Rockin' the Heart (Hot Wired) (8 page)

“
Yeah.” His Adam’s apple flexed when he swallowed, and his jaw hardened. “I kiss like Jase. Good to know.”

“
That’s not what I meant.”

“
I’ll let them know we’ve made a decision.” Heath’s long-legged strides took him from the room.

Sam sighed as Heath swaggered from the room with an extra
oomph
in his stride delineating his irrational anger.
Gah!
The man drove her batty. Gave her hissy fits to make a true Southerner proud. She wished she could say he affected her in a fraternal way like Jase, but damned if she could. Thanks to that not-so-brotherly kiss there were areas on her anatomy that were moist and wanted to party.

I really need that
vibrator
.

Too bad p
artying alone wasn’t the same as having a buddy join in. There’d never be a time when Heath would be a suitable playmate. Omega Starr—her friend with benefits—would be a poor substitute, but at least he came without hidden agendas and zero complications.

Damn shutterbugs always invading her space. She wanted out of this life
, and here she stood deeper in the headline-abyss thanks to their
almost
kiss and Tab’s need to exploit the drama. She had to give Heath’s persuasive techniques their due too because he’d easily convinced her to participate in the charade.

Using her fingertips, she rubbed her forehead
where a stress headache throbbed at her temples. Her attraction to Heath triggered this Catch-22. What about him caused her to see him differently than the rest of the band? Yeah, they weren’t blood related so the family thing wasn’t a viable concern. She’d known him since she was nine, and they’d suffered similar sibling rivalry and spats just like she had with Jase. She’d done stupid sisterly shit to him as well. Pulling his hair, knuckle punching his arm, and calling him childish names had been at the top of her list. She and immaturity had been rag-tag BFFs for a long time.

Even h
er best friend, Nessa, had gotten in on the tyranny a time or two. Tears stung her eyes at the thought of her pal. She missed Nessa and hadn’t seen her in over two years. College kept her friend busy, while Sam goofed off and rebelled at her unsatisfactory life. Texting and phone calls were inadequate. Often she felt as if Nessa had her future mapped out, while Sam was stuck in the same dead-end navigation. Breaking out of bad habits compared to a junkie’s inability to detox without assistance.

With a sigh, s
he racked the billiard balls. She didn’t resent Nessa’s goals, but was happy for her. It wasn’t Nessa’s fault Sam was miserable. The only person who could change her circumstances was herself, but displeasing Jase was her biggest worry.

Like my criminal behavior pleases him.

Confessing all to Nessa might relieve her tension, but she wasn’t ready to admit the truth of her emotions for Heath to anyone.

Being Heath
’s fake-girlfriend held an expiration date. Their affair couldn’t continue indefinitely. If by some miracle their romance endured until the end of the tour, she’d have to break up with him then. Fans adored Heath, so the consequences should be minimal for him, and she could tolerate anything the news-hounds threw at her.

S
am chalked her stick before settling into a bent over position, her aim lined up with the cue ball. One quick thrust and the pool-stick connected with the white ball, which sent it careening into its multi-colored siblings.

The crack of their meeting soothed her frazzled nerves and t
hree plunked into pockets each with a
thunk
. Calm drenched her. Billiards appeased her the same way a bubble bath would normal women. In her youth she’d had a runaway temper, and her daddy taught her to play initially to refocus and quiet her rages.

Daddy
, I miss you
.

With a sniffle, s
he sunk two more balls into pockets. Her agitation might be pacified if she thought of Derringer and Keys in the same carnal way she did Heath. They’d helped raise her after her parents died. It didn’t matter that she hadn’t known them as long as Heath, they were still as much her family as Heath and Jase.

Why can
’t I be lusting after Derringer or Keys
? She adored both men, but neither did anything for her.

“
Did you kill Fang’s cat?” Thinking of the devils must have brought them out of hiding, as both Derr and Keys entered the game room. Their testosterone riddled energies swaggered in ahead of them.

She rolled her eyes at Keys
’ tasteless joke. “I’m a hell-raiser, not a cat-killer.” The twenty-five pound feline would probably shred her to pieces if she tried to injure him.
If
he could work up the energy to do something other than sleep and eat. She adored the overweight purring snuggler. He’d never be in danger from her for any reason. “Why do you ask?”

“
Oh, no reason, really.” Derringer ran his fingertips along the dark shadow of a mustache and halted beside her. “Except Fang was a fucking tyrant just now.”

T
wo balls went in their pockets. “What’s that got to do with me?”

“
He came from your illustrious presence, hellion.” Derr shoulder bumped her. “He was fine until your private tête-à-tête.”

Tête-à-tête indeed!

Note to self: all future sequestered conversations with Heath are off limits
.

The man was lethal to her
willpower. Putting his mouth and tongue on her wasn’t playing fair. And she couldn’t trust herself to make the right choices in his presence. Heath only had to grin at her and she wanted to strip and offer herself up for his personal enjoyment. Just one little kiss and she wanted more. Her tongue vibrated with the memory of how he’d piloted his against hers.

Keys took
the stick from her, distracting her from her thoughts. Thank goodness! She needed some interference.

He
executed ill-trained shots, knocking balls around the felt-lined slate. She cringed at his novice mistakes. She’d offer instructions, but he excelled at instruments and held no desire to improve his billiard aim.

“
Spill the juicy details, Boo.” Keys sent her a sidelong glance. “I can tell something’s going on in that pretty head of yours.”

She sighed.
Brat, boo, and hellion. She guessed she’d earned all of her nicknames. “We agreed to try Tab’s plan. I can’t help he didn’t like my opinion of other… things.” Why’d she say the last part?

“
What opinion of other things would that be?” Derringer eyed her with a speculative expression, one she couldn’t gauge. She had a sneaky suspicion he read more into what transpired than he should.

“
Give me my stick.” She extended her arm toward Keys and wiggled her fingers.

“
Nope.” Keys whacked her balls around some more. “Not until you answer the question.”

As the band
’s lead guitarist lined up his next shot, she said, “I told him he kissed like Jase.”

Keys busted out laughing
and missed hitting the cue ball.

Derringer shook his head
, but smiled. “That’s cold, hellion, even for you.”

“
I can’t help he can’t take the truth.”
Or at least what I wish was true
.

“
Uh huh.” It didn’t take a brainiac to catch the disbelief in Derr’s grunt.

Keys rubbed
moisture away from the corners of his eyes. “Wish I could’ve seen Fang’s face.”

“
What?” Ignoring Keys, she gaped at Derringer, offering him her best innocent impression. “It’s the truth. Kissing him was… yucky.”

Could she sound more adolescent
while she was on fire from a single kiss?

Derringer tapped her on the nose with his fingertip.
“I saw the vid, you were
in to
Fang.”

Shit
.

If he could gauge her real emotions in a ViewTube video
, then Heath would have zero challenge perceiving the truth when he watched the clip. Obliged to deny the assertion to save face, she said, “Derr—”

“
He’s the adult here, so I hold him responsible.”
I’m an adult
! “If he hurts you, I’ll make him eat his teeth.” Hot Wired’s bass guitarist elevated his dark eyebrows and angled his head slightly forward in his patented ‘I’m dead-fucking serious’ expression. She knew not to push him when she received that particular look. She’d been on the receiving end of it a lot.

Sam swallowed past the sudden
uneasy knot in her throat. Causing friction among the band members was intolerable. “Tonight wasn’t Heath’s fault.”

“
Fang’s a big boy. He doesn’t need you to defend him.” He kissed her forehead and slinked to the bar. He moved like an assassin with silent stealth, which aided in his gangster appeal. “He better not go too far with you.” He sliced his thumb across his throat. “That’s a promise.”

She turned to Keys for help.
“Talk to him, Keys. He’s being unreasonable.”

“
I agree with Derr.” NY’s heir braced the pool stick on the floor, picked up the red, solid three ball and began to toss it up and catch it. “That video was hotter than porn.”

“
You’re desperate if that’s true.
Nothing. Happened
.”

Keys grinned.
“To the casual observer it seemed like a lot of
nothing
happened.”

Derringer agreed with a nod and a muttered,
“Yep.”

What the hell was that supposed to mean?

“What I want to know is when exactly did you two kiss since you never actually locked lips at the store?” Keys puckered up and performed dramatic kissing noises at her.

“
I’m gonna punch you in your mouth.”

“
Thanks. I don’t mind if you do. The chicks might dig a man with a busted lip in need of get-well kisses.”

“
Be serious.” Did she normally adore Keys for making her laugh? She changed her mind. He irritated her as much as Jase did.

Derringer chuckled low
at their quips.

Keys gave her a mock insulted gasp.
“‘Serious’
is
my middle name, Boo.” He leaned forward and gave her a soft knuckle punch to the chin with the hand holding the ball.

“
You don’t know the meaning of the word.”

A lopsided grin
contorted his handsome face. “He steals more than a kiss from you, and while Derr’s knocking his teeth down his throat, I’ll bust his kneecaps.”

“
And by kneecaps you really mean balls?”

“
No, but I like the way you think, so consider that my intention hereafter.” Keys swung her pool stick around, offering it to her, grip first. “Re-rack them. I lose… I get a kiss to cheer me up.”

There was no question he
’d lose. She palmed the staff and set it aside. “If I thought you were serious, I’d nail you in the crotch with this.” She waggled the stick at him.

“
Ouch.” He whined dramatically and cupped his privates. “You’re heartless, Boo. Heart. Less. Stay like that. Rack them so I can cheer you up by letting you beat me. And, Sam….” He waited until she gave him her attention before he finished whatever he wanted to say. “I
am
serious about Fang’s”—he made quoting motions with his fingers—“
kneecaps
.”

“
I can take care of myself.” She’d learned how to defend herself thanks to them. At their insistence, she’d even received private self-defense lessons. “If either of you interfere in any way with my fake-relationship with Heath, I’ll bust both of
your
kneecaps.”

“
It’s not the fake relationship I’m worried about.” Derringer said as Keys rolled the balls down the felt so she could bracket them in the triangle frame. “I’m trying to figure out why a kiss now.” The bass guitarist poured a splash of scotch. “What’s the point in a private kiss when you’re faking it?”

“
That’s what I said. You busting or am I?” She peered at Keys.

“
You.” He chalked the stick he’d retrieved. “Pour me one of those.”