Ruby Tuesday by Mari Carr Page A

her on the bed so hard, Teagan nearly bounced off. “No way.”
    “Way.” Teagan laughed.
    “You lucky bitch. Tell me every gory detail. Don’t leave out a thing.”
    “He heard me sing Maybe Tomorrow and he wanted to buy it. Record it on his next album.”
    “I told you that song was awesome,” Riley interjected. “Holy shit. Your song’s gonna be on the radio! Hell, it could be nominated for Song of the Year. You could be invited to the MTV Awards! Can I walk down the red carpet with you?” 48
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    “Getting a little ahead of yourself, aren’t you?” Teagan grinned at Riley’s enthusiasm. Her sister’s mind always raced at a speed most mortal humans could never achieve.
    “Not at all. Everything Sky touches turns to gold. I swear this guy is Midas incarnate.”
    “Yeah, well, I turned his offer down.”
    Riley sat frozen for several seconds and Teagan could see she’d shocked her outspoken sister into speechlessness. “Tell me you’re kidding,” she said at last, her voice far too quiet. Teagan figured she’d better tell the rest of the story fast before Riley’s head blew off her shoulders.
    She quickly related the details of the contest, the arrival of the paparazzi, the storage closet—omitting the bit about the kiss—and ended the story by informing her sister that Sky Mitchell was sleeping in their brother’s room across the hall.
    Without a word, Riley rose from the bed and tiptoed over to Ewan’s room. Teagan listened as her sister slowly opened the door. She imagined Riley peeking inside and screaming silently when she spotted her favorite musician snug as a bug in Sean’s old bed.
    When she returned to the room, she was eyeing Teagan with an expression that left her uneasy. “You’re going to be writing songs with Sky Mitchell for weeks,” Riley said, her voice far too even and controlled.
    Teagan nodded in agreement, wondering what was going on inside her sister’s mind.
    “You should totally sleep with him.”
    “What?” Teagan asked.
    “I’m serious.” Her sister’s face proved that she was, even though her words were utterly preposterous, even for Riley. “You have the opportunity to have sex with Sky Mitchell. Do not blow this.”
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    “Have you considered the fact that I might not want to sleep with him? He’s a cocky, arrogant asshole.” Even as she spoke the words, Teagan knew they were false.
    She suspected he adopted that persona as a means of protecting himself and his flirting was little more than a part he was playing. People expected rock stars to be highly sexed creatures, so Sky gave them their money’s worth. Besides, most of his sexual come-ons had merely been jokes, harmless teasing. She liked the part of him that tried so hard to make her laugh.
    “Teagan,” Riley said, placing her hands on her hips. Teagan settled in for the twisted lecture she was sure was about to follow. “You aren’t exactly the most experienced woman in the world when it comes to sex. I mean, do you need two hands to count how many lovers you’ve had?”
    Teagan narrowed her eyes, refusing to answer.
    Riley continued. “Your silence proves that you don’t. Besides, I’m your sister, I know exactly how many guys you’ve slept with and who they were.” Riley shook her head sympathetically. “You poor girl. It’s a pitiful list, you know.” She started to refute her sister’s words, but she held on to the secret truth. Her sister believed the lies Teagan had perpetuated and she was happy to let them remain in place.
    Fact was, she’d never slept with anyone. She’d long ago accepted the fact that most guys found her a bit quirky, a bit strange. Her outdated fashion style, antiquated taste in music, old-fashioned values and, well, pretty much everything else, set her apart. She wouldn’t sleep with someone who couldn’t accept her as she was and so far, that simply hadn’t happened. Of course, that wasn’t to say she hadn’t fooled around,