Drowning (Tears of Sin Series) (5 page)

O
NE OF THE FOUR HOTTIES
from yesterday leans against the hall opposite our door. My run hadn’t done enough to beat down the restless nagging crawling through my gut, and the waiting eye candy didn’t help. Opportunity was waving a big red flag for my bull of hormones. I bounce on my feet as I make my way down the hall. The thought of teasing this cutie and sucking up all the power of being on top fills my heart and body with rushing excitement.
The memories of pulling Molly’s limp body out of the ocean are the only things keeping me from following through with my desire to make this big boy squirm. I snag my key from around my neck and ready it for a quick entry into our apartment. If I stop for even a second, the adventure will grab hold, and I’ll be under its power until the game ends.
He clears his throat. It’s enough to snag my interest again.
I twist around. “Can I help you?”
He grins, and the smile is familiar. “Yeah, we want to know if you’d like to come watch the practice.”
“We?” Yeah, I’ll just bet they wanted a disaster in there watching them perform. “Did Seth send you over?”
“Actually, no. I think his words were ‘leave her alone’ and maybe something like ‘you’ll become my puppet when I drive my stick up your ass.’” He chuckles. “It’s a good thing I know he loves me and is totally straight.” Hottie straightens and holds out his hand. “I’m Gabe, Seth’s younger brother, and definitely the better looking.”
I laugh. I like this younger version of the James’ household even if his brother has me all tangled up inside. Gabe has a youthful honesty about him, which conflicts with the bad-boy image I think he wants to portray. More importantly, I’m intrigued that I’d bothered Seth enough to make him issue a warning against me. I’d thought we were getting along in a weird kind of way.
“So, he didn’t want me over. Why do you want me over?”
“Because he doesn’t, yet, I found him checking the hall several times after that incident with you and your father.” Gabe shrugs and the muscles in his upper chest bounce under his shirt. “Sorry, he left the door open, and we heard most of it.”
Great. Nothing like having an audience for my fucked-up family drama. “Maybe we should post a webcam, and you guys could just streamline the feed. Titled:
The Drowning of Alice Harrison
.
He snorts. “It would only get hits if you promised to drop the towel.”
“Now, how the hell would you know I was only wearing a towel?”
He scratches at the buzzed brown hairs on his head. His elbow blocks most of his face, but I can still see a hint of a blush spread across the smooth skin on his cheeks. “Uh…well, Seth rants.” He shrugs again, and I giggle. For all his confidence, there’s a sweetness to him. Nope, there would be no messing with this big guy. “And, I kind of peeked.”
“Like what you saw?”
His eyes light up, and he grins. Damn, these boys have A-grade genes.
“Listen. I appreciate the invitation, but I don’t want your brother to hate me, and I’ve had a fucking shit afternoon.”
It was the truth. I’d taken a run only to find one of my dad’s lackeys sitting in the park I go to every day. The guy didn't do anything but watch me. Still, I know that my dad is up to something, and I can’t get the hinky feeling out of my head that he won’t stop until he gets whatever it is he wants.
Gabe leans forward and whispers in a conspirator’s way. “Music is the best remedy.” He leans back and opens his arms wide. “Come watch. If you hate us, then you can leave immediately. And Seth likes you. He won’t admit it, but I know. Wouldn’t have been so dead set on not having you over if he didn’t care.”
I teeter between indecision and curiosity. Seth and I have a connection, or more aptly, a chemistry, but he didn’t want my trouble or the problems that my past can bring. He may smile like he knows a secret, but seriously, he only thought he did. No one knows the kind of secrets I can keep.
“Ah, I see that you want to. Come on.” Gabe reaches forward, grabs my hand, and tugs me away from my door and toward the middle of the hall. He is bigger than Seth, both wider and taller, but he lacks the hardness of his brother. “Just five minutes.”
The temptation is too much for the bad girl down deep, and I give in. He staggers when I don’t pull tight anymore, and we both laugh.
“Okay, but if your brother snarls at me, gives me the stink eye, or laughs at me, I’m out of there.”
We cross into their living room, which is now plastered with framed posters of bands, some I know, others I’ve never heard of. It looks like a wealthy shrine to music. I’m still dressed in running shoes, short sweat pants and a hoodie. Not my best.
He pulls me along, leading me down a hall where the first few echoes of a drumbeat softly pound.
“How do you keep it so quiet?”
“Seth paid a lot of money to make sure we don’t disturb the neighbors.” He glances back and winks. “Although now I wish he hadn’t.”
“And why is that?”
One dark brow arches above his light-blue eyes. “Because I’d definitely like to disturb you.”
I squeeze the hand wrapped around mine. “Wow. Really? You work quick.”
“Yeah, I have to charm you before big bro has a chance to steal you away.” In a quick move, he spins me around and has me up against the wall. He props one arm beside my ear and leans in, not touching. “How am I doing?”
“Well, up until that cheesy stalker move, I liked you. Now, not so much.”
He backs away. “Shit. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
His worried expression and puppy-dog eyes make me feel like I’d just scolded a twoyear-old.
I smack his chest. “You didn’t. Not really. However, I’d work on my moves if I were you.”
No he hadn’t scared me, but his brother would have set my teeth to chattering if he’d done the same thing. This James brother is definitely the least of my worries.
We enter their private studio with the steady rhythm of a snare, a soft guitar ballad strumming, and a synthesized keyboard adding a string quartet.
I gasp. “You got it all.”
Gabe leans low to hear me and nods. “Yep, state of the art.” He leads me to a small lounging couch and pushes me down. “Sit.”
I salute him and wink. “Yes, sir.”
He smirks. “I like that, Alice. I’ll have you calling me sir for a different reason soon.”
We both roll our eyes at his lame comment, and he winks at me. I have a feeling that Gabe and I could be great friends. I’d cherish his friendship. It’s not often that you meet someone so genuine.
Seth glances up from his spot behind the snare drum. He catches his stick on a down stroke and slams it on a cymbal. I’m pretty sure that wasn’t a part of the song. Everyone freezes. Except for Gabe. He slides onto the bench behind the grand piano and begins playing a lively tune that reminds me of a bawdy house from the eighteen hundreds. Or what I imagined they’d play. He is really good. Really good.
Seth glowers at his brother. “What the hell is she doing here?”
Gabe grins, but doesn’t stop playing.
Seth jumps up, rounds the piano, and begins closing the lid on Gabe’s fingers.
He manages to snatch them back just in time. “Whoa. Man, what the fuck?”
“I told you no.”
“Since when did you become my nanny? She’s here. Get over it.”
The other two guys in the room become engrossed in tuning their instruments and straightening cords draping the floor.
I stand up and hurry to the door. “Listen, I didn’t mean to cause trouble—”
Seth pivots in my direction, and his eyes slant into steel lasers of blue hostility. I’m not sure what has changed since the last time we spoke, but I’m not going to put up with his attitude. I can get that from any one of my family members.
I glance at Gabe and shrug. “Told you. I’m out of here.”
He stands and crosses to my side. “Now hold on. Seth, calm down. There’s nothing wrong with letting her stay for practice.”
Seth flexes his finely toned biceps and crosses back to his stool. “Fine. Whatever. My own fucking house…don’t know why…fucking brothers.”
Wow, he really does rant and stutter like a petulant boy. I must be getting under his skin. The old Alice likes that I am. The new one knows she’s slipping on her promises.
Gabe wraps his hands around my shoulders and pushes me back to the couch. “Stay,” he mouths.
I nod. But turn my attention solely on him. I will not look at Seth James. Will not. Even if my eyes already fight my mind and seek him out. He taps the sticks together and counts out a beat. Then everything comes into focus as they begin the melody to the song.
Who are these guys? The music is brilliant. Rich, vibrant, sad, and soul deep all at the same time. By the time they finish the first ballad, I’m lost. So freaking lost in memories and regret, I don’t even watch them anymore. I shift on the couch, toeing my runners off, and curl my feet beneath me. One song bleeds into another. Some more lively, but most have a tone to them. Dark, black, lost like me.
A hand wraps around my ankle and tugs. I grip the sheets, but have no chance to keep from slipping from the bed. I hit the carpeted floor with a thump. All the air is gone, and I gasp like a baby bird waiting for food.
“Get up, Alice.” An expensive loafer lands against my ribs, and I wheeze through the pain. My teddy bear lays on the floor a few feet away, and I reach for it. He picks up Mr. Tomlin and tosses him to the bed. A hand threads through my tangled curls, and I’m lifted by the roots. “Get up.”
“What’s wrong…Daddy? What did I do?”
He doesn’t answer, and I’m dragged down the long hall, down the flight of stairs leading to the first floor, and then thrown down the basement stairs. I tumble over a few before I catch a hold of the metal railing. Tears leak across my face.
The shiny loafer’s dull in the dark as he takes the first step. I scramble to my feet and hurry to the basement floor. But I’m trapped. At the bottom, I’m in complete darkness. “Daddy, I’m scared.”
“Good.”

I’
VE MISSED SEVERAL OF MY
intros because I can’t take my eyes off the girl sleeping on the couch. She nodded off during the second set. With all the fire and spark calmed beneath her peaceful slumber, I’m drawn to the pain left upon her face. I’ve never seen anyone sleep sad before, and it intrigues me. There’s a lure to this girl who has taken hold, and I can’t tell if it’s my dick or something else that doesn’t want to let her go.

Honestly, I didn’t want to be an ass to her, but I also didn’t want her here in my haven. This is where I create my first love, and I won’t be able to do that if she taints it up with all her cuteness. I kind of have a hang up about having girls I want to screw in my work area.

She sighs when Gabe breaks into a soft solo, and I’m baited out of my wondering. Our music has invaded her dreams, and whatever secrets she’s hidden come to life across her features. I want to know them. I have a feeling that she’ll give me a lifetime of ammunition for my work, but at what expense?

I trip up my next run and Deacon stalls on the guitar. “Seth?”
I glance at him and fold my sticks on top of my drum. “Why don’t we take a break?” “What’s going on with you?”
I ignore the three sets of eyes trained on me. “Too much beer earlier.”
Gabe laughs. “Sure. I don’t suppose it has anything to do with that little piece over

That piece came in here with damp curls, sweats, and dirty runners. Still the most beautiful thing I’ve seen in a long time. I shrug and hope they’ll fall for my normal noncommittal reply.

Gabe swings a leg over his bench and stands. “Bro, are you into this girl? Like seriously into her?”
I slide off my stool and pat Gabe’s shoulder. “Nope.” I have to keep my shit together, and she’s a distraction I don’t need right now. I swallow around the lie and fight the need to take it back. The thought of anyone else winning Alice’s heart settles like battery acid in my gut. She’s not for me. Not right now, anyway.
Alice’s face scrunches up into a grimace, and I have to admit that I feel the same way. I don’t want to see her with anyone else. I want to find out what this chemistry between us is really about. I want to know what dark secrets lurk beneath the scars on her shoulders. And I want to know why her eyes are always sad.
“Seth? I saw the way you looked at her when we came in.”
“Doesn’t matter. I have to make this work. A girl would just be a distraction none of us need.”
“You know that no matter what you do, it’ll never be good enough, right?” Gabe runs his hands over the ivory keys but doesn’t look up. “Dad will always want to push, and we’ll always want to rebel. It’s in the James’ DNA.”
Gabe is right. I know that I’m fooling myself with the idea that I’ll make my father pay attention one day, but I have to try. I have to make my music happen and in a big way. “Why don’t you guys head down for some pizza and refuel. We’ll take a break.”
Deacon groans. “We had pizza last night.”
“Best damn idea I heard today.” Evan sets his bass against the wall and flicks his hand over Gabe’s buzz cut. “Let’s go, pussy.”
Gabe laughs. “You only wish you could lick my pussy.” He frames his crotch and flicks his tongue in and out of his mouth.
I glance at Alice, but she doesn’t stir.
The noise dies out as they wrestle each other out of the room, and I’m left to watch the sleeping beauty. Okay, so she's not really beautiful in a classic sense. She's a little too rough. A little too hard. And she’s sleeping like a zombie on my couch. I’m pretty sure that’s the first hint of drool slipping from the corner of her mouth.
When I saw her in the hall yesterday with her father, all tense and scared, I noticed the cut definition in her arms. This girl worked on her body. Hard core. I've never had a hard girl. Most of my flings have been soft, simple women. Easy. No messes to clean up after. I'm not sure what I'd do with a girl like Alice. One that needs more than a good dicking on occasion.
I sit behind the piano and work on my unfinished melody. It's more chaotic than I'm used to. The notes bleed together, taking on a life of their own. I wonder if the scrambled sound is instigated by my inspiration less than five feet from me. I've known her all of two days, and somehow she's already crept into the shadows and poisoned my song.