You Really Got Me (Rock Star Romance #1) (34 page)

He nodded, fingers brushing the hair off her shoulders, behind her ears. Soothing, sensual, sexy. “Yeah. She said it’s a much better way to see him.” He pressed the softest, sweetest kisses across her cheek, the bridge of her nose, the corner of her mouth, while his hand sifted through the hair at the back of her neck. “Thinks it rings true.”

“Which means?”

His mouth fluttered down her chin, along her neck, and then he licked her collarbone. “Which means you made me see him differently. Turned him from a selfish bastard to a guy who just wanted his son to have a better life than he did.” Slater glanced up at her. “She said it was just a shift in the way we saw him, but that it changed everything. You did that for me.”

“That’s because I’m an outsider.”

He smiled, eyes half-lidded, as he brushed a thumb over her lips. “I never let anyone in before you. And it’s made all the difference.”

Everything in her softened as love suffused her. “Your dad would be so proud of you, Jonny.” She squirmed against him.

His big hand gripped her ass and drew her closer, no space between them. “I thought he didn’t see me, that he didn’t give a shit. But I was wrong. I think he did see me. He saw me play those instruments, learn them too quickly. Pick up chords, notes, all that stuff. And if he’d left it to my mom, I might be third violinist for the Austin symphony right now. I think he wanted me to see what I was capable of, how far I could go.” His tongue licked down her stomach. “I think he thought maybe I deserved more.”

This man deserved everything. She’d never met anyone like him. His hand glided over her ass to the back of her thigh, fingers swirling lightly over her skin. Reaching the back of her knee, he lifted it, hitching her leg over his.

“I don’t think my dad could help himself, you know? He probably had ADD and all kinds of undiagnosed issues, so I’m pretty sure he lived in hell every day of his life. I see him in a whole new light.” His fingers touched her chin, lifted her. “Thank you.”

“I love you.” Her body trembled with need, with so much love she didn’t know how to hold it all in. She ran her hand down his stomach, fingers running slow circles around his tattoo. “I
love
you love you.”

“I
love
you love you, too.” His hand wrapped around her wrist, stopping her. “How’s the article coming? Did you finish it?” He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed her fingers. She loved how they shared this time every night, going over all the details of their day. It made her feel so close to him. For all the craziness of life on the road, he always made sure they had this special time together.

“I did.”

“You happy with it?”

She nodded as his fingers intertwined with hers, and he rolled on top of her. He nuzzled her neck, and she squirmed when she felt his tongue on her skin.

“You get back to Irwin?”

“Not yet. If I take on his band, I’ll have less time with you and less time to write. I don’t want to let him down, but I’m really happy with what I’m doing right now. It’s enough, you know?”

“Mm,” he said, his hips surged into her, his erection pressing between her legs.

She gasped. “I’m happy right where I am.”

“Good. Now, get up on me.” He kissed her, cupping the back of her head. His tongue teased her mouth open, swept inside.

She pulled away. “No. They can hear us.”

He was on top of her in a flash, arms at either side of her head, knees nudging her legs apart. “Emmie? You’re my girl. I’m going to love you every chance I get for the rest of my life. If you don’t want to do that around other people, then we won’t be around other people.” His tongue licked her nipple, sending a jolt of desire ripping through her.

“What does that mean?”

“That means if you’re going to become even more
discreet
because of what those assholes just said, then I’ll retire right now and buy us that house on the lake.” His tongue pulled her nipple deep into his mouth. Her hips arched off the bed. “Someone once told me I can make more money publishing my songs than fronting a band.”

“You wouldn’t do that to the guys. They’re counting on you.”

“The fuck I wouldn’t.” He gripped his erection, stroking it along her seam, making her writhe. Heat flooded her, and desire churned, spinning out in hot waves. And then he circled the head around her clit, and her whole body shot up in flames.

She cried out. She couldn’t help it. Under his assault she had no choice. “You don’t play fair.”

Derek groaned, and the guys burst out laughing. Someone flipped on the stereo, and loud music filled the bus.

Slater smiled at her in the most delicious way. And then he pushed her legs wider and plunged inside of her. “Hang on tight, baby.”

Oh, she would. She
would.
And she would never let go.

Turn the page for a peek at the next Rock Star Romance

I WANT YOU TO WANT ME

Coming in July from Berkley Sensation!

So . . . this is awkward.

Violet Davis stood at the back of the restaurant watching her former client tap his knife against his wineglass, quieting his friends, family, and colleagues.

He rose, resting a hand on the back of his fiancée’s chair, and addressed the room. “Thank you all for coming tonight.”

In his six-thousand-dollar custom-made Brioni suit, Joe looked nothing like the man she’d known three months ago. Back then, he’d worn soiled clothes, a greasy beard, and bruises. He’d also smelled like a man who’d been locked up in a hotel room with prostitutes on a three-day binge.

Probably because he had been.

This man? The one lifting a champagne flute, smiling with warmth and humility? This man was healthy, clean, and reunited with his former fiancée.

“I cannot begin to express to you what it means to stand here before all of you and announce my engagement to the love of my life,” he continued. “Yes, for the second time.” Some in the audience laughed. “But this time, I’m not letting her go.”

His future bride, a stunning blonde in a sparkling pale blue chiffon cocktail dress, wiped tears from her eyes, careful to not smear her makeup. She reached a hand up to his. He clasped it, brought it to his mouth, and pressed a kiss on her palm.

The dissolute partier had regained his life, his company, and his soul mate. Violet could not have been more him proud of him.

And now it was time for her to go and leave him to the people in his life who mattered.

“Am I the only one who thinks this is freakishly awkward?”

At the sound of the familiar male voice, Violet quickly shoved her foot back into the stiletto she’d kicked off.

Breathing in Randall Oppenheimer’s very masculine and expensive scent, she laughed. “Oh, no. Believe me, by the looks I’ve been getting all night, you could start a whole Facebook group.”

Besides board members and Joe himself, of course, everyone in the room thought she was his ex-girlfriend. They’d “broken up” less than a week ago. All night long people had given her furtive and pitying glances. But she didn’t mind. She’d likely never see any of them again.

Randall tipped his champagne flute back, looking effortlessly sophisticated and well-bred. With his khakis and light blue button-down, his short-cropped hair and boyish features, he could’ve been the poster boy for Yale fraternity life.

“You want to get the hell out of here?”

I’d love to.
Fortunately, she caught the words before they flew out of her mouth. “I’d better not.”

“Oh, come on. You don’t seriously want to watch your former boyfriend sexing up his back-on-again fiancée, do you? Come on, we’ll get on my hog and ride like the wind.”

One eyebrow rose in disbelief. “You have a motorcycle?”

He looked away, half his mouth curling. “Nope. But it sounded pretty badass.”

More likely he’d come in his family’s limo. With his mom and dad. The Oppenheimers’ law firm did a lot of work for Joe’s company, so she’d run into them often during the course of her “relationship” with Joe.

“Can’t really see myself straddling a hog in this dress anyways.” She’d chosen the sleek Armani sheath dress to fit in with the wealthy crowd but not stand out. In her line of work, invisibility worked in everyone’s favor.

“Oh, I can.” Still looking away, the other half of his mouth joined the first.

“Someone’s frisky tonight.” The worst part of her job? The lies. “You better go easy on me. I just got my heart broken.” But, after tonight, she’d never see Randall again. They didn’t exactly move in the same circles.

“Come on.” He leaned in, so close she could see the ghost of his beard. “You don’t really think I’m buying the whole you-and-Joe thing.”

A jolt of fear shot down her spine. Did he know? Nothing mattered more to her business than client confidentiality. Her reputation was her bond. “Now, why would you say that?” She tried to play it cool, but his answer mattered.

“Because he’s old. And you’re . . .” He eyed her from her mouth to the stiletto she was glad she’d put back on. “You’re . . .
you
.”

Oh, thank God. He didn’t know anything about her job. He just couldn’t picture her with Joe. Well, he was right about that. At forty-eight, nearly twice her age, Joe Capriano was definitely not her type.

“Well, thank you. But Joe’s a great guy, and I enjoyed my time with him very much.” Once he’d stopped fighting her anyway.

“You
enjoyed your time
with the guy? Doesn’t sound like he got anywhere near your heart.” He said it with a cute smile, but she couldn’t tell if he knew the truth or not.

He was a lawyer, worked closely with the board of Joe’s company. He could have found out. “Your point?”

“Date me.”

“Date
you
?”

He nearly spit out his champagne. “So, you’ll date a man twice your age with a comb-over, but not me?”

What did she say to that? She couldn’t date anyone she met through clients. “That’s not a
comb-over
. That’s a side part. Just ask Donald Trump.” She smiled, hoping he’d drop it. Because he certainly wouldn’t be asking her out if he knew her real identity.

But then his gaze sharpened, the teasing tone gone. “I really would like to date you. I’ve watched you for three months, waiting for this moment.”

Her heart skipped, sending her pulse skittering. She almost lost her composure.
Randall Oppenheimer
had waited three months for
her
?

Well, of course, he didn’t know the real her. Her pulse settled down at the realization he thought she was a twenty-five year old “consultant” who’d graduated from Williams, came from an “important” family, wore designer clothes, and had tamed major partier Joe Capriano back into a polished and sober CEO of a billion-dollar company.

That
was the woman he’d waited three months to ask out. Not her.

“Well, thank you, Randall. That’s lovely of you to say, but I’m not really looking to date at the moment.” No way could she start a relationship based on a lie. And she couldn’t tell him the truth about her identity until she knew him long enough to be able to trust him. By that point, he’d feel duped. And the complications with the board and Joe? Forget it. Wasn’t possible.

“I’ll tell you a secret.” He shoved a hand deep into his pocket, his cheeks turning rosy, and she could not believe how vulnerable this sophisticated, confident man had become. “I knew the moment I laid eyes on you that . . .” He blew out a breath. “Well, that you were special. And that I wanted to go out with you. And, come on, anyone could see there wasn’t any fire between you and Joe. So, I’m not going to give up.”

Her inner teenage girl gave a little sigh. That was about the sweetest thing a guy had ever said to her.

And he wasn’t just some guy. He was a really good one. Not just his education, but his family. Sure, his dad ran the biggest law firm in the city and they had unbelievable wealth, but they were known for their down-to-earth kindness and generosity.

Okay, just stop it
.

“Remember that night I dropped you at your apartment?”

She barely nodded. Of course she remembered that night. In the back of a town car with a gorgeous man she couldn’t have. Yeah, she remembered.

“I wanted to kiss you.”

She did
not
need to hear this. She couldn’t date a guy like Randall. And not just because of client confidentiality, but because she just wasn’t anything like what he thought she was.

First off, he knew her as Scarlet. Not Violet Davis. But worse? She didn’t live in a Fifth Avenue penthouse. She lived on a farm. And this outfit? All the others he’d seen her in? Purchased for jobs, thanks to a lucrative salary.

If he saw her on the farm, dressed in her shorts and tank top, wearing no makeup, would he still get all shy about asking her out? She didn’t think so. “I should get going.”

His look turned intense. “Let me give you a ride home. Please?”

Gazing into those intelligent blue eyes, she allowed herself just a moment to imagine going with him. Tossing aside everything—her job, her responsibilities, her history, and just letting herself be a
woman
. A reckless, fun-loving woman who threw herself into passionate relationships.

But then the memory of the social worker’s words stabbed into her.

She’ll likely never be able to trust or fully experience love.

Well, hell. So much for giving her imagination the run of the place. She simply wasn’t that woman.

And yet . . . this tiny ember glowed deep inside her, the hint of hope that the woman could’ve been wrong. What if she
could
love? She’d had her grandma for four years, so maybe a seed had been planted. No, she hadn’t loved anyone yet, but maybe she hadn’t met the right man. She got that she’d never love like a normal person. But maybe she could feel
something
.

She’d never know unless she gave someone a chance. She looked at Randall. What if she gave him a chance?

Her phone chimed in her clutch. “I’m so sorry. It’s my work phone.” She gave him an apologetic smile. “It’s the nature of my business.” Well, no, it wasn’t, but she needed a reprieve from considering what she couldn’t have.

“Sure,” he said, giving her a warm smile.

Pulling out her cell, she saw Emmie Valencia’s name on the caller ID. “Please excuse me, I have to take this.” She strode around the periphery of the room, looking for the bathrooms. “Emmie?”

“Hey, V, how’s it going?”

“I’m all right.” She wound her way behind the tables, evading waiters, and found her way to a long hallway. “How about you?”

“Not so great. I’ve got a problem.”

Seeing that no one was waiting for the bathroom, she stepped inside, locked the door. “What’s up?

“Are you interested in a job?”

“I am, actually.” Violet took in the dark red wallpaper, crystal faucet handles, and gold accents of the spacious bathroom. The rich scent of roses made her wonder at the source, and she noticed the bowl of potpourri on the counter. Ah—potpourri. What a great idea for her wildflowers. As soon as she got off the phone, she’d text herself a reminder.

“Oh, good. You did such an amazing job with Caroline, you’re the first person I thought of.”

Uh-oh. “Go on.” Emmie managed a rock band. Violet hoped very much she wasn’t offering her a job in
that
industry.

“Yeah, so, this one’s pretty important to me. It involves my brother.”

“I thought your brother was in a band.”

She hesitated. “He is.”

Now she understood why Emmie seemed wary. Violet had made it clear she didn’t work with rock stars. Businessmen could be decadent enough, but people in the music industry? She’d only gotten a glimpse of that world when she’d worked with Irwin Ledger’s daughter, Caroline, but it had been enough for her to tell Emmie to lose her number when it came to rockers.

“You still there?” Emmie asked.

What should she do? “Yes. I hate to disappoint you, but I think you know I don’t want to work with a rocker.”

“My brother’s not a bad guy. He’s not an addict or anything.”

“Okay, but he
is
in that world. And it’s just not for me.” Although, she shouldn’t be so dismissive. She
did
need a job now that this one had ended.

“I know, I know. Believe me, no one knows better than I do. But my brother’s not like that.” She exhaled. “Okay, bottom line. The guys are partying too hard, getting too much attention in the media for their behavior and not their music, so Irwin’s losing interest. They’re good, V. And I’m not saying that because of my boyfriend and brother.”

“Then again it
is
your boyfriend and your brother.” She kept her tone light.

Fortunately, Emmie laughed. “I know. I know how it sounds. Look, this is so important. And I know I can find someone else, obviously, but I saw what you did with Caroline. It’s the way you do it, you know? My brother’s really . . . stubborn.” She sighed. “That’s not the right word. God, I’m so worried you won’t take the job that I can’t even think. Okay, listen, our dad’s always been really hard on him. Always putting him down and criticizing him. So, Derek has a hard time taking suggestions. It has to be delivered in just the right way and, V, you do it just right.”

“Emmie, I want to help you out. I do. But I really don’t want to work in the music industry.” Did she need the money? Of course. Who didn’t? But not at the cost of her sanity. Besides, she’d looked forward to spending some time this summer on the farm, developing new products. She closed her eyes, picturing acres of brightly colored flowers, the ocean and clear blue sky creating a stunning backdrop. She lived on the most beautiful parcel of land in the world. And she so rarely got to be there.

“I’m touring with them right now,” Emmie said. “So you know if I can handle it, you can, too. Derek keeps the groupies off the bus. He’s really respectful of me being there.”

Leaning against the wall, she kicked off her shoe and rubbed her foot. “If Derek doesn’t have a substance abuse problem, what exactly do you need me to do?”

“I need you to do just what you did with Caroline—give the guys something to do other than partying.”

“So, I’m working with four guys?”

Emmie hesitated. “Yes. But, of course, we’ll pay you for all four.”

Holy cow
. Four times her usual pay per month. “How long would you need me?”

“I don’t know exactly, but it’s a summer tour, so they’ll be on the road for three months. Well, two and a half now. Are you free?”

“Yes.” She’d hoped to push off choosing the next job for a little while, but she couldn’t turn down this kind of money. She had to at least consider it.

But four rockers . . . oh, boy.

“V, I know this is last minute, and I know you said no musicians, but I wouldn’t ask you if it wasn’t really important. Please. I’ll be here the whole time to help you.”

“Why don’t you give me some information, and I’ll do the research. Get back to you in a few days.” When Emmie didn’t respond immediately, she said, “Okay?”

“I kind of need you sooner than later.”