Playing it Out, page 3
"By you?"
"Yeah, by me. Now take your hands off of my man before I make you." I saw in her eyes that she wasn't going to budge and grabbed her by the hair with my free hand. I yanked her back as she let out a pained yelp. I’d always had a problem with my temper and for a reason I didn't want to think about, seeing this girl cling to Declan really pissed me off.
”You fucking bitch!" She swatted at me, but I didn't pause as I twisted my hand, gathering her hair into my fist. Tugging free of Declan's grasp, I started moving towards the door dragging the girl behind me while she continued to swear and slap at me while I ignored her efforts. I saw my Uncle JJ come out of his office and frown over at me shaking his head in disapproval. My cousin Jared stood just behind him laughing his ass off after sizing up the situation.
"Problem over there, Reece?" JJ called taking note of the situation. I paused and winced seeing the angry look on my uncle's face. He wasn't my blood relative, but he and my mom had been friends since they were kids so he had been around my whole life. JJ had taken on the father figure role in my life when my own dad had run for the hills just after I started high school. He was family, which meant he could make my life a living hell if he wanted to.
"No problem, Uncle J,” I shot him a sassy smile. “I just thought I would take out your trash."
“Trash? I am not trash you fucking bitch!"
Resuming my task, I shoved the girl out the front door while Lane came up from behind me throwing her purse and coat out after her. I turned and fully expected my uncle to read me the riot act but he just pointed a finger at me and retreated back into his office. Jared wiped tears from his eyes and shot me a thumbs up. At least I could amuse him.
Declan and his bandmates were staring at me with mixed expressions of shock and amusement on their faces. Wyatt was laughing so hard his face was turning red while Lucas gave me a look filled with admiration. I grinned back at them fighting the urge to curtsy as Lane and I rejoined the group. I was slightly worried Declan would be put off by my actions but from the gleam in his eye I could tell he’d had the opposite reaction.
"Thank you for defending my honor, Reece." He grabbed ahold of my hand again when I was within arm’s reach. With his eyes locked on mine, he brought my hand to his mouth and placed a gentle kiss on my knuckles. I felt myself shiver and from the look in his eye he had felt it to.
I was in trouble.
Declan
At this point in my life I was certain I’d never met anyone like Reece Becker and I had known her less than two hours. Something about her had drawn me in like a moth towards a flame and as we continued to hang out, I felt myself becoming increasingly enthralled.
Normally when I was out in public I was on high alert waiting to be ambushed by fans. Being in Reece's company had distracted me and I hadn't noticed the blonde woman until she had locked her arms around me. When I felt Reece pull away, I had panicked that she was going to walk right out the door. I was shocked when she had confronted the blonde woman, then literally peeled her off of me. Catching Lucas’ gaze I could see that he was just as stunned. When a man stepped out of the office area of the bar asking Reece if there was a problem, she had responded by telling him she was just taking out his trash causing Wyatt to do an actual spit take.
After tossing the girl out on her ear, Reece walked back towards me looking somewhat proud of herself. I was sure there was a similar look mirrored on my face. I wasn't used to having anyone other than my family sticking up for me. It was a feeling I could get used to.
I chose air hockey as the next game and had a hard time remaining focused on my goal as Reece’s constant muttering and motion kept making me lose my concentration.
"K. O."
"Oh well, fuck me!" Reece's frustration was clear as she slammed her palms against the machine. I felt a wave of desire rush over me and took a swig of my beer to try to smother it. Usually when I heard a woman yell that it was in an entirely different context.
Reece unclenched her grip on the paddle with a resigned sigh. "Okay we're one to one. Next games my choice."
"Reece, your phone is ringing," Lane said extending it towards her. "It's Jared. I don’t know why he’s calling you though since I saw his ass in the back five seconds ago.”
Who the fuck was Jared?
"Jared? What's up?" Shooting me an apologetic smile, Reece stepped just out of earshot to finish her conversation.
"She's giving you a run for your money, brother." Jace commented as he clinked his beer bottle to mine. Grunting in agreement, I brought the bottle to my mouth and took another swig. I knew we had to leave for the show soon and glanced around the bar for the twins just as Lucas starting making his way towards us.
"Wyatt is going to meet us at the venue. Some bug crawled up his ass."
I had been watching Reece talk on the phone, her hand moving to accompany whatever she was saying. Something the fucker Jared said made her laugh and the sound of it ran down my spine giving me goosebumps. I felt on edge which was not a way I liked to feel when I was about to perform in front of hundreds of fans.
Reece's smile faded as she caught my gaze across the room. She said something quickly into the phone before hanging up and walking back over to me. Placing her hand on my arm, she lightly rubbed it up and down. Concern shone out of her expressive eyes. "Are you okay? You've got a weird look on your face." I felt the tension humming just underneath my skin lessen as I smiled down at her, "I'm good. I believe we still have one more game to play."
I wanted to ask her who Jared was but had to force myself not to. I didn't want to come off as needy as I was feeling. I was a rock star for God's sake, most women couldn't wait to get rid of their boyfriends to get to me. Hell, I could have my hand pick of women at the show tonight but something inside of me kept saying, “this one," whenever I looked at Reece. A beautiful smile came over her face and when she winked at me I felt all the blood rush from my head to my dick. Holy hell, this woman was hot.
"My pick. And I want to play that game." Pointing just over my shoulder I turned to follow her finger and smiled when I saw what game she picked.
"Zombie Apocalypse?"
"Bet your ass. Whoever shoots the most zombie's wins. How's your aim?" Stepping up to the game, Reece grabbed the plastic orange rifle while I grabbed the blue. I pointed the gun at the screen and hit begin before nudging Reece with my arm. "Spot on."
We played for a few minutes and I didn't allow myself to look over at Reece to see her expression. I focused totally on the game knowing she had to have been good at this one to have picked it. I didn't want her to win.
"Game over."
"Well, shit,” I commented as my eyes quickly scanned the scores. I felt a grin split across my face and glanced over at Reece. I had won by a lot and I expected her to be pouting, instead she was wearing a smile as wide as my own.
"Never could get a hang of this game. Guess my night is yours."
I liked the sound of that.
"Lane, I lost." Reece moved toward her friend who was frowning down at her cell phone.
"I can't believe this. I have to go home. Lake has a fever and Jon says he keeps asking for me,” she groaned. “I love my kids, but this fucking sucks."
"Aw man! Poor guy. Of course we need to go home."
"We?" I interjected, feeling a sliver of panic enter my system. This night had been the best I’d had in a long time. I wasn't ready for it to end. "Are you trying to welch?" My voice issued a direct challenge, which apparently hit it's mark as Reece's eyebrow lifted. Her lips turned up with a jaunty smile.
Before she could respond Lane jumped up from her seat and grabbed her friends arm. “Reece, you have to go. It's the perfect way to start off your summer vacation! Plus, you can take videos for me. Pretty please."
My breath stalled in my chest as I waited for her answer. I wanted her to honor our deal but I wasn't going to try any harder to change her mind either. I felt like I had put myself out there enough already.
When she started to worry her bottom lip between her teeth, I reconsidered begging.
"We only have one car."
"You can ride with me to the show." Before I had even finished speaking Reece was already shaking her head.
"I'll feel better if I have my own car with me."
"It's so she can ditch you, Declan,” Jace offered up.
"It's so I can ditch him if need be,” Reece corrected smiling at him, her whiskey colored eyes warmed with humor.
Lane shoved a pair of keys at Reece. "Problems solved. Cabs out front for me. Just remember I have a doctor in the morning. I expect the car to be back ma'am." Lane had been looking at me during that last part and I nodded to let her know I got the message.
No abducting her friend.
After Lane had left, Reece glanced around at the three of us as if she wasn't sure who we were or how she had gotten there. Jace was an asshole but I was a little worried he might be right and Reece would leave before the show. In the beginning of the night she’d made it clear the only reason she was there was because her friend had forced her to come. Now that Lane was gone, I had no insurance that she would stay.
"We have time for one more drink before the show,” I moved to her side and brushed a loose strand of hair off her shoulder. “Reece, how about you giving me a ride to the stadium?"
"I guess that would be alright."
Feeling relieved I gave her a small smile before shooting Jace and Lucas a quick look so they knew to beat it.
Taking the hint, Jace downed the rest of his drink and nudged Lucas. "Come one let's go find Wyatt. I thought I saw Emma in here earlier."
At the name my gaze did an involuntary sweep of the bar looking for the familiar red head. I knew that if Wyatt had seen her, that was more than likely the reason his mood had turned sour. Those two had always butted heads. In high school the guys and I had bets as to whether they would kill each other or fuck each other's brains out. At least we had until Wyatt had acted like a fucking dick. The only thing that had prevented me from punching my bandmate was the fact that he was beating himself up twice as much. That and the fact that his twin took matters into his own hands and laid him out on his ass.
“If you’re referring to Emma Thompson, she just started working for my Uncle JJ. This is his bar,” Reece explained as she gave a quick glance around. "It's a Friday night at seven o'clock so odds are that she's here somewhere."
"If you see her tell her we say hey will you?" Lucas asked setting his glass of water aside. No matter where we were we could always count on Lucas to be the designated driver.
"Declan don't be late or Little One will flip,” Jace added. “See you there, Reece. That is if you don't ditch his sorry ass first."
"Fuck off, dude." I growled as he laughed, giving me a cocky salute.
"I'm not really planning on ditching you anytime soon,” Reece assured me as my bandmates walked away. “I mean, I did promise Lane I would take some videos for her at your concert."
"The concert is also supposed to be a great start to your summer vacation,” I smiled back at her. “Are you a student?" We had moved toward the table Jace and Lane had been occupying while we played the arcade games. Reece began to munch on the table nachos, downing them with her beer.
"I'm a teacher actually. High school. English. Although you wouldn't know it based off of my ability to form a sentence."
"What led you to that?” I wanted to know everything about her.
"Books really. I just like reading and writing. And talking about reading and writing. It's a good fit. What about you? What led you to music?"
"I didn't really choose music. It sounds fucking ridiculous to say this but it sort of just found me." When she laughed a little, I held my hands up in surrender. "I swear I've only had one beer since we took those shots. I'm thankful every day that music was able to make everything fall into place." As I looked into Reece's eyes, I had a feeling I was going to have another thing to be thankful for in the near future.
Chapter 3
Reece
When we pulled up to the arena Declan pointed me towards a back entrance where we were stopped by a security guard. We had been chatting nonstop since we met at the bar and I was feeling reluctant that I had to share him with an entire stadium. Rolling down my window, I leaned back against my seat as Declan moved over me to speak to the man.
"Hey man, she's with me."
Hating myself even as I did it, I leaned forward and breathed him in. He smelled amazing. I heard Declan suck in his breath and opened my eyes to see him staring at me, his mouth forming in a straight line.
"Did you just smell me?" He asked in a deep voice. His blue eyes sizzled as they took in every inch of my face.
Lying seemed impossible when he had obviously caught me red handed. "You smell good,” I managed to say, trying to keep my voice light.
Moving slowly, Declan placed his head next to my neck. On his next breath he inhaled and I felt myself shiver as wind came through the open window. Raising his head Declan cupped my cheek in his hand, brushing the pad of his thumb across my lips lightly. "You smell good too." His husky voice vibrated through my body and I felt myself leaning closer to him.
Clearing his throat loudly, the security guard attempted to hide his smile. "You're all set Mr. Kane. Ma'am." My brain hadn't yet restored to full functioning and I felt myself salute the man before pressing down on the gas.
"Just to the right there," Declan instructed pointing his finger to the back of the venue. I followed his directions and parked the van noticing the tour buses parked in the same lot. Unbuckling my seatbelt I began laughing as I watched Declan do the same and climb out of the car.
"Something funny?" He asked coming around the front to meet me.
"Just seeing Declan Kane, one of the sexiest men alive, climb out of a minivan. Kind of amusing."
"You think I'm the sexiest man alive?" Surprise shown in his eyes as his mouth turned up at the corner.
Shaking my head at him I began to walk towards the arena doors. "I didn't say that. I said one of the sexiest men alive and I was referring to the magazine cover I've been running into at the grocery store."
"Next year it'll be my crown. I can feel it."
Throwing my head back I laughed with him as I reached for the door. I froze when I felt Declan come up behind me. He gently removed my fingers from the handle and spun me so that my back was against the door and I was facing him. Taking my face in his hands like he had done moments ago in Lane's car, Declan invaded my space and placed his lips within a breath of mine.
“Reece," he spoke in a low voice and I felt energy course through every cell of my body as his body pressed me against the door.
I took a deep breath and tried for the same serious tone, ”Declan."
Chuckling softly he leaned closer so that his lips touched mine.
Something came over me as I moved my arms from where they hung loose at my sides to the back of Declan's neck. Weaving my fingers through his thick, soft black hair, I pulled his mouth closer to mine, crushing my lips to his.
Moaning with me, we opened our mouths, teeth clacking against each other as the kiss turned from an innocent touch of lips into something I worried would haunt me for the rest of my life. Sucking my upper lip into his mouth, Declan nibbled his way across it. His hands moved from my face down my sides causing me to press myself even tighter against him.
It had been awhile since I had been with a man and even then it hadn't felt like this. Like I was burning from the inside out. I felt my legs start to tremble when Declan's hand traveled up the length of my body to cup my breast. Sighing into my mouth, Declan moved his hands back into my hair. Lightly grasping it the strands between his fingers, he gently tugged and broke our kiss. Resting his forehead against mine, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
I used the moment to try and slow my sporadic breathing. The wind had picked up since we had left JJ's making me wish I had put on my heavier jacket, but Declan's body heat was doing a good job of keeping me warm. Trapped between his body and the arena door, I could feel the hard planes of his muscles through his light coat. Declan pulled my hand from where it rested between us and intertwined our fingers giving a small kiss to the tip of my nose making my heart flutter.
Suddenly, I wanted nothing more than to get inside.
I wanted to watch the show, take a video or two for Lane then I wanted to leave. Declan suddenly seemed like the kind of trouble I couldn't afford to get into. I could still feel my lips tingling from his kiss as I began to push him away which he immediately did. That only made me like him more.
"What's the rush?" He asked as his dark brows drew together. I wanted to smile when I noticed that his nose looked a little red from the chilled night air.
"It's cold,” I complained, grateful at least that it was no longer raining. “Oh and there's a sold out stadium waiting for you." As if on cue the door behind me pushed open propelling Declan and I back a step. I glanced over my shoulder to see an obviously incensed petite blonde woman.
"Declan Shaw Kane!" She began, barely glancing at me as Declan steadied us both. His hand began to rub up and down my back as he frowned over at her. "Get your ass into the practice room before I shove my foot down your throat ruining your vocal chords and your career!"
Wincing slightly, Declan moved me so that his arm was wrapped around my waist and I was tucked neatly into his side. He gave me a small smile as we started down the hallway following the woman who continued to give Declan the riot act for being late.
I realized that this was the second time that night I was letting someone drag me somewhere. When I felt Declan’s hand rest on the small of my back, I chanced a look at him to see a brilliant smile on his face. Maybe letting someone else take the lead once in a while wasn't such a bad thing.
Declan
Although she was barely five feet tall with a cute button nose and curly blonde hair my sister’s grey eye could kill you with just a glance.
