In Her Sights (The Thousand Words Series Book 2) (10 page)

BOOK: In Her Sights (The Thousand Words Series Book 2)
3.83Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

“Apparently the forbidden fruit is the one everyone wants,” Dev said from his corner.

“I could have told you that,” Jess said.

The elevator stopped again and a coordinator got on, raising her eyebrows at Paige alone in the elevator with four men.

“Miss Hart?”

“Just clearing something up.” She turned back to Kenny. “Dev,” she said.

Kenny looked over to where Dev stood, briefly making eye contact with him. He looked uncomfortable.

“Yeah?” Kenny asked, looking back in Paige’s blue eyes.

“He has a girlfriend and he’s being hounded by girls. The solution is pretty obvious, you just don’t want to see it.”

The elevator stopped again and the doors opened, but the coordinator made no move to leave. Paige glanced at her, but let it go. Kenny didn’t really didn’t know what to think.

“Why do you always wear blue?” Jess asked.

Paige might ignore the event coordinator not exiting, but she couldn’t ignore Jess. She stared at him. “You can’t be serious.”

“It’s just you always seem to wear blue. One shade or another,” he said with a shrug.

“Jess, sweetie, you’ve known a lot of women in the last few years. Probably more than are in this building if your reputation can be believed. Think about why I might choose blue for a moment, and we’ll come back to it. Okay?”

Suddenly Kenny was on the hot seat again. “Thoughts on Dev?” She leaned forward just enough to whisper in his ear when he didn’t answer quickly enough. “Call his girlfriend, honey.”

“I really don’t want to do that.”

“I know.” She squeezed his hand. Until that moment, Kenny didn’t realize she was holding it hidden in the folds of her dress. It helped reassure him.

“So why the blue –” Jess started.

“Because she has blue eyes, idiot,” Dev snapped.

Jess glared at him. “I have blue eyes and I don’t wear blue all the time.”

“If you wanted to emphasize their color you would. Hello! She’s
Miss Great Lakes
!”

“You’re grumpy,” Jess said and leaned against the wall as the elevator doors closed again.

Kenny turned back to Paige. “You’re right. I’ll take care of it.”

“Thank you.” She looked up and pushed a button for the next floor. The event coordinator followed her off the elevator and they returned to their rooms alone.

 

○ ○ ○

 

Dev sat at the baby grand piano pushed into a corner of one of the hotel’s lounges. It was late, so there were few people drinking their problems away now. He played the score from memory, listening to Paige’s clear alto voice as she sang her piece one more time for Kenny and Francois.

He liked Paige okay, but he was going to start hearing this song in nightmares. She was good enough already. Kenny said she wasn’t going to win, and Paige already accepted that, so why the hell were they spending time on a song that was already fine?

Paige stopped singing unexpectedly and Dev looked up to see what the problem was. A slender hand slid seductively over his shoulder and down his chest, caressing him, and Dev felt two small, firm breasts pressed against his back.

“Did you miss me?”

Dev smiled at the sound of Lindsay’s voice in his ear. He caught her in his arms and pulled her onto his lap, delighting in the way she giggled at his immediate response.

He tried to ask why she was there, but Lindsay’s lips on his pushed the thought from his mind for the moment. She tasted like raspberries and felt like velvet against him.

“I did miss you,” Dev said. “I’m glad you’re here. Although why are you here?”

Lindsay laughed at his confusion, reaching up to smooth away his furrowed brow. “Kenny called me. He said the girls were giving you trouble and having me hanging around was desirable for a change. I think he’s concerned you’re going to have a breakdown, so I’m the lesser of the evils.”

Dev grinned. “I’ll have to threaten him with a breakdown more often. I wish I’d thought of it before. Or at all, actually.”

“Word of warning, Jess is not happy. He’s putting up with me and apparently the favor is on Kenny’s tab, not yours. But you guys had to share rooms?”

Dev nodded, then realized the problem. Due to short notice, Alec could only get two rooms in the same hotel as the pageant. Kenny was adamant, so they dealt with it. Alec had to take a room at another hotel altogether.

“Yeah. Bryan’s moving in with Kenny and Jess. Hence Jess’s displeasure. My bags are already in your room.” She kissed him again. “Hi, roomie.”

“Hi, yourself.” Dev kissed her back.

“Dev?” Kenny called. “Can we do this one last time before calling it a night?”

“Sure,” Dev answered. Lindsay sat beside him and he ran through it one more time, forcing himself to concentrate on the music instead of the woman beside him.

 

○ ○ ○

 

Lindsay prided herself on her talent in a variety of areas, not the least of which was how well she knew her boyfriend and how deftly she could handle him. She didn’t need Kenny to tell her Dev was having trouble, Lindsay knew it already from his phone calls. She knew it was going happen when Dev first told her about the show. In an effort not to scare him, or jinx it for him, she didn’t mention her suspicion. Maybe she should have said something to Kenny. Or Bryan, therefore passing the warning on to Kenny.

As she watched Dev play for the final rehearsal, Lindsay couldn’t help noticing the women loitering to watch. Wasn’t this supposed to be a closed session or something? Yet there were contestants, each one wearing less material than the last; employees from the hotel; show coordinators who surely didn’t need to be there; and Lindsay swore a few people looked like they wandered in from off the street.

Dev seemed okay, Lindsay decided when she turned her attention back to the stage. Although, his eyes kept flickering to the women in the skimpy robes and swimsuits. She would assume that was with nervousness.

So far Lindsay had been by Dev’s side almost every minute since she arrived. The women on the sidelines staring at him optimistically probably thought that was pretty possessive of her. That brunette of Kenny’s that she met in Chicago was the only one who could see the truth. It was in the little smirk behind her smile. Like it was somehow a gold star on her forehead that Dev was sticking to Lindsay like glue.

Whatever. Lindsay didn’t care as long as Paige
did
see the truth, and she seemed to. The leggy brunette had Kenny in her cross-hairs and treated the rest of them as if they were her prize’s minions – to be tolerated when necessary and tended to as needed. Lindsay wasn’t entirely sure how she felt about that. The attitude seemed appropriate for Jess. In fact, it was a step up from how she viewed him. Bryan was Brenda’s problem, although she thought both he and Dev deserved more respect.

Dev either didn’t notice or didn’t care about Paige’s attitude. He seemed completely at ease with her. Considering Miss Beauty Queen’s list of assets, Lindsay wished Dev would have retained just a little of his normal discomfort around women. Lindsay was okay with his sweaty palms pressed against hers, or his fingers accidentally crushing hers. And those nervous little twitches in his thigh muscles that she could only feel because he held her so close. Poor baby, this has really taken its toll on him, Lindsay thought.

The second song ended and Lindsay watched as Dev smoothly walked off stage as directed. Then, as soon as he was officially out of the camera’s view, he removed his guitar, put it in the stand, and reversed course. He almost ran into Jess and Kenny who, each taking an arm, carefully guided him back along the line of contestants. Lindsay didn’t even notice them leaving the auditorium and heading back to the stage area. On the final night curtains would hide the disaster-in-the-making she could so easily see now.

Getting up, Lindsay didn’t quite run up to the side stage to rescue Dev. Obviously she’d have to be there waiting when they did this for real. She should have realized that.

Passing the line of women, Lindsay saw they were behaving themselves just fine. They were all leaving Dev alone, although Jess was smiling a little broader than he probably should at a few. Did he just wink at that redhead? Lindsay was going to get Brenda to knee him again! Jess was the reason they were slow getting by the line and Dev was simply over-reacting to the proximity of so many women.

Reaching her boyfriend, Lindsay stepped up to him and slid her arms around his neck.

“Loved it. Does this mean you’re free for a while?” she asked.

“Yeah.” Dev put his hands on her waist, but he wasn’t making himself comfortable with the embrace. That was fine, they weren’t staying.

“Then let’s get out of here,” she invited.

Dev smiled, but it was a sliver of what it should be. Lindsay would take it. The whole exchange was just a pretense. She doubted Dev would appreciate it if she just walked up, took his hand, and informed Kenny she would take him from there. Kenny wouldn’t care for it either.

Stepping away again, Lindsay smoothly took Dev’s hand and led him along the line of girls only as far as necessary before angling away to find another way out of the stage area. Maybe she’d fly back to Boston with Dev again after all of this was over. Just to make sure he was okay.

 

○ ○ ○

 

Paige sat in the plush leather seat on the sleek private plane with a sigh of relief. It was over. And she made the top ten; that was unexpected. She couldn’t win, she’d accepted that, but it was almost like they’d played fair.

Looking around the rich interior of the plane as Jess passed to sit as far back as possible, Paige decided she could get used to this. Kenny sat beside her, carefully keeping his body language neutral. It was highly irregular for Paige to fly back to Chicago with Kenny, and when he offered, Francois nearly had a stroke.

“Of course I meant both of you,” Kenny smoothly changed his original offer. Paige knew better.

Francois didn’t care for Kenny’s interest in Paige. Her coach tolerated it because Kenny’s help was Paige’s best chance of placing well and that made his own services coaching future beauty queens more desirable. Now that the Miss North America pageant was over, he was available for her, but would be looking for his next pretty girl with deep pockets.

“As you’re from Washington, and presumably returning there, wouldn’t it be more logical to extend the invitation to Miss Northwest?” Francois asked, an eyebrow quirking upward.

Paige had pressed against Kenny’s back partially in support, but also hoping to distract him into actually answering that very question. There was some sort of history between the band and Rene Golden, and even outright prying hadn’t gotten Kenny to spill the story on that one.

“Naturally.” Kenny nodded. “I was planning on stopping in Chicago. I want to play with some tracks we mixed there and I like the studio. It seemed harmless to offer you a lift when we’re landing there anyway.”

Francois stared into Kenny’s eyes while he considered what Paige knew to be a blatant lie. Kenny held up under the scrutiny, and Francois finally nodded.

“In that case, we would appreciate the gesture. If you’re sure it’s no trouble?”

“None at all. My pleasure.” Kenny smiled.

Paige backed away from him a step before Francois noticed her inappropriate proximity and berated her for it. He really was outrageously old fashioned.

Now Paige ignored Francois on her other side and glanced discreetly around, her eyes falling on Rene Golden and her coach, Annette Strike. She still didn’t know the source of the tension between Rene and the four hotties she’d spent so much time with recently. Three, Paige corrected herself. Dev didn’t seem to care about Rene one way or another. He didn’t even know who Miss Northwest was, so clearly he wasn’t part of the scandal.

Watching Rene, Paige revised her thinking again. Bryan boarded, sat beside her, and began chatting as easily as if they’d been old friends. Okay, so just Kenny and Jess disliked Rene. As the leader of their band, Kenny took all their problems personally, so his dislike didn’t mean he was necessarily involved.

That left Jess, who was slouched in the far corner looking out the window with an air of casualness that seemed forced now that Paige knew him better. She really should have suspected him first. But Jess was who he was. If Rene tangled with him, that was her own folly. You couldn’t blame Jess any more than you could blame a stallion for mounting every mare he could reach. It was in his nature. Until someone got a bridle on the man, the best any of them could do was accept it.

Still, Paige was curious about the details.

Unconcerned about if Francois saw at this point, Paige let her hand cross the short gap that separated her seat from Kenny’s to where his hand lay on the armrest. Intertwining her fingers with his, she held his hand.

Surprise crossed his face, but he accepted the small, innocent gesture. Beside her, Francois loudly cleared his throat. Paige discreetly flipped him off and Kenny chuckled softly.

The flight was only two hours and Paige spent it in an easy silence beside Kenny, just holding his hand. Sort of. She was eavesdropping on the conversation between Rene and Bryan at the beginning, but it was dull. Apparently they went to the same high school and it was just a polite ‘getting caught up with someone you barely knew’ type of conversation. Paige tuned it out as soon as she identified it, preferring Kenny’s quiet strength and subtle glances in her direction.

BOOK: In Her Sights (The Thousand Words Series Book 2)
3.83Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

Other books

You Drive Me Crazy by Mary D. Esselman, Elizabeth Ash Vélez
Article 5 by Kristen Simmons
You Don't Know Me by Sophia Bennett
Make Something Up by Chuck Palahniuk
The Hottest Ticket in Town by Kimberly Van Meter
Endymion Spring by Skelton-Matthew
Oil on Water by Helon Habila