Just a Kiss Read online

  Fourteen

  Hayden

  The concert hall fills more and more by the second.

  Stagehands and other band members rush on and off the stage, quickly making the finishing touches to their equipment before curtain.

  I blink with wonder from my hidden spot out of the way.

  “I don’t know how you do it, man,” I say, raising my voice over the gentle hum of a thousand voices on the other side of the thick, red curtain.

  Jonah looks up at me from his kneeling position behind his amp as he sets up. His shaggy hair sprawls out from beneath his favorite navy blue beanie and covers his passive eyes.

  “Do what?” he asks.

  “Four thousand people bought tickets just to watch you strum your guitar,” I say. “Aren’t you nervous?”

  He thinks for a moment. “Do you get nervous when a stadium gets sold-out?”

  “Not really,” I answer.

  He shrugs. “There ya go.”

  “But that’s baseball,” I argue. “I’m not bearing my soul every time I hit a pop fly.”

  Jonah stands up and steps toward me, gently rubbing the stubble on his cheek as he walks. “You all right, brother?” he asks. “I’m sensing some tension.”

  My tongue twitches. “If she doesn’t have to pretend to be with me anymore, then she’s meeting up with me tonight because she wants to be with me tonight, right?”

  He stares, his face blank. “Is this about the fake girlfriend thing you were doing?”

  “Ira?”

  “Duh.”

  I nod. “It was just supposed to be a hobby,” I say. “An easy way to take my mind off my knee but it’s gotten way too complicated.”

  Jonah squints. “You agreed to be the fake lover of an attractive woman and you thought you’d make it through without your dick making it complicated?”

  “How do you know she’s attractive?” I ask.

  “Why else would you even agree to it?”

  “Eh, fair point,” I say as I scratch my chin.

  He sighs and starts massaging his wrist. “You wanna know what I think?” he asks.

  “Sure.”

  “I think you’re overthinking it.”

  I pause. “Why?”

  “Because it won’t matter in a week.”

  I stare in confusion and he laughs.

  “Hayden, in the twenty-four years I’ve known you, I’ve never seen you with a girl any longer than that.”

  My chest sinks.

  Shit. He’s right.

  I spend more time thinking about what I’m going to eat for lunch every day than I ever have about what I feel about a particular woman outside of the bedroom but Penelope has completely dominated me for the last two days. And we haven’t even had sex.

  “What if she’s the one that matters a week from now?” I ask. “Would I still be overthinking it then?”

  He shifts to his other wrist. “Then, you’ll have done the impossible.”

  “What’s that?”

  He smirks. “Surprised me.”

  I chuckle as my phone vibrates in my back pocket. I slide it out of my jeans and find a new text from Penelope. “I’m outside,” I read aloud.

  “Actions always speak louder, brother,” he says. “You say she doesn’t have to be with you anymore and yet… here she is. No overthinking necessary. That woman wants your dick.”

  “Well, when you put it that way…” I drop my phone back into my pocket. “I’m gonna go get her. How long until showtime?”

  “Ten minutes. So, we’ll be another half-hour, probably.”

  I laugh and head through the back hallway, passing various young girls as they pile in and out of open dressing rooms. A very large bouncer guards the back exit and he nods at me as I draw closer, recognizing me from before.

  I pull open the door and there she is.

  Penelope Warren.

  She has her back to me, so I take the opportunity to look her up and down. Her strawberry blonde hair sits atop her head in a strategically messy bun. Tight blue jeans and an even tighter blouse. The perfect outfit for a rock show, if I do say so myself.

  Hubba hubba indeed.

  “Marco?” I ask.

  Penelope spins around with an adorable amount of panic in her eyes and smiles.

  “Polo,” she says.

  Fifteen

  Penelope

  “How you doing, Las Vegaaaaas?!”

  The concert hall rattles from the sudden screaming uproar. I look at Hayden beside me and we both laugh before glancing over our shoulders from the pit in front of the stage. I imagine this area will become a mosh pit in a few minutes but it’s all relatively calm for the moment.

  “We are Knox, Addison, Jonah, Bronson, and Katrina — and these are Criminal Records.”

  I throw up my arms and scream at the top of my lungs, completely seduced by the moment. Not only am I at a Criminal Records concert, I’m so damn close to the stage I can reach out and touch it.

  Hayden must be thinking the same thing because I feel his hands rise and touch my waist from behind. Shivers bloom beneath the warmth of his hands, traveling to meet at the small of my back as I feel his belt buckle graze me.

  “One — two — three — GO!”

  Guitars strum, drums pound, and a piano sings all at once, signaling the start of their signature operatic rock anthem.

  The hall explodes even louder with shouts and screams while Hayden’s hands remain on my hips. I lean my head back on his chest, turning my neck to take a quick peek back at him. He kisses my temple, doing what I didn’t know I wanted him to do, and I turn back to watch the show with a deep smile on my face.

  We sway to the music.

  We absent-mindedly caress each other.

  Our bodies somehow nestle closer and closer with each song that passes until Hayden’s arms are wrapped completely around my waist and my hands are folded over his.

  The flashing red and orange lights fade into a dull midnight blue for one of Knox and Katrina’s famous dueling piano ballads. Their epic voices blend and compliment the other, instantly sending a thousand shivers down my back.

  I close my eyes to feel the music, immersing myself between melody and Hayden’s warm body. At some point, I feel him move. I feel his arm slip out of place and his hand rises to rest on my pounding heart. It doesn’t stay there long. He glides across my chest with barely-grazing fingertips, forcing goosebumps to rise to meet his path.

  I quiver in place, eyes still closed, as his hand travels down my side. It touches the edge of my breast and tickles along my belly before coming to a careful stop at the button of my jeans. He rests his fingertips just below the lip, teasing the idea into my brain and I bite my cheek as I picture how far he could go. How far I would let him go… if we didn’t have a room of four thousand witnesses.

  I open my eyes and turn my head back. Hayden admires me in the dark blue air, his hand rising to hold my cheek. He licks his lips, hesitating for no more than a moment before closing his eyes and kissing me.

  Heat spreads throughout my core, quickly becoming a throbbing, torrential need.

  I slowly raise a hand to the back of his head as he leans down to deepen our kiss. His touch finds my belly again and he finds that same teasing spot behind the button on my jeans as before.

  My mind runs wild, triggering fantasies to play out in my head. Hayden secretly sliding his hand through my zipper and toying with me. Me dropping to my knees and toying with him right back. Hayden tearing my top off and bending me over the stage…

  The song ends and the audience roars in applause. We break our kiss, both of us taking a moment to catch our breath but we don’t stop gazing at each other.

  I need him.

  Hayden must be thinking the same thing. He straightens up and takes my hand before pulling me with him toward the nearest exit past the stage. I don’t bother to ask him to stop or explain where we’re going. I don’t fucking care.

  I’ll go wherever he wants i
f he’ll kiss me like that again.

  I blink and we’re right back in the dressing room hallway. I’m sizzling so badly, I don’t even remember how we got here.

  We pass by the bouncer once again and Hayden offers him little more than the same nod as before. He suddenly stops dead center in the hall and pins me against a closed door.

  “Penny,” he whispers, his rough hands gripping my waist. “I want you…”

  I throw my arms over his shoulders, drawing him down to kiss me again, and he takes it as the burning, aching consent it is.

  Hayden shoves the door open and we stumble inside, our mouths never parting for longer than a breath. A quick glance around shows the dressing room is empty. An over-sized vanity with bright lights lines one wall while a large couch faces it along the other with a glass coffee table nestled between them.

  I kick the door closed behind us and Hayden forcefully pulls me against him. We move with one eye open each, awkwardly navigating in the direction of the couch while keeping our desperate hands on each other. I reach around to dig my nails into his back. He cups my ass and lays tender bites on my bottom lip.

  Fuck. I need him now.

  We finally reach the couch and he grabs my hips, effortlessly spinning me around and dropping me down onto my back. He’s on me immediately, crushing his mouth on mine while I part my knees and reach for his zipper.

  “So sorry to interrupt your little tryst, honey,” says a voice oozing with velvet, “but this room is currently occupied.”

  We break apart and I suddenly see the woman standing in front of the mirror beyond the open bathroom that I definitely didn’t notice was there before. She finishes applying a layer of deep red gloss to her lips and blots them together. As she turns around, a shiny pair of black stilettos poke out from beneath her golden cocktail dress and she smiles, tilting her head to swish her long, brownish-black hair over her left shoulder.

  Hayden pushes off me. “Mom?”

  I jolt upward. “Mom?!” I repeat.

  The woman smiles, barely wrinkling her porcelain face. “Hello, my second born and…” she squints at me in amusement, “his date.”

  He grabs my hand and pulls me off the couch with him. “What are you doing here?”

  “What do you mean what am I doing here?” she asks, turning up a hand. “My baby is on tour. I go to all of Jonah’s shows.”

  “You do?” he asks.

  She scoffs. “Well, I go to all of your games, don’t I?”

  I blink. “She does?”

  He nods. “She does.”

  “Wow…”

  “Of course I do.” She steps out of the bathroom and my mouth nearly drops at her stylish outfit, tight form, and perfect… well, everything. “My sons are among the smartest and most talented men on the planet. I’ve dedicated my entire adult life to supporting their various endeavors.”

  “You left out handsomest,” Hayden says.

  She stops in front of us. “Only when you’re around, honey.”

  They stare at each other until Hayden cracks.

  “Well played, Mom.” His throat clears and he nods at me. “This is Penelope.”

  I feel an overwhelming urge to curtsy but I remain upright. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Botsford,” I say, willing my voice not to shake.

  “Fiona,” she corrects. “Only Kingston calls me Mrs.”

  Hayden cringes. “Mom…”

  “No mind what I’m doing here. What are you doing here?” She furrows her brow at him. “Shouldn’t you be resting?”

  He sighs. “My knee is fine.”

  “When you said you were staying at the hotel instead of at home, you promised me you would stay off your feet.”

  “I have been off my feet,” he says.

  She looks at me. “Has he been off his feet?”

  I hesitate. “I… no?”

  Hayden’s jaw drops. “Betrayal.”

  Fiona chuckles. “No, betrayal would be if I told your father about the thirty-percent discount you offered to a party of twenty the other night but the hormonal imperative to protect the fruit of my womb prohibits me from doing so.”

  “Actually, it was twenty-percent to a party of thirt—” He stops with a wince. “You said that on purpose to get me to admit to it, didn’t you?”

  She nods. “Yes, I did.”

  He bows his head in respect. “Once again. Well played, Mom.”

  “Please don’t do it again,” she says. “My influence over Kingston is great but not infallible.”

  “How do you even know about that?” he asks.

  “I know everything, Hayden. It’s my job.” Her sharp eyes fall on me and I twitch. “Penelope Warren, is that correct?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” I squeak.

  “How is your family enjoying their stay so far?” she asks.

  “It’s… perfect, as usual. Thank you.”

  “That’s what I like to hear.” She lovingly smiles at Hayden. “You made a good choice in this one,” she says to me. “I love all of my boys equally, of course, but…” She reaches out and pinches his cheek. “Only one of them was sweet enough to give me gestational diabetes.”

  Hayden stands still, accepting the tight pinch while I hold in a laugh.

  She relinquishes his face and picks up her purse off the glass coffee table. “Well, I should be getting back to my seat. The song Jonah wrote for me is up next.”

  “Crybaby Teardrop?” Hayden quips. “Or was it Mollycoddle Mayhem?”

  “Obvious Favorite.” She lays two fingers over her deep red lips and blows a kiss. “Have light-to-moderate levels of fun, you two. And Hayden, please stay off your feet.”

  He waves. “I will. Bye, Mom.”

  “Light-to-moderate,” she repeats.

  “We got it!”

  I laugh. “Bye, Mrs.— Fiona.”

  She flashes that now-familiar Botsford wink as she opens the door and disappears out into the hallway. The door remains wide open, so Hayden walks over and nudges it closed, blocking out the clacking trail of her shoes along the concrete floor.

  I relax my shoulders and exhale hard as soon as it latches. “That’s your mother?!” I ask.

  Hayden nods. “The one and only.”

  “She looks like a Disney princess!”

  He laughs and steps closer, slowly easing his arms around my waist. “You know, that’s not the first time I’ve heard her described that way.”

  “How old is she?” I ask.

  “Fifty-two.”

  I gasp. “Shut up.”

  He chuckles against my hairline and kisses my cheek. “I could call her back in here and you two can exchange beauty tips all night but — spoiler alert — it’s mostly just white wine and sunscreen.”

  “All hail the Queen B.”

  Hayden plops down onto the sofa and pulls me along with him. I ease down to straddle his waist and he guides me closer to kiss me on the mouth. I kiss him back as I lay my arms over his thick shoulders. His hands roam up my spine, sending ticklish sensations down the small of my back and I melt even more against him.

  “Now that the moment has been compromised, do you wanna go back out there?” he asks. “Maybe meet up with Jonah afterward and hang with the band?”

  I tremble with heat. “Sounds tempting, but…”

  Our lips touch in a slow kiss. My body blends against his and I unconsciously grind on him, sparking fire even deeper inside.

  “But?” he asks, breathlessly. “The night is ours, Penny. Whatever you want.”

  “But…”

  I lose myself a little more in his playful eyes. The night is definitely ours and I can only think of one way I want to spend it.

  I smile. “I have something in mind a little more… wet.”

  He raises his brow, his interest still very piqued.

  Sixteen

  Penelope

  “Can you see anything?” I ask.

  Hayden shakes his head as I tighten the makeshift blindfold made out of his
tie over his eyes. “Not a thing,” he answers.

  “Are you sure?” I wave my hands, gently splashing the water along his bare chest.

  “I’m very sure.” He cocks his head. “You’re not accusing me of being some cheat, are you?”

  I push away from him, putting ample distances between us in the water. “I just want this to be fair, that’s all,” I say before quickly sliding in the opposite direction to confuse him.

  Hayden stands still in the rooftop pool, wearing nothing but that blindfold and a pair of black boxer shorts obscured beneath five feet of water. The sounds of Vegas on a Saturday night echo from the street below but not nearly loud enough to obscure my movements completely. I tiptoe along the bottom in my bra and panties, biting my lip to smother the chuckle wanting to break free.

  “Are we starting?” he asks.

  I don’t answer. He’ll figure it out.

  Hayden nods. “Okay.” He clears his throat and turns his head left and right. “Marco?” he asks.

  “Polo,” I answer.

  His head twists in my direction on his left and he immediately juts in my direction. I hurry the other way, trying desperately not to splash so much.

  “Marco?” he says again.

  “Polo.”

  He follows me easily and I bite down on my tongue to keep from making a sound. As he drifts a little closer, I dip beneath the surface, submerging myself all the way down to my eyeballs as I quickly push along the bottom of the pool to get away from him.

  Hayden pauses and turns his head from side-to-side. I catch the permanent smile fixed on his handsome face and water gathers within those perfect dimples. My heart pounds with adrenaline, firing warmth to every corner of my body as I admire his strong, muscled, and half-tattooed right arm and toned torso. The gentle v-shape of his back. The sharp cheekbones on either side of his grin.

  His head suddenly stops, blinded eyes pointed in my direction. “Marco?” he says right at me.

  I lick my lips. “Polo,” I answer.

  Hayden rushes at me, splashing as he moves and I splash right back, just barely slipping away from him. He really should have gotten me that time. Is he letting me win?