“Whatever.” She needs to get away from him, before…well, before there’s a repeat of that kiss. “Have a nice life.”
“That’s kind of rude.”
“Rude?”
“Yeah. R-U-D-E. Rude.”
“You know, you may be used to girls bending over backwards…”
“Among other things.” He’s smirking now, and a smile tugs at the corner of his lips.
Her face heats as she realizes what she said and the visual it gives of girls doing just that with the rock star. With an irritated shake of her head, she brushes off her embarrassment and continues.
“That’s not what I meant and you know it.”
“True, but why don’t you take it down a notch.”
She presses her hand to her breastbone. “Me? You want me to take it down a notch?”
“Yeah.” He’s staring at her hand, or rather at her breasts beneath it. “No need to get all hot and bothered.”
“Hot and bothered? Is that what you think this is?” With irritation, she tightens her hands into fists and takes a step up the trail. “I remember a somewhat different conversation.”
“Where you going?”
“Back to get something.”
His attention turns to the trail.
“You lost something?”
“Yeah, the key fob to my car.”
“Oh…” A pensive expression crosses his face. “You need help looking for it?”
“Are you offering?”
“Do you see anyone else around here?”
“I’m sorry, but I’m pretty sure you told me to get lost.”
“Hm, don’t think I actually said that.”
“No, you accused me of playing you and using you. That’s pretty much the same thing.”
“Yeah, about that…” He rubs his head and looks down at the ground. “Look, I might have…well, I may have gone a little overboard.”
“You think?”
“Look, I’m trying to apologize and you’re not making it easy. You’re actually being kind of a dick about it and that’s saying something considering you’re a girl.”
“Oh my God, if that’s how you apologize…”
“I never said I was good at it. Sheesh, you think you can come down off that high horse for a minute?”
“You’re right.”
“About what?”
“You suck at apologies.”
“Well, that’s one of the benefits of being a rock star. I’m seldom wrong.”
“You’re so fucking full of yourself!” She punches him in the arm and her heart skips a beat when he smiles back at her.
“Most days that’s probably true. You wanna see if we can find this key of yours?”
“Well, it’s a needle in a haystack. I’m hoping I dropped it where I ran into you. I didn’t open my pack but twice, and the first time was all the way at the top.” That’s two miles up the trail.
“Do you have another one?”
“No.”
“Don’t they usually give you two? Do you have a spare at home?”
“I wish, but it’s a used car and I only got one.”
He’s looking at the trail. “Look, chances of finding a tiny key fob on the trail is practically non-existent. I’m game if you want to look, or I can give you a lift back to town.”
“And then what?”
“You can get another one made.”
“Yeah, for a couple hundred dollars, but I don’t have that kind of cash.”
“Hm.”
He doesn’t look excited about searching and who is she to blame him. Her chances are pretty low of finding it.
“Well,” he says, “I guess you have a couple options.”
“I only see one. I need that key.”
“Or, you can let me help.”
“An extra pair of eyes is awesome. I appreciate the help, and I’m sorry for being difficult. I didn’t mean to sound like a bitch.”
“I was thinking I take you back to town and you let me pay to have a new key made.”
“Oh no, I can’t do that.”
“Why not?”
“Because I barely know you, and it’s not going to be easy for me to pay you back.”
“You don’t have to pay me back.”
“Yes, I do.”
“Look, consider it a gift.”
“I’m not doing that.”
“Why not?”
“I can take care of myself.”
He laughs. “Look, I’m not saying you can’t, but you’re not going to find your key fob on that trail. We can try, and I’m happy to be a second set of eyes, but it’s a waste of time. What are you going to do? Come back here and what? Hitch a ride home? Sleep by your car? None of those scenarios sound particularly safe. Let me help.”
“Sebastian, I—”
“Look, this is the way it is. You need help and I’m in a position to provide it. Buying a key fob is no big deal for me. Let me do this?”
“I don’t know…”
“Look, you can take all the time you need to decide, but how about you do that as we head back to town? And I’m buying dinner this time.”
“Dinner?”
“Yes, no hotdogs on the beach. I’m taking you home, then I’m taking you out.”
“Sebastian…”
“It’s done.”
16
Bash
The entire hike kept Bash’s mind spinning. Running into Holly was the last thing he needed, and now he can’t stop thinking about her. When Ranger ran up the trail, his surprise turned to an odd churning sensation in his gut. He’s not fucking up his chance to make things right with Holly.
“Sebastian, I appreciate it, I really do, but you can’t—”
He cuts her off. “See, this is where you’re wrong. I can and I will. I need to get the VIN number and they usually need proof of identity. Is your wallet in the car?” He’s looking inside her car. It’s immaculate. There’s not a speck of dust inside with the exception of a dog blanket in the back.
“Fortunately, my wallet is in my backpack.”
“Okay, we need to call a tow truck. I don’t trust this place.”
“I can’t afford—”
“We discussed this. Don’t worry about that.”
“Sebastian…”
Her arguments are tiresome. It’s easier to take care of things himself. He pulls out his phone. He could do a search, find a tow company, and a dealership to make a new set of keys—and she will get two copies—but the benefit of being a rock star is having people who do that kind of shit for him. He snaps a couple pictures of the VIN through the windshield and calls Forest.
“Hey, what’s up?” Forest’s gravelly voice rumbles through the phone.
“I need help with something.”
“Okay. How’s your day going?”
Everyone knows about his annual trek to Santa Barbara. It doesn’t matter where in the world the band might be playing, he never misses spending this day with Carter. He turns to Holly, who’s chewing on her nails. She’s not happy about accepting help, and he’s not used to women who don’t take whatever they can from him.
It feels…weird.
Now she’s pacing and mumbling under her breath. Her temper is as fiery as her hair. It’s insanely attractive, but her independent streak is doing all kinds of things to his head and his dick is taking notice. He admires her independence, but damn if he doesn’t want to be the gallant hero who swoops in to save the day. Didn’t Piper tell him to go all superhero?
“Day’s good,” he answers. “We’ve been having quite the adventure.”
“Duke’s behaving?”
“He’s been a champ.”
“What do you need help with?”
“I need two key fobs programmed and delivered ASAP.”
“Huh?”
“Oh, and I need a tow truck.”
“You got in a wreck?”
“No. Just have a car that needs towing and the keys are lost.�
��
“Uh huh…” Forest sounds smug over the phone and Bash grimaces. “I need make and model of the car, VIN number, and ID of the owner.”
Ah shit, he didn’t think this through. Fucking Forest! His manager is going to do a deep dive on this one and he’s going to hear nothing but shit about it.
“I’m sending you a picture of the VIN.”
“And the girl’s ID. I need that too.”
Shit. He turns to Holly and stretches out his hand. “I need a picture of your ID.”
“Why?” She asks.
“Because they don’t program keys to anyone who has a VIN number. If they did that—”
“Oh, right. Yeah, that makes sense.” She pulls out her wallet and hands him her driver’s license.
“Hang on, Forest,” he says into the phone, “I need to take a picture.”
“Okay. While you’re at it, take another couple pictures of the VIN. The glare in the photo is making it hard to see the last few numbers.”
“Got it.”
“Or, you can have her read them off to me.”
“Don’t be an ass.”
“Me?” His deep chuckle booms out of the speaker and Holly cocks her head.
“Who is that?” Holly glances at his phone.
“My manager. He’s going to take care of this.”
“Wow.”
He knows what she’s thinking. It must be nice to have people to take care of shit like this, and she’s right. Money brings privilege. Maybe she’ll realize a few hundred for a set of key fobs and a tow for her vehicle is chump change to him and not get pissy about accepting help? She looks more irritated than grateful and he’s not sure what to think of that. Any other girl would be wondering what else she could get out of him. Hell, any other girl would already be on her knees with his dick in her mouth as a thank you.
Holly is off pacing again, and from the looks of things, she’s not happy. He finishes up his conversation with Forest after reading out the entire VIN number.
“And don’t forget the tow,” he says.
“Already on its way.”
He didn’t give Forest his location, then remembers who he’s dealing with. Forest doesn’t need silly stuff like that. The guys suspect Forest tracks their whereabouts. Now, he’s confirmed it.
“Cool. Any idea when they’ll be here?”
“One second,” Forest says.
Holly is sitting down with Ranger, pulling a water bottle out of her pack. She carries a collapsible bowl that she pops out and fills with water. He wishes he had thought of that. Trying to get Duke to drink out of his water bottle didn’t go well up the trail. He’s not very good at this dog thing. Duke is hovering by Holly, waiting patiently for his turn. Bash feels like an ass for not taking better care of his best bud. Ranger is finished. Slobber drips from his jowls and Holly refills the bowl for Duke.
Forest is back on the line. “The truck is about forty-five minutes out. Are you going to be there?”
He doesn’t want to be. He’s ready to head down, drop Holly off, and get cleaned up for their dinner. But, from what little he knows about her, he’s pretty sure she’s not going to want to leave her car unattended. Details and control seem to be big things with her, and he wants tonight to go smoother than their earlier conversation.
“Yeah, we’ll be here.”
“Okay.”
“And Forest…”
“What?”
“Don’t be a dick about this.”
“Wouldn’t think of it,” he says with a chuckle.
He spends a quiet hour with Holly waiting for the tow truck to arrive. She’s not big on words and spends the time scrolling through her phone. The silence is uncomfortable and the few times he tries to break it, she’s not helping. After the tow truck leaves, Bash stands with his hands in his front pockets. It’s time to go, but with the cold shoulder he’s been getting, dinner is sounding less promising.
“You ready?”
She glances up. “Yes.”
He gestures to Ash’s Jeep. It’s going to be a tight fit for the dogs in back, but they’ll make due. “So, dinner…”
Her lips twitch. “I appreciate everything, but you don’t have to take me out for dinner. It’s too much.”
“You know that’s not true.”
“I’ll find a way to pay you back.”
“We discussed this.”
“No. You decided. We didn’t discuss anything. It’s going to take me some time, but I’ll pay you back.”
“Whatever.” He’s not interested in continuing that argument. “It’s not that much money.”
“To you, maybe, but not to me.”
“Isn’t that the best reason to let me pay? Seriously, you can be exhausting.”
“Our economy of scale is way off. Yes, to you it’s probably a drop in the bucket. To me, it’s more than I make in a month. I can’t let you pay that much. We don’t know each other.”
“Well, that sounds like a perfect reason to take you out and get to know each other better.”
“Sebastian, do you even want to get to know me?” She gestures toward the trail. “All we do is argue.”
True, but she’s the first girl since Valerie he’s cared to waste breath arguing with.
“Well, if you weren’t so opinionated…” He gives a huge grin, hoping to win her over with humor. At first, anger flashes in her emerald eyes, but then they soften and she smiles. It’s the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen in his life.
“Okay, you win,” she says. “Dinner, but I’m paying you back for the rest.”
She’s driving him crazy. “Is it that hard to accept a little help?”
“Tell me something…”
“What?”
“When’s the last time someone said no to you?”
“Excuse me?”
“I mean it.” Her tiny fists sit on her hips. “Has anyone told you no in recent history?”
All he can think about is what it would be like to grab a hold of her from behind and…
“Sebastian!”
“What?”
“I asked you a question.”
When he thinks about it, except for the guys, maybe Forest and his sister, Skye, he gets away with practically anything he wants.
“Why does that matter?”
“Well, I pay my debts and we’re not discussing this further.”
“Fine.” He waves to the Jeep. “How about we not discuss this on the way back to town. I’m getting hungry and I have the perfect place in mind.”
“Is it dog friendly?”
“Do you do anything without Ranger?”
“Not really,” she says with a shrug. Ranger looks at her, swivels his ears, then plops back down.
“Never?”
If Ranger turns into a cock blocker, he and the dog are going to have words. Duke is bad enough, but he doesn’t need interference from her dog as well.
“Well, I can leave him at home for a couple hours, but I feel safer with him by my side.”
“Ranger stays home tonight.”
“Sebastian…”
“Non-negotiable. You want to pay me back?”
She gives a tight nod.
Feeling like he’s finally won an argument, he crosses his arms in victory. “This is how we’re doing it.”
“How’s that?”
“I don’t need the money, but I want your time.”
“That’s silly. My time? How does that work, exactly?”
“Easy.” He does some quick math and gives a smile. She’s going to hate him. “A dollar a minute.”
“That’s crazy.” She stomps her foot and he’s grinning.
“That’s the deal.” He’s holding his own here and getting what he wants. Right now, that’s more time with Holly.
“And who says you get to choose?”
“Holly, just sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride. All I want is a little bit of your time.”
“Why?”
“Becau
se…”
“That’s not an answer.”
It isn’t, but he isn’t going to tell her why. It makes him sound sappy and he’s angling to head in a different direction, like devilishly deviant.
“Do we have a deal?” He asks.
She huffs beside him as she puts on her seatbelt. Suspicion clouds her hesitant gaze and that’s when he knows he’s won.
“Okay, a dollar a minute.”
He wonders if she’s done the math. Key fobs are three-hundred a pop and the tow truck costs more than that. He’s spent well over a grand and that means she owes him over twenty-hours of her time. She’s going to be pissed when she figures it out.
“What about Duke?” She twists around to make sure the dogs settle into the back seat.
“What do you mean?”
“What are you going to do with him while we eat?”
“Get a dog sitter.”
“At this hour?”
“The joy of being a rock star is that if I pay people enough money they do whatever I want.”
“You know that kind of arrogance isn’t very sexy.” Except she’s checking him out. He’s been checked out by more women than he can count and knows when casual interest becomes something more. He’s getting under her skin and is liking where it’s leading.
“You think I’m sexy.” He waggles his eyebrows.
“That’s not what I said.”
“All I heard was sexy. I think you don’t want me to know you have the hots for me.”
“Sebastian!”
He turns to her and gives her a look. “Listen, I was on the other end of that kiss. You definitely have the hots for me.” His dick is twitching with the memory of that kiss. Any other girl, he’d spin her around, yank down her pants, and fuck her brains out. For whatever weird reason, that’s not what he has in mind with Holly. Not that he doesn’t want to fuck her, but rather he intends to savor every minute up until the end.
She crosses her arms and looks out the passenger side window. “You’re full of yourself.”
“Cockiness is a prerequisite for a rock star. Get used to it. We’re going to spend a lot of time together.”
“Two hours. That’s all you’re getting.”
He laughs and puts the Jeep into reverse. “Your math skills suck.”
She’s counting on her fingers, then whips out her phone. A few punches of the buttons and she hits him in the arm. “How much?”
Hearts Divided Page 10