by Rhonda James
He leaned in close, my heart hitched as I thought he was going to kiss me right there in the store in front of the sales clerk, but at the last second his lips kept moving until they reached my ear and as he whispered I could feel his lips brushing against the tip of my earlobe. “We’ll see about that.” He pulled away slowly, giving me a flash of his dimple before turning to pay for the shirt.
“No flipping way, you’re Sebastian Miles!” the clerk, Katie, according to her nametag, shrieked loudly. Thankfully, the store had only a few customers, none of which paid the screeching clerk with the spiky pink hair any attention. “I am such a huge fan. Can I have your autograph?”
“Sure doll,” he took the offered pen and scrawled out a quick note on a piece of receipt paper. “Katie, thanks for being such a fan. Love your hair. Rock on, Sebastian.” He slid the paper over, and she snatched it, holding it tight against her chest. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes when she told him that the shirt was on the house.
“Does that happen often?” I asked as we left the store.
He grunted and nodded his head, “Yeah, but you get used to it. The fans are what pay the bills. Besides, they are usually pretty harmless. Here,” he thrust the bag into my hand, “I’m not carrying your stuff.” His smile was going to be the death of me. I took the bag and made like I was going to throw it in the nearest trash can, smiling devilishly. “Be nice, I flirted extra hard to get you that free souvenir.”
“Thank you, I love it,” I mumbled, letting my guard down just a little.
“Hey, are you hungry? There’s a bar over here, and they do a pretty mean fish and chips.”
“Starved,” I clapped him on the back. “Lead the way O Cap-i-tan.”
We stopped at an English Pub that looked like a hole in the wall and smelled heavenly. They handed us our fish and chips, and we made our way out back to sit at one of the outdoor picnic tables that overlooked the ocean.
“Oh my gosh, I’m done, Uncle.” I pushed my plate away, leaning back and rubbing my belly. He had been right; the fish was killer. “That was a lot of food.”
“Well, you didn’t have to eat it all,” he joked and ducked as my hand swung out to slug his arm.
“You know how I feel about wasting food. And did you just make a reference to my weight?” I pretend pouted.
“What? Hell no, I would never do that. I mean, I just…” he stumbled over his words, trying to apologize. I thought about letting him suffer a minute longer but decided to cut him a break, after all he did call me gorgeous earlier.
“Hey, I was just kidding, relax dude. No hurt feelings here,” I held up my hands in mock surrender. “What do you say we call it a day? I’m beat.”
“Yeah, that sounds good.” He stood up and held out a hand for me to take, and I grabbed it greedily. His skin felt so warm, and his hands were huge compared to mine, his fingertips were calloused and when we walked he stroked his thumb repeatedly over the back of my hand. The more he talked, the stroking continued, it felt amazing, like little sparks of electricity shooting through my arm and working their way to all the right places. If someone had told me that I would feel this way by a simple touch on my hand, I would have thought they were crazy. But now…
Sebastian~
Holding her hand felt amazing. I wasn’t sure if she would keep it there while we walked. When she didn’t try to pull away, I did what came naturally to me, my thumb stroked over the tender flesh just behind her left thumb, moving back and forth methodically. I felt a long scar and wondered what it was from, maybe a kitchen injury, or maybe something from childhood. The longer I held her hand and moved my thumb, the more relaxed she became. I couldn’t help but notice the way she moved closer to me, our shoulders almost touching, and the way she threw her head back and laughed at nearly everything I said. As we walked, her hair bounced around her shoulders, and I found myself wanting to bury my hands in it, letting them get lost in the silky strands.
The drive home was quiet, we both seemed to be lost in thought. When we arrived home, I wasn’t quite ready to say goodnight. “Hey, want to go outside and sit on the beach?”
“Sure, why not,” she shrugged. We followed the wooden path down to the beach and sat down at the top of a small hill of sand. She leaned back on her elbows and looked up at the sky; I mimicked her actions.
“The stars are beautiful over the ocean,” she gasped, lying flat on her back, arm pressed against mine.
“I love coming out here at night, especially after a long day.” We sat there quietly for what seemed like an eternity. I was dying to kiss her, to feel the soft press of her lips against mine. It was too soon; I didn’t want to scare her off. She appeared to have finally let her guard down after we left the store, and when we had dinner she even flirted with me. No, I had to fight the urge, no matter how great it was. I needed a distraction.
“Hey, how is your head feeling?”
“About the same I guess, still having headaches but not as intense.”
“I’m glad that you decided to stay; I would have been worried if you had tried to fly this soon.”
“Yeah, it probably was for the best. Thanks again for being in the room with me, I don’t like confined spaces,” she shivered slightly.
“Are you cold?” I asked, genuinely concerned, not only for her comfort, but also because I wasn’t ready for her to head off to bed just yet.
“Maybe just a little.” I snuggled closer, careful not to overstep any unwritten boundaries. I felt my heart rate increase, knowing what I was about to do. I took a deep breath and moved my hand slowly, stopping only when it covered hers completely. Before I knew it, her hand had enveloped mine, squeezing it for a brief moment before lacing her fingers through mine. She never made eye contact, just kept looking straight up into the nighttime sky as if this were a natural occurrence for us. I licked my lips nervously, feeling the heat that had begun to radiate throughout my body, letting it warm me completely. The effect she had on me was amazing. I felt like a young schoolboy waiting for his first kiss. For the first time in my adult life, I wondered what it would be like to just kiss and hold a woman, without all of the expectations of sex. I had a feeling that, with Brooke, kissing would more than satisfy my needs.
CHAPTER NINE
Brooke~
Sebastian took off early the next morning, heading off to practice with the band. He had arranged it so that they would meet early and still be done after lunch, so we could have the entire afternoon to hang out. I pushed him out the door, doing my best to convince him that I would be fine on my own for a few hours. Just before he left, he turned to me and pulled me in close for a warm embrace, planting a soft kiss on my forehead, my heart fluttered slightly. I was going to check with Steve and see if that could be part of the concussion symptoms, that had to be it. The only other explanation would be that I had somehow managed to fall for this man, even though I knew that would be a bad idea. We could never make a relationship work. Could we?
“So how is it living with a rock god? Is it everything we dreamed it would be?” Jade gushed into the phone, never even saying hello. “No wait, don’t tell me, I don’t think I can handle it. I’m holding a slight grudge over here, just so you know.”
“That so?” I chuckled, knowing if the roles had been reversed I would be a bitter fool.
“Okay, spill it. I can’t stay mad at you. Jealousy is an ugly accessory,” she sighed dramatically.
“Well, if you’re sure you can handle it, I mean it’s pretty hot stuff,” I teased.
“What! No way! Seriously?” her breath hitched.
“Calm down, good grief, I barely know him. Things have been nice. He is an amazing man. He has been a perfect gentleman. He took me to Malibu and bought me a T-shirt,” I reminisced.
“Is that all?”
“Oh, and he held my hand twice and has kissed me on the forehead a few times.” I heard a thud and then silence, followed by a soft whimper. “Jade?”
“Yeah, sorry about t
hat, I needed a moment. How the hell did you get so lucky?” she guffawed. “Seriously though, you deserve to have good things coming your way. You’ve had enough of the bad stuff to last a lifetime. I’m happy for you sweetie. Relax and enjoy your time with him. What’s up for today?”
“He’s practicing in the studio right now and then coming home later this afternoon. He’s taking me to meet his family tomorrow; they get together for a family dinner every Sunday. I’m a little nervous about that.”
“Sebastian Miles is taking you to meet his parents? That is huge Brooke. Did you know that when he dated Charlotte he never introduced her to his parents? I read that online. You’ve known him for four days, and you get a personal invitation. Sounds like something is going on,” her voice trailed off.
“Shut up, he goes every Sunday. He probably thought it would be rude not to include me since I am stuck here with him. Stop with the matchmaking. I’m afraid that we are not destined to be together,” I sighed. I wish she hadn’t mentioned his former girlfriend, now I found myself wondering why she never met his parents and how I had suddenly become so fortunate.
“And why not? Don’t tell me it’s because you think that you aren’t good enough for him because that is totally not the case.”
“Hello, we live in two different worlds, not to mention on the opposite ends of the country. Besides, I’m pretty sure I could be his type; he’s been flirting quite a bit,” I mumbled.
“Whoa, girl you are at this moment living in a real life fairy tale. This is something we used to dream about when we would drool over them. Enjoy it. But if you get the chance to meet Dek, and you don’t get an autograph for me, I will strangle your blonde butt,” she threatened playfully.
Later that night, the band was planning to stop by to meet me and hang out. I wanted to do something nice, so I decided to make a bunch of appetizers. Earlier, Sebastian had told me where the nearest grocery store was so I went into town and picked up a few items. He tried to discourage me from doing too much, but I held my ground, reminding him of our deal that I would cook for him. I spent the rest of the afternoon in the kitchen while Sebastian sat on the counter and watched.
“You look happy, I think you like being here with me,” he winked, after staring at me for the past twenty minutes.
“It’s the food, I’m always happy in the kitchen, it’s what I do best.”
“Ouch Brooke, you wound me,” he clutched his chest dramatically, shaking his hair and making the locks fall wistfully across his face. Wow, how can that look sexy? When my hair falls across my face it just appears messy and unruly, his looked as if a team of stylists worked hours to make it fall just that perfectly. “I know what you mean though,” he said, hoping off the counter and leaning casually against it. “I feel the same way when I’m on stage, it’s one happy place that no one else can touch.” His eyes gleamed over as he talked about his music.
“I’ve never seen you perform live,” I declared, “I’ve always planned to, but could never afford it when you were in my area.”
“We can change that,” he smiled sweetly, then leaned over to sneak a piece of cheese, popping it in his mouth before I could stop him.
“You’re like a big kid,” I grunted, he wiggled his eyebrows in response.
I like his band mates a lot. I mean, really like them. They were all so nice to me. In all my years dreaming about meeting them, never did I think it would come true, but even when I had dreamed it I could never have made it out to be this cool. They were so laid back and treated me as if I had been around for years. Of course I had to let on that I had been a huge fan since the beginning, which made Sebastian beam with pride, and they had a jam session right there in the middle of the living room where I had a front row seat. No, it was better than front row. I was like, in the middle of it all. Sebastian sat behind me, his legs cradling my body, and he sang while the guys played, and Dek harmonized with him. I sat there, taking it all in with a goofy grin plastered on my face. Chris Gunn was the bassist, he had shoulder-length blonde hair that he usually kept back in a ponytail, but tonight it was down. He was really funny and seemed to like keeping the mood light. Chris and I hit it off immediately, acting almost as if we had been long lost brother and sister. James Dekklan, or Dek as everyone called him, played lead guitar and was covered in tattoos and had short, spiky hair. He was the strong and silent type, no wonder Jade had a thing for him. Travis played the drums and was Sebastian’s older brother. He was the complete opposite of Sebastian, having short blonde hair and green eyes. He was married to Natalie; she was tall with short black hair and chocolate brown eyes. When she smiled it was kind and accepting, all of them were very accepting. I honestly couldn’t remember feeling this happy around a group of people.
We snacked on appetizers and just hung out in the man cave. A few of the guys drank beer, and I couldn’t help but notice that Sebastian only drank water. At one point, Natalie and I got up and carried the dishes into the kitchen while the guys played video games and yelled at each other, playfully, of course.
“Ah, the life of a rock star’s wife,” Natalie muttered, rinsing a dish and placing it in the dishwasher. “These are not exactly the images that flash through your mind when you think of living in mansions and making millions,” she cackled, and what should have come out as harsh and wicked ended up sounding more like a sing-song. I found myself wondering if she ever performed back-up for the band, her voice had such a distinct tone.
“This is second nature to me; I live in a kitchen, so there are always pots and pans that need cleaning, although I don’t usually have to do them unless I am at home. Oh well, I made the mess therefore I should clean it up.”
“The food was great, by the way, I would love the recipe for that hot spinach dip. What did you say those little bites of puff pastry were again?”
“Chicken in Puff pastry, totally easy to make and not at all my recipe, I stole it from someone on Food Network, but it is always a huge hit. Something about the way the Fontina cheese mixes with the fig preserves, it makes my eyes roll back in my head just thinking about it,” I mock swooned, making Natalie crack up.
“Wait, your eyes are already rolling back in your head? I haven’t even touched you yet,” Chris teased, coming up behind me.
“You’re a lunatic,” I laughed, swatting at him.
“Yeah, but you love me already, I can tell,” he winked and grabbed me playfully around the waist, planting a loud kiss next to my lips, my eyes nearly bugged out of my head. “Brooke what do you say you come stay at my house and cook for me the rest of the week, I promise to behave.” He kept one arm draped around me, acting as if we were the new couple. This one was quite the flirt.
“I think that if I’m going to stay at your place I will have to be paid a hefty salary. You know, I get paid pretty well for what I create with these hands,” I teased. Chris put a finger to his chin and pretended to ponder that offer.
“We could make it work,” he quipped playfully.
“Don’t go making any plans to steal her away, I just got her used to being here with me you knucklehead,” laughed Sebastian as he came up behind him, grabbing him and taking him to the floor in a playful wrestling move. They tussled around for a bit on the floor before Chris rolled away, dodging one final mocking blow.
“Feeling a bit possessive are we hipster king? And after only a few days, this can’t be good,” Chris tut-tutted as he stood up and snatched a remaining morsel of food from one of the platters. “Maybe you two lovebirds would like to be alone.”
“You’re one to talk dude, you’ve known her for four hours and have already asked her to move in with you.”
“Yeah well, I know a good thing when I see it. No sense beating around the bush,” Chris winked, I couldn’t suppress my smirk. I knew he was intentionally riling Sebastian up; it definitely worked. Sebastian draped a possessive arm around my shoulder, pulling me in close; I didn’t resist.
By the time the evening wound down and
they were heading out I didn’t want them to leave. It had almost seemed surreal. In a brief moment of clarity, I did pull it together long enough to get Dek’s autograph. Before he would write anything he asked if I had a picture of Jade, which of course I did, he looked it over and smiled devilishly.
“She’s cute, where does she live?”
“Ah, Michigan. And yes, she is very cute, and very much smitten with you so this would mean the world to her,” I smiled, batting my eyelashes for extra incentive.
“You’re cute too but I think you’re already spoken for,” he laughed. “Hey Natalie, you got any of our fan photos on you?”
“Got some in the trunk of my car I think. Why?” she called back.
“I need one, the one of just me and my guitar. It seems I‘ve got a fan that could use one,” he smiled and winked at me. Once Natalie came back in the house with the photo, he bent to write something, tapping the pen against his lips for a few moments before scrawling it out and handing it over to me.
“Thank you. She would have killed me if I didn’t get this,” I muttered, holding the picture up and reading what he wrote.
Jade, a sexy chick that loves my music. Thanks for listening sweetheart. If you ever decide to leave that mitten, look me up. Would love to meet you sometime. Love, Dek
Holy crap, she was going to flip out when she saw this!
CHAPTER TEN
Sebastian~
Last night had been great. The band had accepted Brooke immediately, as I knew they would, and she seemed to like them equally as much. She and Chris had seemed to hit it off; I couldn’t believe the jerk up and teased around with her like that as if trying to show me up. I will admit it, seeing him touching her did something to me, kind of made me see red. I’d heard that expression but never fully understood it until last night, standing in my own kitchen. I had already staked possession, if I had been honest with myself I would have admitted that the stakes had been pounded into the ground long before he laid his hands on her. I had wanted her for myself from the very first moment I laid eyes on her. It’s funny how your heart knows that even before your brain fully catches up.