Surprised By You (The By You Series) (2 page)

The grin on his face didn’t fade for even a second.

“Impossible. No rock stars are sexier
and
better guitarists than me.”

I made a few grumbling noises to let him know he shouldn’t be so sure.

He kissed me one more time on the forehead before he turned to head out. His minute was over a long time ago, but Bartlett was probably too busy trying to get Kyle out of bed to be worried about anything else. Haden turned back just before he hopped off the bus.

“Don’t forget your security pass, I hear security is pretty tight around here.”

I let out a few more grumbles and shooed him away. He shot me one more fierce grin before bounding down the stairs.

As soon as the door shut, Sarah and I vaulted for the window. We watched Haden until he disappeared into the mass of tents outside.

“You think he suspects anything?” Sarah asked.

“No. No thanks to you.”

“Hey, I covered it up pretty nicely.”

I gave another noncommittal grumble.

“We better get started, it’s going to be a long day.”

Little did I know just how true that statement was.

“Please, you don’t understand, this is an emergency!” The old, curly haired lady’s eyes narrowed as she gave me a stern look. It had only been a few minutes and Phase One of the Big Plan was already in serious jeopardy. “You said yourself that it’s just a spare.”

Her look soured with every word I spoke. I decided it was best to stop while I might still be ahead. Her eyes narrowed and her head tilted to one side, considering me for a long time.

And judging me.

There was a
lot
of judgment in her old-lady eyes.

“And what’s in it for me?”

I got the distinct feeling I was about to be hustled.

“Have you heard of
The Believers
? I can get you a signed photo.”

“Signed by who?”

“Haden Cooper, the guitarist.”

Her features darkened.

“The
whole
band.”

I winced. I mean, it wasn’t impossible to get the whole band to sign a picture for me, but doing so without making Haden suspicious was an entirely different matter. Thankfully, I kept a few photos lying around. For emergencies.

Emergencies like this one.

“Fine,” I said. “But, then you deliver and set it up, too.”

Two birds, one stone. My grandmother would be proud.

Her eyes found a way to narrow even more.

“It’s not far,” I said, quickly. “The band’s tent is just around the corner.”

Finally, she motioned for two of her people. She jabbed a finger at the gigantic oven sitting in the corner and told them to help me. They jumped to follow her orders.

A smile started to spread on my lips, but came to a swift end when she rounded on me, leveling that menacing, hooked finger in my direction.

“You don’t have long. My people will pick it up at six. We close early and I won’t be kept waiting by some skinny runt.”

Skinny runt? She barely came up to my shoulders and she was calling me a
runt
?

I gave her the biggest smile I could manage, promising we’d be done before then. Sarah gave me a hesitant look as we led the workers back to the band’s tent. When we arrived, the workers got to work setting it up. By the time I ran and got the signed photos they were already done.

“You’re sure this is a good idea?” Sarah asked, after they were gone. “What if Haden comes in here?”

I shook my head. “The band’s going to be tied up all day. They won’t be free until after the set tonight.”

All the supplies were already laid out on the table in the back of the tent. Hopefully I had everything, there wouldn’t be enough time to fix it, if I didn’t. A nagging sensation tugged at the back of my mind. There were probably a million things I was completely forgetting.

Sarah gave me a dubious look.

“Can’t you just take him to a nice dinner or something?” she asked.

“They go to nice restaurants all the time. It’s a big day for him and I want to do something
special
.”

“And baking him a cake is something special?”

“You don’t understand how much Haden loves cake. This is going to be perfect!” My excitement didn’t appear to inspire any confidence in my little cousin. “Just wait, you’ll see. Everything is going to be perfect.”

At least that’s what I kept telling myself.

We can convince ourselves of the craziest things sometimes, can’t we?

“You’re sure you know what you’re doing?” Sarah asked.

“How hard can it be to bake a cake?”

Her brow pinched together.

“Have you ever done anything like this before?”

“Mom and I used to do some baking back in Jersey.”

“And how long ago was that?”

I gave her a sour look.
 

“It’s like riding a bike—do it once and you’ll never forget how.”

“I don’t think it’s like that at all.”

“Can you just make yourself useful and go get the frosting started, or something?”

She let out a sigh and slid her phone into her pocket. She’d been staring at it for the last half hour.

“Who have you been talking to all day, anyway?” I asked.

“No one. Why? It’s just my roommate, Billie.” She shot me a suspicious stare.

“Just wondering, no need to get all defensive.” I gave her a reassuring smile as I continued mixing the cake batter in a gigantic, plastic bowl. “How are things going with that new boy of yours?”

“They’re fine,” she shrugged. “Well, they’re better than fine. They’re actually going pretty well.”

I grinned at her. “Are you in love with him?”

Her cheeks turned a crimson red before she ducked away from me, giggling.
 

“I don’t even know what that
means
after Huck.”

“You’re radiant, I think you know
exactly
what it means.” She beamed another smile at me. “You deserve a lot better than what that Huck asshole gave you.”

“Thanks, that means a lot.”

The moment should have been a sweet one—the kind shared between only the best of friends—but of course it was one of those days where all good things turn into train wrecks.

There was a shuffling at the front of the tent as someone tried to claw their way in. My heart sank as I pictured Haden busting in. There was no way we could hide what we were doing. Thankfully, I’d been crafty enough to knot the tent closed from the inside, buying me just enough time to cut them off.

I raced around the table and made my way to the front just as a tall figure with blond hair exploding from the top of his head tore through the flap. He cursed obscenities and kicked at the tent a few more times for good measure. It wasn’t until he straightened himself that he saw me standing in front of him, looking annoyed.

Kyle Landers. Lead singer. Arch nemesis. Asshole.

He sized me up with a quick look of his blue eyes. There was a skinny, blonde girl attached to his waist.

“Well, this should be interesting.”

His lips tugged into that cocky smirk that had a way of making me want to cause him bodily harm.

“You’re supposed to be with the
Rolling Stone
people all day.”

“We finished early. I didn’t realize I have to check with the Band Mom before having a little fun.”

The blonde gave me a suspicious look.

“Kyle, baby, who is that?” Her voice was high pitched and whiny.
 

He was about to respond when Sarah came walking up from the back. That cocky little smile of his spread even wider.

“Well, if it isn’t little miss Sarah, all grown up.” His eyes flashed between the two of us. “It’s still early, but I guess I’m down for a foursome. Who’s getting naked first?”

Sarah and I let out detested groans.

“In your dreams,” she said, just as I said, “You’re disgusting.”

He held a hand up, innocently.

“Ladies, there’s plenty of Kyle to go around.” He looked down at the blonde. “Right, Jenny?”

She frowned. “My name is Rebecca.”

He rolled his eyes. “What’s the difference?”

I felt dirty just looking at him. I was willing to bet money that he was the most diseased man on the planet. Didn’t these girls know he was just going to use them and lose them?

“What are you two doing in here, anyway?” Kyle asked, nodding at the apron I was wearing.

“Nothing,” I said, quickly. A thought occurred to me, and my mind went racing once again. “Wait, if you’re here, where’s Haden?”

“I’m not his babysitter.” His eyebrow arched. “He’s probably sniffing after you like some lost puppy dog. You two are pathetic like that.”

I stopped listening. I shot a concerned look at Sarah as I untied the apron and threw it to her. She already knew what I was thinking. I had to make sure that Haden wasn’t on his way to the tent. If he came here he would see everything.

Kyle barked indignantly as I shoved past him. The sun was high and the humid heat of the Louisiana spring made the air sticky and thick. I didn’t make it two steps before a pair of massive arms pulled me tight against a muscular frame.

“There you are,” Haden said, his bright green eyes beaming.

“Haden! What are you doing here?” My insides turned as he flashed me that charming smile.

“I thought you would be happy to see me.”

“Of course I am, it’s just… I thought you were going to be busy with the magazine all day.”

“We finished the photo shoot a little early, so I decided to track you down. I was beginning to think that you and Sarah had already left.”

“Well, you found me.” I tried to give him a cheery smile.

His brow pulled together and he gave me a suspicious look.

“Why did you come racing out of there like that?” he asked, nodding toward the tent.

My insides found a way to twist even harder.

“Oh, that was nothing. It’s just…” my mind raced, “…Kyle was just entertaining a guest.”

He let out a laugh.

“That guy doesn’t waste any time, does he?”

“I don’t know how he does it,” I said, honestly.

Then, Haden’s laugh turned to a frown.

“Is Sarah stuck in there with him? Maybe I should go tell him to keep it in his pants for a while.”

He moved toward the tent as I latched onto his arm. He was at least twice as big as me, and solid muscle, but somehow I managed to change his mind.

“She’s not in there,” I said, quickly. He gave me a puzzled look. “She and her boyfriend were arguing and she wanted some privacy.”

I felt miserable lying to his face like that. But what other choice did I have?

“Is that the new guy? Not Huck, right?”

“Yeah, some guy named Jeremy. She seems to really like him.”

“He better treat her right, or I might need to have a talk with him. She’s a good girl.”

“That’s sweet of you to say.”

His arms wrapped around me again and he pulled me into another tight hug. My entire body tingled as he planted a deep kiss on my lips. I could feel the excitement growing in him, too.

“Kyle shouldn’t be the only one having a little fun,” he breathed between kisses. “Let’s sneak back to the bus and finish what we started earlier.”

My heart raced. I didn’t want to leave Sarah stuck any longer than I had to, but how was I supposed to turn down a proposition like that? Didn’t I mention just how long it had been?

Not that it was all about the sex. I needed to get him away from the tent or he’d ruin the surprise. I mean, that was the
real
reason I wanted to get him back to the bus. It wasn’t just because I was all pent up and frustrated… I swear.

“What are we waiting for?” I asked.

He gave me a fierce smile and took me by the hand. We didn’t make it more than a few steps before a familiar voice called out to us.

Seriously, Universe. Get your shit together.

“Haden, there you are! Haden, wait up!”

We turned to see Bartlett’s round frame running after us. When he finally caught up to us his breathing was labored and he held up a finger for us to give him a moment.

“
Rolling Stone
. They’re ready for you, again. Gotta get back over there.”

“I thought we had an hour?” Haden said, annoyed.

Bartlett shook his head, making his chin-fat jiggle.

“They need you now.” Then he added, “I still gotta find whoever Kyle is shacked up with.”

My eyes widened and I jumped to cut off Haden before he could say anything.

“I’ll get him!” I bit my lips together after the quick outburst. “I don’t want you to be late. I’ll send Kyle right along after you.”

“Didn’t you say he’s in there with someone? I’ll just get him real quick.”

“No!” I said, sharply.

He gave me a shocked look, so I did the first thing that came to mind—I turned on my feminine charms.

“Please, let me do it,” I said, running a finger along Haden’s chest. “I owe him the embarrassment of having a girl walk in and break up his fun.” Haden gave me a dumb nod, mostly distracted by my swirling little fingers. “You and Bartlett go ahead, I’ll send Kyle chasing along soon enough.”

Bartlett looked between us like we’d both lost our minds.

“Sounds good to me. They need you first anyway.”

He grabbed Haden by the arm and pulled him along.

After they were gone, I shoved my way into the tent and found Kyle sitting on the couch. Jenny, or Rebecca, or whatever her name was, had curled herself into his lap. She was kissing down his neck. She looked pathetic.

“Your cousin won’t come play,” Kyle said, flicking his wrist towards Sarah. “Care to talk some sense into her?”

“Seriously, you’re gross,” she said from across the way, scowling at him.

There wasn’t any time to play into his antics.

“Bartlett just came by.
Rolling Stone
needs you again.”

“Bull shit.”

“I’m serious, he just dragged Haden off.”

Kyle fixed me with an annoyed stare. Rebecca was oblivious to everything going on around her, she was too interested in the nape of his neck to care that everyone had lost total respect for her.

“You better not be fucking with me,” he snarled, pushing her off of him. He straightened to his full height, nearly a foot taller than me. “I don’t know what you’re up to, but I can tell when someone’s hiding something.”