I nodded as I stuffed food in my mouth so that I didn’t have to reply.
She sighed and walked back to the bunks. Either she was good at guessing or she noticed the picture of us I had hanging against the wall, because she laid down in my bunk.
“I’m going to sleep until it’s time for you to go on. Just wake me up when you’re ready.”
I pushed away from the small counter and walked into the bathroom. After double checking to make sure the door was locked, I pulled my stash out of my pocket. If I didn’t do something, I was going to rip Jordan in two. Or at least I would try; I didn’t see myself coming out on top in that fight.
After snorting a couple of lines, I put everything away and sat down on the toilet with my head in my hands. I had no idea what I was doing, but I did know that if Chloe ever found out she would freak and possible leave me. I sat up and punched the wall beside my head, trying to release some of the anger that was radiating from me. I jumped as someone started beating on the door.
“Dude, hurry the fuck up or I’m going to come in there and piss on you!” Adam shouted.
I grinned as I stood up; leave it to Adam to lighten the mood. I threw the door open, still grinning.
“I don’t want to see that little dick of yours, so have at it.”
Adam started unbuttoning his pants as he blocked my exit. “Want to compare them? I’m sure mine is bigger.”
I busted out laughing as I pushed him out of the way. “I think I’ll pass. I don’t have a magnifying glass with me anyway.”
He punched me in the stomach as I walked by and I grunted. “Whatever, not my fault you can’t handle all of this.”
With that, he shut the door in my face. I was still laughing as I walked to the front of the bus and Eric raised an eyebrow at me.
“Should I even ask?”
I shook my head. “Adam was trying to get naked with me in the bathroom. He was kind of upset when I turned him down.” I said it loud enough to carry back to the bathroom, hoping Adam would hear me.
I heard a muffled “Fuck you” and started laughing all over again.
Eric shook his head as he motioned toward the door. “You got a minute?”
I felt uneasy as I nodded and followed him off the bus. If he wanted to talk to me alone, it couldn’t be anything good. I leaned against the side of the bus and waited for him to speak. Instead, he just stood there and studied me as I fidgeted nervously under his watchful eye.
“You said you wanted to talk?” I asked when I couldn’t stand it any longer.
“Yeah, I just don’t know how to say this without being a dick.”
I snorted. “Adam is the one who’s a dick, not you.”
“Fine, I’ll just say it. I don’t know what’s going on with you, but you haven’t been acting right all day. I understood when you were pissed about Chloe, but since you guys rode here together, I’m assuming that was cleared up. Is something else bothering you?”
I knew Eric would be a problem; he was too smart for his own good sometimes. I looked around the parking lot, trying to figure out what to say. My eyes fell on Jordan who was standing across the lot, talking on his phone.
“I don’t like Jordan around Chloe. I know I’ve been an asshole all day, but once he’s gone I’ll calm down.”
Eric nodded. “I figured it was something like that. Listen though; I really don’t think you have anything to worry about with him, so stop stressing. All you’re going to do is drive Chloe nuts and tick her off. She’s taking him home tomorrow isn’t she?”
“Yeah, not too happy about that either.”
“Don’t worry about it. She’ll drop him off and come back here with you. Problem solved.”
“Yeah I know. I’ll try to get my shit together.”
He clapped me on the back as he walked past me. “I know you will.”
We spent the next hour killing time by playing cards. I laughed as Jade repeatedly beat all of us. The woman was a damn card shark and we all knew it, yet we still played her like the idiots we were. After I all but gift wrapped and handed her a hundred bucks, I walked back to my bunk and started poking Chloe on the shoulder, trying to wake her up.
She groaned in her sleep and rolled away from me. I smiled as I reached down and picked her up, careful not to touch her ribs. The movement woke up and she jumped in my arms as her eyes flew open.
“What are you doing?” She asked, still groggy.
“Waking you up.” I sat her down and leaned in, peppering her face with kisses.
She smiled and tried to squirm away, but I held her tight against me. “You’re not going anywhere.”
“Quit it, I probably have drool all over the side of my face!”
“I like drool, it’s sexy.” I said as I pulled away.
“Drool is sexy on no one, not even you. What time is it?” She asked as she stretched and winced.
“We go on in twenty. Go wipe the drool from your face so we can go in.”
I waited by my bunk as she walked into the bathroom to re-tie her hair and wash her face. I loved the fact that it didn’t take her an hour to get ready like most girls. With Chloe, what you saw was what you got and I found it refreshing. Sure, she dressed up from time to time, but most of the time she was in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Instead of it bothering me, I found it incredibly sexy.
She exited the bathroom and walked up to me, throwing her arms around me as she pulled my mouth down to meet hers in a hungry kiss. As her tongue slipped into my mouth, I groaned and grabbed her ass. If she kept this up, there was no way I could keep my vow to wait until she was healed. We hadn’t been together in weeks and a guy can only take so much.
“You’re going to kill me, you know that?” I asked as she pulled away. I took a deep breath, trying to distract myself from the raging hard on she had given me.
“I’m trying. Are we getting a hotel room tonight?” She asked breathlessly.
And there went any hopes of calming down before I had to go on stage.
I leaned down and brushed my lips against the corner of her mouth. “Yeah we are, but if you try anything on me, I’m tying you to the bed.”
Her eyes lit up and she grinned at me. “Is that supposed to make me behave? If so, you need to think of a better threat.”
I wasn’t a bondage type of guy, but damn. Picturing Chloe tied to my bed naked was enough to make me come in my pants. I groaned as I grabbed her hand and led her off the bus.
“I have to be on stage in ten minutes, please don’t do that to me.”
She laughed as we walked across the now full lot and into the bar. Jade and the guys were already sitting at a table close to the stage and I pushed through the crowd to them. I kept Chloe close to me, trying to protect her from anyone who might bump into her. We took the two empty seats left at the table, with Chloe ending up between Jordan and me. That grated my nerves, but I took a deep breath and let it go. Eric was right; if I kept acting like a jealous freak, all I would do was drive her away.
I relaxed back into my seat as a waitress brought me a beer and waited for the owner to introduce us. The crowd around us was already hyped up, and I let their excitement flow into me. I had no doubt that they would keep us going throughout the night with no problem. There was nothing I despised more than a crowd with no energy; it made it twice as hard to play and sing well, and we weren’t nearly as good when that happened. We might supply the music, but the crowd itself was who set the mood for the entire set.
I gave Chloe a quick kiss before standing and walking to the stage with the rest of the band as the waitress that had brought me a beer introduced us. Several people crowded around the stage as I spoke into the mic. “Evening guys. I’m Drake and we’re Breaking the Hunger!”
With that, Jade started us into our first song as the crowd shouted their approval. As I sang into the mic, I watched Chloe and Jordan out of the corner of my eye. Jordan was whispering something in her ear, but she was ignoring him as she stared at the cr
owd in front of me. I glanced down to see several women all trying to catch my attention.
This was where things got tricky for me. If I ignored them and pissed them off, we’d lose fans; if I smiled and flirted with them, Chloe would be angry with me. As far as I was concerned, it was a no win situation for me. I had been angry with Chloe for paying attention to Jordan when here I was, surrounded by women with lust filled eyes. Sometimes karma is a bitch.
I glanced over at Chloe and grinned as an idea struck me. For the rest of the song, I smiled and flirted with the women with my eyes. I caught Chloe throwing death glares my way and I hoped that my plan wouldn’t backfire on me.
When the song ended, I waited for the crowd to settle down before I spoke into the mic. “Thanks to everyone who’s out here tonight, you guys rock!” The crowd started shouting again, and I had to wait for them to calm down so that they could hear me. “Tonight is kind of a special show for me. There’s this girl that I happen to be crazy about, and this is the first show she’s been able to make it to. Now earlier today, she told me that I could kiss her anywhere I wanted, and I feel like kissing her right now. Why don’t you come up here with me Chloe?”
I looked at her expectantly, but she was hiding her face in her hands. I laughed as I pointed her out to the crowd; I knew she was going to kill me for this later. “She doesn’t seem to want to come up, think you guys can convince her?”
Jordan was laughing as the crowd started chanting her name and she smacked him. I couldn’t keep the stupid grin off of my face as she rose slowly and walked up the steps and onto the stage. She stopped beside me and tried to glare at me, but the small smile she was trying to hide gave her away.
I slid the mic back into its stand and pulled her close against me. “Am I embarrassing you?” I whispered into her ear.
“Just a little.”
I laughed as her cheeks flushed with embarrassment and turned my attention back to the audience staring at us. “Do you think I should kiss her now?” I asked them.
The wolf whistles and cheering from the crowd gave me the answer I was looking for. I turned back to Chloe with a huge grin on my face. “We can’t disappoint them now can we?”
“I’m going to tie you to the bed tonight for this Drake Allen!” She yelled as I pulled her close and slammed my mouth against hers.
As soon as our lips touched, the fight in her evaporated and she wrapped her arms around my neck. Maybe it was because we were standing on stage in front of so many people and my body was feeding off of the energy that was pouring off of them in waves, or maybe it was because I had the added bonus of cocaine in my system, but for some reason the kiss was crazy hot. At least it was to me anyway and I was pretty sure Chloe felt it too from the way she was clinging to me.
I let myself be taken over by the kiss; as she moved her lips against mine, the screaming crowd and the band behind us faded away. I probed her lips with my tongue until she opened them to allow me access. A moan came from deep in her throat as she flicked my tongue ring with her own tongue. I pulled away before I did something we’d both regret later. Chloe opened her eyes and my resolve nearly caved as I saw the lust in them.
I forced myself to turn back to the crowd with an easy smile plastered on my face. “Now that we’ve got that out of the way, who’s ready for some more music?” I shouted.
Chloe walked off stage as we started into the next song and I noticed several of the women in the front glaring at her. I was glad when I noticed Jordan watching them as well; I knew he would keep her safe until I was finished. I kept a close eye on her as we played a few more songs, just to make sure she was safe.
It seemed like I had only looked away from her table for a minute as we played out last song, but when I glanced up, both of them were nowhere to be seen. We finished the song and before the last note stopped, I was off the stage and looking for Chloe.
Chapter Fifteen
Chloe
As I walked off stage and took my seat next to Jordan, I felt the eyes of several people in the crowd on me. I followed Jordan’s glare and noticed that most of the eyes were attached to several women standing in front of the stage glaring at me. I smirked at them before turning my attention to Jordan, who was watching me curiously.
“You ok?” He asked.
“Yeah, why?”
“I just assumed that he embarrassed you to death up there.”
“Oh he did, but the glares of death I’m getting from over there,” I pointed to the women standing by the stage, “made it totally worth it.”
He shook his head. “I worry about your self-preservation skills sometimes.”
I patted him on the shoulder and grinned. No one would be stupid enough to approach me with Drake a few feet away on stage and if that didn’t scare them, Jordan the Hulk sitting beside me would.
I jumped as my back pocket started vibrating. It took me a minute to realize that it was my phone. I jumped up and started trying to pull it out of my pocket, but by the time I got it out, it had stopped ringing. I had called Amber a few times since my accident, but I had left out what had happened and used the stomach bug excuse with her as well. She called me daily to check on me and I assumed it was her calling.
I was surprised to see an unknown Maryland number pop up on my screen. Before I had time to consider who it was, my phone started vibrating again. I pushed through the crowd, trying to get outside so that I would be able to hear; it was far too loud inside the bar to hear anything. I finally made it to the door and hurried outside, worried that it might be someone calling for Danny.
“Hello?” I asked breathlessly.
“Chloe?”
I face palmed as I heard my mother’s voice. Why I hadn’t considered the fact that it might be her trying to call was beyond me. I think I just assumed that with the cops looking for her, she wouldn’t be stupid enough to contact me.
“Yeah mom, it’s me. What do you want?”
“You know you ruined everything for me don’t you?” She slurred.
Great, not only did I have to deal with her, but I had to do it while she was drunk.
I sighed. “I had nothing to do with what Aunt Jen did, but if you want the truth, I did go there planning to convince her to change her mind. But I didn’t have to say anything; she told me that you wouldn’t be getting anything the first day that I talked to her. You did this to yourself mother, so don’t try to blame me.”
“You’re lying. You always lie to me Chloe. I’m so tired of having to put up with you. You’re a disgrace.”
“If all you did was call me to yell at me I’m hanging up. You’ve really screwed up this time, you know that? The police are looking for you as we speak for what you did to me. You nearly killed me mom, doesn’t that bother you in the least?”
I wanted her to tell me she was sorry, or that she at least felt some regret for what she had done to me. I knew I was being ridiculous, but the little girl inside of me hoped that somewhere in that blackened heart of hers she loved me.
“No it doesn’t. The world would be better without you; without both of us.”
That surprised me; in all the years I had put up with her verbal abuse, never had she once said anything bad about herself.
“That’s not true. You’ve made some really bad decisions in your life mom, but you can change all of that. I wish you would consider one of the treatment programs Aunt Jen left for you.”
She started to reply, but a train’s whistle in the background cut her off.
“Mom, are you at a train station? Are you leaving?”
The train’s whistle blew again as I waited for her to speak.
“Fuck those programs and fuck you,” She growled, “And yeah, you could say I’m catching the train. I just wanted to call and tell you exactly what I thought of you.”
The train’s whistle was loud enough now that I actually pulled my phone away from my ear. It ended suddenly as my mother ended the call and I sighed. I should have known she’d call bef
ore she left just to make my life hell.
“You alright Chloe Bear?” Jordan asked from behind me.
I screamed like a twelve-year-old and nearly jumped a foot off the ground at the sound of his voice. I was in a dimly lit parking lot by myself, or so I had thought, and hearing a voice that close to me nearly gave me a heart attack.
“Holy shit Jordan! Don’t do that to me!” I shouted.
Instead of laughing, he frowned and looked down at the phone in my hand.
“How long have you been out here?” I asked.
“I followed you outside; I heard everything, at least on your side.”
I groaned as I threw my phone back into my pocket. “I don’t even know what to do anymore when it comes to her. She said she was calling to tell me goodbye and I hope she meant it. I don’t think I can deal with her anymore.”
He walked over to me and wrapped me up in his arms. “Don’t worry about her; if she calls again we’ll just have your number changed.”
I hugged him back, glad that I had someone besides myself to depend on who had seen her craziness first hand.
“I never really thanked you for saving me, I was too busy trying to convince you that it wasn’t you fault. So thanks for you know, not letting me die in the pool.”
He gripped me harder and kissed my forehead. “Never thank me for that, I put you there in the first place. I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you.”
I looked up as someone cleared their throat. Drake was standing behind Jordan with a pissed off look on his face. Where the fates plotting against me lately or what? Every time Jordan touched me, Drake appeared out of thin air at the worst possible moment.
I pulled away from Jordan and gave Drake a weak smile. Jordan tensed beside me as he turned to face Drake.
“Before you get all pissy and jump to conclusions again, let her explain,” Jordan said.
“No need to, I trust Chloe.”
I raised my eyebrows in surprise; from the look on Drake’s face I had assumed he and Jordan were going to get into it again.
“Good to know. Chloe said you two are spending the night in a hotel room so I’m stealing your bunk for the night if you’re ok with it,” Jordan said cooly.
Twisted (Torn Series) Page 15