I probably should have said something a long time ago, but what was there to say? And how did I give Casey a pass but not Jayson? They’d both let us down and ruined a multi-million-dollar business. Because while rock and roll could be fun and games a lot of the time, it was also a business. In our case, it had been a very lucrative business. Hell, to a lesser degree, it still was. My royalty checks were hefty even though we obviously didn’t make the big bucks we’d made touring.
Ford had been giving me space, going out at night and not coming home until late or even the next morning, so I had a lot of time to ruminate over the shit show that was my life right now, which wasn’t healthy at all. Hopefully, I’d have another good distraction tonight because there still weren’t any answers that made me feel better.
* * *
Brianna looked tired when she got to my place and we settled in the living room with the pizza, salad, and garlic bread I’d had delivered a few minutes before she arrived.
“Rough night?” I asked her.
“Priscilla’s a bit of a ballbuster, and while she’s really successful and pays well, I don’t like her. I can’t put my finger on why, but she irritates me. I love working for Marla, but Priscilla’s just…difficult.”
“Do you have to work for her?”
“She and Marla partnered up so if they need us, we go, and vice versa. I need the money so I have to suck it up.” She leaned back against the cushions of the couch. “Coming over after work was probably a bad idea. I’m exhausted but wound up.”
“If you need help relaxing, I have a few ideas. Let’s go upstairs.”
“What?” She looked startled.
“Come on.” I tugged her up by the hand and led her to the stairs. “We’ve already had sex, so it’s not like I’m trying to seduce you or anything.”
“You’re not?”
I laughed. “Not yet.” We headed up to the master bedroom and I pointed. “Go lay on your stomach.”
She hesitated but then got onto my California king bed and sprawled out. When she was face down, I crawled over her, putting my knees on either side of her hips. “Close your eyes and exhale,” I told her, moving both of my hands up the middle of her back.
“Ohhh…” She let out a soft sigh and then moaned as I squeezed her shoulders.
“You’re tight as fuck,” I whispered. “Let’s loosen you up.”
I worked my way across her shoulders, kneading her neck, scalp and upper arms. I used the heel of my palm to put pressure down her spine and was gratified to see goose bumps break out on her arms. She was starting to relax, so I pulled her shirt out of her skirt, sliding my hands beneath it. Her skin was warm and soft, and I splayed my fingers across her back, using them to apply pressure at different points. I heard the slight pop of a few of her vertebrae and the tension slowly left her body.
She had to be exhausted after working the last seven hours, walking around in those heels carrying heavy trays of food and drinks, and I kind of liked exploring her body this way. It wasn’t as sexy as other things we could be doing, but it was more intimate in some ways, and I was enjoying the little sighs of contentment she was making.
I slid my hands down over her ass, keeping my touch firm as I massaged the round, firm globes. She had a smokin’ hot body beneath her clothes and my cock sprang to life as I continued to rub the knots out of her tense muscles. Even her calves were tight and I wondered how often, if ever, she got massages. My gut told me never, and I leaned over to press a soft kiss between her shoulder blades. She didn’t react and I softly spoke her name.
“Bri?” I leaned over and realized she was fast asleep.
Damn, she looked even sweeter when she slept, and I gently moved off of her. I pulled off my shirt and shorts, crawling onto the bed beside her in my boxers. I was pretty tired too after so many sleepless nights in the last week, so I had no issue waiting until morning when we were both fully awake for anything else. I pulled the blanket up around her since she’d fallen asleep on top of it, and tucked a pillow beneath her head. With one arm resting on her back, I dozed off too.
13
Brianna
* * *
I came awake slowly and realized I was in an unfamiliar bed with a warm, muscular body pressed up against my back.
Declan.
Oh, dear god, I’d fallen asleep on him last night. Fully dressed without even washing off my makeup. I probably looked like death warmed over but I was too comfortable to move. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d spent the night with a man. The last guy I’d slept with had come back to my apartment and left afterward. I never heard from him again and was glad he hadn’t called because the sex had been embarrassingly bad.
“Good morning,” he murmured in a thick, sleep-laced voice.
“Good morning.” I closed my eyes again. “Your bed is so comfortable. I can’t remember the last time I slept so soundly.”
“They say money can’t buy happiness, but it sure as hell can buy you a great night’s sleep.”
“Well, that pre-sleep massage wasn’t bad either.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
“Declan?”
“Hmm.”
“Do you have food in the house? Like, things I could cook with?” An idea had popped into my head, and though sex was fairly high on my list right now, my rumbling stomach took our morning in another direction.
“Yeah. I don’t know what kinds of ingredients you’re looking for, but I have all the basics and there’s some fruit and veggies in the fridge. Meat is all frozen but we keep a pretty good variety in the kitchen.”
“Can I make you breakfast?”
“I was going to take you out, but sure.”
“You were so sweet last night. I’d like to do something nice for you.”
“I will never turn down a home-cooked meal, but you don’t owe me anything because I gave you a back rub.”
“I love to cook, and I don’t have much opportunity to show off my skills, so it’s win-win.”
“Well, in that case, get your sweet ass out of bed and get to work, woman.”
I laughed, rolling over so I could press a chaste kiss on his lips before hurrying to the bathroom to freshen up.
He was still in bed when I got done so I padded down the stairs in nothing but panties and one of his T-shirts since my clothes from last night smelled like stale beer and he said Ford wasn’t home.
His kitchen was dreamy, with a huge industrial size stove and oven, the biggest refrigerator I’d ever seen outside of a restaurant, and glorious counter space to work. The fridge was pretty well-stocked for two bachelors, and I rummaged around until I found ingredients for omelets. Kiki always said I could create a seven-course meal from olive oil and leftovers, and she was probably right.
I found a cutting board and a good knife and peeled two potatoes, chopping them into small chunks. I diced a tomato while frying a few pieces of bacon and cracked four eggs in a bowl. I’d used my phone to put on some music and as Luke Bryan’s “Country Girl” came on, I started dancing around the kitchen. Cooking was my happy place, and cooking for someone like Declan made me happier than it should have. I didn’t need to impress him, but I wanted to. Mostly because he’d been so nice and understanding yesterday, and whether I wanted to admit it or not, I liked him a lot more than I wanted to.