Rock Star Romance Ultimate Volume 2

by Mankin, Michelle

  Pressure built inside me. I longed to stay, but it was safer and more practical to go.

  I stared at him, my eyes burning, knowing the answer I should give. But the words that slipped from my lips came straight from my heart.

  “Yes. Yes, I’ll stay.”

  With a sigh of relief, he pulled me into him, and my soft curves yielded to his hard planes. Lowering his head, he crushed his lips to mine.

  Rush made slow, tender, beautiful love to me again while the water pelted our bodies and washed away the tears that escaped my eyes. Afterward, he dried my body and then his with a towel.

  Naked, but warm with him holding me, I felt boneless as he carried me to his bed. He laid me on the cool sheets, then came around to climb into the other side of the bed. Drowsy, I watched him with infatuated eyes, taking in his long and lean body, handsome and compelling face, liquid-silver eyes.

  Shifting to his side, he lifted his arm, and I scooted backward into him, loving the way he tucked me to him. His cock, hot and temptingly hard, pressed against my ass as he wrapped his strong arms around me.

  His breathing leveled out, and he dozed off almost immediately. It was just that easy for him. But me, I stayed awake for hours, racking my brain for some way that I wouldn’t lose in the end.

  When dawn lightened the pitch-black of night to shadowy gray, I finally drifted off, but I still didn’t have an answer.

  ***

  Rush

  The feeling I got waking with her in my arms, knowing she’d agreed to stay without money being between us anymore? Nothing in my life had ever made me feel better.

  In fact, everything seemed better. The sun streaming through the blinds was brighter. My heart lighter. My mind sharper. And there was an insistent tune playing like a soundtrack inside my head that I longed to scribble down.

  But as Jewel stirred beside me, stretching her slender arms above her head and dislodging the sheet from her tits, I had a more overwhelming compulsion.

  “Good morning,” I said, lowering my head as she cracked open eyes more beautifully golden than the sun.

  My cell blared, stopping me before I could act on my compulsion. She turned her head toward the sound, and I pressed my lips to her cheek.

  “Fucking hell,” I said. The kiss was nice, but it was only a start. I wanted to skim my mouth over every single inch of her body.

  Sighing, I shifted in bed and snagged my phone, intending to shut the damn thing off, but I changed my mind when I saw who was calling and how many text messages I’d already missed.

  “Hey, Jack, is everything all right? What’s going on?”

  “I’m gonna kill him. This time I’m really going to. Honest to God, I really will.”

  “What’d he do?”

  “He had sex with my wife.”

  My grip tightened on the phone. “The phone thing was a lark. He gets bored easily. You know how he is.”

  “Yeah, believe me, I know.”

  “He doesn’t take anything seriously.”

  “He seemed really serious in my bed last night with my wife.”

  Fuck. “The reconciliation with her is over then?”

  “Oh yeah.”

  Thanks, Ben. Way to completely screw over the group.

  “She was the best thing that ever happened to me.”

  Uh, maybe not the best. Jack had shared shit with her that Ben and I both knew, but rather than help him navigate the pain of his past, she preferred to use it to exploit him.

  “Where are you at right now?” I glanced at Jewel to find her gazing at me, her eyes wide. She was fully awake now.

  “On my way to his house to strangle him.”

  “No you’re not. Do a U-turn and come to Santa Monica to see me.”

  “You’re not gonna talk me out of it.”

  “I’m not gonna say I won’t try. What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t intervene when I knew you were on your way to commit murder?”

  Jack snorted. “I’m replaceable. You’ll find another drummer.”

  “Not true. I was floundering as a musician until I met you and Ben.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Maybe you’ll come by?”

  He sighed. “Yeah.”

  “I’ll get some coffee going,” I said, then clicked off the call and tossed the phone aside.

  Jewel turned over and scooted to climb out of her side of the bed, but I snagged her. Tugging her by the waist, I pulled her back into my arms.

  “I had other plans for the morning,” I growled into the side of her neck.

  “I know you did,” she said, and turned her head to kiss me on the lips.

  It wasn’t much of a kiss, just a chaste press of her mouth to mine. But with her naked, that kiss did insane things to me.

  Pulling back with a small smile, she said, “Don’t apologize.”

  When she wriggled out of my hold, I let her go, mourning the loss of her nakedness and the opportunity to fuck her.

  Jewel yanked the top sheet from the bed and draped it around herself. “You’re being a good friend.” She gave me an approving nod and left the bedroom with the sheet trailing behind her.

  Was I? I leaned back against the upholstered headboard and gave that some thought.

  A good friend would have spoken up and done more to prevent Jack from marrying the bitch in the first place. Ben wasn’t the only one she’d put the moves on, but I’d been wrapped up in my own apathy at the time. My give-a-shit meter was on empty after my father’s funeral.

  Singing came from the other room, and my ears perked up. It was Jewel. Some type of gospel hymn, not a pop tune, but she sang it incredibly well.

  Amazed, I shook my head. Jewel was full of surprises. Every time I turned around, I found more about her that I discovered I liked. More to fill the empty spaces inside me.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  * * *

  Jewel

  Rush was handsome, undeniably good-looking. I’d been downplaying his looks when I first set eyes on him because guys who drove cars like his and looked like him weren’t for girls like me. Still weren’t for me, long term.

  But Jack Howard, the drummer in Rush’s band? He was cute and approachable, the type I would normally go for.

  Short brown hair. Soulful matching eyes. Board shorts. Muscle tee. Flip-flops. Trying to look Cali cool, he had a lean surfer physique, but his skin was too pale to pull it off.

  His dark eyes followed me as I skirted around the dining table. He acted like he wasn’t checking me out, but he so was as I returned from the kitchen with the carafe to fill the coffee mugs for both men.

  But his interest didn’t make my heart flutter. He didn’t give off an arrogant vibe that said I’m going to rock your world and leave you reeling. It was more let me rock you to a steady beat, though his own world seemed more than a little unbalanced at the moment.

  “Where did you say you and Rush met?” Jack asked. Again.

  Rush scowled at him. “She didn’t. I didn’t. It’s none of your business. And keep your eyes to yourself.” He grabbed my hand and took the carafe from me, then placed it on the table. “Leave it, darlin’, yeah?”

  “Maybe I should come back at another time.” Jack’s gaze flicked first to me, then Rush. “You seem pretty busy.”

  “We are, but you made it seem like a life-or-death matter.” Rush frowned. “So, which is it?”

  The sudden loud slam at the front of the condo startled me, and I moved closer to Rush’s side. He put his arm around me.

  “Where the hell is he?” a deep voice roared.

  Heavy footsteps echoed in the kitchen before a tall man with wavy ebony hair and emerald-green eyes appeared. He hadn’t taken the longer route through the living room. Like Jack, he seemed well acquainted with the layout of the condo.

  His eyes narrowed at Jack. “Thought I’d find you here.”

  “You fucking bastard.” Shoving back his chair, Jack launched himself at the other man, but the punch he threw wa
s dodged. Pivoting on his heel, he reared back to deliver another.

  “Cut this shit out!” Rush shouted.

  Pushing himself between the two men, he grabbed Jack’s shoulders and gave him a hard shake. Red-faced, Jack glared past Rush at the newcomer, who seemed strangely calm when confronted with Jack’s fury.

  Gesturing at Jack, the black-haired man hung his head and said flatly, “Go ahead and hit me if it’ll make you feel better.”

  “She’s my wife, Ben. I should kill you.” Jack spat out the words, struggling in Rush’s hold. When Jack closed his eyes for a second, then held up his hands in surrender, Rush let him go but stayed close.

  “You should thank me for doing you a favor.” The newcomer, Ben, slid his hand through his inky-black hair, pulling it off his forehead to reveal a brooding brow and high cheekbones, the perfect complement to his cleft chin.

  My eyes wide, I stood at the other end of the table, watching the drama unfold.

  Rush hadn’t shared what was going on. Not that I didn’t think he wanted me to know, just that there had only been enough time for me to get coffee started and for us both to get dressed —Rush in his jeans but no shirt, as usual.

  I only knew what I’d overheard from the phone call. That Jack wanted to kill someone. Now I knew who and why.

  “How the fuck do you figure that?” Jack’s brown eyes narrowed to slits.

  “Because I’m the best friend you got, and I told you before you put that ring on her finger that she was bad news. She put the moves on every guy in the band. I put her off. Rush put her off. But she just kept coming at me.”

  “I don’t believe you.” Jack said the words, but doubt seemed to flicker in his gaze.

  “You do. You showed me the pics you found on her phone.”

  Jack’s shoulders slumped, his expression bleak. “You could have turned her away.”

  “I did the first half dozen times. But she caught me at a bad time.”

  “Meaning you were drunk.”

  “Meaning I’d had a few drinks and thought she had a few too many too, so I drove her home . . .” Ben’s green gaze landed on me as if seeing me for the first time. “Who’s the hot chick?”

  “She’s with Rush,” Jack said.

  “Hi, I’m Jewel,” I said, wanting to speak for myself. Rush had introduced me to Jack, but the drummer seemed unable to remember my name.

  “Well, hello there, baby.” Broadcasting player vibes, Ben started toward me, but Rush put a hand on his chest to stop him.

  “Stay away from her.” Rush’s snarl made the fine hairs on my nape stand on end. “She belongs to me.”

  “Really?” Ben slowly raked his hooded gaze over me. “That’s never happened before.” His lips curled into a sensual grin as he glanced back at Rush. “Sure you won’t consider sharing?”

  “Absolutely not.” Rush stepped away from Ben and touched my arm. “Babe, do you think you could step out on the porch? Give me and the guys a moment. We’ve got some private stuff we need to work through.”

  “Oh. All right.” I couldn’t help the hurt that seeped into my tone. “I was actually thinking of going to get us something from the bakery we passed by last night. I’ll just get my purse and get out of your way. Take your time. You can come find me when you’re done.”

  Of course he didn’t trust me with the inner workings of the band. Why should he?

  As I left the room, I heard Jack ask again where Rush had met me, but I didn’t hear the reply. Grabbing my purse from the dresser, I moved quickly to the sliding glass doors, not trying to overhear the conversation, but unfortunately, I did.

  “She’s just a hooker,” Rush told his friends.

  I froze for a moment, then forced my feet to carry me through the doors. The brisk ocean breeze whipped away the flash of tears that rushed to my eyes.

  ***

  Rush

  “She’s not an undercover reporter. She won’t tell anyone what she heard. Chill, man.”

  “You sure?” Jack didn’t appear convinced. “Maybe she’s just pretending to be a hooker. You remember that chick Carter Besille sent backstage to spy on us.”

  “Positive.” I nodded. After the fiasco with the talk show host, we started to get nondisclosures signed before we fucked anybody we didn’t know.

  “Well, okay.” Jack seemed to relax.

  “When you’re done, can I have a go at her?” Ben’s gaze moved to the door, but Jewel was already gone. Thankfully.

  “Keep mentally undressing her like you were, and I’ll fuck you up.”

  Inexplicably, Ben grinned.

  “No joke, man.” I shoved him, but he didn’t budge. Ben and I were equally matched physically, but I’d wipe the floor with him if he tried anything with her.

  “About damn time.” His grin widened.

  “What the fuck?”

  “Didn’t like Brenda any more for you than I liked Carrie for him.” He hooked a ringed thumb at Jack. “At least your fiancée wasn’t a cheater, but I never did like the way she made you twist in the wind.”

  I huffed out a sigh, hating to have to remind him. “I stepped out on her—”

  “Yeah?” He shook his head. “Seemed like more of a gray area, if you ask me. But she kept at you afterward. Tightening and tightening the screws.”

  “Now, hold on.”

  “No, man. About damn time you stopped wallowing in guilt. But I’m not totally getting why you wanna get up in my face about some hooker.”

  “Her name is Jewel. She’s a sensitive woman with feelings, not a new plaything for you.”

  “All right.” Ben nodded as if I’d confirmed something. “What Jewel truly is remains to be seen. But for now, we’ve got this loser to sort out.” He gestured to Jack, who glared at him, and pulled out a chair.

  “Pass the fucking coffee. It’s too early in the morning for this.” I glanced back at the sliding doors, wishing I were with Jewel and not dealing with a crisis with the guys. “But since we’re here, we might as well iron some stuff out. I met with Mary yesterday. She rejected everything we turned in for a new album.”

  “No way.” Wincing, Jack scrubbed a hand over his short brown hair, and dropped into a chair on the other side of the table from Ben.

  Joining them at the table, I said, “I agree with her. We have an entire new album to put together on our break, and we’re paying for it. But first, we gotta fix this stupid shit with you two.”

  “It’s not stupid,” Jack mumbled.

  “It’s stupid if we allow it to mess us up,” I said firmly. I’d let this go on too long. I needed to lead the band, both on and off the stage.

  Ben nodded. “Rush is right.”

  “Maybe,” Jack said, his expression somber. “But you gotta know you crossed an uncrossable line.”

  “I do whatever it takes to keep either of you softhearted losers from being played.” Ben’s expression remained as steady as his Fender groove.

  “How about this? Ben agrees to keep his dick in his pants from now on.” I gave Ben the death stare, letting that hang. We had a test of wills for a moment, but when he eventually nodded, I turned to Jack. “And you agree not to murder Ben.”

  Jack’s eyes narrowed.

  “This time around,” I said, and with that clarified, he nodded.

  Thank fuck. No blood spilled and no one is going to jail.

  “On to the new album,” I said, deftly changing the subject. “I might have a decent single for it already. But I need a good drumbeat and some rhyme for my phrases.”

  “I’ll anchor whatever you need.” Jack, my drummer, nodded.

  “Lay the phrases on me,” Ben said. “I’ll see what I can do.”

  “Great.” I reached for my cell to share with them what I had.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  * * *

  Jewel

  I sat at one of the pub-height tables at the bakery with an uneaten Danish in front of me. Feeling numb, I stared through the windows at the ocean, not s
eeing it as a picture to paint like I normally would. My heart ached, missing the hope I’d felt walking the shoreline with Rush only the night before.

  Just a hooker.

  I knew it, knew how this would play out. Yet it seemed I was always determined to learn my lessons the hard way.

  Needing to talk to Cam, I pulled my cell from my bag. She picked up on the first ring.

  “Hey, girlfriend. Whatcha doing?”

  “Checking in,” I said.

  Picking up on my somber mood, she said sharply, “What’s wrong?”

  I sighed. “It’s already happening.”

  “Oh, Jewel. I’m sorry.” She didn’t need to ask. We were sisters cut from the same cloth, only she was one lesson ahead of me. “Need me to come get you?”

  “You don’t have a car, Cam.”

  “I can ride the bus, same as you.”

  “No need. I know the way.” The way backward.

  “You don’t sound good. It really won’t be any trouble.”

  I dropped my head into my hand, lowering my voice as I stared at the table. “It’ll cost money. We’ll need to be careful. I . . . it’ll be a while before I can go back on the street.”

  “Who are you talking to?”

  Startled, I looked up to find Rush standing stiffly a few feet away.

  He glowered at me, his jaw clenched tight. “You’re not going back on the street.”

  My heart pounding madly, I sputtered, “S-sorry, Cam, I gotta go. Rush is here.”

  “He sounds mad.”

  “Yeah, apparently. I’d better see what’s going on.”

  “Call me back.”

  “I will.” I ended the call and set the phone down, then gestured to the stool opposite me. “Have a seat.”

  “Don’t feel like chatting, Jewel. I wanna know what the hell you’re doing.”

  “Just talking to my friend.”

  “About going back to hoo—” He stopped short and glanced around, seeming to realize he was in a crowded place and that people had turned to watch us, probably recognizing him.