But then, I rolled onto my side, curling around a pillow. Was it really that, though? I could lie to myself and say that Jayson had some ulterior plan that I didn’t understand, but really I knew that rejection was rejection. Same as back home. It was clear that the rock star wasn’t interested in a girl like me. He was way out of my league.
Anyway, it was probably a good thing. Our lifestyles were completely different. I didn’t have time for whatever I had wanted with him. I needed to focus on my job, the whole reason I had come here to LA.
Fortunately, I didn’t have long to dwell on things before unconsciousness stole over me. My sleep was far from restful, but at least it was sleep.
The next day, I felt like death. I was fortunate to not have any meetings going on early that morning because I was seriously doubting my ability to do anything productive before noon. I shook my head. Back home, I never would have done anything like this. I felt embarrassed as I thought about the fact that everyone else was probably feeling fine and dandy that morning, or at least able to pull it together enough to get in to the office and do their job.
I stumbled blearily into the kitchen to make coffee, feeling as though everything took extra long with the state that I was in. The coffee had just finished brewing when there was a knock on the door. I stared blankly at the clock for a moment without really registering it. Seven o’clock in the morning. Who the hell would be knocking on my door at seven o’clock in the morning?
I finally made up my mind to go find out, half expecting that whoever it was would have left by the time I made it there. When I saw Jayson standing there, I did a double-take. “What?” I asked in confusion.
Jayson grinned and handed me a to-go mug. “Hangover cure,” he said, winking at me.
I stared at him for another minute, then decided that I was too hungover to hang on to some semblance of pride by lying that I was fine. I wasn’t fine. I was so far from fine that I was willing to try almost anything.
“Drink it,” Jayson coaxed me. “It’ll help, I promise. I swear by it.”
I shook my head and then took a hesitant sip. I grimaced at the flavor. “What the hell is in this?” I asked, barely managing to swallow it down.
Jayson grinned. “You don’t want to know,” he said. “But I’m not just fucking with you, it really will help.”
I seriously doubted that, but there was something in me that was touched by the fact that he had gone out of his way to bring it over to me. He genuinely did seem to care.
“What are you doing here?” I finally asked.
“I wanted to figure out a drumming schedule that’s going to work for both of us,” he said. “I know that you have to go to work soon probably, and I had some stuff I need to do today too. This will be quick, though.”
I frowned at him, wondering at his change in attitude. Maybe last night had made some sort of an impression on him. Or maybe he’s just not the asshole you originally thought he was, and he was only being defensive because you were kind of bitchy when you went over there.
I stepped back to let him in, leading him toward the kitchen. I took one more sip of the disgusting hangover cure and gagged, putting the cup down on the edge of the counter. “Not gonna happen,” I muttered, grabbing a coffee mug and pouring myself some of the dark elixir. “This is my hangover cure.”
Not that I’d ever really needed one before. I had gotten drunk a few times in college. I wasn’t that much of a good girl. It hadn’t been a ton of fun to actually be drunk, though, and I generally stopped before I hit my limit.
Jayson was grinning when he turned back to me. But his expression quickly turned serious. “I’m used to drumming whenever I feel like it,” he said. “I respect that you have a normal job, though. I was thinking that maybe we could reach some kind of compromise. I’m willing to pay for noise-canceling headphones so that you don’t have to listen to me.”
He said it like it was a done deal. Like it was the obvious solution and like I would be unreasonable if I tried to argue with him.
“Why should I be the one to change my lifestyle because you’re used to drumming whenever you feel like it?” I snapped, putting my hands on my hips. Whatever good feelings I might have had about him, they were gone now, just like that. What an ass. “I’m used to living in peace and quiet.”
“Well, maybe you should have thought that before you moved to LA from wherever the hell it is you’re from,” Jayson said, folding his arms across his chest, now equally annoyed.
For a long moment, we stared one another down, neither of us willing to give an inch. I couldn’t help but feel that the tension between the two of us was one of the hottest things I had ever experienced.
7
Jayson
I stared down at Leah. I had to admit, it was definitely a turn-on to hear her stand up for herself like that. She definitely had an attitude about her, but on the other hand, there was something sexy about a woman who could fight back.
She finally shook her head, looking away first. “Look, I respect the fact that drumming is your job,” she said. “But I work more hours than most people do. I don’t have a nine-to-five; I frequently have more like an eight-to-six. Sometimes more, depending on the week. I need my sleep to keep my brain fresh.”
“So what, you think your job is more important than mine?” I gritted out. I didn’t mean to sound so harsh, but I was sick of people who wrote me off because musicianship wasn’t a “real” job. There was a part of me that knew that people like Mark and Carter were part of the problem. I worked hard, though. I practiced and kept myself in shape and sat down to write lyrics even on days when I would much rather be doing something else. And playing music paid my bills.
Leah sighed and shook her head. “It’s not that,” she said. “Just, I moved here because of my job. I need to take it seriously or else I don’t even know what I’m doing here.” She paused. “Anyway, I can’t exactly sleep in noise-canceling headphones. They’re not comfortable. And I don’t want to listen to music or anything like that. I want peace and quiet. Can’t you do something to make your drums quieter? Or rent a studio or something?”
I snorted. “Do you have any idea how expensive it would be to rent a music studio in LA?”
“Fair enough,” Leah said evenly. “But what about making the drums quieter?”
“I could get drum pads,” I finally admitted. “They won’t have the same effect, though. I’m not just drumming to try to perfect my skills.”
“Then what are you drumming for?” Leah asked wearily.
I shrugged, feeling suddenly embarrassed. Why should I, though? I didn’t care what she thought about me. “It’s a way for me to work out my energy,” I told her. “To decompress and to process what’s going on in my life.” I expected her to sneer at me and say something about my intellect or something.
Instead, Leah cocked her head to the side, looking thoughtful. “I guess I respect that,” she said. “Everyone needs to process. But can’t you do something else?”
“Like what?” I asked blankly.
She threw her hands in the air, clearly losing patience with me. Well, damn it, I was losing patience with her as well. She was acting like the problem was all mine. I had lived here for years now without having any sort of problem.
“Therapy?” she suggested. “Join a gym? I don’t know.”
I scowled at her. I couldn’t believe she was being so unreasonable. Here I was, trying to meet her halfway, but she had to compromise too. I shouldn’t have to get a studio or find something outside of the house to occupy myself. If I was going to have to change the way I lived in my own house, then she was going to have to as well.
“Clearly we’re not going to come up with a solution,” Leah said dryly. “Why don’t you go? I need to get ready for work.”
“That’s it?” I snapped. “You’re not even willing to find some sort of solution?”
“You want a solution?” she shot back. “How about this: you can drum all day
if you want, but at night, you have to be quiet. Just like it says in the lease.”
“That’s not fair,” I said angrily.
Leah grimaced, massaging her temples. “No, what isn’t fair is the pounding headache that I have right now and the fact that I have to go to work, like, now. I’m not in the mood for this, and I don’t see why we need to do it now. You knew I was going to be hungover.”
“Not in the mood for it,” I said sarcastically. “Well, you were certainly in the mood for it last night. From whoever would give it to you.”
Leah jerked back as though I had slapped her, and I instantly regretted saying that. We’d all had our nights, and I could only imagine the kind of stress she was under, moving to a new place and starting a new job. She had just been trying to unwind. I knew how that felt.
Besides, I knew that part of why I threw that in her face was that I was still jealous of the fact she had nearly let Carter kiss her first.
“You’re a jerk,” she said, trying half-heartedly to show me toward the door.
I caught her wrists, only intending to keep her from shoving me. If she wanted me out, I would go under my own speed. But she looked up at me at that moment, her eyes widening as they connected with mine, and I felt that same jolt of electricity inside me.
I didn’t know who moved first, but the next thing I knew, I was kissing her hard. I couldn’t help myself. I knew it was inappropriate, especially in light of what I had just said. She was too close to me, though, her body pressed up against mine, and I couldn’t bring myself to pull away. I was much too turned on to think straight, much too turned on to do the right thing.
And she wasn’t complaining, so why the hell was I trying to control myself anyway? I gave in to my lust, letting instinct take control.
8
Leah
I didn’t know how we had gone from fighting to this, but I definitely knew that I wasn’t going to stop it. If I had thought the previous night’s kiss had been scorching hot, it was nothing compared to this. I couldn’t think; I was consumed by desire. Before I realized it, he had me up on the countertop and was standing between my legs, undoing my robe, his hands sliding up my thighs and then up my sides, toying with my bare breasts.
His touches were only featherlight traces of sensation across my skin, but still I felt overcome with the feeling of it all. I arched into him, wanting more, but he continued to tease me, smiling against my lips.
I was so mad at him, so infuriated by the fact that he seemed to think only of himself.
I thought back to the previous night’s rejection, trying to summon back all the rational thoughts that had come in the wake of that: thoughts about my career, about how inappropriate this was since he was my neighbor and since I didn’t know anything about him. Had it really been rejection, though, or was he really just looking out for me at a time when I was too drunk to do what was best for myself?
Should I stop him from doing this now? I didn’t know that I could if I wanted to.
I gasped as his lips slipped away from mine, nibbling at my jawline and then moving lower. He kept his heated gaze upon me as he licked and nipped at my nipple, making the nub stand out from the flesh like a smooth pebble. He rolled that sensitive bit of skin between his fingertips, and this time I wasn’t arching because the touch wasn’t enough but because it was so damned good.
My legs automatically fell open even wider. I had forgotten all about time, all about the need to get to work. My focus zeroed in on Jayson and the things he could do to my body. The things he was doing to my body.
I moaned with need. Jayson answered with a sexy, dangerous grin. He knew just what he could do with a girl. He no doubt knew just how wet I already was, entrance slicked for him to breach.
He wasn’t there yet, though. He wasn’t through with his teasing.
I knew that like this, he could get me to agree to nearly anything. I wondered if that was all part of his plan: come over here while I was too hungover to really fight him; then when that didn’t work, get me so turned on that I could barely breathe, let alone think.
Still, even though I doubted how trustworthy his motives were, I couldn’t bring myself to pull away. I wanted this bad. And I needed it even more.
I clung to the edge of the countertop as he found his way between my legs. I lifted my hips as he tugged my panties down away from my slick folds. He nuzzled between my legs, and I bit back a needy little whimper, not wholly successfully. Where before his tongue had explored every inch of my mouth, he now pressed it into my entrance, seeming intent on mapping out every inch of me.
He slid his fingers into my opening as his tongue moved up along my folds, trailing sensually over my clit. I swore and wrapped my legs around his shoulders, urging him on with no thought to anything except the pleasure that he was giving me.
I barely heard the sound of knocking out front, but Jayson yanked back immediately. It took me a second to realize that someone out there was yelling his name.
I dragged my robe hastily closed even though it wasn’t as though whoever it was would realize that Jayson was here and come bursting inside. Still, I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed. Now that I was back to reality, I realized just how late it was getting. I needed to get to work. Besides, did I really want to go down this path? Jayson was hot as anything, but all my apprehensions from before had come flooding back.
Who did I think I was kidding? He was a rock star. He was way out of my league. Even if he had been the one to start the kiss last night, even if he seemed like he was interested in me, I knew that it was only because there was no one else there in front of him. This was just a matter of convenience, because I happened to be right next door to him.
And surely once he’d had me, he would move on to other ladies. This was just a one-time thing, and I didn’t do one-time things.
Whoever had interrupted us, they were still out there, pounding on Jayson’s door and shouting his name. The man sounded drunk. I wondered if he was still drunk from the night before or if he had already gotten started on his day. Either way, it was a cold reminder of the world that Jayson lived in. A world that I wanted nothing to do with.
Jayson grimaced and sighed. “Sorry,” he said, straightening up. “I’d better go deal with him.”
There was a part of me that wanted to beg him to ignore it and go back to what he’d been doing before, but I knew better than to do that. No, it was better that he leave and that we forget all about this.
Still, I couldn’t stop myself from going to the window to watch him deal with the drunk guy. I realized with a jolt that it was the guitarist, the one I had almost kissed the night before. Carter. I half expected him to pick up where he had left off the night before, shoving Jayson and yelling about what a cockblock he was.
But of course, if I had been drunk, Carter had been two steps drunker at the very least. He probably didn’t remember me or the previous night at all.
I shook my head. If I was this hungover, I could only imagine how the man would feel once he sobered up.
“Come on,” I heard Jayson say. “Let’s go inside. You need to sleep it off.”
Surprisingly enough, Carter followed meekly inside after him. I frowned, still watching as Jayson closed the door behind himself. I remembered how protective he had been the night before. Now, he had shown that same sort of calmness and concern for his friend. Maybe there was more to my new neighbor than met the eye. Maybe I should give him a chance.
Maybe he wasn’t just some asshole drummer who would move on to the next girl before my bed was even cold.
There was definitely a part of me that wanted to give him that chance, to get to know him better and to see where this could go. I had never been more turned on by anyone before. What was I missing out on? The only way to know was to give this a shot.
For a moment, I stood there indecisively. Then, I shook my head. I was already going to be late getting in to work. Even though there was no one checking what time I came in,
I had a lot of things that needed to get done. If I wanted to move up in the company, I needed to impress everyone with how dedicated I was to my position.
No more dillydallying thinking of rock stars and sex. I had a career to focus on. If I let that go down the drain, then there was no point in being here at all.
9
Jayson
I could have killed Carter for his interruption that morning. All day, I couldn’t get out of my mind how hot Leah had been, sitting up on her countertop like that and begging me for more. She had a scent that drove me wild, and I knew instantly that I could never get enough of the taste of her.
I had never felt so invested in pleasing someone before. Maybe it was just that she was so vocal about what she wanted, her whole body showing me just what she needed more of, from the way she moved into my ministrations to the way that she whimpered and gasped when I’d gotten her close.
I had wanted her to come, to watch her fall apart, to feel her body shudder as it was rocked by pleasure. As for me, I had been achingly hard just going down on her, and I’d been so ready to slide into her once I got her off once… or maybe twice.
I’d had to walk out on those ideas, all because Carter was drunk and couldn’t remember the way back to his place. I couldn’t resent him for it, though. To be honest, I was too worried about him. I had never seen him like that before, and I felt bad for all my mean thoughts about him lately. Clearly there was something really wrong, and I’d had my head so far up my ass worrying about making it big that I hadn’t even noticed.
He was sleeping now on the couch in my living room while I tiptoed around my place. There was a part of me that wanted to go knock on Leah’s door, but I knew there was no way she was home right now anyway. She must have gone off to work at some point. And given how seriously she took her job, if she had gotten there late, she would no doubt stay there just as late, making sure that she still put a full day in.
The Boy Next Door: A Standalone Enemies-to-Lovers Romance Page 4