Sound Proof (Save Me #5) (15 page)

Well, this takes feeling the music to a whole new level
.

Leaning back against the side of the car, I hit send on my response email about a deposition. It’s something that could have easily been answered by my secretary, but sometimes people are too lazy to get off their ass to find the answers they need. When I raise my head I laugh at what I see. Willow is hobbling down the sidewalk with Izzy dancing beside her. It’s the first time in months that I’ve seen her even attempt to smile and I’m so grateful that she has someone like Izzy to pull her back from the depression she’s sunk into.

Sage jumps from the back seat and rushes as fast as she can manage to the girls with a bright smile. It’s crazy how much I missed the smile of my girls when they couldn’t. She instantly picks up the groove that Izzy is bouncing along to.

“Hey, Willow’s momma.” Izzy laughs, pressing a kiss against my cheek. Willow follows her lead before sliding into the front seat so she can keep her leg stretched out.

“Am I taking you home or to the studio, Izzy?” I ask as I climb back in and start the car.

“Home, please.”

Pulling out of the line of cars still waiting to pick kids up, I make my way out of the high school parking lot and onto the road. I reach for the knob to turn the volume up on the radio for the girls but Willow grabs my hand and stops me. Her hand lingers on my wrist for a second and out of the corner of my eye I see her struggling with whatever she’s thinking.

“What’s wrong, babe?”

Pulling her hand back, she fidgets with the handle on her crutch. “Thank you.”

I look toward her quickly before turning my attention back to the road. “For what, picking you up?”

“No, well yes that too, but for making me go with AJ the other day. As mad as I was about it then, it gave me a lot to think about.”

I check my mirror and when I see Izzy, she grins at me. She’s probably the whole reason Willow is even saying anything. I could never ask for a better best friend for my daughter and I’ll have to figure out a way to tell her that.

“What do you mean?” I press.

“Have you met his brother?”

I nod. “I have. A few times actually.”

“He told me all about how he ended up in the wheelchair and it put a lot of things into perspective for me.”

“Well, that’s good.” I try to keep my tone light even though it’s killing me not to pull over and show her exactly how happy I am that she’s finally talking to me about things.

“It is,” Willow agrees. “I feel sorry about everything I did, but I don’t want to feel sorry for myself anymore. I’m hurt, I’m limited, but I’m not dead. I know AJ tried to tell me that with the drums… I guess it just took someone who lost more than I did to say something to me before I could see it myself.”

I feel tears threatening to come but I force them back. She doesn’t need me to be a blubbering mess and I know if I started I would need to pull over because I wouldn’t be able to see the road. Thankfully, by the time she finishes talking, we’re at the end of Izzy’s road.

“Momma,” Sage pipes up from the back seat. “Can I play with Sophia and Zander?”

Pulling to a stop next to AJ’s truck, I put the car into park and unbuckle. “If Abby doesn’t mind we can stay for a bit.”

“Woohoo!” she yells. Jumping out of the car, she rushes up the porch steps and knocks on the door.

Stepping up next to Willow, I walk beside her slowly, letting Izzy get ahead of us. I grab her free hand, pulling it to my lips so I can kiss it.

“Love you, honey, but I’m not the one you should be thanking.”

She nods. “I know I need to thank AJ, and apologize, but I needed to thank you too. You don’t deserve the attitude I’ve had since the accident. It’s going to take a lot of work, but I’m going to try and be better. It’s not fair because it’s rubbing off on Sage too. I don’t want her to feel like I do.”

“What can I do?”

“Nothing,” she admits. “It’s all on me. The beast is inside of me and I’m the only one that can do anything for it.”

Someone whistles from behind us and when I turn, Jameson waves. “All the grown-ups are out here.”

Turning back to Willow, she smiles. “Go, Izzy and I have the little kids. We’ll yell if we need anything.”

I wait for her to get up the stairs before turning around just in case she needed help. Heading across the driveway, I pull back the door to the studio and flinch when the music assaults my ears. I give myself a second to adjust before making my way farther into the building. Abby’s seated in front of the sound board and the second she sees me, she lowers the volume. My face must have shown how much the volume was hurting my head.

When Jameson said all the adults he wasn’t lying. He, Abby, Jason, Tuesday, Evan, and AJ are all in this tiny room. Vanessa is in the booth laying down one of the new tracks they’ve been working on. Luckily for me, the only place with room to lean is next to AJ and based on the secretive smile he’s wearing, he knows it too.

“Hey,” he whispers when I slide up on the counter next to him. Shifting his body, he rests his arm behind my body and runs his fingers across my lower back. I try to keep myself calm but all I want to do is lean over and kiss him.

Fuck this shit. Keeping my hands to myself right now is hard but not kissing her is the hardest fucking thing I’ve ever had to do. My lips on hers is the only thing I can focus on right now. I’ve been working an insane amount of hours with some of the label’s artists trying to get their albums done. The last time we were together was when I played for her, and then played her body on my drums. I completely expected her to shut me down, but to my surprise, she didn’t. Watching her lose herself in the beat I created was hot as fuck.

I manage to maneuver so I can lift the back of her shirt and run my fingers across her skin without anyone noticing. I do it hoping that it will take away some of the thoughts I’m having about dragging her into the other room and fucking her until she screams. It doesn’t work, because if anything, it only makes it worse.

Payton’s head bobs along with the beat pumping through the speakers until they wrap up the song. The more my finger drifts over her back, the harder her chest rises and falls. It makes me feel better knowing I’m not the only one going crazy here. Her eyes flick to mine briefly and they’re filled with heat.

She turns and watches everyone for a second before pushing away from the counter and sauntering away. When she reaches the end of the hall she checks to make sure no one is watching her and tilts her head, telling me to follow her. Giving her a second to get down the hall, I tap Evan on the shoulder and let him know that I’ll be right back.

Halfway down the hall, Payton reaches out and drags me into the office, closing the door quickly behind us. I spin, pressing her back against the door. With my left arm wrapped around her waist, I drag the fingers of my right hand up her arm until I can wrap it around the back of her neck.

“You can’t look at me like that in front of people. Fucking hell, I almost grabbed you and bent you over the damn counter.”

Payton stretches forward to kiss me and bites my lip. Pulling back, she tosses her head back and laughs.

“I may have been hoping you would have done something along those lines. I guess this is the closest we’re going to get today, though.”

I run my thumb across her jaw before slamming my lips against hers. It’s been killing me not being able to taste her. Letting go, I tangle both hands into her hair and tip her head back. My tongue slides along hers and she moans into my mouth.

Reaching down, I grab her thighs and force them around my waist. I push away from the door and settle her down on the edge of the desk. Settling between her thighs, I push her back against the desk, and run my lips across every inch of skin I can get to.

“Summer vacation is going to be the death of me,” Payton groans.

“Oh yeah?” I say against her chest. “Why’s that, baby?”

Her back bows off the desk when I pull her shirt up to her ribs and press my lips right above her navel. Grabbing my shirt, she pulls me back up so I’m level with her face.

“Kids home all day, every day. No alone time. Whatever will we do?”

“Hmm.” I bite the skin over her collarbone and just when I’m about to open my mouth and speak, I get cut off.

“Well you could just sneak around and fuck on your friends’ desks.”

Payton’s eyes widen when she hears Evan behind us. Grabbing the hem of her shirt, I yank it back down and move away from her. Evan’s eyes are filled with humor when I turn and look at him.

“Listen, man.”

He holds his hands up, pushing the door closed behind him with his foot. “I feel like I’m missing something.”

“You can’t tell anyone,” I blurt which just makes him laugh.

Payton lays her arm on my shoulder. “No one knows, Evan. Not even the girls.”

“I can’t say shit. Tuesday and I hid for a little while too. Sex was hot as hell, but it’s more fun when you don’t care if you get caught.”

“We’re just not ready yet,” Payton whispers. She might not be ready, but I think I am. Though, I won’t act on it until she is on the same page. I want to be able to touch her, to kiss her, whenever the hell I want to.

Evan grabs whatever he came in for and closes the door behind him. Mortified, Payton hides her face in my chest.

“I can’t believe that just happened,” she mumbles. I laugh and run my hand through her hair.

“It’s fine, Payton. Evan won’t say shit.”

She sighs, pushing me away from the desk so she can stand up. “I know.” Taking a second to straighten her clothes out, Payton then leans up on her toes and kisses me. I pull her tight against me, not wanting to let her go.

“I suppose we need to get back out there before anyone else comes looking for us.”

She nods, untangling herself from me. “I guess we do.” Payton starts to step away from me but stops. “You and Willow need to talk. She wanted to thank you.”

Pulling back the door, I tell Payton to head back in with everyone while I go check on the kids and talk to Willow.

Duke nudges my hand, using his nose to toss my hand into the air to wake me up. Thankfully, I open my eyes just in time to see Sage barreling through the bedroom door. She leaps, landing directly on my stomach.

Oomph
! All the air rushes out of my lungs on impact. Reaching up, she squeezes my face between her hands, making sure I’m looking at her.

I watch her lips as she talks since she didn’t give me a chance to put my receivers on yet. “Have I told you lately that I love you?”

Speaking through my squished up lips, I respond, “I love you too, but what do you want?”

She smiles, knowing she’s been busted. “It’s hot.”

“That usually happens in the summer.”

Sage quickly looks at the door before sitting up so sitting up. “Can we go to the beach? Willow has been so sad lately and I don’t like it when she’s sad. The beach always used to make her feel better.”

I will not cry. I will not cry. How the hell did I end up with these two amazing girls?

She’s right, though; Willow has really been struggling since everything happened with Max.

I tap her nose with my finger. “I think that’s an excellent idea, but how do you know Willow will want to go?”

She looks at me like I’m insane. “I will state my case with her and change her mind just like you do at work.”

Before I have a chance to say anything, Sage rolls off the bed and rushes out the door. I chuckle. Rolling over, I reach down and scratch Duke’s head, telling him he’s a good boy for waking me up and then slide out of bed.

After I’m dressed, I peek my head around the corner of the room Willow and Sage are sharing. Sage is standing in the middle of the room, hands on her hips as she talks to Willow. Willow’s still in her pajamas, sitting cross-legged on the bed with her hair sticking up everywhere and it takes a lot not to laugh at the sight.

I can tell by the look on Sage’s face as she talks and the look on Willow’s as she tries to hide her grin that Sage is selling her ass off. It’s the second non-forced smile I’ve seen her break out this week. I press my hand against my chest and rub. I can’t help but be hopeful that my carefree girl is still in there somewhere.