Captivated (4 page)

Early
Monday morning, Irisa pulled up in front of Zander
’s
house, praying he could keep a cool head for Luke’s day in court. For once, he
was actually ready and waiting. He climbed inside her convertible. Sandy brown
hair disheveled, hazel eyes heavy with sleep, he folded his six-foot-two frame
into the small seat.

“When did you start
listening to sports radio?” He turned down the volume.

Three days ago.
Her
cheeks heated.
“Since you’re performing at the ballpark
soon, I thought it would be a good idea to brush up on baseball.”

He stared at her as
though she
’d grown a second head. “Really. This wouldn’t have
anything to do with meeting Dom Torres, would it? I still can’t believe you
didn’t call me.”

“You’ll be able to talk
to him all you want after the game.”

“So what did you talk
about with him? I know it couldn’t have been about batting averages and home
runs.”

Could her cheeks get any
hotter?
“Traffic
isn’t too bad. We should get to the courthouse with plenty of time to spare. I
know things aren’t great with you and Luke right now, but I’m glad you came.”

“We’ll get through this
tour, and then no more for a long while. I don’t care what kind of persuasion
comes up. We need a break, and we’re taking one.” He sighed, closing his eyes
and leaning against the headrest.

“I know. I promise.
Nothing else after this.” Being older by only a year, and being nearly a foot
shorter than her brother didn’t lessen the need to look out for him. Her
parents had always expected them to drop everything and put family first. She
drove the rest of the way in silence.

Dodging the few reporters
hoping for a sound bite was harder than she
’d expected. She grabbed
on to Zander’s arm and kept her head down. When they set foot in the
courthouse, she found Brendan and Landry waiting by a bench in the hall. “I
guess Luke didn’t get here yet?”

Landry pointed to one of
the rooms.
“He’s in there with his lawyer. He didn’t want us
coming in with him.”

“So we’re giving moral
support from out here.” Brendan drummed his fingers on his knees. “You wanted
us to show up, so we did. I don’t know why he wouldn’t want us in there.”

“Maybe he’s embarrassed
about the whole thing.” Soothing ruffled feathers came naturally.

Brendan nodded.
“I
can understand that. Dude doesn’t need any more stress.” His fingers tapped out
a beat on the bench’s arm. The drummer’s hands seemed to never stay still.

For an hour, she paced,
one hand in her pocket, gripping her antacids. Finally, the door opened and
Luke emerged. He
’d refused to talk about what had happened
on the water, and as much as the label wanted the bad publicity hidden away,
she wanted to dig deeper.

She pounced on him.
“Well?”

“I have to pay a fine and
do thirty hours of community service.”

The blanket of worry
lifted.
“We
don’t have to miss any tour dates?”

“No. But I won’t have my
license for six months. So I guess one of you will be driving me around.” His
gaze wandered over the group.

“Of course, whatever you
need.” She placed her hand on his arm. She’d played chauffeur before for
various reasons.

Zander, Brendan, and
Landry kept quiet. She knew the band was angry, but still
…
Shooting them a glare, she said, “I’m sure the guys are more than happy to help
out, too.”

Luke lifted a brow.
“Sure.
I can hear them clamoring to help.”

“What did you expect? Did
you see those reporters out there? Did you think about the tour or label before
doing what you did?” Gaze heated, Zander crossed his arms over his chest.
“You’re a fucking moron.”

“A moron? I guess you
haven’t made any mistakes?” Luke’s tone rose. His features tightened into a
snarl and he moved into Zander’s space. They’d never come to blows before.
Neither backed down.

Two police officers
headed their way. Shit. Irisa pushed in between Luke and her brother.
“Not
here. Are you insane?”

Luke
’s
lawyer grabbed his client’s shoulder and pulled him away from Zander. “We’re
going outside. No matter what anyone says to you, don’t engage, don’t respond.
Let me handle it.”

Irisa kept her hand on
Zander
’s
chest. “We’re all leaving. You’re all going to pretend nothing is wrong, and
then you’re going to get in the car.”

Her brother laughed.
“Sure.
United front. No problems here.”

“That’s right. Now move
it. Fast.” She smiled at the officers, pretending all was fine with her world
and the guys.

Sun and heat and
questions greeted them. Luke
’s lawyer handled the media, and she
linked her am with Zander in an effort to keep him away from Luke. When they
reached the parking lot, her phone vibrated with the third call from Excite
Records that day, and her pulse ratcheted skyward again. No use putting off the
inevitable. Luke’s lawyer stood with the guys. They’d be fine for a few
minutes. She stepped away, dialed the number, and prayed for voice mail.

“Oliver Somers here.”

Damn it. Glaring at the
passing cars, she spewed her news in a single breath.
“Hey,
it’s Irisa. The tour won’t be affected.”

“That’s great news, Ris.”
God, she hated his nickname for her. No amount of telling him so had any
effect.

“Yep. Well, I’d better
go.” She pulled the phone away from her ear.

“Hold on a minute.”

She sighed and looked up
at the sky. Irritation pricked along her skin. Any length of conversation with
the man was too long. She forced her lips to curve, a trick she often used with
him to make her voice sound friendlier.
“What’s up?”

“Excite has invested a
lot of money in this tour.”

His superior tone
inflamed the embers of anger waiting to be ignited.
“And?”

“And we can’t have bad
publicity from one of the co-headlining bands.”

Did he think she was an
idiot?
“None
of us wants bad press.”

“So if you could please
do your best to keep the guys in line…”

Her blood ran hot. Was he
seriously trying to tell her how to do her job? He wouldn
’t
even have
his
job if it hadn
’t
been for her. “How about you worry about your job and I’ll worry about mine.”

Jabbing the
“end
call” button wasn’t as satisfying as jabbing Oliver in the chest would have
been. She fought for calm. She’d need it to get through the rest of her day.

A little boy ran past
wearing a Riptide t-shirt with
Torres
on the back. Dom
’s
face flashed into her mind. She touched the back of her hand where his fingers
had rested. If she concentrated hard enough, she could still feel his touch.

Oliver was her past. She
’d
wasted way too much time resenting him and his deceit. Thinking about Dom made
her feel awake and alive for the first time in two years. But what if he were
only interested in her for the band? She didn’t care to suffer the same
embarrassment and humiliation all over again.

The band headed toward
her, forming a united front. She
’d enjoy their uneasy
truce for as long as it lasted. Through all the ups and downs, they’d been
there for her. They were her family. She’d do whatever she had to do to keep
things smooth. She wouldn’t let anything or anyone ruin what they had created.

Irisa
dropped Zander off at his home then drove to the animal shelter. She
volunteered twice a month whenever she wasn
’t on tour. A
glance at the clock confirmed Jayne would be there, too. They scheduled their
volunteer hours together as often as they could. She couldn’t wait to see the
animals and to talk to her friend.

When she entered the
building, she spotted the redhead walking through the hallway ahead of her. She
hurried to catch up.
“Jayne.”

Jayne turned, pulling
orange earbuds out of her ears.
“Hi. How’s everything
with Luke?”

“Good news—the tour will
go on as planned.”

Instead of the smile
Irisa expected, Jayne took a deep breath and stopped walking.
“I
don’t think he likes me.”

“Of course he likes you.”
Irisa waved off the comment. “The band’s been having some issues, that’s all.
He was in an equally bad mood with everyone on Friday. He’s really a nice guy,
though. I promise.”

“I don’t know.” Wringing
her hands together, Jayne bit her lip and then looked at her shoes. “I’ve dealt
with high-drama bands before. It doesn’t scare me, but it’s also never been
directed
at
me. I don
’t
want to leave you stranded but I’m not sure I’m the best choice for this band.”

If Irisa had to handle all
of the details again, her circuits would overload. Her stomach burned. She
pulled an antacid free from the roll.
“I’ll give you more
money.”

“Money isn’t the issue.
You’re already paying me more than I expected.”

“I promise things will be
fine. Please don’t back out. I need you.”

Jayne studied the roll as
Irisa pocketed it again.
“You’ve had them on you every time I’ve
seen you lately. Are you sick?”

“No.” She’d been to the
doctor. Nothing was wrong, aside from stress liking to play havoc with her
stomach. She quickly chewed the strawberry tablet. “What can I do to convince
you to come on tour?”

“Are you sure you’re all
right?”

“I’d feel better if I
knew you were still coming with me.”

“Well…” The word drew out
slowly, thoughtfully. Jayne was wavering.

Irisa gripped her hands
together and resisted the urge to reach for more of the fruit-flavored tablets
in her pocket.
“Being the only girl stinks. When we were
playing the shows in New York and New Jersey, I spent a lot of time with the
fashion designer who outfitted the guys for their photo shoot in Central Park.
Hanging out with Audrey made me realize how much fun it was to have another
female around. Please come help balance out all that testosterone.”

“I can’t say no to you.
All right. I’m in. I’m no quitter.”

Elation and relief mixed
together. She threw her arms around her friend.
“Thank you.”

She linked her arm
through Jayne
’s and walked down the hall toward the room filled
with puppies. Someone had given one of the puppies a Riptide blanket. Irisa’s
pulse jetted at the reminder of Dom. She’d checked out his player profile on
the team’s website and learned he’d been, statistically, the best center
fielder in the entire league last season. He was definitely a star player. And
he hadn’t seemed put off by her not knowing who he was. The lack of ego was
refreshing. The blurb about his charity devoted to helping animals raised her
interest level even more.

He needed to stop
sneaking into her mind.

As she groomed and played
with the dogs, Dom crept back into her thoughts. Maybe she
’d
stop by the pub for dinner. Maybe he’d be there. Nervous flutters filled her
stomach. This was ridiculous. She was a grown woman. She had his number. She
could call him and invite him to dinner. But nagging doubt over his interest squelched
the thought. As much as she hated sitting idle, she hated the possibility of
being hurt even more.

The
first loss of the season stung. The error he
’d committed during the
game stung worse. Dom rode the elevator down to the pub, his ears still ringing
from his dad’s blistering critique of his performance, his blood simmering, his
muscles tensed and ready for a brawl. Baseball had ceased to be an enjoyment.
The game he’d loved as a kid held less and less joy for him the longer he
played. Every celebration tinged with his old man’s commentary of what he’d
done wrong. Every mistake dissected and examined and brought into glaring
focus. He worked his ass off, always trying to improve, to be his best, but
nothing he did was ever good enough for the man whose opinion mattered most.

He needed a drink and a
distraction. Specifically, a hazel-eyed, dark-haired distraction, with a voice
that stirred his blood.

He checked the crowded
bar, then searched the tables. Irisa wasn
’t there.

Disappointment flared,
followed by annoyance at himself. Settling for the drink didn
’t
hold much appeal. Neither did sitting at the bar, surrounded by people who
weren’t her. Neither did going back to his apartment.

The hostess spotted him
and smiled.
“Hi, table for one?”

What the hell, he
’d
take the drink. “Sure.”

She led him to a table
tucked in the corner of the room. Dimmed lighting created an almost romantic
atmosphere, wasted on him, sitting alone.

He ordered a shot of
whiskey, and studied the patrons as the liquid fire curled in his gut and
cooled his emotions. No one recognized him. Or if they did, they didn
’t
try to approach him. Leaning back in his chair, he enjoyed his anonymity.

The air prickled and drew
his attention to the door. Irisa stood against a backdrop of dark wood and
bright lights. Her dress, as vibrant as a fire engine, floated around her body,
teasing him with her curves. It fell to just above her knee and pulled his
focus lower, to toned calves. She walked into the room and paused, scanning the
bar and then the rest of the room.

He swallowed, mouth gone
dry. Stood. Waved. And bobbled his glass. Thank God it was empty.

Energy poured into him
when their gazes connected. She raised her hand in a tentative wave and then
looked over her shoulder at the space behind her. His muscles tightened. Was
she waiting here for someone else? He didn
’t like that idea at all.
She turned back, gaze seeking his. He gestured toward his table. And his heart
thudded as she began a hip-swaying journey to him.

“Hi.” Her lips curved.
She wore that subtle spring flower scent again. He wanted to reach out and pull
her close.

“Join me?”

Arched brows rose and she
rested a hand on the edge of the table. Stacked bracelets clinked together with
the movement.
“You’re alone?”

He shrugged, then smiled
and pulled out a chair.
“Not anymore.”

She looked both surprised
and flattered. His body thrummed from alcohol and desire as she sat. His
fingertips brushed against the satin-soft skin of her shoulder and he resisted
the urge to run his hand down the length of her arm.

When the server returned,
Irisa didn
’t even look at the menu. “Bailey’s on the rocks and
the double chocolate brownie, please.”

The server jotted it down
and looked at Dom
’s empty glass. “Want another?”

“Thanks.”

“Dessert for you, too?”

He shook his head.

When they were alone,
Irisa leaned over the table.
“I skipped dinner. But even if I
didn’t, I can’t resist chocolate.”

Really? He filed away
that information for later use.
“Why did you miss
dinner?”

She sent him a smile.
“I
stayed too late playing with the puppies.”

“Actual animals, or are
The Puppies a new band?”

Her laughter was
addictive. He
’d heard the sound in his dreams, but hearing her now,
the laugh tumbling out and wrapping around him, both soothed and aroused.
“Actual animals. I volunteer at Parkside Animal Shelter.”

“I got my dog there two
years ago.”

Her smile bloomed,
dazzling him.
“I love dogs. What kind do you have?”

“A Great Dane. Champ’s
five years old.”

“I bet he’s beautiful.”

“You’ll have to meet him
some time.” Tonight, if she wanted. Champ hadn’t liked his last girlfriend.
Turned out Champ was a pretty good judge of people. If Dom had paid more
attention to his dog’s reaction at the start, he’d have saved himself a lot of
trouble.

“I wish I were home
enough to have a dog of my own. The band has been traveling too much over the
past few years, so I get my snuggles and playtime in when I visit the shelter.”

“I assume you’re talking
about snuggling with the dogs?” He shot her a quick wink. “I like that too, but
you might want to branch out to other species.”

Her eyes widened and a
blush colored her cheeks.
“I never said I’m not willing to
expand my horizons.”

“Good.” He moved his hand
closer to hers. His fingers itched to link together with the delicate tapered
tips painted red to match her dress. “So how did you get involved with the
shelter?”

“I was pretty shy as a
kid. Making friends with the animals was easier than talking to people.”

“I remember hearing an
interview with the band where Zander said you guys came to the States when you
were kids.”

“I was five and he was
four. We didn’t speak any English. Another reason why it was easier to connect
with animals.” Her smile was almost wistful. He could picture her as a lonely
little girl whispering secrets to puppies and kittens, and wanted to hug her.

“Where it is you’re from
again?”

“Ukraine.”

“Can you still speak the
language?”

She leaned across the
table and then her lips formed a string of foreign words in a sultry tone that
shot straight to his groin.

“What did that mean?”

She flashed a smile.
“Move
over, big guy. Here comes my brownie.”

The server delivered
their drinks and the largest brownie Dom had ever seen.
“Whoa.”

“This dessert’s so good.”
Irisa pushed the plate to the center of the table. “I never eat it all. You
have to share it with me.”

He watched the way she
broke off a chunk with her fork then raised it to her lips. When her lips
closed over the chocolate, he couldn
’t hold back a low groan
at the satisfied expression on her face, or the desire to make sure he saw it
there again. “Did you put out that fire from the other night? I heard about
what happened to Luke.”

She nodded.
“I
should’ve known better than to expect everything to run smoothly, but it’s all
fine for now. Hopefully, I’ll be able to spend the next few days doing the
simple things I missed during life on the road.”

“Like what?” He picked up
a fork. Rich chocolate tasted good, but he had a feeling Irisa would taste even
better.

“Cooking in my own
kitchen and sleeping in my own bed.”

He could picture doing
both with her.
“I can’t say I miss the cooking part, but
there’s nothing like sleeping in your own bed.”

“I’d forgotten, you
travel a lot, too.”

Sharing dessert, sitting
close, hands nearly touching, was almost like a date. What if she were dating
one of those guys, or someone else? The thought cut in like a dark cloud
blocking out the sun. For all the jewelry she wore, her ring finger remained
bare.
“Yeah.
But road trips are in smaller doses, so it’s not as bad as what you’d deal with
for an entire tour. That’s a lot of together time.”

“I’ve been around my guys
forever. We’re used to each other’s quirks. They’re like my brothers, so I can
yell at them if I need to.”

The dark cloud lightened
but didn
’t
dissipate completely. “I haven’t been on the same team as my brothers since we
were kids. I don’t know what that would be like now.” Spending a few seasons
with his dad as his coach was hard. He couldn’t imagine working with family
would ever be easy.

Instant smile.
“I
can’t see myself doing anything else. As much as they can drive me crazy,
they’re so talented. I want them to be successful.”

“I’d say platinum albums
and selling out concerts all over the world is pretty successful.”

“But now we have to keep
doing it.” Her voice weary, she sighed and then sipped her drink. “We’re back
at it in less than two weeks. The label has a spring concert series featuring
all its artists. But several of the shows are local, and I’m glad we’ll be able
to be at home for parts of it.”

Sexy, sweet, and a dog
lover. This woman just kept getting better and better. He was proud of his
charity and its donations to the area
’s animal shelters, but
didn’t want to talk himself up too much. But the idea forming in his mind was
too good not to share. “I read somewhere that Zander is a big supporter of
animal rights.”

“He is. We are. Every
member of the band feels that way.”

“Would they want to take
part in my charity event next month? It’s on the seventeenth. I’d love to get
those guys to perform.”

She broke off another
chunk of brownie.
“They don’t have a show that night. I’m
sure it’ll be fine, but I’ll double-check and see if they’re available.”

“Great. I’ll just talk to
Zander about it after next week’s game. It would be cool to do something with
those guys.” Something so close to his heart, and with his favorite band—what
an awesome experience that would be.

Her smile seemed a little
too forced. It didn
’t reach her eyes. She stirred the ice in
her drink. “I’m sure you’ll hit it off when you meet him.”

“Can’t wait.” What the
hell had he said to make her withdraw?

“I should get going.” She
set down her napkin and signaled for the check.

Dom intercepted the
server and handed over his credit card.
“It’s on me.”

“You don’t have to pay
for me.”

“I invited you to join
me, didn’t I? And I had some of the chocolate, too. You were right. It was hard
to resist.” He let his fingertips brush hers. The tingle of touch, the thrill
of the slight scrape of her nails against his skin, and the catch in her breath
when their eyes met reinforced one thought—he needed to see her again.

“Thank you.” After
another long, heady moment of connection, her hand slipped away from his. She
pushed back her chair.

He stood with her,
pocketing his card and wallet.
“Heading up? I’ll walk you.”

“You don’t have to do
that.”

“We’re going the same
way.” He held the door for her, and they crossed the quiet lobby.

“Not the same elevator.”
She pointed to his private one.

He shrugged. So he
’d
take his trip in two stages—not a big deal, especially when she would be there
for part of the ride. “How did you know which apartment was mine?”

“I saw you on moving day,
remember? Then I heard someone—actually, lots of someones—that day, moving into
the apartment above mine.” She smiled as they stepped into the elevator. “You
had a very enthusiastic crew.”

“My teammates,” he
muttered. “Wait, you could hear us?” He’d have to be more careful.

She pressed the button
for the sixteenth floor.
“Just when you were dragging furniture and
yelling to each other. And I occasionally hear Champ barking.”

“I’m sorry about that.
He’s usually pretty quiet.”

“It only happened a
couple of times. I love animals, so it’s really not a problem. He’s only doing
what he’s supposed to do.”

Too soon, they reached
her floor. She didn
’t object when he stepped off with her and
walked with her down the hall. The plush carpet muffled their footsteps. She
slowed to a stop in front of a door labeled 16-B and withdrew her keys from her
purse. “This is me.”

His hand met the cool
wall beside the door frame.
“I had a good time tonight.”

“Me too.” Hazel eyes
watched him, and for a brief moment her teeth sank into her full lower lip.
“Maybe I’ll see you down there later this week?”

He hated to dash that
idea, and risk cutting off the electric currents of awareness. The thought of
not seeing her irked like an itch he couldn
’t scratch. “We’re on a
road trip from Thursday through Sunday. Tomorrow?”

Brown hair tossed when
she shook her head.
“The band has a few press appearances and
a party with fans tomorrow night. I need to be there.”