Chapter 26
DAWSON
Once I got over the shock of seeing Iain’s guitar in my room, we finally sat down to eat.
After the necessary calories and caffeine, I texted Lennie.
I hadn’t heard anything more from Regan about the stalker. I don’t know if that meant good news or bad. Cases like this tended to take a long time to figure out. If ever.
We texted the other guys to see if they wanted to join us, but they all begged off. I figured Brodie would, given he had to rest his voice.
Lennie knocked on my door around ten, and we headed out to do some shopping.
It was nice to have this time alone with Iain. Or almost.
Lennie looked at the two of us and shook his head. I didn’t think we were that obvious, but Iain did have beard burn. Still, Lennie said nothing. And I was grateful.
There was no problem. I had everything under control.
I wasn’t compromised.
If anything, I was even more aware of my surroundings now that Iain and I were lovers. Still, I knew I was walking a fine line. A dangerous one. If this thing between us continued, I’d have to tell my boss.
But I pushed that thought aside for now.
I’d asked Iain where he wanted to go, but he was keen on checking out the bookstore with me.
The shop was located in a historic building with high ceilings, ornate moldings, and crystal chandeliers. It felt more like an art gallery than a bookstore.
“What kind of books does Jaxon like to read?” Iain asked as we wandered through the store.
Iain’s question surprised me. And, despite my usual reticence on revealing personal stuff, even to a lover, I was warmed by his curiosity.
Most people I’d dated in the past were either put off when I revealed I had a son or they didn’t show much interest. Either way, bringing a boyfriend or girlfriend into my life was not easy. If Jaxon didn’t approve, that was it.
“He loves anything about animals, outer space, adventure, and, of course, music.”
The children’s section was on the second floor of the shop.
We found a section for readers aged nine to eleven, and they had a good selection of both French and English books.
We began to sort through some of the bestsellers.
I thought for sure Iain would be bored and beg off, but he looked through more than two dozen books, giving me his input.
“How about this one?” Iain asked. “Anne of Green Gables. It’s a classic and one of my favorites. The heroine is a spunky redhead, just like Jaxon. Or at least, that’s my first impression of him.”
I stared at him, surprised and warmed by his comment.
“He is all that. Spunky and more.”
“My… my mom used to read that with me,” Iain whispered. “She loved books, and music, and art. After she passed, I didn’t have the heart to read it again by myself. I was hoping that my dad would, but he found anything associated with her too painful to deal with. Me included.”
“I’m so sorry, Iain.”
My heart ached just thinking about what Iain went through. It made me incredibly protective of him and angry on his behalf since his dad checked out. I knew exactly how he felt given what happened with my father.
When Jaxon’s mom died, I was determined to ensure my child never felt alone.
“I guess I shouldn’t complain. Dad provided for me and brought in a nanny to take care of me. She was a kind woman, but it wasn’t the same. I missed my family.” Iain shrugged. “Anyway, reading is one of the few happy memories I have of my mom.”
“It’s important to hold onto those memories. And this is the perfect book for Jaxon, thank you.”
Iain nodded and swallowed hard. I slipped my arm around his waist. He tensed, but that didn’t discourage me. Iain wasn’t that different from me. We both had trouble showing our deepest feelings. And when we did, it left us with a vulnerability that we tried to brush off.
He removed his sunglasses and wiped his eyes.
Fuck me, this man.
I wanted to kiss him and take away all his hurt. Then I remembered that Lennie was nearby, watching us. Iain must have thought the same because before I knew it, he slipped his glasses back on and pulled away from me.
“What about a gift for your mom?” Iain asked.
I stared at him, frozen in place.
“Dawson?”
“Yeah,” I finally shook myself out of my trance. “She loves to cook.”
“Non-fiction is downstairs. Come on.”
We headed back down to the ground floor and picked up a book on French cuisine for my mom. Iain also selected a couple of books for himself—a biography on Jimi Hendrix and a book on learning to play the guitar.
“I think you’ve already read that one,” I quipped, pointing to the Guitar for Beginners book.
“Haha. It’s a gift,” he explained as we stood in line to pay.
“For?”
“For Jaxon. Duh. You mentioned his birthday’s coming up.”
I smiled and tried to ignore the tightness in my chest, not to mention the way my heart fluttered.
“I’m going to have to soundproof my house, aren’t I?” I asked.
“Oh, yeah.”
Once we’d paid for our books, we headed outside.
“Is there any place else you’d like to go? We have a half hour before we need to get to the venue.”
“I’m done,” Iain replied. “I’d rather get there early. I need to call Zoe anyway.”
I texted my team, and we arranged to meet at the concert venue.
We were the first ones on site. I left Iain in his dressing room with Lennie so he could make his call while I did the rounds and met up with Regan for an update.
“The stalker is messaging Iain’s old phone every hour. Take a look.”
Regan passed me the phone.
Unknown number: How could you call our love such an evil name? After all we’ve been through?
Don’t keep ignoring me. If you can talk to the press, you can talk to me.
The flowers were just the beginning. There’s more to come.
I’ll be waiting for you when you get home.
The last message made my stomach clench painfully.
“Waiting for you when you get home,” I repeated. “Do you have someone monitoring Iain’s house?”
“Of course. We got the security company to add extra cameras. If anyone tries to breach his property, we’ll find out.”
“What about the PI?”
Regan shrugged. “They’re working on it, but it’s going to take time. Stalkers are sneaky bastards.”
“I wonder if there’s a way we can trip this person up.”
“Like?”
“Like replying to the messages. Getting them to talk and reveal more about themselves.”
Regan nodded. “I’ll talk to my police contact in cyber and see what they think. It might be risky.”
“What about the fan page?”
“Zoe is monitoring it. Anything suspicious, she’ll flag me.”
“And the police?”
“My contact has the information, but until a crime is committed—”
“There’s nothing more we can do. For now.”
“As you said, there might be an opportunity to catch the stalker in the act, so to speak, when we head back home.”
“I’m with you.”
“Other than that,” Regan murmured, “how was Iain’s night?”
“He slept well.” Shit. I couldn’t help the blush that seared my cheeks. “I mean, he was well rested this morning. Seemed like.”
Regan shook her head.
“Dawson, take my advice. Don’t ever play poker.”
Iain
After my call with Zoe—which consisted of her telling me not to look on social media and to avoid reporters for the foreseeable future and me telling her about our dealings with Harlow—I headed back upstairs with Lennie for soundcheck.
But my usual concentration was fucked. All I could think about was last night. And this morning. Being with Dawson. And not just in bed. Now, whenever he moved, even from a distance, my eyes inevitably followed him. I’d never been so aware of another person and the synergy between us.
Someone nudged my shoulder, and I startled.
Ronin.
“Are you okay, bud? You look out of it. Are you stoned?”
“No, I’m not stoned,” I replied.
“Drunk?”
I rolled my eyes. “It’s noon.”
“Since when has that stopped you?” Faise quipped.
“I’m not twenty-five anymore. And I’m not drunk or high or anything,” I snapped.
“Ah, then you must’ve gotten laid.” Brodie smirked. “You have that relaxed glow about you.”
“Not to mention the beard burn,” Faise added.
Ronin eyed me up and down. “But you’re distracted as fuck. What’s that about?”
I gave Ronin my best finger.
“Come on, Holls, spill the deets,” Brodie whispered. “It’s just us.”
“No.”
“No?” Ronin shook his head and laughed. “Someone check to see if this really is Holls.”
“Funny. I’m just tired. And worried.”
Yeah, tired from fucking and worried that it was more than that.
“It’s the stalker, right?”
No.
“Yeah.”
“It’s gonna be okay,” Brodie assured me. “We’ve got the best security team.”
“I know.”
I heard a movement behind me and turned to find Dawson chatting with Van. Nothing unusual there, but my awareness of Dawson was. How was I gonna concentrate when all I wanted to do was walk over there, tackle him to the ground, and kiss him senseless?
Dawson looked up at me and gave me a decadent smile. I began to sweat under the stage lights.
“You finally fucked Dawson. That’s so hot,” Brodie growled.
“Dee—” I warned.
“Come on, we’re not going to tell anyone. It’s just us here.”
I faced my friends. “Okay, all right. Yes.”
“And?” Brodie asked.
“And what?” I shrugged my shoulders. “It happened. Nothing else to say.”
“That bad, huh?” Ronin goaded me.
“I don’t wanna brag and make you guys jealous. Besides, it’s a one-time thing, so not much else to say.”
Then I remembered where I’d left my guitar. Oops.
“Doesn’t seem like it’s a one-time thing. Dawson looks like he’s going to throw you over his shoulder any moment now.”
I sighed. “Okay, so theoretically, we might sleep together again. It’s no big deal. Once we burn this out, we go back to our usual roles.”
“Did you just fuck, or was there a sleepover?” Faise asked.
“Um—” I paused, biting my lip, and everyone chuckled.
“You never stay the night.” Brodie shook his head. “Holy shit, I knew it! Iain’s in love.”
“Don’t even go there, Dee. I was exhausted after the concert. It was just convenient.”
Faise chuckled. “Did you conveniently snuggle all night long?”
“Snuggle?” Ronin scoffed. “Have you been reading romance novels again?”
Faise gave Ronin a choice finger. “So what if I have? Maybe you should try reading one. Might give you some desperately needed pointers.”
“Hey, I’ve got no complaints from the men I fuck. But there’s no snuggling involved.”
“Oh yeah, you save that all for me, baby.” Faise waggled his eyebrows.
As usual, when the topic of our sex lives was brought up, we reverted to our teenage selves.
Brodie put a hand on my shoulder. “I like him for you. But there’s the matter of your security. If he’s distracted—"
“He’s not. He knows me, and he knows that this is just a one-off. It’s fine. No big deal.”
I said the words, but I didn’t believe them. Everything about me and Daws felt like a big fucking deal and so far from a one-off. My heart told me to run with it, but my head had reservations.
And for someone who avoided intimate relationships, it was scary as fuck to consider that maybe, just maybe, I was gonna break my rule for Dawson. He’d already broken his rule for me.
“I don’t believe a word you just said,” Brodie replied.
I turned and looked my friend in the eye.
“I’m not sure I believe me either.”