All the Broken Pieces: (Broken Series Book 3) (21 page)

“Nag.” I muttered, trailing a finger over the plush robe on the back of the door.

“I heard that.”

I had to smile at his petulant tone. “Fine,” I sighed. “Bring it in but I’m only doing this to humor you. I really am much better.”

I stepped back as the door swung open and he took in my towel-draped body.

“Yeah, right.” His tone was disbelieving, with a heavy dose of concern. “Much better, my ass. Look how red your skin still is.” He pointed at the wide jetted tub and waited for me to go sit on the edge. Pouring a dollop of the gel in his hand and handing me the bottle, he frowned. “Would probably be easier if you stood in the tub naked and I just poured the whole damn bottle over you.”

I offered him a wry smile. “Very funny, smartass. Just slather it on the exposed areas so I can get you out of here and get dressed.”

“And the areas under the towel?” He asked, in all seriousness.

“Are you looking for a repeat performance, Weirdo?” I quirked a brow.

He leaned away, frowning as one hand fisted at his hip while the other pointed at me in an accusatory jab. “I’m not being a perv here, dammit. I don’t want you to hurt any more than necessary and it’s been way too long since you put this stuff on last…”

“Um, Brant…”

“I’d never use this situation to try and make a move on you…”

“Okay, but Brant…”

“You should know better than that by now…”

“I do, but…”

“I know what happened yesterday was…”

“Brant! Will you shut the hell up for two seconds, please?” I shouted, exasperated.

His eyes widened to near cartoon-character proportions. “What’d you yell at me for?”

I pointed to his hand, still fisted at his hip. “You’re dripping all over the floor.”

He frowned and looked down at the puddle of aloe at his feet a moment before raising his clenched fist in the air in front of him. The one that had been filled with gel before he got frustrated and squished it all out onto Kade’s marble bathroom floor.

“Well, shit. That ruined the moment.” He shook his head, embarrassed.

“Don’t worry. Happens to lots of guys.” I offered a sympathetic nod.

His eyes shot to mine as a huge smile broke out over his care-worn face. He took the bottle from my hands and shrugged, laughing. “Least I can do is finish you off now, right?”

I snagged the bottle from him, holding it behind my back as I winked. “Nope. I think you know by now I can do that myself.”

•••

In the end, I let him put the damn aloe on my burns. Mostly because he needed to feel useful but also because who the fuck can reach the middle of their back, anyway?

Not me.

Freshly slathered with aloe, dressed, and blow-dried, I emerged from the bathroom and followed the sounds of male voices until I found Brant and Kade. They stood chatting on either side of a huge outdoor heater on the wide stone patio that ran the entire length of the mansion. Kade had graciously showed us the entire house earlier, and the patio was by far my favorite spot on the tour. It was gorgeous. Natural stone floor, pots filled with winter foliage, and meticulously hand-carved patio furniture. The cushions on the chairs and long couches looked about a mile thick and the couch closest to Brant was calling my name. I hadn’t realized how tired I was until I was barely able to keep my eyes open while blow-drying my hair.

“Hey, pretty lady. Feeling better?” Kade asked pleasantly, a charming smile in place just as before. He was so welcoming, polite. Normal. It was unexpected. Nothing like the brooding bad boy that graced all those magazine covers.

“Much. Thank you.” I padded to Brant’s side, nudging him playfully with my elbow as I took a seat off to his left and slightly behind him.

The moment my body settled into the cushion, Brant was covering me with a blanket. It was like he’d conjured the damn thing out of thin air. “Here you go. Don’t want you getting a chill. Those burns draw a lot of heat out of you.”

Kade nodded, watching Brant fawn over me. “Like having a bad sunburn and getting the shivers. I hate that feeling.” He turned his attention to me. “Beer? Wine? The bar is stocked with every liquor known to man or I could rustle up some hot tea or cocoa, if you’d rather have something to help you stay warm.”

I shook my head. “Thanks. I’m fine right now. I may make some tea in a while, if that’s okay.”

“Mi casa es su casa.” Kade smiled, taking a long swallow of his beer.

Brant turned back to him, resuming their conversation and letting me relax a while. It was uncanny how well he read my moods. He probably knew how exhausted I was the moment I stepped outside.

“So, the band will be in Canada the next few weeks? Then where are you off to?” Brant was asking, domestic longneck in hand.

“We have a show in New York for Thanksgiving that we have to come back for, then it’s back up north until the end of December. We’ll get a few weeks off for the holidays, of course. After that we’re in the studio for a couple months.” Kade’s deep gravelly voice was like a slow moving train, steady, hypnotic. It was one of the things I loved most about TotC’s music. Even when he was singing about pain and rage, his voice soothed the soul. I could close my eyes and listen to it all day.

He looked around the expansive backyard. “Probably won’t spend much time here until spring. A weekend here and there but for the most part, we’ll be traveling. Which is why you need to get your ass to work on those upgrades to the new bus.” He pointed his beer at Brant, chiding. “I need more room if I’m gonna be cooped up with those shitheads all the time.”

“I’m on it. I’m on it.” Brant assured him with a smile. “When I’m done, it will be a high-tech haven you’ll never want to leave.”

“I have no doubt.” Kade nodded, turning his attention to me. “He’s got serious skills, you know.”

“Oh, yeah, I’m well-aware,” I agreed.

Brant nearly spat his beer into the heater, turning to me with a raised brow and a flush in his cheeks.

Kade cracked up behind him.

I just looked at Brant like he was dense. “I did help with the upgrades to your cabin, remember? And you showed me the plans for Milly’s Mountain.”

“Oh.” He dropped his eyes from mine, shaking his head at his own awkwardness. I found it endearing. “I’d forgotten.”

“He’s a damn good lay, too,” I announced, giving Kade a wide smile.

That time Brant did spit out his beer.

Between bellowing laughter, Kade told him, “She’s definitely a keeper, bro.”

With a pointed look my way, Brant wiped the beer from his chin and nodded. “That, she is.”

Something about the way he was looking at me made my stomach do a little flip. He held my eye just a second or two longer than usual, long enough to make my heart race. Suddenly, everything else fell away and all I saw was him, those electric blue eyes, that wavy brown hair, the tilt of his head as he regarded me as though I was the most important person in the world.

As though I was his and his alone.

And I actually liked him looking at me that way.

Kade’s phone rang loudly from the table near the couch, startling me out of my daze. He snatched it up and glanced at the screen, smiling. “Hey, douche. You guys getting your shit together for the flight out? You have to be here in two hours, you know.” He listened for a minute, nodding along with whatever was being said. “Well, looks like that security guy is fucking fired.” He laughed. “Okay, okay. I’ll be right there. Keep your pants on.” A pause. “No, seriously. Keep them on. I have guests.” He ended the call and turned back toward the sliding doors. “The guys are here.”

“The guys? As in the rest of the band?” I practically squeaked as a massive case of nerves constricted my throat.

“Yep. My goofball brother can’t tell time. They weren’t due to pick me up yet.” Kade sighed as he made his way inside, presumably to let them in. “The fuckers must be hungry or something. I’m the only one who keeps his house stocked year-round,” he muttered as he left Brant and me on the patio.

Oh.

Shit.

I looked at Brant with wide, panicked eyes. “I cannot believe this. Like I wasn’t star struck enough; now I have Kane, Lennox, Ethan, Jared,
and
Kade to contend with. I’m going to make an ass of myself, I just know it. I don’t do well in normal crowds, but this? This isn’t just any crowd, Brant. These are rock gods. Oh. My. God.”

He crouched down in front of me, setting his beer on the stone floor and taking my hands in his. “Breathe, gorgeous. You’re gonna be great. I’m the socially inept one, remember? I just spat beer in the man’s outdoor heater.” He winked. “Besides, they aren’t the rock stars around here. You are. They’ll be the ones who are starstruck. Trust me. I know what I’m talking about here because I’m awed by you every single day.” He kissed the backs of my hands, lips a mere whisper against my skin, breath warm enough to give me the shivers.

There was that flip again; the one that had nothing to do with the five superstars about to walk through that patio door and everything to do with the man in front of me.

How did he keep doing that?

By the time I heard the loud, overlapping voices of the band inside, I was calm and collected. At least as far as they were concerned.

“Fix me a sandwich for the flight, fucker,” one voice called.

“I want some of that chocolate cake the housekeeper left last time we were in town,” shouted another.

“That was six months ago, dumbass. If it’s still here, you do
not
want any.” This from a third voice.

Kade’s rough voice cut in. “Would you three shut the fuck up. You’re like a bunch of kindergartners. Go to the kitchen and forage like the scavengers you are and for fuck’s sake, clean up the mess.”

A voice much like Kade’s, though a little smoother and less hypnotic, rang out. “And grab me a beer while you’re in there. I’m gonna go say hi to Brant, you bunch of rude bastards.”

By the time Kade and his twin brother Kane stepped onto the patio, Brant and I were laughing our asses off.

As his identical twin, Kane was built like Kade; tall, broad shouldered, and muscular. They each had silky, shoulder-length blond hair and the same deep gray eyes, but they differed in a lot of ways. Kade usually looked serious, foreboding even, and the deep pitch of his voice only underscored the air of danger and mystery. At least, that was how I’d always perceived him until I actually met him and realized how decidedly not scary he was. On stage though, the man was intimidating.

Kane, on the other hand, had a wide, natural smile and easy demeanor that was magnetic. It practically dragged you into his space like gravity. He was obviously the charmer of the family. He smiled at me, flashing a set of perfect teeth as he stepped up to give Brant a one-armed hug and quick punch to the shoulder. “Damn, man. It’s been way too long.” His greeting was so similar to his brother’s it made me grin.

“Yes, it has.” Brant agreed, turning toward me. “Kane, this is Lauren Caldwell. Lauren, Kane Edenfield.”

I moved to get up but he held out a hand, stopping me. “You look way too comfortable for that.” He came over and gently pulled my hand into his, raising it to his full, warm lips. “Very pleased to meet you, Lauren.”

“Likewise.” I returned his smile, inwardly reminding myself not to say anything stupid.

Brant’s gaze was locked on my hand, how it was dwarfed in Kane’s. After a moment, he smirked and lifted one foot, effectively kicking Kane in the ass, nearly sending him sprawling into the empty seat next to me. “Hey, don’t lay it on so thick, asshole. You’re as bad as your brother.”

“Me?” He let go of my hand with a wink and turned to Brant. “You’re the one trying to push me on top of her. Jeez. If you need to put another man on the job because you can’t handle it, the least you can do is ask first.”

Brant’s eyes flashed to mine and I had to laugh. He was worried Kane had offended me.

“He doesn’t need any help, Kane. She’s already had her say about that.” Kade tossed out, laughing.

“I stand corrected.” Kane backed away, hands in the air in surrender before casting a grin in my direction. “Any woman willing to lie to save your reputation is worth hanging onto.”

I quirked one corner of my mouth, raising a brow at him. “I don’t lie about a man’s abilities in bed. Giving undue credit only rewards bad behavior. Either you can hit it right or you can’t. There’s no gold star for trying.”

There was a moment of stunned silence.

Then…

“Will you marry me?” Kade and Kane both asked, simultaneously.

Brant tried to glare at them but ended up laughing. “Damn twins.”

He received an identical set of crude gestures for his comment.

“Hey, Matthews! When you gonna get the tour bus straight so we can break it in? I’ve got a whole list of chicks waiting in the wings to help christen that thing.” Lennox Reid stepped outside, platinum hair artfully sticking up all over his head, crunching on chips as his deep brown eyes fell on me. He stopped and shot the band’s lead-singer a look. “Shit, Kade. Did you break the damn thing in already? I thought we agreed no groupies on the bus until it was finished. I had big plans.”

Kade, Kane, and Brant all turned to look at me, realizing what Lennox was getting at.

“Lenn…” Kade began, giving me an apologetic look. “You should carry a shoehorn around to help remove your foot from your mouth.” He blew out a breath, annoyed.

“She’s with Brant, asshole, and you just insulted her.” Kane tossed out, rolling his eyes.

Lennox looked at me again, raising a brow. “So, she’s not a fan?”

“Oh,
she’s
a huge fan.” I said loudly, as I gave him a dazzling smile. “Of theirs.” I pointed to Kade and Kane, then gestured to Ethan and Jared who had just stepped out behind him. “You? Not so much anymore.” I turned to Kane. “And I’m not
with
anyone.”

“Damn, Lenn. What’d you do to her?” Ethan asked, popping the top on a can of beer. “You were out here all of two seconds and already pissed someone off. I think that’s a new record.” He turned to give me a charming smile, his dark, wavy hair falling in his blue eyes with the movement. “Ethan Chase. Nice to meet you, especially when you’re giving Lennox hell.” He held out the can in his hand. “Beer? You can have this one. I’ll grab another.”