The Rocker That Savors Me (The Rocker...) (12 page)

Lana and Lucy got home from their day with Drake just after four. Lucy came running into the guest house full of excited energy. She was already telling
me about her day while Lana stormed into the bedroom and slammed the door behind her. I glanced over at the front door to see Drake glaring after her, his arms loaded with bags of clothes and toys.

“Lucy, go watch some cartoons.” I pushed her toward the sofa. “You can tell me all about your day later, I promise.”

“Okay.” She sighed. “Don’t yell at Drake. It isn’t his fault that Lana is so rotten.”

I shot her a look that told her to keep quiet and moved over to the door where Drake
dropped his load of bags on the floor. “How was your day?” I asked.

His jaw tensed and he finally turned his glare from the closed bedroom door to me. Those blue gray eyes of his were gorgeous
, the way they were all glassy and full of stormy emotions, even when he was pissed off. “Your sister is so stubborn!” He informed me. As if I didn’t already know that! Ha!

I couldn’t help but grin. “I’m sure it wasn’t that bad.”

“She didn’t want me to buy her anything. Nothing! Not one little thing. Then when I bought them anyway, she stormed out of the store and left me there with poor little Lucy. She refused to speak to me the rest of the afternoon…” He ran a hand through his over long hair and pulled at the roots. “She makes me f…uh…freaking bonkers!”

I admired the way he caught himself from swearing.
I had noticed the weekend before that he and the others tried not to swear when Lucy was around. “Give her a little while. She won’t stay mad forever. Lana’s the type of girl that doesn’t want material things. She learned the hard way that people trying to buy her affections didn’t exactly mean that they cared about her.” I saw his eyes darken as if my words had smacked him in the chest. “She would rather you pick her a flower beside the road than buy her one in a flower shop…”

“I wasn’t…I just wanted…” He raked his hands through his hair again, looking sick to his stomach. “I’ll call her later
,” he muttered and turned to leave.

I stood in the doorway and watched him make his way back toward the
big house. He looked almost defeated with his head bowed and his shoulders slightly slumped. I felt bad for him, but he and Lana had to figure it all out on their own. When he was out of sight, I closed the door and picked up the bags filled with expensive clothes.

My eyes got huge when I saw that they were from an exclusive boutique on Rodeo Drive. I could just imagine the money he had spent there. Leaving Lucy in the living room with a cartoon movie on, I took Lana’s new things into the bedroom. She was laying on the king sized bed glaring up at the ceiling.

“Drake said he will call you later,” I told her as I dropped the bags on the bed and started snooping through them.

I pulled out jeans with des
igner labels on them, tops made of silk instead of cotton, and two dresses that made me want to weep they were so beautiful. There were two shoe boxes: one with heels that were to die for in a passion red, and another with boots that just begged to be worn by me… Okay, maybe not by me, but if Lana thought I wasn’t going to borrow them, she could think again!

“I told him I didn’t want anything
,” Lana muttered. “He said he just wanted me to try a few things on, and I didn’t have to get them if I didn’t want them. So I tried them on. It was fun. But then the sales girl started ringing everything up, and he kept adding more and more things to the pile. I didn’t want them. I don’t want them! But would he listen to me? No!” She punched the bed beside of her. “I don’t want his fucking money. I don’t want what he can buy me. I just want to spend time with him!”

“Don’t say fuck
,” I gently admonished her.

“Oh, shut up Layla
,” she grumbled. “You say it all the time.”

“Yeah, but you’re better than me. Don’t curse.”

“Don’t you go starting that again!” Lana sat up, glaring at me now instead of the ceiling. “I’m not better than you. No one is better than you, Layla. You are the best person in the world in my eyes. I don’t care about your past or what you had to do to survive when Mom kicked you out. I love you!”

I clenched my jaw, not wanting to think about the past. “So what happened after he bought you the clothes?” I asked, changing the subject back to her day with Drake.

“I walked away. He still bought the clothes. When he and Lucy came out of the store, he drove us to another one that was just for kids and bought Lucy just as many clothes and half a dozen stuffed animals.” She shook her head again. “And he got mad at me for being mad at him. Really? He’s such a child sometimes! Thirty one years old and he acts younger than Lucy! Pouting because I wouldn’t talk to him. Muttering to himself…”

“Oh, Lana
! You have that man wrapped so tightly around your finger…” I laughed when she glared at me. “He likes you. And I can see that he cares about you. Give the guy a break. He doesn’t know about how you grew up. He doesn’t understand your mentality when it comes to things like this. But I told him you aren’t like most girls. When he calls, talk to him. Tell him why you don’t like gifts, baby.”

Her amber eyes closed and she dropped back on the bed again. “I’m not ready to talk about the past. He either accepts that I don’t want him buying me things or he doesn’t.” She turned on her side, away from me. “Problem solved.”

I blew out a long sigh. “It isn’t always that easy, Lana, but you handle this the way you think you should. Until then, I’m borrowing these kick ass boots to wear tonight.”

“You can have it all. I don’t want any of it.”

Jesse

Emmie woke me around two. I wasn’t expecting the glass of cold water, but I guess I should have. It was the easiest way to wake my ass up. I slept hard and enjoyed every second of it, but try to wake me up and you had a good thirty minute workout unless you tried to drown me.

I sat up in bed, water dripping down my face. “What?” I cried. “What’s wrong?”

She stood over my bed in a bikini top and wrap around skirt
, her belly sticking out in a cute way that made me want to rub it. The grin on her face told me that she was in a good mood, and it scared the shit out of me. “What are you up to?” I demanded, wiping water off my chest with my damp sheet.

“Nothing.”
She sat the glass down on the table beside of my bed.

“Nothing, my ass.”
I tossed back the covers and stood. I was naked, but she didn’t bother to turn around. She didn’t bat an eye as she watched me pull out a pair of boxers from my dresser and pull them on. “Where’s Nik?”

“Around.”
She was still grinning and it only made me nervous.

“Around
,” I repeated, reaching for a pair of jeans from my closet. “Around where?”

“He might be tied up down by the pool with his own shirt.” She shrugged as if it wasn’t that big of a deal.
“But it’s his own fault. He invited fucking Axton and the bitch troll over tonight.”

I grimaced, pitying my dumb ass friend
, and yet I couldn’t help but be amused. Nik was going to pay big time, if he hadn’t already. Emmie and Gabriella Moreitti got along about as well as a king cobra and a mongoose, meaning not at all. I hadn’t figured out which was the snake and which was the mongoose, but I was leaning toward Emmie being the mongoose. She could kick Gabriella’s ass if she had to.

I wasn’t exactly the biggest fan of Gabriella. Maybe it was because she didn’t get along with Emmie and I was overprotective. Maybe it was because she had filled Emmie’s head with lies about herself and Nik. Or maybe it was because she tended to act like she was better than Emmie
. Either way I couldn’t have cared less about the bitch. If it weren’t for Axton, who was cool to party with, I wouldn’t put up with her…even if she could rock hard.

“So are they here? Is that why you woke me up?” I glanced at the clock. It was just past two thirty
, and I still had several hours before my date with Layla.

“Not yet.” She dropped down on the edge of my bed. “I wanted company. I called Layla, but she’s enjoying some time to herself.
Shane left hours ago for only Gods know where. Probably an orgy or something even more fucked up. And with Nik all tied up…” She snickered at that. “Which left you.”

I grinned. “What about Drake? Couldn’t you have woke him up and gotten him to keep you company?”

Her green eyes sparkled with joy. “He went out. Took the SUV. It surprised the hell out of me, but he was up before I was. He left me a note saying he was taking Lana and Lucy out shopping and would be back later this evening.” She clapped her hands together in glee. It was such an un-Emmie thing to do that it made me laugh. “I’m so happy for him.”

That Drake was up early was a surprise in and of
itself. That he was out shopping with two girls, a miracle. The man didn’t buy things… Ever. I doubt he had even touched any of the money we had made over the last ten years. Emmie bought him clothes when she thought he had worn out the ones he had; bought his personal items, even down to his condoms. I was glad for Drake, really, and thrilled that he seemed so happy with Lana around. But…

“Em, is this really okay?” I couldn’t help but ask. “Could Drake be in over his head here? She’s only seventeen. And while I trust him wholeheartedly with the girl
, I’m worried that he’s feeling way too much, way too soon.”

“I always knew that when Drake found the right girl, it would change everything.” She sighed, gently rubbing a hand over that basketball stomach of hers. “I will admit that I wasn’t expecting her to be so young. But I’m not going to look this gift horse in the mouth, Jesse. Besides, it’s
in its early stages. We don’t even know if she’s what he needs. Right now, I’m just happy that he’s happy.”

I rubbed a hand over my face, feeling the stubble that needed
to be shaved before I picked up Layla. “Em…About Layla…” I needed her approval. It was weird, really. I shouldn’t need anyone’s opinion on who I dated, but Emmie’s opinion was the only one that mattered to me. If I didn’t get it, I didn’t think that would stop me from going after Layla, not with how strongly I felt towards her. But it would make the whole thing feel wrong in a way.

Another sigh left her. “I really like her, Jess. Please, don’t hurt her. Okay? I mean, I can see that there is something between you two
. And if I had to choose, you know you will always be the own I pick, but she’s become my friend, and I don’t want to lose that. Just be careful.”

I nodded. “I promise, Em.” I pressed a kiss to her cheek and then stood. “Come on. I bet Nik is going apeshit down there. You really are a twisted little bitch, you know that?”

She laughed. “Yeah, I know.”

I found Nik laying on a lounger with nothing on but a pair of swimming trunks. His arms were tied around the lounger
with his shirt while he glared up at me. “I’m going to spank her. I should have done it years ago. You just wait. As soon as I’m free, she’s going to get my hand print on that sweet ass of hers.”

Instead of untying him I sat
down on the lounger across from him. “Well now. See, I was going to help you out, man. But you threatening my Emmie like that just got you a few more minutes.”

Emmie stuck her tongue out at him as she dropped down beside of me and cuddled close. “See.
Told you he would be on my side.” Her stomach pressed against my side, and she laid her head on my chest. “Better treat me better mister.”

“Ah, fuck. Come on Emmie!” He twisted on the lounger, but his shirt was tied in a knot that I had taught Emmie myself so I knew he wasn’t getting loose anytime soon. “Alright, I’m sorry. I should have known better than to invite Ax over with Brie…Gabriella
,” he amended when she gave him a killing glare. “Baby, please. I’ll fix it. I swear… If you love me you will untie me, Em!”

“You know I love you, Nikolas Armstrong
,” she told him, but went back to cuddling close to me. “Too bad you haven’t shown me you love me today.”

Nik went still on the lounger. Emmie had gotten a direct hit on him and shit was about to get real. I closed my eyes, savoring my time with Em before Nik took her away. A minute later
, a large shadow landed over us and I opened my eyes to look up at Nik. His arms were still tied behind his back but somehow he had gotten free of the lounger. Without a word he turned and I untied him.

As soon as his hands were free
, he lifted Emmie into his arms. His blue eyes were darker than I had ever seen them. Anger and hurt seemed to pour from him. “I think we need to have a long talk, Ember.”

“Nik…I was just kidding.” Emmie clutched at his shoulders as he turned on his heel and stalked into the house with her still in his arms.
“Nik!”

“Shut up, Em
,” he snapped and kept on walking.

I knew that he wouldn’t hurt her, but I had to follow them inside. He hadn’t gone far. I stopped outside of the living room where Nik had
put her on the long end of the sectional and stood glaring down at her. His hands raked through his hair, making him look slightly demented.

“Do I not show you how much I love you every day, Em?” He demanded.