February Stars: Wilder Irish, book two

by Mari Carr

  She’d nearly reached the door when Uncle Aaron entered with Les and Hunter. Aaron nodded at her brusquely before heading to Rory.

  Les and Hunter came straight to Ailis.

  “Where’s Rhonda?” she asked.

  “Later,” Hunter said, looking around the pub anxiously.

  She glanced from Hunter to Les, who seemed equally worried. “What’s wrong?”

  “Not here,” Les said, leading the way back to the door to her apartment. She and Hunter followed and when she glanced over her shoulder, she noticed Uncle Aaron and Rory were in route as well.

  Once the five of them were alone in the living room of the apartment, Aaron spoke. “How well do the two of you know Robbie Pierson?”

  Hunter shrugged. “I met him that night he came here with Rory and the other contestants. The guy’s a talented singer, but he’s sort of awkward when he’s not onstage. Never really establishes eye contact, flinches if someone talks to him.”

  Ailis added her own opinion to the mix. “Hunter and I talked about him quite a bit one night. We said it’s like he has a split personality. He’s very calm, cool and collected onstage, a loveable Ed Sheeran type, but offstage, he walks around like a timid puppy.”

  Rory shook her head at Aaron. “If you’ve brought us up here to tell us Robbie is the one who’s been doing all these things, you’re crazy. I’ve known him for nearly five years, performed more than a few shows with him. That guy couldn’t hurt a flea.”

  Aaron crossed his arms. “Your split personality comment is an interesting one, Ailis. His manager said he was recently diagnosed with schizophrenia.”

  “His manager told you that?” Ailis asked, surprised the man would reveal something so damning against his client.

  Aaron nodded. “Yeah. Robbie disappeared after last week’s show. His manager came to the police precinct this morning, concerned that something bad had happened to him. Said they’ve been working to regulate his medication. The guy seemed to think they had things under control. But then he lost the contest and disappeared.”

  “You think it was Robbie doing all these things? How? He was at the Soundstage with me and Rory when Ailis was hit by the car,” Hunter said.

  Les sat down on the couch, sighing heavily. “I talked to his agent a good bit this afternoon. He said Robbie’s got a brother who’s sort of bad news. Spent some time in prison for assault. He’s out now, but pretty into drugs. Apparently, he’s always hitting Robbie up for cash.”

  “You think he’s working with his brother?” Rory asked.

  Aaron shrugged. “That’s just a theory. We don’t have any proof yet. I’ve got a couple of detectives studying the tape the coffee shop guy provided of your hit-and-run, Ailis. It was grainy as hell, but they’ve determined the make and model of the car. Originally, we’d hit a brick wall, trying to trace it back to the competitors or their agents. Now, we’re looking at the brother.” Aaron stopped speaking when his phone rang.

  Turning his back, the rest of them listened quietly as he said, “Mmm hmmm. Okay. Yeah. Get the warrant.”

  When Aaron faced the room again, he looked as if he’d struck gold. “We’ve got him. The brother rented a car just like the one that struck you two weeks ago. According to the guy at the rental place, there was a dent in the front side panel. And another one of my detectives just got back from the motel where we found the dog.”

  “Let me guess,” Hunter said, “the brother had been staying there.”

  “Yep. He didn’t work too hard to dump the dog. I’ve got my men issuing warrants to arrest Robbie and his brother.”

  “So that’s it,” Rory said. “Mystery solved.”

  Aaron’s expression was solemn as Les shook his head. “This isn’t over until Robbie’s in custody.”

  Aaron perched on the coffee table, facing Rory and Hunter. “Les is right. His agent said Robbie took his loss in stride last week, made some comment about being runner-up. Said if anything happened to one of you, he still had a shot.”

  “His agent thought that was just wishful thinking on Robbie’s part,” Les continued. “Then more details came out about your hit-and-run, and he became concerned.”

  Ailis narrowed her eyes. “So concerned he sat on the information he had about Robbie’s mental state and disappearance for an entire week?”

  Les gave her a grimace. “He’s still Robbie’s agent. You know how the game’s played, kiddo.”

  Unfortunately, she did.

  Aaron looked at Rory. “Where are you staying tonight?”

  Rory pointed to Hunter. “His family’s hotel. I’ve been there the whole time.”

  “Seriously?” Hunter asked, clearly unaware. Ailis wasn’t surprised. Hunter had worked precious little at the hotel since the competition began, his aunt and uncle insisting he take his shot at achieving his dreams.

  “Yep. Listening to your aunt and uncle and the housekeepers talk about how great you are keeps my competitive spirit strong.”

  Hunter laughed. “Sounds to me like you’re a glutton for punishment.”

  “I’m putting one of my men outside, to keep an eye on you. Here’s my cell number.” Aaron handed Rory his card. “If anyone knocks on your door, call me and don’t open the door. Text me in the morning when you’re ready to go to the Soundstage and I’ll make sure you have an escort.”

  Rory nodded. “Damn. I haven’t been nervous in the competition until this second.”

  Les rested a comforting hand on her shoulder. “It’s going to be okay.”

  Rory pointed toward the stairs that led back down to the pub. “Can I go now?”

  Aaron shook his head. “Give me a few minutes to sort these two out and I’ll give you a lift back to the hotel. Do you mind waiting at the bar with Tris?”

  “Nope. Gives me a chance to hang with that Pop Pop guy. He is totally cool.”

  Ailis laughed. “Yeah. He is.”

  Rory left.

  “Where are you two spending the night?”

  Hunter started to speak, but Ailis beat him to the punch. “Mom and Dad’s tour bus.”

  Hunter looked over at her with surprise. “Since when?”

  She dangled the keychain in her hand in front of his face. “Since Dad loaned me the keys.”

  “Where is it parked?” Aaron asked.

  Ailis pointed out the front window. “The lot two blocks that way.”

  “Okay. I’ll park a police car next to it. Get to the bus and stay there until morning. I don’t want either one of you going anywhere without a cop standing beside you until this competition is over. Got it?”

  Hunter nodded and Les grimaced. “Fucking ache in my gut is back. At this point in the show, I thought things would be easier, not harder.”

  Aaron slapped Les on the back. “It’ll be okay. In twenty-four hours, it’ll be done. With any luck, we’ll find Robbie way before that.”

  Les and Aaron walked downstairs.

  “Tour bus?”

  Ailis grinned. “I thought you might like a little sneak peek of your future.”

  Hunter’s smile faded, replaced by sheer nervousness. “I haven’t won yet, A. Rory is the favorite. She’s good. Really good. Honestly, if I had a chance to vote, I’d probably go for her.”

  Ailis rolled her eyes as she took his hand. “First of all, you’re in the finale. You were supposed to be knocked out in week one, so as far as I’m concerned, you’ve already won. Secondly, your future on a tour bus is not tied to the results of tomorrow’s contest. There are lots of ways to make it big in music. February Stars is just one. If that doesn’t work, we’ll try a few hundred more. And finally, what the hell did Rhonda want?”

  Hunter chuckled. “Shit. Forgot about her.”

  Ailis tilted her head in a way that said she had not.

  “She left Paul. Packed her bags and moved back in with her folks a couple of days ago.”

  Ailis’s eyes widened. “Wow. She beat him to the punch. I kind of like the karmic justice in that.
”

  Hunter feigned a shiver. “You’re a cold woman, mouse.”

  “She came to the pub to tell you that?”

  Hunter sighed. “I think you know that wasn’t all she wanted.”

  “Of course not. She wants you back.”

  “Yeah.” Hunter opened his mouth to say more, but she cut him off.

  “That’s not happening.”

  Her quick, vehement reply left him speechless for a few seconds, something that was very hard to do. Then he crossed his arms, pretending to be confused. “Why not?”

  Ailis flashed him a wholly possessive smile. “You know why.”

  “Tell me anyway.”

  She stepped closer to him. “Because I’m yours and you’re mine.”

  She expected her words to make him happy, but instead his forehead creased. “Are you just pretending?”

  Ailis flexed up on tiptoe to kiss Hunter on the cheek. Then she reached around his neck and pulled his face lower, so she could whisper in his ear. “Those words were never pretend. They’ve always been true.”

  With that, she set his smile free. “I’m head over heels in love with you, mouse.”

  “Ditto.”

  He bent his head and gave her the kiss of the century as their breath mingled, their tongues touched, and she soaked up every ounce of warmth in his strong embrace.

  “Hunter?” she asked when they parted.

  “Yeah?”

  “Will you take me home?”

  He glanced around the apartment. “You are home.”

  “You know what I mean.”

  “I thought we were going to the tour bus for the night.”

  “It doesn’t matter where we go, Hunter. I have a feeling we’re going to spend the rest of our lives in a million different places—busses, hotels, apartments. Home for me from this day on is where you are.”

  11

  Hunter kissed her, long and deep, as they let themselves get lost in each other. She wasn’t sure how she could have been afraid of this.

  “Come on.” They clasped hands and walked together to the bus. Neither of them mentioned the police officer who was following at a polite distance. True to his word, Aaron had parked a cop car right next to the bus. Knowing her overprotective uncle, if he could have found a way, Aaron would have put the car on top of the bus and kept the lights flashing all night as a beacon for Robbie to stay the hell away.

  Ailis kept her eyes on Hunter’s face as they entered the bus. His response didn’t disappoint.

  “Holy fuck,” he muttered.

  She’d grown up on the bus just prior to this one. When they were a family of four roaming around the country, their needs had been different. Once she and her sister had planted their feet on solid ground—Ailis in Baltimore and Fiona in Los Angeles—her parents had downsized on the kid-friendly aspects and upgraded on the luxury.

  “Obviously, we won’t be riding around in something as posh as this once you start touring, but I figure it gives us something to aim for.”

  Hunter stopped looking around the bus, his gaze locked with hers. “Say that again.”

  She frowned, confused. “What?”

  “The parts that contained the words we and us. I like the way they sound.”

  “So do I,” she admitted. Now that her feelings had found their way to the surface, she was hard-pressed not to tell him she loved him over and over again. “When Fiona and I visit, this,” she pointed to a couch, “turns into a double bed. All you have to do is push that button.”

  She continued the tour, enjoying his shocked exclamations as they roamed through the kitchen area, telling stories about learning to cook on a bus. Then they peeked into the bathroom and she discussed some of the epic battles she and Fiona had, fighting for room in that small space. Finally, they wound up in the bedroom. Her parents’ king-size bed filled a lot of the space and looked far too inviting.

  “This bus is better than most houses I’ve been in,” he said at last.

  “Yeah. It really is. But like I said, the band bus isn’t this fancy. Or spacious. Or nice. The musicians sleep in narrow bunks, stacked like pancakes. And it takes a while to get used to the constant motion while you’re sleeping.”

  “Did you ever sneak a boy back onto the bus while your parents were performing and make out on their bed?”

  She snorted. “Oh my God, no. I was way too big a nerd for that. Fiona did, though. Plenty of times. She was the wild child, not me.”

  Ailis and Fiona had lived on opposite coasts for nearly a decade, and she still missed her sister as much as if she’d packed her bags and boarded the flight yesterday. Growing up, they only had each other, which basically meant they loved and hated each other with equal amounts of passion.

  “Seems like a missed opportunity,” he murmured.

  She laughed. “Only you would see it that way.”

  Hunter pushed Ailis down on the bed, caging her under him. “Pretty sure everyone would see it that way.”

  As was becoming Hunter’s standard operating procedure, whenever he thought a conversation was over, he put a period at the end with a kiss.

  Ailis loved the weight of his body on top of hers, the way he sheltered her completely, making her feel safe and warm and cherished. It was a unique sensation, something she’d never experienced with Paul. For a second, she tried to puzzle out what the difference was, but then Hunter deepened the kiss and she realized.

  She hadn’t ever truly loved Paul. She thought she had, but she hadn’t had enough experience with the emotion to know she was wrong.

  Hunter lifted her shirt, his tongue teasing the tops of her breasts along the edge of her bra. Then he sucked one of the nipples into his mouth, lace and all. It was strangely erotic, hotter this way. He turned his head and treated the other to the same.

  Ailis ran her fingers through his auburn hair. “We’re both gingers.”

  He lifted his head and grinned at her. “You’re just noticing that?”

  “It occurs to me that if we ever have kids, they won’t stand a chance.”

  Hunter’s responses never failed to surprise her. She’d been making a joke, but his gaze went serious. “Not if. When. I want kids with you, Ailis. A whole bus full of them.”

  She giggled. “Trust me. Two kids in a bus will feel like a hundred.” She bit her lower lip nervously, recalling the times she’d made these same plans, dreamed these same dreams with Paul. “Kind of early in the relationship to start planning marriage and kids and stuff like that. I mean, this is sort of like five minutes old.”

  He shook his head. “I’m not him, A. I don’t say things I don’t mean.”

  Her brow creased. The man read her like a damn book. “I know you don’t. Which is why I feel compelled to reiterate that it won’t be a bus full.”

  Hunter laughed loudly before pressing his lips against her stomach, kissing it reverently. She could imagine him doing the same thing when she was pregnant. Kissing their baby. Hunter would be an amazing dad. Probably a lot like hers.

  When he looked up again, his face reflected pure mischief. “We’re going to right a wrong, mouse.”

  “Ooookay,” she drawled, wondering what he was talking about.

  “Tonight, you’re going to be the wild child.” He stood up and flipped on some music, searching until he found one of her parents’ albums. He adjusted the volume, then glanced over his shoulder as if looking for someone coming. Facing her again, she marveled at how he seemed to change, his expression almost nervous. “How much longer is this concert going to last? Don’t want your folks walking in on us.”

  She smiled, falling into the role without hesitation. She listened to the music for a second, pretending to consider his question. “They have five more songs in this set. Then they’ll do two encores.”

  Hunter tugged his T-shirt over his head. “Then we’ll have to be quick.”

  Ailis quickly amended her dialogue. “Actually, we probably have more time than you think. I bet they’ll do
four encores. It’s a great crowd tonight.”

  He chuckled. “How much trouble will you get into if your dad catches us?”

  She sat up on the bed and pulled her shirt off, loving the way his eyes drifted to her breasts and lingered appreciatively.

  Ailis adopted a shy, uncertain voice, realizing the role wasn’t much of a stretch for her. “I’m sort of surprised you left the concert to be with me instead of Rory. She’s gorgeous.”

  Hunter shrugged, unimpressed. “Rory’s not you. Pretty sure I couldn’t pick her out of a lineup right now.”

  Ailis laughed. “Liar,” she whispered.

  “Will you take your bra off too? I understand if you don’t want to, it’s just…”

  She was used to Hunter being confident in the bedroom, taking charge, driving her wild. But there was something endearingly sexy about this Hunter too. She bet he broke a million hearts back in high school with that charming, earnest smile.

  “Okay,” she said. She reached behind her to unclasp the bra, heat rushing to her cheeks. The role-play suddenly felt too real. While it had never happened, it was easy to imagine her parents onstage singing while she snuck away with a boy to make out. God knew Fiona had done that enough times to make up for Ailis’s eternal goody-two-shoes lifestyle.

  When Hunter sat next to her on the bed and cupped her cheek, her life was upended. She’d always thought herself the smart one, her sister the fun one. Fiona had clearly been the smarter one. Because fun was way better.

  “You’re blushing.”

  She lowered her face, trying to shield the damning color with her hair. Hunter tilted her face up, refusing to let her hide.

  “I like it. You’re so pretty, Ailis.”

  He leaned closer to kiss her, but unlike his earlier ones, this one was softer, more innocent, almost exploratory. The man was one hell of a role player.

  She wasn’t sure, but she thought his fingers might have trembled a little when he reached out tentatively to touch one of her breasts.

  Ailis pulled away from the kiss to suck in some much-needed air. She actually felt nervous. As if this was the first time she’d ever gotten to second. “Hunter,” she whispered.