The members of Toxsin were spread out, making it impossible to keep an eye on all of them.
“Yeah, a lot,” Drake said before shoveling steaming scrambled eggs covered in Tabasco sauce into his mouth.
“Great.” Kate tried to shut them down.
“We can’t watch you when we’re performing,” Syon said. “You need a bodyguard.”
He said “bodyguard,” but she heard “babysitter.”
“No thanks.”
“I have a cousin.” Taz rolled right on without letting her denial land. “Taekwondo master. Total badass. He’s not bad on a bass either.”
“I said thanks but no thanks.” She started to turn around.
“You say no, and you have to call Percy,” Syon said.
Kate turned on Syon, trying to decide what he was up to, but he was holding out her cell phone like a challenge. “For what reason?”
Syon lifted his hands in mock surrender. “He made some very clear threats…and I think he means business. If we don’t take better care of you, he’s coming for us. Locked and loaded.”
“Yeah, I’m…scared,” Ramsey added. Kate shot him a “get real” look. He shrugged and poured syrup onto a mountain of pancakes.
“Good thing he’s got a man, because I think Syon might be jealous. That dude has some serious passion for you,” Drake added. “He threatened to kick all our asses if we let anything happen to you again.”
“Somehow, I don’t think that’s what scared any of you,” Kate replied. “You guys thrive on drama.”
There was a flash of smiles before they closed ranks again.
“He did say he was taking the position himself if we didn’t get someone for you,” Ramsey admitted. “Besides, we don’t know who doped you.”
“So until we discover the source, you need a pair of eyes on you,” Syon finished.
“I’ll look out for myself, now that I know there is a problem.” And that was going to be the end of it. She picked up a plate and started filling it. The topic changed, turning to something lighter as they teased one another. But suspicion tingled on her neck, because she caught glances among them from time to time.
* * *
“Are you tired?”
Kate looked up to find Syon leaning against the sliding glass door’s frame. The door was open, letting the breeze in. The sun was starting to set.
“No.”
He looked at her skeptically.
“My internal clock is flipped. Besides, I slept most of the day,” she said. “I need my shop set up. I know you’re behind the crew not doing it.”
The crew had been holding her shop hostage, and none of the polo-shirted guys were willing to give her a straight answer when she asked to have it set up. Syon offered her only a shrug. “The doctor said rest.”
“I’m full up on resting,” she assured him. “We’re talking stir-crazy time.”
“Then get dressed. It’s date night.”
Kate sat up. “Really? Cid’s going to have something to say about that.”
Syon’s expression hardened. “Yeah. We all sort of came to that conclusion too. Get dressed.”
Kate disappeared into the bathroom, trying to decide what vibe was dancing through the air. She was no closer to pinpointing it when she finished dressing.
When she finished, Ramsey was lounging on the sofa, wearing a pair of black jeans for a change. He jumped up when she emerged.
Taz and Drake fell in with them on the way down the hall. Drake was grinning from ear to ear. “Pub night,” he exclaimed. “I need to hear English spoken correctly.” His voice had taken on a very British accent.
“Just to be clear,” Ramsey said to Drake, “I am not putting anything into my mouth called ‘spotted dick.’”
“This from the man who encouraged me to have octopus?” she asked.
Ramsey grinned at her as they started to pile into an SUV. “Octopus is good for you. Spotted dick, not so sure.”
“It’s custard,” Drake stated like a schoolmaster. “And I’ve seen some of the things you put your mouth on.”
“Only because you were behind me in line,” Ramsey answered.
Taz hooted.
Syon sat beside Kate, massaging her nape as they wove through the streets. She could tell when they were nearing the section of town were the restaurants were. The sidewalks were better lit, and more people were about. Their driver edged up in front of a place that had a mock shake-shingle roof and a red police call box outside it. Their driver paid no mind to the red curb, but pulled right up to let them unload in front of the door.
The pub was darker inside than most restaurants. A huge wooden bar stretched along half of it and people were sitting up at it as well as occupying small, round tables.
“We’ve got to grab a spot. Trivia night is popular,” Drake said. He dove into the section with the tables, managing to convince a pair of older guys to hop over a table so they could all sit together.
“Trivia night?” Kate asked.
Syon looked up from the beer menu and nodded. “Drake likes to think he’s brighter than the rest of us.”
“Sometimes, we even let him win,” Ramsey added, “’cause we hate to see him pout.”
A waitress with a Scottish accent came by, taking down their orders. A man stood up and got everyone’s attention. Somehow, Kate had never realized that trivia could be such an intense competition. The air in the bar became thick with tension. Teams hunkered down over their answer sheets, guarding their knowledge. It seemed that bragging rights were indeed coveted. The topics ranged from science to mythology.
Ramsey threw his hands up in the air when they managed to pull off a tie with another team. He howled with the victory, until the waitress showed up with their prize.
“Spotted dick,” Drake said with a smirk. “How sweet victory is.”
Ramsey tossed a crumpled-up napkin at him.
“Oh…where’s your sense of adventure?” Kate demanded. She picked up a spoon and dove into the dessert.
“Are you really going to eat dick right here in front of us?” Ramsey asked.
Kate choked on the custard, shooting Ramsey a killing look. But she pulled the spoon out of her mouth slowly, making Drake snicker.
It was a low-key sort of night, but she discovered that she cherished being part of the moment . They made it back to the hotel and found Cid waiting for them. The road manager had a smile on his lips, but there was something about his eyes that made Kate think he was forcing a professional look.
Tension tingled on her nape as the members of Toxsin stayed close to her, making their way to the elevators and on up to the penthouse floor. They all pounded each other’s fists before breaking formation and going different directions in the hallway.
Syon had just closed the door to their suite when she asked, “What was that about?”
“Cid needs to be reminded that we’re more than a wild bunch of animals.” He captured one of her hands and raised it to his lips. “But I don’t want to talk about Cid.”
He lifted her hand and turned her around under her arm. Her skirt flared out as he did it a couple more times, twirling her across the suite until they were at the sliding glass door. He stopped and came up behind her, enclosing her in his embrace as they looked out on the balcony.
“I don’t want to do anything except seduce you.” His voice was a whisper next to her ear. “We’ve fucked, but we haven’t made love…”
She shuddered.
“Like the sound of that?”
He moved her farther out the door. There was a private Jacuzzi on the balcony. Several candles were set up around it, their lit wicks the only source of light, giving off a soft golden hue that heightened the sense of intimacy.
Syon kissed her neck, nuzzling against her sensitive skin. She leaned her head to the side as he gathered up her hair and pressed a row of tender kisses against her throat.
The candles had a soft jasmine scent, but she enjoyed the scent of Syon’s skin more, his own personal musk. She turned and buried her nose in his shoulder, inhaling deeply as she stroked his chest.