lips and I melted into him. “For your safety—your sanity—I shouldn’t let you go. But I’m a selfish bastard, and I just can’t control you. So if you want to go to the hospital today, even though it scares the shit out of me, we’ll go visit your patient.”
“Where are you going?” I asked.
“To tell Kevin we’re going to the hospital.”
“Your vitals are good,” I said. No, I purred. It was late afternoon, almost five, by the time we arrived. I’d had to show Murphy how much I appreciated his willingness to compromise even though he didn’t want to. I didn’t complain when, an hour and a half later, just as I finally climbed from our bed, he wanted to reassure himself that I was his.
He’d called Nordstrom when he went to talk to Kevin about my desire to visit the hospital, and one of the personal shoppers created and brought over a new wardrobe for me. Thanks to the fire, my clothing choices were sadly depleted.
Still, I protested, not liking the grandness of the gesture. Murphy whispered how much he wanted to see me in the short white shorts and the red checked top, the 1950s-style day dress and especially the corset and garters. I gave in without too much grumbling once Murphy understood I was serious about paying for all of it. Sure, it would put a bigger dent in my savings, but if Murphy and I were going to be seen together in public, I must appear good enough to date him—one of Briar’s tenets for reducing publicity. While the idea of expensive clothing was weird and the reasons for such expenditures shallow, I understood her point. I’d read the scathing attacks Briar endured and didn’t wish to follow in her footsteps.
I sighed, confused. Much as I wanted to rise above the silliness of gossip sites and Internet memes, the part that bothered me most were the comparisons to Murphy’s previous lovers.
Sure, he said he wanted to be with me. But I wasn’t sure he’d still feel that way once he saw the gorgeous, cover-model perfect bodies he could have instead. The man was a connoisseur of beautiful women—with even better taste than he had in cars and clothes. With the scars on my shoulder and average stature, I couldn’t compete with those women, no matter how beautiful Murphy told me I was. Because while he thought me beautiful, that didn’t mean the rest of the world didn’t see my flaws in my too-large, boring brown eyes and hair.
So much for my momentary sexual bliss. I blinked at Tanya, trying to restabilize my world. The pills. This depressive crash I was experiencing must be due to my lack of serotonin. Upping my protein levels immediately should show an improvement in a few days.
“Yep, your BP is perfect,” I said, patting her shoulder.
“I’m doing great, Dr. Mila.”
I smiled, as I always did whenever Tanya called me that.
“But how about you? I was shocked when you were on the news.”
I frowned down at my clipboard. What to say? This woman was my patient, but she’d also become my friend. “I’m okay. It’s not pleasant having my past exposed to the world at large, but Murphy’s been great.”
“To think you once dated a rock star,” she sighed.
“She is again, but I still think I got the better end of this deal,” Murphy said as he entered the doorway, moving in to embrace my middle as he nuzzled into my neck. I melted back into him, unable to stop myself.
Tanya’s mouth opened—her tonsils were pink, healthy. She snapped her jaw closed to grin with more megawatts than I’d ever seen from her before.
“Dr. Mila is amazing. I always thought she was too pretty to be a doctor.”
“She’s smart enough for the career,” Murphy said.
“You’
ll take good care of her? Not just while the stalker’s out there?”
“Oh, I fully intend to,” Murphy said.
I couldn’t help but smile. He sounded satisfied, a perfectly happy cat with its canary.
“How are you faring?” Murphy asked.
Tanya dropped her gaze to the hospital bed and flushed. “I’m okay. It’s the baby, though.”
“Yeah, Mila said he’s given you some trouble. She also said your background is in PR.” Murphy raised his eyebrows.
Tanya nodded, hesitant. Where was Murphy going with this?
“Right. Well, once you get that nipper sorted, give us a call,” Murphy said. “I’ve been known to get in a spot or three. A good PR team is worth its weight.”
Tanya smiled again, this time her eyes sparkling with excitement. “Really? You’d do that?”
“Well, I don’t hire. My manager does. But seeing as how I’ll be spending more time in Seattle so Mila can finish her residency, I’m going to need some staff in this time zone. Here’s his information. Tell him I said to talk to you.”
“Oh,” she whispered. When she lifted her head, her eyes were filled with tears and something close to hero worship. “Thank you.”
“Take care,” Murphy said. He kissed the top of my head. “I’ll be in Briar’s office with Hayden. Who knew we’d spend so much time together in a hospital when neither of us was sick or broken?”
I smiled at him, my own heart melting at the sweetness of his gesture to Tanya. I sucked in a deep breath and turned in his arms. Professionalism be damned for the moment. This man was amazing when he wanted to be. I stood on my tiptoes and pulled his head down for a real kiss.
While short, the kiss promised all kinds of hotness later. I trailed my lips along his jaw and whispered in his ear. “Thank you.”
He squeezed my hips as he stepped back. “Oh, you can do that. Soon.” Glancing back at Tanya, he winked. “See ya.”
I pressed my fingers to my lips as he walked from the room, wanting to hold the tingling warmth for another moment.
Tanya sighed. “He might just be the most potent hit of testosterone I’ve ever met.”
Seattle Sound Series, The Collection: Books One to Five Page 69