9781488051265

by Reverb (epub)

  Between dancing at practice and this kind of walking, no wonder she had legs made of sculpted muscle. What was a wonder was when DSLR Dude dropped off the hunt after about ten blocks. Guess hiking through the streets wasn’t really the photog’s thing. There really wasn’t that much to capture. Just Mish striding ahead. Pausing at lights. The normal.

  There also didn’t seem to be, as far as David could tell, anyone else following. He even dropped back a few times to make sure no one was trailing him, but no. The only person trailing Mish was David, and she really would kill him if she found out.

  Why she was walking straight toward Times Square, he had no clue. The place was packed full with tourists this time of day, especially now that the weather was warm and summer was around the corner. It wasn’t a place for a star to go and get lost. Thankfully, she veered away and headed uptown.

  At this rate, they’d end up walking to her apartment, and maybe that had been the plan after all. He almost thought that it was when Mish slowed down in front of a bar, one that wasn’t far enough off the tourist trail.

  Oh, baby, no. Not that one. Especially not with a gaggle of tourists pointing their phones at Mish.

  Of course, Mish went inside.

  “Shit.” He spoke the word to the sidewalk and pressed up against the wall of a building, pretending to check his phone while people moved past. If he went in, she’d know. On the other hand, pretty sure she might end up causing a scene, especially since the group that had spotted her also went into the place.

  Fuck. David tucked away his phone into the front pocket of his jeans and waited another minute before strolling in.

  Mish sat at the bar, toying with the edge of her glass, a frown pulling down her glossy red lips. Her shoulders were hunched forward, tension evident. Yup, there were people, both coyly and obviously, watching her. Taking photographs. The bartender came over and said something, and Mish shook her head.

  She’d figured out the issue. Probably pretty fast once she’d taken stock of the place. God, it was hard to watch her sitting there, tense and angry. At the world. Maybe at herself, too.

  Seemed like no one had the balls to sit next to her. Good...and bad. Because he was about to blow his cover and probably get reamed for it.

  But hey, he had balls to go with his dick. Couple of sets of them, actually.

  David slid through the crowd and plopped himself down on the stool to the right of Mish. “Hey, princess, come here often?”

  Mish started, then turned, her expression full of exasperation but also a hint of gratitude. “I’m gonna fucking kill you, David.”

  “Figured you might want to.” He eyed her glass of beer. “Should I order one, too?”

  She grunted, then nodded. “I hate drinking alone, even when I want to drink alone. And I miscalculated this place.” She glanced around. “Should have gone over a couple more blocks.”

  “Yeah, this ain’t the kinda bar to be in if you wanted a nice quiet beer and to disappear into the scenery for a while.

  “Don’t I know it.” She twisted her lips. “Lot on my mind.”

  “I know.” He flagged the bartender and ordered a lager off their draft menu. They had a decent list, too. All in all, if it weren’t for the tourists, it would have been a fine place to linger.

  She took a pull on her own beer, leaving behind a little lipstick on the glass. “So tell me, why the fuck are you following me?”

  Shit, she was pissed. Rightfully so. He toyed with his own beer. “You’re probably not going to believe me, but I was making sure you weren’t being followed.”

  Her laugh was sharp and bitter, and David flinched. “Great, so the guy protecting me is stalking me, too.” Mish closed her eyes and drank more of her beer.

  A sympathetic-looking bartender eyed them both. “You two okay?”

  Mish waved him away. “Yeah, he’s a friend. Just a fucking annoying one at the moment.”

  Friend. Okay, that was good. “I know, and I knew it would piss you off. The problem with trailing trails is that I have to trail you, too.”

  She contemplated that as David drank, then took another slow pull of her own. “So,” she said once she’d set the glass back down, “was I being followed?” A hitch in her voice.

  Fear. He hated hearing that. “As far as I could tell—no. Other than DSLR Dude.”

  She relaxed her shoulders. “Eh, he drops off quickly when he realizes I’m not taking the train—at least now he does.”

  “Any reason why?”

  Her smile was bloodthirsty. “Couple of times early on, I decided to walk around for hours. Even went across the Brooklyn Bridge, and then back. I think the fifteen-mile days nearly wiped him out, so he lets me go when I walk more than a mile, basically. Especially if I’m alone.” She rolled her neck out. “I mean, how many photos of my backside do you think the public needs?”

  David mocked being in thought, then shrugged. “It is a very nice ass, Mish.”

  She laughed and punched him in the arm. “You’re a fucking jerk, you know?” All cheer in her voice.

  “I am not!” He smiled back. “And you know it.”

  Her smile settled into something more private. “Yeah, I do. You’re fun. And—thanks. For coming in and facing my wrath.”

  The way her gaze flicked from his eyes down caught David so off guard. So did the deepening of her smile. “I—well, I know you can take care of yourself. But it helps to have a friend sometimes?”

  “Is that what you are, David?”

  Oh fuck. There shouldn’t be sparks or chemistry, and he certainly shouldn’t be getting hard for Mish. Again. “I could be.”

  She huffed a laugh. “I have to ask, if I were one of the guys, would you’ve followed them?”

  “Yes.” The truth rolled off his tongue easily. “If any of them were in the same situation, you bet your ass I’d make sure they were safe. And yeah, I’d make sure no one was following them, too.”

  “Except it’ll never happen to them.” She picked up her beer again and drained it. “Doesn’t happen to dudes.”

  “Sometimes it does. Not as often. But obsessive fans can harass any gender, you know?”

  “That doesn’t make me feel any better.” Her smile was too damn sad, as were the creases around her eyes. “The thing is, I’m alone. If anyone were to touch Ray, I’m pretty sure Zavier would break bones. He nearly took out Carl once, but Ray stopped him. And Adrian can be fucking intimidating when he wants to be.” She waved at the bartender and handed him a credit card. “Put his beer on mine, too.”

  David sat up straighter. “I can pay for my own beer.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m gonna. You have an issue with that?”

  Not really. “Next one’s on me.”

  There was that summer-warm smile again. Somehow the lipstick had remained. “Next time, how about we just go out for a beer, rather than you following me?”

  Heat rose to his cheeks. “We can do that.”

  She got her card back and signed the slip. “I bet if it were one of the guys, you wouldn’t be putting on the charm so hard.”

  Putting on the... “Hey, I...” But she had him to rights. He’d not be flirty if he were sitting with any other members of Twisted Wishes. She punched him in the arm again, and his insides tumbled. “I try not to mix business and pleasure.”

  Even when every nerve screamed to do so.

  “Oh, that’s too bad,” she purred into his ear, her hot breath caressing the side of his face. One beer couldn’t have gotten her that tipsy, so it wasn’t the alcohol.

  Which meant she knew exactly what she was doing. God, he wanted to slip his hands into those curls and kiss her, feel her breath mingling with his. Taste that lipstick. He hadn’t been this turned on in ages.

  “You’re something else, Sullivan.” His voice was choppy, and he downed the last of
his beer to fix that.

  “So they say.” She pushed back on the stool as if to stand—but he touched her hand, enough to get her attention, and her long gaze was expectant, her body still tensed to rise.

  “You’re not alone, Mish.”

  A tremble in her arm and a whole host of emotions. “I want to be free, David. Of the worry. Of the concern.” She stood then, and turned away.

  Free from his concern? Maybe. That was his whole reason for being here, though. He rose and found Mish hadn’t gotten far. She stood a step away, a smile that was tired but not faked as the fans he’d seen earlier greeted her.

  He waited while Mish chatted with them. A few selfies later, there was fatigue in her arm when she tucked curls behind an ear and nodded at a younger woman recounting a story of how she discovered Twisted Wishes. Sweet tale, and Mish’s smile was still genuine, but that earlier tension was back. If she’d gained any relaxation from her beer, it was long gone now.

  David shifted to catch Mish’s attention, and she glanced his way, long enough for him to raise an eyebrow that he hoped read as do you need an out? and not as him pushing her along.

  “Oh god,” she said. “I hate to run on you, but I’ve kept David here waiting.” She pulled him closer into the circle. “He’s helping the band with the upcoming tour, and we still have things we need to discuss tonight.”

  He could play along. Wasn’t a lie. “Well, but your fans...” He gestured to the group.

  “No, no,” said the woman who’d been chatting with Mish. “We’ve taken up enough of your time.” They all murmured their agreement, and after another round of “Thank you so much” and “We love you!” Mish headed to the door. David did what he’d done all evening—trailed behind her.

  A few patrons eyed Mish as she left, either because they were curious from the cluster of fans or because she was a stunning woman in her own right. None of them seemed to be watching with strong intent or malice. David’s skin pricked, though.

  He slowed and looked over the last of the patrons, but no one stood out. Either his nerves were shot, or he’d missed something.

  He schooled his expression and stepped outside, where Mish waited for him. She’d put her sunglasses on, hiding those expressive eyes. “At this point, you might as well walk me home.”

  Best plan. If someone was following her, they’d have made him by now. Next time sussing a tail out would be a bust, because they’d be waiting for him. “All right.”

  They walked in silence for a few blocks.

  “I hate this,” she said, her voice crackling. “Not you. I like you. I hate this.” She gestured around them. “Being paranoid. Needing to be walked home. Followed for my own good.” She slapped a hand on her thigh. “Stupid fucking patriarchy.”

  Yup. He certainly knew that set of emotions. “I understand, especially since you can take care of yourself.”

  “Yet you’re here, David. Watching me.”

  “I am. But, Mish—” He didn’t know how to phrase what he wanted to say, so he just plunged in headfirst. “If you were a guy, I’d still be here. If you took out the stalker but got injured again, where would that leave the band?”

  “Fuck.” She kicked at a loose stone on the sidewalk, sending it far up ahead of them. “Fucking fuck, David.”

  He didn’t say anything.

  “I hate that you’re right.” She gritted out the words. “Because you are.”

  “Band needs you whole. There’s only one of you, like there’s only one of each Twisted Wishes member.”

  “I know.” Tight voice. “Stop talking, please.” Her voice was all breath.

  He shut up. The hurt there, the unbelievable frustration reminded David all too well of times he’d been forced into corners he’d hated. And no, none of it was fair. This was why he kept to himself in his personal life. Didn’t make too many close attachments. There was only so much he could do to ease another’s pain.

  When they got close to her apartment, she slowed and pulled him to the side to let others pass. “You know, I do wish this shitty business between us...wasn’t. You’d be a hell of a date.”

  Once again, heat coursed through him. “I can’t go on a date with you, but I was serious about the beer. And you did promise me karaoke.”

  She snorted. “The guys will kill me if I drag them again.”

  “Then drag me,” he said. “As a friend.”

  “Friend, huh?” Her smile had a touch of the devil in it. “You should ask Zavier about friendships sometime.”

  He didn’t understand what she meant, but how she said it made every part of him take notice of her. Every bit of her. “Okay.”

  That lovely chuckle didn’t help at all. “Have a good one, David. See you later.” She took two steps backward on those heels of hers, spun with a grace he didn’t possess at all, and sauntered past Lorenzo into her apartment building.

  He was so fucked. No way this was gonna end professionally.

  For the first time in his life, David didn’t give a damn about that.

  Chapter Five

  Mish tossed her bag onto her berth on the bus, then settled into her normal seat across the aisle from where Ray and Zavier were stretched out like cats in the sun. Adrian and Dom sat at the little cafe table near the kitchen playing some kind of card game while they waited for the crew to finish loading the equipment. Then they’d be on the road, off to their first show of the tour.

  There was something about being on the tour bus that made everything fade away to the very first time they’d ever boarded one.

  Had been different then, what with Kevin still in the band and Zavier merely a faded piece of Ray and Dom’s past. Now Zavier was deeply part of Twisted Wishes, and they had Adrian, too. But that excitement, that flutter of nerves, hopes, and dreams, that was the same. Timeless. Stunning.

  They were going on tour and it never fucking got old. Ever. Always a dream made real in the most impossible way.

  Now they were headlining, and giving another band the same chance they’d once been given by a larger and more famous group.

  She laid her head against the seat and looked up at the ceiling, content to be with this, her family.

  “Gin!” Adrian sounded positively gleeful.

  Dom’s reply was disgruntled. “Fuck! You cheat!”

  “I do not!” There was laughter in Adrian’s voice.

  “You count the cards!” Dom was trying to sound outraged, and pretty much failing.

  Laughter from both of them. “It’s gin rummy, of course I count the cards. How am I supposed to know what to hold?”

  “Your gentleman friend has a point,” Zavier said.

  Mish peered across the aisle in time to see Ray nudge Zav with his foot. “Fiancé.”

  “I don’t see a ring on his finger.”

  “Hey,” Dom called. “Since when do you care about rings?”

  Zavier gave Dom a sly grin. “I don’t. I just enjoy teasing you.”

  Adrian snorted. “He does have a ring, you know. Just isn’t on his finger.”

  “Oh lord,” Mish rolled her gaze back up to the ceiling for a moment. “I’m not gonna survive this trip.”

  Meanwhile, Dom had turned into a little pile of happiness and embarrassment. Zavier was laughing, and Ray had his hands over his face.

  Yup, they were definitely back on tour. Felt like heaven. She fucking adored this part.

  The bus swayed a tiny bit, and David bounded up the stairs. He paused when he took them all in. “Is this a bad time?”

  God, that outfit was pure sin on him. Jeans faded in just the right way to emphasize the power of his legs and thighs, and one of those blue patterned button-downs guys seemed to like. Leather necklace. Wasn’t designer anything, but David still looked like a GQ model with that dark hair and those darker eyes.

  “Na
h,” she said. “Adrian’s oversharing at Dom’s expense for Zavier’s pleasure.” She patted the seat next to her. “Come watch the show.”

  “It’s not for Zav’s pleasure.” Adrian shuffled the cards. “It’s for mine.”

  “Hey!” Dom was still pretty damn red, but he was laughing. “Don’t make me take your phone and reclaim my title as social media maven.”

  “Please, no,” Ray sighed. “Dom, you’re my best friend, but you can’t tweet for shit.”

  Mish waved a hand. “See what I have to live with?”

  “Somehow, I think you love it.” David’s grin was toothy.

  She did. Every single moment. Loved all the guys and the way they all fit together in this group they’d formed. She bumped David’s knee with her own. “What’s up, Mr. Bodyguard?”

  He bumped her back, but glanced around at all of them. “Wanted to check in with you before we got going. I’ve followed some of your touring online, but I wanted to see how you’d like to handle rest stops and the like.”

  Ray shrugged. “We usually stop in the middle of the night, and half the time, we’re asleep. The other half—well—it’s mainly us and truckers, if that. We don’t really think about it. Just get our shit and leave. I’m not sure we really need security for that.”

  David shifted on the couch. He didn’t frown, but there was concern there. Zavier caught the look, too, it seemed, because he murmured, “It’s never been a problem before.”

  “Situations change.” David gestured with open hands as if to say what can you do? “You guys are huge now.”

  Plus she had a stalker. “I’ll stay on the bus.”

  They all looked guilty. Dom nibbled his thumbnail until Adrian gently took his hand.

  God, she hated the restrictions and the necessity. Hated the reason why David was here, even if she enjoyed his presence. “Look, we all know what’s going on. Let’s not pretend this is about the band when it’s about me.”

  David bumped her knee with his again. “I’m not saying you need to stay on the bus. I just want to know how to handle the stops. You can run them as you always have. Just—be aware of your decisions. The majority of personal security is about awareness and presence of mind.”