I wanted to argue that, yes, you should judge him because of his family, but I kept my mouth shut. I couldn’t show any concern. Marcus would catch on, and he’d be shoving Amanda at Jason Stone. There was no way he’d ever agree to let his little sister near me, and I couldn’t blame him.
“I’m being good,” Marcus replied. “Besides, he leaves to fly off to LA soon, I’m sure. This is just a friendly thing. Amanda doesn’t seem real interested. Which is good, because he ain’t flying my baby sister out to LA with him. I’ll let her go five hours away, but that is as far as I’m allowing her to go.”
Willow sighed. “She’ll need room to breathe soon enough, Marcus. You can love her and care about her while you stand back and let her make her own decisions. She isn’t the little girl you took care of all your life. She’s a big girl now. Don’t forget that.”
Marcus bent down and kissed Willow’s head. “I don’t want to talk about family tonight. I just want to hold you in my arms. Let’s go.”
I gave them a small good-bye wave with my beer in hand and watched them walk toward the doors leading outside.
I could leave now and they’d never know. That way, I wouldn’t have to drink until I no longer cared about Amanda and Jason Fucking Stone.
“Hey, sexy. Why haven’t you called?” The cooing sound came from behind me, and I glanced back over my shoulder to see a familiar-looking brunette.
“Because I’m the asshole who never calls,” I replied with a wink.
She giggled and closed the space between us. Large fake rack. Big brown eyes. I’d screwed her before. She was a Jackdown groupie—I’d hooked up with her at the club one night while Jackdown was playing.
“I’m the forgiving type,” she whispered in my ear and then moved in front of me, slipping her hands in the back pockets of my jeans. “Real forgiving.”
“Is that so?” I asked, taking a drink and watching her. She’d been one of those who knew exactly what she was doing. But then, typically band groupies were talented in the sex department. They had to be to keep the interest of guys who had new girls throwing themselves at them every night.
“You come here tonight with Krit?” I asked, looking around for Trisha’s younger brother.
“No. I’m friends with Trisha, and I went to school with Willow,” she explained, and slipped her other hand over the crotch of my jeans. “I came here looking for you.”
Sure she did. She came looking for action, and I was the first one she’d found who she was interested in. I wasn’t an idiot. “What do you have in mind? You might just convince me if you can make it sound real good.” She was going to have to be a talented dirty talker to get me interested. My mind was still focused on Amanda Hardy. I needed the distraction.
She stood on her tiptoes and pressed her mouth to my ear. “Come back to a room with me, and I can remind you just how talented my mouth is.”
Ah. Yeah. She was the one. I remembered her. She had one big-ass mouth. I’d never even fucked her. She’d just sucked me off. I could close my eyes and pretend.
I reached down and grabbed her hand. “I think that sounds like a real good idea.”
She smiled up at me as I led her through the crowd. I couldn’t take her upstairs. It felt wrong. We were going to the bathroom. This wouldn’t take long. Not with the image I had locked away from the dirty dreams I’d been having of Amanda.
Amanda
My feet hurt from these heels I’d been determined to wear. Jason was a great dancer, and he had made me forget other things and laugh. Willow and Marcus were cuddled up with each other at the corner of the dance floor, talking. I loved seeing them like that. I wouldn’t go interrupt them to tell them bye. I’d more than likely see Marcus tomorrow anyway.
“This was so much fun,” Sadie said as she and Jax walked up to us. They had danced most of the night too. Someone came up and asked for Jax’s autograph, and I heard Jason sigh. It had eased up earlier, but I guess now that we looked like we were leaving, people were anxious to get close to him before he was gone.
“Yeah, it was. I haven’t had this much fun dancing in a long time,” Jason agreed. I could feel his eyes on me, and I glanced up at him and returned his smile. I’d been really good about not worrying if Preston was asleep in my room or if he was back at the party. But now we were about to walk back through the condo, and I was concerned about what I might find.
“We’ve got a day of packing tomorrow, or I’d say we should stay and close the place down,” Sadie said in a wistful tone. I knew she was excited about moving close to Jax.
“I’m ready to get out of these heels anyway,” I assured her. I was more than ready to go home.
“Let’s go,” Jax said as he handed the picture he had just signed back to the guest.
Jason and I led the way down the candlelit path leading back to the condo from the beach. His hand held mine and it was nice.
When we reached the doors to the condo, I took a deep breath, hoping I wouldn’t see Preston. Praying he was asleep.
The party was still going strong inside the condo too. I spoke to several people as we passed by, and waved at those too far away. Just before we reached the front door, I saw in the corner of the room the shaggy blond hair that was impossible to miss. His back was to everyone else, and from the hands on his shoulders I could tell he had someone in front of him backed into that corner. My stomach twisted, and I tightened my hold on Jason’s hand, then picked up speed. Getting out of here was suddenly very important. I didn’t want that image in my head.
Just as I was about to turn my head away, Preston glanced back over his shoulder and our eyes met. The glassy look in his eyes was one that I was all too familiar with. His attention shifted from me to Jason, and then he winked at me. What was he doing?
I glared at him in return and opened the door, then stepped outside. He was such a jerk. A stupid, sexy, hard-to-get-over jerk.
The ringing of the telephone woke me up. Rubbing my eyes, I rolled over and reached for the cordless phone beside my bed. Mom had to be gone somewhere. She rarely let the phone ring more than three times.
“Hello.”
“Hey, you still sleeping?” Marcus asked on the other end of the phone.
“Yeah.”
“Wake up, sleepyhead. It’s after ten.”
“Mmm-hmm, whatya want?” My eyes were still heavy. I’d been up all night talking to Sadie. She’d left early this morning for LA. It would be months before I saw her again.
“I need a favor. I hate to ask you, but I don’t know who else to call.”
Sitting up, I covered my yawn. “Okay, I’m listening.”
“I know you aren’t crazy about Preston after what he did at the party, but he’s my best friend, and I need your help.”
My eyes snapped open wide, and I slung my legs over the side of the bed. I was instantly alert.
“Yeah,” I replied, wanting him to get on with it.
“He is passed out on my sofa. He showed up at our apartment late last night and said he was a bastard and a few other things, then walked over and curled up on the sofa and went to sleep. Anyway, Low is gone to get Larissa, and I’m at work. Can you go over there and get him up and gone? I don’t want Low to have to deal with him. She’ll have Larissa, and, well, you are probably going to have to throw water on him and help him get home. She can’t do all that and take care of Larissa, too. I tried waking him up before I left, but he wouldn’t budge and I was running late.”
Explaining to my brother the reasons why I didn’t want to do this would be bad. That was a secret that he’d never know. I would do this for him one last time. That was it, though. After today, I was keeping my distance. I was. I meant it.
“Okay, fine. I’ll get him up and gone.”
“Thanks so much. I owe you one.”
He had no idea.
“Yeah, you do. Bye.”
“Bye.”
I hung up the phone and frowned at it. Going to see Preston was a bad idea. However, I couldn’t leave Willow there to handle him while she had Larissa to take care of.
Larissa was the daughter of Willow’s sister and my father. My dad’s affair with Willow’s sister had almost destroyed Marcus and Willow when they’d found out. It was bad enough that our dad was cheating on our mom, but to find out that he also had another child—it had been really tough to deal with. Willow’s sister was hard to like. For everyone. Including Willow. She’d mistreated Willow for years. But Larissa was innocent in all this.
Willow was like a mother to Larissa. She was little and would want my attention too. I hadn’t seen her in a couple of weeks. I missed her sweet face. I could get rid of Preston, then hang out with Willow and Larissa awhile.
I dialed Willow’s number to let her know I was going to be at their apartment when she got back with Larissa. Once I was done, I got out of bed and decided I’d forgo a shower and just pull my hair up. I didn’t want to impress anyone, anyway.
Chapter Six
Preston
“Get up” followed by a hard slap to my arm broke into my warm, happy dreams. The same sexy voice that had been begging me, “Don’t stop,” was now yelling at me. Shaking my head to clear it, I slowly forced my eyes open.
Amanda was glaring down at me with a glass in her hands. She stuck her hand into the glass, then flicked cold water at my face. What the hell?
“What are you doing?” I croaked out, moving my arm to cover my face from any more attacks.
“Trying to wake you up,” she replied.
She was annoyed and she was gorgeous. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and she was wearing shorts and a T-shirt. No makeup. Nothing. She was perfect. I wanted to stare up at her very perfect body and face, but I was afraid of her tipping the entire glass of water over my head.
“Come on, Preston. Get up,” she begged. I liked that sound. Moving my arm away, I smiled up at her.
“You could always come down here,” I replied, unable to stop myself.
Her eyes flew open and then instantly narrowed. “The only reason I haven’t poured this entire glass of ice water on your head is because Marcus loves this old couch. But I’m about to not care.”
I sat up quickly. As sexy as she looked standing there all pissy, I didn’t want ice water thrown at me. “I’m up, sweetheart. Why don’t you put that glass down?”
“Good. Now get on your shirt and leave. I saw your Jeep downstairs. You don’t need a ride. Bye,” she replied, then spun around. Her cute little ass was barely covered by those cutoff jean shorts. I was weak, and I’d just been woken up by the star of my very naughty dream. I jumped up and wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her back against my chest. Mmmm, she felt real good.
“What . . . what are you doing?” she asked in a flustered tone.
“I’m sorry.”
I hadn’t realized I was going to apologize. I didn’t need to apologize, dammit—I needed her to hate me. But she smelled so good and her bottom was pressing back against my morning hard-on, and I couldn’t let her go without making sure she didn’t hate me for being an ass the other day.
“Why?” she asked in a cautious tone.
“I was an asshole the other day. I shouldn’t have talked to you that way. I don’t want you to be so angry at me. I was having a bad day, and I took it out on you. I’m so sorry.” I was the one begging now.
She let out a heavy sigh, and her chest rose and fell under her snug-fitting T-shirt.
“Those titties are actually real nice. They’re real, and I’m betting they’re soft and feel like fucking heaven.” Shit, why’d I say that?
Amanda stiffened in my arms. I should let go of her and move away. It was the right thing to do. I’d apologized, and we needed to leave it at that. I was in her brother’s apartment. I had an appointment with a client in three hours. Amanda was too sweet for me to touch.
“Okay,” she said in a whisper.
I could slide my hands up her stomach and cup her tits right now. She was going all relaxed in my arms. Leaning in to me. Ah, so good.
NO!
I dropped my hands and stepped back. Amanda’s posture went stiff. She didn’t look back at me. I stood there trying to think of something to say, but nothing came to me.
“Get on your shirt and leave. Willow and Larissa are on their way back. Marcus wanted you gone before they got here,” she said in a flat voice before walking away. I watched her until she walked into the guest bedroom and closed the door behind her.
I sank back down on the couch and dropped my head into my hands. Why did I keep doing this? I had to remember she was off-limits. Why did she have to come to me so easily? Didn’t she know better than to get close to boys like me? She didn’t need to let me touch her—she needed to fight me off. But, damn, knowing she would welcome my touch was driving me fucking insane.
I looked around the room for my shirt and found it folded on the end of the sofa. Willow must have done that. I slipped it on, then felt in my pockets for my phone and my keys. Only my phone was there. My keys were probably in the Jeep. I should just go. Not say anything. Just go. She was right to hide from me.
I moved my feet to walk to the door and ended up heading for the room that Amanda had gone into. I just couldn’t leave it like this.
“Manda,” I called out, and knocked once before opening the door.
She was sitting on the bed with her legs folded up underneath her, staring out the window. She didn’t turn and look back at me.
“I’m sorry,” I said, stepping into the room.
She shrugged and kept her gaze fixed on the window looking out over the water.
“Are you not going to talk to me now?” I asked, taking a few more steps closer to the bed.
“Our conversations don’t typically end well,” she replied.
And that was all my fault.
“I know.”
She didn’t respond right away. I watched her as she sat there. The late-morning sun was shining through the window, making her already perfect face look even more angelic. How did I always mange to hurt her? She didn’t deserve to be hurt. Her dad had ripped her world apart this past year. She needed friends. People who would love her and not continually hurt her. Why couldn’t I do that?