Rocking a SECRET Read online

  “I know you’re not impressed with me. You’ve made that clear.”

  “God, you are such a little kid sometimes. Stop pouting and act like a decent guy. Then maybe you’ll get a dance. Maybe more.”

  “More. Like I can kiss you again, more?” he asks, his eyes twinkling as he runs his hands through his soft blonde hair.

  “That’s a distinct possibility.”

  Before he can say anything else, little Hope climbs into his lap. She cuddles into his shirt, sucking her thumb. Her eyes start to close as he wraps his arms around her. Then he plays dirty, he starts rocking her and singing her a lullaby. If those teenage girls think he sounds good belting out pop hits, they would probably faint hearing him softly sing to a toddler. I’m about to faint myself. It’s hot. Beyond hot, actually, seeing him sing to that little girl with such tenderness in his eyes and voice.

  Conversation in the room literally comes to a standstill as Erin and Dave climb into my lap and stare at him with wide eyes. I hug them close and rock them as we all watch it go down. When he’s done singing, all the kids are asleep, and my eyes have started closing, too. Scott, Ryan, and Owen come over to retrieve the kids and take them upstairs to the nursery here in the house. Their wives thank Kace. He just smiles and nods.

  “Ask me again, please.”

  “You wanna dance with me, Stella?”

  “Yes.”

  He hops to his feet and then reaches out a hand to me. I let him pull me up, and into his arms. A Sam Smith song comes on and as we sway to the seductive tune, Kace sings it to me. He changes the words in the chorus, saying that he knows he’s the only one. I smile at him as I hold him tighter.

  Our movements get hotter as the song continues, with him turning me around to grind on him as he slides up and down with his hands on my hips. When he turns me again, his face is right where I’ve dreamed of having him. I gasp, and he smirks as he works his way back up to standing. I’m ready to throw him up against the wall when he blows on my ear.

  “Sexy?”

  It takes me a moment to realize he’s offering that up as a nickname. “No.”

  “But you are. So fucking sexy, Stella. I can barely handle it.”

  “You’re handling me pretty well right now.”

  “More?”

  “I’m leaning that way.”

  “What else do you need from me to turn that maybe into a yes?”

  “Why are you acting so different here with me? I mean I see glimpses of this sweet guy, but then you act like an ass.”

  “It’s complicated.”

  “Complicated doesn’t scare me.”

  His phone goes off before he can answer me. He pulls it out of his pocket and pulls back a little to look at the screen. “Son of a bitch.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I have to go.”

  “Just like that?”

  He closes his eyes and drops his forehead to rest on mine. “Yeah. Just like that. I’m so sorry, Stella. Really, I am. When you hate me tomorrow, just know it wasn’t my choice.”

  “What are you saying, Kace?”

  “Just…I’m sorry.”

  He kisses my forehead before letting me go. I’m confused until Ainsley catches my eye and holds up her phone. I get it. The blackmailer has upgraded to text messages, and Kace just got one. I barely listen to his goodbyes to everyone because I can tell from the expression on Ainsley’s face that whatever came through is very bad.

  As soon as he’s gone, I turn to her. “What is it?”

  She hands me her phone, and my heart sinks when I see what it says.

  Anonymous: (1/2) Where are you? You can’t really hide from me, even if you’ve somehow turned off your phone’s GPS. I hold all the power. It’s time you realized just how bad I can make things for you. You did a good job of blowing off Stella last night, but now it’s time for you to ensure that she never even thinks of you as an option again.

  (2/2) You’re going to go to Pure tonight and pick up at least 2 of your little groupies to take back to the hotel with you. I want it all over social media tomorrow that you took them back to the hotel and fucked them all. If not, you know what I’ll do. Have a great night.

  “Oh my God,” I say as I nearly drop the phone.

  “What is it?” Tegan asks.

  “He has to pick up more than one girl and take them all back to the hotel with him. The blackmailer wants it all over social media.”

  “That doesn’t make sense. If he’s trying to stop them from posting pics of him already, why would he take some more?” my mom asks.

  “His rep is already so bad now that pics of him going to the hotel with girls won’t look so bad. If there were pics of the actual acts, it would be different I think.”

  “I’m on it.”

  “What do you mean you’re on it, Teeg?”

  “I mean that I’m on it. Ainsley, can you shut off the hotel cameras long enough for Darcy to get Stella into his room?”

  “Yeah, sure. But what are you going to do about getting the other girls out?”

  “Connecting room?” Darcy asks.

  “Wayne on one side, Brett on the other.”

  “Shit. I’m going to put my tongue down his throat again? I need mouthwash in my purse. Lots of mouthwash.”

  “You’re not doing anything. None of you are. So he sleeps with some chicks. It’s not like we’re together.”

  “You two are so together. I mean, come on. Lullabies, and then you two were practically making your own babies while dancing,” Isa tells me.

  “We were not. It was just dancing.”

  “While he was singing to you and your panties were disintegrating,” Audrey points out.

  “They were. God, they were. I’m so pathetic.”

  “No, but you are hot for that boy. Now do you want to be the one he’s in the room with tonight or what?”

  “Yes, Teeg. I want that.”

  “Then it’s all settled. I’ll go pity fuck Wayne somewhere else while Darcy uses his suite to get the girls out.”

  “I appreciate you taking one for me.”

  “You’d do it for me. Or at least you would’ve before you met Kace. And it’s just sex.”

  “True.”

  “Let’s get going. I’ll call my girls on the way.”

  We say our goodbyes before Darcy and I head to the hotel the band’s staying at while Tegan goes to Pure to find Wayne. This could all work out really great, or go horribly wrong. I’m hoping it’s the former.

  * * *

  Kace

  I was close. So fucking close to kissing Stella again. And maybe more. But of course nothing can go right for me. It hasn’t since I started being blackmailed. I don’t know how I’m going to get back on her good side after she sees the pictures from tonight. I really want to find the son of a bitch who’s doing this to me and kill him. Or her. Like seriously cause them bodily harm.

  I’m resigned to my fate, though, as I try to find some chicks I could get it up for. I’ve never had that problem before, but since I met Stella, it only answers to her. I guess I can just think about her when I’m with them. That’s what I’ve been doing while getting myself off lately. It’s no substitute for the woman who I know would rock my world, but it’s a passable solution.

  I’m so lost in my thoughts that I don’t see the three women who’ve surrounded me. They’re all really hot, but again, not doing anything for me. But hey, at least now I don’t have to go looking. I plaster a smile on my face and do what I have to.

  “Good evening, ladies. Are you looking for some fun?”

  “We are,” says the blue haired woman in the middle, barley covered by the scrap of fabric she’s wearing.

  “Do you want to stay here for the next hour pretending we’re going to just hang out? Or can we just cut to the chase and go to my place?”

  “Your place.”

  “All of you, right?”

  The other girls nod, and I give them a small smile. As we leave,
I make sure I’ve got my hands on two of them. The flashbulbs start as soon as we walk outside. The girls are true paparazzi champs, kissing my cheeks and groping me for the cameras. I don’t try to hide us all getting into my limo, sealing my fate even further.

  To my surprise, when we get in the limo and raise the partition to get some privacy, they all settle away from me. “You’re pretty far away.”

  “We have a surprise for you when we get to your suite. We’ll play along for the cameras, but until we’re behind closed doors, no one’s touching you,” the brunette tells me.

  “Um, okay? Works for me.”

  It really does, even though they don’t know why. Maybe I can even get them to keep that no touching thing going. Their surprise may mean they’re into each other and just want me to watch. That would be the best scenario. With the way my luck’s been holding up, though, that’s not going to happen. I’ll just have to hope for the best and beg Stella for forgiveness.

  I get us up to my suite after more pictures inside my hotel. I wish I could’ve just taken them to a room while we were at Caesar’s, but that’s not what I was told to do. I don’t like bringing chicks to my private space. I’ve seen too many guys get burned by pics and shit when they fall asleep with random people around. But again, I’ve got to think about more than just me right now.

  I let them in and follow close behind, surprised when the door is shut for me. “Surprise,” says the redhead I saw—but didn’t have time to meet—at the party earlier. “I’m Darcy.”

  “Oh, um, hey. What are you doing in my room?”

  “She’s helping me.”

  I turn to see Stella in the doorway to my bedroom, looking as beautiful and sexy as ever. And also a little nervous. I don’t like that. She’s never nervous around me.

  “This isn’t what it looks like.”

  “So you don’t mind if Darcy gets them out of here, and it’s just us?”

  Fuck no. I don’t mind. But that damn puppet master will. “I really want that, but there are other things going on.”

  “I told you I’m good with complicated, Kace. You just need to trust me. Darcy will get the girls out with no one seeing. Unless you want them here, and not me.”

  Is she insane? “Only you, darling.”

  “No.”

  I laugh as the three chicks look at us like we’re crazy. “She said no to getting called darling, not being alone with me.” I turn to Darcy. “If you can get them out, that’d be great.”

  “I’m on it,” Darcy tells her.

  “You won’t say anything about this, will you?” I ask the girls.

  “No. We owe Tegan a favor. This is just the payment. You have fun with your girl.”

  She makes a phone call, and then leads them through Wayne’s suite next door. I’m not sure how she got his door open so quickly, but I honestly don’t care. I’m alone with Stella in my suite, which means I have more important things on my mind. Like getting her out of that dress. And understanding why she’s here.

  “What are you doing here?”

  She looks conflicted, but then answers. “Scott Griffin has crazy security and technology going on at his parent’s place. When you left so quickly, he checked his log and read your text.”

  “What the fuck? He can’t just do that.”

  “He can. He doesn’t normally invade our privacy—the way he explains it is that his program looks for threats, and that’s all he normally sees. Anything that could be a threat to his family. He made an exception this time. I-I asked him to. I was worried. You looked so upset when you got that text. And then you said those cryptic things to me.”

  “It’s not okay, Stella. If I wanted to tell you something, I would. You can’t just invade my privacy like that. I thought you were different. But you’re just like everyone else, wanting a piece of me that I’m not willing to give.”

  “That’s not true. I only want you for you, Kace. Honestly. And I want to help you. Who was that text from? And why are they blackmailing you?”

  “If I knew the who or even the why, don’t you think I would have taken care of it by now? I don’t need your help. My mom and I have done just fine over the years, depending only on each other.”

  “Your mom’s awesome, but sometimes you need outside help. It’s okay to need it. Getting help from other people doesn’t make you weak.”

  “Oh, so you take help from other people on a regular basis?”

  “Yes. I rely on my friends all the time. And they rely on me for help, too.”

  “Good for you. And them.”

  “Let me help you. Tell me what’s going on.”

  “No. You need to go now, and you’re also fired. Your mom is more than capable of handling both Brett and me until I can find your replacement.”

  “Don’t do this. I’ll back off. Don’t fire me, though. I need this job.”

  “You should’ve thought about that before you stuck your nose where it doesn’t belong. I can’t have people working for me if I don’t trust them.”

  “You can trust me. I promise. I’d never spill your secrets.”

  I want to believe her. But I can’t. I’m already being blackmailed by someone, and I can’t afford to give my trust to someone who’s already betrayed it. Someone should’ve told me what I was walking into at that party. Instead they just took away the last bit of me that I had for myself. My privacy.

  “Just get out. And be glad your mom still has a job. She’s the best there is, and has always been nice to me. Otherwise, she’d be out too.”

  “I-I can’t leave. We didn’t have a plan in place for that until the morning.”

  “Which reminds me. How did you know Darcy and those chicks could get out through Wayne’s place?”

  “Tegan’s distracting him.”

  “Seriously? Your friend is off fucking my friend so you can sneak in here with me?”

  “Yes. She knew I wanted to be with you tonight.”

  “Well, that worked out really great for both of us, didn’t it? If you can’t leave, just pick another bedroom. There’s three.”

  “Can I borrow your shirt to sleep in?”

  “I have closets full of clothes in the other rooms. Just grab whatever you want. Take something with you, even, as a souvenir of the night you spent in my suite.”

  “I want the one you’re wearing if it’s going to be my souvenir.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  “Please, Kace.”

  “Fine. Whatever.”

  I whip the t-shirt over my head, and toss it to her. She catches it giving me a small smile before I turn my back on her, walking into the master bedroom and slamming the door. I can’t believe I just turned down sex with Stella. No, actually, it’s more than that. I flat out turned down Stella. In every respect. And I’m pretty sure that’s going to be chalked up as one of the worst mistakes of my life.

  But what she and her friends did was wrong. And if I’m being honest, kind of sexy. It was like they were a band of secret agents or something. But the wrong outweighs the hot. It has to because I can’t afford for them to find out anything else.

  Chapter 4

  Stella

  It’s been a week since Kace kicked me out of his life. My mom says he’s been acting worse than ever. I’ve been trying to cope with everything while helping Ainsley and Tegan dig deeper into everyone’s backgrounds. There has to be something we missed. Anything that could give us a clue as to why someone wants to blackmail him. And what exactly it is that they have on him.

  “Are you going out with me, tonight?”

  “No, Teeg.”

  “How long is this pity party going to last? He’s just a guy. You didn’t even fuck.”

  “Please don’t remind me.”

  “Seriously, Stell. He’s an ass. Yeah, we violated his privacy, but you were offering him what he said he wanted. And he turned you down. No one turns you—or me—down. It just doesn’t happen.”

  “Maybe it should. Or ma
ybe like you said a few weeks ago, we should stop whoring around.”

  “I never said ‘whoring.’ Who are you and what have you done with my friend?”

  “I’m just getting too old for the fuck and duck. I want more. And I know you do, too. No matter what you say.”

  “And you thought Kace was the one?”

  “Maybe. I mean, I know he’s young, but I just…I feel so much when I’m with him. Anger, frustration, happiness. A little of everything there is.”

  “Including love?”

  “It was heading that way, yeah.”

  “Bullshit. You’re past the ‘heading there’ if you can’t even go out and you’re crying yourself to sleep at night.”

  “I’m not.” She give me a pointed look. “Fine. I cry every night. Are you happy?”

  “Of course I’m not happy. You’re my best friend. I don’t want to see you hurting.”

  “The only thing that might do that for me now is us finding this damn blackmailer and making them pay.”

  “I think we can do better than that for your happiness, but for now, I’ll focus on the matter at hand.”

  “You said Wayne was badmouthing Kace. Do you think he could be behind it?”

  “He’d be my number one choice, but he keeps coming up clean. Ainsley and I have dug deeper on him than anyone else because of the sleaze that rolls off him. But there’s nothing. He’s obviously not an altar boy, but he isn’t an evil mastermind, either. A mediocre lay yes, but bad guy—not so much.”

  “I need to apologize again for that. I shouldn’t have let you get it on with him.”

  “He’s not my first bad fuck, although, I may be thinking he’s the last. And honestly, it wasn’t really bad. I just kept thinking about our talk, and the guy I was wishing I was with instead of him. He put in the effort to make me come, though, so I should stop saying it was bad.”

  “There’s a guy you want?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Since when?”

  “Oh, maybe the last twelve years.”

  “Teeg!”

  “What? It’s not gonna happen. Or at least I never thought it would. You and Kace have me thinking there might be a chance.”