Bad Habits (Nashville Outlaws #1)

by Cheryl Douglas

  “Thirty four.” I did not like where this was going. Mama prided herself on being a matchmaker, even though she’d never introduced a single couple who’d lasted. “But Dade is a man-whore.” That may not have been fair. He’d been divorced twice and engaged one more time. I didn’t know that he’d slept around all that much in between, but I assumed he wasn’t a choir boy.

  “So?” She pulled veggies out of the fridge and started slicing and dicing. “Maybe he just hasn’t met the right woman yet.”

  “You do realize what you’re suggesting would give Daddy a coronary, don’t you?”

  She giggled. “Oh, I have no doubt he’d be pissed.” She winked. “But don’t you worry ‘bout that. I know how to keep your daddy in line, sugar.”

  “How?” I asked, smiling sweetly. “But lacing his sweet tea with antifreeze?” We’d both watched a program about that on TV and Mama joked that she was gonna serve Daddy some of that if he didn’t quit getting on her nerves.

  She pursed her frosty pink lips. “Now you know I was only teasin’ about that. I’d never do anything to hurt your daddy. Oh, I may fantasize about it from time to time…”

  I had no doubt she did the way they went at it.

  “But I’d never actually follow through. Anyhow back to your sister. You think Dade would go for her? Does he have a type?”

  My sister was every man’s type and I was sure Dade would be no exception, but she was too good for a romp, even if Dade was a superstar in our circles. “I have no doubt he’d go for her, Mama. That’s why I want her to stay the hell away from him. He’d be tired of her inside a year, just like all the others, and you and I’d be left to pick up the pieces.” I shook my head firmly. “No way, not gonna happen.”

  “But what if it didn’t turn out that way?” she asked, tossing the veggies in a glass bowl. “What if they’re perfect for each other?”

  Mama watched too many Hallmark movies. “Perfect for each other?” I echoed. “Are you even listening to yourself right now? This is Dade Jarvis we’re talkin’ about, Mama. Dade Jarvis. Not some schmoo from Calvin’s Garage.”

  “Hey, are you sayin’ he’s too good for my baby girl?”

  No, in fact my sister was prettier and sweeter than any girl I’d ever seen Dade with, but that didn’t mean they were perfect for each other. “I didn’t say that. I just—”

  “That’s like sayin’ Knox is too good for you.”

  I knew we’d eventually circle back to Knox. Mama claimed she’d sensed something between us and I told her she needed glasses, hoping she’d let it go at that. But I should have known better. Mama doesn’t let things go. Ever.

  “Knox and I are friends and co-workers. It’s different. We’ve known each other for years, and he wasn’t a big deal when we met.”

  I thought back to the early days, when we celebrated every little victory together. Opening for a band we’d admired forever. Co-writing a song with one of his idols. Winning his first award. His first number one single. First platinum album. First sold-out stadium show. I’d been there for all of it, right by his side. I was the first person he’d tell, the one he’d pick up and twirl around, laughing uproariously while telling me he couldn’t believe all of his dreams were coming true.

  Mama was staring at me, her eyes narrowed. “You’re sleepin’ with him, aren’t you?”

  “What?” The heat was rising in my cheeks as I grabbed my glass of wine. “Who?”

  “Knox, that’s who.” She waved the knife around in the air. “You’ve got that same look you had when you were sneaking around with that little weasel in high school, what was his name, Jordan, Jared…”

  “James.” At least if we were talking about the past we weren’t talking about the present. I laughed. “God, you and Daddy hated him, remember?”

  “I swear we thought you were gonna get knocked up your junior year, the way you and that boy were carryin’ on. You were always over at his house, and with both of his parents’ workin’ you never had any adult supervision. You don’t know how many times I had to hold your daddy back. He wanted to go over to that kid’s house and beat him to a pulp.”

  We used to go at it like rabbits, but we were always careful. The last thing I wanted was an unplanned pregnancy to derail my plans to move to Nashville and pursue a music career after I graduated.

  “Who?” Knox asked, walking through the back door just in time to hear the tail-end of our conversation.

  “This kid Cece used to date in high school,” Mama supplied. “I was just tellin’ her we were afraid she was gonna get pregnant, the way she and that boy used to go at it. I knew he took her virginity and—”

  “Mama!” I swear the woman had no filter. “Knox doesn’t need to be hearing about this.”

  Knox chuckled, though his eyes darkened with an emotion I couldn’t read. “We must be talkin’ about James, the one who worked at the pizza place and had the garage band?”

  Of course he’d remember the stories I told him about James. There was nothing Knox didn’t know about me, and if it was funny or embarrassing, he filed it away for future reference.

  “Don’t say it,” I warned, walking toward him wielding a carrot stick.

  Knox hated carrots with a passion.

  “Say what?” he asked, eyeing the banned vegetable with a grin. “You don’t want your mama to know about the time—”

  I tried to shove the carrot into his mouth but he grabbed my hands and secured them behind my back, which meant my breasts were pressed firmly against his chest while I giggled and struggled to break free.

  He leaned in, whispering in my ear, “You better stop that or you’re gonna embarrass both of us.”

  Shit. He was getting hard. I could feel it… and I liked it.

  Mama was watching us with amusement, her eyes sparkling like she was in on our little secret. She wasn’t June-freakin’-Cleaver. She’d been around the block more than a time or two, and I had no doubt she knew what we were trying to hide, with my body still pressed firmly against Knox’s.

  He released my hands and I whirled around, standing in front of him, but no longer touching him. “Knox,” I said, desperate to change the subject. “Mama thinks Charli working for Dade is a great idea. Can you believe that?”

  “I told her that too!” Knos said, obviously pleased he’d been vindicated. “But she’s all worried that Charli’s gonna get in over her head with Dade. I tried to tell her that wouldn’t happen.” He chuckled. “Dade’s sworn off women, for as long as that lasts.”

  I rolled my eyes, wondering if it was safe to return to the counter. “Oh please, he said that before he got engaged the last time too. That guy’s like an addict. He can never be without a woman for long. And I don’t want my sister getting mixed up in his mess.”

  “How do you know they couldn’t maintain a professional relationship?” Knox asked, gripping the chair in front of him when I quit acting as his human shield.

  “Oh please, have you met my sister?” She had guys panting after her like she doused herself in pheromone perfume. Granted, they were losers, but that didn’t diminish the sheer number of suitors.

  “Sure, she’s gorgeous,” Knox conceded. “But so is every other woman who throws herself at Dade. Not to mention the women he’s been married to, engaged to—”

  “But they’re not like my baby,” Mama cut it. “You mark my words. You introduce that friend of yours to Charli and he’d see her for the gem she is.” She fanned her face. “Lordy, and the way that man could take care of her—”

  “Mama!” I couldn’t believe she was talking money in front of a guy who was stinking rich and wouldn’t appreciate being targeted by a woman because of it.

  “What?” She shrugged. “The way I see it, it’s just as easy to fall in love with a rich man as it is a poor man. Lord knows your sister has had enough experience with the poor ones. Why not a rich one for a change?”

  Knox laughed. “That’s one way of lookin’ at it, I guess.”

>   “Don’t encourage her,” I snapped, crossing my arms. “Mama, you can’t say shit like that. Money is the last thing someone should be thinking about when they consider whether or not to get involved with someone.”

  “Do you believe this one?” Mama asked Knox as she gestured towards me. “So naïve. You’d think she’d be a little worldlier, wouldn’t ya? After all she’s seen and done. But no, she still thinks we have to pussy-foot around when it comes to money.”

  Knox pinched his lips together, obviously not wanting to get in the middle of another family dispute. “I think it’s kinda nice, to be honest, Aidy.” His gaze strayed to me. “Your daughter doesn’t give a shit about money, unlike every other girl I’ve dated over the past five years.”

  “She’s always been like that,” she said, slicing her hand through the air. “Both my girls have. Don’t give two hoots about money, as long as they have enough to ‘get by’,” she said, making air quotes around the words. “Why you’d just want enough to ‘get by’ is beyond me.”

  Mama and Daddy had never been rolling in it, but they’d never been flat broke either. His auto body shop always did well and she’d owned a beauty salon for thirty years that picked up the slack during the lean years.

  “I don’t know,” Knox said, smiling at me. “I’ve been poor and now I’m rich. I can’t say that I’ve changed all that much. Sure, things are easier now, but I’m no happier. I was happy before and I’m happy now.”

  I loved that about Knox. He’d never let the money go to his head. “See Mama,” I said, gesturing towards Knox. “Listen to the man. He knows what he’s talking about.”

  “If you say so.” Clearly she wasn’t convinced. “Knox, you need something, honey?”

  “No, just came in to use the restroom.”

  She had the decency to wait until he was out of the room before she said, “I knew you were sleeping with him. Don’t think I missed that little dance y’all were doing.”

  Mama could make any woman question whether she was getting hot flashes. “We are not sleeping together.”

  Her lips twitched before she gave in to the smile. “You may not be now, but mark my words, you will be.”

  Chapter 7

  Knox

  I was walking through the backstage area the morning after my dinner with Cece and her family and saw something that stopped me in my tracks. Cece and Auden. They were sitting at a table together, their heads bent, looking cozy as hell.

  I strode over, intent on breaking up their little party. “Hey guys.” My voice was strained, even though I was trying to sound cool. “What’s up?”

  “Oh hey, Knox.” Cece smiled up at me and I felt like I’d been gut-punched. I didn’t know if I’d ever get used to the new norm with this girl. “We were just workin’ on a song.”

  “Really?” Cece and I had worked on a few songs together over the years, but I’d never known her to collaborate with anyone else. I couldn’t say I liked it. In fact… I hated it.

  “Yeah.” Auden smiled as he leaned back and stretched his arm across the back of Cece’s chair. “It kind of came to me last night,” he said, gesturing to the legal pad on the table. “But I needed some help fleshing it out. This girl,” he said, pointing to Cece. “Is crazy talented, man.”

  Like I needed this little puke to tell me that? “I’m well aware.” Asshat.

  A blush tinted her cheeks and I could tell his opinion mattered to her. Too much. “What’s the song about?”

  Auden smiled before looking at Cece like they shared a secret. “It’s about a guy and a girl falling for each other—”

  “Aren’t they all?” I knew what he was getting at, and it was pissing me off. Cece wasn’t falling for this guy. She couldn’t be.

  He chuckled. “I guess, but this one’s a little different. It’s edgier, talks about his obsession.” His eyes travelled over Cece’s face. “How he can’t get her off his mind.”

  Cece’s father’s words came back to me. To know Cece is to love her. Damn. Sounded like this kid had it bad for my girl and it felt like my hands were tied. I’d only been hot for her, for like a minute. Not long enough to risk a friendship that spanned years. But if I didn’t speak up soon I’d risk losing her to this guy.

  “Is that right?” I turned the pad towards me, scanning the words. “What do you think, Cece?”

  She shifted in her seat, looking uncomfortable. “Of the song? I think it’s good.”

  “Of the sentiment?” My eyes locked with hers. “How would you feel if a guy you’d just met became obsessed with you, couldn’t stop thinking about you, wanted to be with you all the time? Kinda creepy, no?” I knew I was being a dick, but I needed her to be the one to tell this dude to back off, since my message had clearly been too subtle.

  She shrugged as her gaze drifted to Auden. “I don’t know. I guess it depends on whether the feeling’s mutual.”

  Shit. That was not the answer I’d expected. “Reminds me of that Sting song from years ago.” I chuckled, not at all amused. “I’ll Be Watching You.” I looked at Auden. “Remember that one?”

  He nodded. “Vaguely.”

  “Yeah, you’re probably too young.” Another reminder that he was too young for Cece too. “You should listen to it. You’ll know what I’m talking about. It was a big hit for them back in the day. Good song. But I have a feeling if it were released today it wouldn’t be so well received. People are kind of sensitive about the whole stalking thing, rightly so.”

  Auden rubbed his chin as he looked down at the lyrics. “You think this is the vibe I’d be sending out with this song?”

  “I don’t think I’d risk it if I were you.” I curled my hands around the back of the chair in front of me. “Early days in your career, man. You might wanna walk the line for a while before you think about releasing anything too edgy.”

  He looked at Cece. “What do you think?”

  She looked from Auden to me and back again, like she was trying to figure out whether my advice could be trusted. “I don’t know. He is the expert. Maybe he’s right. Table this song for a while. You could always run it past your manager, maybe your label, see what they think.”

  “Yeah, maybe you’re right.” He leaned in to kiss her cheek. “Thanks for working on it with me though. It was fun.”

  “It was.” She smiled so big her shallow dimples popped. “We should definitely collaborate again sometime.”

  He stood, stretching. “I’m knackered. Been up all night working on this. I think I’ll grab a nap and shower before rehearsal.”

  “Good idea.” That would give me some alone time with Cece.

  “I’ll catch up with you guys later,” he said, before walking away.

  “Not too soon I hope.” My voice was low enough that only Cece could hear, but she still smacked my back when I claimed the chair beside her.

  “Be nice!” She looked over her shoulder. “He’s a sweetheart, Knox. And he idolizes you. You remember what it was like when you were in his shoes. Opening on your first tour, wanting to impress all the big dogs.”

  She had a way of making me rein in my temper even when I didn’t want to. “I guess.” I pulled the pad closer, looking over his lyrics again. I had to admit they were pretty good, even if the subject matter creeped me out. “Doesn’t mean I have to blow smoke. If he says or does something I don’t like I’ll tell him.”

  “What did he do that was so terrible?” she asked, spreading her arms. “We were just working on a song—”

  “About his obsession with you.” I scowled. “Doesn’t that concern you?” That was the problem with Cece, she was too trusting. Wanted to see the best in everybody. I thought her experience with Leo would have cured her of that but she was a stone’s throw from the rabbit hole again. Too blind to see she could trip and fall right in.

  “Oh please.” She laughed before taking a sip of her coffee. “You take everything so literally. We were getting into our roles when we wrote that.” She pointed to the page.
“Pretending what it feels like to be so infatuated with someone you can’t get enough of them.”

  I knew a thing or two about that. Hell, I could probably write a song like that about Cece. “And you don’t think he was thinking about you when he got inspired to write it?” Sometimes I could’ve sworn she was blind to the effect she had on men. Most were bumbling idiots around her, falling all over themselves to impress her, and she seemed oblivious.

  “Who knows?” She stretched her arms over her head, drawing my attention to the cleavage peeking out of her low-cut white tank top. “I guess it’s a moot point now, isn’t it? Since you put the kibosh on the song.”

  I licked my lips, trying like hell to draw my eyes up to her face. She didn’t make it easy. “For the record, I can’t put the kibosh on anything. His career, his decision.” But I sure as shit didn’t want to have to listen to him sing that garbage every night. Especially not with Cece listening backstage, knowing she was his muse.

  “Whatever.” She stifled a yawn behind her hand. “Now that you’ve said your piece he’ll probably table it.”

  “What a shame.” I smiled when she shook her head in disgust.

  “I’m going to grab another one of these,” she said, raising her coffee cup. “You want one?”

  “I’d love one. Thanks, babe.”

  The simple things, like sharing a coffee with her, were becoming the highlight of my day on this tour. It used to be the screaming fans and the energy they gave me every night. The excitement and anticipation of a new city. But these days it was more like the lure of a big empty bed and making Cece scream my name. I just had to figure out how the hell to get safely out of the friend zone first.

  I scanned my phone while I waited for her, checking random texts and emails that didn’t mean shit to me. I sighed, setting my phone back down on the table, before looking up to see Leo crowding her at the coffee machine across the room. That dude was dangerously close to getting his ass fired.