“Sure thing, babe.” I hear Garrett snort, and Topher snickers. I glare at the two of them as I grab my wallet off the seat I was in and escort Tully outside.
“They’re going to tease you about this the rest of the day, aren’t they?” she asks as we make our way to the long picnic tables the crew has set up piled with box lunches from the adjacent restaurants.
I grab two boxes from the stack and she asks if I want soda or water. “Just water,” I answer, “and how did you know they’ll hassle me?”
“Three older brothers. Remember?”
We walk across the street to the small pocket park and sit down at the concrete picnic table. I give her one of the lunches and she hands me a bottled water then she pops the top on her orange soda. The girl loves orange soda. And I have to admit that tasting it on her when I kiss her isn’t half bad.
Our lunches appear to be some sort of Asian fusion thing—vegetables, rice, spring rolls, but most importantly beef, so I’m good with it. I see Tully look at the chopsticks with disdain and toss them to the side before she grabs the plastic fork and digs in.
“So tell me about your brothers,” I say between bites. “I know things aren’t good—was it something in particular or you’ve never gotten along?”
She stares past me, seeming to see something in the distance that’s apparent only to her.
“It started when I was in elementary school. Until then I was such a baby they hardly noticed me. But sometime around third grade I was taking piano lessons, and I started to get pretty decent at it. I was being asked to play in recitals with older kids, some local competitions, stuff like that.”
I can’t help but smile, thinking about a tiny Tully pounding away on a big piano.
“It was like the more I played the more they hassled me. They started teasing me, then it became this thing where they would do anything they could to interrupt my practices, avoid my recitals. They’d call me weird and talk about how only losers liked music. From there it sort of spiraled into everything I did—everything I was. I’ve never been good enough, never been the right kind of person. Never done the right things. Never had the right friends.”
“So they were jealous.”
“No! Definitely not.” She snort laughs and I raise an eyebrow at her.
“Really?” I ask, skepticism dripping from my lips.
She cocks her head at me as if this possibility has never occurred to her.
“Short stack. You don’t see it?”
“See what?” She pops a rice ball in her mouth and my dick twitches at the sight of her plump lips closing around it.
I clear my throat, trying to keep my mind focused. Not always an easy task around her. “Your brothers started having problems with you as soon as you got good at something?”
“Yeah, because they have no respect for music or musicians.”
I shake my head. I know about that. But that’s not what this sounds like to me. “And what do they respect?” I ask, not that I give a shit. If the other two are like James, anything they respect is certain to be something I’d avoid at all costs.
“The family,” she says, her voice sharp. “Being a good Irish Catholic girl. Getting married, having kids, falling in line.”
“But James isn’t married, right? Wasn’t he at the concert in San Diego because he was trying to get his girlfriend back?”
“My sister’s the only one who’s married.”
I close up the box with the trash from my lunch. “And they go to church every Sunday?”
She laughs. “On Christmas, Easter and Good Friday, and only then because my mom forces them to.”
I nod. Just as I thought. “They have any kids?”
She looks at me like I’m three kinds of dense. “I repeat, they’re not married.”
“Well, it’s happened without that before,” I chide.
“Not in the O’Roark family.”
Tully doesn’t even realize that she’s just proven my point. Her problems with her brothers aren’t because she violates their values. It’s because she’s gorgeous and talented and twice the person they’ll ever be and they can’t stand it.
“Doesn’t sound like all those things are actually so important to your brothers,” I observe.
She stares at me for a moment, then starts shaking her head. “How have I never seen that?”
“You’re in the middle of it. They’ve been feeding you the Kool-Aid so long you don’t see what’s in front of you anymore.”
“So you really think they’re jealous?” she asks, looking downright awestruck.
“I do.”
“Huh.” She pauses, watching me carefully. “They’re also alcoholics. Or at least James is. My father probably is, although he’s not as bad as James. Keith and Lou just drink too much.”
I nod and look at her carefully. “Does it scare you?” I ask. Her brow wrinkles in question and I want to smooth it out with my tongue, but I settle for my thumb.
“Does my addiction scare you?” I ask more pointedly. “I’d get it if it did. You’ve been dealing with substance abuse in your own family for years. My old man’s a heavy drinker at the very least. I come from that place too, and I sure as hell never thought I’d end up just like him.”
Her eyes grow soft and she reaches out to touch my hand with hers. “I’ve never met your father, but I can tell you anyway that you’re nothing like him. You would never throw your teenage son out of the house because he didn’t want the same things for his life that you did. You would never abuse someone who was weaker than you, or try to control them so completely. You’re a good guy, Blaze. You might have gotten his DNA, but you’re not him.”
I swallow the guilt that sticks in my throat. God, I don’t deserve her. But at this point I’d do nearly anything to keep her. It’ll take me awhile to process all that she’s said, but I know enough to realize that every bit of it was a gift I haven’t earned. I lean across the table and kiss her gently on the mouth. “You’re so beautiful, short stack.”
She smiles and blushes. It slays me.
“Just never forget, families are strange beasts.”
She huffs a little. “You’re not kidding. You should see the crazy shit in Lush’s family.”
I immediately go on alert, every nerve in my body getting a little jolt of electricity. My mind flashes to images of standing onstsage at the Super Bowl.
“Yeah?” I ask as casually as possible, reaching over and grabbing a piece of edamame from her plate.
She slaps my hand but laughs. “Yeah, there’s some sort of weird secret about Mike’s mom, and there was a whole year in there where they were split up that no one ever talks about.”
My heart beats harder inside my chest. I can feel it, something that matters here. “Why?”
She has a little shiver. “I don’t know, but I get a really weird vibe about it all. It’s like ‘the year that shall not be named’.” She chuckles.
“So you think they’re not as squeaky clean as they seem?” I ask, as we both stand and I throw her trash away, taking her hand to help her climb over a low chain that separates the picnic area from the sidewalk.
“I don’t know. As much as most rumors are based on something true, I can’t in a million years imagine that there would be anything really terrible there. We all know about Walsh’s drinking already, and they’re genuinely nice guys. Well, except for Mike, but you know.” She shrugs.
I nod. “Appearances can be deceiving.” Guilt twists inside of me and I have to look away from her for a moment.
“Maybe.” She sounds sad, and as much as I want to dig more to get the information, I don’t like hearing that disappointment in her so I switch tack.
“Hey, I saw an ice cream parlor a block or two down when we were driving in. Want me to buy you a sundae?”
Her frown disappears and she grabs my face and plants a quick smack on my lips. They tingle afterwards like I’ve been shocked.
“That sounds so perfect,” she a
nswers. “Sometimes I think you’re too good to be true.”
Yes, appearances can truly be deceiving.
Tully
It’s my birthday, and Savvy has come to help me celebrate in San Francisco. I’m so excited. It was a surprise she cooked up, and I can’t believe that she got Mel Jamison and Tammy Clark to help plan it. Tammy manages the band when we’re on the road, so she knows their schedule and apparently she’s with us on most tours, although she’s been going back and forth on this tour, a couple of days at a time with the band, then back to Portland to be with Pax. She’ll bring him along sometimes too, Walsh says, but he’s at a difficult age, running around constantly, getting into everything. Sometimes it makes it hard for Tammy to do what she needs to, and they don’t have a nanny, just Tammy’s mother who they all call Mama D. Mama D reminds me a little of my grandmother—lots of cheek pinching and stern instructions for how you should be living your life.
Mel is pregnant with their first baby, so Joss doesn’t want her to have the stress of travelling on the buses, but she and my sister came with Tammy for this show, chartering a private jet of all things, and now I’m standing here with my arms wrapped tight around Savvy, feeling about a thousand times better than I have in weeks.
“Are you surprised?” Savvy asks as she pulls back and looks at me grinning.
“You know I am,” I say. I smile at Tammy and Mel over Savvy’s shoulder. “Thank you so much for bringing her. It’s the only birthday present I really wanted.”
Tammy nods—like I’ve said, she’s not the friendliest, although I’m beginning to understand that beneath her hard as nails shell is a good heart, and she loves Lush more than her own life.
Mel smiles and blows me a kiss. “You’re part of the family now,” she says. “We always make sure the family gets what they need. You needed your sister, so we brought her for you.” Then she puts her arm around Tammy’s waist, leaning her head on Tam’s shoulder. “If anyone understands what it means to have your sister with you on important days it’s us.”
Tammy lays her head on Mel’s and an expression of peace flows over her face that I haven’t often seen on her. When she’s with Walsh and Pax, but not any other time. It’s good to see that Mel brings that side out too.
“So what do you want to do tonight?” Savvy asks, bouncing up and down on her red Converse. “Please tell me we can go clubbing. I haven’t been clubbing in years.”
I look at Mel and Tammy. “What do you think? Will the guys let you come out with us?”
Tammy snorts. “As if they have a say,” she huffs.
Mel elbows her. “Be nice. And yes, they’ll let us, but be ready for them to show up at some point. I don’t think we’ve managed a girls’ night that they didn’t crash since before Pax was born.”
Savvy’s eyes are big and round. “Oh my God. Out at a club with Lush? You may as well just bury me now. I’ve died and gone to heaven.”
Mel laughs and I roll my eyes.
“Please say yes, Tully. Pleeease?” She bats her eyelashes at me.
“Oh Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Of course we can go clubbing and the guys can come too. I spend all damn day with them, no reason why tonight should be any different.”
Savvy cheers, jumping around like a drunken monkey, and Mel and Tammy get busy ordering security, limos, and private entry to the most hip clubs in town. Apparently, clubbing with Lush isn’t just grabbing a cab and waiting in line with the masses.
Before I know it we’re in full-on prep mode, the clothes are flying, the makeup’s being poured on, and the dance music is being blasted. Everyone picks my suite to get ready in, of course, because they don’t want to be interrupted by the guys, but we’re about thirty minutes away from leaving when someone knocks on my door. Mel pauses in her struggle to tug a stretchy mini dress over her belly, and Tammy snarls, “Walsh Clark that better not be you. I told you we get at least three hours before…” She swings the door open and there stands Blaze, looking exceptionally hot in black jeans, a white v-neck t-shirt and a black leather vest. His tats are displayed perfectly on his biceps, and his golden hair is swept back, showing a small silver hoop that sometimes graces one earlobe. He’s also holding a huge bouquet of multi-colored roses.
“Oh!” Tammy squeaks. “Sorry, I was definitely not expecting you.”
Blaze raises one eyebrow as he looks around at the four of us. Savvy is sitting at the dressing table, jaw dropped, mascara wand forgotten in her hand. She doesn’t realize that she’s only done one eye so she looks really lopsided, but I’m not about to point that out now.
Mel quickly stops adjusting her dress, and puts her hands over her belly protectively. I’ve got one heel on and one off, so I kick it away, padding over to him in my bare feet. Tammy steps away from the door and the other three start making nervous small talk as I reach Blaze.
“Hi short stack,” he says in a low voice.
“Hi. What are you doing?”
He scratches the back of his neck with his free hand. “Well, I heard that it was your birthday.” He presents the flowers like a little boy handing his mom a gift he made at school. His face is so hopeful I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. God, he’s so sweet.
I grab his hand and pull him inside, then look at the three sets of eyes that are tracking my every move. “Be right back,” I say with a wink before I pull him into the bedroom and shut the door.
Shrieking and giggling follows us and I lean back out to shout, “And put your tongues back in your mouths!” Then I slam the door and Blaze chuckles.
“You brought these for me?” I ask, taking the bouquet from him and inhaling it deeply.
“Why didn’t you tell me it’s your birthday?” he asks, running his hands up and down my bare arms.
I set the roses aside on the dresser. “I didn’t want to make you feel obligated to get me something or take me out or whatever.” I shrug. “We’re just having fun for a month, birthdays and holidays don’t really factor in to something like that.”
He grabs my shoulders and holds me still, looking into my eyes for a moment, his brow furrowed. “Tully,” his voice is hardly above a whisper, “we both have really complicated lives, and that puts the time limits on us, but don’t think for one minute that means I don’t care enough to do things like a birthday with you.”
I nod, my throat suddenly dry and my chest achy.
“I thought I sort of made it clear when we went public with your band and mine.” He looks away for a moment before gazing at me again, his hands cupping my face. “I’ve never had to ask permission to see a woman, and I sure as hell don’t go to this much trouble to impress one.”
I stroke the stubble along his jaw. “And you do impress me.” I run a hand suggestively up his abs to his chest. “You’re extremely impressive.” He chuckles again, leaning down to nip my neck. I moan.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about today. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings, I was just trying to be low maintenance, you know? And my birthday’s never been a huge deal. With five kids in the family, it was always someone’s birthday, so we’re sort of inured to them.”
He rests his forehead against mine, and his voice is so raspy it drips with sex. “But I’m not inured to your birthday. And I wanted to tell you how happy I want it to be for you.”
“You just made it happier than any birthday I’ve had in years.” I breathe him in and moments later his lips find mine, soft at first, then pressing more firmly as his tongue enters my mouth, bringing the taste of a cinnamon candy and Blaze. It shoots straight to my core and I gasp.
He turns us so that I’m backed to the door and he presses his whole body against me, while devouring my mouth. I’m helpless because I melt into him, forgetting my own name as his hands begin to traverse the terrain of my body.
“Fuck, short stack,” he whispers. “You look so hot in this little skirt. Where are you going dressed like this?”
“Girls’ night,” I gasp. “My sister. Mel. Ta
mmy.” I can’t get out complete sentences because he’s now got his big palm cruising up the side of my thigh heading toward the promised land.
“I would have liked to take you out,” he groans. “Or maybe just keep you in.”
I chuckle even as I wiggle, trying to get him to put his hand higher on my leg. “You can come later. The Lush guys are—and then you can bring me home. I’d really like you to bring me home.”
He slides a finger along the outside of my panties, right over my core. I moan, but then he pulls back, chucks me under the chin and says, “It’s a date. Text me when you get settled somewhere and I’ll be right over.”
Then the dirty bastard moves me aside, opens the door and strides out, calling, “See you in awhile, ladies,” as he leaves the suite.
He’s so going to pay for that later.
I adjust my clothes and walk back out to the living room.
“Holy hotness,” Savvy sighs.
“Blaze Davis?” Mel asks, one eyebrow raised, as she glances at Tammy. Tammy smirks and nods, because of course, she already knew.
“They called a truce,” I tell them. “Joss even gave his permission. Like my dad or something.”
I pick up my shoes and focus on putting them on, hoping this can be the end of the discussion. But I’m in a roomful of women getting ready to go clubbing, so of course it’s not.
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me about this,” Mel whines to her sister.
“Sorry, I didn’t think about it. But did you see those flowers?”
“Did you see those tats?” Savvy asks.
“Yeah, I’ve got to admit, as much as I love Joss’s tats, Blaze’s may be hotter,” Mel sighs.
“He’s so tall,” Tammy remarks.
“And so buff,” Savvy adds.
There’s a collective sigh, and I stand, glaring at the three of them. They’re all married, I shouldn’t mind that they’re ogling my man—or at least my man for the next few weeks—but really, a little decorum, please.
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