Chasing Melody

by Erin Cristofoli

  I took his hand and he helped me from the car and our fingers remained interlocked as we walked hand in hand along the boardwalk, until we reached the pier overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Chase looked around cautiously before pulling me up against him as he leaned on the railing.

  “I think this is the first time I haven’t been followed in a long time.”

  I wrapped my arm around his waist and turned us so I could look out at the water.

  “I like this,” he murmured after a while.

  “What?”

  “This feeling of normal. I’m not a superstar tonight, I’m just me.”

  Leaning back so I could look up at him, I replied, “You are always just you, Chase.”

  Leaning down, he pressed his lips to mine. It was sweet and simple, but it was everything in that moment.

  “Come on, let’s walk around,” I suggested. “I’m getting a bit cold.”

  We began to head back, taking the time to duck into the shops there.

  There was one of those instant photo booths in one of the stores and Chase insisted that we go in.

  I pulled out the change we needed from my purse and paused before the last coin went in.

  “Are you ready?”

  “Absolutely.”

  Pushing the last coin into the slot, the timer counted down on the screen. I’m not sure what came over him, but Chase began posing us head to head, “Let’s see your smile, beautiful.”

  Snap.

  He slipped his hat onto my head and while I pursed my lips, he gave the camera a sexy little smirk.

  Snap.

  I put his hat back on his head and looked at the camera. At the last second, Chase kissed my cheek, causing me to me grin widely.

  Snap.

  “Look at me.”

  His voice was only a whisper, but it was full of… need. His eyes matched the feeling I had heard with their intensity. Chase slid his hand along my jaw and slowly leaned into a slow, sensual kiss.

  Snap.

  The kiss lasted way longer than the photo, but I wasn’t complaining. He was such a good kisser. When the photos popped out, we continued on down the rest of the boardwalk. Chase paused there and tugged on my hand. “Let’s take a quick walk along the beach.”

  “I’m not exactly wearing the right shoes for that,” I hesitated, pointing down at my heels.

  “Take them off, silly.”

  I rolled my eyes with a smile and slipped my shoes off. I didn’t want to ruin his fun. We walked a short way, enjoying the sound of the water rushing to shore when we saw a small group approaching us. Chase immediately pulled his hand away, breaking contact with me.

  “Oh my God! It’s Chase Brighton!” I heard one of them say.

  I took a couple more steps off to the side as the crowd pushed forward, surrounding Chase. He was gracious and took photos and signed autographs for his fans while I tried to figure how we were going to get out of here.

  “Don’t worry, Elle, I’m here. I’ll make sure he gets free so you can carry on with your date in a couple of minutes. Chase tends to encourage the fan interaction, as long as everyone stays nice and easy going.” Big Joe explained to me; I had forgotten that he had come with us, but I was relieved in that moment.

  After a few minutes, Big Joe stepped up and joined Chase in the crowd, placing a hand on his shoulder. I glanced down at my shoes – I had to put them back on. Looking around, I found a bench not too far away, and along the route that we would have to take to get back to the car.

  “Joe?” I called out. His eyes flew to mine. I pointed over to the bench and he gave a quick nod.

  As I fiddled with the strap of my shoe, I began to process what had just happened. It had been just us, ya know? Like we had been in our own little bubble. But they’d gone and burst it, and while I could appreciate the adoration of his fans and his desire to make them happy, it had brought back the reality that he was famous and that this was not really my lifestyle. A funny feeling settled over me. I felt like I was being watched. I searched to see where it was coming from, but there were so many people, how could I possibly figure that out.

  “Okay, let’s go,” Joe instructed firmly, and the two men practically marched toward me. I was almost running as we flanked Joe, one of his hands resting on both of us until we reached our waiting car. Chase let out a huge sigh as he sank into the seat.

  “Sorry about all of that,” he apologized. Only when I looked out of the window as we pulled away did I understand why we had hurried so quickly. The crowd had grown significantly. He didn’t try to touch me as we drove on and I could feel that our moment had been lost. But I didn’t want it to end; I wanted our bubble back. Back at the bus, he motioned for me to head upstairs first. But with the courage of a deep breath, I spun around quickly and Chase bumped into me.

  “I don’t want the night to end, I hope you don’t either.” The words rushed from my mouth, my hands resting on his chest. I didn’t wait for him to answer, leaning closer to kiss him.

  He wrapped his hands around my waist and pulled me closer.

  “No, we’re not done yet.”

  Chase grabbed my hand and pulled me up the stairs and closed the door behind us. Twirling me around, we switched places and he attacked my lips with his. His hands pushed my jacket from my shoulders and dropped it and my purse to the floor. Guiding me slowly backward, his fingers slid the zipper of my dress down. I helped slide the fabric down my body until it, too, was on the floor.

  “Up.”

  That’s all he said but his hands grabbed my ass firmly and I jumped up into his arms, wrapping my legs around his waist. He walked us back into his room and shut the door.

  He only broke the kiss for a moment – long enough for him to lay me on the bed and for him to rip off his own clothes. I stripped myself of my remaining lingerie as he watched.

  He climbed on the bed, settling between my legs, the weight of him pressing down on me. He kissed me again, roughly, punishing my lips. This was different than all the other times before. It was still hot as hell, but there was a feeling of intense need, an urgency to having our bodies connected. There was no foreplay, there didn’t need to be any; we were both more than ready.

  Chase leaned back to guide himself in and paused. There was no condom and I didn’t care. I reached down and grabbed his cock, stroking him just oncebefore lifting my hips to start to guide him into me. He took the hint and slid in full hilt. I gasped loudly and he thrust again and again, lifting my legs and changing the angle. Chase was watching me as the intensity grew – until every nerve of my body erupted in overwhelming sensation. I clung to him as my body shook. He didn’t let up, moving faster. I pressed my hands against the headboard, trying hold on. Reaching down between us, he pressed his thumb against my clit, and I cried out his name as he brought on another orgasm. Licking his finger and thumb on one hand, he leaned in closer and grabbed my breast, pinching my nipple until I cried out.

  “Fuck…” he hissed. “I’m going to…”

  One last thrust and he erupted inside of me with a loud, guttural moan.

  Chase fell on top of me, and I could feel his heart racing.

  He slipped out of me as he calmed down, but he didn’t let me go, instead shifting us so that I was sprawled across his body. It was like that, while he gently ran his fingers through my hair that I drifted off to sleep.

  It was early morning when we woke to knocking on the bus, plus Claire calling out. I scrambled for covers but Chase stood and, after pulling on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, he handed me a housecoat. I followed him out to where Claire was standing, eyeing my clothes strewn across the floor. I walked past her, ignoring the look she gave me, and sat down on the couch.

  “Uh, okay, I will totally tease you about this at a later time, and I’m so sorry I had to disturb you this morning, but I need to talk to you about something important.” She was biting her lip nervously as she spoke to Chase.

  “What’s the problem?” he asked.

/>   I walked past them and sat down on the couch. “Chase, you are in the news this morning.”

  He shrugged. “What else is new?”

  “No, I mean both of you.”

  My eyes widened at her words. “Excuse me?”

  She grimaced. “Paps were out last night.”

  “For fuck sakes.” Chase growled.

  Reaching down, I found my purse still lying with my jacket on the floor. I pulled my phone out and found that it was full of text messages from my friends back home.

  “Holy shit.”

  “Some of the media is just starting to figure out who you are.”

  I opened my browser. “Elle, don’t,” Chase warned.

  I, in turn, unleashed a look that silenced him.

  Headlines of Chase’s new flame filled the internet. Photographs of us in the restaurant, walking down the boardwalk with his arm around me, kissing on the pier, as well as beside the bus were everywhere. That feeling of being watched made a whole lot more sense now. I felt violated. Unfortunately, it wasn’t just the photographs. There were endless posts and tweets. While it wasn’t all bad, it didn’t take long to see the negativity as I scrolled down – jealous fans, people asking who I thought I was, and others stating that I didn’t stand a chance.

  I dropped the phone into my lap, my head spinning. Chase came over and sat down beside me. I could feel he wanted to comfort me, but I moved away.

  “Under the circumstances, I think I need just a little bit of space, okay?”

  My eyes searched his. I could see the hurt there from my actions. After a moment, he nodded, his jaw tense. He stood and strode off to his bedroom and shut the door.

  Claire sat down where Chase had just been.

  “I’m sorry, Elle. It doesn’t do any good to look at any of it. It’s all trash.”

  I knew she was trying to comfort me, but it didn’t matter. I picked my phone back up, knowing the words would still be there, but it was like a car wreck, I couldn’t stop myself from looking. For every positive comment, there were three negative ones.

  Is the nanny looking for a raise?

  There was even a photograph of me pushing Ivy in her stroller alongside the security Chase had insisted that I have. I was grateful they had not been able to get a shot of Ivy. She was too young for all of this.

  I closed the browser and moved on to the messages from my friends. Everyone was dying to know what was going on; and all I ached for was my privacy to be returned to me. Was this really what Chase had to deal with all the time?

  She sat there quietly offering silent support until her phone dinged.

  “I have to go deal with some things, but when I got here, there were a ton of paps outside. Maybe you might want to consider staying on the bus until things calm down a bit.”

  She gave me a sad smile and headed off to tend to business. I climbed into my bunk and curled up. God, it sucked feeling like this. I wanted Chase but I didn’t want this kind of attention.

  It was a while later when I heard his bedroom door open and the shower start. Not even the idea of him naked could cheer me up.

  He tapped on the wall next to my bunk. I turned to find him watching me.

  “I have to head out. The show is going to start in a little bit and I have to get ready for it. Are you okay?” he asked gently.

  I nodded.

  “If it’s okay, Claire will bring Ivy back to you.”

  I nodded and slipped from my bunk. “Of course. I could do with some of her cuddles.”

  He nodded in understanding. After a moment of hesitation as if he wanted to say more, he strode off the bus.

  Chase had respected my wishes for a little space, but the lack of contact left me feeling empty. Why did life have to be so damn complicated?

  Chapter Seventeen

  Elle

  We had zig-zagged around California doing five shows in seven nights since the news and speculation had exploded in the media. We’d since left California and had arrived in Phoenix for the next show. I’d been going stir crazy staying on the bus most of the time in fear of the media getting anything else to blast across the tabloids. I certainly didn’t want to be the centre of attention, but it probably wasn’t the kind of attention the band needed. Unfortunately, the problem was that we were in desperate need of groceries, and I’d waited as long as I could to stock the bus.

  I sent Claire a text as I got dressed and she agreed to watch Ivy for me. When she got to the bus, Claire gave me a huge hug.

  “How are you holding up?”

  I shrugged. I didn’t really want to talk about how I was feeling with anyone. I just wanted to get out and back as quickly as possible.

  “I’ve really got to get going, but we’ll talk later.”

  No, we wouldn’t, and she knew it by the sad smile she gave me as I headed outside. I was cautious as I walked over to the security guard who was guarding the lot we were in. I didn’t see any photographers, much to my relief. Grabbing a cab, I directed the driver to head to the nearest grocery store that he could find. It didn’t take long for him to pull up in front of a store. I thanked him for his time and opened the door. I wasn’t even out of car before the cameras began flashing in my face, blinding me. What the fuck!

  I covered up my face as quickly as I could and managed to make it into the store, taking refuge in the manager’s office while I placed a call to Claire.

  “Hello?”

  “You need to send me some help,” I told her, tears welling up in my eyes. My heart was pounding nearly out of my chest. I didn’t think I had ever felt this kind of fear before.

  “Oh no, what’s wrong?”

  “I must have been followed. There are cameras everywhere.”

  “Elle, just stay where you are. Big Joe will be over there in a couple of minutes.”

  The manager of the store was very kind, bringing me a bottle of water and some tissue to wipe the tears that had begun to slide down my cheeks. He left me alone, and boy did I feel it. It didn’t take more than five minutes until there was a heavy knock on the door. Big Joe appeared in the doorway, and I had never been happier to see someone in my life. I watched him slip some folded up bills into the hands of the manager.

  “We can go shop now,” he told me.

  “What was that all about?”

  “They are closing the store for a short time. That was just for their inconvenience.”

  I nodded, my shoulders slumping as I felt defeated. All of this for groceries.

  He followed me around and, when I was done, we left the bags in the store while he guided me through the reporters to the car, like I was a criminal or something. Big Joe loaded up the car and then joined me in the back seat.

  “Thank you,” I murmured.

  He looked down at me, his smile warm. “Anytime, Elle.”

  We pulled up to the bus and I hoped that Chase might be on board. The past few days had been a bit quiet for us; he gave me space and I was afraid to ask him for anything more. But in my heart there was a dull ache of longing to feel the warmth of his arms around me.

  As I boarded the bus with a few bags of groceries, I knew he wasn’t there. Claire and Ivy weren’t there either.

  Once I was done tidying up, I decided to venture out to the arena where they would be playing next. That’s when I saw him. Chase looked sexy in his faded jeans and t-shirt, and I felt immediately drawn to him. But he wasn’t alone. There was a group of female fans surrounding him. My eyes narrowed in on the multiple hands groping his ass. I looked up to see him laughing. It was like a stab in the gut. I’d seen enough. Turning to leave, I was startled to find Brant standing beside me.

  “It’s just the way things are,” he stated quietly.

  “Bullshit.”

  He shrugged. “It’s not like he asked them to.”

  “You are okay with being complacent?” I asked, frustrated.

  “No, of course not. But you have to understand, Elle, we signed up for this life. The good and the b
ad.”

  I turned back to look at Chase in time to see one of the skanky girls grab his face and kiss him.

  “I guess that’s my cue,” I whispered before turning and getting away from there as fast as I could.

  I heard Brant call after me, but I didn’t stop. The tears were running down my face. Fuck. The tabloids would have a field day if they saw me like this. I couldn’t bear the thought.

  “You’ve been avoiding me,” Chase said, approaching me in the kitchen.

  “No, I haven’t,” I answered flatly.

  “Yeah, Elle, you are. We need to talk about why that is.”

  I took a deep breath and moved over near the couch, putting a bit of space between us.

  “I feel like a caged animal. I can’t go anywhere on my own and I definitely won’t risk taking Ivy anywhere. I’m frustrated. Today I made the mistake of taking a chance and slipped out for some groceries.”

  I wrung my fingers together, my head lowered so I didn’t have to look at him.

  “Big Joe had to come help me. The assholes wouldn’t leave me alone.”

  “What?” Chase asked, his voice rising. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I told Claire. The situation was dealt with.”

  “You should have called me.”

  “You were a little busy.”

  He looked confused. “I came to find you, but you had a bunch of fans around you at the time.”

  “Ah, yeah. The local radio station arranged a little meet and greet for some lucky winners.”

  “They sure were lucky.”

  I could see when what I had said registered with him, his jaw tensing.

  “I watched as they groped you and saw as one of them kissed you.”

  “It’s just something that we have to deal with sometimes. People have boundary issues. You know I wouldn’t kiss her back.”

  With a sigh, I replied, “I know. But I can’t stand the thought of anyone else being able to do whatever they want. Combine that with the last few days…”

  A wave of sadness washed over me. “I can’t do this with you anymore. It is way too early into a relationship to be having problems. And I know they aren’t problems that you and I created, but they are problems that are just a product of what you do. Chase, I can’t. I think maybe we jumped into things before we had a chance to think things through. I guess I didn’t really consider all of the consequences as much as I thought I had.”