Rockin' the Heart (Hot Wired) (9 page)

Sam lined up her
aim with the cue ball and set it in motion with a hard whack. It struck the grouping, and they flew apart. She met Derr’s calculating gaze. “Heath said the fans would want us to kiss. Didn’t want our first to be in front of an audience.”

“
Was tongue involved?” Expecting a leer on Keys’ face, she was surprised to witness his straight-faced expression. His fingers were wrapped around the pool stick with enough grip he could choke someone to death.

“
How is that any of your business?”

“
That’s a yes, Derr. We might need to rough Fang up a bit as a warning.”

They had to be kidding? But Keys looked way too
somber for her peace of mind. Where was the teasing man she adored?

Sam put the tip of the pool stick beneath the ball and it popped up
. The spherical object flew mid-air across the table and nailed Keys in the gut. Grunting loud, he clutched his belly and bent over gasping.

“
Both of you nix the exaggerated protective brother routine. I missed your dick only because I wanted, Keys.” She pointed her stick at them both. “This is Heath for goodness’ sake. Not some shady guy off the street. Give him some credit to play his part like the good guy he is.”

“
That was a low-blow, Boo.” Keys winced as he struggled to stand upright.

“
Man up, that was a sweet shot. I thought about hitting you lower.” She indicated the pool table. “Two solids went in. Are we still playing?”

“
As soon as I can breathe,” he wheezed out.

She rolled her eyes at his
performance. “Good. I’ll take the stripes, and I’ll shoot them in number order to give you a handicap.”

“
You’ll need that handicap,” Derringer remarked dryly as he returned to the billiard table and slid Keys a glass of Scotch. He set the bottle on the ledge.

“
For the record,” Keys grimaced as he shifted his stance to retrieve the glass. “I should’ve given Fang more credit than I have. That was a smooth line he fed you, and you fell for it.”

She
glowered at him, hoping he’d get the hint to drop the subject.

“
You can give me that killer-glare all you want, but the truth’s the truth. You’ve been played.” He downed his liquor and shot at his first color. He managed to disarrange the ball’s alignment with the pocket.

“
Keys is right, it was a line, hellion,” Derringer agreed. “He wanted what he was denied at the store.”

She blinked at him and shook her head.
They had no idea what they were talking about. Heath didn’t want her. He wanted more for the band.

“
Good thing he kisses like Jase.”

“
Yep.” She pinned a ball in the pocket and moved around the table to sight her next shot.

“
Won’t be any chance of him breaking your heart or us being obligated to shatter his kneecaps
since he kisses like Jase
.”

Yeah, if only
she hated his kisses as much as she claimed, she’d be thanking her lucky stars.

Instead he
’d kissed like a rock star god, holding nothing back, like he owned her, and knew his sexual place in the world. Double damn. He’d kissed her like he knew his way around her body already. With his learning curve, the man would be lethal to her libido once he knew how to traverse the sensitive spots.

I
’m in over my head.

Fear spiraled down her spine. She
’d obligated herself, and she wouldn’t renege on a deal. That wasn’t her style. But she’d luckily given herself an out with the clause that she could break up with him whenever she wanted.

Satisfied she
’d had the sensibility to add in that disclaimer, Sam met Derringer’s cool regard. “You got something to say, Derr? ‘Coz it sounds like you’re trying to get at something.”

“
Just calling bullshit when I hear and see it.”

“
Heath is like a brother to me.” She pocketed her next four balls back-to-back.

“
I could tell in the video.”

Glaring at Derr, h
er hold on the stick tightened to the point her fingertips whitened and her flesh stung.

“
I knew you’d run the goddamn table on me,” Keys bitched. “What happened to the handicap you were going to give me?”

“
Your tag-team
pranks pissed me off.” She smiled sweetly as the last of her stripes went into their holes. She pointed at the corner pocket nearest her. “Eight ball here.”

At this angle, the final
orb would bank three times before reaching its final resting spot.

“
I’d say no way in Hell you could make that shot, but I know how good you are.” Derringer uncapped the Scotch and filled Keys’ glass more than half full of the liquor. “Drink up, you’ll need it, she’s about to kick your pansy ass.”

On
the way to her bedroom an hour later, she received a text from Nessa.

You and Fang? OMG! BFFs share details.

Not in the mood to elucidate, Sam supplied minimal words necessary to appease her friend.
Complicated. Will xplain l8r.

Nessa’s
chirpiness over Sam’s predicament came through loud and clear through her message.
You tease. He’s so dreamy. Can’t wait to hear ALL.

As much as it hurt to admit, h
er long-time friend’s reaction proved Tab accurate. The world thought she lived a fantasy by dating Heath. After knowing her so long, Sam expected Nessa to see beyond the false pretenses of fame. Unless one lived her life, she doubted anyone would understand.

About to settle into bed
her phone rang and displayed Omega Starr’s name.

As she pulled her tank top down her belly, she connected the call.
“Hey.”

“Nightmare or wet dream, Sam?”

She sighed. Weird that her no-strings attached lover-slash-best friend understood her predicament and her best girlfriend didn’t. Did that mean he listened to her better than Nessa? Or maybe he could relate? Nah… he
knew
her. He also knew how she felt about Heath. That said tons about her rapport with Nessa when she confessed her desires to Omega, but not to the girl she’d known the longest.

She and Omega lived similar lives, both caught up in the limelight thanks to family
. With his father being a famous producer, he couldn’t ditch the newsfeed any more than she could. Pillow talk made confessing her darkest desires easy, especially with their common interests.

“At the moment, I can’t decide.
Something tame has snowballed—”

“Sam,
sorry to interrupt but have you watched the ViewTube video?”

“No. I haven’t had time.”

“What I saw was anything but tame, sunshine. Knowing how you feel, I wasn’t sure if I should be congratulating you or offering my services.”

He excelled at his ‘services’, but Heath was the one she wanted in her bed. And the one person she couldn’t have.
“I’m tempted to take your offer and call the pap on the way over. Would almost be worth the shit storm it’d cause.”

If she were lucky,
Tab would be so upset she’d drop dead with a seizure.

“Have I ever told you how much I adore your
wickedness?”

She grinned. “Only because you enjoy being my side-kick.”

“Guilty as charged.” She could picture the way his green eyes lit up when concocting spectacles. He loved feeding the press theater as much as she did.

He didn’t even know the half of
what’d gone down. She explained the forthcoming drama and even spilled her guts about the kiss over billiards.

“Damn, girl.
” She heard the tinkle of ice hitting glass. “You want my help, just say the word.”

“Nah.
I’ll survive this. Thanks anyway.”

“You sure? I’ll invite the pap inside after I meet you at the door naked.” Omega despised reporters as much as she did, so his offer was huge.
Only a real friend would pay such a weighty price.

“You wouldn’t need to be naked. Just having the paparazzi report me visiting you would be enough to piss off Heath.”
And Jase
.

“He still blaming me for the photos hitting the web?” Shuffling came from his end
, and she wondered what he was doing.

“Sadly, yes.”

She thought Omega shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. We know the truth. Come over, and we’ll show the world whose woman you really are.”

I wish I felt the same way about Omega as I do Heath
. He was a great friend and a charitable lover, didn’t hurt that he was a hawtie and treated her with respect. “It’d be a lie, Omega.”

“S
unshine, aren’t Tab and Heath promoting lies?”

Sam expelled a breath.

“I’ll support you any way you want. You want to engage in this farce with him, I’ll understand and wish you luck, while knowing I’ll lose you if you succeed.”

“You’ll never lose me.”

“I know.” She thought Omega sipped his drink. “You’re my beastie.”

She laughed and knew he grinned. He joked that a guy and girl couldn’t be best friends, because the
beast
in a man’s pants always got in the way of friendship. His bizarre wisdom prompted the ‘beastie’ joke.

“If it gets to be too much
—even after the tour starts—one call or text and I’ll swoop in and save you.”

“Thanks.”

“And Sam?”

“Yeah?”

“If he doesn’t want you, he’s a fucking fool.”

Heath
paused his video game and leaned against the sofa as Jase, Keys, and Derringer invaded his private domain. They didn’t even knock when they entered his bedroom.

He stretched an arm over the back of the couch and rested the hand holding the controller on his thigh.
He’d wondered how long it’d take before he received the riot act. “Y’all can save it. I already know the rules. No touching Sam or you’ll kick my ass.”

Jase
snatched the glass bottle of tequila off the table and tipped it to his lips. Regardless what his long-time buddy professed, the concept of him with Sam obviously bothered him.

“
Partially right.” Keys settled in a seat and stretched his legs out in front of him. He interlaced his fingers over his belly and winced. “I’m going to shatter your kneecaps and Derr is going to kick your teeth in.”

“
Good to know y’all settled that.” None of this surprised him. They all had spent years protecting her. If they’d suddenly decided to act otherwise, he would’ve worried. “I should point out that it’s gonna be difficult for me to sing without any teeth though.”

“
I’m sure there are some chicks out there that are turned on by the old-man gummy look.” Keys curled his lips around his teeth and smacked his mouth.

Heath would
’ve laughed if Derringer hadn’t strode straight to him and stood over him, the fists curled at his sides an obvious intimidation tactic. He glanced up at the Latino man. This was the most hostile he’d ever seen his normally laidback friend. Had someone else approached him in this manner, Heath would’ve taken offense. “Something wrong, Derr?”

He kicked Heath
’s sneakers with his steel-toed boots. Pain lanced up his calf and jarred his knee. With a jerk, he slid across the sofa and rubbed the side of his foot. “Christ, man, that hurts!”

“
You kissed our girl.”

How
’d they find out about that?

“
It was harmless.”
Far from innocent
. Heath wanted Sam back in his arms and his mouth on hers, with their tongues wedded. He knew just how he’d go about it too. Three days ago he’d warmed her up slow. At the next opportunity he’d just take what he wanted and demonstrate how aggressive he could be when he felt so inclined.

“
Have you watched the video the rag reporter shot of you two in the store?” With a casual air Keys twisted the ring on his middle finger, but his vibe felt like a taut tension cable ready to snap.

“
A few times.”
A few dozen to be more accurate
. Words failed him. It’d been like watching the beginning of the hottest porn in his life that’d been cut short. “Chill, Derr, before we go to blows.”

The bass man backed off a couple of steps, but made no preten
se he was pleased.

“
If the real kiss was half as hot as what didn’t happen, there was nothing ‘harmless’ about it. What is it with you two denying your attraction?” A slight pause as Keys extremities rapped against his thigh like he played the keyboard. “By the gleam in your eyes, I suspect you’re going to do something stupid that requires a good dental plan.”

“
Let me clear something up, Fang.” Jase pointed the tequila bottle at him. “I don’t like or agree with this charade you’re engaging in with Sam. I supported her decision because that’s what a brother does. It’s exploiting her for the band’s benefit. That’s all kinds of wrong. We all know she hates when the paparazzi focuses on her.” He took another long swig.

“
You should lay off the liquor. We gotta be up early in the morning and playing a gig tomorrow night hung over will kill your head. And we both know Sam hates it when you’re drunk.”

“
You need to lay off my sister!” The bottle pinged loud when Jase slammed it on the table. “I know she’s attractive—”

“
Correction.” Keys leaned his head back on the chair and eyed Jase. “Sam’s a hot babe.” In two strides Derringer was close enough to kick Keys on the foot, which he promptly executed. The lead guitarist leapt to his feet and got in Derr’s face. “For fuck’s sake I’m on your side! But I won’t sugarcoat the truth for any of you. I get why Fang’s eyeing her, and it has nothing to do with her looks. She’s sassy and smart. A man would be lucky to have her. One little problem, there’s no one worthy of her. Not even Fang, he’s a rat-bastard like the rest of us.”

Too close to the tour starting, he couldn
’t allow his band mates to come to blows. Heath pushed to his feet and wedged himself between his two guitarists. “What exactly do y’all think I want out of this charade?”

“
My sister in your bed.” Arms folded over his chest in a closed-off manner, Jase neared them.

“
Not true.” He elbowed Derr and Keys further apart. “I’m insulted you think so little of me, Jase.”

“
What
do
you want?” Derringer asked, holding his ground.

He was not comfortable answering that question with the entire truth.
“Sam’s happiness is as big a priority to me as it is to y’all.”

“
And?” Their resident jokester band member stared him straight in the eyes. There wasn’t anything humorous in his demeanor at the moment. “I’ll back you, Fang, provided you can prove you’re good enough for her, but she’s the one thing that could break our friendship.”

Before Heath could respond
, his cell went off vibrating his ass and playing their hit single, Dark Passions. Poetic since he presently suffered from dark passions. He glanced at caller I.D.
Tab
. Just great. She’d been hounding him all week. “Hold that thought.” He hit the ‘answer’ button. “Tab, for the two thousandth time I’ve told you we are going to pace this at our discretion not yours.”

“
Heath Fangor, you pay me to do a job. She’s evading my calls, texts, and emails.”
Mine too
. Even managed to avoid him while home, not that she’d spent much time at the house over the last three days. “Unacceptable!”

He winced
and pulled the phone away from his ear. “Screeching’s unnecessary.”

“
Get your ass on the Sam-problem, pronto! Her job starts tomorrow, and I have a sneaky suspicion she’s going to default on her deal.”

He knew Sam better than that. He might have
no clue where they went from here, but she wouldn’t cut out on a deal. She blatantly evaded him and Tab. He allowed the adolescent behavior because he had no idea how to approach their dilemma.

Tomorrow
would kick-start their six-month U.S. tour. Avoidance would be problematic. More so since their charade required them working in tandem. Had kissing her set them back that much? They must work out some minor issues before they blew their cover from the get-go.

“
Sam’s not here. I have no idea where she is.”

Jase elevated his eyebrows in a questioning manner.

“She’s got a cell. GPS her ungrateful ass.” He imagined her rubbing her forehead with her fingertips. “Imbeciles. I deal with imbeciles.”

“
So, let me get this right, Tab. I’m not just fake dating Sam, but now I’m genuinely stalking her? I draw the line at that.”

“
Good answer.” Keys nodded. “That’s a point in your favor.”

He frowned at the other man.
He had to earn points to win Sam over in their book? When had his life gotten so bizarre?

“
Got her.”

The woman
ignored me
.

“
GPS has her at Double Shots.”

“
What the hell could she be getting into at Double Shots?”

“
Trouble there equates to sky’s the limit.”

He sighed at Tab
’s comment. The establishment catered to rich starlets that had a taste for
anything
. His Sam had a proclivity for engaging trouble even when not looking for it. “You have a choice. Kickoff this tour in a good way—that means with my charade or Sam’s way. Let me spell out Sam’s way for you. That means… Legal. Setbacks. Your choice.”

“
You have to go get her.” Keys again.

Jase snatched the phone from his
grasp. “Fang’s walking out the door to retrieve her right now.”

“
I am?” What just happened? One minute they were giving him shit about his intentions toward Sam, now they were sending him to rescue her. Heath shook his head. This was his family. Complicated with an army of contradictions.

“
You need us to join you?” Derr asked as Heath reclaimed his cell.

“
Y’all feel like babysitting me tonight?” A flutter of excitement streaked through his belly as he strode to the door. He was about to see Sam again.

I
.
Cannot
.
Wait
.

At the door, he stopped and
turned sideways to face them. “Just trust me where Sam’s concerned. That’s all I ask.”

None of them said anything. Heath
didn’t require their support, but it’d be nice to have it.

“
I trust you to fuck things up. We all excel at that.” Keys motioned to the group as he lifted the hem of his shirt just above his bellybutton. A nice size bruise darkened his abdomen. That’s why he’d winced when he touched his stomach earlier. “Sam’s gift to me because I pissed her off. I think she can manage you just as well.”

Heath chuckled.
“That’s our girl.”

On the drive to the club, he contemplated what might
’ve caused Sam to evade him so much. He’d kissed her for God’s sake. It wasn’t like he’d groped her. Okay, maybe he had. Just a little. Nothing to get worked up over. Except this was Sam, and even though she was no virgin, she wasn’t the type of woman a man played with. At twenty she’d had a total of two lovers.

T
he kiss they shared had been the best moment of his life. Not even the excitement of getting the record deal for Hot Wired compared. That indicated Sam meant more to him than any fling. If she asked, he’d walk away from the band tomorrow without regrets.

Nerves fluttered through his belly
, and he put his fingers through his messy, overlong hair. Sam wasn’t on the same tarmac with him when it came to them. She required wooing, convincing they would be good together. But when he got his mouth on her and tasted her, coupled with the smell of her, he lost all sense of pacing himself. He hadn’t even realized he’d cupped her bottom and pulled her against his lower brain until she halted the kiss.

Goddamn her ass
is a perfect fit in my hand
.

He hadn
’t been smooth talking her when he said she was his crack. Who the fuck needed drugs when Sam’s taste hit his palate and yielded a natural high. He was a junkie for her smiles and laughter. All the goddamn time he overdosed on her company, finding one excuse after another to hang with her. The days of keeping his addiction bottled up inside from discerning eyes was over.

No more. No fucking more!

I’m making my stand for her.
The band could all go to hell.