Chapter 38
Paul “Rock Giant” Reed
Trondheim Spektrum
For the last few hours Paul had been fixated on one particular thought.
In all honesty, he was surprised it hadn’t beaten him around the head sooner.
It ought to have done, because he and Jodi hadn’t just had sex—yes, he’d been reliving the details—they’d had unprotected sex.
Very, very messy, very spontaneous swimmers at the ready sex.
Obviously, he’d known that. It just hadn’t sunk in until he was going through his bag, sorting out what needed a wash, and found the condoms in the pocket of the lounge pants he’d been wearing that evening.
Then it sunk in.
That they’d both been fools in a multitude of ways. Consequently, as much as he was doing his best to adhere to her wishes and keep his distance, this was a valid reason to talk to her.
He wasn’t worried about diseases so much, they were all regularly tested. Pregnancy, on the other hand...
His tongue hit his upper front teeth. The probability wasn’t high, but the universe did like to play the odd cosmic joke.
She had to be on some sort of birth control, right? Right?
Nash had definitely fucked her bare, because he’d got an unfortunate taste of the bugger on her.
In the moment, he hadn’t cared about anything other than taking care of her.
Then again, did that mean anything? Dipshit was exactly the sort not to give a shit about knocking her up.
It’d be another thing he could manipulate her with.
Also, thinking back to the morning after their handfasting, she’d been manic until he’d assured her, they hadn’t in fact done the dirty deed.
It could just have been because of cockwomble, but equally.
.. she was essentially homeless, and probably wasn’t registered with a GP.
Shit! He wasn’t sure he was ready for a little Rock Giant appearing in the world.
It probably wasn’t going to happen, and he was worrying about nowt, but on the other hand, maybe he needed to think about branching out from just hats. Kid would need more than its head keeping warm.
**
Rock Giant decided the most sensible time to corner Jodi for a quiet word was while the Ghost Boys were on stage doing their set.
That would give him a window of an hour and a half, and Nash wouldn’t be aware of their interaction because he’d be busy warming up the crowd.
Next, he needed a location. Backstage during a show was a hive of activity.
If a member of his band didn’t interrupt, then one of their partners or a member of the crew almost certainly would.
Maybe they could step outside. There was a bouldering wall at the rear of the building. Except, why would she go there?
Other than to do some bouldering, obviously, but his Jodi wasn’t exactly a sporty type.
Ginny flopped into a chair beside him in the green room. “Fancy giving me a hand with something?” he asked.
She patted his thigh and laughed. “Paul Reed asking me for help? What is the world coming to?” Her hand having met with muscular resistance, she gave his thigh another good prod, that she followed with a squeeze.
Then she simmered down her playfulness and looking him right in the eyes, asked, “Okay, who are we killing? And do we need a getaway driver, because your driving sucks, and I barely know where the ignition key goes.”
He fell ever so slightly in love with her at that moment. In a platonic way, obviously. Everything else was reserved for Jodi.
“No killing required. Stealth mission. I need to talk to—”
“Your girl,” she finished for him. “Got a reason, because correct me if I’m wrong, but I think she’s avoiding you, and usually, I’m an adherent of the school of life that says if a lady’s told you to keep your arse away from her, you keep your arse away from her.”
“It’s important.”
“Honey bun, it always is.”
“I’m serious, Ginny. I’ve potentially screwed up badly and I need to know.
..” He bit his tongue; not sure he wanted to share the details.
He hadn’t even gone into the weeds of it with Ash.
Honestly, the fewer people that knew, the easier it’d be for everyone.
“I need to know that she’s all right, and that she’s not experienced any complications as a result of our last.. .of when we last saw one another.”
“Right, care to explain that again, without resorting to code? Sorry, while I’m an epic super-secret agent, as you know, I left my cryptography specs at home today.”
Not really. “The night you texted me asking if I was, you know,” –he lifted his brows— “I was?”
She shook her head. “Nope. Still need a decoder.”
“Fucking her,” he said under his breath, as he bowed his head. “I was. I mean, I did. But not deliberately. I mean, yes, deliberately, but not in a... planned fashion. Stuff happened, and it... Do I really need to explain this to you? I’m just concerned, because we didn’t use anything, and...”
Ginny put her curled fist to her mouth. It took him a moment to realise she was trying to hide a smirk.
“It’s not funny, Gin.”
“No,” she agreed her whisky gold eyes gleaming. “Definitely not funny. It is a little bit funny.”
It wasn’t. It really wasn’t. Okay, if it’d been someone else telling him they’d screwed up, he might have thought it was a bit funny. Living it, though. That wasn’t funny. It was fucked.
“I don’t fuck people bare. I don’t take those sorts of risks. Not ever.”
She sobered and patted him on the back. “Oh, that’s what you’re worrying about, not the actual shagging part.” Her pats gradually slowed, before transforming into circular rubs. “Okay, so what is it you’re thinking of asking her?”
Was that not obvious? “If she’s okay? If there’s anything she needs my help with, or that I can do?”
“Paul, are you seriously worried you’ve knocked her up? You realise if you have it’s too early to tell, and too late to do anything about it.”
“Yes, but...”
Ginny gave his back another comforting pat. “I always liked you. You always recognise actions have consequences, even if you ignore them most of the time.”
Not true. He calculated risks and acted accordingly.
Paul squinted at her from out of the corners of his eyes.
She’d stuck one thumbnail in her mouth and was thinking aloud.
“Well, she’s in a long-term relationship, so she’s probably using some form of birth control.
Ergo, you’re probably worrying unnecessarily.
It’s sweet that you are, though, even if you’re doing it approximately seven days too late. ”
“Yeah, well I got whisked off to Stryn with your hubby, didn’t I? And it’s not seven days, it’s five.”
“Do you not have the lass’s number?”
“No.” And even if he did, he wasn’t sure she’d answer if he called. Nor was he about to send her incriminating text messages.
“I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say her fiancé doesn’t know that you’re fucking her?”
Paul rubbed his suddenly extremely itchy nose.
“I’m not fucking her.” Much as part of him very much wished he was regularly fucking her.
“It happened once. Accidentally, in a moment of...of high emotion. You know what, Gin, I’m not sure it matters.
He’s pissed off with me anyway and pissed off at her as a result.
And if he knows, then he knows, and if he doesn’t, I’m not about to tell him.
It’s up to Jodi whether she does...has.”
There was a distinct possibility she’d confessed, it’d be a very Jodi-esque thing to do. Her self-preservation instincts were decidedly lacking. “I just need a quick word, and I don’t want that to cause a nuclear explosion. You gonna help me, or not?”
Ginny crossed her arms, making him sweat, while she considered. “Ahh, yeah, okay. Since it’s you.”
Paul let some of the tension melt from his shoulders. “Thank you.”
“But I’d like it acknowledged that I’m only doing it because I know you equate your handfasting to a legitimate marriage. Otherwise, I wouldn’t approve. It’s not cool hooking up with someone who’s in a relationship behind their partner’s back. It hurts people.”
“Like I said, it wasn’t planned, Gin. I’ve been keeping it in my pants.” Which had not been fun. Usually, he managed to get laid reasonably regularly while on tour. “And it’s not about to happen again, because she’s categorically chosen him.”
There it was, the truth that had been slapping him around the head the last few days and turning him into a bugbear.
“Wait.” Ginny turned towards him, rising onto her knees. “She shagged you and then chose him? Paul, sweetie.” She crushed his nose against her shoulder pulling him into a tight hug. “Darn, that’s not fun, tiger. I’m really going off this girl. Are you sure she’s the one?”
“She’s scared,” he said. It was the most plausible reason he could come up with for why she kept rejecting him. He wasn’t buying a profound attachment to Nash. “She’s frightened of turning her life upside down again and losing everything that matters.”
“Aye, but she’d gain you, and a whole new family.”
“I’m just telling you what I think she thinks, Gin, not agreeing with her reasoning.”
“Gotcha. Okay, do you want me to hunt her down now, and if not, when? Also, whereabouts were you thinking of this covert meeting taking place?”