A Seductive Melody (The Kelly Brothers Book 5) (18 page)

She stiffened and snatched the ax from him. “I need to split a few more logs.”

He retreated out of range and leaned against the house with his hands in his pockets while she resumed chopping the wood. “You should come back inside. It’s freezing out here.”

“I’m staying plenty warm from this.” She hefted the blade over her shoulder and brought it down with bone-chilling accuracy.

“But they’ll be serving dessert soon.”

She paused, and he hoped her love of sweets might entice her to return to her family. Then she shook her head. “Nope. If he’s going to be a complete asshole, then I won’t enjoy it.”

“Too bad you didn’t stick around. I think I might have convinced him I wasn’t some loser looking for a piggy bank.”

That made her stop. The ax fell from her hands as she turned to him. “What did you do?”

“I told him who I was.” He came closer until his ice-cold nose was inches from her red one. “And I even threw in a little smackdown of my own thanks to a little tip from my brother.”

“But I thought you didn’t want people to know who you were.”

“I don’t, but in this case, I made an exception.” He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against him, tipping her head back so she looked up at him. “You’re worth it.”

Her face lit up just before he lowered his lips to hers. The kiss was slow and easy, but it didn’t lack for passion. He grew harder with each passing second, and he was forced to end it before he was tempted to drag her to the nearest bed.

“Ethan, I—” She shivered and snuggled closer to him, tucking her head under his chin. “You’re absolutely wonderful—do you know that?”

“You’re pretty awesome yourself.”
And I’m one lucky bastard to have you
. “So, how about dessert?”

She pulled back, her eyes clouded with doubt. “Maybe we can take it to go.”

His shoulders slumped in defeat. He couldn’t convince her to return to the table, but he still had all weekend to help her reconcile with her father. “Where?”

“That bungalow over there.” She wriggled against him, sparking his desire in a way that demanded satisfaction. “I asked to stay there so you could fuck me as hard as you wanted, and no one would hear us.”

His mouth went dry as all the blood rushed to his dick. “Why didn’t you tell me that sooner?”

He tossed her over his shoulder and ran toward the cabin with Becca laughing the entire time.

***

Becca snuck into the kitchen and closed the back door as silently as she could behind her. The house was bathed in dark shadows and as silent as the falling snow outside. She’d dozed off after Ethan had made her come for the fourth time that evening, but her growling stomach reminded her that she’d missed out on most of Thanksgiving dinner. She was tiptoeing toward the fridge to find some leftovers when the lights came on.

Her heart jumped. She froze and dared to peek over her shoulder at the person who’d caught her.

“Can’t sleep either?” Claire asked. She wrapped her dressing gown around her nightie and tied it closed as she came closer. Even after having Jacob, she’d retained her ready-for-the-runway figure that had helped her grace dozens of magazine covers in the late eighties and early nineties.

“Just hungry.” She opened the fridge and grabbed the container of turkey, followed by the bag of bread. “Can I make you anything?”

“No, but I’ll have a few sips of milk.” She sat down on one of the stools surrounding the giant island in the center of the kitchen.

“Coming right up.” She added the milk carton to her pile and made her way to the other side of the island. She poured a glass for her stepmother. “Sorry about dinner, Claire. I tried. I really did.”

“I know, dear, but you know your father.” She gave a weary sigh and stared at her milk, not touching it. “I give kudos to Ethan for standing up to him like he did. None of your previous boyfriends had the gumption to do that.”

Becca smiled as she fixed her sandwich. “Yeah, he’s a great guy.”

“I didn’t know he was famous until he told us, but once your brother pulled him up on the Internet, I recognized him.” She took a sip of milk. “He looks better with the short hair.”

Becca found herself giggling. “He’s pretty sexy, all right. But he’s more than a hot bod with a dreamy voice. He makes me feel like a million bucks when I’m around him.”

“How did you two meet?”

She hesitated, wondering how Claire would react if she knew the whole truth. “We, um, met at one of my NA meetings.”

Her stepmother raised both brows. “He’s a recovering addict like you?”

Becca nodded, finishing her sandwich and starting on another one for Ethan. “His best friend died of an overdose, and he took that as a sign he needed to get clean before he ended up the same way.”

“But isn’t that dangerous? Aren’t you worried he’ll relapse and tempt you to do the same?”

“Not at all.” She layered slice after slice of turkey on the bread, followed by a leaf of lettuce. “I’m so proud of how far he’s come. And we’re good about supporting each other to avoid that temptation to relapse.” She paused, remembering something he’d said to her months ago. “He gets me.”

“I understand that, Becca, but I’m still worried.”

“Don’t be.” She shook the milk carton. There was enough left for her and Ethan to each have a glass. She tucked it under her arm and grabbed the plate with the sandwiches on it. “Seriously, Claire, you have no idea how good he’s been for me. And every time I’m around him, I find myself discovering one more reason to fall in love with him.”

She started for the door, but Claire dashed in front of her and cut her off. Her stepmother wrapped her arms around her in a hug. “I’m glad to hear that, Becca, but please, don’t run off and elope without first letting me know.”

Becca laughed. “We’ve only been dating two months, Claire. Marriage is way off in the distance.”

“But sometimes you just know.” She twirled the wedding band around her own finger. “Your father and I had only been dating that long when he proposed.”

Yeah, and I still don’t see how someone as wonderful as you has stayed married as long as you have to someone like my father
.

She gave her stepmother a tight smile. “Like I said, we’re in no hurry.”

But as she made her way back to the bungalow, she found herself wondering what it would be like to be married to Ethan Kelly.

Chapter Thirteen

Ethan pressed one side of the headphones against his ear and grooved along with the song. “This is fuckin’ awesome,” he told his sound engineer, Damian.

“Thanks, man.” He gave Ethan a fist bump. “But seriously, dude, those are some killer sweet tracks you laid down. Made it easy to mix them into that.”

The song ended, but the grin on his face didn’t fade. The new album was different from anything he’d ever recorded. For the first time in his career, he didn’t have a record label telling him to stick with the hard rock sound that had made Ravinia’s Rejects famous. The rock influences were still there, but he’d mixed in blues and country and electronic beats, depending on the different songs. The result was a compilation that was uniquely him.

And he liked it.

Up until this point, he’d been plagued by fear, doubt, and the ever-persistent cravings. Many nights, he left the studio wondering what he’d gotten himself into. He questioned his talent, his vision, even his sanity. His old muse beckoned him to return, but he fought back by holding on to his newfound freedom and the joy of making music that wasn’t tainted by heroin. As Becca told him months ago, the cravings never completely went away, but they became easier to deal with.

Today, however, was the first day he could listen to his music and not associate it with the past.

He put down the headphones and pointed to the thumb drive on Damian’s laptop. “Can I take that home to show my girlfriend?”

“It’s all yours.” Damian made a few clicks on the keyboard and popped the drive out. “Let me know if you need me to tweak anything else.”

“Will do. And remember, this needs to stay under wraps until I drop the news.”

“No problem, man. I’m cool like that.” He started packing up his gear. “And any time you want to work together, I’m game.”

“Right on.” He tucked the USB drive in his pocket and grabbed his jacket. He couldn’t wait to see what Becca thought of it. “Talk to you soon.”

Ethan got on his motorcycle and zoomed out of the parking garage under the recording studio. The early December air had a definite bite to it as he rode from Hell’s Kitchen to Midtown, but the bright lights and holiday decorations chased away the dreariness of the long nights.

That, and the constant presence of a certain warm body in his bed every night.

He pulled in front of the building where Becca worked and he parked his bike, waiting for the moment where she’d emerge from the revolving door. He didn’t have to wait long.

Becca came running out of the lobby wearing leggings that clung to every delicious line of her legs. She blew him a kiss before putting on her helmet and climbing behind him. “Right on time.”

“Wouldn’t want to keep you waiting.” He revved the engine up and ventured north toward Central Park.

It was Friday afternoon, and he had a fun date planned for the two of them. After a string of high-society events over the last two months, he was looking forward to the opportunity to just be a regular person. As he got closer to the park, he slowed down until he found a place to safely park his bike.

“What are we doing?” she asked.

“It’s a surprise.” He helped her off his bike and secured the helmet. “Just come with me.”

They strolled through the park arm in arm, talking about their day, but he didn’t tell her about the finished album. The USB drive in his pocket reminded him he still had one more surprise for her after this.

Her eyes lit up in delight when they turned the corner and she saw the Wollman ice skating rink. “Is this what we’re doing?”

“Yeah.” He guided her to the front of the line and pulled out the two advance tickets he’d purchased earlier that week. “I figured Rockefeller would be a little too touristy, but I still wanted to do something to get us in the holiday mood.”

“You do realize that Hanukkah is a minor holiday and still a week and a half away?” she teased before giving her shoe size to the clerk at the skate rental stand.

“I know, and Christmas is even further off, but I don’t care. I wanted to experience the excitement, the thrill of being a kid again and marveling at the twinkling lights.” He handed her the rental skates. “Humor me.”

She playfully rolled her eyes, her grin defying any hint of sarcasm. “I guess I will.”

The skates weren’t like the hockey blades he’d learned to skate on as a child, and when he got onto the ice, he stumbled forward. His arms flailed out in an attempt to catch his balance, smacking Becca in the chest. A sick feeling formed in the pit of his gut, but he couldn’t tell if it was from accidentally hitting her or from making a fool of himself in front of everyone.

Becca’s laughter eased his nerves. She took his hand and led him around the ice. “First time skating?”

“Please. My older brother’s an NHL goalie. We all spent time on the ice growing up.” He pointed to the jagged tip on the blades. “Of course, hockey skates don’t have these on them.”

“It’s called a toe pick.”

“Whatever.” The toe pick caught the ice again, pitching him forward. “Motherfucker!”

Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea after all
.

“You’re doing it wrong,” Becca said, still laughing. “It’s meant to be used like this.”

She let go of his hand and glided out toward the center of the ice, picking up speed as she skated. Then she planted the pick into the ice and jumped. Two revolutions later, she landed on one blade and moved into a fast spin, her elegant arms reaching up into the sky.

He watched her, his chest swelling up with pride. She was beautiful, and he still couldn’t believe she was his.

When she skated back to him, he gave her a lighthearted bump with his shoulder. “Show-off.”

“Hey, five years of skating lessons paid off.” She took his hand again. “Are you ready for your lesson, Mr. Kelly?”

“No, I’d rather circle the rink a few times with a gorgeous woman by my side.”

Her cheeks turned pink. “I work at a magazine. I’m sure we could secure a model for you.”

“I don’t need a model, not when I have you.” He brushed his lips against her forehead.

Her blush deepened, and she bit her bottom lip.

God, does she have any idea how much that turns me on?
The blood rushed straight to his dick, and he resisted the urge to suck that lip between his own teeth in a kiss that would make the parents at the rink cover their children’s eyes.

She pushed off with her skates, moving them back into the rink’s traffic. “So, what were holidays like with your family?”

“Chaos.” But as he shared stories from his childhood, he grew nostalgic for the times he’d shared with his brothers. Caleb and Frank were usually the ringleaders when it came to getting them in trouble, but Adam was always the one who kept them from burning the house down or getting arrested. In the end, he wouldn’t trade any of those memories.