“He’s a smart man. He’ll do his time and come out the other side fine.”
“Well, that’s great for him.” She stares at me for several beats. “I need you.”
“I’ll always make sure you’re taken care of. My father and the club will take care of you. No matter what.”
“That’s nice but it’s not the same.” Her voice catches. “I need you with me.”
This was the wrong time and place to initiate this particular conversation. It needs to happen in the future, for sure. But not now. “It doesn’t matter. Right now, I’m just a rock star getting into regular rock star trouble.”
“Hmm.” She yanks a towel off the rack behind us and wraps it around her. “Go call your dad.”
I run my gaze over her damp legs. “I wasn’t finished with you.”
She whips another towel of the rack and whaps me with it. “Call your dad.”
Mallory
While Chaser’s on the phone with his father, I dry off and slip into a clean T-shirt.
The phone in the other living room seems to be a separate line, so I call my agent.
“Mallory! What have you gotten yourself into?”
“What are you talking about?”
“There are a bunch of reports about your boyfriend shooting someone over a fight about you. What the hell is going on?”
“That’s so stupid. Chaser was cleared. None of it had anything to do with me.”
She’s quiet but I can hear her fidgety nails tapping away at something on the other end of the line. “All right. I’ll get someone on it. Squash those stories. We don’t want your role on Shallow End jeopardized. You know they fancy themselves a family show.”
“With the amount of cleavage and bouncing boobs showcased every week, how can anyone say that with a straight face?”
She ignores my critique of the show. “When are you back in town?”
“Tomorrow. I need to be on set for the table read Tuesday.”
“Hmmm.” I can clearly picture her beating one of her many green and yellow pencils against her scarred desk. “I have an opportunity I want to discuss with you.”
“What kind of opportunity?”
“It’ll be easier to explain in person. It’s lucrative though.”
“As long as it’s not porn.”
“Not porn.”
“I’ll call you when I get in, Marilyn.
“Just stop by.”
“Okay.” I hang up without another word and suffer no guilt. She’s not usually big on goodbyes anyway.
From the other room, I make out Chaser’s deep voice. Still on the phone with his father.
Chaser’s on the edge of the bed, murmuring noises of agreement every few seconds. Deep into his conversation with his father, he only nods at me as I crawl into bed behind him. I rest my hands on his shoulders and knead my fingers into his muscles for a few seconds.
Without turning around, he reaches up and pats my hand. I’m probably being more annoying than helpful and I don’t want him to cut his call short.
Exhaustion hits me and I stretch out on the bed, keeping my back to his. His rough hand skates up and down my leg. It’s a soothing gesture. Between his touch and his low, rumbling voice, I end up falling asleep.
Chaser
“You feel like spending time in jail, I got plenty of stuff you can do for the club.” My father’s gruff voice can’t hide his concern.
“Trust me, it wasn’t how I planned to spend my night.”
“Mallory okay? She was pretty freaked out when she called but she handled it well.”
“She’s fine. I’m so fucking pissed. She has to fly back to L.A. tomorrow. Not how I wanted our visit to go.”
“I’m sure,” he answers in a dry tone. “Jesus Christ, the story was all over MTV. Half the girls were in the clubhouse crying their eyes out.”
“For fuck’s sake. The band needs the publicity but not like that.”
“Who is this stupid son of a bitch?”
“Jacob’s our singer.”
“No, the other one.”
“Andrew’s the drummer for the headlining band.”
“Does he have something going on with Mallory?” he asks in a sharp tone I don’t care for.
“No. Fuck no.” Guess the love triangle theory my lawyer warned me about reached my father’s insulated bubble of indifference to pop culture.
“Just what the news guy said.”
“It’s bullshit.” Is it though? Andrew’s always been way too interested in Mallory for my taste. Then again, I pretty much want to murder any man who looks at her for more than two seconds. Still, I can’t deny his interest in her is more than his usual disgusting admiration of the general female population. None of that matters since I’m not the one who shot Andrew. And we haven’t fought over Mallory. Not yet, anyway.
By the time we end our call, Mallory’s softly snoring behind me. I toss my towel on the chair in the corner and shift Mallory into the center of the big king bed, then crawl in next to her.
“How’s your dad?” she murmurs.
I pull her into my arms and kiss her temple. “He’s fine.”
“Are you—”
“Shh, go back to sleep. I wanna cuddle with you.”
Sleepy laughter. “Cuddle, huh?”
The last twenty-four hours punch me in the face as soon as I settle down next to her and close my eyes.
Mallory
The air conditioning clicks on and a cool breeze tickles over my shoulder.
I blink my eyes open and stare into the shadowy room. Hotel room.
Everything rushes back and I flip over, seeking Chaser. Scared getting him out of jail was just a dream.
But he’s safe. Sound asleep. On his back. One arm flung to the side, the other resting on his chest.
My gaze travels lower.
No wonder I was cold.
The sheet’s functioning as a tent instead of a cover.
Reaching over, I wrap my fingers around Chaser’s erection, quickly glancing up to see if he’s awake. His chest continues to rise and fall.
Two different impulses strike me. To softly stroke and run my tongue along his length. Or to straddle his hips and lower myself onto his waiting cock.
Taste wins. I drag my tongue down his shaft, from crown to base and back before closing my mouth over the tip.
He awakens with a gasp and groan. The rough pad of his thumb strokes my cheek, encouraging me to run my hand up and down before taking him as deep as possible.
“Ohhh, fuck. This is the best way to wake up.” He lifts his hips and his head falls back against the pillow.
His cock hits the back of my throat and he groans. “Fuck, yeah. Like that.”
I run my hands over his thighs, lightly scratching my nails against his skin and he shivers.
“Baby, come here,” he urges. “I want to come in your snug little pussy.”
I release him with a pop of my lips but continue stroking my hand up and down his length. “I know for a fact you’re capable of doing both.”
“I need to be buried inside you.” He curls his fingers around mine and urges me up.
I lift my hips, positioning him and sink down, taking him inch by inch. He gives me a few seconds to adjust before curling his big hands around my waist. I wrap my fingers around his arms, leaning in and working him in and out. Hitting the perfect spot. My legs tremble. Tension builds inside me, ready to snap.
“That’s it,” he encourages.
“Oh,” I gasp. “I’m—”
He lifts his hips. “Yeah, you are.”
Pleasure fires through me and I dig my fingers into his arms.
He takes over, rocking my hips back and forth, helping me ride it out. “That’s my girl,” he whispers, dragging me down for a kiss.
When I finally open my eyes, he flashes a wicked grin. “My turn.”