Liner Notes

by Madden, A. M.

  Cannon chuckled before asking, “How many kids do you have?”

  “Four. Three boys and a girl.”

  When Jack glanced at the massive professional portrait of their kids above the fireplace, Cannon followed suit, sporting a genuine smile. “They’re gorgeous. What are their names?”

  “Shane is our oldest at six. Madden and Siarra are the twins, and almost four. And our baby, Drex, is six months old.”

  “Wow, four under the age of six. You are truly rock stars.”

  “Thank you.” Leila threw Cannon an electric smile. “It’s been a stressful few months, but I think we’re finally settling down. How did your photo shoot go today?”

  “Well,” he said, slicing his gaze my way before shrugging. “It started a bit rough, but Lori saved the day.”

  “Jen?” Leila asked.

  “Who else?” I responded with raised brows.

  “What did she try to pull this time?” The disdain toward their agent was clear in Jack’s tone. They listened as Cannon filled them in on Jen’s original agenda and the tiff between her and me. Once done, Jack shook his head. “Cannon, a bit of advice when it comes to Jen: stick to your guns. Lori is a pro at it, but you need to be just as insistent until she knows her place. You’re lucky in that you have Lor as a buffer.”

  “This is true,” Leila added matter-of-factly. “If anyone can handle Jen, it’s Lori.”

  “You don’t do so bad yourself,” I argued.

  “Now. It wasn’t always like that.”

  “Lori’s right. Jen is now afraid of my wife.” Leila twisted her head to flash a smile at Jack. “So after she backed off, are you comfortable with the pics they took?”

  “I am.” Cannon locked his eyes on mine while answering Jack. The graze of his fingertips on the back of my neck sent a surge of heat straight to my clit. There was no way Jack or Leila saw him touching me. Regardless, I felt exposed, flayed open without the ability to hide what a simple skim of his hand could unleash in me.

  “Proofs,” I blurted out like an idiot, cracking the silence. Remembering the envelope in my bag that had arrived before we’d left our hotel, I used it as an excuse to move away from his touch. “I got them back already.”

  “Oh, lemme see.” Leila stood to snatch the packet from my hand the moment I pulled it out. Ignoring the way Cannon was gazing at me, I watched her flip through them slowly, with Jack looking on as she did. “These are awesome, Cannon,” she said with her eyes transfixed on each picture she studied.

  “Thanks.”

  “I love the jacket.” She caught his eyes with a warm smile. “It looks like it could tell a thousand stories about you.”

  “Lori’s idea. Jen wanted me shirtless and only in a pair of hideous studded jeans.”

  “So typical of Jen.” Leila’s eyes rolled up in her head with a sigh. “Well, good call, because these are fantastic.”

  Before Cannon could respond, I said, “Lei, we haven’t seen them yet.” My exasperated tone caught her attention.

  “Oh, sorry,” she said around a giggle but continued to flip through the stack. “These are so real, so honest.” She suddenly stopped to admire the one she’d landed on. “But I think this one is my favorite. Right, Jack?” Jack studied the photo and smirked.

  “Yeah, this one is as real as it gets.” Something in Jack’s expression as his eyes bounced between Cannon and me caused my hackles to rise.

  “What?”

  Leila leaned across the table, offering the photo they referred to. When I took it from her, Cannon pressed his body against mine to look at it as well. In the picture, my hand lay over his heart, our eyes tethered in a heated stare, and it looked like we wanted to devour one another if given the chance.

  I had no idea Chet had taken that picture. And based on the way Cannon shifted beside me, neither did he.

  Once Chet called a wrap, I was so proud of Cannon and told him as much. It was in the few moments after my compliment when all the air had been sucked out of the studio as we stood there in some sort of haze. That lust-induced fog surrounding us had happened before… often. Shit, it had happened only a few minutes ago. But seeing the evidence on film made it difficult to deny the truth.

  Regardless, I needed to.

  Playing dumb I quipped, “It’s just a random shot.” Leila studied us for a pause, but without her saying a word I knew just what she was thinking.

  When Leila announced diner was ready, the knowing expression on my friend’s face never faltered, even though she smartly kept any comments to herself. After dinner, we decided to enjoy the warm Indian summer night and have dessert on their rooftop terrace. Leila suggested Jack go on up to talk with Cannon while we made coffee. That was my cue I was about to be lectured.

  Knowing it was coming caused me to beat her to the punch. “I know what you’re thinking… and it’s a big fat no.”

  “What’s a big fat no?” she asked innocently, arranging what looked like her famous triple-chocolate brownies onto a serving plate.

  “There is nothing going on between us.”

  With a brownie suspended a few inches over the rest of the stack, she raised a defiant brow. “Lor, I’m not blind.”

  “Lei. Please don’t. Not now.”

  “Hey, we want brownies, woman,” Jack said as he barged into the kitchen. One look at us and he groaned. “Oh, Christ, what’s wrong?”

  “I dropped some of the brownies,” Leila lied without missing a beat. “Five-second rule.” He glanced at the platter and shrugged before carrying them out of the kitchen, not caring in the least.

  The moment he was out of earshot, Leila grabbed the tray containing our coffee mugs and informed me with a stern eye, “This conversation isn’t over.”

  Chapter 21

  Lori

  Leila and I laughed over the instant bond between Jack and Cannon. Like two long-lost friends, they chatted on and on, ignoring us for most of the night. Cannon quickly lost the nerves that had plagued him upon arriving, and by the time we left well past midnight, Jack was all he talked about until we separated at our hotel room doors.

  I knew they’d hit it off and was thrilled that Cannon now had someone else to advise him other than me. Someone who pretty much had taken every step and experienced every trial and tribulation that came with climbing the ladder to fame. The only one-up Cannon had over Jack, the absence of a crazy ex-girlfriend who claimed to be carrying his child just as he and Leila had begun their relationship.

  That scandal had exploded as Devil’s Lair had begun their tour. If Jack and Leila, and the rest of the band, could have survived that nightmare while still coming out as successful as they had, then Cannon’s ride should be smooth sailing in comparison.

  After another sleepless night, a few minutes before nine the next morning, we headed back to Jack and Leila’s.

  We entered the very same elevator where Cannon had a mini panic attack the night before. The difference, he now looked as confident as Bradley Cooper on a red carpet. Regardless, I still teased, “Should we ride up and down a few times to settle your nerves?” He narrowed his eyes at my dig, pressed the illuminated “P,” and tapped in the access code. “I guess you’re over the first-date jitters?”

  “You’re hilarious, Red.”

  “Just be sure your new boyfriend buys you dinner later.”

  “Jealous?”

  My scoff had humor spreading over his handsome face before he threw me a wink. “Of Jack Lair? No. He couldn’t pull off this outfit if he tried,” I quipped, looking down at the skintight jeans and blood-red blouse I’d paired with them. Cannon’s gaze swept down my body, pausing at my breasts, which traitorously reacted to his attention with two nipples hard enough to cut glass.

  Why? Why would you say that?

  I knew why. Because the more time I spent with him the more comfortable I became, the more my true self would slip through before I could consciously stop it.

  He leaned toward me and asked, “Can I confess some
thing?”

  “What? You like wearing women’s underwear?” My attempt at humor fell short when the words came out in a raspy whisper because of his proximity.

  “Way off the mark.” My silence, my stiff posture, spurred him on enough to step closer until our sides aligned from shoulder to thigh. “Last night I dreamt it was you and me who lived in a cushy penthouse overlooking Central Park.” As my eyes focused on the ascending floor numbers, his warm hand palmed the center of my back.

  His words, his touch, his clean scent, his breath on my neck sparked that attraction I had for him like an out-of-control wildfire. By making the mistake of looking at him, the air crackled and popped in a dangerous way. So strong was the pull between us, it forced me to hastily step away. Doing so had his hand skimming down the rest of my back and over the curve of my ass before it landed at his side.

  “Don’t, Cannon.” I wouldn’t look at him. For fear he’d see right through me… that he’d pick up on the imagery his confession had spurred flooding my mind and further use it to his advantage.

  He didn’t respond, nor did he drop his smug and confident smile. By ignoring what I’d said, he dismissed the reason behind it, instigating anger to simmer just below my surface. The bastard knew how to push my buttons.

  When the polished brass doors slid open, Jack’s dimpled grinning face was the first thing we saw. “Good morning, my friend…” he said. “Oh, and you, too, Lori.”

  “Screw you, Lair.”

  I stomped out of the elevator, and as I headed right for the kitchen I heard Jack say, “Isn’t she a delight in the morning?”

  Leila was at the massive island plating eggs when I huffed my way in and plopped on a stool facing her. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.” Everything.

  I was stuck with a man who had become the bane of my existence. A man who refused to accept my rigid set of rules, of which I had every right to enforce. But like a child pushing the limit when told no, Cannon got off on doing the same with me. The more time we spent together, the more relentless he became. I couldn’t blame his cocky behavior. I mean, what was I to do, drop him as a client? No. And he knew that. I knew that.

  Somehow he’d managed to find a way to get to me. Based on how my entire body coiled for a fight, it was clear I wasn’t handling his approach well at all.

  My friend eyed me suspiciously but remained silent on the subject. “Grab that tray for me,” was all she said before carrying one laden with a breakfast feast toward the dining room.

  Gripping the edge of the island, I dragged in a few breaths to calm down. It wasn’t the fact he’d again gotten into my personal space without asking. It wasn’t even the alleged dream he’d had the balls to share with me. It was how badly the combination turned me on more than anyone had in years.

  I’ve had my experience with the kind of blind passion that made you do stupid things. This was different, because never had I thought twice about the cat-and-mouse game that preceded the actual act. The chase, the push and pull, had been part of the experience in my past, part of the ride into Lustville. But it was never more than foreplay to really hot sex.

  This game Cannon played, this build he purposely created between us, consumed me all hours of the day, every day of the week, whether he was near me or not.

  Not even Trey Taylor had managed to control my libido to this extent.

  “Fuck.” I needed to end this charade once and for all. Nothing could happen between Cannon and me, and I had to make sure of it.

  At least three or four minutes had passed by the time I joined them at the table. I ignored their stares, and his amused smirk, when I took the chair opposite of Cannon instead of beside him.

  Conversation was light as we ate, most of it between Jack and Cannon. Because I had booked Cannon at LRV’s downtown studio, relief came when he and Jack took off shortly after our meal leaving Leila and I to relax and catch up.

  No sooner had the elevator doors slid shut than she pounced yet again. “First of all, we still need to finish our conversation from last night. Secondly, you need to tell me what the hell is going on with you. And thirdly—”

  “Thirdly…” I cut her off. “I need more coffee if you expect any of this to happen.”

  Leila gave me a conceding nod. “Okay, let’s have coffee outside.”

  With refilled mugs in hand, we settled on the comfortable lounge chairs at the edge of the rooftop terrace. Inhaling deeply, I tried to drag into my lungs some zen that the spectacular weather and gorgeous park view should have generated. No such luck.

  “Okay, your time is up, Lor. What’s going on?”

  The need to pussyfoot around the truth behind my mood was severe, even knowing my best friend wouldn’t allow it. So instead I dragged in another deep breath and told her one part of my issue. “He has fixated on me and refuses to back off no matter how professional I try to keep things between us.”

  “So this is all on him?” My mouth flapped open and shut a few times, prompting her to push on. “Denial much? Come on, Lor. There is no way that you can convince me it’s one sided. Based on what I’ve seen so far, you’re equally attracted to him.”

  “Seen so far? What are you talking about?”

  “Okay. I’ll play.” The look on her face meant I was about to get schooled on how well she knew me. “He looks at you like you’re the most beautiful woman on earth. Meanwhile, you avoid looking at him at all costs… which means you are denying you feel the same about him. He kept flexing his fingers like he’s itching to touch you. You keep licking your lips, a nervous habit you can’t seem to shake.” She paused to drive home her pathetic points with her brows practically hitting her hairline. “And… that picture of the two of you? That alone couldn’t make it more obvious.”

  “Doesn’t matter.”

  “What doesn’t?”

  “It can’t work.”

  “Why?”

  “Because!” I sprang up, feeling like a caged animal. “Dammit, Lei. You’re supposed to understand my issue without me having to say it out loud.”

  She followed right behind me, coming to stand where I had no choice but to look her in the eye. “This so-called issue you have is bullshit. You can’t allow your other relationships to mold future ones.”

  “Yes, I can,” I countered. “Besides all that I already know because I lived it, one example being rock stars and I don’t mesh well… what about all the obvious issues that will doom us from the start?”

  “Like?”

  “Like our age difference—”

  “It’s a few years,” she said, cutting me off.

  “It’s enough to have us in different worlds. Plus he has no idea what’s about to happen to him. He thinks he knows what he wants, but he hasn’t a fucking clue, Lei.” I moved over to the brick wall and leaned on it, seeing none of the city laid before me. “He hasn’t lived yet. I’m just a shiny new toy. What you see is a guy who’s caught up in the glamour that comes with being signed.”

  She came to stand beside me. “No, Lor. What I see is a guy who really likes you. What I see are two people who already have a pretty strong bond. One that’s visible to the human eye.”

  “And all I see is a short-lived affair that won’t end well if I were to concede to the sexual chemistry between us,” I admitted quietly. “That’s all this is. It means nothing.”

  “You’re wishing it to mean nothing.” Twisting my neck until I met her stare, she smiled at seeing the shimmer of tears in my eyes. “Lori, you’re hiding because of two failed relationships. Third time could be a charm.”

  I can’t fall for him.

  The tears that threatened slowly escaped. I wasn’t a crier, so this was new.

  When she reached a comforting hand over to touch my arm, I quietly added, “After the year I had, I can’t handle another bout of heartbreak.”

  “Oh, sweetie… but what if it’s meant to be the opposite of all that you know? Isn’t that worth the risk?”

 
; “No, because there’s too much at stake. His career being the most important.”

  “Stop blaming your breakup with Matt as the reason Cliffhangers didn’t make it, Lori. It had nothing to do with you. Jack and I are proof you can be with someone you work with and love him unconditionally. It happens.”

  “I’m not in love with him,” I was quick to correct.

  Suddenly, a gleam of optimism glinted in her eyes. “Yet.”

  My talk with Leila drained me. I wanted to argue my point until I was blue in the face, but I didn’t have the energy. I never got the chance to tell her about Oliver, and if I had she would have torn into me for such a stupid plan. But there was nothing she could do or say that would convince me any good would come from being with Cannon.

  We ended up dropping the conversation and headed to the studio in time to hear Cannon recording “Better” with Jack accompanying on guitar. I had left it up to Cannon to decide which song he wanted Jack featured on. The choice he made shouldn’t have surprised me. The night I heard him playing it at The Green Rabbit, he sang those lyrics in a way that left no doubt they were a direct message to me.

  Leila picked up on the same halfway through the song. As she sat beside me in the control booth, the way she took my hand in hers and squeezed meant that song proved her argument further. The man had feelings for me. Whether it was love or not didn’t matter, because the message was intense just the same.

  All it managed to do was to stack more reasons I couldn’t allow a relationship to happen. The pile of it was high enough to create a big-ass wall around my heart, and hopefully thick enough so he couldn’t penetrate it.

  We left the studio satisfied with the final cut, so much so Jack promised to handle all the necessary paperwork with LRV to officially have his name added as a featured artist on the album.

  Because of it, Cannon’s intimate smile for me hadn’t wavered. Not through dinner, not through the drive to Granite. It felt like my act as an agent had only pushed the wedge I tried to create further away.

  Thank God, I wouldn’t be forced to be alone with him. I was grateful to have Jack and Leila with us as a buffer. When Jack learned I wanted to introduce Cannon to the place that helped to catapult Devil’s Lair in the New York City bar scene, he quickly arranged for his kids to stay another night with his parents so he and Leila could tag along.