But he’d invited her here for a lot more than sex. For what, he didn’t quite know.

He glanced up at the sound of shuffling footsteps. When he saw Jack in his bathrobe, he frowned.

“Why aren’t you dressed, man?”

“We’re not going.” Jack blew his nose, long and hard. “I must be run down from touring because I caught some crappy bug.”

You can’t be sick. Not this weekend!

Rodney forced himself to look calm. “That’s too bad. Linda will be disappointed.”

And he was just about devastated. What would he do with Dee? He sure couldn’t send her back home as soon as she got here.

“I planned on entertaining a lady friend here this weekend,” he reminded him as he shut the refrigerator door. “I can’t cancel on her at the last minute.”

Jack held up his hands. “No problem. I’m going to stay in my room, sleep, and watch a little TV. You won’t even know we’re here.”

Oh, yes, he would when his brother got a look at his guest and the color of her skin. Could he possibly hide her for a whole weekend? With Linda’s help, maybe. Why was he dating outside his race when it could be so…problematic? Was the rebel in him rattling its chains, wanting a little freedom?

As much as he couldn’t wait for the weekend to begin, he also wanted it to be over.

* * *

Dee stepped out of the car and tipped the rideshare driver. She’d never traveled this far south before. Was she standing on enemy turf? What stood before her was a cross between a really nice house and a mansion.

All one level, it had a black roof and shutters with white siding. The wraparound porch with white pillars looked over a huge yard with fragrant magnolia trees. It was worlds apart from the old bare-bones house she’d grown up in and definitely southern.

Was she really going to spend the weekend with Rodney Walker? She’d been so nervous on the plane ride, she couldn’t eat a thing. The food available to her from the first-class ticket he’d sent her had gone to waste.

What would they do together? Would they end up in bed? After all, he’d barely kissed her last time. He owed her a real kiss. Anything more would be a bonus. She walked up the herringbone-patterned brick walkway and knocked on the door, wondering if a butler would answer it.

Instead, the lead guitarist did. Dressed in a bathrobe and with messy hair and sporting a red nose, he looked a lot different than he had on stage. Where was Rodney?

“Yeah? Can I help you?” he asked in clipped tones.

A woman approached but stayed behind him. She must be his wife.

“Wait.” He pointed at Dee before she could answer. “You’re the lady from the rally. You here to sue us or something?”

“What?” Her sweet anticipation of seeing Rodney turned sour.

The woman tapped him on the shoulder. “She must be Rodney’s date.”

Dee nodded. “Isn’t he here? I’ve come a long way.”

“Well, you can turn around and go back where you came from,” Jack said, fixing her with cold eyes. “We don’t need your kind around here.”

“Jack, you’re not being very polite,” the woman muttered before facing Dee. “You’ll have to excuse him. He’s not feeling well.”

Despite the apology, anger and dread poured through Dee’s body like acid. The man was right. She had no business being here. Instead, she should be home catching up on the work she’d missed from her injury.

A man pushed his way to the front. “You were supposed to stay in your room,” he told Jack. “Dee! You made it.”

Rodney’s face lightened the heaviness sinking her, but not quite enough.

“Well, come on in,” he told her as he extended his hands.

She didn’t touch them. “Your house is beautiful, but I’m afraid I can’t stay.”

Chapter Five

Waycross, GA

“Dee, wait!” Rodney shouldered past Jack and chased her down the brick walkway.

Damn his big-mouthed brother!

Dressed in a light-green tank top and darker short skirt, the woman looked more refreshing than a mint julep. He needed this date more than his next breath.

She thrust her hand behind her, waving him back. “I should never have come.”

“I’m really sorry about my brother. He was supposed to be gone for the weekend, but he got a cold.”

Rodney thought fast. He couldn’t exactly take her to a hotel. The press would have a field day, but he wasn’t letting her out of Georgia without having their date.

Her hands shook as she pulled her cell phone from her purse. She was probably booking a return trip, with the rideshare service that had brought her here, to take her back to the airport.

“You can’t leave,” he said, wrapping his fingers around hers to keep them still. “The thought of seeing you has been the only thing getting me through the last few days.”

“Well, I can’t stay here.”

“How would you like to go fishing?” he blurted out. It would be private, away from Jack, and he loved doing it.

“With worms?”

“Sure. Just you and me. I can’t think of anyplace more romantic than the bayou, and you won’t have to touch any worms.” He thrust his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “Then if you want to go, you can.”

“Why not? I need a break from flying.”

And we can say goodbye to each other, once and for all. She didn’t have to say the words. He could read them in her eyes.

“Don’t move. I’m going to make sure Jack stays in his room while you change clothes.”

He eyed her black thong sandals, showing elegant toes tipped in dark-red polish. Wondering how smooth they’d feel against his lips made his jeans feel extra tight.

“Did you bring sneakers?”

She nodded.

Inside, Linda hovered near the front door. “He promised to stay in his room for a while. I’m going to fix him a hot toddy with bourbon. It should knock him out for a while.”

“Thanks. You’re the best.” He kissed her cheek. “I’m taking Dee fishing. A little later, give him another, okay?”

“Sure thing.”

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