The Bass (5 page)

Chapter Seven

A couple cups of coffee, and a slow walk around the property with Shade
helped to ease Cateline’s nerves. When they finally made it over to Jeremy’s
place she only felt a minor nervous twinge at meeting them all up close and
personal. Well, Chase and Mark not included since she had met them the night
before.

When they reached the house, Shade led her around the side and into the
large backyard where everyone was gathered. As soon as they were spotted, the
guys began to rib Shade for taking his sweet time and how they were all wasting
away from starvation.

The only other woman there rolled her eyes and shook her head. Then she
came over, holding out a hand. “I’m Jennifer Mitchell, it’s wonderful to meet
you.”

“Cateline Lyon,” she said, giving the woman’s hand a shake. “Nice to
meet you as well. Sorry for being a little tardy. Shade was giving me the grand
tour around the place.”

“Don’t worry about it. They still would have gone through the routine if
you were on time. Seems to happen to the last man in no matter what. Have you
met them all yet?”

“Only Chase and Mark who stopped by last night sporting the puppy dog
eyes.” The two men cracked huge grins, and gave her finger waves. She returned
the gesture while shaking her head.

Jennifer turned a glare on them. “Well then let me introduce the other
two. Jeremy is our host most mornings for breakfast, as well as the occasional
dinner. He’s a control freak, and loves having them all hanging around, go with
it. And then this is Lance.”

The way Jennifer said the man’s name had Cat paying close attention when
the dark blond man slid his arm around the other woman’s waist. “Nice to meet
you, Cateline,” he said. His voice held a little growl to it that made Cateline
want to giggle like a schoolgirl.

She shook the feeling off and smiled at him. “A pleasure to meet you as
well.”

“Quit drooling,” Shade muttered.

Throwing her elbow into his gut, Cat leaned into him. She would have
said something, but Jeremy came over, wiping his hands on a towel. “Cateline, a
pleasure to meet you,” he said. The man’s voice was smoke and sin when he was
or wasn’t performing.
Oh my!
He shook her hand and smiled. “Come and
find a spot to sit. There’s coffee on the table, and we’ll eat as soon as the
sausages are done.”

Cat looked up at Shade who was glaring at the lead singer. If she didn’t
know better she’d say that he was directing some jealousy toward Jeremy, and
Lance, too, given his earlier comment. “We’ll be right there,” she told Jeremy
without looking away from Shade.

“Don’t dally too long. They will eat everything in sight once I give
them the go-ahead.”

Cat gave a nod, and placing her hands to Shade’s belly, she gave a
little push. His gaze snapped down to meet hers. “What?” he asked in a tone
that had some bite to it.

Slipping her arms around his middle she gave him a squeeze. “It might be
faster to pee on me you know.”

Confusion flashed on his face before he frowned. “What on Earth are you
talking about?”

“While that little jealousy display was adorable, if you want to mark
your territory a little more clearly, peeing is the way it’s done in the wild.”

“I am not jealous.”

Cat smiled at his tone, and squeezed him closer. “There’s no reason to
be, Shade. They do nothing for me. You know beyond the sexy as sin voices, hot
bods, and drool-worthy faces they each have. Absolutely nada.”

He was back to glaring down at her. “Really?”

“Oh lighten up, babe. You know well and good you’re all super-hot. But
there’s only one band member I’m interested in.”

His expression began to lighten with her words until he finally wore the
crooked grin that made her heart lurch. “You’d better damn well be talking
about me, kitten.”

Rolling her eyes, she pressed up onto her toes to brush a kiss to his
cheek. “Who else could it possibly be, babe? Now I’d love to continue stroking
your already too large ego, but I’m starving. Can we eat now, please?”

With a nod he pressed a kiss to her temple, and then walked with her to
the table. He pulled the chair next to Jennifer’s out for her to sit on before
settling in at her side. Chase poured them both some coffee while Jeremy began
to pull the sausages off the grill.

Dishes began to be passed around while the guys chatted about this, and
that. Jennifer handed her the plate holding the sausages, and grinned her way.
Returning the smile, Cat took a couple before passing it over to Shade.

“So what do you do, Ms. Cateline?” Mark asked her.

“I’m guessing you mean my job.” At his nod, she shrugged. “Nothing overly
exciting. I work for a real estate investor. He buys properties, overhauls
them, and sells them for a pretty penny. Sometimes he tears the old building
down to put something new, and needed for the area in, but it depends on the
structure. He’s pretty careful about keeping the old buildings if he can. It’s
not always feasible no matter how many people think otherwise, but if it’s got
a rotten foundation, there’s not a lot to be done about it.”

“What’s his name?” Jennifer asked. “If you don’t mind me being nosy and
all. It’s a leftover from my previous job.”

Lance said something softly to the woman Cat couldn’t pick up that had
Jennifer blushing. Jennifer was smiling when he kissed, though.

“Simon Ackerman the third,” Cateline said with a grin.

“Oh, I know him, he did the restoration on that old hotel in Washington
a few years back. Used to be a house of ill repute from what I remember. He
bought it dirt cheap, fixed it up, and sold it to a company from Spain I think
it was. They turned it into a hotel, and have been doing rather well with it if
I recall right.”

Cat nodded. “That’s him.”

“I know the name, too,” Jeremy commented. “The guy’s been trying to get
us to sell him the land here for the last five years.”

She blinked at that. “I didn’t know that. I’ve never once seen any
paperwork on an offer, or anything come across my desk.”

“He puts in a call to Christine once every four months. She then calls
us up wherever we are, we tell her the same thing, and then she calls him back
to tell him to bugger off,” Chase said. “He’s pretty persistent. Obviously he
thinks he’ll wear us down in time.”

“He doesn’t get that we don’t care what the land’s worth. This is home,”
Mark put in.

“I’m sorry,” Cat whispered. “I didn’t know.”

Shade slipped his arm around her shoulders to bring her closer to him.
“Don’t worry about it, Cat. This isn’t your fault. He’s not the only one we’ve
had hounding us to sell them the land. Hell, Christine doesn’t bother to call
us most times. She straight up tells them to take a flying leap or something
else that usually is quite uncomfortable in nature.”

Groaning she shook her head. “That’s your manager right?”

“Yup, the one and only.”

Jeremy chuckled. “We should probably keep from mentioning to Christine
who Cat works for. At least for a while. She seems to have a particular dislike
for Ackerman.”

Well that was fucking peachy.
She didn’t want Christine to hate her
for her association to the man. “I agree with him on that. Can we not tell her
for a little while?”

“We’ll keep it mum for the time being,” Shade said. “Though she’ll
likely already know. Or if she doesn’t, she’ll figure it out. She’ll go digging
to find out about you to ensure you’re not a threat to me.”

“I would never hurt you,” she said with indignation riding her hard.

“I know that, kitten,” he whispered. “But Christine is a bit protective
when it comes to us.”

Someone snorted. “A bit? Jesus man, tell it like it is,” Lance said.
“The woman is like a dog with a bone. She won’t let it go until she gets everything
she can information wise.”

Cat felt mildly ill at the thought. While her story wasn’t unique in the
world they lived in, it was hers. She’d rather not have someone digging up all
the nitty gritty details. Pressing a hand to her stomach, she looked to Shade,
knowing full well he would read the misery in her eyes.

He obviously did understand. One moment she was in her own chair, in the
next he’d shoved his chair back to lift her over into his lap. He cuddled her
in close, and rubbed her back.

“Shade, is she okay?” Jennifer asked softly.

“She’ll be fine. There are things in her past neither she nor I are
particularly comfortable with anyone else knowing about.”

“It might be best if we go over to talk with Christine. We can go over
tomorrow, give her some rough brush strokes, and I’ll ask her nicely not to
sick the hounds on the scent,” Jeremy said softly.

“You sure she’ll go along with that?” Chase asked.

Jeremy nodded. “I don’t know what’s got Cateline upset, but I do know
that Christine would never hurt us, or one we claim as ours on purpose.”

“I hope you’re right,” Jennifer said with a dubious look. “The woman
terrifies me to this day.”

Shade was still rubbing her back in gentle, broad strokes. “She’s mostly
all bark, and no bite. I’m not saying she can’t pull out rabid dog mode faster
than Mark’s Lamborghini can go zero to sixty, we all know she can. But usually
it’s only a facade she uses to keep people at what she considers a safe
distance.”

“Thank you,” Cat said lifting her chin. Brushing a kiss to Shade’s jaw,
the short hairs there tickling her lips, she let her eyes fall closed when he
turned his head to steal a light kiss.

“Anything for you, kitten,” he told her in an intimate tone.

Smiling slightly, she threw her arms around his neck and held on. She
needed the comfort she found in his arms, and he seemed to realize it. His arms
wrapped around her to secure her to his chest with one large hand in her hair,
and the other tight around her ribs.

She wasn’t surprised in the least by Shade’s support. But Jeremy didn’t
know her, and yet he was stepping up to look out for her all the same. Drawing
back a little she turned her head to feel her temple brushing Shade’s lips. All
that was needed for him to press a kiss to her skin.

A smile tugged at her lips and she lightly raked her nails over his
scalp to say thank you. The shudder that ripped through his body told her he
still enjoyed the sensation greatly. “Thank you, Jeremy.”

The singer gave a shrug, and shot her a crooked grin. “Shade likes you,
and clearly is rather possessive, which makes you our family. We look out for
each other around here, Cateline.”

She couldn’t stop the welling tears threatening to quickly spill down
her cheeks. Cat hadn’t had support like this since the day her mother left the
country. It was a little overwhelming to find it among people she’d only met,
and barely knew outside the public personas.

“Oh hell, she’s going to start leaking,” Mark muttered.

Chase smacked him, and Jennifer gave him a nod. “Figured if you could
have reached him you’d have done it.”

Jennifer shook her head with a grin, and then turned to Cat to pass her
a napkin.

“Thank you,” she said to the other woman. She couldn’t seem to stop
saying those words to these amazing, wonderful, and generous people.

“Welcome to the family,” Jennifer said.

“Check your sanity at the door, and prepare for a rather hellish ride,”
Lance commented.

It was exactly what was needed to lighten the mood. Cat started to laugh,
too, when the guys began to poke fun at one another again. She knew they were
doing it to help ease the heavy tension, and she was truly grateful to have met
these new friends.

Chapter Eight

Shade listened idly to the conversation between Jeremy and Cat as they
chatted during the ride to Christine’s home. He had to admit they were getting
along remarkably well. While that annoyed him on one level, it also pleased him
on several other levels, too.

They were talking like old friends. Jeremy pointed out buildings and
told her stories she knew were whoppers. Most likely they had a basis of truth,
but he added some major embellishments. Cateline took it all in with wide eyes.
She seemed to know when he was pulling her leg though, since she called
bullshit more than once. Jeremy tried to claim it was all truth. Cat wasn’t
buying what the guy was selling.

“We’re here, sirs, miss,” Leopold, their driver for the day, said.

“Thanks, Leo.” Shade looked out the window, and then over to Cat. She
looked nervous again, her hands in her lap twisting to give her away. Sitting
forward, he grabbed her hands and squeezed. “Deep breaths, kitten.”

Leo punched in the code all the drivers had for Christine’s home, and
eased the town car through the gate when there was room to do so. The front
door opened to reveal a much more casual Christine as they drew to a stop out
front.

“While I’m always happy to see you boys, who’s the young lady?”
Christine asked when they all climbed out.

“Christine Franks, meet Cateline Lyon, and vice versa.” Shade kept his
hand on Cat’s back while the two women shook hands.

“So this is
the
Cateline Lyon. Nice to meet you. I suddenly have
the impression this isn’t a social visit. Well, come on in. Leo, there’s
lemonade in the kitchen if you’re interested, and Kerri left some homemade chocolate
chunk cookies as well.”

“Thank you, ma’am.” Leo smiled at her. He headed to the left once they
were inside the door while Shade, Jeremy and Cat followed Christine to the
right.

Christine stopped outside her office door, and looked them all over.
“I’m going to go with my gut feeling here. Why don’t you and I chat, Cateline?
The boys can sit out here and stew for a while. No arguments, sit,” she ordered
Shade and Jeremy.

Cateline put her hand on his arm, and nodded. “It’s okay,” she said
softly.

Wrapping his arm around her waist Shade pulled her in closer to him
while lowering his head. “If you need me, call,” he told her. Once she said she
would, he gave her a kiss to her cheek, a gentle squeeze, and reluctantly let
her loose. Watching her walk into Christine’s office without him had his back
going up.

“Easy, bro. Your girl will be fine. Christine may chew up, and spit out
folks on a regular basis, but she’d never do anything like that to Cateline.
She is ours after all.”

Shade turned to look at Jeremy, and lifted a brow. Not the first time
Jeremy had said the word, but this time he had to ask, “Ours?”

Jeremy grinned at him. “Hell yeah she’s definitely ours, like Jen is.
You love her, she loves you, and no matter what’s going on you two will figure
it out in time.”

It was nice to know someone had their back. He shouldn’t have been
surprise it would be Jeremy. “Thanks, bro,” he got out gruffly.

“You’re welcome. Now I’m heading to the kitchen to steal some cookies
before Leo eats them all. You want anything?”

“No I’m good, thanks.” Until Cat came out unscathed, he would be an emotional
mess. Which meant he wouldn’t be trying to eat or drink anything. Easing down
into a chair when Jeremy left, Shade sat staring at the door willing it to
open.

****

Later, Shade jumped at the door opening. He shot to his feet, and moved
to Cateline. She came right to him, sliding into his arms, and wrapping her own
around him. He narrowed a look on Christine who looked upset, and like she’d
been crying.

“She told me everything, Shade,” the older woman said quietly. “She
didn’t have to, but felt it better to be completely open. You have a keeper
there.” Christine squeezed his arm slightly as she moved past, and left them
alone in the small sitting room.

Shifting his hold on her, Shade got Cat moving to the chair he’d
vacated. He settled down, and drew her into his lap. Adjusting her until she
was curled up against him, he wrapped her back in his arms once more. Gently he
began to stroke her hair.

“I’m okay,” she finally whispered.

“Could’ve fooled me, kitten. You looked pretty fucking upset when you
came out.” Christine had too, but he wasn’t going there.

“She was easy to talk to. I couldn’t seem to stop once I started. We
kept talking, had a couple good cries together, and then focused the
conversation on you for a while to help me stop bawling.”

Shade leaned back to stare at her. “We are talking about Christine
Franks, right? The music industry decimator? She chews paparazzi up and spits
them out faster than you can blink, and she’s been known to make forty year
veterans in this industry run screaming home to their mommas.
That
Christine Franks?”

Cat nodded with a puzzled look on her face. “Did you see anyone else in
there? Of course I mean Christine. She’s a wonderful woman I could easily see
becoming a friend.”

To be sure, Shade put his hand to Cateline’s forehead. “No temperature,”
he muttered. Then he put his hand to his own forehead, nothing there either.
“This is going to take some serious time to process.”

She shook her head, and rolled her eyes. “She wasn’t kidding,” she
muttered.

“What are you talking about now?”

Cat smiled, that angelic one he’d never trusted. It was the one that
told him she knew something he didn’t, and she didn’t have any fucking plans to
share. Cupping his face, she pulled him close to drop a little kiss to his
lips. Then she slid off his lap.

“Cateline, we’re not done here, woman,” he said. Pushing to his feet he
took off after her. She was moving faster than he’d realized, and he had to jog
to catch up to her. He caught her hand as they entered the kitchen.

Jeremy shot him a worried look before his gaze slid down to Cateline.
“How you doing, kiddo?” he asked.

“I’m okay,” she said. Cat patted his arm on her way past to accept the
lemonade Christine had poured, and was holding out to her. “Thank you.” She
took a sip while coming back his way. Sliding her free arm around him, Cat
leaned her weight to his side.

Shade hooked his arm around her neck, his fingers brushing down her
cheek. He loved the smile she turned his way before offering him her glass.
Accepting it, he took a drink and passed it back. “We’ll head out soon,” he said
softly. He wanted to get her back to his place. The two of them, alone, and
hopefully to do more than only talk.

He knew there were still things to discuss. Things he needed to talk to
her about. But they could wait. Pressing his lips to her hair, Shade relaxed
into her. For a moment he breathed her in, and enjoyed having her pressed up
against his side. It was something he wanted to enjoy for all his days to come.
Now all he had to do was figure out how to make it happen.