Bassist Instinct (The Rocker Series #2) (18 page)

“You saved me. That guy was pulling on me and you hit him and he just let go.” She touched the side of his face. “Tate, you just saved my life.” Tears rolled down her cheeks and he pulled her to him.

“Hush, love. I also very nearly handed ye to them,” he grimaced at his stupidity as he wiped her tears.

“Same tags as yesterday, headed south on 17
^th
. Black late model Cadillac SUV, just like ours.” Edgar was talking on his radio. “Three men in the car, Caucasian, mid-thirties, black hair and a bloody nose for the one in the back. I didn’t see a weapon, but that doesn’t mean dick.”

“Are you okay?” Fiona asked Tate, some of the shock wearing off.

“Surprisingly comfortable,” he said and she realized that she was lying on top of him in a parking lot.

“Oh,” she started to move but he held her to him.

“Stay, you’re keeping me warm. In fact, you’re making me hot.” He grinned at her and she bit her lip feeling his hands work their way under her coat to her behind.

“People are watching,” she scolded him.

“And taking snaps,” he laughed at her expression and released her when she scrambled off of him. Edgar reached down and helped him up and they all walked back toward the memorial. “Is Sam giving chase? Should we take a cab home?” Edgar gave him the funniest look.

“Sam lost ‘em, he’s on his way back, and no you don’t take a cab home. You’re going to the hospital.”

“What? I don’t need a hospital, I’m fine.”

“Christie will have my balls, man. It’s the hospital or her wrath, you pick,” Edgar said. Tate didn’t even fight it, Christie
would
have his bollox.

“Do you have a favorite hospital, love?” Tate asked Fiona.

“Let’s go to Georgetown, it’s at least close to home,” she said and Edgar nodded. A black SUV pulled up and this time it was Sam. They piled in and Tate pulled Fiona close in the back and they held tightly to each other. Each realizing what a close call they’d had.

***

Tess was the first one to get to the hospital. She walked in like she owned the place and was seconds away from barging into Tate’s room when a big man stepped into her path. She stopped short, looked up in surprise and stepped back to take all of him in. She was a tall woman at 5’9”, and she only had to tilt her head back a little to see his face, but what a face it was. She had never seen anyone as profoundly beautiful. His smooth black skin begged to be touched, and his penetrating eyes were the most exotic thing she’d ever seen. He crossed his arms in front of his big chest with a single eyebrow raised as if daring her to try something and Tess thought of the Nubians that were the Egyptian Pharaoh’s guard. Very impressive.

“You are in my way, I made it past everyone else, and
you
are not going to stop me,” she said, not going to be intimidated by this big man.

“I already did, cupcake,” he smiled unable to help himself, she was too much.

He seriously just called her cupcake, he needed to be humiliated. She smiled sweetly at him and smoothly moved left and he moved to intercept easily but she was already on the other side of him. She had martial arts experience, he realized, just as she managed to slip by him completely and get through the door. What the… he grabbed her around the waist and she squeaked, not expecting it. He lifted her off her feet and she began to defend herself in earnest when Fiona intervened, saving him from embarrassment, he was pretty sure.

“Tess! She’s okay, Sam, she can come in,” Sam gently put her down and she turned and glared at him before stepping the rest of the way into the room.

“What happened?” Tess said. “Are you okay?” She hugged Fiona and then stepped over to Tate’s bed. He grinned at her. “You big faker, you’re fine.” She rolled her eyes at him.

“Well, to be perfectly honest, my head feels bloody awful, but yes, I’m fine. I’m waiting for my clothes, and then we can go.”

“Tate, you’re wearing your clothes.”

“Ah, so I am. You got past yon monster at the door pretty easily, you’ve been keeping up with it, have you?” Tate said impressed.

“He called me cupcake!” She grinned. “But yes, I have been keeping up with it, I love it. I found a group at school, and I do that a few times a week, but I also have a sifu on 31
^st
St.”

“What’s a sifu?” Fiona asked.

“A tai chi master. She’s wonderful.”

The door opened again and Christie, Ryan, Genna and Connor came in. All the color had drained from Christie’s face and she ran to his bedside. Tess hopped up and went to her mom and Connor. “He’s fine,” she whispered to them over Christie’s exclamations.

“Do you know what happened?” Genna asked her, but Tess shook her head.

“He wants to tell us all at the same time, I bet.”

“Well calm down and I’ll tell you, Christie, I’m fine. Ryan, take your woman off me, mate,” he said and they laughed.

***

Outside Sam straightened his clothing from the episode with the lovely Tess, whoever she was. Man, what a spitfire.

“Tess just owned you, didn’t she, Cuba?” Edgar said from a few feet away.

“I didn’t want to hurt her, you know,” he said and Edgar laughed.

“Uh-huh. A few years ago she and her brother were under my protection, and she sat in on a Tai Chi class I was teaching. She never looked back, now she’s as good as I am, hell, maybe better.”

“She’s pretty good, quicker than I was expecting,” Sam agreed. “Who is she?” Edgar shook his head.

“Sorry man, they are very private. If she wants you to know, she’ll tell you.” Sam nodded. That wasn’t that uncommon. There was a noise down the hall and Sam saw a couple of rock stars and their entourage head toward him. Sam looked at Edgar.

“She’s with them?” He asked and Edgar nodded very slightly and opened the door for Christie and company.

***

“We never got lunch, are you starving?” Tate asked as they left drove away from the hospital toward Volta Place.

“I’ll just whip something up at home,” she said.

“Let’s order in, if you don’t mind my company.”

“I’d love your company, if you’re not tired of mine,” she said but he put a finger on her mouth and shook his head.

“Yours is the only company I want.” He looked at the backs of the two heads in the front seat and realized they would be everywhere he wanted to be alone with her. He sighed.

They pulled up to her house and made it safely inside without incident. Tate sat on the sofa and promptly fell asleep. Fiona made tea for herself and sat next to him grading papers from the previous week. Tate stirred and moved so that his head was in her lap and she absently ran her fingers through his soft blond hair as she read from her laptop which she perched on the arm of the sofa, trying to avoid the big bump on the back of his head.

Liam came in from the garage and took in the scene. He turned the fire on and sat on the table across from her. “Sam filled me in, how are you?”

“Shaken, not stirred,” she said quietly and he laughed softly.

“Let me see your arms,” he held out his hands and she pulled up her sleeves to show him. There were livid hand prints there. “Aw Fifi, I’m so sorry this is going on.” Liam looked at Tate’s head. “He came through in a big way for you, didn’t he?” She nodded.

“He didn’t even hesitate, he saved my life and got hurt in the process, and was making jokes as he was lying bloody on the tarmac.” She looked down at his inert form. “I am so impressed,” she whispered. “God knows what would have happened to me if he hadn’t been there.”

“You’re okay, Fifi.” Liam didn’t want her to lose it, but he’d forgotten how strong she was. She met his gaze.

“I’m absolutely fine, I just don’t like the fact that I put Tate in danger.”

“I’m going to order some pizza, do you know what he likes?”

“I have no idea, but I’ll text Tess, she knows everything.” Liam walked into the kitchen and Fiona shifted to pull her phone out of her pocket.

“Pepperoni,” Tate said and rolled his head to see her face. “Go back to scratching my head, love, it’s the most stimulating thing I’ve ever had done to me.” She chuckled. “Impressed, huh? That’s doing something stimulating to me, too.”

“Really impressed, never more impressed,” she began softly.

“Are you falling in love with me yet?” His words were playful, but he was so directly on target that she choked as she inhaled. She literally choked on air.

“A little bit,” she said. His eyes were like lasers, centered on hers. He finally looked away and sat up. She would have given anything to know what he was thinking, but she was pretty sure she had just frightened him, he was probably going to leave. What kind of loser tells someone they love them after knowing them three days? The worst kind. He probably thought she was after him because he was a rock star. She hid her face in her hands and he took the one closest to him and pushed up her sleeve to reveal the handprint on her forearm.

“Christ, Fi,” he whispered and pulled her into his embrace. “That was too close.”

“You should probably go,” she managed to say without crying. His body went rigid and he slowly pulled away from her. She had turned her head away and he touched her chin with a finger and brought her face back around so she’d look at him.

“Do you want me to go?” She couldn’t answer that question. “Because I don’t want to leave you. I’m going to kiss you, Fi, and when I’ve done, then you tell me to go or stay, aye?” Again she was silent, but he seemed to take it as assent and he kissed her. He eased her back on the sofa and ran his hands up her sides to her neck as his tongue explored her mouth with a delicate firmness. He was gentle until he was demanding and she felt her body respond like never before. She pulled him to her hard with her fingers digging into his shoulders as her hips came off the sofa to meet his.

“Stay,” she breathed the plea into his mouth. Maintaining eye contact he moved her down the sofa so that they were lying lengthwise, and he pulled her hips to his and kissed her. He took a fistful of her silky hair and gently tipped her head back so he could nibble and lick and kiss her long neck only to find himself drawn back to her beautiful lips, his other hand was working its way up the back of her sweater to deftly undo the clasp of her bra. She moaned softly as his hand came around to the front and found her breast, and gasped as he ran his thumb lightly over her pebbled nipple. Her back instinctively arched and pressed into his hand and she felt something build deep within her, something wild and joyous. When he dragged himself away she mewled like an angry kitten and he put his teeth together on her lower lip making her moan out loud and inhale sharply. He very nearly embarrassed himself right there on her leather sofa.

“Our first time is not going to be on your sofa,” he said hoarsely.

“Then come to my bed,” she said equally hoarse, and he kissed her again.

“I want you Fi, so much I ache for you, but I want you uninhibited, not with your brother in the next room, and the bodyguards doing whatever it is they do. Christ Fi, they heard that moan you just made three doors down.” She bit the lip he had just bitten that had her thrashing half under him and he had to drag his eyes away from her little white teeth biting that juicy lip. “You’re so beautiful,” he put his thumb to her lip. How could anything be so soft? He looked deeply into her eyes. How were they so blue? When the doorbell rang he was so startled he fell off the sofa and Fiona make a squawking sound and turned beet red.

Liam must have known what they were up to because he gave them plenty of time to prepare themselves before he came out to answer the door and take the pizzas from the delivery boy. By that point she had run her fingers through her hair and refastened her bra. Tate was standing, but his jeans were feeling way too tight in the crotch. Fiona’s mouth was clearly well kissed, and Tate smiled at her. She bit her lip again and went to move her laptop which was teetering dangerously on the edge of the armrest.

“You look like we got up to more than what we actually got up to,” he said grinning at her. She laughed running her fingers through her hair again in an effort to tame it.

“I feel like a teenager getting caught by her parents. I keep forgetting I’m an adult when I’m with you,” she said sitting back down on the sofa and he laughed.

“I’ve been putting off growing up, but maybe it’s time.” Liam came back to the entrance with a couple of pizza boxes and a six pack of Heineken beer.

“I hope pepperoni’s okay,” he said. Tate nodded and Liam handed him a beer. Fiona hopped up to get plates, but Sam came in the room with plates and napkins and crushed red pepper. She sat back down. Liam handed her a beer, and his Swiss Army knife, already opened to the bottle opener device and she looked at it long enough with a blank stare that Tate took it and the beer from her and opened it for her. He then opened his own and handed the Swiss Army knife back to Liam, turned to Fiona and touched his bottle to hers. She smiled at him and he winked at her.

Liam tried not to watch, but it really was oddly compelling. Fiona was an entirely different person with Tate than she had been with Dean. She was having fun with Tate, flirting and blushing, and fooling around on the sofa, which was not her style at all. Or maybe it was her style, Dean only crushed the playfulness out of her. Dean was a good looking guy, and ten years younger than Tate, but he was inflexible, and kind of pedantic. He couldn’t remember that last time he’d seen her so happy.

“Any plans for tomorrow?” Liam asked her.

“Dinner with the Flemings,” Fiona said and watched as Liam’s eyes went round.

“Alasdair Fleming?” Liam asked and she nodded and swallowed.

“But aside from that, I don’t have any. I should do some planning for next week.”

“I have a thing, but it shouldn’t take too long,” Tate said reaching for a second piece of pizza, and putting one on Fiona’s plate, too. Sam was sitting quietly watching them, chewing methodically.

“Why are you picking the pepperoni off the pizza?” Liam asked watching her.

“I don’t like it.” Tate leaned over and gathered her pepperoni off her plate and ate it, grinning at Liam.