“Says the fucked-up asshole,” I smirk.
“Right. Birds of a feather.”
I snort, but then put my head on his shoulder. “What movie are we going to watch?”
“Wayne’s World.”
“Oh. You’re kidding me, right?”
“Yeah, I am. I’m in the mood for Rock of Ages though.”
“I can live with that,” I say cheerfully.
“Did you always dream of becoming a singer?”
“It was simply the thing I was good at. I wanted to sing and act, so I decided on doing double major in voice and drama. It was very demanding and a lot of work, but I didn’t want to study one after the other, and take forever to get my degrees,” I tell him.
“What would you have done if your dream hadn’t come true?”
“Either my ambition would have led me to try harder, or I’d have found a new dream.”
“Would that have been so easy though?”
“You’re never too old to set a new goal, or dream a new dream, Lex. I’m sure I’d have found something else that makes me happy, or maybe I’d have auditioned for one of those casting shows, like American Idol.”
“Wise words for a young woman … except for the bit about American Idol,” he says, sounding impressed with my logic.
“Well, what would you have done if your career hadn’t taken off like it did?”
“I was determined to study medicine. My grades in high school were great, and I could have gotten a scholarship to the University of Miami, since my parents didn’t have the money to finance a college education. But things went well for us, so.”
“At least you had a backup plan.”
“You need a backup plan in our field. What would you have done if we hadn’t given you the job?” he wants to know.
I roll over on my stomach and lean on my elbows. “I think I’d have gone to every possible audition in the greater New York City metropolitan area. Hell, I’d have accepted the part of a tree in a Macbeth musical.”
He grins. “I’m sure you could have scored a few front-line parts.”
“Who knows. I’m in the background now, but I like the job. I can gather experience, and it sure looks good on my resume, if the first job after college has been with a famous rock band.”
He gives me a wide-eyed look. He seems shocked. “Has been? You still want to quit?”
I shake my head. “No, silly. But my contract is temporary, right?”
“But changing that takes only one phone call.”
“No, Lex, I want to get ahead, gather more experience. I’m not saying it isn’t great to work with you guys, god no, but I want to spread my wings and learn to really fly.” I lean over and kiss the corner of his mouth. “And who knows, maybe I’ll get lucky one day and sign my own record deal.”
“It’s not going to take long, with your voice.” He sighs and fetches his phone from the low table. “Let me show you something.” He types on his phone, opens the YouTube app, enters something, and selects a video. “You know the Asia concerts were filmed, right? This music station put your performance online, even though the full concert will be aired on TV later this week. Look at the caption though.” He turns the phone around, so I can see the screen.
“Honor is one of the backing singers for Downstair Alley, but this impromptu performance of hers surprised everyone, not just the singer herself,” I read the video description aloud. “Oh.”
I hear my voice, slightly shaky at first, picking up courage and volume as I go. I see myself sitting next to Alexis, and the goosebumps are forming on my arms. “You blew away the band and the audience, but obviously, you also blew away the TV people.”
“What station is this?”
“TRL.”
“Fuck, I … wow.” I lie back down on my side and nestle against him. “Look at you looking at me.” I giggle.
“Shh, I want to hear that.” He puts a hand over my mouth, but I lick his palm to stop him. “You’re disgusting, Twinkie.” Even though he looks a little disgusted alright, he’s laughing.
“You had it coming.”
“Shut up, I really want to hear this.” He turns up the volume, and my own voice is hurting my ears. I realize that I don’t like my voice when it hasn’t been edited. “You were damn good, believe me. I bet someone’s going to take notice after seeing this clip.”
“Could you scroll down to the comments, please?”
He does so. “Oh, fuck!”
I read the very first comment. “She sounds great, okay, but did anyone notice the way Kingston swoons over her? Is she his latest conquest or what? No wonder she was dragged into the limelight to perform.” I look at him. “Who the hell is C. Goldman?”
“Charlotte Goldman, I assume,” he replies. “Bitch.”
“Charlotte Goldman …” And then it hits me. “Oh. I guess she is pissed off that she wasn’t ‘dragged into the limelight’, as she calls it.” It’s her. The other background singer, the one Alexis hopped into bed with to drive me away. I take a deep breath. “Whatever.”
“Oh, but the replies are gold: ‘What do you care anyway? Alexis Kingston is a grown-ass man. So what if she’s his new girlfriend? Her voice is ace.’ This comment has more than three hundred likes,” he says with a chuckle.
“How about we watch that movie now? The video isn’t going anywhere.” My voice is a little hoarse, because I had to think of that day on the plane again. Any elation I was starting to feel has deflated. Damn it all!
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I just want to watch the movie.” I put my head on his chest and stare at the giant screen where the menu loop calls for a selection.
“Twinkie, tell me what’s going on.”
“It’s nothing, really.
“You’re thinking of that fucking day when I …”
Fuck. “Yeah.” It sounds like a sigh, but what am I supposed to say? The sudden confrontation with the fact that he fucked her just to hurt me is still painful.
“I’m sorry. We shouldn’t have read the comments.”
“It’s okay; I’ll be fine in a minute.”
He puts a hand on my shoulder, and then he starts the movie.
I must have fallen asleep again. When I wake up, it’s dawning outside. Alexis covered us with a soft blanket. He is lying next to me, his hand on my belly, but he keeps twitching and tossing in his sleep. “Please don’t go, Honor,” he mumbles.
I turn over onto my side and stroke his cheek. “I’m right here,” I whisper and kiss the corner of his mouth.
He wraps his arm around me and presses me against his chest. “Please stay with me.”
“Lex,” I say softly and nudge him. He seems to have an uneasy dream, and his limbs are rigid.
“Don’t say that, please.”
“Lex!” I repeat, a little louder than before.
He flinches in his sleep and then opens his eyes. “What happened?”
“You were dreaming.”
He raises his head and looks around the room in confusion. “Oh.” Then he lies back again and shifts his position. He has his arms around me, both hands on my back now. “Did I wake you up?”
I shake my head and tell him a white lie, so he won’t feel guilty about it. “No, I woke up a little while ago.”
“I’m sorry,” he murmurs, but is already drifting back to sleep again.
I smile. “I’m not going to leave you. I promise.” Then I kiss him on the lips.
He returns the kiss mechanically, probably subconsciously. “Thank you.” His hand strokes my back after I snuggle up to him again.
“Don’t screw it up again.”
“I won’t.”
I marvel at the fact that he talks to me even though he’s fallen asleep again. Maybe he’s bullshitting me and isn’t even sleeping, but that doesn’t matter if he’s heard my promise. I know he’s made mistakes, but I think I overreacted, too. He has shown me that he really wants me to be with him so many times over that
I think he deserves a second chance. I gladly give it to him, because I’m in love with this man, totally and irrevocably. “I love you,” I whisper, before closing my eyes.
“I love you, too, Twinkie.”
Chapter 15
One week later
“Hey, thanks for coming,” a blond man welcomes Linden.
“Hi. You must be Garrett.”
The man nods. “The very one. Draven and the others are setting up their gear. Thanks for agreeing to help me out with my grand opening here.”
“No biggie. We’re on home leave anyway.” Linden shakes the man’s hand, and then everybody else does, too.
“Hey, that’s a cool video of you on YouTube. My brother showed it to me earlier. I was really impressed by your voice,” he addresses me.
“Thank you,” I reply and feel the heat rise in my cheeks.
“Cami is pregnant?” Linden calls out. He has already proceeded into the bar. Peanuts, a pretty original name, though I have no idea what’s behind it.
I give Lane a questioning look. “Oh! I have to get in there and congratulate her and Delsin,” she explains with a grin before slipping into the darkened place.
Alexis takes my hand. “Let’s go inside as well, even though I’d love to do something naughty in the back alley right now.” His murmur makes the goosebumps rise on my skin.
Over the last week, we’ve had more sex than ever. We still haven’t done any sightseeing, because each time we got dressed and were ready to head out, we tore each other’s clothes off instead. “Not today. I can hardly walk as it is.”
We walk into the bar, and Garrett shows us around. There are a few people already gathered, and Alexis introduces me to everyone, but after one tall guy named Anson, whose different-colored eyes are really special, I lose track of all the names and faces. “And who is the pregnant one?”
“The short one with the long, dark brown curls. The one who looks as if she’s about to vomit all over the bar, that’s Camille. And the tall guy with the baseball cap is Delsin Rough, her husband. We played at their wedding last year.”
“Okay. Are you going to introduce me to them, too?”
“Yeah, but I want to wait until he doesn’t look like he wants to castrate someone, and she stops looking as if she needs a whole bottle of pepto bismol.”
I suppress a laugh. “Very charming, Alexis, really.”
“Just calling it as I see it. And careful, because I’m not keen on getting punched in the face by Delsin. I saw him take out Linden with a single hook to the chin.”
I give him a questioning look.
“Also a result of that scheme of Trish and Pierce. Delsin moved to defend Thally when Linden wanted to talk to her and we showed up at his house. Delsin is very protective of his woman and his friends.”
“Okay,” I drawl and raise my eyebrows. “I’m not going to get on his bad side then.”
Alexis smirks. “Don’t be afraid of him, though. You would miss out on a lot of fun.”
“Rough, stop whining, you’re going to have a baby. Been there, done that,” A woman with shoulder-length, bleached hair pipes up. I think her name is Shailene. I immediately like her, because having a baby is really not the end of the world.
“I’m not whining, I’m merely trying to get over the shock,” Camille replies.
Shailene laughs. “Millions of women do it every day.”
“Mommy!” a small girl cries out.
“And who is that?” I point at the lovely child.
“That’s Mikayla, Shailene’s and Nathaniel’s daughter.”
I try to memorize all the names.
“Hey, nice of you to drop by,” a woman with long, blond hair greets us.
“Hi. You must be Hazel, right?” Alexis asks.
She nods. “Sure am. Are you guys thirsty?”
“Oh yes, I am,” I pipe up.
“What would you like to drink?”
Alexis steers me towards the table where the others have already converged. “I think I’ll have a Coke.”
“Me too,” I say loudly, to make sure she hears me.
“What about the rest of you?” She turns to the others at the table, and they order various drinks, all at the same time.
When she’s gone, Linden starts going through the set list with the rest of the band. They won’t need me for a small gig like this, and I’m glad that I will be able to sit here with Lane, asking her about her Orlando vacation.
“He still hasn’t shown you Miami?” she asks, surprised.
“No, but … well, we’ve hardly left the house at all,” I explain, blushing.
She giggles. “Oh, you mean you hardly even left the bed.”
“That’s a way to put it, yes, but I didn’t want to be quite that specific.”
“Hey, you guys,” Thally chimes in, sitting down at our table with the other ladies. “What’s up?”
“Lex kept Honor chained to his bed for a week, and she still hasn’t gone sightseeing,” Lane blurts before I can say anything.
Thally raises an eyebrow. “Sounds just like that horny bastard,” she says with a wink.
They all laugh.
“You seem to know him well enough,” I comment, slightly overwhelmed, but also amused.
“Well, you guys are in love, so that’s normal. When Linden and I had made up after the big bang, we didn’t leave the bed for a long time. Especially after he named some stars after us,” she tells me with a grin.
“I think we all went through that phase in the beginning,” Dahlia adds, if I’ve memorized her name correctly.
“Wait a minute, Gavin and I didn’t just have sex in the beginning. We did a lot of other things, too,” Lane protests.
“Yeah, dance lessons, but that’s it. Afterwards, you went right back to bed,” Thally laughs, and Lane blushes accordingly.
“Delsin and I were practically living in the bedroom, too, after we had made up,” Camille confesses.
“You’re obviously still doing that, which is why you’ve produced offspring now,” Hailey counters with a smile.
We all laugh.
“Draven and I … No, I’m not going to tell you, or else I’ll be the outsider once again,” Amira smirks.
“I’m with you, Amira. Callum and I were actually busy with other things besides sex,” Quinn says.
I feel right at home with these women.
“Once you start feeling like a fat walrus, you’re no longer in the mood for sex though. Nate was busier satisfying my food cravings than my sex drive,” Shailene points out dryly.
Camille’s eyes widen. “Oh god, am I going to be a sexless manatee?”
Shai shrugs her shoulders. “That depends. There are days when you’re hornier than ever, which makes it hard to leave the house on time.”
The conversation circles around sex and pregnancy and babies, until the guys join us. The bar is busy, considering that this is opening night. I hope I’ll get the chance to get to know these women better, maybe when we return to Miami from time to time; that would be really cool.
“Guys, this looks like a ladies’ night; I think we should head for the bar,” Gavin announces after leaning down and kissing Lane on the cheek.
I look at Alexis, and he winks at me. I return it with a grin before tuning back into the conversation again.
“All right, guys, I’d say we put the tables back where they belong to save my brother at least a little work. Poor guy has been up since five this morning,” Draven calls everyone to attention. He seems to be a very nice guy as well.
We all get up, and the men start straightening and tidying up the bar, while us women take care of the chairs and some empty glasses.
“You don’t have to do that; I’d have gotten started on that in the morning,” Garrett says.
“Shut up and start wiping the tables, bro,” Draven counters, laughing.
I suppress a smirk when Alexis pulls me aside. “Did you have fun tonight?”
I nod. “I did, y
ou were great.”
He smiles and kisses the corner of my mouth. “Thank you, Twinkie.”
“Let’s help the others; I don’t want to feel like a fluke.”
He nods and lets go of me, and then we help put things back in order.
“Let’s get out of here,” Alexis says when we’re done.
I look at him. He looks tired. “Yeah, I’m exhausted, too.”
Garrett and Hazel are standing at the back of the bar, slow dancing. Lane and Gavin, and the other couples are watching their oblivious display of affection.
“Then let’s say goodbye to the others and leave, or I swear I’m going to fall asleep standing up,” he smirks.
I grin and let him pull me along to where the rest is standing together. We take our leave, but I keep Alexis from bothering Garrett and his girlfriend, since the two of them have obviously entered their own little world. An inadvertent sigh escapes my lips when I look at them. They practically exude their love for each other.
“Envious?” Thally asks softly.
“No, just a little awestruck.”
“Yes, the two of them are deeply in love, just like you and Alexis.”
“Do we look like them when we’re together?”
“Oh yes, when I see you, I have the feeling I’m about to be smothered in pink hearts and white doves,” she teases before giving me a hug goodbye. “Tell Alexis to finally show you Miami, or else I will come by and kidnap you, and then you’ll have to do ‘extreme sightseeing 101’.”
I pull away and smile at her. “When am I going to see you in the Hamptons?”
“I’m planning on moving there next spring, or summer at the latest.”
“Okay.”
“We’ll see each other over the holidays, too, if Linden doesn’t decide to come visit me here.”
“I guess Alexis is going to use the holidays to visit his hometown as well.”
“Alright, it’s a date.” Thally hugs me once again. “See you soon, Honor.”
“Absolutely. Or we can talk on the phone; you have my number now.” We exchanged phone numbers earlier this evening, because she insisted she had to know where I bought the shoes I’m wearing. I didn’t remember, so I promised to look at the box once I was home again, and let her know.
Alexis: In love with a rockstar (The Hamptons Series Book 2) Page 25