One look at the name flashing across the screen had my stomach plummeting with worry, however. Harlow wasn’t calling, it was my brother, Huck.
I swept my finger across the screen to answer. “What’s wrong?”
“Austin and Dallas are having their final show on New Year’s Eve. You want to go?”
Austin and Dallas were our cousins. While our parents were content to let me and my siblings find our own way in life, Aunt Chantel had our cousins Austin Beethoven Stone and Dallas Mozart Stone pegged as child music prodigies before they could even walk. To her credit, she’d raised two world-class cellists. What she hadn’t anticipated was that they would choose to play more than just classical music. Four years ago after winning Rising Stars, Dallas and Austin got their own Vegas show playing rock and roll on their cellos. It drove Aunt Chantel crazy that her sons had managed to twist their talents into something she couldn’t control. But when it came to Dallas, Aunt Chantel was incapable of saying no. After his diagnosis, no one had the heart to tell him he couldn’t have what he wanted. And Dallas wanted to win Rising Stars and play rock on his cello. His twin, Austin, went along with it, just like he always did when it came to his brother.
I bypassed the elevator and opened the door to the stairwell so I could keep talking without dropping the call. “Why the hell are you awake at—” I glanced at my watch and did the mental math to figure out what the time difference was for him, “—four in the fucking morning?”
Huck yawned. “We’re in Vegas for the weekend. Brodi got my work featured in one of the galleries here, and we were setting things up. But you know Cat. The city that never sleeps is too much of a temptation for her. She’s been dragging my ass up and down the strip for two days now. I’m not even sure what time it is anymore.”
“Look at the clock on your phone next time, dipshit.”
“Right.” He yawned again. “There’s a good chance I’m going to leave here a married man,” he said offhandedly. “Cat took me to this place called the Neon Museum which is like a huge graveyard of old Vegas signs. They’ve got a wedding chapel there, and she’s been hinting at the fact that it’d be perfect for us.”
“Mom okay with that?” I chuckled to myself, not needing to hear the answer.
He released a heavy breath. “After the way she reacted to the engagement news, Cat is even more dead set on a Vegas wedding. Mom wants a traditional wedding, but there isn’t anything Cat hates more than traditional.”
I exited the stairwell and then stopped in front of my apartment, shoving the key into the lock. “What about you?”
“I love her. I’m going to give her whatever the fuck makes her happy. I don’t care where we get married as long as it happens. I’ll deal with Mom later.”
I entered my apartment and was struck, as I always was, at how different it was from Harlow’s even though they shared the same exact layout. There was no personality to my place. It was purely function over form. “I hear you. I’d do the same.” I had done the same. I still hadn’t admitted that to Huck or anyone else.
“Yeah, well, back to my original question. Do you want to go to Austin and Dallas’ final show?”
“Final show? I thought it was doing well?” I tossed my keys on the kitchen counter and walked back into my room.
“It was, but Dallas’s symptoms have gotten worse. The show is going on hiatus.” Huck’s voice sounded sad. “For good. They’re moving to California.”
I stopped rummaging through my closet and just stared for a moment, finally processing what Huck was telling me. “California has the Death with Dignity law,” I said.
“Yeah.” His answer was defeated. “I know.”
***
Harlow’s excitement throughout the day was almost enough to make me forget Huck’s phone call this morning. She was fucking adorable running all over the museums checking things off her list. But in the back of my mind, I was thinking about Dallas. The news was putting things into perspective for me. It made me think about how short life was and how I needed to enjoy the hell out of it, no matter where it took me. Whether I ever won another medal or whether I was able to ever get Harlow to finally trust me, I just needed to make sure I was enjoying every minute of my journey.
For now, I tried to force those thoughts to the back of my mind. Today was for Harlow, and I didn’t want to taint our time together by thinking about things I had no control over.
As we stood in front of the Hope Diamond display case, Harlow pulled a piece of paper out of her bag and unfolded it. It was the Smithsonian scavenger hunt list I handed to her this morning when I picked her up for our date. Her pen tracked down the page until she found the Hope Diamond and with a flick of her wrist, she checked it off.
I had to give it to myself, a Smithsonian scavenger hunt for a list-obsessed girl? It was a pretty fucking brilliant idea. We’d spent all morning, and most of the afternoon, strolling around the National Mall and through the museums, tracking down the items on her list. Every time she found one, it was like she’d won the lottery. I’d never seen anyone get so much satisfaction out of completing small tasks before. Strange as it was, I loved that little quirk about her—the need to make goals and complete them, no matter how small.
And for once, we were having fun without all of the usual tension that seemed to hover over us because of our unusual relationship. This was exactly what we needed together. We’d spent the day talking and laughing like it was completely normal for us. She even let me hold her hand everywhere we went. I might not have the ring on anymore, but having her fingers linked was an even better promise.
“Do you really believe there’s a curse on this thing?” She nodded her head toward the Hope Diamond, a small smile playing at her lips.
“Why? You willing to risk it and try it on?”
The good humor disappeared from her face, and her eyes flared in discomfort for a moment. She looked away from the display as if even the thought of wearing it might bring bad luck. “No thanks. No jewelry is worth that. There’s already a curse on the diamonds in our family.” She rubbed her ring finger, and I wondered if it was just a mindless motion, or if she was remembering the ring I’d put on there months ago.
When Harlow finally met my gaze again, she took in a sharp breath. Her hands dropped to her side, the list fluttering against her leg, and I could tell she wanted to look anywhere but at me. “I meant my mom. Every ring she got, every vow she took, was a curse on our family. I didn’t mean…” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the movement of her thumb as it traced the underside of her naked ring finger. “I was talking about her.” Her expression begged me not to ask her to elaborate. More than anything I just wanted to put a smile back on her face.
I reached over and grabbed her list, pulling her attention away from all the words said in the last few minutes.
“What else is left, Cricket?” I asked, changing the subject. I ran my eyes down the sheet, tallying the things she’d found already. “The fragment of Plymouth Rock, Michelle Obama’s inaugural gown, signed baseball from 1937 all-star game, Mr. And Mrs. Peter Doll, the mummified cat—”
“Wish I could mummify Couch Cat,” she mumbled. “It would definitely lessen the attempts on my life.”
“Not necessarily. Mummy cats are probably even more dangerous than normal cats,” I pointed out.
She smiled. “I don’t know. I think cats, in general, are just trying to take over the world one stupid human at a time.”
“You could be right.” I grinned back at her and then scanned the list again. “Okay, let’s see…giant sequoia slice, the Chinese wedding chair, the Ruby Slippers from the Wizard of Oz, the T-Rex, and the Hope Diamond.” I looked up at her and waved the list in the air. “Only one thing left.”
She eagerly snatched the list back, her eyes roaming the page to find the remaining item. “Live butterfly exhibit.”
I reached into my back pocket and then held up two tickets. “We only have a few minutes to get in line for o
ur time slot.”
The excitement of the hunt was back in her eyes as she pulled the map from her bag and read it quickly to see where we had to go. She lifted her head to look around and then pointed across the hall. “It’s on the second floor, right across from here.”
I grabbed the map and her list and stuffed them in my back pocket so that I could take her hand in mine again. As I pulled her out of the gemstone area and across the hall like we were sprinting for an airplane, her laughter echoed behind me. We got in line just in time, right behind a family with three young children. She turned to face me, her hand still in mine, her chest rising with her rapid breathing.
“You’re not even out of breath!” she accused me.
I shrugged. “Told you I was a professional athlete, Cricket. You might have speed, but I have endurance.” I rubbed my thumb along the inside of her palm, and she shivered in response.
“Endurance, huh?” she challenged me, her eyebrows lifting suggestively. “You fell asleep pretty quickly last night. Not even a round two,” she whispered.
Ignoring her taunt, I pulled the list out of my back pocket. I unhooked the pen she had secured to the top of it, and scribbled out a few items at the bottom. She tried peeking around the page to see what I was writing, but I tilted it away and kept it out of view. “Don’t be so impatient, Cricket. Butterflies first.” I motioned toward the line which was now moving forward to enter the exhibit.
As expected, she rolled her eyes, but couldn’t hide the smile that followed. “You’re such a tease.”
I put my hand on her shoulder and leaned down, sweeping her hair to the side so I could whisper in her ear. “You didn’t mind the teasing last night. In fact, I think it worked out in your favor.”
She turned her head just enough that she could see me. “You’re awfully cocky aren’t you?” she whispered back so that the family in front of her couldn’t hear.
My hand found her waist and pulled her hips back against my front so she could see just how cocky I was for her. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Her breath hitched. She might not have meant it that way, but now that’s all she was thinking about. It’s all either of us was thinking about.
“That’s not what I meant, and you know it,” she managed to say. She peered back over her shoulder at me, but this time, her bottom lip was caught between her teeth and the excitement that had been in her eyes all day had burned into something less innocent.
Time to get these butterflies checked off the list and find a quiet place to kiss her senseless.
The moment we stepped into the habitat, that plan was tossed to the side because Harlow was mesmerized. Butterflies were everywhere—landing on flowers and on top of people’s heads, flittering around from the ground to the roof. Harlow sat down on the edge of the wall to get a closer look at a blue butterfly perched on a flower when another one landed directly on her knee.
“Trace, look!” For the first time since I’d met her, I saw nothing but pure innocence and joy in her expression. She wasn’t worried about her next article, or our sham marriage, or her broken family. She was just happy. And it made me feel like some kind of knight in shining armor that I helped put that look there. That this date, under the guise of helping her write an article, was doing more in one day for our relationship than I’d managed to do in weeks.
I took a picture of her and the butterfly with my phone, and then she twisted around to watch the one on the flower again.
I lost track of how long she sat there watching the butterflies, but I was in no hurry to make her leave. Not when she finally seemed so content with something so simple. Still holding my phone, I scrolled through the selfies we’d taken as we checked items of her list, and then I started searching for some place nearby I could take her to dinner. I was surprised when she started giggling uncontrollably.
I looked away from my screen. “What?”
She pointed, and when I looked down to see what she found so amusing, I saw a huge butterfly perched on the bulge in the front of my jeans. It was literally using my dick as a perch.
Grinning, I found her gaze. “You’re not jealous are you?”
“I’ve heard of something called a butterfly bush that attracts them, but this one seems to bat for the other team.” Her eyes sparkled with mischief, and she was having a hard time containing her laughter. Before I could stop her, she pulled out her phone and took a picture. I think I heard her mutter something about “butterfly cock” before she finally stood up and tucked her phone back into her bag, still giggling.
“Are you done?” I asked, lifting my eyebrows and pointing to the butterfly still perched on my zipper.
She nodded. “Let’s go. I’m starving.”
I took a step forward, and the butterfly flew away. I set my hand on her back and trailed my fingers down her spine until they settled in the curve right above her ass. I leaned in so only she could hear. “Me too. I could go for a little bush right about now.”
“Trace!” she hissed, whipping her head around to glare at me. I managed to catch her lips in a quick kiss which cut off any further scolding.
“Yes, Cricket?” I asked after releasing her mouth.
“There are children nearby!” she whisper-yelled.
“Which is why we need to get home as soon as possible so we can have dessert.” My eyebrows arched. “Unless you’d like dinner before dessert?”
Instead of responding, she gave me a loaded look and grabbed my hand to lead me toward the exit. That was my answer. Dessert first then.
Harlow didn’t say a word as we exited the building. The sky was starting to turn the rich colors of early evening, and the people who were spread all over the mall were packing up blankets and picnics. She ignored them all as she tugged me toward the nearest metro stop. When I pulled her to a stop in the middle of the mall and spun her around so she was facing me, frustration forced her eyebrows to curve down in confusion.
“What?” she asked.
I grinned at her and then lifted my phone to take a photo of us with the Smithsonian Castle in the background.
Her mouth twisted into a frown. “I thought you were in a hurry to get home for…dessert.”
I pulled her close to me and dipped my head to her neck to brush a kiss there. “One should never rush dessert. It should be savored. Each and every bite—”
The sound of Harlow’s phone ringing cut me off.
She pulled away, a guilty look on her face as she rummaged around in her purse. Upon finding the phone, she merely stared at it as it rang twice more. Finally, she answered it. “Flex? Is something wrong?”
I could hear him answering her, but couldn’t make out what was being said.
Harlow sighed heavily, and her shoulders slumped. “I told you to stop doing these experiments. You’re not a human guinea pig!”
She turned away from me, running her hand through her hair as Flex answered her.
“Where is Lindsey? Can’t she—”
Her head dropped as she listened.
“All right, don’t worry. I’ll be there in an hour. Just try to stay comfortable.” She paused as she listened. “Of course. You know I love you.”
Her finger ended the call, and in the few moments before she turned to face me, I tried to control the surge of jealousy at hearing her tell Flex she loved him.
She rubbed her hand across her forehead and then jammed her phone back in her bag. Her eyes looked genuinely sad as her gaze met mine. “I’m sorry, but can I get a raincheck on dessert? I need to head over to Flex’s and help him out.”
“Of course.” I put my hand on her lower back, and we started walking again across the mall. “What’s wrong?”
Her shoulders drooped in defeat and she gripped the strap of her bag like she was trying to strangle it. “Flex participates as a test subject in different medical studies. Some of them are tame, like food studies and such, but he likes to do the ones where he gets paid better money. Those are not always so sa
fe.” Her pace quickened, and her anger was a like a storm cloud around her.
“I take it this one wasn’t one of the safe ones?”
She gave me a short, furious shake of her head. “Who knows. I have no idea what it was. But if he feels sick enough that I need to come over, then I’d guess it was one of the sketchy ones. I keep telling him it’s not worth it, no matter how much they pay him.” Her strides quickened, and I had a feeling she wanted to sprint to the metro.
I had a brief, sick thought wondering if there was anything that would have Harlow running this aggressively toward me. For me. And I felt like an asshole for even thinking it.
“How dangerous are they?” I asked instead.
“Hard to say. Even though the so-called scientists running these things think they know what’s going to happen based on animal tests or whatnot. In the end, it’s still an experiment with uncertain results. There was this one experiment in London in 2006 where doctors were testing this drug that was supposed to revolutionize treatment for leukemia and rheumatoid arthritis.” She shook her head, and her mouth flattened in displeasure as she took a deep breath in through her nose. “All six test subjects who got the drug almost died. Their organs started failing, and their immune systems were forever damaged.” She shuddered as she took in another deep breath. “It’s just not worth the money. I don’t know how I can make Flex understand this.”
“How much does he get paid?”
Her head whipped around, and she nailed me with an angry stare. “It doesn’t matter how much. Nothing is worth risking his health to be a lab rat for people who don’t even care about him!”
I held my hands up to ward off her words. “I didn’t say it was. I’m just making conversation.”
She rubbed her forehead again. “I know, I know. I’m sorry. I’m just worried about him. He thought Lindsey was going to be around to stay with him, but she went home for the weekend. So did all of his roommates.”
Hitched (Hearts of Stone Book 2) Page 17