Dirty Secret: A Bad Boy Romance (Bluefield Bad Boys Book 3) (11 page)

Chapter 25

Lenix

Dawson made sure that his sister’s creepy friend left without further trouble. Then we slipped into his room for some of our favorite beach activity. It was an activity that we were definitely not going to get bored of anytime soon.

The sunlight streaming in and the gnawing ache to have Dawson again had woken me from a luxurious nap. I had never been with anyone like him. I couldn’t stop thinking about his hands and mouth on me. Even with the tenderness between my legs from the last two hours of wall banging sex, I wanted more.

His dark lashes fluttered as he slept. The room was warm from the afternoon heat. I slipped out of his bed, grabbed my beach bag and walked into his bathroom. I turned on the shower, deciding to freshen up before we started again. At least I hoped we’d be starting again.

The warm water cascaded over my head and down my naked breasts, streaming straight down to my pussy. I reached for the soap and when I straightened, I startled at seeing Dawson’s tall figure through the semi-sheer shower curtain. He pushed aside the curtain and leaned his arm up on the tile edge of the shower.

“Don’t let me interrupt. I’m just here to watch.”

The idea of having him watch me in the shower sent an instant pulse between my legs. I rubbed soap on my body, taking extra care to rub my breasts with the lather. His eyes followed my hands as I smoothed the soap over my pussy.

“Fuck,” his deep growl rolled off the tile as he yanked open the curtain and stepped inside. My soapy skin slid against his as the water produced a fragrant cloud of steam around us. I kissed him urgently, wanting him again so badly that I was nearly in tears with the thought of it.

“Dawson, I want all of you. I want everything and anything when it comes to you. I can’t get enough of you.”

“Fucking hell, Pixie, you don’t know what you’ve done to me. Can’t even fucking think straight. Tell me what you want. Tell me what you need. I’ll do anything just to hear you cry out my name.”

I rubbed my hand along his hard stomach muscles and gripped his cock. It was hard and hot in my hand. I knew I was ready to take it to the next level. I stepped out of the shower and reached inside my beach bag for the bottle of baby oil I’d dropped in it. Dawson watched with heated interest as I lifted his hand and put the bottle in his palm. Then I turned to the tile wall of the shower. Water sprayed my back and the warm mist swirled around us. I pressed my hands against the wall and jutted my ass out.

“I want it all, Dawson. I want you everywhere.”

His massive chest rose and fell as his eyes drifted to my ass. The water ran over the ink on his skin and it blurred into a mosaic of black lines. I was lightheaded with wanting Dawson taking control of me in the shower.

He moved behind me. The heat from his body was far more intense than the water spraying down on us. I heard the cap on the oil click open, and the thick liquid ran down the crack of my ass and into the puckered hole, the hole I’d just invited Dawson to penetrate. I pressed my hands hard against the tile and braced myself as his hands took hold of me, one holding me in place and the other reaching down between my legs to tend to my pussy.

I tightened against him at first, but as his fingers massaged my clit and pussy, I relaxed and he pushed his cock inside. “Fuuck,” he groaned.

With his massive body leaned against me and his hands and cock inside of me, I shuddered with the intensity of it all, barely able to keep my legs underneath me. I felt my pussy and my entire body tightening.

It took only minutes to bring me to climax. “Yes, fuck yes, Dawson!”

His warm breath caressed my back as he pushed into me one last time. I felt his body stiffen behind me and he came.

My hands slid down the tile wall. He smacked off the water, lifted me into his arms and carried me out of the shower. I could barely see straight and the room was spinning as he propped me up on the vanity. He grabbed a towel off the rack and stood dripping wet in front of me as he tenderly dried me off.

I reached up and pushed his wet hair behind his ear. “It’s a good look for you. Wet, that is. Not that you need any help because every look is pretty damn good.” I sensed that what we’d just done, what I’d just asked him to do had taken everything to a new level. We weren’t just having a vacation fling, we were connected intimately, body and soul.

His dark lashes were beaded with water as he focused on drying me.

I reached up and pressed my hand against his face. “You should have been in my life long ago, Dawson. I’m pissed I’ve missed so much time with you.” My chest felt heavy as I said the words. My life made relationships hard, nearly impossible, and I’d missed this type of connection. Even with Brick, who I now considered a best friend, I’d never felt this much attachment. It felt now as if none of it mattered, the band, our success, the concerts, none of it mattered but the man standing in front of me.

Dawson didn’t say a word. He didn’t need to. The reality was clear as if it was written up in thought bubbles above our heads. We lived very different lives and after this, he’d go back to his and I’d go back to mine.

He lifted me into his arms and carried me back to the bed. He lowered me onto the mattress and climbed in after me. My phone rang just as he dragged the covers up over us. I ignored it, not wanting to leave the warmth of Dawson’s body. Then it rang again.

Begrudgingly, I climbed out from under the covers and walked over to my phone on the table. It was Duff. “Better be some kind of a big emergency,” I said.

“We need you to come back here. The band is going to have a meeting.”

I grunted. “Why another meeting? Tell Graham to ease up on the damn meetings.”

“This is without Graham. He went out to meet with some business acquaintances. Gives us an opportunity to talk without him. I think you’re going to want to be part of this one, Lennie.” There was a serious, almost grim, edge to his tone that made it clear I needed to get back to the beach house.

“Fine. I’ll be right there.”

Chapter 26

Dawson

Since Lenix had gotten called to a meeting, I decided to walk over and see how Megan was doing. I had a feeling she’d end up just being pissed at me about the whole thing. I met Aubrey just as she was walking out.

“Oh, I was just coming over to see you.”

“How’s Meg?”

She glanced back into the room but then stepped out and shut the door. “She’s been crying off and on. But to be honest, I think she’s sort of relieved. She told me there had been one or more incidences where she worried that Wyatt might become abusive. Better that she dropped him before things got ugly. It’s good you were there.”

“But what about when I’m not there? You work with the asshole.”

“Wyatt is top dog at the real estate firm. He’s not going to do anything to jeopardize that. We’ll be fine.” She patted my arm. “But Megan wants to drive back home tonight. Our apartment is just sixty miles away. She’s no longer in the vacation mode. I know you’ve got a few days before your plane leaves. I’d ask you to come home with us for those few days, but I know you’d go stir crazy in our apartment.” She paused and held back a big grin. “And then there’s this thing with Lenix Harlow. Holy moly, Dawson, when the heck did you meet her? And how the hell did someone like
you
end up seeing someone like
her
?”

“Thanks for your vote of confidence. We met on the plane. Actually, we met at the airport. Still trying to figure out how the hell it happened. But yeah, I think I’ll be sticking it out here for the last of my vacation. I’ll take a bus back to the airport.”

Aubrey shook her head. “My gosh, wait till they hear back home. Have you told anyone?”

“Nah. I think we’re kind of supposed to keep things under wraps. Her personal life gets too much attention as it is. We’re just having a good time getting to know each other.”

“I’ll bet.” She thumped me on the upper arm as if we were old beer drinking buddies. “You dawg, Dawz.”

“Cute. Hey, do you have any more food in there?” I patted my stomach and winked. “Worked up an appetite.”

“Ooh, yuck, as always—no details. Come on in. You can have the other half of my sandwich. But I’ll warn you, it’s on one of those healthy wheat rolls.”

Chapter 27

Lenix

I walked into the beach house. Axel was watching television. He pointed up the stairs without pulling his gaze from the screen. I headed up the steps and heard the guys talking in Brick’s bedroom.

I knocked. “It’s me.”

“Come in, Len, and shut the door.” Duff was still using that same steely tone, not unusual for Duff, but this one had a sharper edge. Something was up. I just hoped it didn’t have to do with me. I always seemed to be at the center of the meeting topics.

Rex and Brick were sitting on the edge of the bed, and Duff was across from them in a chair. I sat down on the second chair.

“Jeez, you guys look as if someone stole your bag of marbles. What’s up?”

Duff leaned forward and rested his forearms on his thighs. “We decided to meet because Graham had a business appointment in Los Angeles. It gives us a chance to talk without him hanging around. And Axel’s cool. He won’t mention the meeting. First of all, Rushton has been hyper-booking concerts for us all over the world. Looks like we’re spending winter in Europe. He doesn’t consult any of us at all anymore. He’s basically holding his thumb down on you, Lennie, as if he owns you.”

“You’re telling me everything that I already know. Now you guys are speaking up because he’s not here. Where were you last week when you were all pretending like I was the only person unhappy with the grueling schedule?”

Duff scrubbed his hair with his fingers. “We probably should have stuck up for you more. Our bad. But something new has come to our attention. Something that could eventually sever our ties with Rushton altogether.”

“Yeah, he’s been ripping us off,” Rex said angrily.

“What?” I looked at Duff. “How?”

“Boscoe, the accountant called me. He said he is worried that Rushton is siphoning money off the top, money that belongs to the band. He was supposed to be investing it in real estate and stocks, but Boscoe has some evidence that Graham’s been taking some cream off the top.”

“Is this for certain?”

Duff shook his head. “No, but Boscoe is looking into it. We’ll need evidence but—”

“We need to fire him,” Brick said sharply. “We need a new manager. We need to give Rushton the axe.”

It took me a second to find my voice, then it came out dry and shaky. “Maybe we’re being too rash about this. We don’t even know if he’s done anything wrong.”

Duff leaned back in the chair and looked at me. “Thought you’d be jumping around the room in a happy dance, Lennie. Instead you look a little freaked out. What the hell?”

“I’m not freaked. I’ll be relieved to see him go. It’s just—”

“Just what?” Brick asked. “Why does he have such a hold on you?”

Tears fell. None of the tears were for Graham, but the guys seemed to believe they were and I let them. For now. I’d never been honest with them, my only real friends and family. I’d never told them any details about the life I’d come from.

I stared down at my hands, which were now trembling. “You guys all have family. I have you guys and Graham and the big guy downstairs. And that’s it. It’ll just take some time to get used to the idea. Just give me some time.”

Rex leaned back on his elbows. “Not the reaction I expected.” 

I got up. Suddenly, I needed to get out in the fresh air to clear my head and decide what to do. I knew I was going to have to work up the courage to tell the guys. If they fired Graham, the story, my dirty secret, would be in every headline.

“I’m going for a walk. I need to get my thoughts straight.” I headed quickly toward the door.

“Your thoughts straight or your panties?” Brick asked.

I turned around.

Brick crossed his arms importantly. “We all know you’ve been sneaking around with that guy from the airplane. Did you have that whole rendezvous planned, or did you just decide picking up some random guy on an airplane would be a wise decision?”

“This coming from the man who invites girls up to his room after a concert before even knowing how old they are,” I shot back.

“Yeah, Brick, shut up,” Duff snapped. “Lennie, go ahead and take your walk. If what the accountant suspects is true, then Graham is gone no matter what your
thoughts
are.”

I nodded and walked out. Axel looked up. “Where are you going?”

“On a walk.
Alone
,” I added before shutting the door behind me.

The late afternoon sky was dotted with puffy clouds. Most of the beach was empty. I walked onto the path and saw Jergen, the odd, little man, who followed me around with his camera like an annoying insect. Even on a news day like today, when everyone else had boarded planes to the east coast to cover the Hangar Four story, little Jergen was still there waiting to get a glimpse of Lenix Harlow. In truth, I felt sort of sorry for the man. He always looked nervous and underfed and ready to jump out of his skin. He’d seen me step onto the path and made a silly and pathetic dash around the corner of a house so that I wouldn’t see him.

I tried to hold back a smile and pretend to be completely unaware of him as I strolled past.

Today’s news about Graham changed everything. It seemed certain that the guys were ready to cut ties with him. Once he no longer had to worry about the band’s success, he would quickly sell my story to the tabloid or entertainment show with the most lucrative offer.

I had to stop him. I needed to get a jump on the whole thing. Then we could fire Graham and move on with our careers. It would be up to the fans to decide if it mattered or not. It wouldn’t be easy telling the guys or telling Dawson, which I would have to do and soon. I wouldn’t want him to read it in a paper. With the horrible murder that had happened this week, my story would hopefully just be a blip on the entertainment radar. It was the right time for it.

I looked back. Jergen’s eyes popped open, and he slipped behind the house again. I turned and walked toward him. When he saw me coming, he started to scurry away.

“Hey, Jergen, wait. I just want to talk to you.”

He froze and turned around, holding his camera tightly as if I might snatch it away and break it. He was younger up close, with a tuft of red hair that matched mine in color. His nose had gotten a bad sunburn from hanging out on the beach.

I put out my hand. “Lenix Harlow, nice to finally talk to you.”

He stared nervously down at my hand, apparently trying to decide if my handshake was a trick. Reluctantly, he took my hand. For a man who had been watching me from behind a camera lens for a long time, he had a heck of a time looking me in the eye. I supposed he was waiting for me to chew him out.

“Would you mind walking with me, Jergen? Or what should I call you?”

“Parker,” he said quickly. “That’s my first name.”

“Great, and you can call me Lennie. That’s what friends call me, and we’ve been together for so long, I think we fall in the friend category.”

He nodded. It was easy to see that he was holding back a grin, only it was edged with a lot of nerves. He was, no doubt, still trying to figure out my motives.

“Parker, now from what I know about you, you are a freelance photographer but you write too. Is that right?”

“Yes, when I can get a scoop on something that interests the entertainment news world, then I write the article. Unfortunately, those scoops don’t come too easily for a freelancer like myself. Still trying to prove myself, I guess.”

“Well, Parker, I think I’ve got a scoop for you. It’ll be an exclusive story, so, if done right, this will be a chance to prove yourself.”

His eyes flickered with uncertainty. He glanced around as if he was still waiting for Axel to lumber out from behind a house and smash his camera.

“This is no joke, Parker. Are you up for it?”

He swallowed hard and clutched his camera in his hand. “Yes.”

“Great. Do you have a laptop nearby?”

“In my car.”

“Perfect. Let’s get started.”