MoreOfYou_LPavlov-eBooks

by Pavlov, Laura

  No one laughed. You could cut the tension with a knife. There’d never been any love lost between Dex and I, but obviously he was at odds with everyone now. His gaze was bloodshot, and he was ridiculously thin. His skinny jeans barely clung to his narrow hips. His brown hair was long and disheveled. Dark circles rimmed his eyes and his cheeks were sunken.

  Cruz intertwined his fingers with mine and tucked me beside him as we made our way out of the room.

  “I can’t wait until I have you to myself,” he whispered against my ear.

  “Me either.”

  I dropped down on the stool, and he kissed me before jogging out on stage.

  I took him in. He was mesmerizing. Damn. It was hard to believe he was my boyfriend sometimes. He commanded the attention of everyone in the room, and the venue was packed. He was sexy and confident.

  And he was mine.

  Chapter Four

  Cruz

  The crowd was more aggressive than any we’d faced before. Several people had managed to get on stage, and the energy was palpable. Luke didn’t look pleased as he argued with a security guard off to the side of the stage. I kept an eye on my girl whenever I could, and she smiled and waved every time I caught her gaze. It was the most at peace I’d been in weeks. Having her here settled me. It grounded me in a sense. I’d been running on empty lately and somehow her presence made everything better. This was the first night I wasn’t drunk at a show since the day she’d left. Somehow living in a haze when she was gone made everything more tolerable. Time moved faster and I didn’t have to think about how much I fucking missed her.

  We got our asses off the stage after the last song, and the crowd was abnormally loud as they shouted for an encore.

  “Jesus, they don’t have enough security here. This is a shit show,” Luke said as he paced in the hallway.

  I lit a smoke and pulled Jade beside me. Dex grabbed a bottle of Jack and chugged it. That about summed him up these days. Nothing was in moderation. He was out of control and everyone knew it. Lennon slammed a beer and Adam paced alongside our manager.

  “Dude, I don’t even know if we should go back out there. Did you see how aggressive they were in the front row. I know they’re fans, but it’s like a crowd full of stormtroopers out there,” Adam said.

  I laughed, but Jade looked up at me with concern, twisting the ring I’d given her around her finger. “It’s fine, baby. They’re just excited. It’s your call, Luke. We can go back out, or just call it done. But I think we may need to start traveling with our own security. This is out of control.”

  The crowd grew louder—the tone thunderous.

  A dude walked up and pulled Luke off to the side. They argued back and forth, and I’d never seen our manager so disheveled before. He ran his hand through his hair and his arms flailed around as he spoke. I didn’t know what it was about, but I knew we needed to make a decision soon. The chaotic vibe had me on edge. Someone either needed to entertain them or get us the hell out of the building.

  “Okay, we’re going back on. Two songs and we’re out of here,” Luke said, and he didn’t look happy.

  “Quit being a bunch of pussies. We’re fucking rock stars. Let’s act like it.” Dex slammed back another swig of whiskey and handed the bottle to Luke. He was such an asshole, and now he thought he was our moral compass?

  I kissed Jade. “Sit tight. I’ll be right back.”

  We led with Angel Mine, which I’d written for Jade this summer. I’d sang it to her in private, but this was our first time doing it live. It was a slower ballad, and I hoped it would settle the crowd.

  It did not.

  Dex decided to take it upon himself to start the music for Money Talks, which would have been my last choice for an out of control audience, but we went with it. It was a harder rock song for us, and a crowd favorite. The audience sang along, and we finished strong.

  “You guys have been great. Thanks for having us, Miami,” I called out.

  I looked over my shoulder at Jade who moved to her feet, ready to get the hell out of there, when I saw movement in my peripheral. A group of people stormed the stage, and everything blurred.

  A rush.

  Chaos.

  A fucking shit show.

  I stumbled to stay on my feet and shook some crazy ass chick off my back. People swarmed the stage, running and screaming. Security scattered about trying to gain control, but it wasn’t happening. I searched for my girl as people flooded the side of the stage, trying to make their way in back.

  What the actual fuck?

  I ran toward where Jade had been sitting, shoving people out of my way as I tried to maneuver through the crowd.

  “Jade,” I shouted, but it was impossible to hear over the pandemonium going on around me.

  Jade was smart. She wouldn’t sit there waiting to be trampled.

  I scanned the area. Jade wouldn’t run away if she thought I was in trouble. I searched the stage and spotted her. Of course, she’d gone after me. Charged right into the madness.

  Some dude had his arm around her, trying to help her to her feet when I stormed in and grabbed her. “Thanks. I’ve got her.”

  He put his hands up and I nodded. What the fuck was she thinking running into a fucking shit storm?

  I shielded her and led her off to the opposite side of the stage. Sirens sounded all around which meant the cops were there. Thank fucking Christ. These security guards were in way over their heads.

  “In here.” I pushed open a random door and closed it behind us.

  It was a broom closet, but it would do for now.

  “Are you okay?” I assessed my girlfriend before wrapping my arms around her and pulling her to me.

  “I was afraid you got trampled,” she said breathlessly against my chest.

  I pulled away and looked down at her. “So, you thought you’d run out in the middle of that and look for me? Seriously, Jade? You could have been crushed.”

  “You think I should have left you?”

  I shook my head in frustration. “Fuck yeah, that’s exactly what you should have done.”

  “Sorry to disappoint you, but that’s not who I am.” She crossed her arms in front of her chest. She was rocking dark skinny jeans and a white blousy top. Her dark hair fell in loose waves over her shoulders. It was a little disheveled at the moment and sexy as hell. But it was her mesmerizing green eyes that always got me. Every fucking time.

  “You could never disappoint me, baby,” I said, pulling her against me.

  The chaos was dying down outside and I heard someone call my name. Jade looked up at me and I put my finger up for her to remain there. The last thing I needed was some crazy fan charging her.

  I cracked the door open and found Luke outside, manically calling my name.

  “Dude, we’re in here. Everyone okay?”

  “Fuck, we couldn’t find you. Yes, come on out. Is Jade with you?”

  “Of course,” I said, leading her out.

  “Let’s get out of here. The car’s in back.”

  We followed him out and cops were scattered everywhere. It looked like a fucking war zone. I kept Jade in front of me and guided her to the car.

  Police officers surrounded the waiting limo and we slipped inside. Lennon, Adam and Dex were all there.

  “Jesus dude, where were you?” Lennon said, the fear in his voice impossible to miss. His left eye was swollen, T-shirt ripped, and his hair disheveled.

  “I went to find Jade and pulled her in a closet. What the fuck happened?”

  “I don’t know, but I think my fucking arm is broken,” Dex said, cradling his right arm. It’s the most sober he’d sounded in months.

  Jade moved closer to him. “Can you move it?”

  He grabbed a bottle of whiskey from the back of the limo and handed it to Adam to take the lid off.
“No.”

  Adam opened it and handed it back to Dex. He took a long swig before turning his attention back to Jade. “I can’t move it at all.”

  “I have some ibuprofen in my purse. It’s pretty swollen. This will help with the pain.” She handed him a couple orange pills and he chased them down with the bourbon.

  “Do you think it’s broken?” he asked her.

  “I mean, I’m not a doctor, so I don’t know, but it doesn’t look good. It’s really swollen between your shoulder and your elbow. You may have broken your humerus.”

  “Jesus. I’ll have a doctor come to the hotel. I’m not about to take you to a hospital and risk word getting out and have these crazy ass fans show up there.” Luke dialed his phone and spoke to someone about the situation.

  I leaned back and intertwined my fingers with Jade’s.

  “You okay?” I whispered against her ear.

  “Yeah. That was scary though. Has that happened before?”

  “No. The shows have been getting crazier, but nothing like this,” I said.

  Luke set his phone down. “Okay, the venue just canceled the show tomorrow. They can’t provide proper security and too many people got hurt tonight. They aren’t risking a repeat of what happened. A doctor is meeting us at the hotel to check Dex’s arm out. Is anyone else hurt?”

  We all said we were fine, and Luke called ahead to the hotel to make arrangements to have us brought in through the back door. We remained quiet as the shock of what had happened set in. I led Jade to our room, and she dropped down on the bed.

  I went to the mini bar and downed a small bottle of whiskey. The cool liquid took the edge off. “I’ll order some room service. You must be starving.”

  She reached for something on the nightstand and studied it. “Since when do you take Adderall?”

  “Since I don’t sleep well, and I’m tired all the fucking time.”

  “You saw a doctor for this? Isn’t it for ADHD? Who gave this to you?” she asked.

  “Baby, I’m starving. Can we order first and then I’ll explain it to you?”

  “Sure. I’ll take a grilled cheese.” She continued to study the prescription bottle and started googling on her phone. Fuck. I didn’t want her to make this into a thing. It helped me get through the day right now.

  I called room service and placed our order before sitting down beside her on the bed. I pulled her down to lie with me, so we were facing one another. “I was going to tell you about it when you got here. It’s not a big deal. I saw a doctor and he prescribed them to me.”

  “When did you start taking them?”

  “The week after you left. I just haven’t been sleeping much, and we’ve been so busy. I can’t afford to be tired all the time,” I said.

  She ran her fingers through my hair. “I don’t sleep well when we aren’t together either. I just don’t like the idea of you taking something every day.”

  “Well, I won’t need to take them now that you’re here because I don’t plan on getting out of bed. With the show canceled tomorrow night, we can spend the whole weekend together,” I said, pulling her into me and wrapping my arms around her.

  “That was crazy tonight. I’m still in shock about how out of control it was. Do you think Luke will hire your own security from now on?”

  “I’m sure he’s on the phone with my dad now, and they’ll figure it out. I’m sorry you had to be here for that though. I tried to get to you as soon as I figured out what the fuck was happening,” I said, brushing the hair back from her beautiful face.

  “I tried to get to you, too.”

  “I know you did.” I kissed her hard. I’d missed her so much and I didn’t want to let her go anytime soon.

  Room service interrupted us, and I got up to let them in. Once they left, Jade and I set up a picnic in bed, and we ate and talked for hours.

  “It’s so late.” She yawned.

  “Oh no, you can’t go to sleep yet,” I said, rolling her on her back as I settled above her.

  “Trust me, I have no intention of sleeping.”

  My mouth crashed into hers. Needing, and wanting, and claiming her. Her fingers tangled in my hair, and I pulled her up, lifting her shirt over her head, pausing to take her in.

  “So, fucking beautiful,” I said, as she unhooked her bra and let it fall to the bed. Her dark hair tumbled around her, and she looked like an angel with the light from the moon coming in through the windows and shining down on her. Surrounding her like a halo. I yanked my T-shirt over my head and propped myself above her.

  “I love you,” she whispered.

  “Love you more,” I said.

  I kissed her, making my way down her neck. I wanted to worship every inch of her. I cupped her perfect tits and she moaned.

  “I’ve missed you so much,” she said.

  My lips continued making their way down her body and she arched into me, begging for more. I pushed up and reached over to the nightstand for a condom. I rolled it on as she watched. Her jade eyes big and curious.

  I settled between her legs and took my time, teasing and taunting her.

  “Cruz, please,” she said against my mouth.

  I slowly pressed forward, inch by inch until I filled her. We moved together and her gaze locked with mine. Nothing had ever felt so good. This girl was a part of me. I needed her the way I needed oxygen. Like she was a fucking necessity. She set the pace, moving faster—her need fueling me. I couldn’t hold back any longer, my restraint weakened, and she cried out my name as I went over the edge right alongside her. Panting and breathless, I pulled her to lie on her side facing me.

  I’d never get enough.

  I’d always need more Jade.

  Chapter Five

  Jade

  “Thanks for staying so long today,” Professor Callahan said when she stepped in her office. I’d been here all day, doing research and making calls.

  “No problem. Slowly but surely, we’re getting there.”

  “So, I wanted to talk to you about something. Two physicians I work with have offered to meet with us next weekend and share all their findings on a similar project. The only day they could set aside to meet was Saturday. I know that’s Halloween weekend, but I’m hoping you can make it work. I think this will be a key component to utilize in our finalized paper. Do you think you could be here?”

  My heart sank. Cruz had made sure not to schedule any shows on Halloween, which was the sweetest gesture anyone had ever done for me. Making it a part of his contract so he could always be there for me. Unfortunately, the label had no problem scheduling shows the day before and the day after Halloween in freaking California. So, we’d planned for me to come spend the weekend with him. We’d made it another month, and I couldn’t imagine waiting any longer to see him.

  “Yes, of course. I’ll be there,” I said, swallowing over the lump in my throat. I was lucky to be here. I couldn’t tell her I wanted to go see my boyfriend instead. Cruz and I would have to wait another week to see one another, and I’d muscle through Halloween on my own.

  “You’re the best. I’m very impressed with your work ethic, Jade.”

  It turns out when you have a long-distance boyfriend, the only thing that gets you through the day is throwing yourself into your work.

  “Thank you so much. I’m thrilled to be working with you, Professor Callahan.”

  “Please, call me Elaine. I read through your resume a bit more this morning. Looks like you’re on track to graduate in three years. That’s impressive. I’d like to make this a long-term position through next year, if you’re interested.”

  “Of course, I’m interested. That would be amazing.” The idea of working with her until I graduated thrilled me. She was a big name in the medical field, and she also taught at the medical school here at Northwestern. A letter of recommendation from Ela
ine Callahan would be an awesome addition to my resume when I applied to medical school.

  “Sounds great, Jade. I’ll see you next week?”

  “Okay, thank you.”

  I checked my phone as I started the long walk back to my house. There were thirty-four missed texts and fourteen missed voicemails. My heart sank. I opened the first one from Cruz.

  Cruz ~ Call me. There’s a story going around that I was with some chick. It’s obviously not fucking true. I don’t even know who she is. She’s saying she spent the weekend in Miami with me. I was with you the entire time. She’s making this shit up, baby. Call me.

  Cruz ~ Baby, call me. None of this shit is true. People fucking suck.

  Cruz ~ You know me, Jade. I would never do that.

  My stomach twisted. I tried to calm my breathing as I continued reading.

  Ari ~ Are you okay? This skank is making it up. She claims it was on the weekend you were in Miami. It’s all bullshit. Cruz keeps calling me because he can’t reach you. He’s a wreck, Jade. You need to call him.

  Cruz ~ I need to know you believe me, baby. Please call me.

  Sam ~ Call me.

  Sam ~ This girl is full of shit. You know that, right?

  Lennon ~ Please call my brother. He’s losing his shit. You know this isn’t true. This girl just wants her two minutes of fame.

  Cruz ~ Call me, More Jade.

  I stopped reading. I wanted to search the internet for the story that was clearly going viral, but instead I FaceTimed my boyfriend while I walked. The weather was changing, and the temperature had dropped. My hoodie wasn’t going to cut it much longer.

  “Baby, you know this is a bunch of shit, right?” he said when he answered. He looked tired. His hair was a rumpled mess like he’d been tugging on it for hours.

  “I haven’t seen anything. I’ve been with Professor Callahan. I just got out.”

  “Some crazy bitch that apparently Dex knows, is claiming that when the concert got canceled in Miami, she holed up in a room with me all weekend. Dex was with her that weekend. Not sure how the guy pulled that off with a broken arm. I was with you the entire time. She’s making this shit up. And she’s telling anyone who will listen,” he said.