Unsteady Rhythm (House of Archer Book 2) Read online

  His second concern was even worse. What if the staged arguments produced genuinely negative feelings in either one of them? Could their relationship—their friendship—withstand that on top of everything else they’d been through lately?

  He glanced over at the bed as he emerged from the bathroom. Lily slept peacefully, bathed in early morning sunlight. He felt his heart give one quick jolt. She looked so beautiful...and so very vulnerable.

  They would make this work, he silently vowed. He was willing to do whatever it took to keep the show from coming between them. Somehow, he would convince Lily that she was more important to him than ratings.

  She was more important than anything.

  * * *

  Regina reached one end of her hotel room and promptly turned on her heel to pace in the opposite direction, her cell phone pressed to her ear. She had been trying to decompress after a grueling day of engagements with Suddenly Something. She and the band had just returned after a business dinner with a new record label. She felt it had gone well. Now she just wanted to drink a glass or two of wine away from the invasive cameras.

  She couldn’t believe how grateful she was just to have a few moments to herself. She had always loved being in the spotlight. The recent increases in media and fan interest in Suddenly Something would have normally kept her out on the town, being seen and enjoying herself. Now, the thought of that lost out to the idea of soaking in a long, hot bath and turning in early.

  Maybe she really was getting older.

  She quickly dismissed that thought. Forty-five was hardly over-the-hill.

  It was more that she wasn’t used to having to think about every little thing she or her boys did or said throughout the day. The constantly rolling cameras tended to wear on the nerves.

  At least her boys were doing their parts for the show. Mal was keeping up the pretense of discontent with the band, needling Brandon at every opportunity. Brandon was only too happy to needle back. Vic was bringing in a more scintillating element just by being his usual womanizing self. She was sure the show would benefit from some of the risqué content they had captured with him in it.

  She still needed to find a better way to create more tension between Suddenly Something and The Void. That would be the best way to get her boys more exposure on House of Archer. Their music sales had seen a jump after the first trailer aired. That told her things would only improve if they made more of an appearance on the show. Until then, they had to create their own interesting content in hopes of gaining more air time.

  Right now, she had other issues to deal with. Personal ones.

  “Are you sure?” she asked the person on the other end of the phone.

  “Yes. I’ve done everything I can think of and then some.”

  “There’s always more you can do, especially with someone like him.”

  There was an agitated grunt in her ear. “You don’t have any idea what he’s like. Neither do I, for that matter. I’m not getting anywhere.”

  “You need to stick with the plan as long as you can. I’ll start working on Plan B.”

  “That’s easy enough for you to say.”

  “You can handle it. You’ve got it in your blood.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” The other caller disconnected.

  Regina sat on the edge of her bed and mentally reviewed the conversation as she removed her high heels. It was news she hadn’t anticipated. Though it might seem like a disaster on the surface, she mused, maybe it was a blessing in disguise.

  She was looking for a way to introduce more tension between Suddenly Something and The Void. This just might be the chance she needed.

  Chapter Five

  “Would you please put that down?” Lily asked Dane. “We never get time alone together and you’ve been on your phone for half of dinner.”

  “Sorry,” Dane said distractedly as he typed on his phone. “Christopher keeps texting about the L.A. leg of the trip. We’re still working on getting enough studio time to knock out the next album. He’s trying to work around our existing obligations and individual schedules.”

  “Taking twenty more minutes for us to enjoy our dinner right now before you reply to him won’t really matter.”

  Lily stared at him pointedly until he sighed and put his phone down. “I’m sorry,” he said again. “There’s just a lot to arrange.”

  He picked up his fork and stabbed the Wagyu short ribs on his plate as though venting some unspoken frustration. They were sitting at a table in one of San Diego’s finest restaurants. Lily loved the open, loft-like feel of the place with its warm wooden décor paired with more modern metallic accents. If it hadn’t been for the House of Archer camera rolling nearby drawing all kinds of attention to them from surrounding diners, she probably would have really enjoyed herself.

  She still wasn’t sure how the show managed to get permission to have cameras inside places like this. It always seemed to be one of two cameramen assigned to these kinds of outings: Warren Spencer, a tall, skinny, 40-something guy with long blonde hair and black-rimmed glasses, or Al Duffy, a well-built 20-something guy with a blue mohawk and multiple tattoos and facial piercings. Everyone called them Spence and Duff. Lily had gotten to know both of them over the past week or so. They seemed like decent enough guys just trying to earn a living. It helped make her more comfortable in front of the cameras.

  Tonight Spence had the pleasure of standing there filming while Lily picked at her entrée of heirloom vegetables and ancient grains. She fought the impulse to ask if he wanted anything to eat himself.

  Focusing on the matter at hand, she said, “I really think we’re trying to fit too much into our time in L.A. Don’t you think you guys should wait until after the tour to record the album?”

  “No. Now that you’ve started promoting ‘Not Mine’ on social media, Christopher wants to release it ASAP.”

  He said it a way that made it sound like it was all her fault that they now had to cram this into their L.A. leg. She pursed her lips and put her fork down with a loud clang.

  “I understand that,” she said with deliberate politeness. “After all, the social media element is my job. But I had really hoped we’d have some time to relax together.”

  The whine she infused into the statement annoyed even herself. Dane sighed again and started to reply. His gaze shifted over her shoulder. Whoever he saw there had him lifting a chin in greeting. The act made it seem like his attention was easily turned from her.

  “We’ll fit in some time,” he said, darting a brief glance back at Lily before once again resuming his meal.

  His phone dinged again a couple of minutes later. He automatically picked it up and looked at it.

  “Seriously, turn it off,” she snapped, not bothering to hide her aggravation.

  He lifted his hands like she was a bomb ready to blow. “Jesus. Relax. Just let me reply to this text so Christopher can book the rest of the studio time we need.”

  “Okay, fine,” she replied, balling up her napkin and tossing it onto the table. “I’m done. Spend the rest of the night with your phone if it’s that important.”

  She pushed away from the table, ignoring Dane’s order to wait. She heard his mumbled curse and fought a smile. She was proud of how natural she had sounded. She was well aware of the stares they were getting from the other patrons in the restaurant and deliberately conveyed displeasure as she kept her eyes on the door. Spence opted to follow her departure rather than stick with Dane, yet another reason she had to keep her game face on.

  Only when she pushed through the front door and marched out onto the sidewalk did it occur to her that she hadn’t quite thought her exit through. Barney wasn’t aware of the staged argument, so the car wasn’t sitting there waiting for her. Instead she was almost immediately surrounded by paparazzi.

  “Lily, what were you and Archer arguing about?”

  “Did you two break up?”

  “What did you have to eat?”

  “Who are you weari
ng, Lily?”

  The wide range of questions came loudly and right on top of one another. She couldn’t have responded even if she’d wanted to.

  They didn’t keep any kind of respectful distance from her either. She felt bodies pressing in on every side. Shouts and clicking cameras overrode all other sound. The camera flashes blinded her. She lifted a hand and turned, disoriented.

  Her satisfied feeling vanished, replaced by a surge of anxiety. She felt someone tug at her purse. She yanked it back closer to her body. Something hard rapped her in the back of her head, making her gasp and bring a hand up to rub at the resulting sting. She had to elbow someone whose hand brushed against her hip.

  What the hell was happening?

  She tried to go back towards the restaurant entrance and realized the doorway was blocked. She couldn’t even see Spence anymore. What was she going to do?

  Like a knight in a dark suit, Trey appeared, shoving people out of his way until he reached her. “This way, Miss Lily,” he said.

  She was more than happy to let him gather her against his side and usher her the rest of the way down the sidewalk to a side street. She nearly sagged with relief when she saw Barney pull the car up. Knowing the cameras were still on her, she did her best to keep her cool...at least on the outside. Inside, her stomach was a hot, twisted mess.

  “Where’s Dane?” Lily asked as Trey opened the car door for her.

  “He’s waiting for me to return to collect him once you’re safe.”

  She nodded and climbed into the car. Despite her efforts to remain calm, she edged over to the far seat once the door was closed and locked. The cameras continued to flash, even pressing up against the glass.

  “Are you all right, Miss Lily?”

  She looked up and met Barney’s gaze in the rearview mirror. “I’m fine, thanks. Where are you going? We need to get Dane.”

  “I’m circling the block so we can pick up Mr. Archer away from the cameras.”

  “Oh. Okay.”

  She looked out the window and watched the crowd disappear as they turned the corner. She took a couple of deep breaths to try and calm her racing heart. That had been too close for comfort.

  “Next time it would be best to advise us of any unplanned—or pre-planned—exits,” Barney said.

  Her face grew warm. “Sorry, Barney. I won’t forget that again, believe me.”

  Despite Barney’s efforts to avoid them, there were some paparazzi in the location where Trey ultimately led Dane to the car. Lily clutched her hands together until Trey opened the door and Dane slid safely inside. Seeing the cameras on him, she gave Dane a cool look to imply she was still irked with him, her heart pounding all the while.

  The moment they pulled away from the restaurant, Dane turned to her and took her hand. “Are you okay?”

  She looked at the camera mounted in the car.

  “Forget about the damn show for a minute,” he said, reaching over to turn her face so she looked at him. “They don’t have to air this.”

  She reached up to touch his hand. “I’m fine, really. This was just an important lesson to remember the paparazzi at all times.”

  His thumb ran over her cheek. “Well it scared the hell out of me. You could have been hurt.”

  She decided not to mention the knock to the back of her head that would likely leave a bump. He seemed upset enough as it was.

  “I’m going to have Barney completely dedicated to your security detail from now on,” he said. “He’ll shadow you like Trey shadows me. I won’t risk anything like that ever happening again.”

  Part of her wanted to tell him he was overreacting. Her still-pounding heart had her nodding instead.

  “Think you’re up to it, Barney?” she asked, knowing he was listening.

  “I can probably manage,” he replied.

  She snorted on a laugh. Dane smiled and lowered his hand, seeing that she was truly fine.

  “You didn’t eat much at the restaurant,” he said.

  “I’m sorry. I know the food was expensive. I was just too nervous to eat with the cameras on us and everyone in the restaurant watching.”

  “I’m not worried about the cost of the food. I just want to make sure you get enough to eat.”

  She still felt guilty. Her meal had cost three times what she would normally pay when she went out to eat.

  “I’ll be fine,” she assured him.

  He studied her for a minute, searching her face for something. “You’re still hungry,” he said. “We’ll order room service when we get to the hotel.”

  She had no idea how he could read her so well.

  His gaze moved back to the camera and he lifted his chin to draw her attention to it. She got the cue that the interlude was over.

  “Now where were we?” he asked, pulling out his phone. “I believe you were about to tell me to stick my phone up my ass or something?”

  “Oh, I think I can be more creative than that,” she said.

  And the fight was back on.

  * * *

  Sydney stood outside of a room in The Void’s hotel, staring at the door and doubting her sanity. She had spent the day venturing around San Diego with Aria while Lily attended a few band functions in her roles as The Void’s social media manager and Archer’s girlfriend. Sydney had used the time traipsing around town to pick up a few items for her first tutoring session with Keith, which was about to take place in the hotel room beyond the door in front of her.

  Keith had made the arrangements, shocking her to pieces. She had been eating breakfast with Aria in the café down in the lobby that morning. When her friend got up to buy a couple of bottles of water for the day, Keith had approached Sydney from out of nowhere.

  All he had said was, “Room twelve-nineteen. Nine o’clock.”

  She had barely managed to nod before he departed. Even the brief interlude had gotten her pulse racing.

  Was she really about to do this?

  This experience was bound to open her up to unavoidable heartache. She’d be working in close proximity to the man with whom she had an alarming obsession. She still couldn’t believe she had made the suggestion to tutor him in the first place.

  Even more unbelievable was that Keith was actually on board with it. She had been sure he would make every attempt to avoid this, yet here she was, meeting with him only a day after she suggested it.

  She clutched the bag she had brought with her containing the various teaching tools she would need and looked up and down the hall to make sure no one was around. The room was on the other side of the hotel from where the band was staying, but she was getting accustomed to looking for cameras thanks to Lily’s involvement in House of Archer.

  She had done what she could to keep anyone from noticing her on her way to the room. She told Aria she wanted some time alone, which wasn’t all that unusual for her. From there she had headed to a lobby bathroom, where she made a quick change into the clothes she had packed, tucking her hair into an Angels ball cap. The outfit would likely keep anyone from recognizing her since it wasn’t something she usually wore outside of her hotel room. She hadn’t noticed anyone following her as she took a circuitous route to room twelve-nineteen.

  Now that she was there, she felt distressingly alone. She figured Keith booked the room over here to keep this tutoring from anyone else’s knowledge, which she understood. She wondered what he told Nikki to get away and then decided she didn’t want to think about that.

  As her watch ticked to nine o’clock, she reminded herself that she was a teacher and Keith was her student. She would remain professional and focused on helping him learn.

  That did a good job of calming her nerves. She resolutely knocked on the door.

  Keith answered a few seconds later, looking staggeringly handsome in a pair of jeans and a black button-down shirt. His intense blue eyes seemed to pierce her heart.

  It took her a long moment to command her voice enough to say, “Hi.”

  Why had it
sounded all breathy like that? She felt a flush working its way up the back of her neck.

  Lord, she was such a dork.

  He didn’t greet her. His cool expression briefly made her consider bailing. If she did, though, he might never learn to read.

  Her ingrained desire to teach won out.

  He stepped to the side to allow her entrance. She rushed through the door before she could change her mind.

  She could only pray she hadn’t made a decision she would live to regret.

  Chapter Six

  Keith was surprised to see Sydney looking so casual in a pair of yoga pants, a thin long-sleeved hoodie over a simple T-shirt, and a baseball cap on her head. She wasn’t even wearing makeup. The fresh-faced look made her seem astonishingly young and innocent.

  On the other hand, the yoga pants showed him aspects of her body he had never noticed before.

  Some of the steam he had been working up all day long dissipated in confusion. He had been stewing over Nikki’s comments regarding Sydney’s intent to seduce him now that Archer was with Lily. By the time he had gone to bed the night before, he had gotten to the point of seriously pissed off about it.

  He couldn’t say why, exactly. He just knew that the idea of Sydney setting her designs on him—and as a backup to Archer at that—irritated the hell out of him. It also chafed that she thought his head could so easily be turned. Why would she assume that?

  Based on what Nikki had overheard, he had expected Sydney to arrive wearing something more seductive. Seeing her now, he wondered if Nikki might have heard incorrectly. It had all sounded out of character for Lily’s straight-laced friend, and he considered himself a good judge of character.

  Then again, what did he know? Maybe the conforming pants were Sydney Ward’s idea of seductive. They sure as hell had him taking notice of her curvy hips and firm, round ass. He supposed some guys might have found her whole girl-next-door appearance appealing.

  Not that he did, he told himself.