Lead (Stage Dive, #3)(88)
“Lena, can I talk to you for a minute?”
“All right.”
A speculative sort of look came into Ev’s eyes. “I have to do something in the kitchen. Now.”
“Right.” I shook my head. The woman was subtle as a sledgehammer.
“What would you like to talk about?”
“Not here. C’mon.” Jimmy put a hand to my lower back, guiding me toward the bathroom.
I did as bid. But if he thought he was getting sex after his shitty hookup comments today, he was sadly mistaken.
He closed the door. It was a nice bathroom as these things went. Shiny gray stone surfaces, a huge well-lit mirror and lots of chrome.
“What’s up?” I asked, taking a step back from him and crossing my arms.
“Been thinking about your sister’s wedding and stuff.”
I frowned. “And?”
“And I did some research.” He pushed back his hair, smoothed down the front of his shirt. If I didn’t know better I’d have said he was nervous. Only Jimmy didn’t get nervous, certainly not because of me. “Your hometown doesn’t have anywhere decent to stay, so all I could book you was a room at the motel. But I got you first class tickets there and back and a rental car, the same kind of Mercedes as I’ve got so you’ll be comfortable driving it. That’ll be waiting for you at the airport. But I can just as easily organize a chauffeur for you if you’d prefer. Wasn’t sure what you’d want.”
I pushed up my glasses, my mind blown. “You organized all that?”
“Yeah. And the girl at the motel, she said they have a small restaurant attached but I checked it out online and it looked like shit to me. I don’t want you get food poisoning or something, so I’m gonna get the restaurant that does home to fly stuff in. Getting some decent sheets sent too. She said theirs were only poly-cotton.” His curled lip expressed clearly what he thought of such a thing. Like sleeping on anything less than Egyptian cotton might mean be the death of me. Crap, he was cute.
“And I told Sam to organize security since we’ve still got some paparazzi hanging around. Just in case. They’ll be discreet, I promise.”
“Jimmy, I can’t take security to my sister’s wedding.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah.” I smiled.
“Fine. But it also occurred to me you might need a dress or stuff so my stylist is on top of that,” he announced. “I described you and sent her your measurements. Don’t worry, she’ll send up a couple of things for you try.”
“She will, huh?”
“A bit of a mix so you can choose for yourself. I told her not to forget shoes and shit too.”
“You’ve thought of everything.” I cocked my head. “But how did you know my measurements?”
He stopped. “Lena, I’ve had my hands all over you a couple of times now. I know your body. I’m not gonna forget it anytime soon.”
“Oh.”
“I’m not presuming, I swear,” he said, eyes sincere. “If you decide not to go, that’s fine. Not a problem. But I wanted everything in place for you just in case.”
“You did all this? For me?”
One thick shoulder lifted.
“Just this afternoon?”
“Ev helped,” he admitted. “I know you probably haven’t seen your family for a while. As someone smart once said to me, family’s important.”
He leaned back against the bathroom counter, watching me. “Didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. I know you think this is me trying to buy my way out of trouble, but it’s not. I would have done this anyway. I just want the best for you, ’cause that’s what you deserve.”
My eyes went disturbingly liquid. I blinked repeatedly, sniffling ever so slightly.
He groaned. “Lena, do not cry. That’s not okay.”
“I’m not. I wouldn’t dare.”
“You think I don’t care about you. But I do. If you still me want to come with you, then that’s cool.” He winced. “I mean, I’d like that. Whatever you want, okay?”
“Okay.” I stared at him in wonder, staggered, my heart and mind struggling to keep up with it all. “Thank you, Jimmy.”
He just watched me warily, unmoving. So I moved instead, straight into his arms. Without hesitation, he crushed me against his chest.
“Don’t hate me, Lena,” he whispered. “You want to be mad at me when I do dumb things, that’s fine. But don’t ever hate me. I couldn’t take that, not from you.”
I put my hand to his cheek, undone by the rawness of his voice, his apparent vulnerability. “Hey. I could never hate you.”
“Promise.”
“I promise.” And it was true. He made me frustrated and angry all the damn time. There was no chance I could never ever bring myself to hate him, however. I cradled his face in my hands. He was so precious to me, yet he sounded so alone, lost and scared like a child. “That will never happen.”
Jimmy shut his eyes and exhaled hard. He rubbed his stubbled cheek against my hand, gently scratching the palm, making my skin tingle. I stretched up on tippy toes and he fit his firm lips to mine. His tongue slipped into my mouth, seeking out mine. Christ, he’d gotten good at this fast. The taste of him, the familiar feel of his body against mine, it was all so perfect.