“Um … I wanted to tell you that you were amazing,” she said softly, glancing up at him with wide, timid eyes. “During the soundcheck, I mean. That was incredible.”
“Thank you,” he responded hesitantly, his eyes never wavering from hers. He stepped forward slowly and took a seat on the opposite end of the couch, feeling as though he were being pulled in her direction by some unseen energy. There was so much he wanted to say to her. But he felt like a tongue-tied teenager in her presence. It didn't make any sense! He was used to having girls practically fall at his feet; he had no trouble talking his way into their hearts or into their beds. So why the hell did this one render him speechless? He took a deep breath and tried again.
“That shirt,” he began, smiling slightly as he motioned to her t-shirt. “That's a trip. Takes me back to the beginning.”
“Yeah. Thought I'd give you guys a blast from your past,” she said, smiling brightly as she tugged at the hem of her shirt.
“Well, you succeeded,” he smiled at her. Then he looked down at the floor for a moment, nervously wondering what to say next. And he wondered again if he should bring up their torrid encounter, or if he should just leave it alone. She still hadn't mentioned it, so maybe that meant she wanted to put it behind them and pretend it hadn't happened. Maybe that was the best thing for both of them.
“Uh … so you … you went to The Hut a lot back then?” he asked. As if he didn't already know the answer.
“Yeah,” Mercy answered, holding his nervous gaze with one of her own, and wondering why was he asking the question? “It was a regular hang out for a while.”
“Pretty rough place for a little girl,” he offered, and she smiled.
“Now you sound like Mike.”
Noah smiled at her comment. Then he shrugged and said, “You can't blame Mike for trying. It's what parents do, I guess,” he mumbled, thinking about his own dad.
“Yeah, I guess,” she said softly. They were silent then, for a long moment, and Mercy wondered frantically what was going through his mind as she looked at him. At times while they were talking, she caught glimpses of the brash, cocky young man she remembered. But then he would retreat just as suddenly as he appeared, and the anxious energy would return. What was he so nervous about? Was it her? Did she make him nervous? Did their steamy tryst make him anxious around her? She had so many questions rattling around in her brain. Finally, she couldn't stand it anymore. She turned toward him on the couch, looking him square in the eyes.
“You don't remember me, do you?” The instant the words left her mouth, Mercy regretted it. But she had to know. The wondering was driving her insane.
Noah was startled by her question. He never expected her to ask him point blank. To confront him. Was she about to call him out on his bad behavior back then? His mind worked feverishly to decide how to respond. Should he admit the truth? Confess that he couldn't help but remember her? Tell her that she had haunted his dreams for the last four years and inspired so many songs? Yes! He wanted to tell her everything. He opened his mouth to reveal the truth, but what he heard himself say was, “Should I?”
Two harmless little words. But they cut like a knife, and Mercy felt their sting as she looked away, turning slightly to hide her pain from him. “No,” she responded quietly. “I'm sure I was just another face in the crowd for you.” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, determined to push forward. Putting a smile firmly in place, she turned back to him. “My friends and I, we made a habit of following you guys around Hollywood each weekend. Not just The Hut but … wherever. Just to hear you play. That's how we survived our freshman year of college. We'd trudge through the week of classes and studying and then reward ourselves by catching a Jagged Ivory performance,” she said lightly. “So I guess I should thank you for your contribution to my academic career!”
Noah smiled slightly at her, feeling like a jerk. “Glad we could help,” he shrugged, and Mercy smiled brightly at him. But her smile only barely touched her beautiful brown eyes, and Noah could see the hurt hidden behind them. It was that same look she would give him every time he saw her back then, and it was like she'd kicked him in the gut.
“Look, I'm really sorry,” he blurted out, leaning toward her with burning eyes and a voice full of emotion. He wanted to reach out and touch her. To run his fingers over her smooth, peaches and cream skin. To take her into his arms and apologize for being such a prick back then. But he couldn't. No matter how badly he wanted to, he couldn't bring himself to say the words. Not here, backstage at the arena where any number of people could walk in at any minute.
“I mean I … it was, uh … it was just a real crazy time back then,” he mumbled, awkwardly changing direction. “We met so many people back then, so many colorful characters.”
Mercy didn't know what to make of his actions. He seemed conflicted somehow as he apologized for not remembering her. “I understand,” she replied softly.
“I really appreciate it though,” he said, looking into her eyes. “The support. The loyalty.”
Mercy nodded, and smiled softly. “I appreciate the music. You have no idea what it's meant to me.”
Noah stared at her for a moment, thinking about that statement. “You have no idea what it's meant to me,” he answered quietly as they stared into each other's eyes.
“Hey, Noah,” Cory said, opening up the door and ending their private moment. “Meet and Greet with the London JI Fan Club in the Green Room.”
He acknowledged Cory's words with a silent nod. Then he turned back to Mercy and said quietly, “Back to work.”
She smiled at him as he stood and followed Cory out of the room, and she was left wondering what the heck he had meant by his comment.
Chapter Five
The energy in the stadium was electric and palpable, and Mercy could feel it even from her position just off the stage in the wings. She had stood there the entire show, watching in awe as Jagged Ivory brought the entire arena to its feet. The crowd was so pumped, and she could easily see that the guys were feeding off their energy. It was the most amazing experience, watching from this vantage point. And now that she was sort of friends with them, it made it all the more surreal for her. She had seen them perform live countless times, both before they had made it big and since. But this felt somehow different. This was more exciting.
The house lights dimmed once again and the full-to-capacity stadium roared with adulation as the guys said goodnight and left the stage for the final time. It had been an incredible show and they had certainly given the audience their money's worth, performing for two solid hours. And Mercy had never felt more star-struck than she did at that moment. When the guys came off the stage, one by one, she watched them walk past her feeling like a breathless teenager.
She followed them and Mike as they made their way back down to the dressing room. Once there, Noah grabbed a clean towel from the stage hand offering them, and took a moment to bury his face in it, wiping away the pound of sweat gathered there before proceeding down his bare chest. As usual during a show, he had long discarded his t-shirt under the heat of the lights and the exertion of the performance. It was customary for him to remove it onstage and toss it out to the crowd about halfway through a show.
Mercy stood timidly in a corner of the room, frozen to the spot as everyone bustled around her, and she watched him. To her, it felt as if he were the only other person in the room. The towel he held in his hands glided slowly over the medieval dragon tattoo that snaked its way from the right side of his back around to the right side of his chest and abdomen. God, he was perfection, and Mercy could feel herself drooling. He had been magnificent onstage. Wolfish and sexy. His every movement had excited her like foreplay. She wanted him. God help her, she still wanted him. Even with the memories of his rejection still fresh in her mind. What was her problem? Was she simply a glutton for punishment? She had to get a grip on herself.
She was snapped out of her lowly self-assessment when her dad sudd
enly called out, “Hey, Noah, your little friend from the restaurant is waiting in the Green Room!”
Noah grabbed a fresh t-shirt, and Mercy watched as he quickly slipped it on and rounded the guys up to go greet their guest. She was astounded as she watched him play host to that little girl and her parents. He was so genuine and animated, and he looked as though he were really enjoying himself. He made sure all the guys signed her tour program, and he insisted they take a picture together. He did everything he could to put young Mindy Peters on cloud nine, and Mercy was amazed.
She was staring at the scene in fascination when he suddenly looked right at her. “Hey, Mercy! Would you mind?” he said, holding the kid's camera out to her.
“Oh, sure,” she said anxiously, stepping forward to take the camera from him. She felt an internal shock when their fingers lightly brushed one another's, and she looked up slightly startled, only to find his eyes boring into hers. She could feel her face flush slightly as she looked away, and took a step back to take the picture. She took one shot of Mindy and her parents with the entire group, and one shot of just Mindy and Noah. And she smiled at the girl when she handed her camera back to her.
“You're so lucky to be his girlfriend,” the girl gushed as she thanked her and walked away. And Mercy and Noah stood staring at each other with wide, shocked eyes, wondering how she had gotten such a wrong idea.
They hung around in the Green Room for a while greeting other lucky fans and VIP types. And after a while they each made their way back to the dressing room and into the showers. And Mercy watched with a curious frown as the dressing room slowly began to fill up with people, many of them of the female persuasion, and she knew that the party was about to begin. It was the same basic crowd of hangers-on from the clubs four years ago, just with different faces.
When the guys were all cleaned up and present, and milling about the impromptu party in their dressing room, Mercy heard one of the partiers telling Otis and Buz about a hot local nightclub, and they were obviously eager to check it out. She couldn't blame them. It had to be difficult to go straight back to the hotel and wind down after a show when their adrenaline must still be pumping.
“Alright, guys,” Mike was saying, suddenly standing next to her and draping his arm around her shoulders. “Mercy and I are heading out. Great show!”
Mercy couldn't stop herself from rolling her eyes at his words. She didn't want to upset Mike, but she certainly wasn't ready to go back to the hotel either. She wanted to join the party. But before she could protest, Otis spoke up.
“Oh, no you don't,” he said, smiling up at her from his seat on the couch as he pointed his finger at her. “You are not going back to the hotel. You're coming with us!”
“Uh, no. Absolutely not,” Mike said with a raised hand.
“Mike, I don't want to go back to the hotel just yet.”
“You are not going out with them,” Mike said glaring at her with eyes that said he meant business.
“Will you stop doing this,” she hissed at him under her breath. “Didn't we just talk about this at breakfast?”
“Yes. And I agreed to let you have your own room on the rest of this trip, but …”
“But nothing! I am not twelve, Mike,” Mercy reminded him. “I just want to go out and have some fun.”
Mike stared at her, saying nothing, with eyes full of worry. He knew that she was right; she wasn't his sad, scared twelve year old little girl anymore, and she wasn't clinging to him, begging to stay with him.
“Hey, Mike, we're just going to go out to a local nightclub and have a few drinks,” Otis assured him. “Nothing heavy. I swear. Although … I have to say, any chick that used to hang out at The Hut can probably handle herself.”
Mike rolled his eyes at Otis' statement, and Mercy knew that it probably didn't make him feel any better.
“Mike, I promise you she will be safe, and she'll come back in one piece,” Buzzy said, standing up and looking his manager in the eye. “I will keep an eye on her myself.”
“Yeah, no offense, Buz, but that doesn't help a whole lot,” Mike said tightly, and Buz laughed.
“No offense taken, man.”
Noah sat back and listened to the whole exchange quietly from across the room, feeling mixed emotions. Part of him wanted to spend as much time in Mercy's company as he could. But the other part of him didn't want to be anywhere near her.
“Hey,” he said, nudging Cory's arm as they sat on a couch. “I think I'm just going to go back to the room and crash.”
Cory gave him a frown and shook his head. “Noah, come on, man. You're not still trying to avoid Mercy, are you?” he said quietly. “You two looked like you were getting along just fine before the show.”
“We weren't fine, Cory,” Noah answered. “We were … polite. And awkward. Look, I just don't want to be around her and Otis. Watching him sniff around her like she's in heat. I can't watch my brother put the moves on the girl of my dreams, okay. Don't ask me to.”
“Whoa … Noah! Girl of your dreams?” Cory whispered in surprise, and Noah looked at him with a puzzled frown.
“Cory, do you listen to the words of the songs we sing? You think I just make that shit up? You need me to admit it? To spell it out for you? Yes! Girl. Of. My. Dreams. Okay?” he whispered harshly, still looking at his friend as if he didn't understand simple mathematics.
“Noah,” Cory whispered back, looking him in the eyes. “What are you doing, man? If that's really how you feel, then why in the hell are you letting Otis move in on her like that?”
“Because I have no say in the matter, Cory! I don't have any claim on Mercy. I don't even know how she feels; she probably still hates my guts!”
“You don't know that! You won't know a thing until you talk to her about it, man.”
“When we talked earlier today, she didn't mention it. And I got the feeling she didn't want me to mention it either. Like she just wants to forget that it happened.” He let out a sigh of frustration as he thought about their earlier conversation. “And maybe that means she's just not interested anymore.”
Cory said nothing as he shook his head at him, rolling his eyes slightly. He glanced to the other side of the room and watched Mercy for a moment. Then he turned back to his friend and said quietly, “You told me that you ran from her four years ago because you were a scared and stupid. Well, if you ask me, you're still acting scared and stupid.”
“You know what, thanks a lot for your sympathy, dick!”
“Don't dick me, you dumb ass! I'm just calling it like I see it,” Cory shot back. “You say that this chick is the girl of your dreams but you do nothing about it? Yeah. You go back to the hotel and feel sorry for yourself and let Otis slowly charm his way into her panties!”
They glared at each other for a long moment before Noah looked away with a roll of his eyes. Cory was right, he knew. He was acting scared and stupid. What was it about this girl that made him that way? Why was he so afraid to talk to her about what happened? It was a long time ago. Maybe they could put it behind them.
In the end, he decided that Cory made a lot of sense. If he didn't go out with them, all it would do is give Otis a straight shot in the competition. Not that there was a competition going on. But Noah knew that Otis wouldn't see it that way. In his brother's mind, they had always been in competition. Over everything. Games, grades, girls … life. Noah never enjoyed the battle. He had always felt pulled into it reluctantly. But from the time they were very young boys, no matter what they were doing, Otis always turned it into a contest, pitting them against one another. And Noah never actively tried to outdo his older brother but, that was usually the outcome, and O could be a sore loser at times.
The group piled into a limo, accompanied by a few new female friends, and Noah could tell that the guys were trying to be on good behavior, seeing as how Mike's daughter was in their midst. Usually, upon leaving a show, Benji and Buz would have the back of the limo looking like a small, rolling drug hous
e before the vehicle even got underway. But tonight, Noah noticed that everyone simply amused themselves with their new friends as they were driven to the nightclub.
Mercy sat wedged between him and Otis, and the feel of her body so close to his made him crazy. He felt his jaw tighten as he watched Otis place his hand on her knee and lightly squeeze.
“I can't believe Mike actually let go of that chastity belt he's been forcing you to wear,” Otis said quietly, smiling seductively at her. “I think he's worried I'm going to seduce you.”
Mercy laughed slightly, gently removing his hand from her knee. “It's a little late for a chastity belt, I'm afraid. And I think Mike's worried you're going to debase me.”
“Well, you're not afraid of me are you, sweet thing?” he asked with a sexy smile.
“Should I be?”
His smile grew as he stared into her eyes. And as he leaned in to kiss her lips, Noah felt a physical blow to his gut. As if he'd been sucker-punched. He closed his eyes and turned away with gritted teeth.
Mercy was surprised by the kiss, but not overly so. Otis had been flirting with her relentlessly from the moment they'd met. She had thought it harmless, just his friendly, flirty personality. But there was nothing harmless about his kiss. It felt real, and Mercy pulled away, looking into his eyes. He smiled at her and touched her chin with his finger. Fighting confusion, Mercy felt the body next to her tense up, and she glanced to her left to see Noah staring at the two of them with an odd expression on his face. God, what was he thinking? What was she thinking? She didn't want Otis, she wasn't into him that way. She opened her mouth to say something to Noah … to explain that it was a misunderstanding, but she stopped. What could she say to him? It wasn't as though he had showed any interest in her. He hadn't even acknowledged their connection, so what could she say? She didn't owe him anything.
The Essential Jagged Ivory (Jagged Ivory Boxed Set) Page 9