Chapter 21
Noah
A big, wet tongue was licking my face.
I burrowed into my pillow. “Knock it off, Xan. It’s too fucking early.”
The tongue was followed by hot, panting breath. Nasty breath. I tried to burrow more into my pillow to hide, but I couldn’t escape it.
“Seriously, Xan.” I reached out to shove his face away, but my hand met a furry surface. A wet, furry surface. What the fuck?
I cracked open an eye.
DJ. Right.
“Shit, you probably want out. Huh, boy?”
DJ’s whole body shook with his wiggle.
“I gotta get a doggie door,” I muttered as I pushed off the bed. Nabbing my robe off the edge of the bed, I shrugged it on.
My eyes snagged on the figure curled up motionless on my bed. In my bed.
Alice.
I smiled and shook my head. She looked so cute, all bundled up in all my blankets. Cover hog.
Then I jumped as a wet tongue licked my hand.
Someone else wanted my attention.
“Come on.”
Suddenly glad I’d pulled on a robe, I led the way out of the room and to the backdoor. After I let DJ out to bounce around the yard, I popped into the bathroom. A few minutes later, I had bacon popping on the stove and hashbrowns sizzling on the griddle.
“Well, doesn’t this look domestic?”
I turned around with a spatula in my hand and grinned at the sight that met me. Rather than pull on her own skintight jeans and shirt, Alice had found a pair of my sweatpants that completely swamped her tiny frame. And my favorite Metallica tour shirt that was all worn and soft as hell. Combined with her tousled hair and pillow creases on her face, the whole look was sexy as hell.
“Well, didn’t someone make themselves at home?”
“Um…” She bit her lip and brushed a hand over her new wardrobe.
I walked over to her and wrapped my arms around her, careful to keep the spatula from touching her. “Feel free to wear anything I own.” I pressed a quick kiss against her lips, mindful of the fact I hadn’t brushed yet, and she probably hadn’t either. “Or feel free to wear nothing at all.”
She laughed and wrapped her arms around my shoulders. “Yeah, but not happening. You happen to now own a curious and agile-tongued doggo. Yuck.”
“You don’t have to tell me.” I laughed. “I woke up to the wrong kinda kiss this morning.”
“Oh my god.” Alice giggled. “Were you sad it wasn’t me?”
I snorted. “Nah, I assumed the asshole licking my face was Xander. Wouldn’t have been the first time.”
She rolled her eyes and pushed away from me. But I didn’t mind too much as she hopped up on a stool at the island and watched me with an avid gaze. “Isn’t that dangerous? Cooking bacon without a shirt on?”
I shrugged as I turned back to the stove. “Considering everything I’ve been through, I don’t mind a little pain. Reminds me that I’m alive.”
“Okay.” Alice blinked a few times. I couldn’t tell if it was early hour or what I’d said that made her look like that.
“You could always give me back my shirt for the cause, though. Although I do have a rule—one person has to always be topless in the kitchen at all times.”
She squinted. “I don’t remember that rule last night.”
“Just instituted it.” I grinned. “I plan to get it chiseled onto the slab of granite over there.”
“You’re ridiculous. But by all means, stay topless. Don’t mind me. I’ll just be over here enjoying the view.” Her gaze raked over me from my bare feet to the robe haphazardly covering my back and legs.
“How about we make a deal?” I turned to her and gestured with my spatula. “You give me your pants, and I’ll give you the robe?”
“I’ve been awake for all of a minute, and you’re already trying to get me out of my pants? Really?” Alice giggled.
The sound warmed my dark heart. “Always.”
“Doesn’t the robe give you more coverage though?”
“Yeah, but so will your pants. And I want to see more of your skin. You’re all covered up.”
Alice’s giggle turned into a full-blown laugh. “You’re insane. And obsessed.”
I hitched a shoulder. “No lies detected. So are you taking the pants off or what?”
She rolled her eyes, but after a second, Alice pushed her chair away from the island and stood up. Her hands went to her waist.
“Oh. Nuh-uh.” I waved my spatula. “You gotta at least stand where I can see you.”
There went the eyeroll again. But she stepped out from the island where I could see her. In a second, my sweatpants were down her legs and on the floor, and then she was standing there in my favorite shirt and her tiny panties.
Fuck the bacon.
I tossed the spatula over my shoulder and stalked toward her. Alice grinned and widened her stance like she was challenging me. I bent slightly and drove my shoulder into her torso and then stood with her draped over my shoulder.
“Noah! What? Put me down, you goof!”
“Goof? Seriously? Did I lose my mojo that fast?”
Alice huffed as I carried her out of the room. “What about the bacon?”
“Screw the—” I almost tripped as DJ bounded through the open backdoor and pranced around us like he wanted in on the game.
Then my robe billowed out and I remembered how little I was actually wearing. “Shit.”
I ran over to the couch and dumped Alice on it before putting the length of the couch between me and DJ.
“What are you doing?” Alice laughed.
“I forgot about the dog, and I have parts dangling right now.” I faked left and DJ followed. “Go get those pants for me.”
Alice laughed. “Seriously? What happened to I want you, I have to have you ?”
“Go get them! Please!”
DJ bounded around the couch, and I vaulted over the back then stood on the cushions.
“You’re being ridiculous, you know? Just tell him no. He’s got to learn.”
“Well, I’d rather he not learn with my Kielbasa and meatballs, thank you very much.”
In less than a minute, Alice was back with my pants, and I pulled them on while still standing on the couch.
Mostly dressed now, I collapsed on the couch with a sigh. “That kinda killed the mood, huh?”
DJ gave up on our game and followed a scent out of the room.
Alice sniffed too. “Is something burning?”
“Shit. The bacon!” I tore through the room to rescue the bacon.
Alice came back and settled behind the island again, watching me like I was her own personal cooking show. “So what’s your plan for the day?”
“Eh, I was just going to hang out. We have a show tonight.”
“I know. I work at the same place.”
I smirked at her snotty tone. I loved her attitude. It was no wonder we’d ended up in bed together. The only wonder was the fact that it took so long.
“Speaking of work…”
A knot formed in my stomach at her tone. I feigned nonchalance and said, “yeah” kinda distractedly.
“Would you mind if we didn’t tell anyone about this?”
“What?” I turned around to face her, then jumped away from the stove and popping bacon. Maybe I should’ve kept the robe. I shook my head as I took a spot next to the sink. I had to take a breath. It felt like the room was narrowing in on me. “You don’t want people knowing about you and me?”
Alice lifted a shoulder and looked away.
Shit. This was because of me. She didn’t want people to know she was with a loser drug addict.
Because I was a loser drug addict. Would always be a loser drug addict.
After a beat, she turned serious eyes at me. “I know you’re not technically my boss, but you are the one with the power in this relationship. You’re the household name. You’re the one everyone cares about keeping happy. I’m just starting out with my own band.” Her eyes sheened for a second, and she looked away again. “I don’t want people thinking I’m with you for your connections—that I’m sleeping my way to the top.”
It wasn’t ideal, but I got it. And hell, I’d probably do anything for this woman. “Yeah,” I finally whispered. “We can do that.”
“Noah.” I heard her chair scrape against the floor and then her arms came around me. “I hope you know that this isn’t because of you. I like you. You’re an awesome man.”
An awesome man she wasn’t all that thrilled to publicly claim as her own.
But still, I slung my arm around her and pulled her into me. Taking a deep breath, I rested my head on hers for a moment.
I couldn’t deny the hit my ego had taken now that I knew she didn’t want to tell anyone about us. She could say it wasn’t about me, but it wasn’t exactly easy to believe. She’d hated me for so long before this.
Why would she want anyone to know about me? I was a fucking trainwreck.
After one more squeeze, I pulled away and turned back to the stove. “How do you like your eggs?”
I could feel her eyes staring a hole into my back. She gave a sigh then retreated back to her chair. “However you’re making them is fine. I’m easy.”
That was probably an in for a joke, but I didn’t rise to the bait. I was too deep in my pity party to take a swing.
“DJ seems to be settling in pretty well.”
I grunted in reply.
“Anything I can do to help? Make toast or something?”
I shook my head. “I got it. Should be ready in a few minutes.”
Alice sighed again, then I heard her push away from the island and walk away.
Something told me it was a sound I should start getting used to.
But to my surprise, she was back in a few seconds with her phone in hand. She thumbed through her phone at the bar, and I watched our eggs cook like my life depended on it.
A few minutes later, I slid the eggs onto plates and brought everything over to the island. Grabbing the chair next to Alice, I dug in. After my first bite, I cleared my throat. “So tonight’s the last show before our break. You got any plans?”
Alice shrugged. “Not really. End of next week we have a show at some place in Henderson. Lark and Bailey wanted some time off to visit their family though.”
“Right.” I cleared my throat unevenly. “I know you don’t want anyone to know about us, but I was kinda hoping to talk you into coming home with me.”
“Seriously, Noah? Meeting the parents? That’s…fast.”
I choked on my bacon and had to cough a few times to finally breathe. “Shit. I didn’t mean it like that. It’s not a ‘meet the parents thing.’” I shook my head and fought to find the words to tell her what was going on inside my head. “I don’t know how much of my history you know, but the thing that pushed me over the edge with alcohol and drugs was my dad being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. The man was my hero, you know? One of those bigger than life personalities that everyone loves.”
“So that’s where you get it from.” She smiled at me even though tears welled in her eyes.
I shrugged. “Not lately. But my dad was like my best friend, you know?” I winced, remembering her upbringing in the foster care system. “Shit. Sorry.”
“It’s okay. Go on.”
“It was little things at first. Forgetting appointments, asking us the same questions repeatedly, forgetting to pay some bills. He’d stop in the middle of a conversation and couldn’t remember what he was talking about. He started to forget what things were called. He called his watch a hand-clock. But when the mood swings started, that really freaked my mom out. My easy-going dad was suddenly depressed and anxious. It wasn’t normal. So we took him in for some testing, and he got diagnosed just before we left on tour in Ireland.”
“Which is why you went off the rails.” Alice gave me an encouraging look.
“Right. It just all went to shit.” I shook my head. “Anyhow, I haven’t really seen much of my family lately. My sister, Faith, won’t even talk to me. Her and her husband are bigwigs in their church, and I guess my overdose embarrassed her. And my parents can’t travel what with my dad…” I sighed. “I’ve gone home a few times, but it’s always so hard. He’s not the same man I knew, and my mom is stubborn—she won’t let me pay for any more fulltime help. She’s been looking into facilities for him, so this might be my last time to see him at home.”
I had to stop talking. The tears burned my eyes and made it too hard.
“Of course I’ll go with you.” She put her arms around me and hugged me tight. “And we can tell your mom any crazy story you want.”
I wiped my eyes then hugged her back. “How about we go with the truth? You’re the amazing, talented woman I’ve tricked into my bed.”
“Sounds like a plan.” She smiled up at me, her eyes sparkling. Then she tipped her head. “What are you going to do with DJ while we’re gone?”
I watched my new dog poke his head through the toy bin we’d bought him last night. He burrowed around until he came up with a squeaky duck that he squeaked, squeaked, squeaked—his whole body wiggling with his tail. “I’ll ask the guys if any of them can watch him, and if not there are some doggie daycares I looked up before I adopted him that I can call.”
“I, uh…” Alice shrugged and played with her cold eggs on her plate. “Is there any reason you’re not asking one of them to go with you? I’m sure Chase would love to see his mom; he’s such a mama’s boy. She practically toured with us last year.”
I fidgeted in my seat. “They’re all busy with their new wives and pregnancies. I don’t know. Didn’t feel right to ask them.” I turned my eyes her way and gave her a half smile. “It felt right to ask you.”
Alice looked down at her plate as her cheeks flushed.
I grinned at her sudden bashfulness. It was so out of character. “So you’ll come?”
“Of course. And you can even tell your mom about us. I don’t mind.” Her eyes were suspiciously wet when she finally met my gaze.
And my heart melted a little more. “It’s a deal.”