My Soul To Keep (Soul Series Book 1) (38 page)

“Luke invited me.” I slip the generic badge over my head anyway. “I hope it’s okay.”

“Rhys, any time you wanna come around, it’s fine. I’ve told you more than

once.”

Her big blue eyes tease me, but I’m not playing. Her eyes aren’t dark and tilted. Her tits are too big. She’s too tall. Her scent is off. Nothing is right about her because she’s not my girl. I just want to slip her a note with the word “no” written on it because she has never taken any of my hints.

“Are they on lunch break?” I hope she’ll lift her eyes from cock level and look at me when I’m talking to her.

That’s not yours, sweetie. Eyes up.

“Yeah, they’re on break,” Delaney finally drags her eyes up from my zipper to look around the set. “Luke is here somewhere. He’ll love having you. I’ll go find him.”

“That’d be great.” I smile as she walks away, relieved that I can now find Kai and hope she doesn’t pull my balls through my nose for this stunt.

I see her before she sees me. She’s chatting with Dub by the fruit spread, munching on a handful of grapes. Her hair falls down her back in loose waves, dark against the white robe covering her down to her ankles. The high heels give her a few inches, but she still looks tiny beside Dub’s bulk. She laughs up at him, her face more dramatically made up than I’ve ever seen it. Even though she looks so gorgeous I’m hard in my jeans in seconds, I want to scrub her face free of the paint. I love her natural.

Dub starts demonstrating a move for her, and she pops the last of the grapes in her mouth so she can mimic his motions. As she’s executing a turn, her eyes meet mine across the room. They go wide and then narrow. She says something to Dub before heading in my direction.

Fuck. This could be bad.

“Rhyson, hey.” She glances at the crew milling around, setting up for the first shot after the break. “I didn’t know you were coming.”

“Yeah, Luke invited me. I think I told you that.”

“You didn’t say you were leaving the hospital to come here though.” She gives me a careful look through the false lashes they’ve put on her. “How’s your dad?”

“Better. Improving. I’ll go back when he goes home.”

She speaks after a brief pause.

“I wish you’d told me you were coming.”

“Is it okay?” I can only be around her for so long without touching her, so I grab her hand. “I wanted to see you perform.”

She looks from our clasped hands to the people around us. I feel their stares too. People have been pointing and staring at me since I was the three-year-old freak who could play Beethoven with my eyes closed, so I’m used to it. But I know this is more than recognition. This is rabid curiosity. They thought she was just some dancer, new on the scene. Me showing up, holding her hand propels her into a new stratosphere of interest. Exactly what she wanted to avoid. Maybe I shouldn’t have come.

“It’s fine. It’s just . . .” Her words disappear behind a small frown.

“It’s just what?”

“This is a very sensual song, and the routine is pretty . . . provocative.”

Sensual. Provocative. I need blood pressure meds.

“What are you . . . what do they . . . uh . . . have you doing exactly?”

“I’m dancing.” She tucks a chunk of hair behind her ear, eyes dropping to the floor. “You know that.”

“Like dancing how?”

They’d have to drag me out of here now. There’s no way I’m leaving until I know what my girl is doing. What kind of
sensual
and
provocative
shit are we talking?

“It’s just—”

“Kai, it’s time.” A petite, pink-haired girl reaches up to slide the robe from Kai’s shoulders.

Kai’s anxious eyes find mine, and I already know I’m going to hate whatever she was hiding under that robe.

I’m so right.

It’s mere scraps of material masquerading as a decent outfit. A strip of silk binds her breasts. Another strip of studded fabric bisects her torso leaving everything else bare. The black bikini bottom cuts high on her hips, leaving her round, firm ass completely exposed. I yank the edges of the robe closed over her small body, looking around to see if anyone saw all that flesh.

“Rhyson!” Kai’s voice is a low, outraged hiss. “Stop it.”

“What the
fuck
are you not wearing?” I snap. “You can’t wear that, Pep. No way.”

“I’ve been wearing it for the last four hours, so I think we’ve all gotten past the shock by now.”

“Four
hours
?” My fingers tighten around the terry cloth lapels. “You’ve been prancing around this set for everyone to ogle your naked ass for
four
hours?”

“Kai, Dub was asking for you.” Pink hair’s eyes flit between my tight fingers and my scowling face.

“Give me just a sec, Ella.” Kai offers the girl a phony smile, waiting for her to walk off.

“Such a huge fan, by the way,” Ella whispers to me before leaving. “Already got tickets for your show at Staples.”

She walks off, leaving Kai and me in a tight angry silence. This isn’t how it was supposed to be. The last time I saw her, she was against a shower wall at my parents’ house. I was sinking into the bliss of her sweet pussy, counting the hours until I would see her again. This isn’t how it was supposed to be, but this is how it is.

“You shouldn’t have come if you were going to act this way, Rhyson.” Kai frowns, biting her lip. “Look, I know it’s skimpy.”

“Skimpy? It’s indecent.”

“And if a girl in one of your videos were dressed this way?” she fires back, dark eyes hot and slitted. “Would it be indecent then? Or would it be the job?”

“It’s not the same.”

“It is.” Kai’s face softens, and she takes both my hands between hers. “Let me do my job. We’re only just starting, but this is exactly the kind of behavior that will sabotage us.”

“Sabotage?” The word ice picks my heart.

“I’m just saying it’s situations like these that made me hesitate in the first place. You interfering and controlling. Just like you did with my mother’s bills.”

“Oh, excuse me for making life easier. For clearing the way for you to do jobs like this without massive debt hanging over your head.”

“That’s what I mean!” A long, fake red nail tips the finger she points at me. “That is exactly what I mean by if you give it to me you can take it away. You can take credit for it. It’s not mine, it’s yours.”

“I’m not taking credit. I’m just saying don’t threaten me by saying that my concern over this . . .” I gesture to her robed figure, “Nudity is sabotaging our relationship.”

“Nudity!” Her disbelieving laugh cuts into the thick air between us. “I’m not nude, and I’m not some little girl who needs your protection or your guidance.”

“
Someone
needs to tell you that gyrating on a pole isn’t exactly your big break.”

“Everyone’s gotta start somewhere, and it’s a lap dance, thank you very much! Not a pole.”

“The fuck!” I explode, gripping my head with both hands. “Who the hell are you giving a lap dance?”

“Your friend, Luke. Now if you’ll excuse me.” Kai slips off the robe and lays it over one arm. “
He’s
the star on set, and I’m keeping him waiting.”

She stalks off without another word, her bare ass and high tits and taut waist drawing all eyes as she strides over to Dub for last-minute instructions.

The last thing I need is Luke, the guy who is about to get a lap dance from my girl, coming over to me, but that’s exactly what I get.

“Dude.” Luke fist pounds me. “Glad you could make it. I didn’t know you were coming.”

“Yeah, it was kind of spontaneous.” I hope he doesn’t notice how plastic my smile is. “But I don’t think I can stay.”

“Oh, you want to stay.” He leans in, eyebrows raised like he’s passing on a secret. “You gotta see this dancer they got for me.”

“What?” The blood congeals in my veins and then rushes hot like boiling poison. “What dancer?”

“You know I love short chicks, right?” A grin complements his All-American look, the blonde hair and blue eyes. “She’s all curves and muscles and kinda Asian eyes. I—”

“Stop. I gotta stop you before I have to punch you in the face.” I run agitated hands through my hair. “The dancer’s mine. She’s my girlfriend.”

Luke holds his hand up only so high, to his shoulder.

“Short girl?” His eyes go wide. “That’s your girlfriend? You lucky son of a bitch! Wait. You have a girlfriend? Since when do you do girlfriends?”

I don’t have time for this.

“Yeah, I don’t think I’ll stay, but I’m gonna go say good-bye.”

“Don’t be a stranger.”

“Yeah. I mean, I won’t.”

I spot Kai in deep conversation with Dub, and I hesitate to interrupt, but I can’t leave things like this between us.

Dub looks up from their conversation, a frown pulling his dark brows together under the shock of his platinum hair.

“Gray, what’s up?” He doesn’t bother with any other greeting. “You need something?”

This guy just keeps rubbing me the wrong way.

“I need to speak to Kai for a minute.”

“We’re in the middle of a shoot,” he says, the Irish lilt more pronounced with his irritation.

“I’m so sorry, Dub.” Kai crosses her arms under her breasts. “Could we just have a minute? I’ll be quick. I promise.”

“We only have this space today, sweetie.” Dub’s voice softens some, even though his expression stays hard.

Sweetie?

“I know. “ Kai takes a step closer to me. “Just a few minutes.”

He gives me one more considering look before walking just a few feet away.

Dickhead.

“I’m an asshole.” I may as well lead with the apology she deserves. “You were right. I shouldn’t have just shown up like this. I compromised your professionalism. It wasn’t a good look, and I’m sorry.”

“Rhyson, we just started.”

Her voice wavers. She better not cry. Fuck me if she cries. She has no idea that her tears are a weapon of mass destruction that would take me out in seconds.

“I don’t want to be fighting with you already over my job.” She looks up at me, her mouth and eyes unsmiling. “Just like you have a job to do, so do I. I need you to let me do this.”

“Okay.”

I capture her hand, bringing it to my lips for a kiss. I couldn’t care less who’s looking or taking pictures. They can Snapchat it for all I care.

“Are you leaving?” she asks.

She steps closer, and the fact that she still smells like pears and cinnamon comforts me. Under all the makeup, the false eyelashes, red talons, the elevator heels, she’s still my girl who wants to make her mother’s soap. Who bakes the best biscuits I’ve ever tasted. Who makes me want to be the best man I can be. For her.

“Yeah, if I stay I might strangle someone. Luke would definitely die.” My laugh is a short bark. “And I need to swing by Wood. Supposed to be helping someone with a track. Not sure how long that’ll take.”

“Can I see you tonight?”

Her voice is so soft I barely hear it. Did she really just ask me that? I can’t help it. I have to touch her. I palm the smooth, bare curve of her waist, and she doesn’t stop me. She doesn’t pull away, even with the weight of all these eyes on us. I lean down until my lips brush her ear.

“Text Gep when you’re done, and he’ll bring you to the house.”

“Kai, we need to do this now,” Dub says sharply from a few feet away.

I turn a glare on Dub that should level him, but he just stares right back at me. Reckless bastard.

“Does he always talk that way to you?” I demand.

“Only when I’m being unprofessional and cuddling with my boyfriend instead of doing my job.”

“We can cuddle when you get home.” I bury my nose in the hair by her ear. “After we fuck, of course.”

I pull back just so I can see her cheeks bloom pink.

“You actually blush.” I laugh into the sweet smell of her neck. “That’s adorable.”

The glare she angles up at me doesn’t carry much fire with her mouth fighting a grin.

“I need to work, Rhyson. They’re almost ready.”

“Okay, don’t forget to text Gep when you’re done.”

“Can I swim?”

“You can redecorate the whole house for all I care, as long as you’re there when I get home.”

“You won’t be there?” She pulls that kissable mouth into a pout.

“Like I said, I gotta get to the studio. I’ll be late getting in.”

“I’ll see you when you get home.”

Home. Hearing her say it makes me realize how much I want my home and her home to be one and the same. Is this really happening? Me, notorious commitment-phobe, wanting a girl in my house all the time? After one night together? The irony is that if I said this out loud, she’d be the one freaked out. So I’ll keep it to myself and give her the time and space Grady keeps saying she probably needs.

I’ll ask her . . . what? Like next week?