Bayou Stix Series: Bayou Stix Limited Edition Box Set (89 page)

He does what he wants and leaves a trail of broken hearts in his path. I don’t want Clove around him. I know that I can trust her. But I don’t trust
him
.

Dammit! Of course right when you decide to have feelings for someone, its Dade’s scrumptious little sister and on top of that she can cook and a damn movie star wants to hire her. It’s ok. Even if she takes the job… she’s just going to cook for him.

If she gets the job, I’m going to have a talk with Mr. James Black… he’s going to know that she’s off limits.

I’m absolutely not jealous. Nothing to be jealous about, she’s wanted me for years, she said so, and now she has me, but him… no, he is not to be trusted.

I hear Dade’s Hummer in the drive and race to the media room. No sense in making it obvious I’ve been waiting for her to get back. I turn on the TV and kick back on the couch as I ruffle my hair just as the door opens. It takes her awhile to make it back here and I’m starting to wonder if she’s coming to find me.

Just as I’m about to turn into a total girl and start stressing, I hear her footsteps in the hallway. She pokes her head into the room and as I glance up and meet her eyes, I can’t help but smile. She smiles back and crosses the room to meet me.

She settles onto the couch next to me, but leaves half a cushion between us. As she glances over at me, I make it a point to look at the space between us. She blushes.

“Why are you over there? Do I smell bad?” I tease.

Her nose wrinkles and she sniffs the air. “No, not as far as I can tell. Have you showered today?”

Lifting my brow, I stare at her as I respond with, “Nope. I had this delicious treat this morning and I’ve wanted to keep the smell on me all day long.”

Her face turns crimson and she coughs in her embarrassment.

“Oh my…” She mutters as her face turns redder and redder and she covers it with her hands.

Grabbing her hands, I pull her over to me and once she’s there, I pull her onto my lap. She is still blushing but she sighs and seems to settle onto me. Glancing at me through her lashes, she says, “Hi.”

Grinning, I say, “Hi.”

She surprises me, by wrapping her arms around my neck and leaning into me. As she gets to my neck, she just leans in and breathes in my scent.

My heart pangs.

I wrap my arms around her waist without a conscious thought. We sit like this for a long time. It feels so… nice. It’s comfortable and she just… fits.

After a bit, she leans back and looks at me. “What did you do today?”

Laughing, I reply. “Nothing. I made some calls and spoke to our manager about the tour. My day was boring. How was your interview?”

My body tenses as I wait for her response. I don’t realize until right this second how important her answer is to me.

She chuckles. “It was awesome. He offered me a six month contract. Seventy thousand dollars for six days a week.”

My back is ramrod straight and I am forcing myself to breathe normally.

Six days a week? She’s going to see him damn near every day for six months?! Well, shit. This fucking sucks. Stop it, Liam. It’s not about you. Don’t be a dick. Say something… FUCK!

“Oh, well of course he did. You are an amazing chef. He’s lucky to have you.” I sound fake.

She looks at me dubiously and smirks. “Stop.” She kisses my nose. “You’re a terrible liar! I didn’t accept it.”

I let out the breath I was holding and mutter, “Oh, thank God!”

She chuckles. “I didn’t accept it… yet.”

Well, fuck me. She’s messing with me. I have to act supportive. Even if I hate it. We just got together. Don’t act like a douchebag, Liam. Son of a bitch. She’s going to work for James Black for six months. Fuck me.

She’s watching my face. I hope she can’t read me. Shit.

She smiles at me and says, “I have two offers actually. Right before I met with James and Hugo, his manager, Bradi and Blue talked with me.” She’s tracing the pattern on my t-shirt as she talks. “Blue wants to start her own blog. Kind of a freelance type of thing. She wants to interview musicians and bands and write music articles and post them online. She already has several magazines and papers wanting to sign on to run her articles.”

I’m trying to follow her. That sounds amazing for Blue. Perfect for her and what a way to give an old “Screw you” to the Jagger’s and Rock Hard Magazine. Stupid assholes never should have fired her for refusing to take her ex-fiancé back after she caught him screwing an intern on the desk in his office. They banished her; forcing her to come on tour with us. That backfired too, since that’s when she and Jessie hooked up. I’m really happy for her. That sounds like a dream, but what does that have to do with Clove?

She keeps talking. “She wants to basically make her blog a one-stop-shop for everything Bayou Stix related. Since she’s also going to have tons of traffic from all of the interviews and articles she’s going to do with anyone and everyone in the industry, she asked me if I’d mind sharing “Rockin’ Recipes” as well. I could cook and take photos. I would have to include the recipes and the photos and I could do it from here or well, from anywhere really. Anywhere I can find a kitchen. People would pay a subscription to enter the site and have access to her articles and my recipes.”

Wait, what? She wouldn’t take the job with James Black and if she does this she can work from here? She could also do it with the baby. That sounds like the perfect job. And with Blue behind it, it’s sure to be a success. She’s the best rock reporter around. Her contacts and friends will keep her hopping. I think that would be perfect for Clove.

Perfect for Clove or perfect for you, Liam? Shut up. Of course for her… ok, maybe for me too. Ugh, I am an asshole.

She’s looking at me expectantly. Did she ask me something? “What do you think?”

Is she asking me my opinion?!

I look at her and ask, “What are you asking me, Clove?”

She chuckles. “I’m not really asking you anything. I’m kind of using you as a sounding board.” She shrugs. “I can usually think things through better when I say them out loud. On the one hand, having ‘Personal Chef to James Black’ on my resume would be amazing, but on the other… this idea of Bradi and Blue’s sounds inspired and I would have total freedom. I could also do it from anywhere and I can still do it once I have the baby. Blue has the funds and she already has people wanting to invest. Bradi is going to set up the website and handle the running of it. She’s great at that stuff anyway…”

I don’t even think she’s talking to me anymore. She’s kind of just talking to herself while she sits on my lap and I pray that she picks Blue and Bradi over James Black.

Finally, after about twenty minutes, she looks at me. “Liam?”

I have been watching her the entire time and the play of emotions on her face is obvious. I already know what she’s chosen just from watching her. I could see it on her face as soon as she made her decision. I respond, “Yeah?”

She smiles at me and says, “You can breathe now.”

What? She can tell I’ve been on edge?

She chuckles. “You’re sitting here as stiff as a board. I’m in your lap, silly. I can feel the tension in your body.”

Did I say that out loud?! Shit!

Leaning in, she kisses my neck, whisper soft. Leaning back and looking into my eyes, she smiles brightly. “I’m going to work with Bradi and Blue.”

Standing up so quickly, she shrieks and grabs ahold of my neck in fear, I spin her around and exclaim. “That is excellent news! I love it! Best news I’ve heard all day. In fact, I think we should celebrate.”

She’s laughing at me. “Gee, show some restraint. Were you really that worried about James Black?!”

Shaking my head, I smile at her. “No. Not really. But I’m glad you picked Blue and Bradi. I think this is an amazing opportunity for all of you.”

She chuckles and mutters, “Uh, huh.” before grabbing my face and planting a kiss on me that makes my knees weak.

We fall back into the couch and she snuggles up against me. We decide to order in and she calls Bradi and Blue to let them know her decision.

I can hear both of their squeals through the phone.

Once she’s done with that call, she decides that she’ll call James’s manager tomorrow and let him know she won’t be taking the job after all.

The delivery guy shows up with our food and we decide to eat in the kitchen. If it was just me, I’d eat in the media room, but Clove wants real plates and the comfort of the kitchen. I shamelessly agree with her choice. She lights a few candles and we sit and eat in the cozy kitchen while we talk.

Talking to her is so natural. I forget that, for the past few years, things have been so awkward with us.

She asks about my call today and I tell her about the arena tour starting up in a couple of months and that Devil’s Lair is going to accompany us on a few stops. I’m really excited about the one in New York in April. New York is one of my favorite cities and we’ve never played at Madison Square Garden before.

Clove tells me she’s never been to New York and before I realize it, I ask her if she’d like to accompany us on the trip. Her face tips me off to her shock at my question. “What? You want me to go to New York with you? In April? Like over two months from now?”

Laughing, I hug her. She’s so refreshing.
Why exactly is she surprised?! Oh wait, because you’ve been a dick to her for five years now, Liam!

“Yeah. If you want to.”

She pulls back and looks at me. She searches my face and I hate that she’s so uncertain of my intentions. It doesn’t make me feel good to know I’m the reason this beautiful woman isn’t sure what to think.

She licks her lips. “I’m going to
look
pregnant then, Liam.”

What? I know that. What the hell?! People who are pregnant generally look pregnant at some point. I’m not following this conversation.

“I know that, Clove. Do you not
want
to come with me?” I sound a little perturbed. I don’t mean to, but is she not wanting to be seen with me or something?!

Her brows draw together and she frowns. “What?” She shakes her head as if to clear it. “No, I do want to come with you. But are you sure you’re going to want me there with
you
?! It’s going to be obvious I’m pregnant by then, Liam.”

I snap out. “I know that. I’m with you. I know you’re pregnant. I don’t care!”

Her face shows her apprehension. “You say that
now
… What’s going to happen when my stomach starts showing and people start saying you’re with me because I’m knocked up? They’re going to think you did it. They’ll think the baby is yours, Liam.”

So fucking what?! I’ll be with her. The baby WILL sort of be mine, right?! I mean I won’t have any like claim to it, it’s not really mine, but I don’t care if people think it is, do I? Calm down, Liam. Why are you getting so worked up!?

I don’t like this. It feels like she’s the one who doesn’t want people to think that, not me.

Taking her hands, I just talk. No thinking, just talking. “Clove, I’m trying to do this right. I’m with you. I’m figuring it out, but I like it. I know that you’re pregnant. I know that. I went into this, knowing that. Honestly, I don’t think I care if people think the baby is mine. You can tell them whatever you want to. No one will disrespect you. I promise you that. And if they do, I’ll handle it.” I sigh and let out my fear. “I’m wondering if you don’t want people to think that… That you might be… That it could be mine.”

Her face is full of astonishment. “You
want
people to think it’s yours?!”

Shrugging, I say, “I don’t know. Maybe. I’m not opposed to it. If they say it, I won’t correct them… unless you want me to that is. I’ll say whatever you want me to, Clove. I’ll protect you.”

She gasps. “He’ll protect me…” She launches herself at me and kisses me with a passion that makes me want to ravish her. We make-out like teenagers for a long time.

Sometime later, she pulls back. “I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow… Do… do you want to come with me?” The vulnerability on her face just from her asking pulls at me.

Grabbing her face and kissing her one time, I mutter against her mouth, “Yeah. I want to come with you.”

She sighs and melts into me and we watch the movie, Footloose, her pick, not mine, until she falls asleep. I pick her up and carry her to my bed. She can sleep with me tonight.

I lie awake for a long time, just looking at her, and memorizing the planes of her face. As I fall asleep, her face is firmly cemented in my head.

Clove

I
wake up and realize a warm arm is around my waist and I’m pulled flush against a firm chest. Smiling, I turn slightly and take in the male perfection that is Liam. God, he’s gorgeous. He’s still asleep, so I’m able to just look my fill and I do.

His brown hair is mussed up in his sleep, his chiseled jaw and cheekbones are relaxed, though they are so perfect they look like they were carved from stone. His jaw has a slight dusting of scruff and it wakes up my body.

Liam told me that he would wait until I was ready for sex. I can’t believe he said that. My body wants it
now.
But my head is saying no, not yet! Looking at the muscles in his chest and abs and watching them ripple as he breathes has my body screaming at my head to shut the hell up.