Fractured Hearts: A Fractured Rock Star Romance

by L. M. Dalgleish

Tex appeared next to him, his own bag and Lexie’s slung over his shoulder, and his guitar case held in his hand.

  “Nice view?”

  Connor glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. The smirk on Tex’s face and the direction of his gaze were good enough evidence he knew Connor wasn’t looking at the ocean.

  Well, apparently he wasn’t hiding shit from Tex.

  “Beautiful,” he muttered, before turning back to the car and grabbing his bag and guitar case out of the trunk.

  “Lexie, we’re heading up to the house,” Tex called out to her.

  Lexie dropped the camera from her face, letting it hang from the strap around her neck, and turned back to them. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes sparkled in the bright sunshine.

  “I’ll be up in a minute; I just want to get a couple more shots,” she called back.

  Connor turned and headed up the stairs, taking them two at a time. He needed to get away from her, from the desire that kicked through him every time she looked at him or smiled or just fucking breathed. He reached the top of the stairs and shouldered his way into the house, letting the door slam behind him. He should have just let her stay back at the hotel.

  Chapter 25

  Lexie turned around at the sound of the slamming door. She wasn’t sure what had got into Connor. Since he’d practically forced her to join them, he’d barely said a word to her. She’d caught his eye a couple of times in the rearview mirror on the drive up, but he hadn’t once smiled, and she got the feeling he was angry at her, though she didn’t know why he would be.

  Turning back to the spectacular vista spread out in front of her, Lexie took a few steps out onto the dunes beside Drew’s beautiful Cape Cod-style house, taking photos as she went. She breathed in the fresh, briny sea air; the scent of which usually left her calm and invigorated. But even the beach couldn’t completely soothe her rattled nerves when she was feeling so conflicted. Her continuing attraction to Connor—someone she knew was completely wrong for her—along with her fear that she was forgetting Damien, had her mind and heart in complete turmoil.

  Not wanting to go into the house and keep pretending she was fine, she sat down in the sand, pulling her knees up to her chest and resting her chin on them. Looking out at the endless sparkling blue, she let the sound of the waves wash over her.

  Finally, the chaos in her mind ebbed, leaving her more at peace than she’d been in days. She stretched her legs out and lay back on the sand, spreading her arms out to either side of her, closing her eyes and basking in the warmth of the sun kissing her skin.

  A shadow fell over her, and she blinked her eyes open, bringing up a hand to shade them so she could see who it was. Her heart jumped for a second, thinking it might be Connor, but the bulk of the silhouette indicated it was Tex.

  “Hey there, darlin’. Everything okay?”

  She smiled up at him but didn’t move. “Just enjoying the peacefulness.”

  “I might join you, then.”

  Without a second’s hesitation, he whipped his t-shirt off over his head, dropped it on the ground, and lay down next to her.

  She angled her head so that she could see his face, which was turned up toward the sun, his eyes closed. She skimmed her gaze down the hard planes of his muscular, tattooed chest and sighed to herself. How much simpler it would be if she was attracted to Tex instead of Connor. Inside that sinfully gorgeous, rough exterior, Tex was a romantic through and through. Lexie could imagine that whatever lucky woman he eventually fell in love with would get treated like a queen. What woman in her right mind wouldn’t want to be with a man like that?

  She blew out a breath of air in frustration. Apparently, she was not in her right mind.

  At the sound, Tex turned his head to face her. His eyes leisurely scanned her face.

  “You are one beautiful woman, Lexie. You know that, right?”

  Lexie’s heart pounded. He wasn’t going to kiss her again, was he?

  Probably seeing the confusion on her face, he smiled his sexy smile and turned his head back up to the sun, eyes closing. “It’s all right, darlin’, we both know I’m not the man who’s got you all tied up in knots.” He spoke to her with his eyes still closed.

  Even though he wasn’t looking at her, Lexie felt heat flood her face. Oh God, was it so obvious?

  As if reading her mind, Tex added, “Don’t worry, he doesn’t know. I think you two could be really good for each other, but Connor has… issues he needs to work through.” He turned his head to face her again. “I don’t want to see you get hurt, Lexie, so be careful with your heart, okay?”

  The sympathy and concern in his gaze made something tighten in her chest. She didn’t want to tell him that his concern was misplaced. Connor had been clear about what he wanted from her, and she was the one who had ended up saying hurtful things to him. Now they just needed to get through the rest of the tour, and they’d go their separate ways with the memory of their one night together. And she was sure it wouldn’t take long for even that to fade from Connor’s mind. After all, he was only the second man she’d ever slept with, but she was just one of the many women he’d been with.

  Not wanting to say any of that to Tex, she just nodded.

  After that, they both lay in the warmth with their eyes closed for a little while longer, before the hot sun got too intense.

  “Are you ready to go inside? I think Drew’s going to start the grill soon, and the guys want to get in a quick swim before lunch.”

  Grateful for Tex’s support, she smiled at him. “Okay, let’s go.”

  He stood up, grabbed his shirt, and then held his hand out for hers, pulling her to her feet when she gave it to him. Keeping hold of her hand, they walked to the house in companionable silence, with Tex giving her hand a quick squeeze before letting it go as they got to the door.

  It took Lexie’s eyes a few seconds to adjust to being inside after the brightness of the sun, but when they did, she gasped at the beautiful open interior of the house. Cool, neutral tones with splashes of ocean blues and greens made for a perfect beachy vibe. Floor-to-ceiling windows extended across the back wall, filling the house with light and perfectly framing the stunning view out across the ocean. The day was sunny, but Lexie could imagine how amazing it would be to sit in one of the comfortable chairs in front of the windows and watch a storm roll in across the ocean.

  The others were all outside on the back deck, and Lexie followed Tex out.

  “What took you two so long?” Noah asked.

  Tex put his arm around Lexie’s shoulders and squeezed before answering, “Just enjoying some one-on-one time.” He aimed a big shit-eating grin right at Connor.

  Lexie raised her eyebrows at the icy glare that Connor directed back at Tex. Was he angry? Surely not. She hadn’t meant anything more to Connor than a one-off good time. Still, she didn’t want him to think she was the kind of woman to just jump from one band member to the other. Her night with Connor might not have meant much to him, but it had been a big deal for her. Even if he didn’t care, she didn’t want to cheapen it by pretending it had meant nothing.

  She put her arm around Tex’s waist and gave him a gentle squeeze in thanks for keeping her company, but then disengaged and moved away from him. She wandered over to Drew, who was firing up the grill. “Your house is beautiful. I think I could live out on this deck.”

  “Thanks, I love it here. Whenever it all gets too much, I like to fly out here and decompress for a few days.”

  Noah wandered over and offered her a bottle of beer. She accepted it, giving him a grateful smile before taking a sip of the icy-cold beverage. “Once we finish these drinks, we’re going to have a quick swim while Drew makes us lunch.” Noah grinned and raised his bottle at Drew, who rolled his eyes in return. “You’ll join us, won’t you, Lexie?”

  Lexie had bought a bikini from the store in the hotel, but she felt bad about leaving Drew on his own to cook. Not to mention a little nervous about wandering around half-nak
ed in front of a bunch of guys used to being around supermodels. “That’s okay, I might just wait until later. That way I can help Drew set up.”

  “Don’t worry about me, Lexie. I’m only going to grill the burgers up and put out some condiments. It won’t take me long, and I’ll probably make some calls while I’m cooking, so head down with the guys. I’ll give you a yell when lunch is ready.”

  “Okay, if you’re sure,” she replied a little reluctantly.

  “Definitely. Hey, Noah, can you show Lexie where her bedroom is?”

  “Sure. Come on, Lexie. We’ll all get changed and then head down.”

  Lexie put her beer down and followed Noah back into the house. She glanced at Connor as she went, but he was looking down at his beer, the sweep of his dark lashes hiding his eyes from her.

  Noah led her down a hallway running off the side of the large, open-plan main room. Several doors opened off the hallway, presumably all bedrooms, but Noah led her right to the end.

  “This one’s yours.”

  Lexie opened the door and smiled at the large sunlit bedroom, done up in creams and blues, continuing the beachy vibe.

  “I’ll leave you to get changed. Just come back through when you’re done.”

  “Thanks, Noah.” She closed the door behind him and gazed around the room. Her bag was sitting on the bed, so Tex must have dropped it off here before coming back down for her.

  A door at the back of the room led to a small bathroom which she used before digging through her bag to find her new bikini. She pulled it out, frowning and pursing her lips. There hadn’t been an enormous selection in the shop, and it was a little skimpier than she’d normally buy. But it was a pretty turquoise color, and she’d thought that she looked okay when she’d tried it on that morning.

  Shrugging, she pulled it on. After all, Connor had already seen her naked, and the other guys probably wouldn’t care what she looked like one way or the other.

  Lexie wandered over to the full-length mirror in the corner of the room and checked to make sure she wasn’t falling out anywhere. Turning around, she peered over her shoulder to see how her butt looked, then laughed at herself. What was she doing? She was young and healthy, and Damien had always told her he thought she was beautiful. What did it matter what she looked like in a bikini? She wasn’t going to see any of these guys again after the tour was over, so who cared what they thought. She felt good in the bikini, so damn it, she would have fun and not care that she didn’t look like a supermodel.

  Deciding to forego the cover-up she’d also bought, she made her way back out to the deck. She could see through the glass that all the guys had already changed and were waiting out there for her.

  Her steps slowed as she caught sight of Connor. He was facing away from her and leaning against the railing, so she could admire the broad expanse of his shoulders and the hard muscles of his back leading down to a pair of black board shorts that hung low on his hips. Lexie’s heart tripped, and a ripple of heat passed through her. She paused and took a deep breath to steady herself, before pushing the door open and stepping out.

  At the sound of the door opening everyone turned, and five pairs of male eyes perused her appreciatively, which was not at all embarrassing. She felt a deep blush suffuse her entire body.

  Drew cleared his throat. “Well, you guys head down. Lunch will be about half an hour, but I’ll call you when it’s time to come back up.”

  A few steps out on to the soft sand and Lexie realized it had heated up enough to sting the soles of her feet. Noah, Zac, and Tex took off at a sprint toward the water. Connor turned back and held his hand out to her. “Come on, you don’t want to burn your feet.”

  She must have hesitated for a second too long because he took two steps toward her, swept her up in his arms, and jogged down to the cooler wet sand.

  “Connor!” She shrieked in surprise and then squealed when he waded out into the chilly water with her still in his arms. The contrast between the scorching sand and the water made her instantly break out in goosebumps. Unfortunately, it also made her nipples harden visibly through her bikini top.

  Hoping he hadn’t noticed, she glanced up at him, just in time to see his eyes zero in on her breasts.

  Embarrassed, she muttered, “You can put me down now.”

  He nodded but kept going for a few more steps before letting go of her legs. He held on with his arm around her back; her body sliding down his as he lowered her until her feet touched the sandy bottom.

  Lexie’s breath hitched at the feel of her breasts pressed against the hard muscles of his chest, and she couldn’t guarantee her nipples were only responding to the water temperature now. Not wanting to look up at him and let him see what must be showing on her face, she stared at the stark black lines of his tattoo.

  “Um, thanks?” Not her most original response, but he’d shocked her considering he’d barely spoken or come near her since the night they’d spent together.

  His face was inscrutable. “Anytime, Lexie.”

  Then he let her go and headed over to where the other guys were splashing and goofing around like teenagers.

  Lexie took a couple of deep breaths to calm her racing heart, which had decided to try to beat its way through her rib cage while she was pressed up against him. Then she gave herself a tiny shake and followed him out to the deeper water.

  Chapter 26

  Once Connor got out to where the others were splashing around, he dunked his head under the water, trying to get himself under control after having Lexie pressed up against him in her tiny bikini.

  He should have just let her go when they got to the wet sand, but the feel of her in his arms had just been too good to resist. Now he was sporting the hard-on from hell, but luckily the water covered him up otherwise the guys would have been all over him about it.

  Lexie had followed him out, and Noah, the giant flirt that he was, had immediately gone over to her and thrown his arm around her shoulders. He must have made a joke because Lexie burst out laughing and shoved at his chest, which did nothing of course because Noah was twice her size.

  Connor turned away, raking his hand through his wet hair. Was she really not affected by him the way he was by her? Here he was, torn up with still wanting her, and she seemed completely unmoved.

  Tex waded up to him and nodded over at where Lexie was now laughing with Zac and Noah. “You did good with that one.” Connor looked at Tex sharply, wondering how much he’d guessed of what had happened between him and Lexie. But his fears were allayed when Tex continued, “She gets on with everyone—makes it easy to have her around while she’s photographing us. Easy on the eyes too.”

  Connor mumbled something noncommittal, not wanting to speak in case he gave away too much.

  Tex smirked and started wading toward the other three, throwing back over his shoulder, “Now you just need to get that hard-on under control.”

  Fuck. Tex could always see right through him.

  Half an hour later, Drew called them up from the beach to have lunch. Connor trailed behind the others, admiring the sway of Lexie’s hips as she walked in front of him. It had gotten so hot that his skin had mostly dried by the time they got back up to the house.

  Drew had set out some plates, condiments, and salad, and everyone tucked in ravenously. When they finished, they all pitched in to clean up while Drew sat down with a beer and put his feet up. There was a lot of good-natured joking around and with Lexie there, joining in with her innate warmth and humor, Connor felt fully relaxed for the first time in what seemed like years.

  The afternoon passed in a haze of sun, sand, and swimming, with Drew joining them the second time they went down to the water. Once the sun started to set, they all gathered around the outdoor pizza oven Drew had installed and made homemade pizzas for dinner.

  Connor gave in to the lure of Lexie’s presence, sitting next to her on the bench seat while they were eating, close enough that he could feel the brush of her skin on his
whenever either of them shifted in their seat. The salty water had caused her hair to dry with more of a curl than usual, and the sun had left a faint tinge of red on her cheekbones. Her smile and the sparkle in her eyes when she laughed was far more intoxicating than the beer he was drinking. At that moment he felt like he would be happy to stay there forever, with his friends and Lexie, never having to return to the glare of the spotlight.

  Eventually, Lexie got her camera out, joking that she would get fired for not doing her job. Being her usual laid-back and charming self, she unobtrusively took photos of them all relaxing, and quite a few of the sun as it set.

  She’d told him once that photographers call the hour after sunrise and before sunset the golden hour, and he could see why. A golden, almost ethereal glow bathed the scene, and watching her slender form silhouetted against the darkening sky, the first stars shining behind her, his chest tightened.

  Of all the women he could have wanted to spend more than one night with, it had to be someone who was in love with another man. Someone who through no fault of his own had left Lexie with nothing but an idealized memory that Connor could never compete with.

  She’d obviously enjoyed being in his bed—you couldn’t feign passion like that—but then she’d withdrawn completely afterward. It had been three years since Damien had died, and Lexie was still holding on to him. The thought left Connor cold. He wasn’t going to put himself in the position of being rejected by someone who cared more about a dead person than him. He’d been through that before. He wouldn’t do it again.

  Chapter 27

  Later that night, after the sun had set in a blaze of reds and oranges, Drew lit a fire in the fire pit, and they all gathered around. Connor, Tex, and Zac had grabbed their guitars, and Noah had his hand drums, and now they were jamming.

  Lexie sat in the darkness off to one side and took photos of the guys singing and playing around the fire. The music was incredible—Lexie couldn’t believe her luck that she was getting paid to sit there and be serenaded by this amazingly talented group of men.