“Did I tell you that I’m happy you’re here?” I ask, kissing her neck.
“No, but I think you showed me.”
I can’t help but laugh. “I love you.”
“I love you, Bodhi.”
Silence falls upon us as we hold each other. There are small kisses here and there, but nothing more. This is what I needed. I needed her here and in my arms to complete me. To make me feel like I’m on the right path.
Chapter 20
Bodhi
Waking up with Kim in my arms surpasses anything I’d ever expected. Yesterday after she made love to me, we went down to hang out by the pool. Natalie was finally off the phone, and those two chatted like crazy about lots of things that didn’t interest me. But I didn’t care. I was happy watching her from afar, knowing that she was in my home and had come to see me.
For dinner, we joined my mother and sat around the dining room table while they chatted about more girly shit. That didn’t matter, though, because both the women in my life were happy, and I got to take a small part of the credit for that.
Now I’m struggling, though. Curled up in my bed, Kimberly looks so peaceful, but I have to go to work. I could let her sleep, knowing that when she wakes up she’ll be well taken care of by the staff, but thinking about her and wondering what she’s doing will mean that my mind will be focused on her and not on rehearsing. The only option, I decide, is to take her with me.
I pepper with her kisses, causing her to squirm in her sleep. I laugh and keep at it until she wakes up.
“I have to go to work.”
“You work at the other end of the house. It’s not like you’re leaving.”
“You’re coming with me.”
“Ugh,” she groans into the pillow. “I’m on vacation.”
“Yep, and you can come to rehearsal. Please, baby.” I rub up against her, giving her a feel of what I’ll give her in return.
“Fine,” she huffs, throwing the blanket off. She’s naked and looks completely ravishing. Also a little tired—after dinner, we feasted on each other until we were both so sated that we couldn’t move. I had a lot to make up for, not to mention remind her of what she’ll be missing when she goes home.
After Kim showers, she runs into my mom, and I have to drag her to rehearsal. My mom wants Kim to stay with her and wait for me, but I don’t want to let her out of my sight. I know that seems possessive and probably unhealthy, but she’s here for only the weekend, and that’s not enough time for me to get my fill of her.
Rebel is none too happy when we walk in and I introduce her to Kim, but I don’t care. As we get set up, I can’t help noticing the daggers Rebel is tossing her way when she’s not looking. I don’t get it. Natalie has been to rehearsals before. Hell, from time to time Bray has had to leave to pick up Maggie. It’s not like Kim is going to disturb us or make us lose our concentration. She’s there to give me peace of mind and to keep me focused. She’s my reward for hard work, proving that it does pay off.
We go over the lyrics and the dance moves. The makeshift studio doesn’t have enough room for us to spread out, which can be good or bad. The stage we’ll be performing on isn’t exactly square, so we’ll be dealing with limitations anyway. And tomorrow we’ll have a rehearsal at the venue to get our timing right.
Every so often I feel Rebel’s eyes on me. For all I know she’s waiting for me to screw up or fall off the wagon so she can nail my ass to the wall. It’s not going to happen, not if I have any say about it. The hottie in the corner who has her face buried in a book is not worth losing just to feel high again. I have no doubt Kim would tell me to take a flying fuck if I were to snort coke again. And I’d deserve it.
As we continue to go over the lyrics, I remind myself that one of the things on my recovery list is to seek out a voice coach. I want to be better. I want to be someone that the guys can put faith in and who they know won’t let them down. Right now it’s mostly Carson who does the singing, with Brayden having a role. I’m relegated to backup for the time being.
By the time we’re finished, it’s well after dinner and I catch Kimberly yawning.
“Hey, sleepyhead,” I say, brushing some hair out of her face as I kneel in front of her. She smiles softly, causing my dick to perk up.
“Hey, Bodhi, do you guys want to grab dinner?” Carson asks as he walks by. I look at him over my shoulder and shrug.
“Nah, I think we’ll stay in.” The thought of leaving the house with her is something I’m not ready for. I want to keep her to myself a bit longer. Tomorrow she’ll be hitting Rodeo Drive with my mother, and I’d rather have her experience that in relative peace before she’s seen with me. “You can stay here if you want. We can probably grill if you’re up for it.”
“Cool. I’ll be back in a bit.” I watch him leave, along with the other guys who are all part of making Virtuous Paradox work.
Brayden and Rebel are in the corner having a heated discussion. I frown at the thought that there’s discord among any of us, especially considering that I fucked up royally and will be paying the price for a long time.
It could be that Rebel isn’t a good match for us and maybe we need to find a new manager. The thought makes my stomach turn, not only because of the legalities of contracts and all that but also because if she’s feeling vengeful she could destroy us.
I turn back to Kimberly. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to ignore you for the last hour. We just had to get that last bit down.”