Finding Kat (9 page)

Our kiss was soft and exploratory. A caress, a tease, it grew by degrees. Our lips parting and his tongue darting out to toy with mine. He was a master at seduction and I was happy to follow his lead. Our dance slowed to a taunting playful grind. My hips swayed and pushed against his. His movements pressed the evidence of his arousal firmly against me. I couldn’t help the gasp that left my lips. His fingers tangled in my hair and my hands caressed his back my fingernails lightly scraping as they moved slowly down. He made a sound in the back of his throat, of approval and want. He kissed a little fiercer, his tongue taking command pushing against mine and his teeth nipped at my bottom lip. His kisses were drugs, and pulled me into his world and out of my own. I had no sense of time, only of sensation.

He pulled his lips from mine and trailed them on a moist path up my neck, his tongue leaving a trail of moist little licks that made me burn. His teeth grazed me ear and I shivered.

He made me forget everything I’d thought before coming back out on the dance floor. He erased every thought about not knowing him well. I’d never wanted anyone like this. I’d had a few lovers before, but it was hard to have a relationship and be in the spotlight. They wanted me to further their careers and I’m embarrassed at how long it took me to realize it. Those were boys fumbling in the dark and this man was something completely different. Maybe the difference was his experience, but I didn’t want to think too much about it. He’d been a heart breaker his whole career and meeting him made me question his reputation, but I didn’t know him enough to put my heart on the line. Not yet.

Ally chose that moment to find me. She smiled and winked at Cade.

“I let you two finish that hot little make out scene but Kat you wanted to go at 12 and its 12:30. I know how you are about your running.” She turned to Cade then. “Why hello Mr. Walker or should I say Mr. Stalker. I know all about how you found out we’d be here so you could come dance with Ms. Foster here. Judging by the bulge in your pants, I’d say you enjoyed it a lot but we’ve got to go. Nice seeing you. I’ll be sure to spread the word the next time we go panty shopping. You’d really like that.”

I laughed at the look on Cade’s face. He wasn’t used to Ally yet, but he would get there.

“Uh. Thanks. I’d enjoy that.” He laughed at being called out. “Let me walk you to your car, Kat.”

“Sure. Ally did you-“

“Call Derek? Yes I did. Can’t be too careful with America’s Sweetheart here. The car is waiting for us out front.”

When we got into the hallway at the rear entrance Cade pulled me to a stop. Ally walked out the door to the car after giving me a meaningful look.

“I want to take you to dinner, Katherine Foster.” He said looking into my eyes.

“I would love that. You can sit and talk and I’ll just be there, looking at you, ignoring everything you say because you’re pretty.”

He pulled me against him, and pressed a kiss to the top of my head and said “Funny girl.”

“I don’t do this often, you know.” I said candidly looking at him, this time. “Don’t play with me, Rock Star.”

“I wouldn’t do that to you, Kat. I feel this, too. I followed you on national television and to this club. I wouldn’t do that if I didn’t want this, with you. Give me a chance to prove to you that I’m a good guy. Let me talk to you on the phone and text you. We will get to know each other just like everyone else does.” His hands found mine in the dark hallway, where the only sound now was our breaths and the dull thumping of the club music.

He sounded sincere and I wanted to believe him. I felt like he was being honest with me and his words soothed away some of the worry about him not feeling the same way. I wanted to know him and I wanted him to know me the way only Ally did. If he still wanted to go out with me after that, I’d let him. I could only hope he would prove himself to be the type of guy I wanted him to be. Dating is such a pain in the ass. Why did it have to be so hard to find the right guy?

We walked together to the car where Derek, my security guy, was holding open the door. He had been so discrete at the club I hadn’t even seen him watching.

I paused getting in the car to give Cade a quick kiss on the lips.

“Feel free to come find me again, Mr. Stalker.” I winked and sat in the car.

He laughed.

“You have my number, text me when you get home. I’ll call you tomorrow about dinner. I had a nice time with you Kat. I’m so glad I decided to stalk you.”

Chapter Four

CADE

My alarm went off bright and early. I got dressed and stretched for my morning run, with Kat on my mind. She was an interesting puzzle I couldn’t wait to solve. She was beautiful and talented but didn’t seem to be aware of it. I couldn’t imagine why no one had taken the time to say how great of a person she is. I got the feeling she didn’t hear it from her parents. They seemed more into the role of management than of parents. Kat had seemed to distance herself emotionally from them. I’m sure she had been disappointed over and over before she grew to be that way. I couldn’t help but be sad for the little girl that Kat had been. The buzz of my phone pulled me out of my thoughts.

Kat: Good Morning Mr. Walker!

Me: Good Morning Ms. Foster. I hope you have a nice run.

Kat: Thanks! Back at ya.

Me: What have you got going on today after your run?

Kat: Re shoots out at the studio. Lunch with Daniel Lawson. Photo shoot. Then dinner with my parents. You?

Lunch with Daniel Lawson? I recognized the name as one of those pretty boy actors that all the chicks went nuts over and chased around malls and grocery stores. I hoped that guy wasn’t her type. Because I’ve never been the preppy all-American guy type. I ignored that part instead of focusing on it. I didn’t want to scare her off, but I couldn’t ignore the voice in my head that told me to stake my claim ASAP, or someone else would.

Me: Wow! Busy girl. Just going to the studio with the guys. Nothing major. I was hoping to get you out there today but someone is in high demand.

Kat: I know! It should lull in a few days. I have the premier Saturday and then I’m pretty open. Know anyone interested in seeing a movie?

Wow. She wants me to go to a movie premier. I grinned loving the idea that she didn’t mind being seen out in public with me, and this was going to be very public. One of my biggest concerns about starting something with Kat was that her image was very sweet and wholesome, and I had a reputation for being seen with a lot of women and trashing hotel rooms. I have dated a lot in the past but none of the relationships were serious. Those women were just a way to pass the time and forget about being lonely on the road. I enjoyed being a rock star a little too much when I first got started but I moved past that several years ago when I watched one of my best friends spiral into a dark place. He has gotten healthier since then, but still fights his addiction on a daily basis. Some days he wins more than others, but he hasn’t hit rock bottom again since that last time.

It’s funny that the band has a reputation for trashing hotel rooms when we haven’t done that since the first tour we went on. I think the hotels just like to drum up publicity by saying that we stayed there and wrecked the room, and my manager thinks all press is good press; that those kinds of claims only help our rocker bad boy image. I’ve spent my fair share of time living down to the bad boy image, and I was thinking about changing the way we handle our public personas. I was tired of playing the black sheep. It was one thing for people to come to our shows and expect to see us as crazy partying rock stars but it was another to ask to be taken seriously on the business side. The guys agreed with me, luckily. They have settled down more, too. They still did their share of parties and clubs, but they were smart about it, but it never failed that they were photographed every time and in the worst light possible.

After my run, I ate an omelet and hopped into my Bugatti. I loved the purr of the engine. I drove to the studio and met the guys to mess around with some tunes for our new album. We were still in the writing phase. We never stopped writing on tour but we didn’t have time to fine tune the sound we wanted. It was interesting to see how my feelings for Kat played into the sound of my new music. I wasn’t afraid to admit I’d written a few songs about her already. The first was written right after she drove away when I first met her after my show. I was intrigued by her and something about her called to the writer in me.

“So Cade, have you sealed the deal with America’s Sweetheart yet?” Mace asked me with a suggestive leer.

I resisted the urge to punch him in the face and shook my head.

“That isn’t and never will be any of your fucking business, Mace.”

I had been listening to them fuck with me all day. They all seemed to know a lot more about her movie career than I did and loved to quote them at me. I guess that was a sign that they liked her. Or were as obsessed with her as I was. Either way I enjoyed the benefits of their knowledge and soaked up everything they told me.

KAT