Double Time
Page 12
Trey’s mouth moved to her ear. “I want you,” he whispered.
A shiver of pure delight snaked down Reagan’s spine, and she shuddered with complete surrender.
God, yes, take me you sexy, sexy man. Right here. Right now. Any way I can have you. I want you too.
“Trey, we need to talk to your latest conquest for a moment,” Dare said. “Do you mind?” He waved at the open door in get-the-hell-out-of-here-twerp fashion.
Latest conquest? Could a man who made her feel this special be a player? She realized that’s exactly what made Trey a good player. She was so going to get her heart broken. And while that realization totally sucked, she’d deal with it when the time came. There was no way she was shying away from that opportunity. Or that man.
“I’ll meet you in the hot tub,” Trey said to Reagan.
Probably not a good idea, but she had lost their duel. Might not have if he hadn’t touched her. Kissed her. Drove her to utter distraction. Thank God he had. Otherwise they might be heading off to the skate park. Yeah, not exactly her best idea.
“I’ll be there in a bit,” she said, her heart thudding in anticipation.
Trey moved from her loose hold and slid past the congregated members of Exodus End. Reagan’s face flamed. Again. They’d all been watching that. What must they think of her?
“We talked,” Dare said.
They all looked so serious. Reagan swallowed. Here it comes. Dreams smashed against the rocks.
“We want to sign you for the upcoming concert season,” Max said. “The first half of the tour is US. The second half is world. We leave in three weeks. Can you get your shit, um… stuff, in order before then?”
“Of course!” she gushed.
“Awesome,” Max said. His welcoming smile faded. “We do have a few concerns.”
“Concerns?”
“First, you’re a woman.”
She lifted a brow at him. “Last time I checked. Is that a problem?”
“Potentially,” Max said. “Things happen on tours that might offend you.”
She snorted with laughter. “I am unoffendable, Max. Trust me on that.”
“We’re guys,” Logan said. “We’re not used to having to behave ourselves.”
“Why would you have to behave yourselves?” Reagan asked.
“You’re a woman,” Steve said.
“I think we’ve already agreed on that point.”
“We don’t want you to get freaked out and leave in the middle of the tour,” Dare said.
“No chance.”
“You’ll undoubtedly see things…”
“I get it. You guys party. You f**k sluts. You cuss and argue. You lose your minds and break shit. Whatever. I can handle it.”
They exchanged glances.
“I can handle it,” she insisted.
“All right, but we’re going to be pissed if you back out on us.”
“I won’t.”
“Our second concern…”
The four of them shifted their gazes to the floor. It must be a pretty big concern to make four balls-of-steel rock stars unable to meet her eyes.
“We all noticed that you are…” Steve murmured.
“Fucking hot,” Logan blurted.
“Yeah, hot,” Max agreed. “But…”
“You need a makeover, sweetheart,” Dare said.
She was f**king hot, but she needed a makeover? She set her jaw to control the anger rising up from her chest. “I see. And if I refuse?”
“You’ll be destroyed by the tabloids.”
“We know you’re in this for the music, Reagan, and so are we, but… we kind of have this reputation of…”
“Looking gorgeous,” Reagan said flatly.
“If you don’t want to be a part of that, it’s okay, just know that you’re going to hear about it,” Max said.
“Remember that time Dare cut his hair?” Logan said. “You would have thought it was a national emergency.”
“I’ll think about it,” Reagan said. If she didn’t get a makeover, she was going to end up the frog in a group of princes. Just freaking wonderful.
“We also think you might need a personal bodyguard,” Steve said. “When our fans see you…” He produced a low growl that made Reagan feel like willing prey.
“A bodyguard?” she managed to say.
“We have security. They’re just not used to keeping too close an eye out for one individual. We wouldn’t want you to get hurt.”
She lowered her chin and gave them all her frostiest look. “Look here, guys. I’m not some delicate flower. I’ve been in my share of mosh pits.”
“We wouldn’t want you to get hurt,” Dare repeated. “It would put our minds at ease.”
She scrubbed her face with both hands knowing she was going to cave. “Fine. I know someone who can guard my body.”
“You know someone?”
“Yeah, my roommate is in security. As overprotective as he is, he’ll totally get off on it.” Having her best friend, Ethan, on tour with her would be fun. He’d help ease her nerves as well as protect her body.
“So you’re signing on with us?”
“Fuck yeah, I am.”
And then she was going to celebrate in a hot tub with Trey Mills.
Chapter 4
Trey leaned back against the edge of the hot tub and closed his eyes. He wondered if Reagan would actually stay true to her word or if she’d back out of their bargain. He couldn’t quite figure her out. It unsettled him a little. He liked it a bit too much.
An excited squeal grew in pitch and volume from the hall in the house. Trey’s eyes snapped open and, through the ballroom windows, he watched Reagan sprint down the hall and into the changing rooms that led to the pool area. She stopped beside the hot tub and shook a piece of paper as if it were a winning lottery ticket. “A one-year contract with chance of renewal,” she yelled.
“Awesome.”
“Money. More money than I could make in ten years.”
“Exodus End is loaded.”
Her gleeful smile faltered. “You don’t care. You don’t even know me.” She pulled out a cell phone and pushed a button before jabbering into it at a million miles a minute. “Ethan. Ethan. Listen. I won the contest and—Yeah, yeah, I won. I just signed a contract with Exodus End. I’m going to be their rhythm guitarist on this year’s tour.” She paused while whoever Ethan was responded. “Yes, you told me so. You can gloat later.” Trey should have known a woman like Reagan would be taken. He started to climb out of the hot tub. Reagan’s eyes widened and she darted around the tub to push him back in. “Stay,” she said.
A shiver of pure delight snaked down Reagan’s spine, and she shuddered with complete surrender.
God, yes, take me you sexy, sexy man. Right here. Right now. Any way I can have you. I want you too.
“Trey, we need to talk to your latest conquest for a moment,” Dare said. “Do you mind?” He waved at the open door in get-the-hell-out-of-here-twerp fashion.
Latest conquest? Could a man who made her feel this special be a player? She realized that’s exactly what made Trey a good player. She was so going to get her heart broken. And while that realization totally sucked, she’d deal with it when the time came. There was no way she was shying away from that opportunity. Or that man.
“I’ll meet you in the hot tub,” Trey said to Reagan.
Probably not a good idea, but she had lost their duel. Might not have if he hadn’t touched her. Kissed her. Drove her to utter distraction. Thank God he had. Otherwise they might be heading off to the skate park. Yeah, not exactly her best idea.
“I’ll be there in a bit,” she said, her heart thudding in anticipation.
Trey moved from her loose hold and slid past the congregated members of Exodus End. Reagan’s face flamed. Again. They’d all been watching that. What must they think of her?
“We talked,” Dare said.
They all looked so serious. Reagan swallowed. Here it comes. Dreams smashed against the rocks.
“We want to sign you for the upcoming concert season,” Max said. “The first half of the tour is US. The second half is world. We leave in three weeks. Can you get your shit, um… stuff, in order before then?”
“Of course!” she gushed.
“Awesome,” Max said. His welcoming smile faded. “We do have a few concerns.”
“Concerns?”
“First, you’re a woman.”
She lifted a brow at him. “Last time I checked. Is that a problem?”
“Potentially,” Max said. “Things happen on tours that might offend you.”
She snorted with laughter. “I am unoffendable, Max. Trust me on that.”
“We’re guys,” Logan said. “We’re not used to having to behave ourselves.”
“Why would you have to behave yourselves?” Reagan asked.
“You’re a woman,” Steve said.
“I think we’ve already agreed on that point.”
“We don’t want you to get freaked out and leave in the middle of the tour,” Dare said.
“No chance.”
“You’ll undoubtedly see things…”
“I get it. You guys party. You f**k sluts. You cuss and argue. You lose your minds and break shit. Whatever. I can handle it.”
They exchanged glances.
“I can handle it,” she insisted.
“All right, but we’re going to be pissed if you back out on us.”
“I won’t.”
“Our second concern…”
The four of them shifted their gazes to the floor. It must be a pretty big concern to make four balls-of-steel rock stars unable to meet her eyes.
“We all noticed that you are…” Steve murmured.
“Fucking hot,” Logan blurted.
“Yeah, hot,” Max agreed. “But…”
“You need a makeover, sweetheart,” Dare said.
She was f**king hot, but she needed a makeover? She set her jaw to control the anger rising up from her chest. “I see. And if I refuse?”
“You’ll be destroyed by the tabloids.”
“We know you’re in this for the music, Reagan, and so are we, but… we kind of have this reputation of…”
“Looking gorgeous,” Reagan said flatly.
“If you don’t want to be a part of that, it’s okay, just know that you’re going to hear about it,” Max said.
“Remember that time Dare cut his hair?” Logan said. “You would have thought it was a national emergency.”
“I’ll think about it,” Reagan said. If she didn’t get a makeover, she was going to end up the frog in a group of princes. Just freaking wonderful.
“We also think you might need a personal bodyguard,” Steve said. “When our fans see you…” He produced a low growl that made Reagan feel like willing prey.
“A bodyguard?” she managed to say.
“We have security. They’re just not used to keeping too close an eye out for one individual. We wouldn’t want you to get hurt.”
She lowered her chin and gave them all her frostiest look. “Look here, guys. I’m not some delicate flower. I’ve been in my share of mosh pits.”
“We wouldn’t want you to get hurt,” Dare repeated. “It would put our minds at ease.”
She scrubbed her face with both hands knowing she was going to cave. “Fine. I know someone who can guard my body.”
“You know someone?”
“Yeah, my roommate is in security. As overprotective as he is, he’ll totally get off on it.” Having her best friend, Ethan, on tour with her would be fun. He’d help ease her nerves as well as protect her body.
“So you’re signing on with us?”
“Fuck yeah, I am.”
And then she was going to celebrate in a hot tub with Trey Mills.
Chapter 4
Trey leaned back against the edge of the hot tub and closed his eyes. He wondered if Reagan would actually stay true to her word or if she’d back out of their bargain. He couldn’t quite figure her out. It unsettled him a little. He liked it a bit too much.
An excited squeal grew in pitch and volume from the hall in the house. Trey’s eyes snapped open and, through the ballroom windows, he watched Reagan sprint down the hall and into the changing rooms that led to the pool area. She stopped beside the hot tub and shook a piece of paper as if it were a winning lottery ticket. “A one-year contract with chance of renewal,” she yelled.
“Awesome.”
“Money. More money than I could make in ten years.”
“Exodus End is loaded.”
Her gleeful smile faltered. “You don’t care. You don’t even know me.” She pulled out a cell phone and pushed a button before jabbering into it at a million miles a minute. “Ethan. Ethan. Listen. I won the contest and—Yeah, yeah, I won. I just signed a contract with Exodus End. I’m going to be their rhythm guitarist on this year’s tour.” She paused while whoever Ethan was responded. “Yes, you told me so. You can gloat later.” Trey should have known a woman like Reagan would be taken. He started to climb out of the hot tub. Reagan’s eyes widened and she darted around the tub to push him back in. “Stay,” she said.
