Rock Star: The Song (Book 1 of a Bad Boy Romance) (10 page)

As his buddy took my keys and unlocked my truck, Kyle was in the process of trying to force me inside when I kicked back. I gave one mighty kick and my foot cracked against his knee. Thankfully he buckled in agony. As he did I slammed the door against him and he fell back. Before the other two could react, I banged down the locks on either side and started the engine. I stuck up my middle finger as I drove away.

I
had been waiting
out of sight. Just a few steps away from the sign that read fourteen miles to Ashton Falls. Outside of the town, the roads were silent. There were only two ways in and out of Lakeside. Unless you had missed a turn, or lived in the town, you probably wouldn’t find yourself on those roads. It was quiet. Crouched behind a bush, I kept staring at my watch. She was taking longer than I thought. I wondered for a moment if she’d been stopped or followed. My thoughts turned dark very quickly as I thought of Emily. What had gone through her mind? How scared was she? I should have been there. Better still, she should have been far from me. I attracted the worst luck.

Where was she?

I was sure she had said this sign. I checked my watch again.

When I arrived in Lakeside I never imagined I would find myself crouched down in its forest, hiding like a fugitive.

I heard the sound of an approaching vehicle. I peered over the bush and couldn’t see anything. A second later I saw the color of the truck. It was her. Not wishing to spend a second longer among whatever was crawling around near my feet, I scrambled up the embankment and broke through the line of trees.

I dived inside and cast a glance over my shoulder as we pulled away. When I turned to her, I could see she had been crying. Her cheeks were red and her mascara streaked her face.

“Meghan. What’s the matter?”

She spent the next five minutes bringing me up to speed on what had transpired in the parking lot. I could feel my blood boiling inside of me. I clenched my jaw and balled my fists. What I would have done if I could have got my hands on him. I wanted to turn around and go back and pummel his face in but she wouldn’t do it. At least one of us had a level head.

The journey to Ashton Falls would take roughly an hour. It wasn’t far from her parents’ cottage. Ashton Falls was twice the size of Lakeside, it had a large shopping area that most locals went to because of a lack of choices in town. Though what we going there for was the recording studio. I pulled out my phone, and did a quick search on Google for the phone number.

After a short phone call, and the studio first telling me it would be a couple of days before they would have an opening, I managed to work out a deal that soon changed their mind. It was either the money or notoriety they wanted. But I had told them I would record my next album there if they shifted things around and made today work. I had made arrangements to meet the owners at a little after twelve thirty that day.

“Meghan, thanks.”

“For what?”

“You know. For going out of your way to help me. It’s rare people do that without wanting something in return.”

“What makes you think I don’t want anything?”

I glanced at her. She was serious.

“I’m kidding.”

She broke into a smile.

* * *

W
hen we arrived
in Ashton Falls, it took us a little while to find the place. It was called Dark Waves. They had converted an old church building into their studio. It was magnificent. Fully decked out with all the latest equipment. Apparently musicians traveled for miles to record there, though the majority of their clients were local indie artists. I’d never heard of it, but now I wished I had. It was family owned and compared to the city their prices were very reasonable.

I could tell they were slightly taken aback when they met me. It was the usual nervousness, as if they thought in some way they would lose me as a client if they spoke out of turn. I reassured them I was very easy to get along with and just to go about doing what they were good at.

“You ever been to one of these?”

Meghan shrugged. “No, this is all new to me.”

I could see she was excited.

They set me up in one room, and Meghan in another. Soundproof foam padded the walls, giving the place an almost asylum quality. It was beautiful. The light of day shone through the stained glass windows down on us, its warm band bringing life and color to everything it touched. Meghan was cute, standing in front of the mike twiddling the wires unsure of how close she needed to be. She glanced over and gave me an equally warm smile.

The first step was to lay down a track of music. I set up an acoustic while the owners brought in two young guys who had helped them out numerous times with drums and bass. They were fast learners and no doubt would go on to become excellent session players. I played the chord progression a couple of times. That was all they needed to pick it up. The drummer even had a few ideas that took the chorus to new heights.

Then we began to record vocals. At first we went over it a few times as Meghan appeared to be nervous and unsure of when to come in. The fourth time around she got it and did it in one shot like a pro. In fact I was stunned at how utterly perfectly her voice blended with mine. Maybe it was before then that I fell for her. But as the light lit up her face, and she sang, that’s when she had my heart.

When she was done, the guys in the recording booth gave a round of applause, and she bowed, finding it all a bit funny. Then she looked over at me. I just met her gaze with complete astonishment. Between the two rooms there was chemistry that no recording device could have captured. It wasn’t just a song. It was deeper than that. It was the music of two souls who were meant to meet. Two people who were destined to cross paths.

I pointed at her, giving her the thumbs-up.

When we were done, the owners told us it was going to be a while before they could deliver a master copy, but to check back in a couple of days. They wanted to work their magic on it. I thanked them and we exited through the side door into the blinding light.

“That was amazing.”

“You were amazing.”

She playfully backhanded me.

“You were. I’ve been in the studio with a lot of artists. You really brought your A game. You were made for this.”

She soaked in my words, her eyes coming to life as if someone had quenched a fire that had been brewing deep in her belly. Whether the industry would try and mold her into something she wasn’t; whether she would awaken ten years from now jaded, having broken hearts the way I had, she deserved to be given the opportunity. Some were meant to sing.

“Well, we should celebrate, right?”

“Yeah. Yeah.”

“Probably best we don’t go to any bars. Um. We aren’t far from my parents’ place. The closing date isn’t for another month. You want to go back there?”

“Sure, let’s grab a bite to eat, and some drink first.”

* * *

W
e’d grabbed
some Chinese takeaway, and a case of Budweiser before we left town. Back at my parents’ place it was dark and the furnace had gone out. I went down and flipped the switch in the fuse box. Everything roared back to life. The dusty vents let out the usual burnt smell, the kind that usually occurred because the heating hadn’t been switched on all summer.

It was nearing the end of summer, and the nights and mornings had a nip to them that made you reach for a sweater or an extra blanket. The leaves were already beginning to shed their green skin for golden yellow.

“You want me to put on some music or something?” Chase yelled

I came back up again and he turned. “Oh, sorry, I thought you were out of earshot.”

“Ah, that’s OK. I’ll just turn down my hearing aid.”

He smirked. “You want to show me around?”

“Sure.” I grabbed two beers and handed one off to him.

“After you,” he gestured onward.

I knew he wanted to look at my ass. At least I hoped he did.

My parents’ place wasn’t your typical cottage. While they never had a lot of money, my dad had taken money invested from a piece of real estate and put the entire amount into this place. It was solid thick trunks of wood that made up the walls. The kind that you only saw in magazines. It was beautiful in every way. The focal point of the living room was a large fireplace made from stone. Two couches created almost a hallway feel leading up to it. Lots of local art hung from the walls and one room was entirely dedicated to reading. Books lined ten shelves as high as the roof itself. That had always been a love of my father.

My mother had a room completely dedicated to her artwork. As we entered it, it still looked the same. A large canvas with a sheet hung over it. Palettes of dried paint, and brushes sticking out of a metal container. It was as if someone had just been there. I could almost feel the presence of my mother. I closed my eyes for a second and could hear her voice.

“What about brothers or sisters?”

“One brother. He lives near Los Angeles.”

“What does he do?”

“Cameraman. He’s in the industry.”

“So you do have someone who’s involved in it.”

“It’s nothing big. But he loves it.”

“Why did you stick around?”

“I don’t know. You kind of get used to a town. Unless there is something or someone drawing you out. My brother left when he was nineteen.”

We kept walking. I could feel the warmth of the beer melting away all the anxiety of the day and bringing with it that subtle buzz that came before it overtook.

“Would you move?”

I turned to him. “Maybe.”

As we moved around toward the main bedroom, we stood in the doorway. He cast a glance around. A four-poster bed was at the center of the room. His eyes lit up, flicking to mine.

“Uh no. Not in my parents’ bed. That would be just too freaky.”

“Yeah, I guess that would.”

We continued back to the kitchen where I dished up dinner. That evening we sat and chatted for what seemed like forever. Four beers later, both of us were beyond relaxed and we had lost all inhibition. We moved into the living room.

“That was a nice meal.”

“Yeah, they do good food in Ashton.”

There was a clear attraction between us as our conversation hovered around small talk. Slowly he closed the gap between us and I knew where this was heading. But this time it felt right. As if everything before had led up to this. For the first time in a while, I was comfortable with the idea of giving myself fully to him. It didn’t matter if he would be gone tomorrow. I wanted him. No, I craved him. I could tell the feeling was mutual.

Foreplay between two strangers, if we could even say that’s what we were, was strange. It was almost like someone leading you to the edge of a cliff. You both knew where it went if you jumped, but the pull to follow the other’s lead was magnetic. I felt his hand touch my leg. I hadn’t been with a man in over a year. Just a simple touch brought my skin alive.

He leaned in. No words were exchanged. He paused only briefly to make sure that I didn’t want out. Now was the time. I made it clear that wasn’t the case by leaning into him. His mouth covered mine and I moaned into it. Electricity shot through my body, pulsing its way back and forth between the top of my spine and between my legs. I slid my arm around his neck and allowed him to draw me in closer.

Lying back on the couch we gave ourselves to one another. He swung me around onto his lap, holding my hips close with the strength of his hands. He began kissing down my neck and I started to unbutton his shirt. Within a matter of minutes he had lifted my shirt up over my head, and had his face buried within my chest, kissing my soft skin. I allowed my mind to let go of all that regrets that I knew I might have the next day.

He cupped my breasts, squeezing them ever so gently. He traced his lips up my neck and pulled my face down to his, thrusting his tongue beyond my lips. As I uncovered his chest, and was able to see it close up, my mind flashed back to the first time we met. His bronze body looked and felt even better close up. It was chiseled and ripped in all the right places.

A second later I lowered my breasts into his face and he slipped back on the sofa. For a moment I felt like a teenager again. Going behind my parents’ back. The cottage had always been a place I had taken my boyfriends. Now as I felt his hands cupped around my ass, I could barely comprehend this was happening. I explored his body, and tight abs, while his hands slipped down the back of my jeans and pawed at my flesh.