I knew Parker wasn’t Stephen. He would never attempt to control me or hold me back under any circumstances… but I still couldn’t seem to make the niggling fear in the back of my mind disappear entirely.
I blew out the breath I didn’t realise I’d been holding. “Look, I’m not saying no…”
Parker looked at me intently.
“But I’m not saying yes yet either... I need a few days of peace, okay? I just need to take a few breaths and think about it… is that okay?” I asked him timidly.
I really didn’t want to hurt his feelings, but right in this moment, I couldn’t say yes to him with one hundred percent certainty, and he didn’t deserve anything less.
I shouldn’t have been so worried.
Parker chuckled and lifted me up by my waist. “Whatever you need, legs,” he replied simply.
“I forgot my charger at your place, is it okay if I go back for it?”
Parker chuckled down the line. “I asked you to move in with me, legs. Do you really think I have a problem with you going into my house without me?”
I blushed. “I guess not… it just feels weird not to ask.”
“Well consider this your full access pass, whenever you want, day or night; nothing in that house is off limits, okay?”
“Okay,” I agreed with a smile.
“And besides, Jasper’s never asked once, take a leaf out of his book,” he replied. “Shit, I gotta go, babe, they’re waiting for me in the studio. Is that all you needed?”
“Yeah, I’m good, I love you,” I told him quickly.
“And I love you,” he replied before the call disconnected.
I felt terrible for interrupting his studio session. I’d told him time and time again that if he was busy, he could let my call go to voicemail, but short of being on stage, I doubted there was anything that was a high enough of a priority for him to miss my call.
Not since the whole Stephen drama anyway.
I pulled a u-turn and headed back to Parker’s place. The only good thing about him not being home was that there wasn’t likely to be anybody hanging around outside waiting to take pictures.
I unlocked the front door and paused for a moment, trying to imagine how I’d feel if this were the home I came back to every night.
It needed a woman’s touch – that was obvious, but it was comfortable and cosy and it housed the man I loved.
Why can’t I just say yes?
I still hadn’t given Parker an answer, and I knew he was trying his best, but patience was not one of his strong points.
I need to give him an answer… very soon…
I sighed, stepped inside and shut the front door behind me.
I found my charger right where I’d left it, next to what had now become my side of his bed.
I was about to head back to the front door when I heard a soft melody coming from further down the hallway – the opposite direction in which I’d come.
Weird…
I frowned. I was certain that Parker had turned everything off in his studio before we’d both left this morning – in fact I’d watched him do half of it.
I froze for a moment, deliberating about what to do.
Is there someone here?
I heard the strum of a guitar and decided that there was definitely someone inside this house that shouldn’t have been there.
It could have been anyone, a stalker, a thief…
Sammy had gone with Parker so he wasn’t much help. I cursed myself internally for refusing Parker’s offer of my own protection.
Why am I such a stubborn fool?
I knew I should leave. Go back to the safety of my car and then call Parker, or even Sammy directly to sort it out, but my feet didn’t seem to get the message, so instead of being the smart girl that walks away from what was bound to be trouble, I headed towards it.
As I crept closer I realized that what I could hear wasn’t just music, it was someone singing, and singing damn well.
That voice is incredible.
It could have been a recording, but I doubted it – that voice wasn’t Parker’s and he was the only one that used this studio.
Until now anyway.
I paused right outside the door, pulled Sammy’s number up on the screen of my phone – just in case, took a deep breath, and peaked my head around the doorframe.
I still wasn’t sure what I was expecting to find in there, but it certainly wasn’t this.
“Jasper?” I blurted out.
Jasper dropped the guitar he had in his hands as he jumped nearly a foot in the air with surprise.
It landed on the ground with a loud clatter and I winced – that thing was probably worth a fortune.
“Charlotte… Jesus fuckin’ Christ.” Jasper clasped his hand over his chest as he spoke. “What the hell are you doing back here?”
He let out a deep breath and I felt a tiny bit guilty for scaring the shit out of him. He’d been so caught up in the moment – I’d taken him by complete surprise.
That’s when it hit me again. Jasper had been singing.
“You can sing…” I pointed my finger at him as I glanced around in bewilderment. “And I have a key… and Parker asked me to live here… why are you here? Shouldn’t you be with Parker?” I sucked in a breath at the end of my ramble. “You can sing,” I repeated, still completely shocked with what I’d just uncovered about someone I considered a reasonably good friend.
He picked the guitar up and checked it for damage.
He sighed heavily. “I don’t suppose there’s any way you could not tell Park about this?” he asked, a sheepish expression on his face.
I walked into the room and perched myself next to him on the bench seat he was sitting on.
“I don’t understand, J, you’re really good… Parker doesn’t know?” I inquired softly.
He snorted. “You’re being generous. And no. he doesn’t know.” He shook his head and shrugged.
“Why?” I asked as I attempted to look into his green eyes.
He didn’t look at me, instead fiddling with the pick in his hands.
“Singing and playing is his thing, you know? It’s just a bit of fun for me when I’m alone.” He finally tilted his head to look at me. “Or when I think I’m alone,” he added with a smirk.
He was right, music was Parker’s ‘thing’, but that didn’t mean it couldn’t be Jasper’s thing too.
“Jasper, you’re really good… you should show Parker what you can do, he might be able t—”
“To what?” he interrupted me softly. “Give me special treatment? Use his contacts and his reputation to get me listened to… to get me signed?” He shook his head. “That’s not what I want… did I want a record deal once? Hell yeah I did. Do I want it handed to me because my best mate is the hottest thing in music? Fuck no. But Park would be hurt if I refused his help…” He sighed as he ran his hand through his hair and flipped it back from his face. “It’s just easier this way.”
My heart broke for him. I could see where he was coming from. Parker would love Jasper’s voice – that much I knew already, but he’d do exactly what Jasper didn’t want – he’d do whatever it took to ensure that all J’s dreams came true.
He wouldn’t take no for an answer.
I could understand why Jasper didn’t want it like that – there was nothing quite as satisfying as putting in the hard yards and making your dreams happen on your own skills and merit.
There has to be another way…
“It’s all good, Charlotte; you can’t save the whole world in that brain of yours.” He tapped lightly on the side of my head, obviously aware that my mind was going a mile a minute.
“But you’re sacrificing your dream for the sake of your friendship, and even though I’d probably do the same thing… that sucks.”
He winked at me. “It is what it is, Little Red. It doesn’t bother me so much anymore – Parker’s like a brother to me and I don’t want something as stupid as my average-at
-best singing voice to ruin that.”
He pushed up to his feet and strolled towards the door.
I picked up the guitar pick he’d left sitting on the bench and twirled it around in my fingers.
He paused near the door. “So, you’re moving in here huh?”
“I’m not sure yet...” I confessed. “But he wants me to.”
“Well, give me a heads up when you do,” Jasper told me, having already assumed that I’d be saying yes. “And I’ll make sure I don’t walk around here naked anymore.”
My jaw dropped and I spun around to face him, but he was gone.
He what?
“Jasper?!” I called out after him. “Why the hell are you walking around here naked in the first place?”
“Because I can, Little Red… a little bit of nudity is good for the soul…”
I shook my head in disbelief.
Unbelievable.
“And also, because I know it pisses off your boyfriend,” he added with a chuckle right before I heard the front door close behind him.
Jasper, the dark horse huh.
I sat dumbfounded for a moment, trying to absorb what I’d just witnessed.
I never would have guessed.
I headed to the corner of the room where I knew Parker kept his recording equipment. Jasper was obviously satisfied that Parker never bothered checking if there were recordings other than the ones he’d made – either that or he’d forgotten to delete his song in his hasty exit.
I rummaged in the drawers until I found a USB stick. I rewound the system until I found the moment that it had begun recording – when Jasper had entered the room. I plugged the USB in and listened as the file downloaded.
Jasper was wrong. There was nothing average about his voice as he strummed lightly and sang the lyrics of ‘Can I Be Him’ by James Arthur.
He had a unique rasp to his tone that made for amazing listening.
He’s really good…
I didn’t know much about guitar playing, but he seemed to be doing a pretty great job of that too.
Parker needs to hear this…
Jasper may have asked me to forget about it – but I’d made no promises.
I was going to make something happen.
“Why won’t she move in with me, man?” I asked Jasper. I was centre stage waiting to run the sound check for tonight’s show.
He fiddled with some wiring and checked something off from the sheet on his clipboard. “I dunno, Park,” he answered absently. “Maybe she’s sick of all your damn whining?” he offered helpfully.
I flipped him the bird, but I knew he was probably right. I’d been asking Charlotte nonstop to move in with me – she was probably getting sick of it.
“Do you think I should stop asking?”
He shrugged and shifted a speaker a foot to the right, giving me no real answer.
“C’mon, J, I’m stuck here,” I pleaded with him.
He stopped what he was doing and looked up at me. “I can’t do stage manager and shrink at the same time, man, now I know we discussed my role as being ‘flexible’, but I’m pretty confident this is out of my knowledge base.”
I huffed out a breath and kicked the mic stand with the toe of my shoe.
“Jesus, when did you turn into such a girl?” he taunted me.
I didn’t even bother denying it – Jasper knew how far gone I was when it came to Charlotte.
“Yes, okay… stop fuckin’ hounding her. If she wants to live with you, she’ll tell you. In the meantime do your best impression of a non-love-struck, whiny little punk, and get back to the god damn sound check.”
He picked up his clipboard and carried on about his business like nothing had ever happened.
I chuckled and ran my hand through my hair.
J was right.
If she wants to move in, she’ll let me know
There was this nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach as I watched Parker tonight. Something didn’t feel right with me, but I couldn’t seem to put my finger on what it was.
Parker blew me a kiss from centre stage before taking a sip of his water, and the knot in my gut eased somewhat.
Tonight was just another night for me as a musician’s girlfriend. I had my spot, my security and my sexy-as-hell boyfriend who was putting on an amazing show.
I glanced over at Jasper as he talked rapidly at one of the crew members. He’d seemed tense tonight, and if I had to guess, it was because I’d snapped him singing at Parker’s place the other day.
Jasper played it cool most of the time, but I knew for a fact that he was nervous about what I might decide to do with my knowledge of his secret talents.
Ironically enough, I’d decided I was going to play the recording for Parker tonight when we got home – I had a plan and I couldn’t wait to see it play out like I thought it would.
I was also planning on telling him that I was ready to move in with him. I didn’t know when or how I was going to do it, but I was finally in a place where I thought it was the right decision.
Maybe that’s why I feel so nervous.
“You seem uptight,” Hannah observed.
I forgot she was even there – that’s how distracted I was.
I shrugged. “I feel weird… I think maybe I’m just really tired.”
“Is he still hounding you about moving in with him?”
“If by hounding, you mean asking me every five minutes, then yeah… he’s been doing a damn fine job.” I smiled as I watched Parker swapping out his guitar for another one.
“You don’t want to move in with him?” she quizzed, pulling my attention away from the sex on a stick as he strummed his nimble fingers over the strings.
“Actually…” I blushed. “I wanted to talk to you about something…”
She raised her brows in question.
“I want to know what you’ll do if I were to move out…”
Her eyes lit up and her face broke out into a massive grin. “You’re going to tell him yes?!”
“Hell yes I am,” I told her. “I mean, god, just look at him…” I sighed as my eyes found his gorgeous face and sexy-as-sin body.
“Mmmm hmmmm,” Hannah agreed with a hum. “Have you told him yet?”
I shook my head and got back to my original question. “I’m serious, Han, what will you do?”
“Visit you a lot.” She smirked.
I rolled my eyes.
I can’t just up and leave her.
“I’m serious.” She grinned. “I’ll be fine. I’ll stay in the apartment on my own… or get a flatmate, or move… or whatever the hell works… I don’t care, babe, I just want you to be happy, the rest doesn’t matter.”
There’s a reason she’s my BFF.
“Are you sure?” I asked her quietly.
She didn’t answer me, but instead pulled me in for a hug.
I hugged her back tight. It would be weird not having Hannah around all the time, and we’d have to make some decisions about the in-home business we were running… and then there was the fact that I owned the apartment, but none of that was a big deal.
That’s all just little details.
“I’m so happy for you,” she finally said as she released me. “But also jealous… actually I’m mainly jealous.” She laughed.
I was happy for me too – taking this leap with Parker was something I should have done the first time he asked.
“When are you going to tell him?”
“Tonight’s the night.” I winked. “I’m hoping we’ll skip the after party and head straight home to celebrate.”
“Good luck with that.” Jasper startled me from behind and I jumped.
He was so god damn sneaky, I never knew when he might have been lurking around, eavesdropping and whatever else.
“Why not?” Hannah demanded.
“The label suits are in town… they want the big man at the appearances and the party tonight.”
“Dammit,” I groaned. I was really look
ing forward to a night in.
“Sorry, Little Red… you want to see your man, you’re gonna havta hit the club.” He winked at me before strolling away.
Stupid rock stars and their stupid business…
It wasn’t that I wasn’t expecting it – I was well and truly used to this by now. Wherever Parker went, people followed. He was like a modern-day Pied Piper.
Groupies, paparazzi, media, fans…
No matter where he went, someone was always there.
I’d been to these kind of after parties more times than I could count.
I know the score.
Fifty percent, if not more of these women, didn’t give one single fuck that Parker was taken. I could have been sitting right on his knee, and they would still attempt to coerce him into their bed.
I should have seen it coming.
Taking a trip to the bathroom and leaving Parker on his own was like leaving a pot of honey open for the flies.
Bad idea….
There was this one woman in particular.
Malika.
Jasper had warned me about her from day one – she was after Parker, and she was on a whole new level in comparison to the other groupies.
Of course, I hadn’t been able to help myself, and I’d asked Parker about her. It turns out they had slept together. Once… she wanted more – he wished it’d never happened in the first place. But the fact that she was Jimmy’s sister meant that she was always around.
Thankfully we didn’t spend a lot of time at these kinds of things anymore, but there were certain events Parker couldn’t miss, just like tonight.
Stupid record label.
I just want to go home…
Parker’s noted absence from the regular party scene meant that when he was around, the vultures were out for whatever they could get.
Like right now, as I watched Malika slide her lithe body right into my boyfriend’s lap.
I knew what she was doing. She’d timed her move to perfection. She was banking on me coming out of the bathroom, seeing the scene in front of me and losing my shit.
I wasn’t that stupid.
Parker’s whole body was tense and uncomfortable and he was trying his best to refrain from throwing the bitch across the room.
Paper, Scissors, Rock Page 21