Chapter 36
IAIN
Had I really just told Dawson I loved him?
Those three little words held a fuckton of power.
And I’d rarely spoken them.
Sure, people in the music biz used the term all the time. Record moguls told us they loved us; fans screamed “I love you” when they spotted us, but that was different. That was adulation.
But this?
Nothing else in my life felt like me and Dawson. A tornado of emotions that knocked me flat on my rockstar ass.
And the words just flowed out of me. Right there in my kitchen.
As natural as strumming my guitar.
“Did you hear me?” Dawson asked as he held my face in his hands.
“What?”
“I love you too, Iain. I’ve probably been falling in love with you for ages, but I was too stubborn to let myself even imagine—”
This time, I placed my hand over his mouth. “Don’t even go there. I’m just a musician, baby. A famous one, yes, but outside of the paps and the fans and the tours, it’s just me. You know me.”
Dawson nodded, and I felt his smile against my palm. He gently kissed my hand.
“Now, the ice cream is starting to melt on the floor,” I added. “But we still have that lava cake we can share.”
Dawson removed my hand and placed it around his neck.
“If you’re sharing chocolate cake, I know for sure that you love me,” Dawson teased.
“I said so, didn’t I? And I always mean what I say.”
I reached up and kissed him.
“You get the cake,” Dawson ordered and swatted my ass. “I’ll clean up the floor.”
I walked to the end of the island and grabbed the container, then popped it in the microwave to warm it up while I searched for two bowls.
Dawson lifted the ice cream containers off the floor; thankfully, not all of it had exploded. He grabbed a paper towel, wiped up the mess on the hardwood, and then grabbed a couple of spoons.
I split the round cake in half and added it to the bowls, then Dawson added a scoop of the remaining ice cream.
We made our way to the living room, sinking into the teal velvet sectional. I clicked on the gas fireplace for good measure.
Dawson spooned a piece of cake and offered it to me.
I took the mouthful and groaned as soon as the intense chocolate flavor hit my tastebuds.
“I swear you make the same exact sound when you perform Filthy Pain.”
“I just sing back up.” I chuckled and licked my lips.
“Your voice is distinctive. You’ve got this throaty purr that—”
“Throaty purr?” I interrupted.
“Yeah,” Dawson waggled his eyebrows. “Your voice is pure sex, sweetheart.”
I kissed him soundly.
“Speaking of sex… you seem to know what you’re doing, tying me up like that.”
“I’ve been to a few sex clubs, but I’m certainly no Dom—”
“Whoa, one bombshell at a time. Tell me about the clubs.”
Dawson smiled and scooped another mouthful of cake and ice cream into his mouth.
“I started going with Nadia. She was curious, and I was happy to explore that with her. I’ve always enjoyed being the more dominant partner in the bedroom, so it felt like a natural fit.”
“And?”
Dawson sighed. “While I learned a thing or two, the whole lifestyle was not for me. I mean, I appreciate parts of it, but I’m not into having a submissive partner in all aspects of my life.”
I nodded. “Yeah, I know what you mean. I went to a BDSM club with Ronin once, but it was a little over the top. I’m far too stubborn to be submissive. And I’ve been to my share of private sex clubs, but only because I enjoyed the anonymity.”
“I can see that.” Dawson cleared his throat. “And is that, I mean, is it something you still want to do?”
“With you? Maybe? But I’m not sharing.”
Dawson looked relieved. “That’s good because I sure as fuck don’t want to share either. But watching others and them watching us? It might be hot.”
“Oh, it is.” I kissed him soundly. “What else do I not know about Dawson Everly? What do you do besides guarding irresponsible rockstars and being a super dad?”
Dawson took another mouthful of cake and shook his head.
“Not a super dad, but thanks. And honestly? For the past two years, my life outside of work has been focused on Jaxon. The first year after Nadia died was the hardest. Some days, I look back and don’t know how I managed.
He’d often wake up from nightmares, and there was a lot of therapy for both of us.
My mom’s been instrumental in helping me cope.
I couldn’t have managed the past two years without her. ”
“And now?”
“Jaxon’s a strong kid. Nadia will always be a part of his life, but we try to focus on the happy memories. Not on the automobile accident that took her life. And thankfully, he’s doing well.”
“I can see that. And what about you?”
“I’m too busy to think most days.”
“What do you do just for yourself?”
“I still train at a dojo once a week when I’m home.
I’m kind of an introvert, so I prefer to stay in or go for dinner with friends.
I’m not a big party guy. But I have two buddies, Davis and Will, also single dads, who I met through Jaxon’s school.
Once a month, we do a movie night or hit a bar and chill, shoot the shit. ”
“Invite them to our next performance,” I suggested. “We’re doing one local show before we take a break.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course, I want to meet them.”
Dawson looked as shocked as I felt. Meeting his son and then his friends? It was happening. Like jumping on stage in front of a live audience, there was no turning back.
Until the loud ringtone of a cell phone interrupted our moment.
“That’s mine. I left it on the island.” Dawson sighed and got up. “Be right back.”
Dawson
Would it be too much to ask for one uninterrupted day with Iain?
Then again, I should probably get used to it. With my schedule and his, making time to see each other would be a challenge.
I walked over to the island and glanced at my phone. It was Regan calling.
I picked it up and tapped accept. “Yes, boss?”
“Where are you?” Regan asked.
“I’m at Iain’s. What’s up?”
“I just got off the phone with the investigator. My contact helped him track down that floral delivery payment. It came from a credit card in the name of one Franklin Salich, a former Bandit employee. He was let go a month before the break-in.”
“Franklin Salich, I know that name.” Then it hit me. “Frankie! He was at the Nashville show on February 4. He said he was a friend of Zoe’s. Fuck, he even signed an NDA, and the security team cleared him. I double checked his ID but nothing came up. Everything looked to be in order.”
“He’s not a friend of Zoe’s but he was a coworker.
He worked in IT for just over a year, same floor.
I’ve got Quinn liaising with HR. His name should have been flagged in our system as soon as he was fired but it wasn’t, because HR never deactivated his clearance.
That’s a serious breach that needs to be rectified ASAP. ”
“Why was he fired?”
“His boss found out he was offering information on several Bandit musicians to the tabloids in exchange for money. He had high level access. And what he didn’t have access to, he obtained by hacking into company records.
Salich was clever but not smart enough. The last time he went searching, he unknowingly breached a firewall.
It set off a series of notifications, and he was caught. ”
“Fucking hell! And he was right there in front of me. But why Iain?”
“That I don’t know yet. I’m combing through his email, laptop, and work phone history as we speak. As soon as I know, you’ll know.”
“What’s next?”
“I’m having a call with our legal team. If we can find proof that Salich is behind the messages, we can request a restraining order. But the messages to Iain’s old number have stopped, so I have a bad feeling. And there’s one other thing—”
“What?”
“A photo of you, Iain, and your son was posted online a half hour ago on a gossip site. It looks like it was taken while you guys were headed out to lunch. Zoe just texted me. I’m guessing that Salich either took that photo and leaked it, or he’s seen it, and that’s why he’s gone dark.”
“Shit. And where’s Salich now?”
“The PI is watching his place. Said Salich hasn’t left his condo since this morning. I’m sending a note to our entire team containing his details and what to do in the event he tries to approach anyone.”
“Good. Is there anything I can do on my end? Since I’m off duty, I’m staying at Iain’s overnight.”
“I’d say keep a close eye on him, but that’s a given.”
I chuckled at Regan’s sarcasm. “It is. Lennie’s here, and Quinn will be back to switch in the morning. The alarm is on. We’re as secure as we can be.”
“I’ll be in touch with updates.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
As soon as I was off the call, I texted Zoe to ask about the photo. She forwarded the link.
It was taken as we were entering the Mexican restaurant, but from a distance.
I cursed myself for not noticing the pap.
Or if it was Salich, not paying close enough attention to who was nearby.
Normally, I had good radar for that type of thing, but I guess where Iain was concerned, I was distracted.
I wandered back into the living room, where Iain huddled under a cable knit throw.
“Did you hear all that?” I asked, sitting down beside him and taking his hand.
“Parts of it. I heard you say Frankie. That was the guy I met at the concert weeks ago. Is it him? Is he the one who’s been harassing me?”
I nodded. “He worked at Bandit but was fired in December for breaching company data, and for selling private details about several musicians to the tabloids. It wouldn’t surprise me if he was also the person responsible for the break-in. He worked in IT and had access to a lot of information.”
Iain shivered, and I pulled him in close to me.
“The good news is that we’ve identified the person responsible. The PI is tailing Salich, and Regan is looking into a possible restraining order.”
“And the bad news?”
“Someone got a photo of us with Jaxon. It’s on a gossip site, and there’s speculation about our relationship. And before you ask, I texted Zoe. She told us to leave it to her. But Salich has gone dark, and that photo might be the reason why. He’s not messaging your old number anymore.”
“That means you guys are targets now. Christ, I knew this was going to happen!”
Iain pushed away and stood up. Then he began to pace.
“You’ve got to be with your family,” he muttered. “Stay away from me.”
“How about we not panic and instead do as Regan suggested and have Mom and Jaxon stay here? Your house is safer.”
Iain stopped moving.
“Here? Now?”
“If that’s okay?”
There was a moment of silence. I thought for sure that Iain was going to tell me to leave.
“Yeah, let’s do that,” Iain whispered.
An hour later, I picked up my mom and my son. I’d given Mom the gist of what was happening. Trusting in my instinct, she was calm and agreed with my plan. Jaxon was upset about the cancellation of his playdate, but once he found out we were staying at Iain’s, his mood turned around.
When I got back to Iain’s, and while Mom and Jaxon were getting settled into the guest wing, I went in search of my lover.
I found him sitting in the living room, staring at the fireplace.
“What do we do now?” he asked me.
“Now, we wait.”
“You know me. I’m not good at that.”
I pushed Iain down on the sofa and gave him a languid kiss.
“We’ll just have to find a way to keep you distracted.”