“Like I said, you were too young. I convinced myself it was just my dick’s natural reaction to a pretty girl and that my hormones were all fucked up. I thought it would go away.”
“Did it?”
He locked his gaze to mine before slowly shaking his head from side to side. “Nope. As soon as I saw you sitting in that room at my office, I realized I still wanted to lick you just as badly.”
“Now you get to lick me whenever you want,” I said, “and I finally get to do the same.”
“Exactly.” He brought his hand up to my shoulders and pushed me down on the couch. Grabbing my legs, he slid them out from underneath me and draped them around his waist before flicking open the button on my pants. “I really shouldn’t let any opportunity to do it go to waste. My teenage self would never forgive me.”
“We can’t have that, now can we?” I helpfully lifted myself up when he slid my pants and panties down in one go, then kicked off my shoes so he could get my clothes over my feet.
The air in the room felt cool against my heated core, but then Carter’s hot mouth was on me and nothing else mattered anymore. As strange as it felt to know it, we were an us now, and nothing would come between us again.
Chapter 33
CARTER
It was balls crazy in Times Square, but it was New Year’s Eve. Crazy came with the territory.
Bart stood beside me in a black suit, his earpiece in as he barked orders to the rest of our team. Everyone was on high alert. With a crowd this size, anything could happen.
“Rylee’s going to be performing on that stage,” he said to me and pointed to our left after finishing up with the others. “They’ve got her appearing and exiting through a hatch in the floor.”
“Roger that.” We’d been over the logistics for this evening a hundred times. I knew every step she was going to be taking tonight, but this was our final work-through. The stakes had never been higher, and we needed to make sure everything was perfect. “She’s already in the back going over her warm-ups. The biggest threat will be once she’s up onstage.”
“We’ve got fifteen guys around the perimeter of the stage itself, five on every exit route, and the police are here in full force. I’ve informed them of the threats that have been made against her and that she’ll be on the stage this evening.”
Since her performance was still supposed to be a surprise, I knew that only some of the higher-ups had been informed she’d actually be making a comeback tonight. Even those people had only been told within the last couple of days. The rest had been told she’d be in attendance and would be up onstage with the hosts for a chat.
Everything was going exactly according to plan, but I was as tightly wound as they came. If anything happened to her… I squeezed my eyes shut for a beat. I couldn’t even think about it.
Bart clapped me on the shoulder. “It’s going to be fine. She’s okay, she’s safe, and we’re going to make sure she stays that way.”
“Right.” The only other people allowed within the backstage area where she was waiting were her family, Tani, Jules, and me. “Ryan and Don are still at her door, right?”
“No one’s gone in or out. Billy and her parents are there. Not even the other performers have been in to see her yet.”
I’d heard their updates in my own ear just two minutes ago, but there was no stopping this feeling in my gut. Something was going to happen tonight. I just couldn’t let it happen to her.
“You’ll be right over there when she comes on,” Bart said, inclining his head at my pre-determined post. “Donny and Ryan will wait with her once you leave to come up here. They’ll stay down there, escort her back to her dressing room when she’s done, and you’ll be back with her two minutes later. Unless you’ve changed your mind?”
I shook my head. “I need to see her taking the stage again. I need to be here for her if she needs me, but I’d also just end up killing someone down there if I didn’t have eyes on her.”
He chuckled before the telltale click in our ears meant someone had something to report. Don’s voice came in a second later. “There’s a Tani here for Rylee. Blonde lady. She’s on the list.”
“Let her in,” I said, watching my friend’s face when Tani’s name was mentioned.
Bart had a poker face that could win him the world championships, but as soon as Don said Tani, something in his expression changed. It softened before he could even catch himself.
Yeah, Rylee was definitely onto something with the two of them.
I didn’t bring it up, though. If he wanted to, he’d tell me about it. Cash might not be here tonight, but I knew Bart wouldn’t be able to get past the mere fact of his existence just like that.
“She’s inside,” Don reported back. “Door’s closed again. No movement around.”
“Thanks, Donny.” Bart cleared his throat, his expression back to being as stony as ever. He glanced at me. “No heroics tonight, Carter. If you see something you don’t like, you let me know. Don’t go punching every man who makes eyes at your girl.”
“Me?” I smirked, jabbing my thumb at my chest. “Never.”
Not true, but so be it. Bart already knew I’d do whatever it took to protect her. That was why I was still here as her bodyguard and not only as her boyfriend.
We’d finally gotten around to having that talk. Although I hadn’t been yanked from her detail or fired for breaking the rules, I was on a short leash. If it meant I got to stay close to her, I’d sit up and beg like a fucking puppy without having any problems about it.
There had been some paperwork for Rylee and me to fill out, but apparently this kind of thing wasn’t unheard of. I got to keep being her live-in bodyguard, but Ryan would be with us at public appearances from here on out. For the time being anyway.
She hadn’t received any more threats, and after tonight, she’d be back on Broadway. Since the threats had come from a person wanting her back, we were working on the assumption that things would die down in that department.
Jules had already spoken to Bart about long-term representation, but only to the extent that Rylee would be accompanied when she had to mingle with fans and that kind of thing. She’d agreed to it but had made it clear that she refused to be followed around “for the rest of our lives.”
Her emphasis on that word had made me feel like a fucking superhero. That was me she’d included in her “our.” Things had been great between us, and I had a feeling the best was yet to come.
“Speaking of punching every man who makes eyes at your girl, keep your fists to yourself, yeah?” He nodded at a figure cutting a path toward us.
My eyes narrowed when I recognized Nathan fucking Biles. He smirked when he met my eyes, sliding his hands into the pockets of his chinos.
“Has the princess had enough of you yet?” he asked. “I’m guessing yes. Otherwise, you’d be wherever she was getting ready for the big reveal.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I replied, calling on every ounce of self-control I possessed not to just knock him the fuck out.
“There’s no big reveal,” Bart said curtly, his frame as tense as my own. “If you’d move on, Mr. Biles, my friend and I were in the middle of something.”
His brows went up and he barked out a laugh. “Your friend? You’ve forgotten that I’ve looked into your friend here. He’s a bodyguard. It’s likely the whole boyfriend thing was just a sham to begin with.”
He tutted his tongue before moving his gaze back to mine. “Mighty unprofessional of you to be sticking your tongue into a client’s mouth and beating up an old friend of hers. Aren’t relationships frowned upon by you people?”
“We have no comment for you, Nathan,” I said. “Go find your next story elsewhere.”
There was only the slightest movement, but I noticed his hands coming out of his pockets. He took a step toward me, outstretched fingers reaching for where my neck would’ve been if I hadn’t moved out of the way as soon as I saw him coming.
“You’d better speak to me if you know what’s good for you,” he spat. “I can crush your airway easily and I know things about you that you wouldn’t like me sharing with the public.”
I laughed his threat off. “Dude, you’re crazy. You’re nowhere near my airway and you’ve already spun your vitriol.”
He glowered at me, his eyes spitting fire and writing checks I already knew his body and skills couldn’t cash. “You and Rylee think you’re so untouchable, but let me tell you something. You’re not. You’re not above the rest of us. You’re no—”
“Enough,” I said quietly but evidently loudly enough for him to hear me. He shut his trap, still glaring at me through eyes so narrow they were little more than slits. “No one here thinks they’re better than anyone else. You need to back away from us and butt out of Rylee’s life. I have no idea why you’re so obsessed with her, but it won’t end well for you.”
“Are you threatening me?” he asked, taking a step forward. He glanced at Bart before bringing his gaze back to mine. “If you are, you’d best be willing to follow through. I’m not scared of you or your little sidekick here.”
“Little?” Bart echoed incredulously. “Only one of us is little, dude. It’s not me and it’s not Carter. Guess who that leaves?”
“You think you can get me to take that bait?” The laugh that left Nathan’s mouth sounded more than a little unhinged.
The hair on my arms and the back of my neck rose. I exhaled through my nostrils. “I’ve already told you and I’ll say it again. Leave, Biles. We have no comment for you.”
His chest rose and fell on heavy breaths, but he seemed to have realized that Bart wasn’t kidding when he said Nathan was the smallest out of all three of us. The guy had some length to him, but we were taller. He also filled out his fitted suit, which hinted at the fact that he was packing some strength underneath it, but he was nothing compared to us.
I wasn’t even just being cocky about it. Bart and I were objectively bigger, and we were together while Nathan was alone.
His nostrils flared before his eyes narrowed again, pinned to mine like he was issuing a final warning. “Rylee’s MS is going to take her down. She should’ve been honest instead of bullshitting people all these years. Her fans have the right to know. She gave them that right when she stepped into the limelight the first time.”
“Public figures have a right to privacy,” I said, my tone sharp. “If there’s any truth in all the things you’ve been writing, the decent thing to have done would’ve been to let her come out about it in her own time.”
“Her own time?” He scoffed. “She’s too much of a coward pretending to be a star to have come clean with anything in her own time.”
Yeah. Okay. That’s it.
Bart stepped between us just before my fist went up. He arched a brow at me. “As much as I’d love to see you whooping this guy’s ass again, he’s not worth it. He’s leaving.”
He swung around to face Nathan. “Take my advice, Biles. Leave. Now.”
I couldn’t see the look on Bart’s face but Nathan eventually huffed and walked away, muttering about how he didn’t want another chipped tooth. When my boss and best friend turned back to me, he folded his arms over his chest.
“Are you clear on the routes for this evening?” he asked.
I nodded. “I’ve got it. I’ll stay in touch.”
Without saying another word to him, I went to find Rylee. I wanted in her sight at all times from now. Just because.
Chapter 34
RYLEE
Holy majestic crap on a cracker. The night was finally here. I’d been dreaming about it, and then dreading it, and then dreaming about it again for so long that it was difficult to believe it’d really arrived.
Turning one way then the other in front of the full-length mirror in my dressing room, I admired the handiwork of the costume designers again. After my fitting in Jules’s office, he’d returned the dress to them and they’d added subtle beads and sparkles.
My phone buzzed in my hand, and I laughed when I read Dustin’s message.
Dustin: Knock ‘em dead tonight, witchy. Just not dead, dead because we still need them to come to the show when we open. See ya later!
His text was followed shortly after by one from Maria, who would be playing Glinda.
Maria: We’re here! Few doors down from you. Big dudes outside your door have scared Dustin, his wife, and entourage away. Break a leg, honey. Getting ready for the press stuff later. See you out there.
A rush of warmth hit my heart at the thought that my closest co-stars were here and would be for the rest of the night. The performance would be all me, but they were lined up to give interviews afterward about the show and about their feelings on acting with me for my first time back.
“Oh, Ryles, look at you,” Mom gushed when she shoved open the door to the bathroom I’d changed in. “You look wonderful. That dress is perfect.”
I smoothed it down at my thighs, nodding as I swallowed down an entire herd of buffalo in my throat. Honestly, butterflies just aren’t big enough to describe what’s going on inside me right now. They’re also too pretty.
“Thanks, Mom.” I opened my arms and pulled her into a hug before slinging my arm around her waist so we could walk out together.
Dad and Billy sat on a couch, the television streaming images from Times Square filled to the brim outside. They both looked up when we walked in, and Dad gave me one of his proud, beaming smiles before getting to his feet.
He pretended to cower before sweeping me up in his arms. “Oh no, the wicked witch is here. Hold on to your hats everybody.”
I hugged my dad back. “Thank you guys so much for coming. It means everything to me that you’re here.”
“We wouldn’t want to be anywhere else tonight, baby,” he said before letting me go.
Billy shrugged his shoulders, but I saw the grin he was trying to hide as he looked me over. He scratched his chin and shrugged again. “Not bad, baby sis. Just make sure Carter keeps that dress intact when he wants to rip it off you later.”
I turned the color of an overripe tomato and punched his arm to cover my embarrassment. “Thank you for making that comment in front of the people who conceived us.”
Mom laughed. “It’s cute that you think we don’t remember how these things work. We did conceive two children, you know?”
“And I’m out,” Billy said, jumping up from the couch and making a beeline for the drinks station. I’d spoken to my parents about dating Carter, and they were overjoyed about it. They’d hugged him so tight his eyes had almost bulged out when he’d come to greet them earlier.
Dad slung his arm over Mom’s shoulders. I left the lovebirds to whisper to each other and followed my brother instead.
“How did your work emergency go?” I asked when I went to stand next to him.
A bottle of juice hung between his fingers for a beat before he shook his head. “Exactly like I expected. How are you feeling?”
“Like I’m about to throw myself off a cliff without a parachute,” I replied honestly. “What was the emer—”
I got cut off by Jules clapping his hands when Tani entered the room. He held up a glass of champagne, and she snagged one from the tray next to the door to return the gesture.
“Now that someone else who can sing has arrived, let’s do some warming up,” he said.
Tani looked around the room, hugging my parents and Billy but seeming strangely disappointed that someone else wasn’t around. I smirked when she came to hug me. “Bart’s upstairs with Carter. They’re getting a last feel for the lay of the land.”
“Oh.” She waved her hand, pressing the corners of her mouth in. “I wasn’t looking for him. Nothing is happening there. We’re just friends.”
I watched her cheeks turn the same shade mine had been just a minute ago, and shook my head at her. “Fine. If you say so. You look stunning by the way.”
She really did. Her hair fel
l in perfect waves down her back, and her eyes were bright and coated in dark coal with heavy mascara on her long lashes. Even in jeans, an emerald scarf and a white long-sleeved T-shirt, my friend looked like she’d stepped off the cover of a magazine.
“Are we going to warm up?” Jules asked when he joined us. He’d been taking calls most of the night so far, but his phone was now safely tucked away, and his attention was on us. “I know you two have your rituals, so go about them. Just get that voice nice and ready, huh?”
Tani nodded. “I’m on it.”
Our methods were a little unorthodox, and we hadn’t done any warming up together for a long time, but when she burst into “Jeremiah Was a Bullfrog,” I didn’t waste any time joining in. Mom, Dad, Jules, and Billy watched us going through our very own routine before we got down to business.
We sang a few of the Wicked songs together and I found myself wishing, not for the first time, that she’d consider a comeback of her own. Tani had been born for the stage, and now that Cash was older, I planned on speaking to her about it very soon.
“Are you nervous?” she asked after swallowing half a bottle of water when we stopped warming up.
My hand went to my throat without any conscious thought. “More and less than I thought I would be. Part of me was expecting a breakdown while the other thought it’d feel like just another day going out there.”
She pulled me into a quick side-hug. “You’re going to be great, Ry. We’re all here to support you.”
My mom must have wandered closer to us because suddenly, her arms wrapped around me and she hugged me too. “Tani’s got that right. We’re all here for you.”
I released a long breath, wrapping my hands around my mom’s arms. “It just feels different to what I thought it would, you know? I’m as nervous as a known virgin at a frat party, but it also feels right being back here.”
“That’s because it is right,” Jules chimed in. He looked as good as ever in his expertly tailored dove-gray suit and white button-down shirt. “Everything is set and ready upstairs. All you need to do is remember your lines and your cues, and you’ll be back at the top by tomorrow morning.”
Dropping The Ball: A New Year’s Billionaire Romance Page 23