Aftershock (6 page)

“Sorry about that.” He blew out a breath. “I’ll finish packing up and get out of here with you.”

“Wait a second.” Marc pulled him around so they faced each other. “Is there more going on here than just business details? Something we need to talk about?”

“No.” Rick jerked his arm away. “There’s nothing.”

But Marc’s gaze burned into him like twin lasers. “You can’t lie worth a damn to me, Trajean. So give it up. Do you have the hots for Sydney?”

Rick shook his head. “It’s nothing. Leave it alone.”

“You know,” Marc said in a thoughtful voice, “once you get past the attitude, she’s okay.” He winked. “And sexy.”

“And off limits,” Rick reminded him. “A surefire way to screw up this deal. On many fronts.”

“Yeah, I know.” Marc slowly wound a cord around his hand then tucked the ends in. “Risky business. But I wish you’d find someone to lighten up your life a little.”

Rick stared at him. “Like I haven’t had women before?”

“There’s women and then there’s
women.
Even if you hook up with Sydney, I trust you to not let it affect the business of the band.”

Rick snorted. “Then you’ve got more faith in me than I do.”

“On another subject, Meredith all set for college?”

“I sure hope so.” His sister was due to leave in three weeks. “She’s got enough crap packed for ten females.”

Marc laughed. “You live with two women and you haven’t figured out by now all the stuff they collect? Anyway, going off to college is a big deal. I thought my brothers were loading up to move to another country when they left.”

Rick shrugged. “I’m not too excited about her being so far away.”

“Far away? Rick, she’s only going to College Station. Texas A&M is a three-hour drive.”

Rick sobered. “I worry about her. That’s all.”

“She’ll be fine,” Marc assured him. “She’s got a good head on her shoulders. And you and your mom have given her a good sense of herself. Now, come on. Let’s get out of here.” He paused. “And Rick? Cut yourself a break, okay? You’ve made this band your whole life. Live a little now and then.”

“Damn. No, double damn.”

Sydney pounded the steering wheel. What rotten luck. Of all the times her car could pick to be a problem…. She turned the key again and listened for the motor to catch, but only heard a bad grinding sound. She was hot, irritated, and wanted to throw a temper tantrum. Finally, she yanked the key from the ignition and pushed the car door open. There was nothing for it. She’d have to call the auto service and get someone to come take a look at the damn thing.

The heels of her sandals clicked on the floor as she made her way back into the house. Sitting in a hot car in a hot garage was not her first choice of activity. Actually, her first choice would be zipping down the streets in the outfit she’d outrageously splurged on for a get-together she wasn’t sure she should attend. She paced back and forth with quick, hard steps, frowning as she dialed the number for the garage and waited for someone to answer.

“Your little toy giving you trouble again, Syd?” Bill French’s gruff voice held a trace of humor. “I told you the other day to bring it in for service.”

The car was Sydney’s baby, her present to herself five years earlier when Linc gave her a great Christmas bonus. Since it was now out of manufacturer’s warranty, she took it to the garage owned by the father of one of the secretaries at the agency. She loved that he treated her almost as another daughter and she trusted him implicitly, a very precious commodity in her life.

“I know, I know. I’d planned on doing it next week.” She started to chew on a fingernail before snatching her hand away from her mouth. “Can you get away to take a look at it? Or send someone?”

“I’ll come myself. Be there in a few.” He paused. “You do know it’s Saturday, right? You’re lucky I happened to be here this late.”

“I know, I know. And I truly appreciate it. Thank you so much.”

Bill chuckled. “You should think about getting a real car,” he told her. “Anyway, expect me in about fifteen.”

The breakdown put a definite crimp in her plans for the evening. She could always take a cab to Marc and Emma’s, but she still had to get home. Call a cab at whatever hour she decided to leave. Fend off polite offers from the others.

She caught sight of herself in the hall mirror. Man oh man. She’d splurged on yet another new pair of jeans, plus a tank top and an overblouse tied at the waist. She couldn’t believe it had taken her two hours to try on clothes and create the right thrown-together, casual look for tonight. Strappy sandals with kitten heels had made another dent in her wallet.

She blew out a breath.

She never spent so much time on an outfit for a special event.

But if she could win over the band—especially Rick—it would be worth every penny. The first step was getting them to accept her. No, scratch that. The first step would have been getting to the damn party but here she was. Stranded. And not looking forward to the phone call she had to make.

Bill was as good as his word. Fifteen minutes later on the dot, he was in her driveway with his tow truck.

“No saving the beast here, missy.” He shook his head. “It’s either the alternator or ignition. Whatever, I’ll still have to get the part. I can get you a loaner by Monday.”

“Monday?” she nearly shrieked, then dialed it back. “I’d hoped by then you’d have fixed the damn thing.”

“If they have the part in stock.” He studied her face. “You got big plans tonight?”

“I did,” she said in a miserable voice. Maybe this was an omen, a sign she wasn’t supposed to go.

“Well, honey, just tell him to come and pick you up. I never like when men don’t want to pick up their dates.”

She wanted to tell him it wasn’t a date but that would only lead to more questions. She thanked him for coming over right away and watched as he drove off with her car on the flatbed.

Better call and let them know I’m not coming
.

They’d think she was blowing them off or something equally rude. Flipping through the numbers in her cell phone, she found the one for Marc and Emma. No way could she call Rick for this.

“I’m really sorry,” she told Marc when he answered. “I looked forward to some casual time with you guys.”

“Been there, done that,” he said. “But don’t give up. Hold on a second.”

“What? No, Marc. Wait, wait, wait.”

From the muffled sound it was obvious he had his hand over the speaker on the phone while he talked to someone and she was pretty damn sure who. For a moment she was tempted to just hang up, but no. Then the band would get ticked off and she’d look like an idiot. Still, could seemed to be happening with Rick any less perilous?

“Hey, Sydney, you still there?” Marc’s voice broke into her thoughts.

“Yes, I am. I’m here.”

“Listen, Rick’s gonna come pick you up. He said he’d be happy to.”

Oh, I’m sure
.

“That’s not necessary,” she protested. “I hate to inconvenience anyone.”

“Not a problem. Besides, we’re all looking forward to this. Give me your address.”

This was a mistake. She’d be alone in the car with Rick, not once but twice. In close quarters. Just the two of them. But she couldn’t afford to irritate these guys, so she rattled off her address.

“Oh, not so far away. Expect him in about fifteen. See you when you get here.”

She spent the entire time she waited having a conversation with herself. Being alone with Rick even for a short drive would be dangerous. She didn’t do meaningless sex but she certainly didn’t see herself at the start of a relationship with Rick. He was a client, for the love of God.

Well, okay, then maybe meaningless sex would be okay. They could do it, get it over with, and move on.

Wait. Maybe she’d misread all the signals and he didn’t feel the same attraction she did. No, she’d seen it in his eyes. Sensed his reaction.

Crap! I must be losing my mind!

The piercing sound of the doorbell shattered her internal conversation. Taking one last look at herself in the hall mirror, she pasted her professional smile on her.

I can do this.

But the moment she opened the door and saw Rick standing there, her entire body went on full alert. The sleeves of his deep blue shirt were rolled up, exposing his muscular forearms and jeans that outlined his lean hips and long legs. His hair was neatly combed, the ends just touching his collar, and a smooth shave accentuated the strong line of his jaw.

Sex!

And oh, much more than that. Something she didn’t even want to think about.

One corner of his mouth lifted in a grin as if he knew what naughty image he’d conjured in her imagination. But then their gazes locked and a thunderbolt couldn’t have struck her harder.

For God’s sake, Sydney, this is business, remember?

She took a deep breath and pulled herself together.

“Thank you so much for picking me up. It really wasn’t necessary. I sort of feel like I’m crashing a private party, anyway.”

His mouth curved in a smile, the first genuine one she’d seen from him. “Not at all. It’s just a casual get-together and the band is glad you’re coming. Informal is always a good way to get to know people.”

Sydney hadn’t expected the shiny black pickup sitting in her driveway. Her eyes widened as she stared at it.

Rick gave a soft laugh. “Not what you expect from a rock musician, right? It’s my version of a hot sports car.” He helped her up into the cab. “I’m a pretty utilitarian kind of person. This has a lot of bells and whistles, but it’s as jazzy as I get.”

She folded her hands in her lap and took in a slow breath as he backed out of the driveway. The interior of the cab, dark and filled with the faint scent of his woodsy aftershave, created the illusion of a private little world inhabited by the two of them. She was acutely aware of the nearness of him, his masculinity, the play of muscles in his arms as he handled the steering wheel. The sensation of intimacy was so strong Sydney felt it wrapping around her. Her breathing became uneven, her pulse ratcheted up, and the world outside the truck disappeared in the black velvet fog of the night.

Thank God this isn’t a bench seat. I need the barrier of the console or I might forget myself and plaster myself to his side
.

She cleared her throat, hoping to pierce the charged air. “So who all will be there?”

“Oh, you know. Just the band. Emma, of course. A few of our friends.”

“And me.”

“And you.” He nodded. “Danny and Garrett brought dates, their flavors of the month, so don’t expect adult conversation from them.”

“Not you?” The words popped out of her mouth before she could stop them.

He laughed, a sound low and deep. “Are you afraid I might have some angry female ready to rip my eyes out because I took off to pick you up?”

“No, I—” Heat crept up her cheeks and she wanted to cover her face with her hands. “That was a dumb thing to say. Of course you don’t have a date. Or you wouldn’t have been sent on taxi detail.”

“I might have been,” he teased. “Like I said, she might be poised on the front porch with her claws out.”

“Now you’re mocking me, right?” Or was he? Rick in a playful mood threw her off balance.

For a long moment he didn’t say anything and Sydney wondered if she’d just stepped into it. Maybe he
did
have a date back at the party. Where did that leave her? The third wheel?

Syd, this is not a date
.

“No one waiting,” he said at last. “Not that there’s any reason why you’d be interested, but I’m not seeing anyone.” Another pause. “Right now.”

“Does that mean you have someone in mind?” Why couldn’t she just shut her stupid mouth?

“Still thinking about that one.” He plucked a CD from the console and slid it into its slot in the stereo. “How about some tunes while we ride? We record our rehearsals to help us figure out what’s good and what’s bad. Most of this is new stuff so you get a sneak preview.”

“Wow. Thank you.” Yes. Music. A distraction to offset the charged atmosphere of the cab.

The notes floated out into the cab and filled the space. The compelling emotion she’d felt at rehearsal flooded her again. Sydney was gripped again by the dynamism of it. The fact that the songs were only rough productions on nonstudio equipment underscored how powerful they were. The bass pulsated through her body; the notes of the lead guitar pierced the air.

And the voices!

Ohmigod!

Talk about come-fuck-me voices.

She closed her eyes and let the sounds wash over her. She knew Rick did this in an effort to let her see and feel the essence of the band but what it really did was reinforce what she imagined for them. Clash and flash. She’d just have to make them see it. Make
him
see it.

When the music stopped, her eyes flew open and she realized they were parked in front of a house. She looked over to see Rick smiling at her.

“We’re here.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“So. What did you think?” The casual tone was underlined with tension. Even a little insecurity.

Insecure? Rick?

“I think you’ll be a huge success.” She gave him her best smile. “And I’m really psyched about working with you.”

His dubious expression told her it wasn’t quite what he wanted to hear, but he just nodded.

“Right. Okay, then.”

He helped her down from the cab and kept his hand lightly on her elbow as he guided her to the door. She could feel the outline of each of his fingers like hot steel branding her skin, and a shiver skated along her spine. What about this man drew such a reaction from her? Made every one of her erogenous zones stand up and beg? God, she had to keep some space between them, but how was she supposed to do that?

Rick opened the front door and ushered her inside. Sound and laughter enveloped her. The house was small but a lot of love and work had gone into making it a home. The living room was alive with both people and color and more conversation drifted out from the kitchen.