they finally came out of that bedroom.
My day was spent making phone calls from a coffee shop I knew Harper liked. I had grilled Lana about her for the last two weeks and knew her likes and dislikes by heart now. As I surfed the net on my phone, I realized I was acting a little stalker-ish and grimaced. Great, now I was turning into a psycho!
Of course that thought went flying out of my head when I saw her come into the shop and head straight for the counter. Picking up my half empty cup of triple espresso—which had nothing on Jesse’s special blend—I tossed the now cold drink and got in line behind Harper to order another one.
While she spoke to the skinny kid, ordering some kind of girly mocha with extra whipped topping, I took my time checking out the view from behind. Gods, but I loved her ass. The leggings she was wearing outlined it perfectly, and I had to ball my hands into fists to keep from reaching out to cup those sweet hips.
She was wearing running shoes and a tank top, so I had to assume she was planning on a trip to the gym. It was after one, which didn’t surprise me. Lana had told me that my girl liked her sleep, and I had kept her up pretty late the night before.
When she started to pay for her coffee, I stepped forward and took care of it while ordering my own with some pastries. I hadn’t needed Lana to tell me that Harper had a sweet tooth. After paying, I turned to face the quiet girl standing beside of me.
Was it me or was she more beautiful when she was trying to be mad. “I can pay for my own coffee, Shane.”
“No one said that you couldn’t, beautiful. I just wanted to buy my
The barista put our cups down in front of us along with the dish of pastries. I sent the kid a smile as I picked up our order and led her toward the table I had taken up for most of the day.
I sat the coffee down and pulled out a chair for her. Other than a few times for Emmie, I didn’t think I had ever done that for a girl before. Harper didn’t look impressed, though. She just sat down and snatched up one of the cherry filled pastries. “I really don’t have time for this.”
“What’s so important that it can’t wait twenty minutes while we share a snack?” I asked as I sat down across from her so I could see her eyes. Gods, I loved her eyes!
“I’m meeting Cecil at the gym for some racquetball.”
My entire body tensed up as the name of another man left her lips. “Who the fuck is Cecil?” I demanded before I could stop myself.
“My stepdad,” she said with a roll of those gorgeous eyes.
“Oh…” Dammit! Now I sounded like an obsessive asshole. Girls didn’t like shit like that, did they? Emmie and Layla didn’t like it much, or at least they said they didn’t. Was it some kind of reverse psychology and they really did?
A small smile teased at Harper’s Cupid’s bow, but she didn’t chastise me. “Cecil is kind of the only family I claim. He wanted to adopt me, but my real dad wouldn’t let him.”
“Why not?”
“Because he’s a control freak.” She grimaced and took a sip of her coffee. “He and my mom are a lot alike in that area.”
“So you and your stepdad get along?”
“Oh yeah. He and I are so similar, just like Ariana and my mom. Dallas used to joke that we got switched at birth.” Her grin was adorable and I wanted to sit there and stare at it for hours. “We don’t get to see each other much these days. He’s been so busy with work, and I’ve been trying to find a full-time job. But we try to get together at least once a month for racquetball or dinner.”
“Then you should get going.” I didn’t want her to go, but I hated for her to miss out on time with her stepdad.
She glanced at the watch on her left wrist. “I still have a few minutes. He’s always a little late anyway.”
I would take anything she was willing give me. Minutes, hours, days. I wasn’t going to ever turn that down. “How is Dallas feeling this morning? Sore from the fight?”
Harper laughed. “Apparently, that drunk girl got a hit or two in last night. Dallas has a bruise on her right cheek. It really makes her dimple stand out.”
“Now I feel bad.”
“Why?”
“She was fighting because of me. I got her hurt.” I hated that. Don’t get me wrong. Catfights were hot as hell, but I didn’t want my friends hurt because of me.
Harper shrugged it off. “Dallas was half-drunk. She’s always looking for some kind of drama when she gets like that. That’s why I make sure Linc goes out with her when she wants to go clubbing.”
“Really? Sweet little Dallas likes drama? I never would have assumed that of her.” Harper’s giggles were sweet to listen to. I wanted to capture it so I could listen to it forever.
Chapter 8
I had to admit that Shane could easily make me laugh. I loved that about him.
When it was time for me to go, I was reluctant. So of course the words slipped out before I could call them back. “Want to come play racquetball with me and my stepdad?”
His eyes widened as if my question startled him. “You want me to come with you? Meet your stepdad?”
“Yeah. It will be fun. You’re really athletic so you should be able to keep up with him better than I can.”
He glanced down at his gray T-shirt and basketball shorts. I liked them on him better than the club clothes he'd had on the night before. It hid more of his sinfully sexy body, and I could think easier like this.
“Okay.”
I wasn’t sure how Cecil was going to react to Shane. I had never introduced him to a guy that I liked before. He was protective of me, more so than he had ever been of Ariana. But then again, he knew that no matter what he said or did, Ariana would do what she wanted regardless.
When we got to Fit for Life, Cecil was just warming up. When he saw me his face lit up. I threw my arms around him, and he hugged me tight. “There’s my girl!”
When he released me, I stepped back and gave him a once over. He was tall with jet black hair, sprinkled with gray, and blue eyes. He was still a handsome man even in his late fifties. Ariana had gotten a lot of her features from her dad. Sadly enough, she had gotten her personality from her mother, who had been best friends with my mom until her death.
“You look tired,” I scolded. “Don’t you sleep enough?”
“I’ve been in meetings for over a week straight, baby cakes. The new takeover is draining this old man.” His deep voice sounded a little hoarse, and I wondered if he was getting sick or if he had started smoking again.
“Cecil…” I started to ask which it was when he glanced over my shoulder and noticed Shane.
Cecil’s blue eyes narrowed, taking in the rock star. “Who’s this?” Although his eyes weren’t exactly friendly, his tone was. That’s what I loved about my stepdad; he wasn’t readily judgmental about people. He gave them a chance.
“This is Shane Stevenson. He plays the bass for Demon’s Wings.”
“Ah, Lana’s brother-in-law’s band.” He had met and liked my new roommate on sight. Cecil stepped forward and offered Shane his hand. “Good to meet you, Shane.”
Was it just me or did Shane look nervous? I bit my lip to keep from grinning at that crazy thought. “Good to meet you too, sir.” Shane said as he shook the older man’s hand.
“Do you play?” Cecil asked, motioning to the racquetball room in general.
Shane shrugged. “A little. Haven’t had much time for it in the past, though.”
“Well, now is as good a time as any to start, son.”
