Rock Me Page 8

  “Shit. Ava, gotta call you back.” He strode over to her. “Summer?” Ben loomed over her, staring at her with concern. “You okay?” He held out a hand to help her up.

  “I tripped. I mean slipped.” Her face flamed with heat as she let him pull her to her feet. “I fell,” she said lamely.

  “Are you hurt?”

  She shook her head. “Nothing but my pride. Go ahead and call your—call Ava back.”

  A hint of something flashed across his face, but as usual, he was too skilled at hiding his feelings.

  He narrowed his gaze. “Please finish that statement. You said, ‘Go ahead and call your—’ My what, Summer? Who do you think Ava is to me?” he asked, his voice taking on what sounded like a … hurt edge.

  “How should I know?” she hedged, knowing she didn’t have long before she’d have to confess.

  “You don’t have to know,” he said. “You just need to tell me what went through your mind.”

  She pouted, pursing her lips together hard before forcing out the words. “Well, you don’t have a sister, so I assume Ava is your girlfriend.”

  He cocked an eyebrow, a true angry scowl on his handsome face. “You think so little of me that you believe I’d sleep with you if I had a girlfriend?” He folded his arms across his chest in a defensive gesture. “I’m offended, Summer.”

  She winced, realizing he was right. She’d taken his absence this morning as deliberate, heard his call to a woman, and jumped to all the worst possible conclusions.

  “I’m sorry.” She wrapped her arms around her waist. “That wasn’t nice of me. It’s just that I heard you say her name and I was—”

  “Jealous?” he asked, nailing the unwanted, embarrassing emotion.

  “Yes,” she admitted.

  His gaze softened. “Thank you for being honest.” He reached out and tapped her nose. “But the fact is, you have no reason to be. You consume my thoughts, and my body craves only you.”

  Her mouth went dry, and her panties immediately grew damp at his light touch and seductive words. “Oh.”

  “My days of pulling away are over. Next time I kiss you or put my hands on you, I won’t be stopping.”

  “But … you weren’t in bed when I woke up, so I assumed you had second thoughts, considering I snuck into your bed last night.”

  “My boss called and I didn’t want to wake you, so I answered out here. Then I made us coffee.” He gestured toward the kitchen. “Summer, listen.” He grasped both her hands in his. “I’m a grown man. I own my choices. You might have crawled into my bed, but I wanted you, too. And I can admit, I can’t resist you now.”

  * * *

  Ben had had time to think while Summer slept, and he knew he had to come to terms with his need and desire for her. He might not want to repeat past mistakes, might not want to be like his old man, might not want to deal with the inevitable heartbreak when she left on a world tour and became a superstar … but he couldn’t resist her. And that little fact, although it didn’t change his fears, superseded them. As long as they came to an understanding about what this thing between them was … and wasn’t.

  At his admission, her eyes opened wide and her mouth parted in a sexy little O. He couldn’t help but chuckle at her astonished expression, not that he blamed her. She had every right to think he had been withdrawing from her. And though a part of him wanted to do just that and protect his heart, he couldn’t keep doing the push-pull dance that hurt her. Hell, it hurt them both.

  As much as he owed her an explanation for his earlier behavior, it entailed a gut-wrenching, reaching-into-his-soul accounting of why he’d kept his distance to begin with. And Ben didn’t like to revisit his childhood and his parents’ marriage, mostly because watching things play out between them hurt and had ultimately skewed his views on life and love.

  He reached up and pulled her down from her perch on the sofa, toppling her onto the cushions alongside him. Her fragrant scent wafted over him as she righted herself and adjusted into a sitting position and smoothed a hand over her damp braided hair.

  “You’re in a very good mood this morning.”

  He laughed. “Because I had fantastic sex last night and I’m anticipating even better this morning. I just want to get something straight between us.”

  “What would that be?” she asked.

  “This is sex. Great sex. Hot sex. But just sex all the same. You’re going to be embarking on a huge career, and I’m not looking for anything serious. Are we in agreement?” he asked.

  She treated him to a jerky nod and he hated the vulnerable look that flashed over her face. “Great sex. I can handle that.”

  Before he could reply, his cell phone rang.

  He shot her a regret-filled look and pulled the phone from his back pocket, answering the call. “Hollander.”

  His boss was on the other end. “What’s up?” Ben asked.

  “Heard you canceled the party at my place,” Dan said, not sounding happy.

  He always hosted a get-together for his employees’ birthdays and holidays, his home the gathering place for anyone who didn’t have a family or those who wanted to celebrate with friends instead. Dan had his reasons for declaring holidays celebration worthy, and Ben understood them even if he wasn’t the celebrating type.

  “It’s just a birthday. They come around every year. We can postpone it or skip it altogether,” Ben said in what he knew would be a futile attempt at bailing on his own party.

  Dan’s next words ensured that Ben would be there no matter what.

  “Yes, sir,” Ben said with the utmost amount of respect. “We’ll be there.” With a groan, he disconnected the call.

  “What’s wrong?” Summer asked, curling her legs beneath her.

  “Question for you,” he said, not answering hers. This weekend they had a trip to Atlantic City for a hotel performance, but nothing till then. “I didn’t see anything on your schedule for tomorrow. Are you still free?”

  She nodded. “Why?”

  He propped an elbow on the top of the sofa, his arm close to hers. “What you heard on the phone earlier was me telling Ava to cancel a birthday party the people I work with were planning.”

  “For you?” she asked, surprised.

  “For me. Tomorrow is my birthday,” he said with reluctance.

  “Ben! Why didn’t you say something?” she asked, a little bit of hurt in her voice. “I’d have bought or made a cake! Birthdays are important.”

  Which was why he hadn’t told her. “Birthdays were never a big deal to me. Well, maybe they were when I was younger, but when my parents’ marriage went south, all the family celebrations ended.” He eyed her carefully, wondering if she’d judge him for how screwed up his family was.

  She came from what he considered a functional family unit, two parents, happily married, with a daughter they doted on. Well, until she’d disappointed them by cutting them out of her career decisions. Come to think of it, maybe they weren’t all that functional after all. Maybe nobody came from the perfection he wished he could have had. Still, Ben’s dad had set an example of how a man should be careful with the choices he made. Putting Summer in a no-serious-relationship zone made perfect sense.

  Summer placed a comforting hand on his arm, her soft fingers searing his skin, forcing those thoughts out of his mind. “What happened?” she asked.

  He swallowed hard. “It’s not important.”

  Her pretty pout did nothing to dissuade him from not discussing his past.

  “Fine. You’re off the hook. For now.”

  He nodded, his relief huge. “Back to tomorrow, the people I work with are big on parties for all occasions. So that was my boss, Dan Wilson, who got the message from Ava that I wanted to cancel, and he isn’t letting that happen.”

  “I agree with him. You should celebrate your birthday with your friends. I’ll be fine here. I promise not to leave the apartment while you’re gone.”

  She sounded sincere, and he appreciated th
at she wanted him to be with his friends. But that wasn’t the plan. “That’s not what Dan suggested.”

  Or what Ben wanted, which was why he’d pulled the plug on the thing to begin with.

  “You are not staying here alone. Dan takes protection very seriously, as do I. But he lost his wife to cancer awhile back, and because of that, he believes in living life to the fullest.”

  “That’s so sad,” she murmured. “But so sweet at the same time.”

  Dan would have a heart attack at being called sweet, although that’s what he was, deep down inside.

  “It is. And Dan said, and I quote, ‘Life’s short. We’re having your party. Just bring the girl.’”

  Summer gaped at the suggestion.

  Ben understood. He’d canceled because he was working, and bringing Summer around his colleagues and friends was too intimate even for people already sleeping together. Sure, he’d decided to allow himself this time with Summer, but he also needed to keep his heart protected. Bringing her into his inner circle of friends and life wouldn’t help him in that regard.

  “Go with you? No.” She waved a hand in dismissal. “You go on and I’ll be safe and sound right here.” She patted the sofa for emphasis.

  He shook his head and groaned. “Sorry but I can’t do that. Dan’s the boss. He said to bring you. You said you have no plans. Which means we’re going to a barbeque tomorrow at noon.”

  Even if she wasn’t any keener on getting up close and personal with Ben’s life than he was with letting her. They didn’t have a choice.

  * * *

  Summer tapped her foot nervously against the floorboard of the Uber they were taking to Ben’s boss’s house. He sat beside her in silence. She’d chosen a floral casual dress for the occasion, and unlike her trips to the gym or the studio for work, she had no intention of documenting her day for social media. Ben’s friends and his day were off-limits to the prying public.

  She was nervous about going to the birthday party for Ben because she didn’t know his friends and wasn’t sure she belonged there. Until yesterday, she’d had no idea when Ben’s birthday even was. After he’d been fired from Star Power, she’d attempted to do the obligatory postmortem stalking of her ex only to discover he didn’t have a social media presence. No photos to torture herself with and no birthdate mentioned online for her to see.

  She did, however, have a photo of them stuck in her wallet, a selfie she’d coerced him into taking while they were sharing ice cream, and which she’d had printed so she could look and mourn what might have been. He didn’t need to know that though.

  She’d been wrong in thinking he wanted to regroup and pull away the morning after. Instead he seemed to have come to terms with the fact that the desire between them was off the charts and ignoring it wasn’t going to work. He had, however, put an emotional wall up between them, and she really couldn’t blame him. They might be in a good place when it came to them, sex being a good icebreaker, but they weren’t a couple in the true sense of the word.

  She glanced out the window at the typical New York traffic on the highway and sighed.

  Ben closed his hand over hers. “Relax. It’s just the people I work with. They’re nice and you’ll feel comfortable.”

  “Thank you,” she murmured, turning toward him. “And I promise I won’t do anything to let them know we … hooked up or whatever. I don’t want to get you into trouble again.” She glanced away, knowing that despite apologies given, that was still a sore subject for him.

  A wry smile pulled at his mouth, which on Ben became the equivalent of a sexy grin. “If I know Dan, he wouldn’t be surprised. Trust me when I tell you, there’s nothing traditional about this group. They mix family and business, but I don’t think we need to give them things to gossip about, either.”

  She nodded in understanding. “Agreed.” She’d handle this however he wanted to and take her cues from him.

  “What else is on your mind?” he asked.

  She didn’t want to admit to her nerves. She handled large audiences. She’d deal with his friends. “I couldn’t get you a gift,” she said instead.

  And she really did feel bad. She’d found out about the event less than twenty-four hours before it was to take place, and she was house-bound as dictated by her bodyguard, the birthday boy himself.

  He leaned an arm on the back seat. “I don’t need presents. I don’t even want a party.”

  “Well, it sounds like you were outvoted, so you might as well enjoy it.”

  “I intend to. I hope you will, too. At least you’re getting out of your apartment and going to a place where you don’t have to worry about anyone getting near you. It’s a house full of bodyguards.”

  She laughed. “Good point.”

  The car pulled up to a modest house with white siding, a well-manicured green lawn, and SUVs parked along the street and in the driveway.

  Her stomach tumbled as they came to a stop, and not long after, Ben led her to the front door, his strong hand hard and reassuring on her lower back.

  He didn’t bother ringing the bell, just pushed open the door and urged her to step in alongside him.

  She glanced around, taking in the family photos lining the wall in the entryway, giving the place a homey feel. The sound of voices and laughter coming from inside the house drew her in.

  “Come this way.” Ben tipped his head toward the center of the house, and Summer followed him to an obviously renovated, open-concept kitchen and family room crowded with people. Mostly large men, like Ben, strong and muscular guys, and one woman, who had to be Ava, laughing among them.

  “Hey, the birthday boy is here!” A broad-shouldered man with a buzz cut and a collared short-sleeved shirt headed their way. “Happy birthday!” He hooked an elbow around Ben’s neck and pulled him in for a fatherly-type hug.

  “Thanks. Dan, this is Summer Michelle. Summer, my boss, Dan Wilson.”

  Dan met her gaze with an assessing one of his own as he extended his hand. “A pleasure to meet you. I trust my boy is doing his job and keeping out of your way at the same time?”

  Summer bit the inside of her cheek. “He’s only under foot when he needs to be,” she said, being discreet as she’d promised. “And it’s good to meet you, too.” She shook his hand.

  “This is my son, Jared,” Dan said of the dark-haired man who joined them.

  “Hi, Jared.” Summer smiled.

  “Man, Ben gets all the good assignments,” Jared said, not so discreetly looking her over.

  Ben cleared his throat. “Watch the eyes, Wilson.”

  Jared blinked in surprise. “Well, damn. Okay then.”

  Ava chimed in. “Jared, go away and leave Ben’s woman alone,” she said, sounding pissed off.

  “But… We’re not… I mean I’m not Ben’s anything.” She’d promised she’d keep whatever was between them private, and they’d agreed they weren’t anything serious.

  Ava grinned, shaking her head at Summer. “Besides, he gave himself away. He bit Jared’s head off for just looking, and his hand hasn’t left your lower back since you walked into the room. Possessive much?” she asked, smirking at Ben.

  A glance told Summer that Ben’s cheeks were a bright red from Ava’s summary of what was going on between them.

  “Happy birthday!” she said, cutting off any reply. She leaned up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “And nice to meet you, Summer. I’m Ava Talbott,” the pretty, bubbly woman said.

  “Hi. Nice to meet you, too.”

  The introductions continued with a man named Tate Shaw, who Summer later discovered was originally from Texas and occasionally did work there for McKay Taggart Security, and Austin Rhodes, another of the big bodyguards.

  Summer found herself pulled into their warmth, amused by the familial bickering, and over the course of the afternoon, she managed to relax and enjoy herself.

  Although the guys gravitated toward each other and hung out together, Ben tried to make sure Summer was comforta
ble and didn’t leave her side—until Ava shooed him away.

  “Let us girls talk. Go hang out with the boys.”

  She met Summer’s gaze and rolled her eyes. “Too much testosterone most of the time, and I’m surrounded by it.”

  “Really? I think you’d enjoy it.”

  She shook her head and laughed. “Why? Because they’re all muscular and hot? They’re all like my brothers.” She glanced at where the guys congregated.

  “It’s a tough job to have,” Summer said.

  “You try dealing with these hardheaded men on a daily basis.”

  Summer smiled. “That’s probably frustrating.”

  “Let’s go sit on the back porch. It’s gorgeous out.” Ava led her outside to a deck that overlooked a wooded area with trees.

  “It’s beautiful here,” Summer murmured, the air still warm. They settled into a long porch swing.

  “It is.” She paused, then said, “I grew up here … well, from my mid-teens on.”

  “Really? Was your mother married to Dan?” Summer asked, drawing the only conclusion she could.

  Ava held back a snort. “Actually Dan lived in a different neighborhood when Jared and I were younger, and back then we were neighbors.” She paused and Summer gave her time to gather her thoughts. “My mother was … is an addict. Drugs. Whatever she can get her hands on. Dan took me in when she disappeared on one of her binges, and he refused to give me back when she resurfaced. He was a cop at the time, so you can imagine how little leverage my mother had.” She bit down on her lower lip. “Sometimes I think he paid her to go away, but he won’t admit it.”

  Summer swallowed hard. “Wow.” What did she say to that? Her life had been a picnic in comparison. “I’m sorry,” she murmured.

  “I got lucky having Dan look out for me, so it’s all good. I try not to dwell on my mother.”

  For good reason, Summer thought.

  Ava pushed back against the floor, rocking the swing. “So how are you and Ben handling being secluded together?” Ava asked bluntly, changing the subject and taking Summer by surprise. “It can’t be easy living under the same roof after everything. Although, like I said, it looks like you two are pretty cozy.”