Phone Calls From a Rock Star (27 page)

He kissed my forehead. “I’m not proud of
your actions, but I am proud of you. You’re an intelligent young
lady, and I know that you’ll make the right choices in the end.
Besides, I think you’ve beat yourself up enough about it. It’s time
to put it in the past.” He got to his feet and offered me his hand.
“Now let’s go find this young man of yours before your mother
scares him away.”

I beamed, affection and love filling my
heart to capacity. He had gently chastised me enough that I was
properly ashamed but felt much better at the same time.

His hand rested on the doorknob but he
didn’t turn it. “Does Jake know how you feel about him?”

I shook my head slowly. “I haven’t told him
yet.”

He kissed my temple. “You will when the time
is right.”

I blanched. It was nice that everyone had
all this confidence in me—but I knew my uncontrollable, rambling
mouth and knew I’d just blurt it out and embarrass not just myself
but probably Jake, also.

***

The evening wasn’t horrible at all. When my
father and I entered the kitchen, Jake’s beautiful blue eyes were
filled with concern as they darted all over my face. My heart leapt
and I smiled widely at him, assuring him that everything was
fine.

Dinner was enjoyable. My dad and Jake talked
about the upcoming baseball season nearly the whole time while my
mom stared starry-eyed at Jake. They adored him, I could tell, and
it set my heart off again.

Once dinner was finished, Mom and I cleared
while Dad showed Jake to the rec room in the basement. He wanted to
show off all the music memorabilia he’d collected with my mother.
They had guitars signed by greats like Eddie Van Halen and Richie
Sambora, autographed concert shirts and tons of ticket stubs. They
had more stuff than I could ever name. It was pretty impressive.
Seth and I grew up around music and inherited that love from our
parents. My mother actually went into labor with me at an Aerosmith
concert. And wouldn’t you know, she shared that story with
Jake.

And Jake was impressed. He promised to send
them stuff from his tour with Flyby and Society Lost.

After a while, my parents announced they
were retiring to bed since they both needed to get to the office
early. My mother inquired about our sleeping arrangements, and I
blushed from the roots of my hair to the tips of my toes. Jake was
no help; he chuckled lightly beside me. I calmly informed her that
Jake would be sleeping in the guest room. With a knowing grin, Dad
urged my mother up to bed. Once they were safely up the stairs, I
threw my head back and groaned. I mean, I knew my mother was a free
spirit and I knew I was a legal adult, but still.

Jake draped his arm on the back of the rec
room sofa. “I love your parents, Iz.”

***

We left late the next morning for Chicago.
Even though we had my mother’s blessing, we’d slept in separate
rooms. But I’d been so tempted to sneak across the hall and crawl
into his bed. I didn’t, though, because I hadn’t wanted to
disappoint my father any more than I already had.

I snuggled into the leather seat of Jake’s
Mustang, closed my eyes and listened to the radio. It felt so
natural to be with him that all my nervous tension from the
previous day seemed silly. Of course we were still miles from his
dad’s place.

“
Are you going to sleep on
me, Iz?” he asked as he turned down the radio.

“
Nope,” I smiled, eyes
still closed. “Just enjoying being here with you.”

He took my hand and gave it a squeeze.

My excitement began when signs peppered the
side of the road announcing Chicago exits. I’d been there many
times but I still loved driving downtown and gawking at the
skyscrapers. But Jake turned off the highway before we could spot
so much as the top of the Willis Tower.

“
I thought your dad lived
in Chicago?” I asked, puzzled.

“
Actually, he lives in the
suburbs. But we’re not going there until tomorrow. He’s working
right now and won’t be home,” Jake explained.

That didn’t clear much up at all. “So where
are we going?”

Jake twisted his head to flash a quick grin.
“I have to show you something.”

I wanted to ask what but I clamped my lips
together and reached down into my stores of patience and borrowed a
dollop. I watched the houses outside my window grow farther apart
as we drove down a two-lane highway. The trees stretched across the
street and I imagined in the summer they would be like a huge,
green umbrella.

Horses huddled together behind barbed-wire
fences, searching for warmth from the chilly breeze and traffic was
scarce.

We drove for thirty minutes until he finally
turned into a long, muddy driveway. Although it hadn’t snowed in at
least a week, there was a fresh blanket on both sides of the plowed
drive. He followed it through the bare brush and stopped in front
of a medium sized, two-story cabin.

“
We’re here,” he announced,
hint of pride in his voice. He killed the engine and stepped out of
the car.

I followed, a little more slowly. “Where’s
here?”

He retrieved our bags from the trunk and
walked around the front of the car to take my hand. “My house.”

My eyes widened as my mouth flew open.
“Really?” He nodded. “I didn’t know you’d found one yet.”

He kissed my temple. “I didn’t want to tell
you until it was all finalized. I signed the papers last week.”

He tugged on my hand, towing me up the
wooden porch and to the front door. I could feel his excitement
tingle through his fingers and enter my own hand as he produced a
key and unlocked the door. He threw it open and gestured for me to
enter. I did and gasped.

The living room was open and bright with a
fieldstone fireplace taking up an entire wall. The furniture was
old and more than likely came with the place. The wooden walls were
bare and the windows covered with heavy, bland curtains. I raced to
the French doors that opened to a deck overlooking a small
lake.

“
This is amazing,” I
whispered.

He approached me from behind and wrapped his
arms around my waist. His breath was hot on my neck, making me
shiver. “You can spend the summer with me and we’ll swim and fish
in that lake.”

My heart did a jubilant dance. I hoped he
was serious because I couldn’t think of anywhere else in this
whole, wonderful world where I’d rather spend my summer.

He showed me the rest of the house, and I
was totally charmed by it. The eat-in kitchen was spacious and
perfect for those who liked to cook but didn’t live for it. A small
powder room sat just next to the pantry. Upstairs there were four
bedrooms and another bath. The master bedroom faced the lake with a
little balcony outside of another set of French doors. The master
bath had an adorable pedestal sink and a huge, Jacuzzi tub.

He was absolutely ecstatic about the
basement. It wasn’t totally finished but it was huge. He pointed
out where he planned to build a few walls to make a studio.

“
And I’ll have it
soundproofed so me and the guys can work or goof-off.” He kissed me
quickly and led me up the stairs to the kitchen. “It still needs
some work, and Greta keeps bugging me about getting a decorator,
but it’ll get there.” He paused to smirk at me, his eyes glowing.
“The hot tub on the deck works, though.”

I leaned against a counter and pulled him to
me. “I think it’s perfect. I love it.”

His smile crinkled his eyes and it caused my
heart to twirl.

“
That’s all that matters,”
he whispered as he leaned in to kiss me. I sighed, happy to be with
Jake again. “I stocked the kitchen so I could make you something to
eat. Good thing, too, Isabella, since you obviously can’t
cook.”

He grinned playfully and I smacked him
lightly on the arm. Laughing, he began pulling things out of the
cabinets. I watched, mesmerized, as he cooked. He wouldn’t allow me
to help at all but narrated what he was doing every step of the
way. He seemed so professional that the only thing he needed to do
was switch the black bandana on his head for a chef’s hat, and he
could have his own show.

He started a fire and we ate in the living
room at the coffee table. I couldn’t keep my eyes off of him as my
heart thumped wildly, urging me to confess my feelings. If I didn’t
soon, I’d just blurt it out.

Once we finished dinner, I helped him clean
up our dishes. He grabbed my bag and headed up the stairs, me
trailing behind. He stopped at the top and smiled at me. “Would you
like the guest room?”

I gave him my favorite ‘are you kidding me?’
look. He laughed and kissed the top of my head.

“
I take it you’re bunking
with me.”

“
Is that okay?” I asked. I
didn’t want to force myself on him.

“
Of course, Iz. Whatever
you want.”

I grinned as we stepped into his bedroom.
The bear I’d sent him for V-Day was propped against his
pillows.

“
The guys tease me about
that, you know.” His eyes were alight with laughter.

“
Do you want me to take it
back?” I asked.

He kissed me. “Not at all. It’s so perfectly
you.”

My heart started up with its treacherous
pounding, and I asked shyly if he’d allow me to use his bathroom,
to freshen up. He laughed again, shoving me gently to the door.
Nervously pulling the red nightie from my bag, I changed quickly
and combed my hair. I studied my reflection in the mirror. My face
was flushed with a slight pink tint to my cheeks, and my eyes were
bright.

Jake’s raspy voice slipped under the
bathroom door and didn’t steady my trembling hands in the least.
Taking a deep breath, I opened the door. He was sitting on the foot
of the bed in shorts and a t-shirt, strumming on a guitar and my
heart nearly stopped. He was incredibly beautiful and I loved him
all the more.

I shifted nervously from foot to foot.

“
Um, Jake. I forgot to show
you the other Valentine’s present I have for you.”

He twisted to look at me and his eyes
widened. He stood, nearly dropping the guitar, eyes never leaving
me.

“
Damn, Iz,” was all he
could whisper.

Chapter Twenty

I bit my lip, still shifting nervously from
foot to foot as Jake finally came to his senses and put his guitar
on the stand. He crossed the room in slow motion and took both my
hands.

“
Iz, you are so
very…beautiful.” His voice was unsteady, and it boosted my courage.
“Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”

He tried to grin but his emotions got the
better of him.

“
No, not at all. I…um…want
you,” I said, dropping my head as heat flooded my cheeks. What
could I say? I was new to this sort of thing. “I love you,
Jake.”

He lifted my chin and finally managed a soft
smile. “Iz, you don’t have to do this, you know. There are other
ways to show me you love me.”

“
I know I don’t have to do
this,” I told him firmly as I grabbed his waist. “I
want
to do this
because
I love
you.”

He cupped my face, caressing my cheeks with
his thumbs. He dipped his head and kissed me so lovingly that my
heart surged enough to power his entire house. He eased me closer
and wrapped his arms around me. My nerves were on end, totally
frayed. I wasn’t sure what to do next—where to put my hands or
anything else. I hoped he would be patient and guide me through the
entire process.

But his lips broke away from mine and we
both gasped for oxygen. “Iz, angel, this isn’t a good time.”

My heart shattered at my feet. How could it
not be a good time? We were totally alone, in his home, and I would
be staying the entire night with him. Unless…

“
You don’t want me?”
Rejection washed over me and nearly buckled my knees. Of course he
wouldn’t want me that way. He had been in a serious relationship
with Monique, after all, and she was absolutely
gorgeous.

Jake gripped my chin, again, and his hard
eyes burned into mine. “Never, ever say or think that, Iz. I always
want you. You are the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.” He took
a second to inhale deeply before he pecked my lips sweetly as his
eyes softened. “I love you, too, Iz. Very much. And I find you very
desirable.”

“
Then why not?” I
persisted, reveling in his declaration. He loved me!

He gently eased me to his bed and sat next
to me. He cleared his throat as he studied the wood floor.

“
Iz,” he began, finding my
eyes again. “We’ve only been together about six weeks or so. That’s
not enough time to build a relationship.”

“
But we’ve known each for a
lot longer,” I pressed.

“
Oh, angel,” he sighed. He
ran a hand through his dark hair and sighed. “Listen, please, Iz.”
I nodded, curious to what he had to say. “When I was with Monique,
I was crazy about her. We were together a short time when we began
our … physical relationship. I don’t think either of us was ready.
Pretty soon, our entire relationship was based pretty much on sex.
We stuck together for over a year but it tore us apart.”

He stroked my hair and flashed a
half-hearted grin. “There’s no way in hell I want that to happen to
us. I love you more than I ever loved her but more importantly, I
have an enormous amount of respect for you.”

I tried to form a smile with my trembling
lips. “So you do want me but you don’t want us to do that sort of
thing yet?”

He chuckled and kissed my cheek. “Let me
tell you a little story, okay? Before me and the guys signed with
the record company, my dad sat us all down for a talk. Matt and I
were the only two with fathers in our lives so my dad sort of
filled that role for Ronnie and Nick. Anyway, he told us all kinds
of ‘manly’ things. But he also warned us not to forget who we are.
He reminded us that we were raised with morals and decency and not
to let success cloud or change us—especially with girls. He warned
us to keep a firm hold on our hormones and remember that even
though girls may seem willing, they aren’t playthings.”