Love Desired Page 14

  “You are in this industry. Besides, you inherited Music Haven. Like it or not, you are rich and wealthy. However, you’re the most generous, loving person I know. You’re every bit the queen people think you to be.”

  “Go harass someone else. I need to finish my work.” I winked at him as he laughed. Then he proceeded further down the bar, finding his next customer.

  Taking a few sips of my drink, I set it just behind the laptop, out of my way. I’d spilled a few drinks on my keyboard in the past. Now I knew to keep any liquids at a distance. It wouldn’t be in the way behind the computer.

  I scanned over the screen and plugged in a few numbers from the data Russell had sent me. I hated working this late when I knew Ayden was waiting for me, but this was for his benefit. He promised he understood.

  At least it gave him some time to hang out with his friends. Andi was making preparations for a new band that would be arriving first thing in the morning, so I knew Bentley had free time. So did Jason and Ryan. The four of them hadn’t hung out much since they arrived here.

  Bentley was making his move on Andi from day one. It wasn’t like she resisted. I wasn’t sure who seduced the other first. Jason and Ryan were spending time with two of my choreographers, Erin and Daisy. I was glad to see them getting some time together outside the studio. They needed this.

  Studying the papers atop the bar, I scribbled a few notes at the bottom. At least I only had a few more entries. Then I could close the laptop and spend the rest of my evening with Ayden.

  An overwhelming scent of cinnamon and vanilla invaded my nose. I’d recognize the body spray anywhere. It was Izzy’s favorite. That meant she was close by.

  When I glanced up, seeing her standing a foot away startled me. “What the hell, Izzy. How long have you been standing here staring at me?”

  “Long enough to know you’re married to this place. I’m so glad I wasn’t the prodigal daughter, or should I say, granddaughter.”

  My sister had always envied my relationship with our grandfather. She tried to get his attention and she succeeded, but not in the way she wanted. He saw through her lies and deception, and he didn’t care one bit about calling her out. It was one of the reasons why she left when she was sixteen.

  Still, he pitied her enough that he left her a large chunk of money in his will. I wasn’t sure what Izzy had done with the first portion she’d received at eighteen, or the next check she got at twenty-one. As far as I knew, she had it stashed, but I had heard rumors that she blew it over the years.

  “What do you want, Izzy?”

  “Nothing.” She grinned at me, but it made my skin crawl. “Okay, maybe there is something.”

  Finally. The truth. “What is it?”

  “Oh, I was just thinking how, for once in my life, I’m not walking in your shadow. You’re walking in mine. Tell me. How does it feel?”

  She was baiting me, but I wasn’t falling for it. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about, and I don’t have time to chitchat. Despite what you think, I don’t like working all the time. I have other things to do.”

  “And people,” she smirked.

  I left it alone, refocusing on my computer instead. Izzy could try all she wanted, but I refused to let her cause problems for Ayden and me. I wouldn’t give her that power.

  “Good night, Izzy.”

  “What’s the matter, sis? Are you afraid to face the truth?”

  “There is no truth. I don’t care if you and Ayden had a relationship in the past. I already knew about you.”

  “Yeah, but you didn’t know it was me. I knew it the minute I saw the look on your face when you heard I was the one that broke his heart.”

  “You take pride in that, don’t you?”

  What the hell was I doing? I told myself I wasn’t going to buy into her bullshit. Somehow, she always had a way of pushing my buttons and getting me to fight with her. I hated it.

  “I can’t help it when a guy falls for me. That one crashed hard. You want to know what I take pride in, Mia? The fact that if I wanted Ayden back, I could have him.”

  This time, I laughed in her face. “You’re crazy.

  I lowered my screen and grabbed my drink. Izzy’s beer wasn’t sitting far from it, but she grabbed it up and took a sip at the same time I did. I could tell by her boldness that it wasn’t her first beer of the night. She’d had several, which is why I didn’t act on my emotions and knock the living hell out of her.

  “I’m not doing this with you. Not now, not tomorrow, not any time. There’s nothing in grandfather’s will that gives you a right to be here. I let you stay out of kindness, as well as the fact that you are family. But don’t think you can take advantage of that.”

  “I’m just telling you the truth. Consider that my act of kindness to you.”

  I scooted my stool back to stand, but she was gone before I could get on my feet. Damn her, and damn me for allowing her the opportunity to mess with my head.

  Retaking my seat, I drummed my fingers against the bar and checked my surroundings for Ayden. Thankfully, he was immersed in a conversation with his friends near the stage. They were chatting with Randy Payne of Payne’s Addiction. Ayden told me how they’d met while he was out on a brief tour with Rebel Stone.

  At least he didn’t see the confrontation between my sister and me. He would have rushed over to see what was wrong. I didn’t need him worrying about me. He needed to relax because once I sent these reports to his agent, we would be finalizing the dates for Breaking Silence’s tour.

  Inputting the last of the data, I raced to get the final numbers in then saved everything. It didn’t take long to attach the document to the email and press the send button.

  Finally. I was finished for the evening. This last hour had me full of tension. My shoulders ached as I moved them in a circle.

  Closing the laptop, I motioned to Max to place it behind the bar, in the safe on the bottom shelf. He greeted me with a smile before he clasped the computer in his hands.

  “All done for the evening.”

  “At last,” I chuckled. I felt giddy.

  My drink sat in front of me, the half-full glass proof that I hadn’t consumed much. Rum always made me feel silly, and it was doing an extra good job tonight. I should have stuck with my usual. Vodka.

  As I stood from the chair, my head swayed. At least I thought it did. I lowered myself back to the stool and grabbed the edge of the bar. Max leaned closer to me.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I don’t know. I feel . . . weird, like I’m drunk.” I peered at the glass again. “How much rum did you put in my drink?”

  “The normal amount.”

  I didn’t miss the concern burning in his eyes. The last thing I wanted to do was worry him. He was one of my oldest friends—the brother I never had. If he thought something was wrong with me, he’d alert Andi, or worse, Ayden. I didn’t want anyone making a fuss.

  “Maybe I’m getting sick. Sometimes I feel it coming on. I should probably go lie down.”

  “Do you want me to get someone to help you to your suite?

  “No. I can get there, but if Ayden comes looking for me, will you tell him I went to my suite?”

  “You bet.”

  Taking my time to stand, I hid the fact that everything was spinning as best I could. I waited for the feeling to subside. It did enough that I could force my legs to move.

  Doing my best not to draw attention, I managed to smile and wave at a few guests on my way to the main entrance. Once I reached it, I stumbled through the hall. Luckily, no one was around to see me. When I arrived outside, the fresh air cooled my skin. I didn’t realize I’d been sweating until that point. My shirt was damp.

  As I found the cart and sat inside, I focused on the road and made my way to the condo. All I wanted to do at this point was go inside my suite and crash into my bed. I was definitely getting sick. There was no denying it anymore.

  When I reached the spot where I always parked
the cart, I pulled the key then steadied myself until I reached the main door. I used the wall to help me down the hall. Just a few more feet and I would be inside my suite.

  Once I stepped inside, the familiar scent of berries filled my nose. The door closed behind me as I placed my keycard on the bar and stumbled toward my room.

  I had just enough energy to strip down to my bra and panties. My bed cradled me a second later. The blanket warmed my shoulder, encasing me in a thermal cocoon of comfort. Maybe if I slept the rest of the night, I’d feel better in the morning.

  As much as I wanted to see Ayden tonight, I didn’t want to chance him catching whatever it was I was getting. I grabbed my phone off the nightstand and pulled up a text.

  It didn’t take long to compose the message or to send it. The minute I finished, the phone went back to the nightstand, and I curled up on my side, holding the pillow Ayden always used. We’d spent so many nights together, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to sleep without him beside me.

  Even though I didn’t like the thought, something else bothered me more. It wasn’t just the fact that I wasn’t feeling good or that I had to come back to my suite.

  What worried me most was the fact that Ayden would be alone at some point, and I had no doubts Izzy would take advantage of it.

  * * *

  ~Ayden~

  The condo was just a few feet away as I trudged across the pavement, buzzed off the beers the guys and I drank this evening. I had no idea I’d be the only person leaving the bar without my girlfriend. Bentley went with Andi backstage to hang out with Randy Payne and the girl he was seeing. Jason and Ryan met up with Erin and Daisy, the two choreographers who’d been keeping them company since we came to Music Haven.

  I glanced at my phone, reading over the text Mia sent again. It wasn’t like her to leave without letting me know. Hell, she rarely left the arena without me. This was the first time since we’d started seeing each other that I could remember walking out alone.

  Hey. I think I’m coming down with something. Not feeling well so I’m going to bed. You should probably avoid me. I don’t want you catching this. I’ll miss you tonight. I love you.

  So what if she was catching something? I didn’t care. It was more important to me to be there to take care of her. If I got sick, I’d get over it. The thought of going to my suite made me irritable. I didn’t want to sleep alone. I wanted to be next to her.

  Making my way to the condo, I opened the main door, setting my sights on Mia’s door once I was in the hallway. I patted my back pockets to see where I’d put the key, but I didn’t feel it in either.

  Then I remembered leaving it on the nightstand when I changed this morning. I doubted Mia would hear me if I knocked. I didn’t want to wake her.

  My only other choice was to go to my suite, grab the key off the nightstand, then check on Mia. Once I was inside her suite, I could look around for a thermometer and take her temperature. If she had a fever, she would need medicine.

  In a few quick strides, I reached my suite. After digging the keycard out of my front pocket and opening the door, I made my way to my bedroom. The entire suite looked a lot like it did right after we first arrived at Music Haven. I didn’t bring much with me so there wasn’t much to show I was living here, minus the few things I had sitting on the bar.

  If someone didn’t come inside and see the clothes in the closet, they would think the suite was empty. It didn’t appear occupied because of how much time Mia and I spent together, and we rarely came to my suite for anything. There was no need.

  By the time I retrieved the key and darted back to the door, someone was knocking on the other side. I wasn’t expecting anyone, and God help Izzy if she was the person on the other side of my door. She would not like what I had to say if I found her there.

  Gritting my teeth, I looked out the peephole to see who it was. All the tension building inside me diffused when I realized it was Bentley. I opened the door and began to speak, but he pushed me back inside.

  “Something’s not right, bro.”

  His statement puzzled me. “What do you mean?”

  Shaking his head, he shut the door behind him and crept closer to me. “You said Mia texted you earlier to say she was sick and going to bed, right?”

  “That’s correct. Why?”

  He pressed his lips together and lowered his gaze. “I don’t know what’s going on, but I came back to get Andi’s sweater. Just before I came out, I saw someone leaving Mia’s suite.”

  “Who?”

  Bentley glanced at me. “Some guy I’ve never seen before.”

  My ears closed off to every sound but my heartbeat. This didn’t make any sense. Why would some guy be in Mia’s suite, especially when she wasn’t feeling well?

  Had something happened to her? Maybe someone from her staff saw she wasn’t feeling well and helped her back to her room. They could have alerted the resident doctor and he’d come to see how she was feeling.

  Without answering my friend, I rushed past him and hurried to Mia’s suite. I knocked on the door. When she didn’t answer, I let myself inside. Once I was in the living room, I called out to her. When I didn’t hear a reply, I hurried toward her room.

  All the fear pumping through my heart steadied once I found her in bed, lying on one side, fast asleep. I couldn’t say how long she’d been there, but she hadn’t heard me. If she had been asleep for a while, why had the guy waited to leave until now?

  Approaching her side of the bed, I knelt in front of her, admiring her face a moment before I placed my hand against her forehead. She was slightly warm, but not fevered as far as I could tell. Her body was clammy like she’d been sweating. Perhaps that’s why she didn’t have a fever. She must have broken it.

  Just to be safe, I needed to find a thermometer to check Mia’s temperature just to make sure she wasn’t fevered. As hot as my hands were, I might not have noticed.

  Once I entered the master bathroom, I opened the medicine cabinet hoping to find the object I was looking for. It didn’t take long to find the thermometer. Just as I turned toward the door, the light above me reflected on something inside the trashcan. It shimmered enough to catch my attention. I inched forward, taking note of the fact that the toilet seat was up.

  I remembered lowering it before I left this morning, just like I did every time I used it. Mia told me it was a peeve of hers, so I always made sure to put it down. What gentleman wouldn’t?

  As I moved closer, I shifted my gaze to the trash again. Just underneath an empty bottle of lotion was a small, silver package, one that seemed oddly familiar. I was about to lean in and examine it closer when I noticed something inside the toilet.

  My stomach sank at the sight of the condom.

  It wasn’t mine. That much I knew. Mia fell asleep early the night before while we were watching a movie. We didn’t make love. That meant this condom was . . .

  An array of images ran through my mind. I prayed I was wrong. I had to be because anything else would be too painful. It would mean Wesley had been right all along.

  Part of me wanted to wake Mia and demand answers. The coward in me was too afraid. I couldn’t relive what I went through with Izzy. Mia promised I wouldn’t, but now . . .?

  No. She wouldn’t do this to me. She said she loved me. I heard about the things Wesley did to her. I saw his abuse not long after arriving at Music Haven. Mia wouldn’t cheat on me after all that . . .

  Spin this any way you like, sweetheart. It doesn’t change the truth. Once your new boy toy figures that out, he’ll be gone.

  Wesley’s words haunted me. He’d insinuated that Mia would leave me. If this turned out to be the case, I’d never date again. What Izzy did to me was rough. Going through it with Mia would be brutal.

  Backing away from the toilet, I made my way out of the bathroom and back into Mia’s bedroom. I stared at her face as a thousand questions poured through my mind. I didn’t want to believe this could be true. It was almost too conve
nient.

  Then again, Mia had texted me about being sick. She had suggested I not come over. Had this been her way of covering her whereabouts so she and this guy could fuck?

  No.

  Well, maybe.

  Since the moment Izzy arrived and Mia learned that she was my ex, it felt as though she’d pulled back. Part of me thought it was my mind playing tricks on me. Yet another part of me couldn’t help but ignore the insistent idea. I was afraid of losing her. Was I feeding off my fear, or was Mia pulling back?

  I couldn’t stand here any longer and question the what-ifs. The more I did, the harder it was not to wake her and bombard her with questions. That would only put her on the defensive if she were guilty of something.

  What I needed was to go to my suite just like she’d suggested. I’d left Bentley there anyway. Maybe he could help me make sense of this. Hell, he was the one who spotted the guy leaving in the first place.

  I hoped my friend would have answers or at least some suggestions on how to approach Mia. What I wanted most was for him to tell me this was all a sick, twisted joke and that nothing happened. Then, another possibility stared me in the face.

  Had Izzy played a part in this?

  Chapter 14

  ~Ayden~

  I stared at the door of my suite as I lay against the couch, debating on whether to leave it today. I’d managed to spend the morning dodging everyone after sending a text that I was writing music and asked not to be disturbed.

  It was a lie, of course.

  Making music was the furthest thing from my mind. In truth, the night was a blur. I lost track of how many times I’d fallen asleep only to be awakened by a nightmare, one involving me catching Mia and some faceless man having sex.

  No matter how many times I told myself it wasn’t true, doubt found its way back into my mind. I questioned everything that had happened up to this point, doing my best to remember anything I might have misconstrued.