Rock God (Hearts of Metal Book 3) (12 page)

But as he headed to his private music studio, the thought of keeping Shayna around longer than this recuperation intruded. Not just keeping her here, but also kissing her, making love to her, doing the thing on page 184…

Though he shook his head to clear it and got out his songwriting notebook, he didn’t get much work done. Not with the smell of Shayna’s culinary surprise permeating his senses. And after dinner, when she presented him with the best cheesecake he’d ever tasted, Dante couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to taste
her
. To date her, then. It was a shame that relationships weren’t for guys like him. Collette and every woman before her had proven that.

His heart warmed as they discussed her book pitch, and a thrill of satisfaction filled him when she said the hero would be a musician. He couldn’t help but wonder if he’d inspired that.

“And what’s great is, the unresolved threads from the previous books fit in like they’re meant to be there,” Shayna announced, licking the last bit of cheesecake from her lips. The shine of creative bliss in her eyes suffused Dante with a joy more intense than his usual pleasure at helping someone, and he couldn’t help but wonder if it had been his kiss that inspired her.

She rose from the table and hugged him once more. “I’m going to see if I can get more words down. If I don’t see you until tomorrow, thank you again. Oh, and I’m helping Rosa cook dinner tomorrow. I forgot how much I like cooking!”

Dante sighed, as the room seemed to dim when she left. She had no idea how close he’d come to kissing her again.

The feeling just got worse. As the week progressed, the thought of pursuing Shayna continued to haunt him, and it was no wonder, since the two of them were beginning to act like they were married. She spent the day in the office, typing away at her manuscript while Dante worked down in his studio until dinner, at which point she’d present him a delicious meal that she’d helped Rosa cook. At first the housekeeper grumbled about Shayna’s intrusion in the kitchen, but now it appeared she enjoyed the company.

In the evenings, Shayna and Dante would watch movies or hang out in the living room while she told him about the progress of her book. It was a relaxing routine he could definitely get used to.

Reality returned on Friday. It came like a thunderbolt, when Alex called to say he had his flight booked and was eager to start work with the others on the new album. Problems began to arise in Dante’s mind. Shayna had told him she was sheltered, and though at first he’d thought her nervousness around people was just a side effect of her trauma, he was beginning to suspect that she was naturally shy. How would she tolerate his boisterous and sometimes wild colleagues? And when he went on the road… He shook his head.

Of course, things had changed for him. When he’d been with Collette it was a whirlwind of parties, travel, fights and make-up sex, but long before they ended the marriage that lifestyle grew tedious. He much preferred his days with Shayna: drama-free and peaceful.

Wait. Was he entertaining the idea of a permanent relationship with her?

When Dante told Shayna they would soon have company, she made a valiant attempt to hide her nervousness. He wondered if her bully of an ex had made her afraid of men, or maybe she was just intimidated by the idea of even more rock stars underfoot.

She managed a smile. “O-okay, I’ll make steaks, then.”

“That’ll be great,” Dante said, heartened by the response as she straightened her shoulders as if pleased to have control over some element of the upcoming visit. She’d come so far in these last few weeks. The sadness and uncertainty had faded considerably from her eyes.

Of course, whether or not she’d be able to handle the work side of his life remained to be seen.

Chapter Ten

Shayna continued to stir the marinade for the steaks, though it didn’t need it anymore. Her hands were shaking and she had to do something to hide her nervousness. Tonight the other members of Dante’s band were coming over to begin work on their new album, and they’d be staying for a couple days. Would they laugh at Dante for taking her in? Furthermore, why did she care so much about what they thought? She’d be moving on soon. She just didn’t know where.

Dante wasn’t fooled by her calm act. “Don’t be scared, the guys are cool.”

“I’m not scared,” she insisted.
I’m embarrassed
. These guys had seen her at her most pitiful. These men had seen her filthy, bedraggled, and helpless. And not every man was as compassionate as Dante.

“That’s good. You shouldn’t be.” He dipped his finger in the pot and licked it. “Mmm, that’s delicious. To tell you the truth, there is one thing I’m worried about.”

“What?” Shayna whispered.

He gave her that melting smile and leaned forward. “I’m afraid that, after they taste your cooking, they’ll try to take you away from me.”

The inherent possessiveness of his words should have infuriated her, contradictory as it was—he’d done nothing since his kiss to make any romantic claim on her—but instead she felt a warm thrill in her lower body. Then the gate buzzer rang, dousing the moment.

“They’re here,” Dante said, leaving her alone.

They all entered the house. Shayna knew it was cowardly, but she remained in the kitchen listening to the boisterous male voices as she seasoned the steaks. The voices faded as the band headed downstairs, and she let out a relieved sigh that their meeting would be postponed. She wished Rosa was here, but the housekeeper had taken the night off.

Her reprieve was only long enough to finish the cooking, which took less than an hour. Just moments after she’d finished setting the table, Dante and his band appeared back upstairs.

“I’m fucking starving,” a bearded man in torn jeans and a faded shirt said as he strode into the dining room, followed by the rest of the motley crew. He saw Shayna and froze. The others bumped into him, and four pairs of eyes raked her up and down, likely imagining her undressed. She hated when strange men looked at her like this. Shayna glared over their shoulders at Dante. This was not a good start.

“Who is this?” the guy asked, still ogling her.

Dante chuckled. “This is Shayna, the woman we rescued after our last show.” He glanced over and introduced his band. “Shayna, this is Julian, the bassist, Alex, my guitarist, Zander, the drummer, and Dom, keyboard player extraordinaire.”

Julian shook his head, his brown eyes wide. “You brought her home?”

Zander laughed. “Yeah, he’s got a thing for strays. After all, he took
you
in when your wife threw you out.”

The man named Alex stepped forward. He brushed a lock of long blond hair from his face and extended a hand. “I’m obviously the most civilized one here. Nice to meet you, Shayna.”

Shayna shook his hand and smiled shyly as the others followed suit.

Dante pulled out her chair, giving her a lazy smile. “When you try her cooking, you’ll see why I want to keep her around a little longer.”

Shayna’s eyes narrowed. After being called a stray, the talk about his keeping her was a little much. “You do know I’m a person and not a dog, right?”

His gaze remained level with hers until her face flushed. Then he glanced at the floor. “Yes, Shayna, I am well aware of that. I apologize.”

He sounded sincere. Shayna glanced over to see if the others were laughing, but they were too busy piling food on their plates and digging in.

“Oh my God,” Julian said through a mouthful of food. “This is the best steak I’ve ever had. Can I have her when you’re done, Dante?”

Shayna shook her head with a combination of amusement and horror. It was no wonder the guy’s wife threw him out. He had the manners of a caveman.

The rest just laughed.

Dante gave her an apologetic smile. “He’s one hell of a bassist,” he said, as if that excused everything.

There was something off about his look, actually, almost as if he were daring her to argue. Then Shayna figured it out. This was a test of some sort. She had no idea why he was testing her, but with her newly discovered stubbornness she determined she’d pass. Then she could decide if Dante passed
her
tests.

“Gentlemen.” She steeled her nerve and gave the band a brilliant smile. “I want to thank you all for rescuing me that night. I dread to think of what would have happened if you didn’t intervene when you did.”

To her surprise, they all blushed.

“Hell,” Zander said. “We didn’t really do anything. Security scared ’em off.”

“Besides, it was Dante’s idea,” Alex added.

“And you did fine yourself, braining that guy with your backpack,” Julian said.

The one named Dom remained silent, but he smiled and gave her a respectful nod before turning back to his meal.

“So, what were you doing there, anyway?” Zander asked. “I mean, why were you…?”

“Homeless?” Shayna said helpfully, though her gaze dared him to scorn her.

He coughed uncomfortably, but nodded.

Dante put a hand on her shoulder, and she took a deep breath, gathering her courage. The truth would set her free. “First my baby died of SIDS, and then”—she borrowed Dante’s words—“I discovered that my husband is a philandering jackass.”

“Damn…,” Alex breathed.

Shayna shrugged and looked down at her plate. “Whenever I was upset, a walk would make me feel better, so I just walked…and walked.”

“So that’s what happened to your feet.” Zander’s hazel eyes widened. “They were all kinds of messed up. How far did you walk?”

Dante answered. “All the way from Portland, man. And she managed to get divorced on her way.”

“Holy shit!” Julian said.

Alex offered a high five. “You are one tough lady.”

Dom finally spoke up, looking at Dante. “Why didn’t you tell us about her when we first showed up?”

“Because you would have been too busy asking questions and we wouldn’t have gotten any work done,” he told them.

Alex laughed and turned to Dom. “That’s Dante, all right. Always about the work, even with this pretty thing around. If it were me—”

“That’s enough, Alex,” Dante said with a raised brow, though he was smiling.

It occurred to Shayna that Dante hadn’t mentioned that her stay was a temporary situation, though, just how temporary had grown vaguer every day. Why would he do that? She pondered the question while they finished up the meal. At least now they were being polite and not ogling her. Maybe that was why.

They headed to the bar. As Shayna sipped her wine, she looked around in awe. Here she was, partying with rock stars in a private room. If only Shawn could see her now. Her lips curved in a satisfied smirk.

“So, Shayna,” Zander said after his umpteenth shot of whiskey. “Where were you planning on walking to?”

“I don’t know. I suppose I would’ve had to settle down somewhere. I do have some money,” she added defensively.

“Yeah.” Dante grinned. “I forgot to mention that you’re in illustrious company. Shayna’s a bestselling romance author.”

Her cheeks burned, and she glared at him. Now they would all laugh at her.

When his response was another challenging look, she lifted her chin. Sure enough, his band exploded laughing.

“And you
believed
her?” Julian said as he grabbed another beer.

Dante set down his glass. “I’ll go get her books.”

After he left, the four others turned wide eyes upon her. “No shit, really?” Zander asked as he opened a bottle of Corona. “You’re an author?”

“Yeah.” Shayna blushed. “But I’m not one of the really big names or anything.” Of course, her fans’ enthusiastic response when she’d posted notes about her new book sure made her feel like one.

Alex smirked. “So, you basically write porn for women.”

Shayna rolled her eyes. “No, I don’t. For one thing, my novels have plots. For another, porn is solely about lust—and often the degradation of women. In my stories, the characters love and respect each other.” She smiled as she realized they were actually listening. “Although, there
is
plenty of lust involved. Still, as the phrase goes, don’t knock it until you try it.”

“Yeah.” Dante returned with her books. “I liked her books. The stories are amazing and well-researched. I’m almost done with the series.” His powerful gaze challenged them all, daring them to laugh.

Instead, all four seized a different book. Dom immediately flipped to the author picture and glanced back at Shayna with a slight smile. Zander started on the first page, actually reading the story, while Julian and Alex flipped pages, obviously looking for the sex scenes.

“I still need to get those signed,” Dante told her as he sat next to her. “Luckily, I brought a pen this time.”

“Wow, this
is
hot,” Alex said suddenly, looking up from his copy of
The Duke’s Bride
. “It’s giving me wood.”

Julian met Shayna’s gaze with a leer. “So, um, how do you go about researching the sex scenes?”

“I have my ways,” she answered with what she hoped was a mysterious smile. Surprisingly, she wanted to laugh. Her reviewers had praised her love scenes, but none had gone so far as to comment on the scenes’ physical effects on them—or to speculate whether they’d come from the author’s personal experience.

For the next hour Shayna was bombarded by sex questions. Some were legitimate, but most were just obscene. Shayna surprised herself and refused to be annoyed or give the band the satisfaction of showing embarrassment, and she answered the questions with cool professionalism. She felt like Dr. Ruth.

“So, what’s your favorite position?” Julian asked, licking his lips.

“That’s enough!” Dante said, glaring at them all with those pewter eyes. “Where’d Zander just go?”

“To bed,” Julian told him, and waggled his eyebrows as he finished off another rum and coke. “He took his book with him.”

Shayna’s eyes widened. Was
the guitarist
going to read the whole thing too?

Dom yawned and headed off to bed as well, handing his book to Dante on his way out. Julian handed over his as well. Alex looked up, a little shamefaced.

“Give me a minute. I can’t get up just yet.”