“You look hot, Kim.”
“Thanks. So do you.” Natalie is dressed in a pink off-the-shoulder dress that stops at her knees. Mine barely covers my ass.
“You’ll turn a lot of heads tonight. Be prepared,” she tells me. I’m not sure what that means, and before I can ask her, she’s out of the room. I follow quickly behind, and when I emerge, I hear a few gasps. I seek out Gabriela, hoping for her approval. The smile on her face tells me that she’s no longer upset by my choice of dress. Now here’s hoping that Bodhi likes it.
It’s midafternoon by the time we’re done and pulling into the driveway of the McKnight mansion. The only thing I want to do is take a nap, but I can’t. Another instance that proves how easy it is to choose a stimulant drug in this industry. I never thought shopping on Rodeo Drive would be so tiring, but I was sorely mistaken. Between the drinks, the food, and the constant changing, I could sleep for the next eight hours. But Gabriela and Natalie look fresh and ready to go.
I’m relieved once we step inside the house, but nervous as well. I’m still feeling uneasy about my phone call with Bodhi earlier and honestly don’t know how to proceed. Musicians are temperamental to begin with, but add in the recent stint at rehab and the possibility of a trigger and I might see a different side of Bodhi than I have so far. I don’t want to ruin his night, but I also don’t want to be on the receiving end of a negative attitude. If my being here is bothersome, he just has to tell me and I’ll go.
“Bodhi,” I call as I enter his room.
He comes out of the bathroom, fresh out of the shower.
“Hi. Did you have fun?” He doesn’t smile or come over to greet me.
I nod, biting the inside of my cheek to prevent myself from crying.
“Are you happy with what you chose?”
“Yeah.”
“Your hair looks pretty.”
“Thanks,” I say, and excuse myself so I can go get dressed. In the bathroom, I stand in front of the mirror and tell myself that he loves me, despite his attitude right now.
When I come out of the bathroom I know I chose the right dress. Bodhi is slipping on his watch and is dressed in distressed jeans, combat boots, and a formfitting shirt. I’m reminded of my comment back at Serenity Springs about how he sometimes looks like James Dean.
“Bodhi, you look…I’m not sure I know the right word. ‘Sexy’ and ‘hot’ seem like an understatement. I’m glad you’re not wearing a tuxedo, because I’d feel underdressed,” I say, breaking the ice.
“I’ll take that as a compliment, but holy fuck,” he says once he takes a look at me. “Turn around.”
I twirl to show off the back of the dress, and startle a bit when his hand lands on my ass.
“Jesus Christ, Kim, are you trying to kill me?” he asks with a grin, letting his hand slip under my dress and over my bare ass until he’s grazing my core. His other hand pulls me back as he grinds his already hard dick into me. This wasn’t what I was going for, but I’m ecstatic about his reaction.
“I bet my mom flipped when she saw this.”
“What makes you say that?” I ask as I turn around in his arms.
“Hmm,” he says, kissing my bare shoulder. “It’s short, sexy as fuck, and showing your shoulders. She likes to think of me as a kid sometimes and is probably wondering what the hell we’re doing up here.”
“What are we doing, Bodhi?”
He steps back and appraises me for a moment. “Well, we’re not fucking, but the only reason is because we have this stupid awards thing to go to.”
I decide to take a chance. “You scared me earlier, the way you spoke to me.”
Bodhi steps away, running his hand through his hair. It’s perfectly styled to match his outfit.
“Stress, Kim. Rebel was on my ass, and I took it out on you. I’m sorry.”
All I hear is trigger.
“You’re sure I’m not in the way?”
His fiery eyes meet mine, and he stalks over to me, reaching out to clasp my arms firmly. “Don’t ever think that. You being here has kept me grounded. Knowing that you’re here with me keeps me solid, Kimberly. I need you.”
“I need you too.”<