Out of the Blue

by Dee J. Adams

  “Hey,” he said softly and waited until she met his gaze. “Don’t apologize. I understand the pressure, okay? I don’t ever want you to feel pressure from me. I don’t ever want to do something that reminds you of whatshisname. That’s important to me.” Any teasing tone or gleam in his eyes was long gone.

  “I know.” And she did. Fundamentally he was the exact opposite of Jeff.

  Brendan bent his head and kissed her softly. A fantasy kiss. His lips brushed over hers, back and forth until she opened for him. He always kissed her so gently to start, easing her into the mood with a skillful tongue and masterful hands. Kisses that dreams were made of.

  Thinking of dreams, Casey pulled away. “Before I forget, I have to be in a little earlier tomorrow. Nine-fifteen, not ten.”

  “Oh yeah? Did Miles call?”

  “Kind of. It was Charlie, his new assistant. Miles wants to talk to me before the band gets there. I’m sure he’s going to spring something else on me. Can’t wait.”

  Brendan’s grin was infectious. “Not a problem. I’ll have you there.” He kissed her again, nibbled her lower lip and made her insides tingle with anticipation. The guitar wasn’t the only thing he knew how to play.

  “I really do hate that you think you have to be my driver,” she said against his lips. “My insurance will pay for a rental until I get a new car.”

  He shook his head and leaned back a fraction. “I’m not leaving you alone. Not until I know you’re safe.”

  “Look, I appreciate it. I really do. But what happens if they don’t find this guy? You can’t do this forever.”

  Brendan hated the look in her eyes, the guilt on top of guilt. He cupped her neck, ran his thumb along her jaw. “With all the man power on your case, I’m sure something will give soon. You know, you’ve got more than just the LAPD working on this thing. You’ve got my brother and his boss on it too. They’re the best private investigators in the city.”

  She nodded, but didn’t seem completely sold. Instead of talking about it more, he wanted to distract her, take her mind off the case.

  “So you’ve been working for two days straight… I think that deserves a reward. How about a little celebration?” he asked.

  She gave him a half smile. “I like celebrating. What did you have in mind?”

  Good question. He had no idea. “All depends on what you feel like. We can stay here and cook dinner. I’m sure there’s something in the fridge. There always is. Or we could go someplace and—”

  “Here.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and moved in all close and personal. “I don’t want to share you tonight.”

  He leaned his head back and said a silent thank-you to the powers that be before meeting her gaze. He stroked his hand down her back until it was precariously low, just on the slope of her ass, and Casey stepped in closer and rubbed against his growing erection. “I’m totally on board with that idea.” Before he lost the small amount of control he had, he pulled away, took her hand and led her back into the house. “Food. We need food.” Once inside, he opened the fridge door, hoping the cool air might counter the heat building in his blood.

  “Food sounds good. I’m kind of hungry.”

  He was starving, and not necessarily for food. But first things first. He needed to feed her before they worked off all the calories. He spied a casserole plate and lifted the lid. No way! “Hey, my mom made enchiladas.” His mouth watered. “Please tell me you like Mexican food. This is one of my favorites. My mom is a mean cook.”

  “Is there anything your mom doesn’t do?” Casey asked, pulling out the dish since he was limited.

  “Not really.” He thought back to all the years growing up in this household. “She was always the one who wanted to try something new. Always encouraging us to go out of our comfort zones. I think that’s why I ended up working for Seger. I mean, I liked messing around with technology and computers, and bartending can be hectic, but it’s fun. I liked talking to people and finding ways to make a favorite drink better. I just think my mom realized that there was part of me that needed a more creative outlet. How many do you want?” he asked, after removing the glass lid.

  “Two is good. So can you pinpoint when you knew music was it for you?” Casey asked.

  Brendan cut six enchiladas from the dish and scooped them onto a plate. “Honestly, I think my mom saw it before I did. I mean, I loved sitting down with my dad and jamming in the garage, coming up with new tunes. It wasn’t like he had that much free time or that I was living in the garage and only playing music, but when we did, when I did, it just…” He shook his head. Couldn’t seem to put his thoughts into words. “…It just clicked.” He found some Spanish rice in the fridge and added that to the plate, then slid it all inside the microwave and set the timer.

  “I get it,” she assured him. “It was the same with me. I love teaching, but it didn’t give me the time to create my own stuff.” Casey grabbed two glasses from the cabinet. “After school, I always had private lessons, so the little time I had to devote to music was precious time.” She sniffed the enchiladas before returning the lid and replacing the dish in the fridge. “Mmm, these smell wonderful.” She took out a pitcher of tea and poured two glasses.

  “Trust me, you’re going to love them.” It only took a couple of minutes to reheat their dinner. They sat at the kitchen table and dug into their meal. The chilies added the perfect amount of spice. “Oh man, sometimes I wonder why I moved out,” Brendan said around his first bite. Melted cheese, moist chicken, green chilies all wrapped in a flour tortilla and covered with his mom’s enchilada sauce. Perfecto.

  Casey shook her head and swallowed her bite. “I so didn’t have that problem. I couldn’t get out of my house fast enough. Oh my, God, this is good.”

  He grinned. “Told ya. So what had you scrambling to get out?” They’d never talked about her family life before and he’d missed the conversation with her parents after the shooting since he’d been in rough shape.

  “You met my parents. They’re older and conservative. Crazy conservative.” She sipped her tea.

  “Politically?” he asked.

  “Every which way you can imagine. My mom is old fashioned. She sets the woman’s movement back sixty years. She thinks men and women have different jobs. It’s the man’s job to provide financially, and it’s the woman’s job to take care of the house and kids. Never shall the two meet.”

  “Isn’t that kind of archaic?” Brendan asked before taking another mouth-watering bite of his dinner.

  “Kind of? Try extremely! It’s not like I begrudge her opinion. I just don’t get how she can expect all women to think her way. I swear her only motivation for sending me to college was so I’d meet a guy and get married.”

  “You almost did,” he reminded her.

  She nodded. “Almost.” She shivered. “What a colossal mistake that would’ve been.”

  “What about your sister. Does she have the same issues with your parents?”

  Casey laughed. “Oh my God. Zoe is like a force of nature. She’s a lot like your mom in some ways. Very adventurous and strong. She knows her own mind. I can’t tell you how many times my mom used to cry about her once she went to college. Mom was sure she was going to end up in jail or worse. They fought constantly and I was always the one trying to calm everyone down.”

  “Not into confrontation?” Brendan asked. With the exception of Friday, of course. Her right jab still made him grin.

  “Not at all. Sure, I have limits, but I’m usually the one trying to make peace. When Zoe moved, the house got a lot quieter. I think my mom thought she’d have more control over me, but…” Casey shook her head. “You can’t force your beliefs on other people. She’s never realized that. After the shooting and before we had that conversation here, I think she was still hoping I would make things work with Jeff.”

  “No fucking way? Are you serious?” He shoveled in a bite of rice.

  “Very. My folks are way older than yours. It
’s a different generation. I think even if my mom knew that Jeff tried to—” She took a jagged breath. She took a bite of food as if that might end the conversation, but Brendan wasn’t done.

  “That he tried to what?”

  “Nothing. Forget it. It’s not important.” Her hair fell and shielded her face.

  “Case, what’d he try?” Brendan put his fork down, suddenly not very hungry for his favorite meal.

  She hooked her hair behind her ear and pushed some food around her plate. “The morning before the show, I was expecting Zoe to pick me up. I opened the door without checking and Jeff was there. He barged in, tried to convince me to bail on the show. He got a little physical, but Zoe got there in time and nothing happened.”

  Brendan stood up from the chair as fresh anger coursed through him. “That fucker. I really wish I’d hit him the other day.” He turned to her. “You told me he never hit you. When you say physical, are you talking sexual assault?”

  She sighed and looked him in the eye. “Yes.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Brendan clenched his jaw and fought the rage pounding through him.

  “Look, he knows how to push my buttons, knows…what I’m not a fan of. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but there are some things in bed I’m not very comfortable with,” Casey said.

  He hadn’t noticed anything of the kind. “Casey, we spent one amazing night together. You totally rocked my world.” He sat in his chair again and after she took a drink, he tipped her chin to face him. “You’re amazing in bed… Out of it too. Look, I’m not going to pressure you to do anything you don’t want to do. Ever. You know that, right?”

  She nodded slowly, her eyes soulful. “I know. It’s one of the reasons I like you so much. I know you won’t hurt me. Like I said, Zoe got there and nothing happened. Nothing else to tell.”

  Brendan tamped down the fresh jolt of fury that boiled his blood. He really did want to teach that asshole a lesson. Clearly, Casey didn’t want to talk about this subject, so he moved on…for now. “Tell me more about Zoe. How much older is she?”

  “Two years.” Casey smiled. “She used to sneak out of the house and I’d lie in her bed and pretend to be her when my parents checked on us before they went to bed.”

  “But didn’t they check on you? You couldn’t be in two beds at once.”

  “I stuffed pillows under my blankets. Sometimes, I’d go to sleep with my hair wet and wrapped in a towel, so I’d just stick a stuffed animal in the towel and pull the sheets up and my folks never bothered to look. Besides, I was the good child. I grew up and got an honorable job teaching music to kids. Although my mom hated that I worked at a hippie school.”

  “Hippie school?” Brendan asked.

  “You know, the private schools that teach critical thinking and don’t judge a child’s intelligence on standardized testing. I would’ve loved a school like that when I was growing up, but we couldn’t afford it. Anyway, I think my mom figured that if I worked around kids I’d want to get pregnant faster. I don’t know. They didn’t start worrying about me until the whole reality-show issue came up. Before then I was the model daughter. I had good grades, I went to college, I found a guy, got engaged. All of it was according to their plan. Then I went off-roading.” She glanced at him. “Why are you grinning like that?”

  “Because, I love that you broke away. I love that you realized you needed to live your life the way you want and not the way anyone else wants. I’m lucky in that my parents always stressed individuality. They wanted us all to explore life and try different things before we settled on what might fulfill us.”

  “You are very lucky.” Her smile faded and Brendan felt how the loss of her parents’ relationship hurt her.

  “I’m lucky I met you.” He gave her a sidelong glance before taking another bite of his dinner. If he kissed her now he wouldn’t be able to stop.

  “Well, now you’re just sucking up,” she said, also diving back into her dinner.

  “I’ve been told I’m good at it.”

  She laughed…and his heart rolled over. He loved the sound, hadn’t heard it much since Hawaii.

  “Okay, so your sister, the wild child…has no fear. I’ll keep that in mind.”

  “I always wanted to be more like her. I was just too chicken to try. Then she left for school and I was alone with my folks.” She shook her head. “I think when Jeff met them he realized what he had in me. A total puppet. Because that’s what my mom is. Not that my dad makes her, but because it’s what she chooses to be. It kills me. It’s funny how Zoe is the exact opposite. When she walked in on Jeff that day… I thought she was going to murder him. She has no fear. Me…I’m scared of everything.”

  He shoved her shoulder. “No you’re not. You went into a crazy ocean and nearly drowned. You auditioned for and participated in a national reality TV show. Those things sure as hell didn’t scare you.”

  She shrugged and took a long drink of her tea. “Okay, now you know about my family, tell me about yours. You guys have a nice vibe.”

  He nodded. “We are very tight. We were close before the kidnapping, too, but after that, we got very protective of each other. Most people don’t realize how everything can be gone in an instant. Be it accidental or premeditated. We’ve been through it all. We don’t take each other for granted.”

  “Your brothers were pretty awesome in getting rid of Jeff.”

  “That’s the one good thing about big brothers. They don’t let anyone outside the family pick on me.”

  “Oh my, God. Zoe was the same way. She could beat me up, but no else could.”

  He laughed. “Your sister isn’t even close to your size. How could she beat you up?”

  “I told you, she’s tough. Much tougher than me. Size doesn’t matter as much if you got the attitude.”

  He loved her adamant statement and the sparkle in her eyes.

  “You’re smiling at me again,” she said.

  “Because I like talking to you.” He liked doing other things with her, too, but he promised not to push her, so he wouldn’t. They finished eating and he picked up their dirty dishes and rinsed them in the sink.

  Casey loaded them in the dishwasher. The simple domestic chore had never been more fun. “Blake is the private investigator. Your sister is a filmmaker. What do your other brothers do?”

  “I’ll tell you everything. Come with me.” He took her hand and led her into the den. “Eric is the oldest. Named after my Dad’s mom, Erica. He went to law school and graduated, but he’s having second thoughts. My parents are not thrilled, but at the same time they want him to be happy, so they’re dealing with it.” He sat her on the sofa, turned on the TV and crashed next to her. “Danny is the wildcard of us all. He takes after our mom. He wants to do everything and he wants to do it on his terms. He’s pretty funny. He’s got a big head, but we know him and love him anyway. He’s one of those guys that grows on you after you meet him.” He put his arm around her shoulders and brought her close against his chest, loving her warmth and softness.

  “Is your sister working on a film now?”

  He nodded. “Yep. I think Tanner—that’s her husband—and she are in Hawaii scouting locations.”

  “Must be nice,” Casey mumbled.

  He squeezed her arm. “You know you can afford a trip to Hawaii now. You did win half a million dollars.”

  “Money I won’t see until Miles has all of his songs. Who knows how long it will take?” She ran her finger over a burgeoning hole in his jeans, and the innocent caress sent his blood simmering hotter. “My nightmare is that he vetoes all of them just to keep his money.”

  “It’s not his money,” Brendan said, forcing himself to concentrate on the conversation. “I’m sure it’s budgeted into the show. It has to be.”

  “Apparently, that doesn’t matter to Miles.”

  “We need to find you an agent and maybe a lawyer, and I’ll bet my big sister and Eric can help you with that.” It was a good o
pportunity to adjust their positions because if he didn’t stop her from touching his thigh he might totally pounce on her. “I’ll give Jess a call.” Brendan wedged his phone from his back pocket.

  Her eyes widened. “Wait! You’re calling her now?”

  “Sure, why not?”

  “I didn’t think you meant this minute.”

  “Why? Did you have other plans for me?” Again, Brendan’s mind went to a very dirty place. He’d have to get better at that.

  She flushed. “Actually… I did.” Casey plucked the phone from his hand and tossed it on the other side of the sofa. “I’ve got some voicemails from agents and managers, but I haven’t had a chance to follow up with anyone.” She straddled his lap as she spoke and Brendan’s pulse jacked up accordingly. She towered over him like a woman on a mission. “Maybe Jess can help me narrow it down. Do you mind?” she asked as she eased the sling over his head and Brendan raised his arm to help.

  “Don’t mind at all,” he rumbled.

  Casey rocked against his growing erection and he sucked in a rough breath just as her lips closed over his.

  He couldn’t help but move his hands over her thighs and around to her ass. He did not give two shits about his sore shoulder. Her long legs trapped him to the sofa in the best possible vise. Her hair fell over them and created a silk canopy. Their lips and tongues tangled in wet synchronicity and only proved to Brendan how good they were together.

  Casey’s gentle hands roamed from his hair down to his chest and kept going, blazing a trail of warmth even through his T-shirt. Brendan sucked in more air when she grabbed his package and squeezed.

  “You don’t mind if I…” She unbuttoned his jeans and slid the zipper down. “…do that, do you?”

  “Ung, uh.” The loss of blood in his big brain made him dopey. “Naw. G’ahead.”

  She bunched up his shirt and her lips continued their assault down his chest as she worked her way south. “Tell me if you don’t like something,” she said.