Assure Her (Assured Distraction Book 1) (9 page)

“My parents never ordered out for food. Dinner was always cooked and at the table when we ate.” She was embarrassed to tell him about the strict and formal home where she grew up. Now that she looked back on it, she was sort of angry at all of the things she missed out on. It just wasn’t until now, though, that she realized what she had been deprived of in her childhood. She had a lot of life to make up for and she wanted to take advantage of everything that freedom and adulthood now afforded her.

Sensing her awkwardness at the admission, Keeton laughed it off. “I’m so fucking glad that I get to be the one to introduce you to something so good. You’ll think you’re having a foodgasm in your mouth.”

While he was talking on the phone, Chandler thought about his comment. She didn’t know about all that since she had never had an orgasm of any kind, so this should be interesting. She had a feeling she was going to be experiencing quite a lot if they spent much time together.
Thinking like that is going to get you more trouble than you know how to handle, Chandler.

She was starting to think it might be a good idea to keep some distance between them while on the tour. She wanted the band to accept her but didn’t know how she felt about getting involved with any of them. It could easily end in disaster when they moved on and she was left back in Austin looking for a new gig. She didn’t want to find herself pining away for a rock star while he toured the country with groupies hanging off him at every stop. No way, that was not going to happen. She was not signing up for that.

Pizza arrived quickly and while they watched the Texas Rangers play ball, the two talked like old friends. He explained the game and gave facts about the players on the team. While she didn’t follow all he told her, she listened in earnest trying to understand. It turned out to be a fun evening for them both. They both laughed over the stories they told about their own lives and growing up. He was surprised at all the places she had traveled, while he had spent most of his life in and around Austin. His family took yearly vacations to great places but her family traveled out of the country a great deal, to which he admitted he was envious.

Sitting back against the front of the couch, using the coffee table to eat at, Chandler finally leaned back and patted her stomach. “I am so stuffed. You shouldn’t have let me eaten that much.”

“I didn’t know girls could eat that much fucking pizza,” he teased, laughing in mock astonishment while he started picking up the mess they had made.

She wasn’t offended since she’d only eaten three big slices. “I need to get home, it’s getting late and I haven’t even thought about what I’m taking with me.”

“I thought you and Peri bought all new shit to take? That should be easy to pack.”

“When you put it like that, yeah, I guess it would be. But most of that ‘shit’, as you put it, was for onstage and tour events. I moved in a few weeks ago, and now I have to prepare to leave for two months. I have a lot to do after we wrap up rehearsal tomorrow.”

“Are you sure? I was hoping we could hang out again tomorrow night. This evening was a hell of a lot more fun than hanging out with my dickhead friends. I feel like I’ve only gotten the surface Chandler Chatam though. I’m still wondering what’s under all of those carefully-crafted layers.” He could sense that she told him only what she truly wanted him to see about her but he wanted to spend some time finding what else was under there. He walked her to the door and grabbed his keys off the table.

“Now what kind of girl would I be if I gave up all my secrets on the first day?” she asked demurely. As soon as the line left her lips she knew it came out sounding flirtatious and that he would take it as an invitation. But she wasn’t sure of herself like that. Compared to the stories he had, she had so little to tell. Yes, she had traveled but she didn’t have real stories. Her entire life had been full of expectations for her. She had to act a certain way in public, perform a certain way on stage, and always present herself like an adult from the time she was a child. Her dad would have it no other way and her mother made sure of it.

He immediately stepped up to her, taking her hands in both of his. “Well, well, Chan. Now I’m really looking forward to discovering those secrets in the weeks to come. I knew you were hiding things from me.” He smirked at her and gave her a wink as he pulled her into the elevator.

Chandler cheeks glowed with embarrassment which caused Keeton to laugh again. “I didn’t mean it like that Keeton. I was just, I just wanted to, oh, never mind. I don’t know why I said that. There’s really no mystery to me. I think my parents kept me out of trouble at all cost.” She could tell he was enjoying her floundering in humiliation because he didn’t take his eyes off her the entire time she stammered.

When they reached the lobby, she pulled out of his grasp to tell him goodbye, but he was having none of it though. “What makes you think I would let you walk home alone? It’s dark out there and on your street, and I bet you didn’t leave a light on again.”

“I will be fine, Keeton. I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time now. I did live in New York City for four years, you know,” her reply carried a slight note of annoyance at the way he was being so overbearing with her. She had been controlled for so long, and now she wanted her freedom, and here he was trying to replace the very thing she resented most.

“And while that might be true and admirable, it damn sure doesn’t matter here and now. I invited you over, kept you out late, and I will walk you home to your fucking front door. Unless you want to ride the bike again?” He knew she would say no to that.

“Keeton, I’m a big girl, and I appreciate your concern for my safety. But really, I’ve got this,” she resisted, and gave him a light push in the middle of his chest.

He laid his hands on top of hers and looked directly into aqua eyes that seemed to light up a little more when they were this close. “I’m not giving in. If you won’t let me walk with you, I’ll walk right behind you like a stalker.”

“Fine, dammit. Walk me home.” She hated giving in but arguing was getting her nowhere. She was going to have to work on her assertiveness while they were out on the road.

He beamed a gorgeous triumphant smile at her, and replied, “Finally! I thought I was actually going to have to pull out these fucking guns and go all caveman on you.” He flexed his biceps to drive home his point causing her to laugh. Maybe telling him ‘no’ would be different than rejecting her parents demands. He did seem to just want her to have fun, and be safe, too.

They headed out the door and he still hadn’t let go of one of her hands so he was able to keep her close to him. She could feel the warmth of his hand all the way up her arm, causing that little surge between them again. She didn’t speak to him most of the way because she wanted to still be pissed at his insistence at doing things his way, even when it came to her. He kept giving her that smirk of his, breaking down her wall of anger. She was resolved to still figuring out a way to show him he was not going to retain the upper-hand with her all of the time and enjoy his company at the same time.

Reaching her darkened front steps, she pulled her keys from her pocket and once again, he took them from her. “Why don’t you leave this front light on? It’s too dark around here. Honestly, I don’t know why you have a house all by yourself, anyway. It’s a hell of a lot of work for one person.” He stepped in and turned on the lights for her as she followed him in the door.

“Take it easy,
Dad
,” she said, in her most sarcastic tone, giving him a smirk to let him know she was giving him shit, but hoping she was getting the point across to him that he was being a little
too
overprotective and a little
too
bossy for her liking. “I only signed a month-to-month lease. I can move out any time. I’ve never had a house of my own before, so I decided to give it a try. My landlord lives next door and takes care of the outside.” Keeton was standing so close to her now staring down at her as she spoke. And, once again, she was drawn to the potent masculine scent of his. He took both of her hands again and seemed ever so slowly to pull her closer into him. At first, she thought it was her imagination playing tricks until she was forced to take a full step forward, she knew he was doing it on purpose. The flicker of electricity ran up her arms and set her heartbeats off to a galloping pace as if he was magically transferring it from him to her. It was almost unnerving.

“Uh, Keeton? I think we should call it a night.” She stared up at him when she said it and then unconsciously licked her lips, just as she did anytime she was nervous.

He couldn’t help himself. He leaned down and slid his mouth over her wet lips ever so briefly. Pulling back just enough to break contact with her, he looked directly into those exquisite eyes to find them still closed. When she opened them, he saw the dark centers expanded into the aqua. A thousand thoughts ran through both of their minds about all the reasons why this was wrong but he had a hard time forcing himself to break away.

Chandler finally leaned back when she had to take a breath and took the opportunity to put some space between their bodies. “So, uh, goodnight, Keeton.” The sudden vacancy she felt when he let go of her hands screamed out utter disappointment unlike anything she’d ever felt. But she didn’t give in to it.

Stepping out her door, he turned and the smoldering look he gave her almost melted her on the spot. “Lock your door, Chandler. Now.” It was a command that said so much more in it than his words could convey, and all she could do was follow his instruction.
Damn him.
He is going to make the next eight weeks so difficult. She could already feel the problems mounting.

She wanted to enjoy the giddiness and excitement of the brief moment they shared, but deep down she knew it was a bad idea to start the trip this way. After a quick shower, she climbed into bed and ran her fingers over lips that had had such a brief taste of him. She’d been kissed before but nothing sent sparks all the way down her middle like this one did. It was just a little good-night kiss, wasn’t it? She was reading way too much into it. Rolling over she drifted off thinking about him with a smile on her face.

What the fuck, KeeMac. You dumb ass. You cannot do that again.
He scolded himself all the way back to his apartment. Leaving her with that look of longing in her eyes had him so damned hard before she even got the door locked behind him. He knew where this was headed when he kissed her.
That girl doesn’t have a fucking clue what’s she’s getting into, and she and I cannot happen
.

He went directly to his shower to rub one out, unable to erase the thoughts of how sweet she would be if he gave in to the temptation. The thought of wrapping his hands in that long black hair and watching those beautiful eyes dilate when he sent her over the edge screaming his name caused him to groan with his own release, which only made him angrier when it was done because he knew she was far too innocent for her own good. He could not think about her like this, it had disaster written all over it.

His focus had to be on the band, on the tour, not on some tantalizing young girl. Music history was littered with stories about girls breaking up bands, killing the music. He knew this. He was witness to it with Jacoby and his wreck of a relationship with his girl over his music career. And he saw it in the tension between Ryan and Krissy going into this tour.

That’s why he kept things casual with women, didn’t keep them around. He didn’t get attached. He had purposely dodged potential relationships over the past few years. It had earned him the title of “Tinman” from the guys on more than a few occasions, and they had some laughs about it, but he was serious about not getting serious. The band was his dream. He had to keep that in his line of sight.

Hell, he had been the one to comment to the rest of the guys about having a woman on the bus and warn them about the problems that could come from it. Why was he the one being an idiot now and getting tangled up with her before they even left town? He knew he couldn’t keep it casual, not with this girl, in the close quarters of the tour bus for the next several weeks when they were together practically twenty-four, seven. Nope, no way this could go well. He had to send that ship downriver, and fast.

H
e woke early the next morning to wood that could have busted concrete. He knew he had to get her off his mind but something kept drawing him to her. Deciding he would go for a run, he left in the opposite direction of her house. He needed to keep up his workout regimen for several reasons. Being cut like a power lifter came at a price, and his image the band’s front man was only going to work in his favor when he ripped off his shirt during their set. Running would give him time to think, too. He needed to get his shower daydreams of her and her soft lips and her azure eyes out of his head, and figure out how to move her safely back to friend-territory where she belonged for the next eight weeks.

C
handler walked out her front door with her soft guitar case strap slung across her body, and clicked the door lock into place. Turning around to walk down the steps, she found KeeMac at the end of the footpath, sitting on his bike looking much like some sexy biker-god fantasy. Her first impulse was to walk right up to him and slowly lick up his neck all the way to those beautiful lips. But she quickly pushed those thoughts aside and looked him over warily. “What are you doing here, Keeton?”

He held out his extra helmet. “Seems pretty damn obvious to me. You need a ride. I have a ride. We are going to same place, makes sense we go together.” The smirk was back. Giving her a ride did not constitute more than anything a friend woul

do, right? Heck, they were practically neighbors. This was totally just a friendly act of kindness. She could accept it politely and not freak out or read anything else into it.

She walked the rest of the way to the curb and took the helmet from his hand and put it on her head. If this was happening, let the games begin. Who was she to fight natural attraction? Wasn’t it one of those laws of science or something? Now that she was on-board, she hoped he was too.