Toxic (Addiction #1) (6 page)

“Wow, this is awkward,” Cruz said, interrupting the silence that fell about the bus. “You just going to stare at her all day or you actually going to say hi?”

Rook turned to Cruz and flipped him off causing Cruz to laugh out loud as he started up another game with Landon. Rook walked toward Maisy and held out his hand.
 

“Rook Tyler.”

Maisy took his hand in hers and prayed to God the Almighty that she was not drooling. Rook was so strong, so handsome…so irresistible, she never wanted to let go, but thankfully she had one ounce of self-respect left in her body and released his hand as she introduced herself.
 

“Maisy Madison. Nice to meet you.”

Rook nodded, removed his hand from her grasp, and walked over to introduce himself to Willow and Kaid. Maisy couldn’t help but notice how amazing his butt looked in his jeans. She had it really bad for the guy, he could shit out a pineapple and Maisy would think it was gold.
 

“Nice to meet you all,” Rook said, as he headed for the back of the bus.
 

She wondered what he did in the back room all by himself. She wanted to know, but she knew she couldn’t go back there and find out for herself. She didn’t want to ask his bandmates either because she didn’t want the other guys in the band to see right through her. Her infatuation for Rook Tyler was beyond transparent and she didn’t want to make it any more obvious than it was.
 

The fact that everyone was at the front of the bus, doing their own thing and Rook was in the back doing who knows what, was eating away at Maisy. She couldn’t help it; she had to go back there. Thankfully, the bathroom was in the back so she had a good excuse to try to sneak a peek of the brooding Rook Tyler.
 

She got up from her seat as Kaid and Willow looked at her.
 

“I have to go to the bathroom. Set list looks good you guys. Leave it like that.”

Willow and Kaid looked at each other, then at the paper and agreed.
 

Happy with her input, even though it was the only thing she said the whole time, she headed to the back of the bus.
 

Once she passed Landon and Cruz playing their video game, the bus became quiet and almost serene. Maisy could understand the attraction of sitting in the back by yourself; it was a comforting place where one could think and not be bothered. She passed the bunks where everyone slept and got to the bathroom. Still no sign of Rook. She was about to open the bathroom door when she heard the familiar sound of a guitar and that voice, that hypnotizing voice that ate away at her gut every time she heard it.
 

It was as if the music was drawing her in. She had never heard the song he was playing, but it was beautiful. It touched her heart and she couldn’t help but drift toward the melodic sound.
 

She got to the back room where the door was barely cracked open. She peeked in and saw Rook sitting on the bed, with his guitar on his lap and head down, looking at music sheets.
 

The simple act of him writing and making music hit Maisy to her core. If Maisy wasn’t already head over heels for the man, she fell at that moment. He was the epitome of the perfect man for her; she knew it in her soul.
 

He was so entranced in his music, he had no clue she was staring at the way his hands moved over his guitar, the way his brow crinkled when he wrote a note or lyric down or the way his facial stubble made his features harsh but his eyes stand out.
 

She was just about to turn away when he looked up at her. He was startled by her presence, or more like her snooping, but no matter his reaction, she couldn’t pull herself away from the door. He looked her up and down and then nodded for her to come in. No words, no hand motions, just a nod.
 

She was done for.
 

***

He could feel her the moment she stepped to the back of the bus; he just wasn’t sure if she was actually there. When he looked up and saw her, he was startled because he thought he might have conjured her up in his mind, like a dream, but she really was standing in front of him.
 

When he went to get some coffee and saw her out of the corner of his eye he couldn’t deny himself from introducing himself. He tried to stay in the back of the bus for as long as possible, but it was as if her soul was calling him to the front. He just had to go see her, he needed to hear her voice, and he needed to feel her skin on his.
 

The minute he made eye contact with her, he knew he had made the wrong decision. He should have stayed in the back. She was even more gorgeous up close. Her hair was softer looking than he thought and the color was so vibrantly blonde that it made her big brown eyes stand out against her alabaster skin. She was not like every other woman he had ever bedded, she was something special and at that moment, when they were staring at each other, he knew she could be the downfall of him. Forget the drugs, the alcohol, and the pain he felt every damn day; Maisy Madison was going to be his crutch.

Why he nodded for her to come to him, he would never know, but when she stepped into the room, it was as if the room shrunk three sizes too small. She was small but the aura she brought with her was almost suffocating. She had an overwhelming presence around him that he was having a hell of a time shaking off.
 

“What are you working on?” she asked, while shifting from side to side. She was nervous, it was almost endearing to watch. Most of the women who spent time around him were ripping his pants off by now. Not that he minded the tenacity of the women, but watching Maisy squirm in her shoes was slowly lowering the wall he was trying erect around her.
 

“Some new stuff. Why are you back here?”

“Bathroom.”

He nodded. “That the only reason?”

She shook her head no. “I wanted to see what you were doing back here.”

“Why’s that?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. It just seems like everyone is having fun up front. I didn’t know why you wouldn’t want to be around everyone.”

“What does it matter to you?”

He knew he was being a bit of an ass, but he needed to keep her at a distance, even though, at the moment, all he wanted was her in his arms.
 

“It doesn’t…I mean, well I guess I just wanted to make sure everything was okay.”

“I’m a big boy, Maisy. I can take care of myself.”

Shock registered across her face from his harsh tone. “I never said you couldn’t, I just…” she stumbled across her words which made him feel like a giant ass. “I just…” Tears started to form in her eyes. He willed himself to stay strong as she continued. “I know what it’s like to feel lonely and left out. I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Who the hell would make her feel lonely and left out? If he wasn’t such a dick and scared of actually letting himself open up to someone of the opposite sex, he would make sure she never felt lonely or left out. The moment he saw her, he knew she was something special and she deserved to be treated that way…just not by him.
 

“I’m fine. I like being alone…” He trailed off at the end so she would get the hint. Apparently she didn’t because she didn’t move. “Meaning, you can leave now.”

“Oh.” She stumbled back into the door. “I’m…I’m sorry for bothering you.”

She quickly grabbed the door to leave and before she fully closed the door, she leaned back in and said, “For what it’s worth, that song you’re working on is beautiful.”

Then she shut the door. Rook flopped backwards on the bed and stared up at the carpeted ceiling of the tour bus. God, why was this happening to him? Why now? He was finally getting his life back together for the most part, why did the freakishly big-eyed girl have to come into his life?
 

His mom was nowhere to be found, which was nice because that meant he didn’t have to deal with her whoring ways and his dad hadn’t hit him up for cash in a month. Meaning, Rook didn’t have his dad pushing drugs on him and begging for cash. Whenever his dad was around, Rook fell into a dark hole that took him days of drug and alcohol abuse to get out of. It had gotten to the point that the band hired security to keep Rook’s dad away but his dad always found a way to get to Rook. Always.
 

But now, he didn’t have to deal with the shit parents he was dealt, no, he had to deal with the blonde goddess floating around his tour bus, butting into his music-making time and tempting him to finally open himself up to another person.
 

***

Willow waited for the most opportune time to approach Grey which luckily turned out to be when Quinn went to her bunk to take a nap. Watching Grey and Quinn interact with each other was gut-wrenching. Willow wanted to hate Quinn but she couldn’t. Quinn was sweet, warm, and welcoming. That was why Willow felt so bad about her plan to win Grey over.
 

Before Willow knew Quinn, she could care less about trying to get Grey to notice her, but the minute Willow stepped on the bus, Quinn was so excited to have Willow around and made her feel right at home. She was almost too nice, but everyone acted like Quinn’s fussing was normal, so Willow thought Quinn must always be that accommodating. Damn her.
 

But she was not going to worry about Quinn right now because her mind was on one thing and one thing only and he had blue eyes, shaggy hair and a smile that melted her panties into a puddle.
 

She walked over to where Grey was sitting, listening to music on his phone and sat next to him with her bass guitar.
 

When he noticed her, he removed his ear buds and gave her all his attention.
 

“Hey Willow, what’s up?”

“Do you have a second?”

“Of course, just listening to some music, nothing too important. What can I do for you? Is everything okay?”

“Yes, everything is fine. We couldn’t be more grateful for everything you’ve done for us.” Willow leaned forward so her shirt dipped forward, showing off her ample cleavage. Grey took advantage of the view with a quick glance, but then his face went red from his obvious glance.
 

Win for Willow.
 

She continued, “I just thought that you could help me with this one part of a song I’m putting together. Maisy does all the lyrics for our songs; we help her, but she pretty much controls that part of the music. Kaid and I put together the instrumentals and there is this one part where I’m kind of stuck. I don’t know how to flow into the chorus and since I look up to you and your bad-ass bass skills, I was hoping you could lend me a hand.”

Grey gave her a boyish grin. “Bad-ass bass skills, huh? I need to keep you around because you do wonders for my ego.”

“Keep me around as long as you want,” Willow said, while leaning forward some more.
 

Grey cleared his throat and said, “Uh, what is the part you’re stuck on?”

Willow showed him where she was stuck and for the next half hour, they worked together on the song, making sure the music flowed together and sounded right. Willow was surprised that they were able to work so well together, especially since Willow was lusting after the man. She was pathetic for coming up with a reason to spend some time with Grey, but it turned out her idea was a good one because together they came up with an awesome lead-in to the chorus.
 

Grey looked up at her and studied her face for a second, causing Willow to squirm at his stare.
 

“You’re really good, you know. I don’t think I’ve ever met such a, uh, good female bassist.”

“You meet a lot of us?”
 

“No, none actually. You’re the first.”

“Well I’m glad I can make a good impression for all female bassists.”

“You sure did.”
 

They were staring at each other when someone who was looking over them cleared their throat. Willow reluctantly looked up and saw Quinn standing over them with drinks in her hands.
 

“I thought you two might be thirsty. Landon said you were hard at work when I came out of the bunk. I didn’t want to bother you, but I just wanted to make sure you were well-hydrated,” she said with a wink.
 

“Thank you, sweetheart,” Grey said, while taking the soda Quinn brought him. Willow reluctantly watched him place a sweet kiss on her cheek. “You should hear the lead-in we came up with. I really think it adds something to the song.”

Quinn sat down next to Grey, put her arm around his waist and leaned in so she could see Willow.
 

With a big smile she said, “Let me hear it. I’m sure it’s amazing if you two worked on it. Honestly, I was so impressed with the way you play Willow. You guys are so talented and, believe me, I don’t say that very often. Mayer’s Men, who opened before you guys, they were okay, but rather annoying. I can’t tell you how great it is to have some more talent around here and women! The testosterone is a little too much sometimes.”