Chapter 4.

Shane I have never had a girl make me dumb before. I mean, seriously, words have never-not ever!-failed me when it comes to the opposite s.e.x. But one look at the unspoiled beauty of Harper and I was left with vocals that didn't remember how to work for a moment.

When I had taken her all in, I realized that I was probably standing there looking like a fool with my mouth hanging open and drool running down my chin. Of course she had to smile at me and I lost a few more seconds of brain power. Dammit!

Finally I got it together and pulled her out before Lana started busting my b.a.l.l.s over her friend.

Typically when I was in New York I didn't have time to see the sights. When the band had gigs here we didn't have time to go out and explore. I only knew a few good places to eat, and none of those places served Chinese. Thankfully Harper knew of a great place, otherwise I was going to have to do what I always did-call Emmie and ask her.

Normally that wasn't a problem for me.

This time, for some reason, I didn't want to rely on Em for help. I was a grown man. I should be able to do at least a few things on my own. Of course that hadn't been a problem when I had called Emmie earlier that day...

"When we were sixteen Dallas and I ran off for an entire weekend," Harper was saying with an almost impish grin on her face. "It was such a stupid thing to do, but it was so much fun. The first thing we did was stop here and buy enough food to last us all weekend, then we went downtown and got a hotel room for three days. We pigged out on Chinese and vending machine candy until our stomachs ached."

"What happened when your parents found out?"

She shrugged. "My mother hadn't even noticed I was gone. But my stepdad was furious. I wasn't allowed to see Dallas for a month." The look she gave me said that it had been a bad punishment in her book.

"Was it worth it?"

"h.e.l.l yeah!" She laughed and it was so infectiously contagious that I couldn't stop from laughing back. "A whole weekend away from my mother? It was paradise."

I wondered about her relationship with her mom, but something in her expression every time she mentioned the woman told me it wasn't the best. "You don't get along with her?" I couldn't help but ask.

She grimaced, her brow furrowing and her lips pursing in the cutest way. "I get along with her. She just doesn't get along with me."

"That makes no sense."

"It's complicated." She pushed an errant strand of silky caramel hair back from her face as she picked up her orange chicken with a chopstick. "I love my mother. When I was a little girl I was sure that she loved me too. But as I grew up, and I didn't look anything like her, she..." She broke off when her cell phone vibrated on the table beside of her eggroll. Instead of answering it, she sent it straight to voicemail. "Speak of the devil," she muttered half under her breath.

For nearly a full minute Harper sat staring down at the phone. The look in her eyes tugged at something deep inside of me, and all I wanted to do was comfort her. Just as I was reaching for her hand her head snapped up and she gave me a smile that didn't quite reach her beautiful eyes. "What were we talking about?"

Realizing that talking about her mother was making her hurt, I shrugged. "You were going to tell me how much you like lemon gelato."

The fake smile was replaced with a real one. "I was?"

I nodded. "And I was about to tell you that I know the best place in this one horse town that serves it."

The smile turned into a full on grin. G.o.ds! That grin was enough to undo me every time I saw it. "I'm not sure if I want lemon. Maybe I want chocolate."

"Because chocolate is boring. Just like vanilla and strawberry are boring. But lemon? With the mixture of bitterly tart and sugary sweet? That's just about perfect."

Her cheeks filled with a pretty pink. I watched in complete fascination as she looked away from me and swallowed hard. My d.i.c.k pulsed against the fabric of my jeans where it lay against my thigh. Well, s.h.i.t! Who knew talking about gelato would make me nearly come in my pants?

Her phone vibrated again, keeping me from embarra.s.sing myself in a freaking Chinese restaurant. Muttering a curse she sent the call to voicemail before turning it off and tossing it into her purse. "Sorry. She isn't going to leave me alone."

"It's not a problem for me," I a.s.sured her.

"Maybe not, but it is for me." She reached for her water gla.s.s and took a long swallow. When she put it back down I found myself unable to look away as her tongue drifted out of that sinfully perfect mouth of hers to lick away a stray drop.

I nearly stroked out just watching her!

Yeah, I was positive. Getting this chick into my bed was going to be so much fun!

She was simply fun to be with. Being comfortable enough with her to find myself laughing and sharing some things that I didn't normally share with anyone outside my band brothers and Emmie, that was just a plus.

After dinner we grabbed a cab and went the thirty or more blocks to get the gelato. When she ordered the lemon with a devilish grin, I nearly came in my jeans for the second time that night. We ate outside at one of the sidewalk tables. The street lights added a kind of mystical appeal to the night.

Halfway through our dessert, Harper pulled her camera from her purse and snapped a picture of me. I wasn't expecting it and for a moment I thought it was actually one of the paparazzi. When I realized it was her I sighed with relief. It wasn't that I was shy of the paparazzi. I just didn't want them disrupting one of the best nights out I had ever had with a girl.

She laughed when she looked down at the camera after taking the picture. "Ah! You're kind of cute."

Cute wasn't exactly one of the words most girls used to describe me, but I liked it coming from her. It seemed sweet and innocent, something I wasn't.

An older couple came out of the shop. It wouldn't have normally caught my attention, but when the man took his wife's hand and linked their fingers, I was unable to look away. The woman smiled up at him, her face still beautiful despite the wrinkles around her eyes and mouth. The look in her eyes was something I had become familiar with over the last year or more. It made me think of Emmie and Layla as they looked up at Nik and Jesse. Even Lana all those months ago before the whole Vegas incident had f.u.c.ked up her and Drake.

As they pa.s.sed hand in hand, oblivious to anything or anyone, Harper raised her camera and snapped a few more pictures. "Now that is a Carl and Ellie kind of love."

Her comment confused me. "A what? Who?"

She giggled. "Carl and Ellie."

Had my brain shut down? "Okay, I'm confused."

Another giggle. "It's from a movie. Haven't you ever seen Up?"

"There's a movie called Up?" I was drawing a blank as I tried to picture what such a strangely named movie would be like.

"It's a cartoon." She rolled her eyes when I raised a brow at her. "Laugh all you want. For me it is one of the best romance movies in the world. The first ten minutes are perfect. Carl loves Ellie from the time he meets her. They grow old loving each other in a way..." She broke off with a sigh. "Never mind. You're right. It's silly."

"It isn't silly." I thought I knew what she was talking about. Hadn't I witnessed that kind of love first hand when Layla and Jesse had first met? "So, you want that kind of love? The 'Carl and Ellie' kind of love?"

She shrugged. "It's something to shoot for."

We sat there talking for another hour before she yawned. I glanced down at my phone and realized that it was nearly ten thirty. Where had the time gone? I wasn't ready to take her home, but knew that I had to. Reluctantly, I stood and we grabbed another cab.

In the dim lighting coming in from the headlights of other cars, I pulled her close and she gave me a shy smile as she rested her head on my shoulder and closed her eyes. I was in a bittersweet kind of limbo for the next twenty minutes. Bitter because I was rock hard and knew that I wasn't going to find any relief with the beautiful creature in my arms. Sweet because it brought a kind of peace in a way that I had only heard my brother drunkenly describe to me what I a.s.sumed he had felt when he and Lana had been so close.

In that moment I realized that I wasn't going to be able to go through with the seduction plans I had for Harper.

Not when I was sure that I had found what Drake had been working so hard to get back.

Harper Strong fingers tenderly brushed across my cheek, and I blinked open my eyes to find Shane gazing down at me with some crazy emotion in his eyes. Crazy because I knew he couldn't be feeling it toward me. I didn't inspire l.u.s.t in guys.

He cleared his throat. "Hey, beautiful. We're here."

I frowned. "Here?" Turning my head, I found that the taxi had stopped in front of my apartment building. "Oh... Oh!" I pulled away, realizing that I had been asleep on Shane's shoulder...and embarra.s.singly enough, I'd actually been drooling. Perfect!

With a chuckle, he opened the door and stepped out before offering me his hand to help me. When the taxi pulled away he didn't release my hand, but instead linked our fingers as he walked me inside.

"Do you want to come up?" I asked, reluctant to leave him. He had been so much fun to hang out with tonight, so worth the b.i.t.c.hing I was going to hear when I finally turned my phone on and answered my mother's calls.

"I want to..." his fingers tightened around mine, giving them a gentle squeeze before releasing me "...but I don't think I should."

"Oh, okay." I wasn't disappointed. I wasn't!

"Can I see you tomorrow?"

My heart leapt and I had to bite my lip to keep from answering too quickly and sounding like some idiot obsessed and unable to go a day without seeing her crush. Nope, I wasn't crushing on Shane Stevenson. Nope. Nope... Not even a little.

Liar!

"Sounds like fun. Call me and we can make plans... Or you could just come over and hang out?" Maybe he wanted to spend some time with Lana. d.a.m.n, there went that pinp.r.i.c.k pain to the heart again.

"We can do whatever you want." His smile was adorable, almost shy and a little sweet. Neither of those things were something that I thought I would ever use to describe a tatted up rock star, but they fit nonetheless.

"Okay." I pulled my keys from my purse before taking a step away from him. "See you tomorrow, Shane."

"Harper..?" He paused and I turned back around to face him. His gaze went over my shoulder to where the night doorman was sitting before shaking his head. "Goodnight, beautiful."

The endearment made something tighten around my heart, and I couldn't help the involuntary smile as I pushed the call b.u.t.ton for the elevator. It opened immediately and I stepped inside. Shane stood watching until the doors closed between us.

As the elevator ascended to my floor, I beat my head back against the wall of the elevator. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid! Crushing on a guy so far out of my league had to be the most stupid, idiotic thing I had ever done in my life.

Linc and Dallas were still up when I unlocked the front door. They sat on the couch with a bowl of popcorn sitting between them. Since it was a Sat.u.r.day night, I had been expecting them to be out at a club or some party. As I closed the door behind me, Lana came from down the hall with a phone pressed to her ear.

When she saw me she looked both relieved and concerned. I bit my lip and pushed my gla.s.ses up my nose. "What?"

"Nothing," Lana rushed to say. "Nothing... I just wasn't expecting you to come home...so early."

She hadn't expected me to come home at all. "Shane and I are just friends."

"Of course." She nodded. "Sure." She sounded a little confused, but instead of saying anything else, she turned and went back the way she had just came, the phone still pressed firmly to her ear. "Sorry, Layla. Yes, everything's fine..."

I rolled my eyes at my friend as I dropped down on the arm of the couch beside Linc. "What are we watching?"

"Your phone is off," Linc scolded.

I sighed and reached down to pull my shoes off. "Sorry. Mother was annoying the c.r.a.p out of me so I switched it off. Did you need anything?"

"No. We were just worried." Linc pulled me down beside him and I snuggled close, pillowing my head on his shoulder much the way I had Shane's just a little while ago. His shoulder was wider, more muscular, but it felt uncomfortable. And while Linc smelled deliciously male, it wasn't the scent that I wanted filling my nose. It wasn't Shane's scent...

Well h.e.l.l!

Chapter 5.

Harper I groaned when my phone buzzed on the nightstand beside my bed.

I cracked open one eye to glance at my alarm clock and groaned again when I saw that it was only a little after ten. It was Sunday. I had nowhere to be. No one had a good enough reason to bother me so early!

Ignoring the annoying ringtone, I turned over in bed and used my extra pillow to cover my head until the thing quieted down. When it did I snuggled under my covers and relaxed...

Five minutes later it started ringing again!

Muttering a curse, I blindly reached for the thing to turn it off when I saw that it was from Shane. I shot up in bed, letting the covers fall to my waist. When he said he wanted to do something today I thought it would be later in the day. Rockers liked to sleep until noon, right? With the rumored lifestyle Shane supposedly lived, I was sure he wouldn't call until later tonight. Pushing my sleep tousled hair out of my face, I hit accept and put my phone to my ear.

"Hey."

"Hey, beautiful." His voice was slightly throaty, and I bit my lip to keep from smiling like an idiot. "I'm downstairs. Ready to go?"

"I...Umm...." I grimaced. "I'm still in bed."

"At noon?" He sounded amused.

"No it's not." It couldn't be. Glancing at my alarm clock, I yelped. I guess I had fallen back to sleep and hadn't even realized it! "Oh, it is."

"I tried to call earlier, but it went to voicemail. I can come back later if you would rather." Now he sounded kind of disappointed.

"No!" I jumped out of bed, already pulling fresh underwear out of my dresser. "Give me ten minutes and I'll be ready. Come on up."

"Okay." Was that excitement I heard now?

As soon as he hung up, I tossed my phone on my bed and stripped off my sleep shirt. Tugging on panties, I opened my closet and grabbed the first shirt I saw-a lavender camisole with a built in bra, one of my favorites. Perfect. Reaching for my white skirt, I stepped into it and then added my favorite flip-flops. I rushed through my bathroom routine, brushed my teeth, and smoothed on some moisturizer.

Finally, I snapped my watch into place and left the bedroom I shared with Lana. When I entered the living room it was completely empty. No one was home, not even Lana, and I had to a.s.sume she was on campus studying. There was a knock on the door and I saw that it hadn't even taken me five minutes to get ready.

I pulled my hair into a high ponytail as I crossed the messy looking living room to answer the door. Linc and Dallas didn't know how to clean up after themselves on Sunday mornings. Any other day the apartment was spotless, but Sundays? Not so much.

I wasn't prepared for the sight that greeted me on the other side of the door. It wasn't like it was the first time I had seen him for G.o.d's sakes. I had spent hours with him just the day before. So why did my breath catch at the sight of s.e.xy as sin Shane Stevenson leaning against the door frame of my apartment? Inked up arms crossed over a lean, muscled chest. He wore a tight white T-shirt, and his jeans hung off of his hips in a way that made my mouth unsure if it was going to fill with saliva or go completely dry.

It wasn't fair that he was so hot. Why couldn't he have been more average looking? Maybe then I would have at least stood half a chance with this guy.

"Like what you see, beautiful?" His voice was still throaty and full of desire. "Because I sure as f.u.c.k like what I see."

Heat filled my cheeks and I stepped back, inviting him in while ignoring his question. "Can I get you something to drink? I think there might be some beer in the fridge, unless Linc and Dallas drank it all last night."