She stared at him as though waiting for him to say more. Then she shook her head as if he didn’t say what he was supposed to, and he knew exactly what. He hadn’t made any future plans with her.
“Rodney, make up your mind already. I’m not some groupie you can play with and then dismiss whenever you please.”
“I know. In Georgia, I was scared.” He rubbed his forehead. “Of what we could be. Of the trouble it could cause the band. I’ve regretted it every day since.”
“I hardly ate anything for days,” she admitted.
He stroked a stray curl from her temple. “I’m so sorry, but if we had a relationship, the press would destroy it. My brother would be worse. It would tear me to shreds to see it and what it would do to you.”
But living without her would tear him up worse.
“Not if we’re careful.”
“You’d be willing to have a secret relationship?” he asked.
She nodded.
“What if it leaked out? Cameras are everywhere these days.”
“I’m willing to take the chance,” she said. “And I’m an attorney, remember? I work with evidence every day, so I’m pretty knowledgeable about how to hide it.”
“How often do you want to get together?”
Dee shrugged. “I’m more about quality than quantity, and our schedules are pretty crazy. I just need to know there’s going to be a next time.”
He kissed her softly on the lips. “There’s definitely going to be a next time. Gentleman’s honor.”
“I believe you.” She stroked his hair. “You’ve made me so happy.”
“Me, too,” he whispered.
When a loud knock sounded on the door, they both jumped.
“Did you order more food?” she asked.
“No, it’s probably Jack.” Dread poured over him, making the cum stain underneath him colder than an ice cube.
“Oh, crap.” Dee looked down at herself, undoubtedly seeing a mess—matted hair, wrinkled dress hiked up to her waist, and a smear of her sweet nectar on her thigh.
To him, no woman had ever looked more beautiful.
“Discretion test number one.” He jumped off the bed and zipped up his jeans while she scurried to the bathroom.
As he answered the door, he hoped she wouldn’t run any water until the visitor left.
“Hey, bro’” Jack waltzed in without an invitation then halted, sniffing the air like a bloodhound. “Smells like pizza and sex in here.”
Rodney stepped in front of the bed, but he wasn’t fast enough to block the man’s view.
“Looks like you had sex with the pizza,” his brother guffawed as he stared at the stains.
Rodney smirked at his brother’s misbuttoned shirt with the lipstick stain on the collar. “You unplug after concerts your way, and I’ll do mine. What brings you by?”
As Jack rattled off a list of minor issues with the next tour stop, Rodney wished he’d handled them himself. Unfortunately, his brother only liked being top dog when it benefited him. One issue was the departure of their plane an hour earlier than scheduled, which meant he’d have to get Dee out of here even earlier in the morning.
He answered each issue and headed to the door before she could make a sound and give him away. The last thing he needed was for his brother to find her in his room.
“Good night, Jack. I’m beat.”
But instead of leaving, the other man made a drunken beeline toward the bathroom.
Rodney’s heart accelerated. “Hey, where are you going?”
“I’ve got to take a piss first.”
“Your room is two doors down. Use your own john.”
“Yes, sir. Aren’t we grumpy?” Jack complained as he veered back toward the front door. “I think you need to go fuck the rest of your pizza.”
He staggered down the hall, laughing at his own joke. After he left, Rodney leaned against the closed door and breathed the proverbial sigh of relief. Then he rushed to the bathroom. He found Dee sitting on the edge of the tub.
“The coast is clear,” he told her. “Thanks for not running the water.”
“I told you I’m an expert at dealing with evidence.” She lifted a wet washcloth from the sink. “If it weren’t for this, I would’ve gone crazy.”
“Oh, yeah. I washed my face with it before the concert.”
“Well, I used it to wash a few other things while I waited.”
He grabbed it, wishing he could have seen her dabbing at her swollen sex. “I hope you’re not too put out.”
She rose and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Why would I be put out? I get to spend the night with the man I— Like. A lot.”
“Can you be out of here by five a.m.?”
“That gives us—” She craned her neck to see her watch.
“Exactly four hours. How about another shower for two before we hit the sack?”
“Sounds good to me, Southern man.”
Their relationship would work. They’d just proven it. Forgetting all about his fatigue from the tour, he lifted her, holding her with one arm while he turned on the shower spigots full blast with the other.
Chapter Nine
Washington, D.C.
A few nights later, Dee arrived at The Capital Grille, a classy restaurant on Pennsylvania Avenue. Before getting out of her car, she smoothed the conservative gray pantsuit for her dinner with Ted Parmley. She’d almost canceled but figured dating someone else would deflect suspicion from her real relationship with Rodney.
The night in that California hotel room had been the shortest and most wonderful of her life. She and Rodney had made love in the shower and again in bed. Dozing off in each other’s arms an hour here and there. Only to wake up and caress each other again. She’d slept on the plane ride home, only to wake up and realize he was gone.
They had a relationship now. A future. Sure, it wouldn’t be easy. Two busy people, long distance, and all that. She didn’t enjoy sneaking around like a criminal, either, but it was better than nothing.
Inside the lobby, Ted gripped both her hands as if they went way back. She could always use another friend. Hopefully, he felt the same way.
“You look stunning,”
