Sahara (A Night Fire Novel Book 3) (8 page)

Chapter Twelve

Fraser looked at the building and with a pained sigh he undid his seat belt. Sahara had gone well with her first car ride. Well, the first that we knew of. God only knew where and how her mother had dragged her around this town.

“How about running away to Mexico?”

“Sounds great but I'm still making you tell them.”

“Such a hard ass.”

He gave me a sly smile as he looked at me from the corners of his eyes. I smiled back and shook my head, getting out of the car. Fraser rounded the car and waited as I pulled the baby bag out.

“Aren't you forgetting something?”

“I thought you might...”

“No way mister. Carry her in.”

Fraser huffed and pushed the door open further, pulling the carrier out of the car seat. Momentarily I was blinded from the harsh afternoon sun and going into a darkened building, when my eyes focused properly I saw everyone was waiting with curiosity and anticipation. It was likely that it was killing them.

The room was almost empty, a makeshift stage was set up against the back wall and an office area sat to the left of the doors. Other than that it was one empty and cavernous area. The office area was in the process of being gutted, for now the meeting table had been brought out to the main area.

The plans for this place were rather grand. In the office area there would actually be an office, mine. I would be on the top floor along with the meeting room and a reception desk with a hot receptionist. We won't talk about the part where they suggested her uniform could be really similar to what a certain waitress at the nearby strip club was wearing. Or the fact that they suggested that she could be the receptionist. There might have been talk of putting a pole in the meeting room. Yes, they were drunk. Well, not Curtis. His sobriety was going rather well and I was surprised at how well he coped when his friends got drunk around him.

Ground floor of the office area was going to house a recording studio and basic amenities because they had discussed putting on private shows for a select few. Diehard fans that would jump at the chance at such a personal and intimate setting.

Second floor was reserved for a chill out zone where they would relax, write and discuss the future. I don't know how much writing and discussions were going to take place when they talked about all of the game consoles and other chill out items that were needed to help them relax.

“Afternoon. Glad all of you could make it.”

Even Frankie and Abigail were here, not that I cared. This wasn't my show.

“Just waiting for Fras.” Jaxon grinned. “How's the sickness mommy two?”

I still wasn't used to him calling me mommy two. Frankie had been graced with the name of mommy after only a few days of knowing them, she tried to make them behave. I know, it was a crazy notion. Since my arrival and my efforts to make them behave, Frankie became mommy one and I became mommy two.

“Oh I'm fine. I just had to deal with a small issue for someone.”

Jaxon held his hand to his heart, feigning hurt.

“You lied to us mommy two, how could you?”

“Oh Jaxon, my little white lie is nothing compared to what you're about to see.”

He frowned and then turned to the door, I watched them all turn with shock as the man of the hour walked in. Chairs scraped out slowly as they stood, quietly peering into the carrier as Fraser put it onto the table.

“Dude, you pinching babies now?” Evan said low.

“No.”

They all thought about that one word answer. No, he hadn't pinched a baby. So boys, what did that mean?

“Is she yours?” Austin frowned. “It is a girl right, you're not wrapping a boy in pink are you?”

“No, we're not.” Fraser mumbled.

Oopsy. Who is the first to catch it?

“We're? As in not just you?” Evan raised an eyebrow dubiously at Fraser.

Fraser cleared his throat. “'K, so I might have asked Eden to help. Babies are a chick thing.”

“Oh you did not just say that.” Frankie snapped.

“How long have you had her and where's her mother?” Jerry asked as he peered at the child.

“Couple of days. No idea where her mother is, she just dumped her in a box on my doorstep.”

Shocked eyes raised up and stared at him.

“Well you sure know how to pick 'em. What's her name?”

“Sahara Florence.”

Jerry slapped him on the back looking a little wistful. The man cleared his throat gruffly as he gripped Fraser's shoulder firmly.

“Your mom would love it. Have you spoken to Kevin?”

Fraser nodded a little quieter now, I guess Florence was his mother's name.

“Hang on a second.” Jaxon frowned. “Where was the kid last night?”

“At home.”

“And that's why you weren't at the meeting?” Jaxon looked at me.

I nodded with raised eyebrows at pursed lips.

“So you bailed on your kid and left her with Eden for...”

I watched as he mentally counted the hours, the frown deepened as the realization hit him.

“What fourteen, fifteen hours?”

Fraser nodded carefully.

“And you went to a strip joint instead of returning to your kid? Was that more important?”

Well, I'll bet that Fraser never thought that this would be how Sahara's introduction to the band was going to turn out. Not giving him a hard time for actually having a kid, no they preferred to give him hell for ditching her. Well done boys, you've made mommy two proud.

“We're not talking.” Jaxon flicked his hand and then turned to me. “Mommy two, can we have a hold?”

“You are crazy, you know that?”

“Yep. Now hand over the baby and nobody gets hurt.”

“Lots of photos.” Abigail hummed as she pulled out her camera.

I was beginning to regret agreeing to Austin's suggestion that she become the official band photographer. Every time I turned around that damned thing was in my face. At least she was earning her money I suppose.

Jaxon was first in the queue, not what I expected. This morning was certainly full of surprises. Sahara yawned as she woke up, vaguely opening her eyes at him. The big man cooed over her. I'd never seen anything like it. What was more surprising was the rest of them were giving him a hard time for taking too long.

“So I guess it means she's coming on tour with us.” Jerry said as his fingers trailed through her brown hair. “When is Kevin getting back to you?”

“Next week.”

Evan frowned for a moment as Sahara was put into his arms, soon gone when her little fingers wrapped around his.

“So when I came over the other night, was she there?”

Fraser scratched at the back of his head, a gesture I had come to realize was anxiety.

“Yeah.”

“Wow. She's pretty quiet, I didn't even know she was there. How did you manage that?”

Everyone looked at Fraser with wonder, Jaxon frowned again.

“You were there for a few hours before I got there. Didn't think babies were that quiet.”

“They're not.” Jerry grumbled. “I think that Fraser's had help for longer than he cares to admit.”

“Fine so Eden's helped a lot.”

Seven pairs of eyes swung to me, one tried to ignore the situation. It wasn't working.

“Were you there Eden?” Evan asked with a deep frown.

My smile said it all, Evan didn't need a verbal response.

“Dude you need to pay her more. I swear I didn't know she was there either. And give her some kind of award for putting up with your secretive shit. Damn.”

Evan shook his head and passed Sahara over to Curtis.

“A playmate for bug.” he grinned at Frankie.

“And lots of parenting practice.” I offered.

“Yeah.” Curtis said wide eyed.

Bug was only a few weeks in the making, gender still unknown. According to Curtis, bug was a boy. Frankie said he was wrong, bug was a girl. Either way playtime for Sahara and bug was a long way off.

As everyone took turns in holding her and cooing over her cuteness, we discussed the logistical nightmare that was taking a newborn child on a yearlong, country wide tour. Frankie instantly offered to help, not only did she need the practice but she also needed something to do. She was going to become my assistant to ensure that I didn't get weighed down with tending to the one little baby and the five big babies.

Abigail was feeding Sahara and even though Austin had his turn at holding the baby, he still seemed rather uneasy about it. Or maybe it was the fact that his girlfriend was holding one. On the surface things seemed good between them and unlike his cousin, Austin was rushing down the aisle. I suspected it wasn't far off, considering that he's dragging her on the tour with us it meant that things were serious.

“So why did you name her after a desert?”

Frankie's question broke my thoughts about relationships, I tuned into the suddenly silent room.

“Liked it.” he mumbled, more interested in his phone.

I watched the eyes dart to one another. Some were baffled, some were a little doubtful but not one of them questioned it. I wanted him to squirm, damn it.

Chapter Thirteen

I'd never slept so well in my entire life. The entire session last night left me sore in so many places but I didn't care. I didn't have the burn of the cuffs last night, instead it was a length of silk cloth that was incredible against the skin. Tethered to the headboard, blindfolded and completely at his mercy was thrilling and it took a lot of will not to orgasm the second he touched me.

A smile crossed my face as I lazed in bed, soaking in the warmth of the covers and remembering how good it felt to command his attention. I always assumed that when a man tied a woman up it was for his own pleasure but I was wrong. Sure Fraser had enjoyed every moment but it was all about me. I'd had massages before last night, not the standard back rub that relieved tension but a full body massage. It was exhilarating. His hands moved over my entire body, there was nowhere he feared that he feared to touch.

When my body writhed with the most intense orgasm that I had ever had, he stopped and I sighed with a grin that I could not get rid of. In fact I think I'm still wearing it. The silk tie was tugged free and we made love, slow and meaningful. It was amazing and I was ready for round two.

After the rub down we'd moved back to the sleeping bed as Fraser had dubbed it. The spare bedroom was the sex bed and until Sahara got her own room, things were going to be quiet where she slept. Which was a crazy thought to have considering we were about to go on tour and she'd be in the same room as us. Personally I didn't want any child listening to sex but life on the road was going to be difficult and to abstain for a year was never going to happen. Somehow we'd figure this out.

The external shades were down and the curtains were drawn, making the house dark. I didn't even know what time it was. I could see a flicker of muted light shining through the hallway. Carefully I got up from the bed, feeling so very tender. Sahara wasn't in her bed and the house was quiet. I wrapped myself into a dressing gown and wandered through the darkened house. As I drew closer to the lounge room I could see the light flicker again, it was from the television against the shadowed walls. The sound of laughter filled the air, children laughing.

I stood at the entry, to the side so that I was out of sight and watched the home video of a birthday party. It was interesting seeing the band as children. Well not children, they were teenagers. There were a few faces that I didn't recognize but one that was so much like Fraser that I could have sworn they were twins. And beside him was a pretty brunette woman with the same whiskey colored eyes.

“That's your grandmother. I'm sure she sent you to me as punishment for my bad behavior but don't worry, I don't mind.”

Nice way to say it Fraser, lucky she doesn't understand what you're saying. We are going to have to have words if those kinds of statements persist.

A smile crossed my face as I watched the television. Fraser opened a rather long present, his eyes widening with a gasp at the guitar. I looked at Tyler who was watching on, it didn't take a degree to see the jealousy. Florence seemed like a wonderful woman, I couldn't imagine her lavishing presents upon one child and not the other.

But as the four other members of the band started talking about all of the cool things they could do now that Fraser had a guitar I realized the bastards motivation. It wasn't never about jealousy for being given a present or uneven attention and love. It was about a jealousy that Fraser was the one in the band, not him. He'd ripped their parents from Fraser as punishment for it.

In that moment I had quietly decided that if the prick was ever up for parole then I'd be there. I'd be the one that made sure his life was filled with the same kind of pain that Fraser suffers. He was never going to be a free man. Fraser could never be free, he had to live with this pain every day. This was going to require a quiet talk with Jerry. He knew more of the facts than I did. He'd sat through the trial, he was even made to get on the stand and testify.

Quietly I slipped away and returned to the bedroom.

“Fraser?” I called out.

I watched the walls and saw the light flick off, returning to the darkness. It was as I suspected, he didn't want to talk about it. I walked towards the laundry pretending to search for him.

“Hey.”

The light flicked on and he stood at the entry of the kitchen with Sahara in his arms. He'd changed her from the sleep suit into a romper suit that had little bunnies all over it. It was one of my favorites.

“Hey.”

I offered a smile but it turned into a wince as I climbed up onto the stool. The bastard chuckled as he walked over and put Sahara into my arms.

“So I can't fuck for shit, eh?”

“I lied to earn another smack, sue me.”

“I'd rather fuck you.” he growled in my ear, low and husky.

He moved away with a smug grin.

“Breakfast first though, a man needs food to fill the tank.”

“Good. What are you making?”

Fraser looked at me with a raised eyebrow and then thought about it.

“Dunno. Food's getting a little low.”

“Go shopping tight ass and what happened to the bread?”

“I ate it.”

I stared at him with shock. “You ate the whole loaf?”

He shrugged and opened the pantry door, searching through it. I looked down at Sahara.

“Your papa is a guts. One day he's going to explode into a ball of fat.”

She blew a spit bubble at me.

“What time is it?”

“Ten am.”

I guess I really did sleep well. The last time I slept in this late was when I was dumped. Oh the memories of those days. Several bottles of tequila and chocolate ice cream. Burning photos and trying to figure out how to make a voodoo doll. The internet and I were yet to have a discussion about its lackluster information about how-to guides. Okay, so I might have been drunk, given up trying to thread the needle to sew the doll together and ended up watching porn which was the most stupidest thing I have ever done. Why you ask? Well dumped and drunk watching a couple making the most passionate love wasn't a great combination. Let's just say that I learned a lesson that night. Don't drink and cry at porn because your sister will think you're weird.

A thumping on the front door made me jump, Fraser lifted his head from the pantry and looked at me.

“Maybe you should go and get dressed.”

I nodded and passed the baby to him, scurrying to the bedroom as quickly as I could. Which considering that I had a lot of sore parts was a real feat in itself.

When I had dressed I quickly checked over the room and ensured there was no evidence. Not that the lack of my things in this room wasn't enough evidence. Everything that I owned was in Fraser's bedroom, aside from the dress and underwear I was wearing yesterday.

Upon exiting what was supposed to be my bedroom I could hear the laughter and clinking of bottles. I guess party central had just arrived at Fraser's house.

“Hey mommy two.” Jaxon grinned broadly at me. “Thought we'd bring the party here so that Fras didn't have to dump his little girl on you again.”

“That's mighty thoughtful of you Jaxon.”

We will forget the part where you brought alcohol and it was likely that you would give him said alcohol rendering him useless in the parenting department. So in reality it was not much better. Except that I had company this time.

Company came in the two that weren't drinking, Curtis because of his sobriety and Frankie because she was pregnant. I took charge of Sahara, Fraser was drowning his sorrows.

“We know the timing might not be ideal for you know...” Curtis gestured to Sahara who was in Frankie's arm as she fed her. “But uh, it is in other ways.”

We were in the kitchen, the others were in the lounge room playing a loud shooting game. It was too loud, I couldn't hear Frankie talking and Sahara wasn't impressed.

Curtis cleared his throat and looked to the entry of the lounge room, hearing the laughter and the roar of delight when one of them clearly killed something.

“Anniversary.”

“Oh.” I said quietly.

That explained the video.

“He always says that he doesn't want anyone around but we don't listen. It's going to get worse.”

“What is?”

The words had barely escaped my mouth as someone knocked on the door.

“It's a thing that we do so you best get used to it. Now that you're our assistant you're like a part of our family so you'll have to come here every year. Don't give us any lame ass excuses, this is a thing that happens no matter what.”

“Where is she?” El's voice shrilled with happiness as she swanned into the room.

Jerry's wife Eleanor was a bubbly woman who adored each of the boys. She loved them like her own children and I knew that there were at least two of them that needed that kind of love. Fraser had his own demons and Curtis had a family that needed a good beating.

“Oh look at the darling.” she cooed as Frankie handed her over.

There was another knock on the door, more people entering.

“Told you.” Curtis grinned.

“There's hardly any food. I don't think he was buying much because of the tour.”

“It's okay, we brought food.”

Evan's mother Lola walked in with several bags, soon followed by her husband Harry. The average sized kitchen was slowly shrinking as everyone came in with food and made a beeline to the baby. Austin's parents were still here, normally they lived in Florida but they had decided to stay until the tour kicked off. Even Frankie's parents and her brother had come to this little gathering.

Jaxon's father and his stepmother had arrived just before Austin's parents. I could see where Jaxon got his good looks but his father was a quiet man. Jaxon's over the top personality came from his bat shit crazy stepmother. Crazy in a good sense of course. Caroline was the kind of woman that you wished she really was his mother, he would have be far better off. She was a barrel of laughs, never spoke ill of anyone and was always smiling. For all that Jaxon had a shit beginning I knew that Caroline was the reason his life had turned around for the better.

By the time everyone had arrived, I was a little astounded. I'd never seen so much love in a subdued way. It actually felt like my heart was melting. They did this every year. Every year they ensured that Fraser wasn't alone of the anniversary of the worst day of his life. I could feel the sadness building inside of me, mixing with the happiness and love for these wonderful people.

Quietly I slipped away, retreating to the quietness of the bathroom to splash water on my face. As I dried myself off I tried to mentally pull myself together.

“Don't be a cry baby.” I whispered. “Remember, you're the ice queen. Kurt said so.”

I stared at my image, looking at the mascara that had smudged. So much for waterproof. As I cleaned it off the door opened and Fraser slipped in.

“What are you doing?”

“I didn't feel so good so I came in to splash water.”

His hands took my hips as he kissed along my jaw from behind me.

“Who is Kurt?”

Damn these thin walls.

“An ex and an asshole.”

“You can add clueless idiot.” Fraser whispered in my ear. “If he thinks you're an ice queen then he doesn't know how to make you tick.”

I looked into the mirror, his eyes catching mine. A wicked grin crossed his face as he lowered to my ear again.

“And if it happens that it is true then you should say goodbye to your posting. After last night's effort, I don't think that this ice queen is going to reign ever again.”