She’s mine.
“What are you doing today?” She asks and I do my best to keep my face totally straight.
She has an uncanny ability to read me, and this is a secret.
“I have some errands to run.” I take a sip of coffee and swallow it over the jumble
of nerves in my stomach. “I might meet with a real estate agent.”
“Fun.” She grins. “So you’re gonna move out of Meg’s place?”
“Yeah, she might as well sell it. Her neighbors figured out who I am and the guy next
door always wants to chit chat with me when I get home.” I frown and then laugh. “I
don’t think I’m a townhouse kind of guy.”
“Probably not,” she agrees and chuckles. “At least it’s a guy who appreciates music
and not some annoying young girl.”
“Oh, there are those too. Thank God Will installed the alarm system.”
“Seriously?” Her eyes go round and then she starts to laugh. “That’s hilarious!”
“Sure it is.” I scowl at her.
“It is,” she insists and shakes her head. “Well, then you need a house.”
“Yeah,” I agree and rinse out my mug, set it in the dishwasher and grab my wallet
and keys. “I better go.”
“Okay.” She smiles and stands to hug me, wraps her strong arms around my middle and
presses a kiss to my sternum. “Have a good day.”
“You too, baby.” I tip her head back and kiss her slowly, rubbing my lips over hers
and nibbling the side of her mouth until she smiles. “I’d better go before I pull
you back to your bed and fuck you raw,” I growl, smiling smugly when her bright blue
eyes dilate with lust.
“I’m up for that.”
“Later.” I kiss her again, grin at the way she sways when I let go of her, and head
out of her building.
Half way down to my car, my phone rings. I expect it to be one of the guys, and frown
at the caller ID in surprise.
“Nash.”
“Hey, it’s Will,” he clears his throat and I’m immediately put on guard.
“Has something happened to Meg?” I ask and climb into my car.
“No, she’s fine. She’s sleeping. Listen.” I hear him start his car and tap my fingers
impatiently on my steering wheel. “Do you have time to meet with me today?”
“About what?” I ask. “I’m kind of booked up today.”
“I just need about ten minutes. I’d rather talk with you in private.”
I check my watch and grimace. “Can you meet me in about ten minutes in Seattle?” I
ask him.
“Sure, no problem. Where?”
I rattle off the address and work my way through mid-morning traffic. There is a lot
to do today, and not nearly enough time.
I pull up outside the small recording studio near Sam’s apartment and cut the engine.
Will pulls up behind me less than five minutes later.
“Hey, man, thanks for meeting with me.” He shakes my hand and glances at the building.
“Where are we?”
“Studio.” I grin at him. “I’m working today.”
“Cool, I won’t keep you.”
“We can talk inside.” I lead him inside to find Skip near the entrance. “Can I use
your office for a minute, man?”
“Sure, you know the way. This time, don’t wrinkle my papers.” He smirks as I flip
him the bird and lead Will to the office, close the door behind us, and lean back
against the desk.
“What’s up?”
For the first time since I met him, Will looks nervous.
Ah, hell, this can’t be good.
“So, Meg and I have been together for a while.”
“Not a long while,” I remind him and purse my lips so I don’t smile. He frowns and
begins to pace.
“She is just…” He stops and pushes his hand through his hair and I cross my arms over
my chest, enjoying his discomfort.
The man is fucking my sister. He should be damn uncomfortable.
“She’s everything,” he finally says. “She makes me happy and stupid and so fucking
angry I could just smack her ass.”
“Dude,” I interrupt and he smiles over at me.
“Sorry. Anyway.” He paces some more. “I love her. I refuse to ever live a day without
her. She is the best part of my life.”
“I figured this out already, man, what are you getting at?”
“I want to marry her.” He exhales deeply and scrubs his hands over his face.
“So ask her.”
“No, you don’t get it.” He shakes his head and faces me. “That’s why I’m here. I’m
asking for your permission to ask her.”
I’m stunned. “Why do you need my permission?”
“Because she’s yours,” he answers simply. “You’re her family. You’re the one she’s
depended on the majority of her life, and she loves you. Your opinion matters. I may
be an arrogant ass a lot of the time, but I was raised right.” He swallows and shoves
his hands in his pockets. “It’s right that I ask you for your blessing before I propose
to her. I give you my word, Leo, I will protect her, respect her and love her until
the day I die.”
“I know,” I respond automatically.
“You do?”
“Of course I do. Meg isn’t stupid. She wouldn’t be with you if it were any other way.”
I stay here, leaning and watching Will for a moment and remember Meg as a young girl,
wide-eyed and freckled and all red-hair and long limbs, and then I think of her when
we were all together for game night and how vibrant and happy, how secure and lovely
she is.
Will is to thank for some of that.
“You can marry her on one condition,” I tell him, my voice low and steady, eyes on
his.
“Name it,” he immediately responds.
“You have to name your first kid after me.” He sighs, his shoulders slump like he’s
been carrying the weight of the world, and he grins from ear to ear.
“What if it’s a girl?” He asks.
“I don’t give a fuck.”
“Done.” He agrees and offers me his hand, which I take and pull him in for a guy hug,
slapping him hard on the back.
“She deserves to me happy.” His face sobers.
“More than anyone I know.”
“How are you going to do it?”
“Well, that’s the other thing I wanted to talk to you about. Are you guys still doing
the show at
Key Arena
in a few weeks?”
“That’s the plan.” I nod.
“So, here’s my idea…”
***
~Samantha~
“This is gonna be fun!” I’m practically bouncing in the front seat of Leo’s hot Camaro,
excited that he asked me to go house shopping with him.
He was gone all day yesterday, taking care of whatever business he had on his plate,
and today has been laid back, enjoying each others company.
“You’re like a kid.” He grins over at me and chuckles.
“I like to shop.” I shrug. “Where are we going first?”
“Well, we’re only going to see one today.”
“Okay, where?” I ask again.
“It’s not too far from Luke and Nat’s place.”
“I love that neighborhood,” I smile happily at the hot tattooed man next to me.
“Well, let’s see what we think of the house.” He drives through a gate and down a
short driveway to a beautiful, white and blue traditional-style home. The view of
the Sound is breathtaking. There is a red Toyota parked in the driveway and a short,
round young woman with dishwater-blonde hair is standing on the porch consulting her
phone.
“I like the outside,” I comment, taking in the rose bushes and cherry-blossom trees
that will be blooming in a couple of months.
“Okay, let’s go in,” he grins at me and we both hop out of the car and walk toward
the front porch.
“Hi there! I’m Melody Jenkins, the agent sent out to help you today.” Melody has a
pretty, friendly smile and oozes youth. She’s clearly still new to the real estate
business.
“Didn’t you tell them who you were when you called?” I whisper to him.
“Hell, no.” He frowns down at me and offers Melody a hand to shake. “Thanks for meeting
us.”
“Holy shit, you’re Leo Nash!” She exclaims and almost falls down the front steps.
I turn my back to her so she can’t see the hilarity written on my face.
“Guilty,” Leo offers her a charming smile. “Nice to meet you.”
I school my features and turn back around to see Melody’s mouth opening and closing
like a fish, her eyes wide and pinned to Leo, completely struck dumb.
“Oh for the love of... Melody?” I wave my hand before her face, catching her attention.
“Hi. I’m Sam. We’d love to see the house.”
“Oh, of course.” Her hands are shaking as she consults her phone for the code to the
door and leads us inside.
I turn back to Leo and mock the fan-girl, holding my hands over my mouth like I’m
shocked to meet him, and he narrows his eyes at me and whispers, “Be nice.”
“This is hilarious,” I mutter just as Melody turns back to us.
“So, this is the house, of course. It’s really nice. It has a state-of-the-art kitchen,
a sun-room, a hot-tub.” Her eyes wander down Leo’s body to his hips and then she coughs
and turns away.
“It’s the stars,” I mutter to him, earning another glare.
“I just have to tell you,” Melody says in a rush, turning to face Leo, “I am such
a huge fan. I have all your albums, even the really old ones.”
More laughter from me.
The really old ones are roughly four years old.
Of course, she would have been in high school.
“Uh, thanks,” Leo mutters, clearly uncomfortable and looks around for a means of escape.
“What is so funny?” Melody asks me, her hands propped on her round hips. She really
is cute.
“Absolutely nothing. Nash is great,” I agree with her and smile up at Leo who continues
to glare at me.
“You know what, Melody, I think we’ll just look around on our own, if that’s okay
with you.”
“Oh.” She pouts and glares at me before turning big hazel eyes on Leo in what I’m
sure she thinks is her flirty look. “Are you sure? I don’t mind showing you around.”
“I’m sure, thanks.” Leo grabs my hand and pulls me toward the stairs. “You are not
helping,” he growls.
“I’m sorry, but that’s hilarious, and your own fault.”
“My fault?” He asks incredulously.
“Well, yeah. One, you should have told the agency who you are so they could send someone
more appropriate, and two, you’re the one who always walks around shirtless in all
your videos and photo shoots. I know for a fact she wants to lick your stars.”
“Shut up,” he mutters and pulls me down a hallway, looking in each of the rooms.
“You can’t get tattoos on your sexy V, the one spot on a man’s body that makes a woman
sit up and beg, and not expect to get attention.” I inform him smugly and giggle some
more when he continues to glare at me.
As we pass the top of the staircase on our way to what I assume is the master suite,
we hear Melody’s voice downstairs.
“You will
not
believe who I’m showing a house to right now! Leo freaking Nash! I’m not lying. No,
he’s wearing a shirt.”
I bust out laughing some more as Leo growls and pulls me into the master bedroom.
“Told you.”
“I just wanted to look at some houses,” he mutters and wanders around the large, empty
space.
“I think you should have your assistant call the agencies from now on.”
“Probably. Do you like this room?” He asks me.
“It’s big.” I wander to the window and look out at the Sound, the water reflecting
the mid-afternoon sunshine. “The view is great.”
“Yeah, I like the view too.”
“The floors aren’t giving my feet frostbite, and the walls are a light mocha color,
which is warm and nice.”
“You’re wearing shoes,” he reminds me with a grin.
“Your floors in Malibu would still give me frostbite through my shoes.”
“Smart ass.” He grins and opens a door to an enormous walk-in closet with built-ins
for shoes and bags, and even a center island for other accessories.
“I might have just died and gone to heaven,” I breathe, feeling my eyes widen and
my heartbeat increase. “This is just… Oh my God.”
“Closet is a yes.” Leo laughs.
“This is your house,” I remind him and consciously make my face go blank. “Not mine.”
“Yet.”
“Not mine,” I repeat and shake my head.
“Okay, let’s just say there’s space in here for you to have a drawer of your very
own for when you stay over.”
“Are you mocking me?”
“Yes. Let’s look at the bathroom.”
The bathroom is even better. “I could swim in that tub,” I mutter and wander through
the space. The shower is the size of Manhattan. We could host parties in there. Full
concerts.
Oh my God, the sex we could have in that shower.