“Is that what you want?” She tried to keep her voice steady and remain calm. He believes he’s in love with me. He wants me to be interested in him. If I’m not, he’ll become violent.
“Oh, Leena.” He grabbed the back of her head, tangling his fingers in her hair. “I want so much from you. Why did you have to reject me before?”
“I’m not rejecting you now.” She fought to keep from pulling away from him.
“Your body is stiff. You want to be anywhere else but here having me touch you.”
“The gun…it’s the gun.” She took a deep breath and ordered herself to remain calm.
“You didn’t have a problem with guns when Kendrick taught you how to shoot, did you?”
She remembered that day at the range. It was the first time he had made a pass at her, and she had brushed it off. Gene was a good looking man, but he wasn’t her type. It was his attitude that pissed her off. He believed everyone owed him something and that no woman could possibly deny him.
“Answer me!” he growled.
“No…it’s…it’s different on this side of the barrel.”
“I’ve wanted you since I first heard you sing. Your voice is like an instant line to my cock and I can’t wait to hear you scream my name as I ravage your body.” He slammed his mouth on hers, his tongue diving between her lips.
He kissed her and all she could do was stand there as stiff as a board. She couldn’t make her body respond and she knew he’d see that as a sign of rejection. Bide your time. Wait for your opening.
He pulled back and glared at her. “You’re mine, so stop thinking about your asshole lawyer. Your guards won’t save you.” When she said nothing, he dug his fingers into her arm, twisting her around, and pushing her down on the bed. “You’ve grown too big in your career, and now it’s time you learn your place. A proper woman’s place…and there’s no better time than now.” He set the gun aside, just out of her reach, and grabbed hold of his belt.
She didn’t like where this was going but she remained still, biding her time. Distraction. If he was distracted she might be able to get the gun and turn this around in her favor. “Why didn’t you just make yourself known? Why go about it like you did? Sending packages, letters, and terrorizing me for months.”
“You needed the fear. It knocked you down a few paces from your high pedestal.”
She heard the soft click of the bus door and she knew she wasn’t alone. “Why? You can’t make someone love you out of fear.”
“Love?” He barked a laugh. “You think this is about love? You stupid bitch, this is about power, money, and claiming what I want. I’ll have you because I want you. It’s like a child who throws a fit because he can’t have a cookie. Scream long enough and someone will give him a cookie. I already started to instill the fear in you, and by the end of the night you’ll really begin to fear me. Terror is an excellent motivator for keeping someone in line.”
“I don’t understand.”
He shook his head. “You are stupider than you look.”
“It has nothing to do with you,” a voice announced from behind them, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from Gene long enough to see who it was. It sounded like Mason but she couldn’t be sure.
Gene spun around, turning his back to her, and she shot her arm around to grab the gun. She pushed it behind her back, keeping her hand on it, just in case. “What’s it about, then?” She wanted to keep the attention off her.
“You were engaged to an up-and-coming music star and she was killed,” Mason explained. “She could have been Leena’s twin, but the woman you loved is dead. Leena isn’t the submissive girl you had before. She’s feisty and argumentative. That’s not the woman you want.”
“She’s mine.” He reached behind him to the small of his back and the light caught the edge of the silver gun grip.
“Gun!” she screamed as he pulled it free.
Gunshots echoed through the small space, blood spattered onto her, and Gene collapsed half onto the bed and half on the floor. Someone screamed and it took her a minute to realize it was her. She tossed the gun she had aside and watched the life drain from Gene’s eyes. Enough! I’ve had enough!
“Leena…” The panic in Turner’s voice pulled her gaze away from Gene’s dead body to look down the hallway toward him.
“Stay where you are,” Mason warned. “This is a crime scene.”
“He…” Her voice broke and her stomach rolled. “He worked for me for a bit. I knew something was off with him, but he did his job. It wasn’t until he started making advances and couldn’t take no for an answer that I fired him. How did you know?”
“I’ve been running background checks on all of your past and current crew. When his name came up, red flags were raised. I followed my instincts and came here.” Mason harnessed his weapon. “He’s a coward. He wouldn’t have attacked at the concert because there were too many people, too many risks. He wanted you alone and used a gun to have control over you.”
She glanced down at Gene, the blood seeping out of him and into the carpet. He was dead and all she could feel was relief. There was no sadness or grief. That might have made her heartless to some but she could only feel relief. No longer would he be a threat to her or anyone else. “Now what?”
“I’ll call it in and it will be handled by the book. We’ll have some questions for you later.” Mason tilted his head to the side. “Same for you, Turner.”
“Whatever you need. Can I get her out of here?” Turner still stood farther back in the bus, waiting for Mason’s clearance.
“Take her inside to one of her crew member’s hotel rooms. I’ll let you know when you can take her back to your place.” Mason unhooked his cell phone from his belt loop.
She glanced down at her bloody clothes before looking back up at Mason. “Can I get some clothes?”
“I apologize, but not from in here.”
“Come on, Leena.” Turner called to her. “Let’s get you inside before more media show up. The gunshot was bound to alert them. We’ll get you cleaned up and find you something else to wear.”
She rose from the bed and stepped around Gene’s body, her gaze never moving away from it as if she expected him to rise up again. “How did she die? The fiancée.”
“Vegas has it open as a homicide with him as the prime suspect.” Mason let out a deep sigh. “They have evidence against him but the district attorney didn’t feel it was enough. He wanted a more solid case. Though, I guess it doesn’t matter now.”
“Leena,” Turner called to her again. “Two more media vans pulled up. We’ve got to get you inside.”
Knowing it was only going to get worse, she forced herself to walk past Mason and out of the tour bus. What was she supposed to say to a man who’d saved her life? Thank you didn’t seem like enough. Now she could live her life without fear of him being around the next corner, but Mason would have to live with the guilt of killing someone. Even though it had been in the line of duty, she suspected it would still be a weight he carried the rest of his days. She owed him her life, but how could she repay him?
11
Chapter Eleven
The next few days were a nightmare and seemed to blur together in one epic event that Leena wanted to forget. Now that her stalker was out of the picture, she thought she’d be able to live without guards again, but Kendrick and Matt were still her constant shadows. Now they were stuck keeping the media at bay. Her bus was still in police custody and she wasn’t in any hurry to get it back.
Through it all, Turner had been her rock. He had been by her side since it happened and comforted her when she needed it. He had given her time to process what happened and had been there when she was forced into a press announcement.
During all of it, she had time to take a look at her life and decide what she wanted. Going back on the road didn’t hold the same interest to her. She wanted to take a break, somewhere quiet and…no, where she really wanted to be was with Turner.
As if thinking about him brought him back to her, Turner strolled into the living room, a mug of coffee in his hand. “We’ve got to talk.” She set her glass of soda aside and pulled her legs up onto his plush sofa.
Halfway around the sofa, he stopped dead in his tracks, his mug drawn halfway to his lips, and just stared at her. “When are you leaving?”
While a few days hidden away at his cabin should have always been the plan, somewhere along the course of the last few days it had changed. She didn’t want to leave. “That’s just it.” She wrapped her arms around her legs, hugging them to her, and tried to figure out where to start. Words had never been a problem before, but in that moment she was speechless.
“I don’t understand.” He set the coffee down on the end table.
“I don’t want to go back to Nashville or back on the road.” She took a calming breath. “I’m burnt out and I need a break. I don’t know if I’ll ever go back to music, but I know I need some time off. I want to spend it here and I want to see what could happen between us.”
“You’re welcome to stay as long as you’d like.” His words sounded too formal and she had a brief moment to wonder if she had been misreading things before he spoke again. “I want you here with me for as long as I can have you, and when you decide to go back on the road, it won’t change anything. Well, I won’t have you in my bed every night…but we’ll cherish the time we have together and the short breaks we can get while you’re on the road. It will work.”
“If…”
His eyebrows knitted together in confusion. “If what? If we work out?”
“If I go back to music.” The words were out and relief washed over her like a second skin. “When I was younger I only had dreams of making it in the music industry but now there are other things I want.”
“Like what?”
“You.” She stretched out her legs, rose from the sofa, and went to him. “You came back into my life and shook it all up. Everything I thought I wanted doesn’t seem to hold as much weight.”
“You’ve been through a great ordeal and your stress has been running high,” he reasoned.
“Don’t downplay this.” She laid her hand on his chest, feeling the smooth material of his pullover shirt under her fingers. “This is about us and about me doing something I want instead of something I have to for my career. Music isn’t everything. It doesn’t replace love, romance, or family.”
“I don’t want you making a decision that you’ll later regret.”
She tipped her head up to look at him and gave him a cocky smile that said she knew what she was doing. “Are you going to break my heart? ’Cause that’s the only way I’d regret this.”
He cupped the side of her face, his thumb teasing along the curve of her cheekbone. “I think one heartbreak is enough for a lifetime.”
“Speaking of that.” She sucked her bottom lip between her teeth and nipped it nervously. “I have to go see my parents. My mother is upset about what happened, especially since I didn’t tell her about the stalker. To stop her from coming here I promised that I would visit as soon as Mason tied up the case. They still live in my home town of Williston, North Dakota.” She was babbling and she knew it, but unease prickled through her.
“Will you come back here?”
“Actually.” She ran her hand along the front of his chest and kept her gaze on his. “I was hoping you’d go with me.”
He was still under her touch, but there was a hint of amusement in his eyes that made his green eyes lighter. “My sweet Leena, I don’t think that would help matters at all.”
“It would help me.” Unsure of herself, she let her hands drop away and she stepped back from him. “I can’t let it go…what she did. I have to say something, and maybe that’s part of the reason I want you to come with me but it’s not the only reason. I want you there with me because…”
“Because?” he pressed when her words died off.
She spun back to face him, her long hair billowing out around her. “In the last few days you’ve become an important part of my life. Things are just beginning for us again and I don’t want to miss a minute of it. Every time I close my eyes I’m worried I’m going to wake up and this will all be a dream. I want you with me and I think we both could use a little time with just the two of us, but I understand if you can’t get away from the hospital. Or don’t want to.” The last part tore at her soul.
“It’s not going to please your parents but I’ll make the arrangements if you’re sure.”
“It’s not about them. For once it’s about me. I want you there. When can you go?”
“We can leave tomorrow if you want. I don’t have anything that can’t be rearranged until next week. I’ll have to be back to handle a malpractice deposition.”
The tightness in her chest had loosened and she let out a deep breath. “I’ll call Dan and let him know I’m coming to town. Mom called him frantically after the news broadcasted about someone being killed in my bus, and they published footage of me covered in blood, so he’s been staying with them. He lives less than an hour away so it wasn’t hard for him to get there. He’s also the reason she hasn’t come to town. I owe him for that. I couldn’t deal with her now.”
“You could have if you had to. Where others might have fallen apart from all of this, you’ve stuck together. You’re a strong woman.”
“Because I had you.” She sidestepped to the chair and sank down. “Turner…I think I’m falling in love with you. It’s not the love of a teenage girl like it used to be, this is…stronger. I don’t know how to explain it, except to say I feel like I’m where I belong. Instead of making plans of going back into the studio or back on the road, I’m fantasizing about other adventures.”
He closed the distance between them and sat down on the coffee table before her. “I’ve never stopped loving you. I only stepped back because I thought it was the right thing to do. Now I know it wasn’t but we’ve been given a second chance and I’m not letting it go. I love you, Leena, and I’m not going to let you get away this time without a fight.”
“Make love to me.” The words were out of her mouth before she could stop herself.
“What?” His eyes widened in shock and she let out a nervous chuckle.
“Nothing like putting you on the spot, right?” She shook her head. “Just forget I said anything.”
“No.” Taking her hand, he rose and pulled her up with him. “It was out of left field, that’s all.”
“Like I said, just forget it.” Her stomach churned and she wished she had just kept her mouth shut instead of letting her needs and wants override common sense.
“I don’t think so. I want you, and you, my sweet, just gave me the go-ahead I’ve been waiting for.” He swung her into his arms before she could respond and headed down the hallway to his bedroom. “Now you’re mine.”
His. Oh, she liked the sound of that.
Unlike the rest of the house, Turner had done very little to his bedroom. It hadn’t seemed worth it because unlike the kitchen and living room, no one saw this area. The walls were the same dark red from when he’d bought the place, making it darker than he preferred. But when all he did was sleep in the room, it didn’t matter as much as the rest of his home.
He laid her on the edge of his king size bed and let his hands roam down her body. “Beautiful.” His fingers hooked under the edge of her shirt and tugged it up her body.
“Turner, I…”
He paused just below her bra, waiting for her to finish. “Changed your mind?”
She shook her head from side to side. “All those years ago I used to think about you being my first. It would have been special.”
“No, it would have been two virgins trying to figure out where the noses went during a kiss,” he teased. “Now this is going to be special. The first special night of many more to come.”
In between kisses and caresses, they stripped out of their clothes, quickly tossing them to the floor. Heat,
desire, and need pushed them further and faster. He wanted it to be slow and memorable but as if they were afraid something would stop them before they could continue, their pace increased.
With both of them naked, he couldn’t keep his desire in check any longer. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her against his body, then his mouth claimed her as the desire exploded within. He never thought he’d have a chance with this woman again and now that he had her with him like this, he wasn’t going to waste a second of it. He pushed his tongue into her mouth, exploring, and gently gliding over her teeth. She nipped at his bottom lip as he pulled back.
“I want you on top of me.” Before she could respond, he rolled over, taking her with him, making her squeal. Now that she was on top, his hands slid over her hips. He reached between her legs, slipping his finger between her folds to make sure she was ready for him. He was met with warmth and wetness. A soft moan escaped her as his finger caressed her clit. “Beautiful, every single inch.” His fingers caressed her one last time before returning to her hips and lifting her gently.
“I’m normally shy and I’ve never…I mean.”
“My sweet Leena. You are not a shy one. You rock a stage every night, now it’s time to rock my world.” He winked at her. “I want to see you above me, but don’t worry…we’ll take it slow and I think if you give it a chance you’ll enjoy it, too.”
“Being on stage is different than this.” But she nodded, giving him the permission he wanted to continue lifting her gently. Once he got her into the position that he wanted, he slid his shaft along her folds, teasing her until she arched her back and a moan escaped her lips.
“Turner, please!”
Without further delay, he slid his length into her until he buried himself to the hilt inside of her. He kept his hands on her hips, helping her work his shaft up and down. Slowly at first, but as she began to feel comfortable, she found the pace and continued to drive herself up and down, going faster with each pump.
Leena’s Dream Page 7