Westside Series Box Set

by Monica Alexander

  “You got it,” Cam said.

  I headed back to my bunk and dropped my duffel on the floor. I was wiped out from the night before and getting very little sleep, so the effort of unpacking garnered less appeal than usual. Instead I crawled into my bunk and closed the curtain, blocking out the light as I kicked off my sneakers.

  I picked up my phone to call Elisa, figuring I could let her talk me to sleep.

  “Hey,” she said gruffly when she answered.

  “Are you okay?” I asked her softly, not wanting anyone to hear my conversation.

  “Just dragging my bag out to the curb so I can catch a taxi and trying to juggle my tote bag, a latte and my phone.”

  “Oh, well, I can talk to you later,” I offered.

  “No,” she huffed. “I want to talk to you, but just know that if you hear a clunk and I disappear for a few seconds, it’s because I dropped my phone.”

  I chuckled. “Try not to do that. You’ll make me worried.”

  “And what would you have to be worried about?” she asked me.

  “Your phone breaking and us losing our ability to communicate with each other. You know you wouldn’t have this problem had you flown back with me.”

  “I wish I could have, considering I was sandwiched between two large men the whole flight, and one kept wanting to talk to me while I was trying to work. I would have much preferred to be with you.”

  I smiled. “You could have had that. You could have sat in a comfortable seat – or my lap – while you drank cocktails and munched on gourmet snacks.”

  “Ha! But if I was on your lap, you would have distracted me to no end, and I wouldn’t have been able to get any work done.”

  “Work schmerk,” I told her.

  “Hey, I’m balancing two clients here. Between you guys and Sydney, I’ve got a lot going on.”

  “You’re still doing work for Sydney?”

  “A little. I’m picking up projects when I can. I couldn’t leave my girl hanging.”

  “Huh, and here I thought I was the most important client you had.”

  “Nah, just one of the many.”

  “Ouch. That stings. Tell me you miss me. Make it all better.”

  She laughed. “You always were incorrigible. I forgot about that.”

  “Oh yeah? What else did you forget?”

  “Hang on a second,” she told me, and then she was talking to someone else, the cab driver most likely since I heard her give the address for the arena a few seconds later. “Okay, I’m back. What were we talking about?”

  “I asked what else you forgot – about being with me,” I said, lowering my voice just enough to let her know what I was asking.

  “Van Salvatore, this is hardly the place for me to speak of such things.”

  I chuckled, but it came out as a low rumbly sound. “I think it’s the perfect time. I’m lying in my bunk on the bus thinking about last night and wishing you were with me.”

  “Wow, that sounds like it would be cramped.”

  “Yeah, we’d definitely have to conserve space if you know what I mean.”

  “Oh, I know exactly what you mean.”

  “Come see me when you get to the arena,” I told her, even though I knew it wasn’t possible.

  “I can’t,” she told me, but at least she sounded reluctant to say it.

  “I know. I figured I’d try. I’ll see you later, though.”

  “And we’ll keep up the ruse that we’re just two people who know each other but have absolutely no romantic ties.”

  “But we do,” I reminded her, loving that it was the truth.

  “Our little secret,” she said softly, making my stomach tighten at the sultriness in her voice.

  “God, I wish you were here. I miss you already.”

  “Me too. This is going to be harder than I thought.”

  “We’ll get through it,” I promised her. “Five months.”

  “Five months,” she echoed. “So you’re really lying in your bunk?”

  “Yup. I feel a nap coming on.”

  “Must be nice. I’m heading right over to the arena as soon as I get there. I have to make sure everything’s set for tonight.”

  “Oh yeah? Maybe my nap can wait. Maybe I’ll head on over to make sure you have everything you need.”

  “Van,” she said, chastising me for my not so subtle innuendo.

  “I’ll keep my hands to myself,” I promised. “I just want to see you.”

  “Okay, fine. But no touching.”

  “You’ll do well to remember that yourself,” I told her. “I seem to remember you getting a little aggressive in the shower this morning.”

  “Oh, so I’m the one to blame for that?”

  I laughed. “Yeah, it was probably my fault, but you didn’t try to stop me.”

  “I had no reason to. We were alone, and you looked insanely good all naked and dripping with water. I couldn’t stay away.”

  “Good God, woman. You’re killing me.”

  I was almost fully hard just remembering taking her against the shower wall. I wanted a repeat of that as soon as we had access to a bathroom bigger than a postage stamp.

  Elisa laughed. “That’s the point. Maybe I’ll torture you so much that when we’re finally together all you’ll be able to think about is me.”

  “Sweetie, I’m already there, but if you feel compelled to torture me, bring it on. I welcome the challenge, although I have to warn you, if you push me too far to the edge, I’m going to make it worth your while.”

  “If that’s a threat, I’ll take it.”

  “Done. Tomorrow night it’s on.”

  “Tomorrow night,” she echoed. “Sounds like an excellent plan.”

  “I agree. So are you going to watch me perform tonight? I know you’ve made a point of not sticking around for the concerts, but I was sort of thinking, now that we’re together, that you might want to, maybe, hang around and watch me do my thing. I promise it’ll be a good show.”

  “Actually,” she said, sounding sheepish, “I’ve sort of been watching your shows for the past few weeks. After seeing you perform at the fragrance launch, I couldn’t really stay away.”

  “Really,” I said, surprised to hear that. “Saw something you liked, did you?”

  “You know I did.”

  “Very interesting. So, what were you doing? Hiding backstage or something?”

  “Something like that. But now it doesn’t matter. I don’t need to worry about you seeing me. I can hang backstage with everyone else.”

  Just the thought of that had me getting excited for the show that night, which I knew might not be the best thing. I had a feeling if I knew Elisa was backstage, I’d be looking over at her every five seconds when I was supposed to be looking at the audience. Then it might get fairly obvious who I was looking at, which would only draw unwanted attention to what we were trying to keep under the radar. But I was afraid to tell Elisa that, afraid she wouldn’t want to watch if she knew there was a chance we could be exposed so soon.

  “I actually have a better idea,” I told her. “If you’re backstage, I won’t be able to see your face during the show. I’d sort of like to be able to watch you watching us – as long as that doesn’t sound creepy to you.”

  Elisa laughed. “I actually think it’s kind of sweet. It’s not creepy at all.”

  “Cool. Then you should hang with Keri in the press pit.”

  “Maybe I’ll do that.”

  “And you’ll be a damn fine distraction if you do.”

  Elisa laughed again. “Okay, you need to stop. You’re making me blush, Van.”

  “Fine, I’ll stop – for now. But I can’t guarantee what I’ll do in the future.”

  “Whatever. You’re too much. I actually can’t wait to see you.”

  “Well, good news for you, you don’t have to wait very long,” I reminded her. “I’ll see you as soon as you want to see me.”

  “Then it’ll be very soon. I’m almos
t there. Why don’t you take your nap and meet me at the arena in an hour.”

  “I’ll be there,” I told her, not sure I’d be able to sleep after she had me feeling all giddy and playful.

  I’d never felt like this with any other girl. I wasn’t a phone-talker, and I didn’t flirt just for the sake of it. I certainly didn’t ingratiate myself to anyone or admit my faults. I was a completely different person when Elisa was the one I was talking to, and surprisingly enough, I was pretty okay with that.

  “Bye Van,” she said sweetly, and I wondered if I’d ever get tired of hearing her say my name.”

  She hung up before I could say anything, so I set my phone down and closed my eyes, letting my mind drift back to images from the night before. I didn’t get to fantasize long, though, since the curtain on my bunk was thrown open and light spilled in.

  My eyes snapped open to see Phillip staring at me with a wicked grin on his face. “What’s up, bro?”

  “I’m napping,” I told him.

  “No, you’re not. I heard you talking to someone. Who is she?”

  “No one,” I told him.

  “Bullshit.”

  “Go away,” I grumbled, turning my back to him. “You smell like a brewery.”

  I watch Phillip sniff himself and shrug. I was sure he couldn’t smell the alcohol coming off of him, almost like it was seeping out of his pores.

  “Man, come hang out,” he said. “I want to tell you about the girl I was with last night.”

  I groaned. That was a thing we’d done since we’d met, but for the first time, not only could I not tell him about who I’d been with, I didn’t want to. Elisa wasn’t some girl. She was the girl, and I didn’t want to cheapen what we had. It was so much more than a hook-up.

  “Not right now. I’m tired,” I grumbled. “Tell me later.”

  “You can count on it. She did this one thing, shit, man, you’re going to die when you hear it,” he said gleefully. “I wish we weren’t rolling out tonight. I’d see her again just to experience that one more time.”

  “I’m sure it was awesome.”

  “It was,” he assured me as he yanked the curtain closed, giving me my darkness back.

  I set my alarm for an hour and drifted off to thoughts of Elisa, counting the minutes until I could get back to that place where it was just us.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Elisa

  “What are you going to do while I’m gone?” Van asked me as he adjusted his blazer.

  I looked up at him from where I was lying on the huge, cushy hotel bed, wishing he could join me. He looked completely rock star sexy in black jeans, a black blazer, and a black t-shirt with a skull on it. I hated that he was leaving me in a few minutes and that the whole world would get to see him looking that delectable.

  I’d only gotten to Vegas a few hours ago, but I hadn’t come right to the hotel, so I hadn’t gotten as much Van time as I’d wanted. I wasn’t technically supposed to be there at all, so in order to avoid anyone seeing me, I’d done a little shopping, making myself scarce while Van got ready for the Billboard Music Awards.

  I’d been able to finally sneak into his room ten minutes earlier after his stylist had left. It was weird, and it felt a little cheap, but I knew it was the only way. In truth, I hadn’t wanted to follow him to Vegas at all, since it held too many bad memories, it being the scene of the crime and all, but Van had begged me to come with him. I had a hard time saying no when he did that.

  We had yet to really talk about what he’d done to end our relationship the first time around, mostly because I was too afraid of bringing it up and disrupting the balance of the good thing we had going. I wasn’t sure he knew how much it still bothered me and how much I disliked Vegas in general as a result, so it wasn’t like I could use that as an excuse to not go.

  Besides, we were only there for a night. We were leaving the next morning for Lake Tahoe, to go to Van’s house for five days together where prying eyes wouldn’t be able to see us. Unlike the last time the band had a break, the PR team got a break this time too. Katherine said we’d been doing an excellent job over the past few months, so she told us to take some time off. We’d all still have work to do, but it wasn’t anything that demanded I go into the office. As long as I had an Internet connection, I’d be good. And as soon as Van heard I was going to have time off, he told me we were going to Nevada. I hadn't argued.

  Going there meant we could get some much-needed alone time. It had been almost a month since we’d gotten back together, and although we snuck time in whenever we could, it wasn’t always easy, and it always felt like one of us was sneaking in or sneaking out. It was exhausting trying to avoid anyone seeing us, and I needed a break. I needed a few days where I didn’t have to look over my shoulder or lie about where I was going.

  Of course before we could get away, I had to wait for him to walk the red carpet, look all beautiful for the cameras, perform, and maybe win some awards. I knew he wouldn’t be gone long, no more than a couple of hours, since he was skipping the after party. Then I would have him all to myself – at least for five days.

  After Tahoe, we were going to go to L.A. together. The band had studio time booked the following weekend, and the guys were planning to attend the annual party of a well-known music producer. I wouldn’t get to be a part of either of those things, but I knew I’d see Van when he wasn’t working and schmoozing.

  Then after all that, we were scheduled to fly to Philadelphia – me on a commercial flight, and the band on a private plane. They would be back on-stage on Monday night. It felt like a crazy week, but after being on the road for so many months, I was used to it.

  “I’m just going to hang out and order room service,” I told Van. “Maybe I’ll watch a movie. I might take a bubble bath.”

  Van’s shoulders sunk as he met my gaze in the mirror. “Not fair.”

  “What’s not fair?”

  “You being here, naked, without me. I don’t like it.”

  “Do you want me to wait until you get back to get naked?”

  He grinned. “That’s exactly what I want.”

  “Okay, fine,” I said with forced nonchalance. “I suppose I can wait.”

  Van turned and fixed me with the gaze I’d quickly learned was his ‘I want sex’ face. Then he stalked toward the bed, braced his hands on either side of me and moved like he was going to cover my body with his. But at the last second, he stopped, hovering right above me, his strong arms holding him a few inches away from me.

  “Be careful, you’ll mess up your perfectly coifed hair,” I teased him, right as he leaned down and planted a soft kiss on my lips.

  “I don’t care about my hair,” he murmured before deepening the kiss, practically melting into me, his lips soft but sure, pulling me under his spell as I wrapped my arms around him. All too soon it was over, and Van pulled back. “We’ll continue this later.”

  I pouted. “Later sucks.”

  He smiled as he kissed me. “Later,” he promised, the words murmured against my lips.

  I smiled. “Fine, I’ll be here.”

  “You better be.”

  “I will,” I promised.

  Van sighed as he pulled away and moved so he was sitting next to me on the bed. “I wish you could go with me,” he said, lacing our fingers together.

  “I know,” I said, even though I was secretly glad I could stay at the hotel.

  I’d never had the desire to walk a red carpet before. I knew it came with the territory of dating someone famous, but it wasn’t something that sounded fun to me. I wasn’t looking forward to doing it when Van and I eventually went public.

  “It’s not fair. The other guys get to bring their girlfriends,” he grumbled. “Why can’t I?”

  “Because you don’t have a girlfriend,” I reminded him.

  “Yes, I do. I have you.”

  “So, we’re labeling what we are now?” I questioned.

  He shrugged. “I’ve called you m
y girlfriend in my head for the past month, so yeah, I guess so.”

  “Even though I told you I wasn’t ready for that,” I reminded him with raised eyebrows.

  “Yeah, but I was. I’ve never thought of you as anything but my girlfriend.”

  “Okay then,” I agreed.

  Van faltered for a second, eyeing me appraisingly. “Okay? As in, you’re okay with me calling you that?”

  “Sure.”

  “Wow. I didn’t expect that. So, does this mean that I’ve proven to you that I’m not the same guy I was, that I’m not a jerk?” he asked hopefully.

  I rose up to a sitting position so I could look him in the eye. Then I reached up and ran my index finger along his hairline, skimming his waves as I said, “You’ve proven a lot of things to me in the past month, Van.”

  He smiled sheepishly. “I told you I would.”

  “You have, and maybe in time all will be forgotten. Maybe I won’t hate this place so much.”

  I dark cloud passed over Van’s face. I knew I shouldn’t have gone there, but a part of me couldn’t help it. It had been weighing on my mind ever since I’d landed in Vegas.

  “I wish I could take it all back,” he said solemnly.

  “Me too,” I said, and we were met by an overwhelming silence that hung in the air between us, both of us afraid to say what we were thinking. “Are we going to talk about what happened?”

  “I don’t want to,” Van said honestly. “I don’t want to even think about it ever again, but from the look on your face, I’m guessing that’s not an option. You want to talk about it, don’t you?”

  I hesitated before saying. “Sort of.”

  He nodded and squeezed my hand. “Then we will – just not right now. I don’t want to have this conversation and then leave. I’ll spend the whole night worrying about whether or not you’ll be here when I get back.”

  “Where would I go?”

  He didn’t respond. He just leaned forward and kissed me, pulling back to catch my gaze for several seconds, his crystal blue eyes searching mine for something I couldn’t define. But I thought I saw touches of concern and fear.

  “I don’t want to lose you, Elisa,” he finally said.

  “I’m not going anywhere,” I assured him.