Lead Player - Alex Grayson Page 0,53
pry you away from me.”
I fucking love the sound of her giggle.
“Fine, but you asked for it.”
“That I did.”
Her head tilts and she rests her cheek in her palm. “Can I ask you something?”
“You can ask me anything.”
Her lips purse, like she’s nervous, which makes me really fucking curious what her question is.
“Have you….” She stops and licks her lips. “Have you ever had a serious relationship?”
Anger heats my blood. That’s twice in less than a week that I’ve thought about the money-grubbing bitch Karen. Anytime her memory comes to mind, I want to plant my fist through a wall. Right now I work hard at reining in my raging emotions.
Given my growing feelings for Alaina—feelings I hope she has for me as well—her question doesn’t surprise me. I’m curious about her past relationships too. Although, we’ll keep the details out of it. No fucking way do I want details on the more physical side of her past relationships.
“Once.” I clear my throat. “About five years ago. Her name was Karen. She was actually a band groupie.” I curb my smile when I see the disgruntled look flash on Alaina’s face. “She followed the band around for about a year before I slept with her. She never slept with any of the other guys, which appealed to me because most groupies thrive on that shit. Apparently, I was the only one she wanted.”
Alaina snorts, but keeps quiet so I continue.
“She never made a fuss, but was always quietly in the background. When we came back home for breaks, she would follow us. It wasn’t uncommon for groupies to do that, so none of us thought it was strange. I slept with her a few times over a couple of months. We never labeled our time together, so it wasn’t exclusive, but even so, I didn’t sleep with anyone else, and as far as I knew, she didn’t either.” My jaw tightens, and I take a moment to relax. “One day, while we were on tour, she came to me. Said she was pregnant.”
“What?” Alaina’s entire body stiffens. I tense, prepared to haul her ass back down to me if she decides to get up. Thankfully, after a moment, I realize she’s not. But the look in her eyes—the fear, confusion, and anger—stays in place. I lock my arms around her waist, just in case.
“I told Karen from the very beginning that what we shared was nothing more than sexual satisfaction. It would never be anything more. I didn’t love her, but I grew to care for her. When she came to me about the pregnancy, I was conflicted. I wanted children one day, but I wanted them with the woman I chose for myself. But I also knew I would never neglect any child of mine. I was fully prepared to step up and take on the daddy role, but I told Karen I would never marry her.
“Even so, I wasn’t dumb. I demanded proof she was pregnant. I also told her I wanted a paternity test once the baby was born. I may not have thought she was sleeping with other guys, but there was no way for me to know for sure. Karen showed me a positive pregnancy test and thought that was good enough. When I told her it wasn’t, that I wanted in on one of her appointments, she got defensive, accusing me of not trusting her. The fact was, I didn’t. I had heard the crazy horror stories of groupies purposely trying to get pregnant to trap band members. I was always careful and made sure I wrapped my shit up.”
Alaina’s brows furrow. “What happened?”
I gather the long mass of her hair and loosely wrap my fist around it.
“I went to her first appointment and the doctor confirmed she was pregnant. A couple of months later, she flew out to catch one of our shows. She went to a bar afterward and didn’t realize one of the band members was at the same bar. He overheard her gloating to another groupie about having sex with a friend back home with the sole purpose of getting pregnant to trap me.”
“What the fuck?” she shouts, her eyes flaring wide. She shoots straight up and away from me, and I can practically feel the vibration of her anger. “I can’t believe someone would actually do that!”
I grab her waist and hoist her over my lap so both of her knees are on the outside of my thighs.
“Believe it.