by Clara Bayard
Well Rocked
By Clara Bayard
Rocked Series, #6
Copyright© 2013 by Clara Bayard
www.ClaraBayard.com
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All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Chapter One
I stood in the line, wiping at my eyes and trying to pretend I was invisible. Even in the mad crush of people, some were staring at me. It could have been the red-faced weeping. Or the trembling. Whatever it was that caught their attention, the looks of pity were excruciating.
I was feeling a strange combination of agony and numbness. Like my heart was broken, but it hurt too much to actually feel it. It was all too terrible to be real, but I couldn’t even soothe myself with thoughts that it was a nightmare. That I hadn’t lost everything that mattered in a moment of stupidity.
Before, when Dex and I were alone in that room, he sang to me and I felt like the world was full of possibilities. That I could be anything, do anything. The connection between us was strong and growing every minute. I was reveling in the wildness he brought out in me. I thought our reckless behavior was sexy, a sign of how much we meant to each other.
Now, nose running and eyes starting to swell shut from crying, I’d never been so humiliated or felt so stupid. And the worst part was I had no one but myself to blame.
From the first second I saw Dex I knew who he was. Every broken man-child I’d seen coming through my father’s life and studio growing up. Beautiful and enchanting. But deadly to the hearts of girls like me. Regular girls who could be drawn in, seduced by a spark of something special. He’d dragged me closer physically and emotionally until I was bared completely, defenseless, and giddy with the romance of it all. And then, the first time it mattered, the moment I needed him – he was gone.
I’d supported him, defended him, and helped him deal with his father’s illness and what had I gotten in return? Beautiful, empty words to a song.
The sight of my boss, Ryan catching us kissing flashed behind my eyes every time I closed them to shut out the world. He’d warned me, too. That Dex wouldn’t be on my side. That he wasn’t worth risking a job I loved. A future in the music business that was in my blood.
But did I listen? No. I knew better. No one else was with us when we were alone. No one understood the bond between us. How I understood Dex. How he cared for me.
What a joke. In the back of my mind I’d considered what might happen if we were found out. I imagined some dramatic confrontation. Dex and Ryan nose-to-nose. My boss seething, but resigned. And my lover – my first, my only lover – ferocious and protective.
But instead he’d slunk away and went back to the rest of the band. Back to the people he really cared about. And I was left alone.
“Miss, can I help you?”
I shook my head to clear it a little and looked up at the woman speaking to me. “What?”
“What can I do for you?”
“I-I need a new plane ticket. To America.”
She peered at me over wire-rimmed glasses for a long moment and then nodded. “There are not many options, I’m afraid. We have a number of cancellations and delays.”
“Yeah, I know. The storm. I’ll take whatever you’ve got. The first thing. I don’t care where it lands.”
“All right. May I have your ticket, please?”
I shoved it at her and sighed. As my head dipped my hair fell in my face. With a snarl of anger I yanked at it. Gathering the long blond locks at the nape of my neck, I twisted it hard into a bun. It was a motion that usually calmed me, but now it just infuriated. I’d let my hair down, literally and figuratively and now I was ruined. Going back to the States alone with nothing but shattered dreams. And, I realized, nowhere to live. My apartment in Los Angeles had been sublet and my stuff was all in storage. So much for this great adventure.
“Miss, I am very sorry, but I don’t think I can book you on anything until tomorrow.”
I fought back the urge to snap at her. She was just doing her job, trying to help me. “Oh. Well, okay.”
“If it helps, there are reports of tornado sightings nearby. I don’t think any flights are leaving the country anytime soon.” Rain beat against the windows, hiding the darkening sky from view.
“That’s all right. Thanks for trying.”
“Of course. Give me one moment to print out your new ticket.”
“Thank you.” The manners were automatic. Thankful was the last thing I felt. I needed to be in the air. Heading far away from Glasgow, Dex, and everything. But instead I’d be stuck in the airport with hundreds of other people trying to get away. I wondered if any of them were as miserable as me.
After getting my new ticket I trudged away from the desk, elbowing my way through crowds. What had recently been angry stranded travelers had taken a turn. People seemed to have accepted their fate and decided to make the best of it. I passed by groups sitting everywhere, drinking, eating, chatting, having a good time. I hated them all.
Finally I managed to find a relatively quiet spot in a corner. I was debating whether or not to collapse in a heap on the floor when I noticed the crowd parting, and a buzz of excitement running through the open space.
“Please, no,” I whispered to myself. “Let this be anyone else.”
It was possible. There could be a movie star or some famous athlete in the airport too. The fuss didn’t have to be for one of the members of Dream Defiled. The band I’d come to Europe to tour with. The job I’d left my whole life behind for, pointlessly.
But, of course, this was my life and my luck. And with a blotchy, red face and miserable expression full of dread, my gaze locked onto his.
Dex Winters, the band’s bassist, was striding over to me. And as much as I loathed him, I couldn’t deny how gorgeous he was. Tall and broad-shouldered with chiseled features and over-long, messy black hair, he was sex on legs, and I was speaking from experience. His mouth was set in a hard line, but I remembered the way his lips curled, the way they parted to kiss me everywhere.
I stood up straight and held out a hand to stop him from getting too close. “Don’t.”
“Where the fuck have you been? Do you have the slightest idea how bloody long I’ve been looking for you?” The anger in his voice heightened his British accent, something I’d once found charming and funny. “Liss is weeping, Joe will have probably bribed every guard in this building by now. I can’t believe you’ve run off like that.”
“Fuck off, Dex.”
He gaped at me for a second, and it seemed everyone in the vicinity shared his surprise. Which made sense. It wasn’t often a snotty, red-faced chubby girl told a notoriously sexy rock star to fuck off.
But while I was still reeling from the fact I’d said it out loud, Dex laughed. A full-throated, belly-shaking fit of hilarity. The bastard actually put his hand on my shoulder to steady himself as he tried – and failed – to contain his laughter.
I slapped at the hand and glared at him. “What are you doing?”
He gasped a few times and bent over, hands on his knees. “Christ, woman. You’re full of surprises. Here I come to save the day and you’re telling me off? Fucking brilliant.”
My head was throbbing and I was not in the mood. “What in the world are you talking about? Why are you even here?”
Dex straightened up and looked down at me, his face settling into a serious expression. “I’m here because I don’t trust this prat to do what he agreed to.”
“Huh?”
He turned around and waved someone over. I was too short to see over his shoulder, so I looked under his arm, and groaned.
“Dex, please. Ryan is the last person – second to last person – I want to see right now.”
“Trust me, love, you want to hear what he has to say this time.”
My former boss stomped over, frowning.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
Ryan’s frown deepened before he spoke. “Ask your boyfriend here.”
I looked over at Dex, who was smiling. “Someone just tell me what the hell is happening so I can get away from you people once and for all. I swear-”
“Becca, wait. Just let Ryan say what he’s got to.”
The older man shrugged. “This is a mistake.”
The smile faded from Dex’s face. “Do it. Right now. I won’t tell you again.”
My eyes widened. I’d never heard him talk to Ryan like that.
“Fine, fine.” Ryan cleared his throat. “Rebecca, on further consideration, I believe I may have acted rashly. And I am willing to consider allowing you to continue your work, with a few conditions.”
“Huh?” I looked around for someone to make sense of this.
Dex stepped next to me and slung his arm over my shoulder. “He’s trying to beg you to come back, in his own pathetic, ‘not what we discussed’ way.”
“Come back? To work? You mean I’m not fired?”
Ryan rolled his eyes. “Well, we’ll have to discuss terms, of course. I think a probationary period is very generous, but…yes. I mean you’re not fired. Yet.”
I looked up at Dex, baffled. “What? How?”
He pulled me tight against his body and squeezed me. “Ryan, why don’t you tell her how this happened.”
The band’s tour manager glowered at both of us. “Dex and the rest of the band threatened to quit. Swore they’d never play another show until I took you back on.”
“They what?”
Dex grinned and tilted my chin up so I was looking at him. “Did you think for one second that I would let you go? Let him take you away from me? Because of me?”
A tear slid over my cheek. “I-I guess I did think that.”
“You’re my girl, Becca. I would never.”
A sob bubbled up from my throat but Dex’s mouth crashed down on mine, swallowing it. A fresh reserve of tears I’d thought long since shed burst from my eyes as we kissed. My hands fisted in his shirt, holding on for everything. And as applause broke out around us, I was embarrassed and exhilarated and shocked and amazed, but I didn’t stop kissing him. To think minutes ago I’d thought I’d never feel that mouth against mine. Never fit the wide spread of my hips against his narrow ones.
“Would you stop that, you’re making a scene,” Ryan hissed.
Dex barely broke away far enough to reply. “Fuck off.”
I giggled, brain completely overloaded. Tucking my head under Dex’s chin, I turned to look at Ryan. He was annoyed, but not furious. “Everyone stood up for me?”
From above me, Dex replied. “Well, almost everyone. Rick threw a tantrum and stormed off.” He grabbed my arms and pulled me away so we could look each other in the eye. “The rest were there for you. Are here for you.”
Swallowing past the lump in my throat, I whispered, “Why?”
“For the smartest girl I know, you’re a right idiot sometimes, Becca. They did it because they like you. And respect you. They know how much you’ve done for all of us. And…because of me. They know I need you.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Say yes. Say you’ll come back. Stay with me.”
I licked my dry lips and nodded. “Yes.”
Dex wrapped his arms around me and hugged me so tight I couldn’t breathe. He lifted me off my feet for a few seconds and planted a deep, soulful kiss on me. I could hear the click of cameras snapping photos all around us, but I didn’t care anymore. Where once I would have been mortified, I was delighted. He’d done it. Showed me that what I felt was real and true. That we were in this together. It was terrifying and wonderful.
Chapter Two
My good mood somehow managed to hold out through the exhaustion caused by the rest of that long day. We spent another six hours at the airport, waiting for storms to clear and backed-up planes to depart. By the time we landed in Paris it was the middle of the night. The band had, of course, missed the charity gig they were supposed to play, which was a shame, but I was secretly glad. Instead of having to be in public, we were able to go right to the hotel when we landed, and I could be alone with Dex.
We rode the elevator with everyone else and I was giddy with the realization that we could go to his room without worrying about being spotted. I didn’t plan to throw our relationship in everyone’s face, but I wasn’t going to hide it anymore. And as long as I did my job, Ryan would let me stay.
Clearly thinking the same thing, Dex kept touching me. A hand on my lower back. Pressing his leg against mine. Lack of sleep and the emotional rollercoaster had left me feeling like I was on drugs, and unsure if I liked it.
But what I knew I definitely liked was walking into Dex’s room and shutting the door behind us. Just the two of us, away from the band and the world, if only for a few hours.
As I shoved our bags into a corner, he closed in on me, wrapping his strong arms around my waist.
“This is the strangest fucking day ever.”
I giggled. “Pretty much. I’m still a bit in a haze.”
He leaned over and nuzzled at my neck. “Need some help winding down, love?”
“Mm. Sounds good.” It felt good too, but there was one thing I needed to do first. “But hold that thought. I need to talk to you.”
“No, no, no,” he murmured against my skin. “No more talking.”
“Come on. Give me five minutes.”
He licked the line of my jaw, sighed and then pulled back. “Fine. But hurry. I’m knackered but I won’t sleep tonight without getting my hands on you.”
I smiled and my stomach flipped, but tried to concentrate. Taking a deep breath, I stepped away from him and perched on the edge of a plush chair by the window. “I owe you an apology, Dex.”
He sprawled out on the bed on his side, facing me. “No you don’t.”
“Yes, I do.” I looked down at my hands, feeling ashamed of myself. “I didn’t trust you. I didn’t believe you. Didn’t believe in us. That was wrong.”
“I understand. You were freaked out. I was freaked out.”
“That doesn’t excuse what I thought. I was furious with you. Disappointed in you.”
Dex sat up then, hair falling in his eyes. “Becca, it’s fine. I haven’t exactly given you a lot of reasons to have faith in me. But that’s going to change. When Ryan caught us and fired you, I felt sick. With him, with myself, with everything. You’ve done so much for me, been there for me. Hell, I wouldn’t have had the stones to go see my father, let alone convince Ryan to let me. Not without you right there next to me. Fighting for me. Helping me be strong instead of a coward.”
I shook my head as tears filled my eyes. “You’re no coward. Honey, you’re my hero. I was just so scared, so upset that I forgot it.”
He slid off the bed and knelt in front of me, taking my hands in his. “I should have said something, but I was panicking. I know Ryan, how his brain works. I was just focused on making him change it, I didn’t think about how you’d be feeling right then. I was trying to fix it, but should have taken a minute to talk to you about what I was planning.”
I squeezed his fingers. “How did it happen, anyway?”
He grinned. “As soon as you ran out, he got on the phone. I huddled with everyone and told them what had happened, and what I was going to do. Honestly, I never thought of asking them to join in, but they d
id. You need to know that. Matthew and Joe were ready. Liss was fuming. Even Steve was willing to quit if Ryan wouldn’t hire you back.
We went to him as a group. He tried to brush us off but I wouldn’t let him. I looked him in the eye and told him there would be no tour without you. He laughed at first, but when the others agreed, I could see the anger in him turn to fear. He knew we were serious. And knew he’d be out of a job too if he didn’t relent. The label and rest of our management doesn’t give a shit who I’m kissing, but they sure as hell would care if we cancelled the next two weeks’ worth of dates and lost all the money they laid out for this.”
It was inspiring and moving to hear the emotion in his voice as he explained. See the intensity in his eyes. “Thank you.”
Dex pulled my hands to his chest. “Don’t thank me. Just know that you’ve changed my life. Changed who I am. And there’s nothing in the world that I can ever do to repay that. But I’m sure as shit going to try.”
I was crying again, but didn’t care. I kissed him, sliding off the chair as I wrapped my arms around his neck. We landed in the floor in a heap of tangled limbs, but didn’t stop to move into a more comfortable position. Dex’s tongue snaked between my lips, tasting me. I dug my fingers into the thick hair hanging over the neck of his t-shirt and pressed my body close against his.
Kissing him was like drowning in beauty. Overwhelming, he took my breath away, but left desire, a desperate need for his touch behind.
His hands dipped under my shirt and I sighed.
“You like that?” he asked against my mouth.
“I like everything you do to me.”
“Good.”
I held him tighter and we started to roll over, but banged into the side of the bed. “Ouch.”
Dex chuckled. “Careful.”
I groaned. “As sexy as this is, I think we should get off the floor.”
“Why?”
“Because we’ve been traveling and sitting and standing all day. I was sore when we walked in the door, this isn’t helping.”
He poked me in the side, smiling. “You sound like an old woman, Becca.”