by Mari Carr
“Oh yeah,” Tris agreed. “You should definitely write here.”
Sky looked around the apartment, thrilled by the invite. He’d been bored to tears cooped up in the hotel suite. He had a feeling life at the Collins’ place would never be dull. Still, the devil in him prodded. “Oh, I could never inconvenience your family that way. Besides, Teagan and I would need a quiet, private place to work our magic. The hotel would be ideal for that.”
He fought not to laugh as Ewan’s face flushed at the word magic. Tris actually appeared to have swallowed his tongue, coughing uneasily.
“Sky,” Teagan said, her eyes narrowed. “My brothers just went out of their way to help you tonight. Don’t you think you should play nice?”
He grinned. “I’d love to stay here and I appreciate the offer of a bed. Are you sure your pop won’t mind?”
Tris shook his head, his voice betraying his annoyance as he spoke. “Oh no, believe me, Pop will have no problem with the arrangement. He’s downstairs all but passing out cigars to his cronies and bragging about his little girl writing songs for The Universe. I’d be surprised if you didn’t get breakfast in bed.”
“You mean that wasn’t part of the deal anyway?” he joked, laughing when Teagan’s eyes nearly rolled all the way back into her head.
“Can you ever be serious?” she asked, exasperated.
He walked over to her, wrapping his arm loosely around her shoulder, enjoying the ever-darkening looks from her brothers. “I’m a rock star, gypsy. I don’t think breakfast in bed is too much to ask.”
Teagan surprised him by moving forward rather than away. He’d expected her to shake off his arm, so when her own wrapped around his back, touching his bare skin, he fought to deny the sudden pounding of his heart. Women touched him all the time, so why was he reacting like a fucking teenager?
“You’re standing here without a shirt and in my skirt. You look more like a half-dressed RuPaul than a rock star. If anyone should be getting breakfast in bed, it should be me for having to put up with you for the next few weeks.”
He pulled her closer, ignoring her brothers, as he fought to retain what little bit of cocky Sky he could cling to. “Ooh, I do like the idea of us being stuck together,” he murmured.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tris and Ewan both take a step forward, but Teagan’s reaction halted them in their tracks.
She reached up and grabbed his ear, twisting so hard tears sprung to his eyes.
“I’m only going to say this to you one time, rock star, so listen up. The only music you and I will be making is going to be on the page. If you don’t knock off the sexual innuendoes, you won’t have to worry about Ewan smothering you in your sleep because that’s something you’ll beg for after I cut off that protruding part of your body you call a brain. Got it?”
He gripped her wrist and fought to loosen her death grip on his earlobe. Growing up with rough brothers had obviously trained this woman well. She was as tenacious as a Rottweiler. The idea of what she was doing to his ear should have pissed him off, but he was even more aroused now than he’d been all night. She was a wildcat dressed up in “peace and love” hippie garb. Jesus, she was awesome.
“Got it,” he said, relieved when she released him.
“Good,” she said, turning toward a hallway that led away from the living room. “I’m going to bed. Night.”
“Night,” Ewan and Tris grumbled in unison.
For a moment, Sky expected both brothers to pounce on him and he regretted poking fun at them earlier. He was shocked when Ewan put a commiserating hand on his shoulder. “Fucking ear twist is deadly,” he said. “Come on. I’ll show you where my room is. I’ve got a pair of sweatpants you can sleep in.”
Sky smiled appreciatively. Yep, he thought as he followed Ewan, he was definitely going to like it here.
* * * * *
Teagan was startled awake by a loud noise next to her bed, followed by some colorful cussing.
Riley was home.
She glanced at the clock, surprised to discover it was nearly dawn. “Where have you been all night?” she asked sleepily.
Riley turned around. “Sorry. Did I wake you?”
“You knocked over a chair and yelled ‘Shit’. What do you think?”
“Long night,” Riley replied wearily. “The tramp dumped Aaron.”
Aaron Young and Riley had been best friends practically from the cradle.
“So what? You hated the tramp.”
Riley sighed and sank down on her bed. “Aaron is unhappy. No, scratch that, he’s miserable. I think in his fucked-up head, she was the woman he was going to marry. He called earlier from his house, drunk as a skunk.”
“Aaron was drunk?” Aaron never drank. That was Riley’s role in their friendship. She partied ‘til she dropped and Aaron carried her home.
“I know,” Riley said. “It freaked me out, so I went over and tried to cheer him up.”
“I didn’t see you leave,” Teagan said.
“Took the fire escape to the back alley.”
“Ah.” The fire escape was Riley’s main exit from the apartment. Teagan assumed it was because her sister was always moving in fast forward. Stopping to answer questions was enough to piss Riley off. God forbid she take time enough to descend a flight of stairs to the pub’s front door.
Then Teagan smiled, trying to imagine Riley cheering anyone up. Riling someone up, Teagan could comprehend, indeed would expect of her sister. There was no one else she’d want at her back in a fight more than Riley—but putting a smile on another person’s face? Mary Sunshine, her sister would never be. “Did it work?” she asked.
“I guess so. We just sort of talked until he passed out. I was too tired to drive home, so I dozed on his couch for a couple hours.”
“Well, you missed some excitement here,” Teagan said.
“Oh my God, that’s right! Sky Mitchell! I can’t believe I forgot about that. Don’t tell me. He listened to one of your Blowin’ in the Wind shit songs and hit the road.”
“I thought you liked my singing,” Teagan said, unfazed by Riley’s comments. Her sister’s continual insults about her folk songs had become an integral part of the fabric of their relationship.
“I love your freaking voice. You know that. You just waste it on stupid songs.”
“Well, for your information, Sky did not leave after one song. He listened to the whole set and then invited me to join him at his table.”
“Shut the fuck up!” Riley yelled, suddenly wide awake. She rushed across the room and jumped beside her on the bed so hard, Teagan nearly bounced off. “No way.”
“Way.” Teagan laughed.
“You lucky bitch. Tell me every gory detail. Don’t leave out a thing.”
“He heard me sing Maybe Tomorrow and he wanted to buy it. Record it on his next album.”
“I told you that song was awesome,” Riley interjected. “Holy shit. Your song’s gonna be on the radio! Hell, it could be nominated for Song of the Year. You could be invited to the MTV Awards! Can I walk down the red carpet with you?”
“Getting a little ahead of yourself, aren’t you?” Teagan grinned at Riley’s enthusiasm. Her sister’s mind always raced at a speed most mortal humans could never achieve.
“Not at all. Everything Sky touches turns to gold. I swear this guy is Midas incarnate.”
“Yeah, well, I turned his offer down.”
Riley sat frozen for several seconds and Teagan could see she’d shocked her outspoken sister into speechlessness. “Tell me you’re kidding,” she said at last, her voice far too quiet. Teagan figured she’d better tell the rest of the story fast before Riley’s head blew off her shoulders.
She quickly related the details of the contest, the arrival of the paparazzi, the storage closet—omitting the bit about the kiss—and ended the story by informing her sister that Sky Mitchell was sleeping in their brother’s room across the hall.
Without a word, Riley rose from t
he bed and tiptoed over to Ewan’s room. Teagan listened as her sister slowly opened the door. She imagined Riley peeking inside and screaming silently when she spotted her favorite musician snug as a bug in Sean’s old bed.
When she returned to the room, she was eyeing Teagan with an expression that left her uneasy. “You’re going to be writing songs with Sky Mitchell for weeks,” Riley said, her voice far too even and controlled.
Teagan nodded in agreement, wondering what was going on inside her sister’s mind.
“You should totally sleep with him.”
“What?” Teagan asked.
“I’m serious.” Her sister’s face proved that she was, even though her words were utterly preposterous, even for Riley. “You have the opportunity to have sex with Sky Mitchell. Do not blow this.”
“Have you considered the fact that I might not want to sleep with him? He’s a cocky, arrogant asshole.” Even as she spoke the words, Teagan knew they were false. She suspected he adopted that persona as a means of protecting himself and his flirting was little more than a part he was playing. People expected rock stars to be highly sexed creatures, so Sky gave them their money’s worth. Besides, most of his sexual come-ons had merely been jokes, harmless teasing. She liked the part of him that tried so hard to make her laugh.
“Teagan,” Riley said, placing her hands on her hips. Teagan settled in for the twisted lecture she was sure was about to follow. “You aren’t exactly the most experienced woman in the world when it comes to sex. I mean, do you need two hands to count how many lovers you’ve had?”
Teagan narrowed her eyes, refusing to answer.
Riley continued. “Your silence proves that you don’t. Besides, I’m your sister, I know exactly how many guys you’ve slept with and who they were.” Riley shook her head sympathetically. “You poor girl. It’s a pitiful list, you know.”
She started to refute her sister’s words, but she held on to the secret truth. Her sister believed the lies Teagan had perpetuated and she was happy to let them remain in place.
Fact was, she’d never slept with anyone. She’d long ago accepted the fact that most guys found her a bit quirky, a bit strange. Her outdated fashion style, antiquated taste in music, old-fashioned values and, well, pretty much everything else, set her apart. She wouldn’t sleep with someone who couldn’t accept her as she was and so far, that simply hadn’t happened. Of course, that wasn’t to say she hadn’t fooled around, hence Riley’s confusion.
“You have a chance to gain some real experience in the bedroom. I can’t even begin to imagine what tricks Sky Mitchell must have up his sleeve as a lover. I bet he could fuck curls into that straight red hair of yours. Besides, this is something you can tell your children, your grandchildren.”
“I’m going to tell my grandchildren that I had sex with Sky Mitchell?”
“Think about it, Teag. If Mom had pulled us aside and confessed to fucking Elvis before marrying Pop, you would have been impressed. Admit it.” Riley said the words with such assurance, Teagan couldn’t do anything but laugh. Her sister’s warped vision of the world never failed to amuse her.
“I’ve never really thought of that, but I guess some small part of me might have thought that was cool. Maybe.” Actually, Teagan thought she would have been more impressed to know for sure that her mother had never slept with any man except her father, the love of her life. Sadly, her mother had died when Teagan was sixteen and she had never had a chance to ask her mother the questions that burned in the back of her adult mind. Had her mother waited until after marriage? Had she regretted waiting?
“So you’ll do it?” Riley asked.
“Do what?”
“Seduce Sky,” Riley said impatiently. “Haven’t you been listening?”
“I’ve listened and I’ve heard. I’ll think about it, Riley.”
“Don’t think. Do.”
Teagan smiled and lay back down on her bed. “It’s too early to do anything right now. Do you mind if I sleep a few more hours before jumping Sky Mitchell’s bones? If he’s as wonderful as you seem to think, I’ll need my rest.”
Riley laughed, clearly appeased. “Sleep sounds good.”
Her sister crawled into bed and Teagan shook her head in amazement as Riley drifted off to sleep instantly. It was an incredible talent her sister possessed and she was terribly jealous of the other woman’s ability to fall asleep within seconds of laying her head on the pillow. Teagan, on the other hand, couldn’t settle down to rest as her mind replayed Riley’s words.
As he repeatedly liked to point out, Sky was a rock star. No doubt women fell into his bed like coins in a wishing well. There was no way she’d allow herself to become just another nameless face on his list of sexual conquests.
Was there?
For the first time in her life, she felt the principles she’d tried to live by wavering. She was tempted in ways she’d never faced and she wasn’t sure she’d have the strength to continue to refuse Sky’s advances. Truth of the matter was, her somewhat old-fashioned ideals had never been tested because she’d never met a man she wanted to sleep with. Until Sky. He was attractive, funny, talented and…shit. She sighed heavily. If he was a normal stranger off the street and they’d met in some ordinary way, she would definitely have said yes to a date with him. And she would have come upstairs after that first date full of anticipation and hope for a second.
But he wasn’t normal. He was Sky Mitchell. And she was screwed.
Chapter Four
Teagan returned home from the preschool the next day feeling apprehensive, nervous. She’d snuck out of the apartment this morning like a thief as she’d tiptoed down the hallway and out the door far too early. She’d had to kill nearly an hour at a local coffee shop before the preschool even opened. Her restlessness in the face of Riley’s bizarre sex lecture had left her out of sorts and confused and she’d run away rather than try to face Sky.
Now she’d had too much time to think about it all and she was on the verge of a serious panic attack. Or at least that’s what she assumed this was. She was usually the queen of calm.
Shit. She never lost control of herself like this, but the thought of facing Sky while images of red-hot sex flashed through her mind seemed impossible. Sky would be able to sniff her arousal from a mile away. Her damn sister had pushed her onto the figurative ledge and she was definitely considering a jump—one that would either lead to nonstop masturbation or Sky’s bed. Her heart raced as she climbed the stairs, her sweaty palms slick on the railing.
Laughter greeted her and she smiled despite her jangled nerves when she spotted Pop and Sky sitting at the counter eating Dagwood-style sandwiches.
“Hungry?” she asked as both men dug into the subs with enthusiasm. Riley’s head popped up behind them.
“Where the fuck have you been?” her sister asked.
“Riley Collins,” Pop chastised. “You will curb that filthy language or I will get out the soap.”
“Jesus, Pop. I’m twenty-two years old. You can’t wash my mouth out with soap.”
“Riley,” Pop said and Teagan watched her sister nearly bite her tongue off to obey. Pop was the only person left in the world who managed to retain a small bit of control over her sister.
“Welcome home,” Sky said. “I was about to send out the troops to look for you.”
“It’s Wednesday. Music class at the preschool.” She fought to keep her voice from betraying her anxiety and was proud of her efforts.
“So I recall.”
Pop entered the conversation. “You should have called in sick, Ruby. You and Sky have a lot of work to do for this album. You’ve got your future to think of.”
“My future?” she asked. “I sort of thought I was living my future. You know how much I love teaching music to the kids, Pop.”
“I know that, lassie, but you’ve got an opportunity to really accomplish something with your music. I don’t think it would hurt anything to curb your usual routine for a few weeks. T
his could mean the big time for you.”
“What if I don’t want the big time, Pop?” She felt the usual tightness that constricted her chest when she considered moving out of this beloved apartment. She loved being home, loved being close to her family.
Her father scoffed at her comment. “Not want to share that talent of yours with the world? Why on earth would you throw away what you’ve been blessed with? I’ve never heard such foolishness. You have a true gift, Ruby. I must confess I’ve often felt guilty about my role in halting your mother’s career.”
Sunday had met Patrick Collins when she was singing in a small pub in Ireland. Pop swore to this day her mother would have been more famous than Madonna if he hadn’t snatched her off the stage to make her a wife and mother. Teagan could remember her mother laughing whenever Pop told the tale, dismissing it as an outright lie, though Teagan knew Sunday had reveled in her husband’s unwavering belief in her talent.
“Your pop and Riley have just been reworking the schedule in the restaurant so we can work on our songs,” Sky said. “They’ve very graciously reassigned your shifts so we can have plenty of quiet time up here. Alone.”
Teagan’s heart skipped a beat as she pondered whether he’d really stressed the word alone or she’d just imagined he had. “Oh Pop, I couldn’t do that to you and the others. I refuse to leave you short-handed.”
“Short-handed?” Pop repeated, shaking his head emphatically. “It’s the slow season, Ruby. You know that. Joyce has been complaining about her lack of work hours for weeks. She’ll be delighted to have a chance to pick up some extra pay.”
Joyce Bernard was one of the few people not related to the Collins family who worked in the restaurant. She’d been a waitress for them for nearly a decade and she would most certainly like the extended work hours, as her husband had recently been laid off. Keira and Ewan had been working like mad to give Joyce as many hours as they could afford to help keep her family afloat.
“Oh, that’s true.” Teagan struggled to think of some other argument against she and Sky being left alone, but nothing came to her. She’d lost the bet and now she had to pay the piper…with her father standing over her to make sure she did.