Changing the Key: A Detrimental Rock Star Romance (Book 1)

by April Michelle

  I eased back to ask, “Is it okay if I watch from here?”

  “Sure.”

  “Thanks. I’ll have the best view in the house.”

  His gaze locked on mine. “Me, too.”

  My heart did a little flip as my cheeks heated. Then I reminded myself that being charming did not equal being sincere. I would not fall for a few pretty words, no matter how tempting.

  The crowd’s chanting grew louder, and the thump of a drumbeat made them scream with excitement.

  “I have to go,” he said, pulling me back into the embrace. His head lowered to speak directly into my ear. “Enjoy the show, Angel.”

  I inhaled, filling my lungs with him. “Go kick some ass, rock star.”

  With a final squeeze, he released me and barreled onto the stage. A low rumble of drums built to a flash of light as the wail of a guitar cut through the night. Then there was no stopping them. For over an hour, I stood mesmerized. At times I forgot to breathe, watching Jaxon sing and work the crowd from every inch of the stage.

  It was a different side to him but just as compelling. He moved with the fluid ease that only came with being truly comfortable with something. Pure, unaffected emotions crossed his face as he interacted with fans, each one dazzled by his amazing stage presence. It was obvious that the crowd adored him, and he relished every minute of it.

  The rest of the band was incredibly talented too, giving the audience an unforgettable performance. Women screamed, men fist-pumped, and everyone sang along to hit after hit. And when they played their famous ballad, thousands of phone lights swayed in the air.

  “While we’ve got things slowed down, we’re going to do a cover song for you,” Jaxon announced. “Pops, our tour manager, was in a motorcycle accident on Friday night, and the bastard that hit him didn’t even stop.” The crowd booed, voicing their disapproval. Jaxon held up a hand and smiled. “Hold on, the story gets better. Thanks to Rob and Lori Anderson, who followed the car and reported the information, the driver was found.” A spotlight hit the front row as Jaxon pointed them out to the screaming crowd. “We were also fortunate to have another angel looking over Pops. We’ll forever be grateful that she came into our lives.”

  I panicked for a minute at the idea of being singled out in front of so many people. Thankfully, that didn’t happen. Instead, the band played a rough and gritty cover of Dave Matthews Band’s “Crash Into Me”. And I was riveted. Jaxon sang with an intense depth of emotion, his lips pressed against the microphone in a way that had me jealous of an inanimate object. It was no wonder women had been throwing themselves at him all day. He was sex personified.

  Thanking the crowd and ending with their most famous hit, they exited the stage, leaving the fans amped up and wanting more. Sweaty and high on adrenaline, they all jogged down the stairs leading behind the stage. I passed out waters and towels, trying not to notice the way Jaxon’s shirt clung to his sweaty body. Following his denim-clad ass, we made our way back to the tour bus. The reserved camping area was like one giant outdoor party with greetings and invitations shouted out as we passed.

  Before the meet-and-greet, I’d dropped off my bags, but there hadn’t been time to get acquainted with my temporary home on wheels. Callie was there to meet us, introducing me to the driver.

  “Welcome aboard, Angel” he greeted.

  “Thanks, Woodchuck.” I assumed it was a nickname. Suddenly, Angel didn’t seem so bad.

  “Dibs on the first shower,” Shawn called out to an eruption of groans.

  “The water tank is full,” Woodchuck assured everyone.

  “Let me give you the grand tour,” Callie offered as the guys began heading to the back.

  Woodgrain walls and black leather furniture should have made the space feel dark. But the white ceilings and abundant lighting balanced out the space to give it a warm homey feeling. The front lounge had a seating area and a TV on each side. A table and booth sat across from a small galley kitchen where Callie opened countless cabinets to point out various kitchen appliances, supplies, and snacks for everyone’s use. A grocery list was posted on the refrigerator, and I was encouraged to add any requests for the next shopping trip. The only real rules were to clean up after myself and to be courteous about odors since it was such a small space.

  “Try not to burn any popcorn, and don’t peel a batch of freshly boiled eggs. Things like that.”

  “That was one time!” Derek’s voice echoed from the hallway, where he and Lance were moving some cases out of a bunk.

  “And it smelled like ass for days,” Lance laughed.

  The last space in the front lounge was the bathroom, though it was still occupied.

  “It’s pretty self-explanatory. There’s a shower stall, but limited water. So be mindful. We keep the cabinet stocked with shared supplies, so help yourself. The most important rule is, um, liquids only in the toilet. Let Woodchuck know if you need to stop.” She cringed. “Yeah, no privacy here.”

  “It’s a simple rule to remember,” Lance called. “If you need to pee, then let it loose. But be polite, and hold the deuce.”

  “Pure poetry, man.” Derek slapped him on the back.

  Callie rolled her eyes. “It’s an odor thing as well as a plumbing thing. Not even toilet paper can go in.”

  “Got it.”

  We moved to the sliding door leading into the bunk area. There were two sets of bunks, stacked two high on each side, for a total of eight. Derek and Lance pulled the final items out of the first lower, right bunk, which I discovered was now mine. There was a personal storage cabinet beside my bunk for my duffel bag and backpack. Callie grabbed some clean sheets and a pillow from the drawer below my bunk while pointing out its different features. Together, we covered the mattress before I climbed in to test it out and explore the light switches and air vents.

  Callie shut the thick privacy curtain just as I turned off the light causing the darkness to close in on me. Sudden flashbacks of being trapped had me grasping to open the curtain.

  “Pretty comfy, right?” Callie asked.

  “Great,” I choked out. Maybe I’d just sleep with the light on or the curtain open. Or both.

  To redirect my mind, I read the labels on the bunks around me. Woodchuck’s bunk was above mine, Jaxon’s was across from me, and Eli’s was above him. The aisle between the bunks was pretty narrow and was especially noticeable as Jaxon passed by us, his body rubbing against mine. Oh, sweet torture.

  Past the remaining bunks, Callie led me through another sliding door to the back lounge. This area had an L-shaped couch, which converted to a bed, a TV, and an office space. It was open for everyone during the day, but Pops used the area to sleep at night. He was reclining on the couch with his foot elevated in front of him.

  “Hey, Cupcake. Giving Angel the grand tour?” he asked.

  “Yep, all three hundred square feet,” she joked as she opened the extra storage cabinets lining the back wall. There were laptops and iPads for general use, which I appreciated since that solved my schoolwork problem.

  “Cupcake?” I asked as we exited the back lounge.

  Callie rolled her eyes in mock embarrassment. “During their first tour, I discovered a specialty cupcake shop in Savannah, Georgia. I kind of became obsessed after that, visiting different shops throughout the tour so I could try as many unique flavors as possible. Pops has called me Cupcake ever since.”

  “That’s sweet, no pun intended,” I giggled. “What about Woodchuck? How did he get his nickname?”

  “He already had the nickname when we hired him. My understanding is that he got it because he likes to eat a lot. And I don’t necessarily mean food, if you know what I mean.”

  “Gotcha.” I held up a hand to halt any further explanation from her.

  She just laughed and shrugged it off. “Life on tour is crazy, and when you spend all of your time around men, you hear all kinds of outrageous stories. But, deep down, they’re all great guys.”

  Making our w
ay back to the front lounge, Jaxon exited the bathroom, freshly showered, with a cloud of heavenly smelling steam filling the air behind him. It took all of my effort to stay focused on Callie as he passed by on his way out to meet up with some other bands.

  She continued highlighting the basics of life on the road since it was all so new to me. The northeast leg of the tour would last six weeks, followed by a break for two weeks. Then they were scheduled for another six weeks of shows in the southeast. The band was typically booked Tuesday through Saturday with Sunday and Monday as days off. It was a unique schedule; one she had worked hard to achieve. Laundry was usually done once a week at a local laundromat, which I would be helping with as the band’s assistant.

  Having a serious aversion to re-wearing dirty clothes, my first concern was getting enough clothes to have a full week’s worth. The one benefit of living in the housekeeping building had been my access to the laundry machines to wash my limited wardrobe. In any case, I would need more than my vacation wear of shorts and t-shirts, but funding was going to be a challenge. It would take a little luck and creativity to stretch my meager cash supply until my first paycheck. Good thing I excelled at just that.

  By three a.m. I gave up trying to sleep. The random sounds of gear being loaded, the guys stumbling onto the bus, and the vibration of the road had not bothered me. It was lying in a freaking box that made me feel like I was suffocating every time I closed my eyes. On top of that, I was freezing. The guys all ran hot, not surprising, keeping the air conditioning on the coldest possible setting. The vent in my bunk aimed an arctic blast of air directly on me, and all I had was a thin sheet for cover. Abandoning my bunk, I decided to make some tea in an attempt to thaw.

  Sliding the door closed as quietly as possible, I turned and was startled to see Jaxon stretched out with a blanket and watching TV. He was equally surprised, sitting up and pausing the program.

  “Sorry,” I whispered, trying to keep my teeth from chattering. “I just wanted some of your magic tea.” I began clumsily opening cabinets, trying to remember where everything was.

  “Damn, I’m sorry,” he whispered back. “I should have checked for an extra blanket for you. Come sit. I’ll make it.”

  I hesitated for about a nanosecond before the allure of a warm blanket, especially one that still held the heat from his body, won me over. After tucking me into the sofa, Jaxon worked with smooth efficiency. He was dressed for comfort in flannel pajama pants and a plain white t-shirt, which drifted up to expose a delicious slice of skin when he reached into an upper cabinet. Damn, I needed to stop thinking about him like that. He was my boss. We could be friends but nothing more. Friends, I repeated to myself.

  I was tucked into a ball as he sat beside me with two steaming cups. “I’m watching Friends reruns. Want to join me?”

  “Sure.” I grinned behind my cup to hide my amusement. Karma was just messing with me now.

  “Don’t judge,” he said. “It helps me sleep.”

  “Clearly.”

  “I was getting there. What’s your excuse, other than being partially frozen?”

  I pulled my foot from under the blanket and placed it on top of his bare foot.

  “Damn, woman. Your feet are like ice.” Before I could protest, he was reaching under us to slide out a hidden extension, turning the narrow sofa into a bed. Propping my feet up, he tucked the blanket around them before sliding under the blanket to settle beside me. With one arm around my shoulders, he turned to ask “Comfy?”

  “Very.”

  Oh, was I comfy, despite my body’s reaction to being pressed together and wishing for nothing more than to burrow deeper into him. Of course, Jaxon seemed completely unaffected. It was another reminder to keep any romantic fantasies safely locked away. We were friends and had just cleared up any potential awkwardness. I certainly didn’t want to ruin it by making things weird with my unwanted attraction. Though it probably wouldn’t phase him. I’d seen his indifference towards the horde of adoring women at the meet-and-greet.

  Setting my empty cup on the counter beside his, we continued to watch TV. Relaxing into his warmth, I was content to stay there for as long as he let me. But as arousing as it was to be cuddled up with him, he also made me feel protected and cared for. It was a foreign feeling for me, and the warm fuzzies bubbling inside of me would have been exciting if I didn’t already know where this was leading. Nowhere. In six weeks, we would each go our separate ways. Until then, I would simply enjoy his company.

  Hoping to extend our time together, I turned my head to hide the yawn that forced its way out.

  “Ready for bed?” he asked, and I automatically tensed at the thought of getting into the bunk again. Sensing my unease, he pulled me in tight. “Let me guess. Claustrophobia? The bunks take some getting used to.”

  “Sort of,” I admitted. “Just a bad memory.”

  “Tell me,” he urged, softly playing with the loose strands of my hair. It had a calming effect, luring me in to rest my head on his shoulder.

  “When I was seven, I got stuck in a freezer. Since then, I’ve been uncomfortable in confined spaces.”

  “A freezer? That might explain why you’re always cold,” he joked. “Seriously, why in the hell would you let someone put you in a freezer?”

  “It wasn’t plugged in, and I put myself in it,” I laughed, also trying to find the humor in the situation. Though I hadn’t thought about it in a long time, the story just kind of flowed out of me. “I was playing hide-and-seek with some kids in my neighborhood. There was an abandoned chest freezer in someone’s yard, so I got in and pulled the lid shut. When nobody found me right away, I tried to push the lid back open, but it was stuck. I panicked, banging on the sides and yelling for help. Luckily, one of my friends got her mom when they couldn’t find me. She got me out.”

  “Fucking hell.” Jaxon wrapped his arm tighter around me, resting his head on mine. “That must have been terrifying. I’m so glad she got there in time.”

  Looking back, I had no way of knowing that my life would be saved in so many ways that day. It was another chain of events set into motion by an otherwise innocent action. Getting trapped in that freezer had been the first step in being freed from the life of poverty and neglect I had been living in. It was a liberating thought as I realized that it was the defining moment that had put me on my current path. As if a switch had been flipped, the memory lost its power, and I was almost thankful that it had happened.

  “Me too,” I whispered, wishing all of my bad memories could be taken away so easily.

  With an unspoken understanding, Jaxon didn’t mention my bunk again. Instead, we stayed nestled together, warm and safe until sleep overtook us.

  Chapter 9

  Jaxon

  I woke with Anna’s breath gently caressing my neck. At some point, we had stretched out lengthwise and turned to face each other. My arms were wrapped around her, holding her close and pillowing her head.

  Shit. I should not have let this happen.

  Yet, I had a sudden, irrational desire to wake up like this every day. Staying there, pressed together, would have made me a very happy man, but the first rays of light were starting to filter through the shades. Pops would be up soon, ready for coffee, and I didn’t want him to find us like this.

  The idea of being seen together didn’t bother me. However, I wasn’t sure what Anna’s reaction would be, even as innocent as the situation was. Not that the morning wood pressing into her belly was completely innocent. But holding her softly curved body left me very little control over the additional blood that flowed to my cock. It took great effort to resist grinding my hips into hers to relieve some of the pressure. Instead, moving with infinite care, I extracted myself without waking her. Placing a feather-soft kiss on her cheek, I slipped back into my bunk with no one the wiser.

  Due to the constant demands on my time and adrenaline from performing, I always had a hard time sleeping on tour. So I was shocked that it was almost noon wh
en I woke again. Now, feeling energized, I was eager for our stop in Raleigh. A second driver had been flown in to help with the long drive to Maine, so Woodchuck needed to pick him up and service the bus. While that was being handled, we had a two-hour layover of sorts in a busy shopping and dining area.

  Hoping to spend that time with Anna, I slid out of my bunk and grabbed some clothes from a drawer. Her privacy curtain was open, revealing my neatly folded blanket. Remembering the feel of her as we’d been cocooned together made me itch for more of her.

  Dressed and ready in record time, I scanned the front lounge. Almost everyone was gathered, not wanting to miss one minute of fresh air and open space to move. Mumbled good morning greetings were exchanged as the bus exited the highway. But there was no sign of Pops or Anna.

  “We decided on a local barbecue restaurant for lunch,” Callie said. “Last chance for southern cooking for the next six weeks.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  The bus slowed, making a series of turns before coming to a stop. Deducing that Anna must be in the back lounge with Pops, I played it cool and waited for her to come to me.

  “Alright folks, we will depart from this location in two hours,” Woodchuck announced as he stood from his seat and stretched.

  The door slid open, and everyone eagerly piled out. As expected, Anna and Pops appeared from the back. She had a small wallet tucked under her arm as she headed straight for the exit.

  I moved to intercept her. “Hey! Ready for some barbecue?”

  She looked out the window, avoiding my gaze. “No, thank you. But I appreciate the invitation.” Her tone was a bit stiff, and, without another word, she slid past me to rush down the steps.

  What the hell? I stood rooted in confusion until Pops nudged me with one of his crutches.

  Settling into a long table at the restaurant, I still couldn’t shake the feeling that Anna was avoiding me.