beneath it from my scruff. More marks from my facial hair darkened her pale skin. The tops of her breasts, her throat, definitely between her legs.
She didn’t have any tattoos. Only freckles dotted her skin—and what I’d carelessly done to her. Including that interesting little bruising bite mark just below her ear.
I didn’t want to cause her even a moment’s discomfort. But I sure as hell didn’t mind the world knowing she was mine.
Even if she hadn’t voiced the words yet to anyone but me. And maybe Ricki, but that I couldn’t say for sure. I was too honorable to eavesdrop.
But not too honorable to keep from fucking her into unconsciousness with my hand over her mouth so Cole wouldn’t hear her cries when she came.
She stirred, so I murmured to her and tugged the sheets up over her shoulders. Her lips tilted upward, and she mumbled something before she drifted away again.
I rolled out of bed and did some stretches to loosen up the kinks. She wasn’t the only one who’d been put through her paces. But unlike Teagan, I had to shove all that aside and have my wits about me while I made a phone call I really did not want to make.
She’d done something she felt was necessary when it came to handling the call from Priscilla, and I was doing this for the same reason. She’d had a hell of a lot to deal with in the last couple of days. I might be stubborn and prideful, but I would never risk her.
I was smart enough to know when I was out of my depth. And I would take steps to correct that, even if asking Chuckles for anything was akin to chopping off a hand. But to ensure Teagan’s safety, I would.
All I wanted was for her to be safe and happy.
I pulled on my sweats and grabbed a fresh shirt from the drawer. Teagan already had a habit of taking mine, but not clean ones. Whatever one I pulled off ended up stretched over her curves. I couldn’t say I minded.
I snagged my phone and headed down the hall to the music room, the one place I was certain not to be overheard. On the way, I checked in on Cole in the living room. He was doing something on his phone despite it being near the buttcrack of dawn.
Those security types went twenty-four/seven. I was counting on it.
I went into the soundproofed music room that held the piano I’d gotten for a song and my drum kit and a couple of vintage guitars I’d picked up on tour over the years. I aimed right for the battered 50’s style leather couch I’d brought with me from my last place. The songbook I used to collect the riffs that banged around in my brain was open to the piece I’d been messing with the last time I was in here.
It was called Crimson. Three guesses who’d helped inspire that bit of chaos-driven madness on the drums. It’d take on a whole new flavor now.
I closed the frayed notebook that had seen a hell of a lot of miles on the road.
Just like me.
I didn’t waste time. I had Noah’s number in my phone due to one of Lila’s mandates that we should be able to reach him whenever we needed to. I hadn’t memorized it, and I’d been tempted to not take the number, period. What were the fucking chances I’d ever call Noah Jordan for one goddamn thing?
Yet here we were.
Noah answered on the second ring. “Dallas?”
His voice gave nothing away. Neither would mine.
“Something’s up. I need your discretion.”
“With the band?”
I wanted to toss sarcasm back at him but I managed not to. “Yes. Specifically Teagan. And Zane indirectly, but it all centers on her.”
“This is about the spiked drink.”
“Yes. What do you know?”
“Not enough. Lila has only a few details. You didn’t give her much to work with.”
“I can’t put Teagan’s safety on the line. I can’t and I won’t.”
“The people involved are your bandmates and your record label.”
“Yeah, and I love all of them as family. I’m not worried about them spilling the wrong thing. For all we know, we have a leak. The more people in on this, the bigger the chances something can slip out to the wrong person. I won’t risk Teagan. I also won’t apologize for it. So, either you hear me out, or we’ll pretend this call never happened.”
“I’m listening.”
“Friday night, we hung around the