Something to Believe In (The Renegade Saints Book 4) (9 page)

“Hey, where’s Daisy?”

I knew something was up when she glared at me like I’d pissed in her
Cheerios
. Lacey was typically cool as hell, but right then she looked like if she had the chance, she’d kick me in the taint. Looking down at her pointed toe heels, I grimaced. A taint kick would fucking hurt. As casually as possible, I put my hands in front of my twig and berries.

“I’m disappointed in you,” she said angrily. “Whatever you said to her must’ve been a real shit show because she took the rest of the night off sick.”

My eyes widened as I held up my hands before realizing I needed to take a step back. Hands up meant my junk was uncovered and she really looked ready to kick my dick. “Whoa, Lace, I didn’t even get to talk to her.”

Her brow wrinkled in confusion. “You didn’t?”

“No. Right after you left the table, Bree showed up.”

It was obvious she was surprised.

“Bree’s here?” she asked excitedly.

“Yeah. I guess only Leah, John, and the travel team knew about it. Gavin’s been on her about coming on tour, so she’s here for the remainder. Forget that, though. What do you mean Daisy took the night off sick?”

Lacey shook her head. “She texted and said dinner disagreed with her. I texted her back, but she hasn’t answered. Honestly, I assumed you’d said something shitty enough for her to take a runner.”

“I planned to apologize to her. Nothing I was going to say would’ve caused her to bounce,” I assured her.

“Fair enough. Just… when you do see her, go easy. Daisy is a sweet girl,” she said as she pinned me with a firm look. “She’s good people, and she deserves to be treated with respect.”

I nodded my agreement as I spun on my heel and headed for the door. “I’m on it as soon as the show is over, I promise.”

I paused when she spoke from behind me.

“I think you’re good people too, Ty. Stop running.”

I stopped dead in my tracks but didn’t turn around. “Do you really think so?”

I startled when I felt her hand squeeze my shoulder. “I know so.”

I turned and gave her a quick hug, thanking her for what she said. Once I left Lacey, I headed back to the common area to eat and prepare for the show. For the rest of the night, I was distracted and irritable. I was worried about Daisy being sick, while also being pissed off at myself for deleting her phone number to keep myself from texting her the night before. I was batting a fucking thousand where she was concerned.

The second the show was over, I left. Normally we hung out a bit after and did some meet and greet stuff, but by then I was worked up. It was evident Daisy loved her job, and I couldn’t imagine she’d have left if she didn’t feel like shit.

I jumped out of the back of the Suburban I was in as soon as it stopped in front of the hotel. I smiled and waved at the group of assembled fans who were there, but only stopped long enough to shake a few hands and take some pictures. I’d have walked past them entirely, but I knew if Flynn and Cole’s gram found out I’d dissed fans she’d have my ass.

I hurried through the lobby and into the elevator, pressing the button for Daisy’s floor repeatedly as I waited for the damn doors to shut. When I got up to the level she was on, I didn’t hesitate. As anxious as I was about apologizing, my worry about her being sick took precedence.

I knew she was awake because when I knocked on the door, I heard her moving around in the room. I was also pretty damn certain she was listening to music. My nerves felt taught when I realized she’d looked through the eyehole and knew it was me at the door. I knew this because she muttered to herself about me having brass balls a second before she flung the door open.

“What?” she snapped.

The first thing I realized was she wasn’t sick. Next, I knew I’d been right about the music because ABBA’s Dancing Queen was definitely coming from somewhere in the room behind her. Then, I lost my train of thought when I noticed she only had a T-shirt on. Her golden and silky smooth legs, the ones I’d had wrapped around me the night before, were bare. I stifled a groan when I looked at her feet and realized even they were fucking sexy. Her toes were painted purple, a match to the nail polish I’d noticed on her fingers the night before. Her toes were sexy and I wanted to touch them and find out if she was sensitive there. It was in that very instant I made the decision to take Flynn, Cole and Gavin’s advice. I wasn’t going to be able to stay away from her, which meant I had a choice. Either I could behave like a fucking douchelord
or
I could make a play for it.

My head popped up when she snapped her fingers in front of my face angrily. “Hey, asshole, are you going to tell me why you’re here or will you be staring down at the carpet for the rest of the night? If so, you can do that on any other floor of this hotel.”

My eyes widened as my lips curled up in a half smile. I actually liked how she didn’t take my shit without a word. Even watching her stalk out of the bathroom the night before had been a revelation. Daisy wasn’t a doormat, nor was she afraid to give me shit. Apparently pissed off country girls did it for me in a big way.

“I’d like to talk to you about something,” I told her, “but first, I need to apologize about—”

“For which thing?” she questioned aggressively. “Getting me off in the bathroom last night and being an asshole after, or for cheating on your girlfriend?”

“
My what
?” I sputtered.

The look she gave me could’ve frozen an entire village.

She put her hand on her hip and gave me a look of disgust. “
Gabrielle
,” she huffed.

My jaw fell open as I gaped at her. “You think
Bree
and I have something going on?”

The way she crossed her arms over her chest and glared at me was a clear indicator she did. I got waylaid for a few seconds by the way her tits pushed up in the tee she was wearing. I then noticed the hickey on her neck and felt a kick of pride. I’d been there, I thought, and marked my territory.

Holy shit, I’d marked her. And what’s more, I knew I’d done it on purpose. Instead of scaring me, it made me feel something good. My gaze wandered down and I saw the hem of the tee had also come up an inch or so on her thighs. Put bluntly, I was transfixed. She had really great legs. Only when I realized the hostility was rolling off of her in waves did I force myself to look up to her face.

“Uh, sorry about that. Anyway, you obviously know Bree is Gavin’s sister,” I said.

A look of surprise had flitted across her face before she shrugged.

“I didn’t, actually.”

“Okay… well, I assumed… She is. No one calls her Gabrielle, though.”

“That doesn’t mean nothing is going on,” she pointed out. “She’s a beautiful girl and the way you ran to her—”

“She’s like my sister, too,” I answered honestly, imploring her with my eyes to listen and give me the benefit of the doubt. “Gavin and Bree are my family. I was happy to see her because I know something’s up with her lately, but it wasn’t because anything is going on with us. There isn’t and there
never
will be.”

She shifted in the door as she eyed me suspiciously. I could tell she wasn’t certain if she could or should take my word for it.

“I’m an asshole,” I admitted, “but I’d never fuck around with anyone else if I were in a relationship. Until, uh… right now… well…”

I floundered before blurting, “I’ve stayed as far from that crazy ride as possible.”

Her brows shot up in surprise. “What does that mean?”

I hated my stupid fucking mouth for writing checks I had no interest in cashing. I had most definitely not intended to open that can of worms, especially not when I was about to ask her to give me a shot. The bare minimum of detail would have to do.

“To this point I haven’t ever done commitment,” I said gruffly. “It’s not been… my fuckin’ bag.”

“
Ohhhh
,” she drawled acidly. “Not your bag.
Of course
you’re a typical celebrity jerk. Too much ass to ever settle down with just one, am I right?”

I stared at her in shock. She was hardcore when she was pissed. It was kinda hot.

“It’s not that, I swear,” I asserted firmly. “Look, there are reasons and it’s not what you think. That’s why what went down in the bathroom made me freak out. I normally hook up with random chicks I’ll never see again. You and I see each other every day—”

“Not really,” she countered. “Aside from our tongue tango last night, you’ve managed to avoid me or treat me like shit since day one. There’s no reason for the way you’ve acted,” she pointed out.

I silently applauded her for calling me out, even though I hated being put on the spot. Kitten had claws and she wasn’t afraid to use them.

“Which is really why I’m here,” I admitted. “I owe you an apology for being a prick in the bathroom and in general. Also, I have something I’d like to run by you.”

The look she gave me wasn’t encouraging but I was set on seeing it through. I had to.

“Okay,” she said after a moment’s hesitation. “Go ahead and start with the first thing.”

I stared down at her stupidly. “First thing?” I questioned.

“You said you wanted to apologize,” she retorted. “I’m waitin’.”

“
I just did
,” I sputtered.

“Nope,” she said with an emphatic shake of her head. “You said you owed me an apology but you never actually gave it. Saddle up and get it together or ride your ass right on back to your room.”

It was kinda hilarious that I’d assumed she was a timid little thing. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Daisy wasn’t a doormat—far from it.

“You’re right,” I admitted. “This is my official apology for being—”

“An uptight, arrogant, smug, douchebag asshole prick,” she supplied before I could.

“Uh,” I coughed, “yeah. All those things.”

“How about being a hostile and downright rude egg-suckin’ dog?”

I’d never heard that one before, but I knew if I laughed, she’d probably kick my ass so I bit the inside of my cheek and nodded my head. “That too,” I assured her.

“Are you going to be more personable from here on out?”

“Yes,” I answered firmly. “I will be. Scout’s honor.”

She cocked her head to the side and snorted in disbelief. “Were you even a Scout?”

“Actually, yes.”

Her eyes widened in surprise. “Well alrighty then.”

“I’ll be nothing but nice from here on out,” I vowed.

“So we’d be starting fresh?” she asked.

“Yeah, which brings me to my next point—”

She completely ignored me and plowed right on. “Of course. You want us both to write off the whole bathroom thing as a giant mistake. I agree. In fact, it’s a relief.”

My eyes damn near bugged out of my head. “It is?”

“It’s not like it was memorable or meaningful,” she said.

My head snapped up and I stared at her in disbelief. Not fucking memorable! Was she out of her mind?

“That’s bullshit,” I said. “We were together every step of the way. I fucking wanted you then and I want you now.”

Her eyes widened as she stared up at me in surprise.

“
What
?” she squeaked.

“That’s the second reason I’m here. I’d like us… well, first, I’d like us to be friends. No matter what you say after this, I swear to you that I’m going to be nice. But I was thinking…”

I trailed off, uncertain of how to continue. How the fuck did one ask someone to see where things went? I mean seriously. I hadn’t ever had a goddamn girlfriend so it wasn’t like I had a clue.

“You were thinking?” she prodded.

“Maybe we start by being friends and then… see where things go. I…” I swallowed thickly as I stared at her. Taking a breath, I blurted, “I like you.”

Her smile was instantaneous and damn near blinding.

“You do?” she questioned softly.

“It’s why I’ve been so insufferable,” I admitted anxiously. “This isn’t something I know how to do, but… I want to try, if you’ll give me a chance. I’ve got more baggage than a fuckin’ luggage store, but I want to see where this goes. This chemistry we have can’t be ignored.”

Her expression changed as she took in my words.

“I’m not sleeping with you tonight,” she said stiffly. “I swear to God if that’s why you’re here—”

“No! No, no, no,” I assured her. “I’m being for real. We’ll be friends and just see where this goes. I do best with small steps. Of course, this is all contingent on whether you’re willing.”

The wait was awful. It felt like it went on for an eternity, but I think it was really only a second or so.

“Obviously I’m attracted to you,” she said breathlessly. “I don’t make it a habit of going into bathrooms with people I don’t like.”

I chuckled. “I didn’t think so.”

“I’ll agree to starting as friends and seeing if something naturally happens. You’ll have to prove yourself. I feel like this has been all over the place since I started so I’m almost afraid to believe this is going to go well.”

“It will,” I vowed. “I’m not running anymore.”

“Then we’ll give it a go,” she agreed.

“Okay,” I said with a relieved exhale.

“But,” she cut in, “you should know that if you decide to be a shithead tomorrow, I’m not taking it.”

“I’m not going to be a shit—”

“
And
from now on,” she continued, “I’ll be knocking on your door and handing the daily brief
directly
to you, the way I do with the rest of the band. You
will
be polite and take it from me without any lip.”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Darn right,” she said with a smirk. “I was fixin’ to fight for that one. You and your rudeness have had me madder than a hound dog trying to shit a peach.”

I chuckled and nodded my head. Her southern accent was a-fucking-dorable. There was something so alluring about her.

“Now that we’ve got everything all cleared up I’m going back to coloring and listening to music,” she informed me.

I wasn’t in a big hurry to rush off. I stepped closer to her and looked over her shoulder. Sure enough, there were coloring books and two clear plastic containers full of colored pencils and markers sitting on the table behind her.

“Coloring?” I questioned.