Текст книги "Music of the Heart"

Автор книги: Katie Ashley

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Текущая страница: 9 (всего у книги 18 страниц)

“He did. But I told him off.”

The makeup artist beckoned Jake, and he sighed resignedly as his arms slipped away from me. I eased down on the couch and began watching all the preparation that went into getting the guys of Runaway Train stage ready.

When the guys were almost finished, I heard the roar of the crowd and the opening music for Vindicated. “I hope he falls flat on his face tonight,” I mumbled.

Rhys and Jake roared with laughter while AJ glanced at me over his shoulder. “If I could find some good cayenne pepper powder and his change of pants, I’d make sure he didn’t enjoy any groupie action tonight.”

I laughed. “AJ, that’s terrible.”

He grinned wickedly as he waggled his brows. “You just say the word. I can always have some roadie go get me some.”

“I think I’m good, but thanks anyway.”

Once the guys were finished with hair and makeup, they were herded into wardrobe. Jake appeared a few minutes later wearing a pair of skin tight leather pants along with a red shirt that stretched across his muscles. “How do I look?” he asked.

“Wow…you look amazing!”

Jake eyed his pants disdainfully. “These are pleather so we can be politically correct. Thank God I get a wardrobe change halfway through the show because I’d much rather be in jeans.”

“Yeah, but those pants are….” I glanced up at him and grinned. “Very, very sexy!”

A wicked gleam burned in his eyes. “Are you saying I need to keep these and wear them for you some other time?”

I laughed. “Now I don’t know about that.”

Jake reached out to pull me to him when Brayden stuck his head in the door. “Okay, Jake, it’s time.”

“Always the worst fucking timing,” Jake muttered under his breath.

He then took my hand and started leading me to the door. I followed along blindly as we weaved in and out of roadies and technicians.

When we got to the wings, Jake turned back to me. “I thought about getting you into the VIP box, but you’ll have a better view here.”

“So I can stay here and watch you guys?” I asked.

“Of course.” He pulled me against him. “I want you as close as possible.”

“Thanks.”

“I also told Frank to keep an eye out for Tyler.”

“While that’s very chivalrous of you, I think I can handle things on my own.”

Jake chuckled. “I’m sure you can, Angel, but it’ll make me feel better knowing that you’re being watched over.”

“Fine. Whatever floats your boat,” I replied.

As Vanquished made their exit off stage, Jake tightened his arms around me. Tyler only gave us a fleeting sneer before stalking away.

Then the stage lighting changed as Runaway Train’s intro music began. AJ entered the stage first, waving to the crowd and throwing up rocker signs with his fingers. From the appreciative whistles and applause he was certainly a crowd favorite. He eased down behind the drum set and twirled the sticks between his fingers several times before beginning an upbeat tempo. I turned my attention from him to where a technician was handing Rhys his bass guitar. He put the strap over his head and adjusted it on his body before jogging out onto the stage, waving manically and grinning like a Cheshire cat. He then joined in with AJ’s rhythm. Already outfitted with his guitar, Brayden nodded his head in time to the beat coming from the stage. I didn’t know how he knew when to make his entrance since the noise was so loud, but then he entered as the stage lights began to flicker and change colors.

Jake leaned in close to my ear. “Magic time.”

As he started for the stage and his big entrance, I grabbed his arm. When I kissed his cheek, he gave me a quizzical look. “That’s for luck,” I shouted over the roar of the crowd.

A smirk curved at his lips. “Thanks, Angel, but I don’t need any of that.”

I smacked his arm playfully. “There you go being an egomaniac again!”

He laughed and gave me a wink. The stage lights changed again and blared red as Jake entered from the wings. The already frantic crowd went even more insane. The noise caused a ringing in my ears, and I fought the urge to stick my fingers in them.

When Jake took the microphone off the stand, his signature cocky grin spread across his lips. A thunderous roar echoed through the stadium. “Hello Indianapolis! Are you ready to rock?” Jake asked.

At their response, he glanced over his shoulder at Rhys and Brayden. They shook their heads. “Hang on. I don’t think I heard you. I asked if you were ready to FUCKING ROCK?”

If it were even possible to get louder, the crowd did. They stomped their feet, clapped their hands, and whistled and yelled. Jake grinned and nodded. “That’s more like it.” The lights went down and then the opening beat to their latest hit, “Unravel Me”, began playing. The song featured a lot of heavy guitars, and I was amazed by Brayden and Rhys’s skills. There was also the fact of the emotion that Jake emitted as he sang. One minute his voice had a hardened, bitter edge on songs like “Unravel Me” or “Twisted Reality”.

Then when it came to the ballads, he would instantly change over, and his smooth, velvety voice echoed through the arena. My favorite of theirs was “Never Before You”, which I knew from hanging around the guys that Brayden had written for Lily. I closed my eyes and swayed to the music. It was hard admitting to myself just how much Jake’s voice affected me emotionally and physically, especially hearing him sing about love.

When the song ended, I opened my eyes to find Jake staring at me. I must’ve had a pretty serious expression on my face because he winked and then ran his tongue over his lips suggestively. Even though I should’ve been pissed, I couldn’t help laughing. Only Jake would find a way to ruin a potentially romantic moment. I wagged a finger at him, and he threw back his head and laughed.

Next came the part of the show where they brought a fan on stage for Jake to sing to. My eyes widened when an older lady was led up by one of the stagehands. With wide-eyed wonderment, the woman stared up at Jake. When he grinned and winked, she blushed and giggled just like a young teenager as he began his way through “Your Smile.”

After a few more fast songs, the show was over, and the guys were coming off the stage, exhausted and dripping in sweat. I couldn’t help throwing myself at Jake. Wrapping my arms around him, I let him twirl me around. “I guess that means you liked it, huh?” he shouted into my ear over the crowd.

Pulling away, I stared at his grinning face. “Liked it? Are you kidding me? I loved it! You were amazing!”

“Yeah, and I’m sweating like a pig now.”

I snuggled closer to him. “If I get drenched in your sweat, I can probably make a fortune off this dress on Ebay,” I teased.

“Oh, I can think of several more things to do to get me even sweatier.” He waggled his eyebrows.

I pushed out of his arms. “No thank you! I think I’ll pass.”

“You would, Angel.” He glanced over at AJ and Rhys who were already surrounded by a throng of girls. “Give me five minutes to change and then I’m taking you to dinner.”

I glanced down at my dress. “I hope somewhere pretty low-key.”

“I was thinking IHOP or somewhere like that. Nothing too fancy, Angel.”

I laughed. “You sure know how to wine and dine me, don’t you?”

“Whatever,” he mumbled before he disappeared into the dressing room. True to his word, Jake reappeared in less than five minutes wearing faded and holey jeans and a black t-shirt. Of course, he could manage to make a burlap sack look hot and sexy. As we made our way to the exit, he asked, “You mind if Bray joins us?”

“No, of course not.” We eased into the Hummer limo. “AJ and Rhys not coming?”

Jake grimaced. “No, they’re busy.”

Suddenly, I got his meaning. “Oh, I see.” Thinking of them with random girls made me nauseous. “If I weren’t here, would you be busy too?”

Glancing out the window, Jake refused to meet my gaze. “Yeah, probably.”

“I’m sorry if I’m keeping you from something.”

His head whirled around to pin me with his stare. “You’re not keeping me from anything. I’m exactly where I want to be at the moment and with who I want to be.”

“Oh,” I murmured.

“You don’t sound like you believe me.”

“No, it’s just I’m surprised that’s all.”

He arched his brows at me. “That I want to eat pancakes with you over hooking up with some random bimbo?”

I drew in a sharp breath at his summation. “Yeah, pretty much.”

Jake grinned. “Well, believe it, Angel because it’s the truth. You’re all I want or need at the moment.”

Turning my head, I tried to hide the goofy grin that spread across my cheeks. Jake Slater wanted to be with me over groupies. That was a pretty amazing feeling.

***

Even though I fought hard against it, the next four days moved at warped speed with back-to-back shows. I would have given anything to have stopped the clock, so my time with Abby could have been savored and lasted longer. She was everything I could ever want or need in a girl, and the longer we spent together, the more I realized I hadn’t been shitting Abby when I told her I’d never met someone like her.

I mean, what other girl would just sit around with me, talking all hours of the night about music, life, and family? She was the only girl I had ever been able to drag to an IHOP after a show and then go back to the bus for a jam session. We sang duets to crazy songs like Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn’s Mississippi Woman, Louisiana Man and then Ozzy Osbourne and Lita Ford’s If I Close My Eyes Forever.

When Abby managed to one-up me by learning and singing some of our songs, I swore to her that I would drag her on stage with me at the next show. “Oh hell no!” she had replied.

For her last night on the bus, I’d asked Abby to sleep with me again, but this time we had the bed to ourselves. Nothing happened more than spooning, but I was glad to have her by my side.

But all too soon it was Sunday—the day she had to finally meet back up with the boys. We stopped for a somber breakfast at Cracker Barrel—Abby’s favorite place to eat. She barely ate though. Instead, she pushed her food around while looking between us and tearing up.

With a frustrated grunt, I dropped my fork, and it clattered noisily onto my plate. “Would you stop that? These people are going to think we’ve abducted you or are abusing you or something because of how sad you look.”

She sniffled and swiped her nose with her napkin. “I can’t help it. I’m going to miss you guys.” Although she said “you guys”, she stared pointedly at me.

“We’regonnamissyoutoo,” AJ muttered through a mouthful of pancakes. At her disgusted expression, he poked his lip out. “What can I say? I’m feeling your loss, Angel. I just gotta pack it in because I’m an emotional eater.”

His comment brought a fleeting smile to her face, but all too soon it was gone. Once we finished eating, Abby called a cab to come pick her up.

“We can take you to the hotel.”

“It’s out of your way. I’ve imposed enough already,” she argued.

With a grin, I replied, “Yeah, but you’re an awfully cute imposition.”

She laughed. “Thanks.”

It was then that I hung back and watched Abby go through her goodbyes with the guys. Rhys went first. He hugged her and whispered something in her ear that made her giggle. When Brayden stepped forward, tears shone in Abby’s eyes. Taking her hands in his, he spoke softly to her to which she bobbed her head in agreement. She leaned up and kissed his cheek before he pulled her into his arms. He rubbed wide circles over her back as she sniffled. When she finally pulled away, Bray kissed Abby’s cheek.

As AJ stepped up to her, Abby couldn’t stop the grin that formed on her lips. In a low and tender voice, he started speaking to her in Spanish. She tilted her head and listened to him, sometimes laughing, sometimes tearing up. When he finished, he wrapped her in his arms and squeezed her tight.

The longer Abby lingered in AJ’s arms the harder I had to fight the jealousy that ricocheted through me. When he finally released her, he kissed both her cheeks. Then Abby turned to me with tears shimmering in her eyes, and I felt like I’d been kicked in the gut.

This was it. The moment I’d been dreading for days—the moment I actually had to say goodbye to my Angel. Taking her hand, I walked her away from the bus, so we could have a little privacy. When we’d put enough distance between us and the guys, I turned around. Dark circles formed under Abby’s eyes, and last night I had felt her sobs even though she thought I was asleep.

Rocking back and forth on my heels, I shoved my hands into the back pockets of my faded and holey jeans. “So…”

“So,” Abby repeated lamely.

I cocked my head at her. “It’s kinda stupid saying good-bye because it’s not like we’re not ever going to see or talk to each other again. I’ve got your number, and you’ve got mine.”

“Yes. Regardless of what happens with us, we’ll always be friends.”

“Exactly. It’s not all ending just because you’re getting off the bus. Hell, we’re even song collaborators now.”

She bit down on her lip to keep the tears that pooled in her eyes from escaping. “Sure.”

I took a tentative step toward her. “Angel, what the hell is going on in that head of yours?”

Gazing up at me, Abby gave me a half-hearted smile. “It’s just I can’t help but wonder if that isn’t the line you use with all the other girls. ‘Hey babe, it’s not good-bye’. Not to mention your epically loaded statement of ‘I’ve got your number’. Kinda thinking there’s been a string of girls agonizingly staring at their phones just waiting for a call from you that never came.”

My brows creased in anger. “First of all, I’m not giving you some line. When I say I’ll see you again and that I’ll call, I fucking mean it. And second, there may have been a string of girls leaving this bus like you, but I sure as hell didn’t get their numbers.”

“You didn’t?”

“No, Angel, I didn’t.” I brushed the silky, blonde strands of hair away from Abby’s face to tenderly rub my thumb across her cheek. “Whatever it is that’s started between us, I sure as hell don’t want it to end.”

She sucked in a harsh breath. “So you feel it that strongly too?”

I smiled. “Of course I do. It’s like being zapped by a fucking lightning bolt each and every time you’re near me. You make me think things…feel things I never have before.”

“So have you,” she whispered softly. Her palms flattened against my chest. “Jake, I’m sorry for what I said earlier. I don’t know what to do with all I’m feeling, especially since I have no experience with men.”

“And I could argue that we’re in the same boat here on being totally fucking clueless about what to do.”

Bringing her hand up, she covered mine that was cupping her face. “I know people would tell me that because I’m inexperienced with guys, I’m wrong about what I’m feeling for you.” She shook her head. “But I know without a shadow of a doubt the intensity of what I feel for you is real.”

I feathered kisses along her hand and fingers. “Mmm, do you now?”

“I’ve fallen for you, Jake.”

For a brief instant, it felt like she had nailed me in the balls again. Her words hit me that hard. After a few calming breaths, I managed to grin. “Well, that’s good because I’ve fallen head over fucking heels for you, Angel.”

She laughed. “You have such a way with words.”

“What can I say? You bring out the romantic in me.”

The taxi pulled up to the bus, and I winced. My chest caved in at the prospect of her leaving me, and I had to fight to breathe. I felt like a complete and total pussy. Dammit, when had I become reduced to a codependent dude who needed a woman to survive? But as much as I hated to admit it, the truth was I needed Abby. She was living and breathing peace to my troubled soul—an angel sent straight out of Heaven. Just a look from her could calm me instantly. With everything happening with my mom, I didn’t know how I would make it without her.

Since she could read me so well, Abby threw her arms around my neck, and she pressed herself tight against me. “I wish I didn’t have to leave you. I need you desperately, but I know you need me more.”

“You’re just a phone call away, right?” I asked, hating the way my voice broke with emotion.

“Yes of course. Day or night. If anything happens with your mom or upsets you or if you can’t sleep, you can just call me, okay?”

I groaned. “You make me sound like an utter pussy.”

She giggled, causing her warm breath to heat my neck. “You just have an amazing, tender heart, baby. Because of that, you’re always going to feel more and hurt more than other people.” Pulling away, she stared up at me. “Besides, it isn’t a sign of weakness to need other people.”

“No, it isn’t.”

“So you’ll call me?”

“Oh hell yes, I will.” I leaned over to kiss her. Even though I wanted to press her up against the bus and ravage her mouth while running my hands over her amazing tits, I knew I couldn’t do that. Not only because I wouldn’t dream of disrespecting my girl by giving the cab driver or the guys such a raunchy show, but because I didn’t want to move too fast with her. It wasn’t just her lack of experience—it was because I wanted to make everything perfect for her…and for me.

So with all the restraint I could muster, I brushed my lips chastely against hers. When she sighed in frustration, I pulled away. At her disappointed expression, I couldn’t help laughing. Cupping her cheeks in my hands, I asked, “What was your first part of the duet we sang, Angel?”

“Um, it was about not moving too fast and making it last?”

“Nice rhyming, but yeah, that line.” When her brows furrowed, I grinned. “I haven’t had a relationship with a girl since the band hit big. I’m used to loving in the fast lane, and well, you’re the emergency lane at best.”

“Hey now,” she giggled, smacking my arm playfully.

“So we gotta take this slow. I want to savor what I’m feeling and not ruin it with getting too physical too fast.”

Abby pursed her lips at me. “And what if I want some parts of a physical relationship with you? I’m not talking the full deal…well, not yet anyway.”

I threw my head back and groaned. “Thanks for trying to kill me, Angel. You’ve known me a week, and your rules are to be in love with the person, remember?”

She nibbled my bottom lip. “Yeah, well, maybe I’m on my way to falling in love with you.”

At the honk of the cab’s horn, I let out an exasperated breath. “We both have the worst fucking timing.”

“But we’ll at least continue this conversation later, right?”

“Yes, we will.” I grabbed up her suitcase and guitar case.

“Wait, you don’t—”

“Yes, I do. It’s the gentlemanly thing to do.”

She shook her head and then fell in step behind me. I eased her stuff into the trunk and then closed the lid. “Be careful.”

“Thanks. You too.”

“And knock em’ dead tonight.”

“I’ll try.”

I grinned as I opened the backseat door for her. “You will, and you know I’m always right.”

She rolled her eyes but then smiled. “Bye, Jake.”

“Bye, Angel.”

As she started past me to get into the cab, I stopped her. Sometimes there were just moments you knew you would regret if you didn’t follow your heart. Grabbing the back of her neck, I tipped her head up to mine. Then I brought my mouth to hers. This time I let the warmth of my tongue slide her lips open. When she made a little moan in the back of her throat, I tightened my arms around her waist. God, she tasted good. I could’ve kept on kissing her the whole afternoon, but a symphony of whistles and catcalls interrupted my moment of pure bliss.

I jerked away to see AJ, Brayden, and Rhys standing beside the bus. Warmth flooded Abby’s face as I growled, “Thanks a lot, guys.”

“¡Agarrale el culo, chica!".

Abby’s eyes narrowed before she shouted, “Callete, cabron!”

“What did he just say?” I questioned with a grin.

“Grab his ass, girl,” she replied.

“And what did you say to him?”

She grinned. “I told him to shut up and called him an asshole.”

I laughed. “I’ll make sure to knock the shit out of him for you.”

“Gracias,” she replied. Glancing at the guys, she shook her head. “I’m tempted to give you all the finger, but I’ll just wave instead.”

“Bye, Abby,” they called in unison.

She turned back to me. “Talk to you later.”

“It’s a promise.”

Without another show of affection, she dropped down onto the seat. “The Hilton, please,”

Abby commanded politely.

“Fine, but just so you know, the meter’s been running, sweetie,” the cabbie replied.

“It’s okay.” She glanced up at me and smiled. “It was worth it.”

“Damn straight,” I replied before closing the door.

Like a love-sick teenage girl, I stood waving at her until the cab disappeared over the hill.

***