by Megan Lowe
“I’ll see what I can do.”
“Awesome. I like this one,” he says to Cole.
“Oh thank God!” Cole says, holding a hand to his chest. “It was keeping me up at night, not knowing if I had your approval.”
“You know, Matthews, you might think you’re the big man on campus, but look out! I’m coming home from the Extreme Games with medals, two of ’em, both gold.” Everyone chuckles and the Ryan boys all kiss their fingers and point to the sky. I’m not going to ask what that’s all about.
“Uh-huh,” Cole agrees, “but until then I’m going to enjoy my ‘big man on campus’ status,” he says, making air quotes, and like we have been all night, everyone laughs. It’s such a friendly atmosphere. I can see why Cole has attached himself to the Ryans.
“And with that,” Cole says, taking my hand, “we’re out.”
I get up and hug everyone and promise with all sincerity that I will see them soon.
“I had a great week,” I say to Cole when we’re back at his place getting ready for bed.
He kisses me on the forehead. “I’m glad.”
“The Ryans are fantastic.”
“I know, they’re like my dream family,” he jokes.
“I know, right? After everything they’ve been through, they’re completely normal.”
“Unlike our families.”
“Ugh, don’t remind me,” I say, cuddling up to him. “I don’t want to go back to mine.”
“How bad will it be?”
I shrug. “It can’t really get much worse. We’re all well aware we’re stuck with each other.”
“Yeah, but you have me now.”
I smile. “Yeah, I do.” The resulting kiss is long and sweet, our tongues massaging, a kiss full of tenderness. “You have this knack of knowing exactly what I need,” I say, when we break apart.
“That’s because I know you, in here.” He places his palm on my chest, right over my heart. “And I think you know me too.”
I nod. This past week has been exactly what we needed. It was great being able to strip everything away and take the time to discover each other. I feel like our relationship, in terms of closeness, has reached the same level as when we were kids. Only now it’s better because we get to kiss and touch and do other stuff that Cole has been keeping off the table, but I’m hopeful that’s about to change. He said he wanted to wait, to make sure I knew he’s in this relationship for me and, after the week we’ve had, I have no doubt. I know Cole just wants me to be me; it’s something I desperately want as well, and being with him allows me to do that.
I move closer to him, throwing my arms around his neck, our lips finding each other’s again. He deepens the kiss, the hand he has on my arse pushing me into his erection. I moan into his mouth, and he bends down to pick me up. I let my legs wind around his waist. He’s moving, and seconds later he places me on the bed. I keep my arms and legs locked around him and he grinds into me, eliciting another moan. His hands make their way under my shirt and settle on my breasts, kneading and pinching my nipples through the lace of my bra. I claw at his back and pull at the fabric of his shirt. He gets the hint and breaks our kiss long enough to take it off. I do the same.
“You are so incredibly beautiful,” he breathes, looking down at me.
“You’re not so bad yourself, handsome.” He flashes me his brilliant smile before he’s back on me, his solid body pushing me into the mattress. We continue to make out, one of Cole’s hands on my breast; the other makes its way down to the waistband of my jeans. I lift my hips to encourage him and he undoes them with amazing dexterity. They soon join my shirt on the floor. Slowly Cole moves down my body, a trail of kisses in his wake. When he gets to my panties, he looks up at me. I’m panting, turned on beyond belief, my panties drenched. They’re slowly dragged down my legs before Cole’s mouth is on me, his tongue lapping at me like he’s a man dying of thirst.
“Oh God!” I cry, my hands delving into his hair. I can feel my orgasm building and it hits me in a rush when he slides a finger into me and sucks my clit into his mouth.
“Cole!” I scream, arching off the bed. He wipes his mouth as he crawls up my body again, minus his jeans. My bra is tossed over his shoulder and he settles between my legs, pressing against my entrance.
“Good, love?” he asks as he reaches over to his bedside table and pulls out a condom.
“So good,” I breathe. My legs are jelly, but feeling him against me has me aching with need again. After rolling on the condom, Cole slides into me. He’s big, so I have to stretch to accommodate him, but fuck does he feel good.
“Shit, Kn,” he grits out, “you feel amazing.”
“Cole,” I moan, lifting my hips in an effort to get him to move. He takes the hint and pulls out before thrusting back in.
“Oh God!” I cry.
“I’m not gonna last,” he pants.
“I’m with you,” I tell him. A few more thrusts and we’re both coming hard.
“Fuck,” he says as he leans his forehead on mine, before pressing a soft kiss to my lips.
“Yeah,” I agree.
“That was amazing,” he says.
“It was.” He kisses me again before slipping out of me and getting up to dispose of the condom. Cole comes back and hops into bed, drawing me into his arms, holding me tight against his chest. I go willingly and fit my head between his neck and shoulder in what I consider my spot. It’s been the perfect end to a perfect week, but tomorrow I have to face the music.
No Place for Distractions
Are they or aren’t they? That’s the question on everyone’s lips regarding our second-favourite Rocking Racers couple. (We’ll always ship Ria!) Coley, or Cole Matthews and McKnley Rhodes, have been seen together out and about quite a bit during the past two months, yet when Rocking Rumours asked McKnley’s mum and manager, Helen, for a comment on the relationship, she said the two were just “acquaintances.” While we hate to burst Mama Rhodes’s bubble, it’s clear to us at least that the two are very much a couple. That hasn’t stopped the Rhodes matriarch though, with Helen leaving no doubt on her opinion on the Supermoto champ.
“As much as I hate to say it, he’s a distraction for Knley. My girls are at the top of their game, the pinnacles of their careers, and cannot be distracted by men who clearly don’t understand the demands of their career. All we have to do is see how he whisked McKnley back to his little town a few weeks ago. We were in the middle of rehearsals for our sold-out tour, but he gave no consideration to that fact. It set us back quite a bit.
“My girls pride themselves on giving 110 percent to their fans, but I fear McKnley is getting swept up in the whirlwind nature of whatever they have going on. She needs to focus and I fear being with him won’t allow her to do that.
“The reason I’m saying this publicly is because our fans are Knley’s guiding light, and I’m hoping that if they get behind me we might be able to get our girl back before she loses her way entirely. I’ve started a campaign on our social networks so please join in.”
So there we have it, Mongers. A battle is laid out right before our very eyes. As always, stick with us. We’ll have every Coley development for you as it happens.
Chapter Twelve
Cole
The next two months fly by, not that it’s smooth sailing. Knley and I are out and about, but her mother makes things difficult. She’s consistently downplaying our relationship to the press, trying to separate us, RSVPing to events for Knley and neglecting to mention she’ll be plus one…. That’s in addition to the social media comments that I’m an unwanted distraction and the reason Knley isn’t able to focus on her work. It’s bullshit; McKnley is the ultimate professional and to suggest otherwise is selling her daughter way short. They are trending a lot more on social media though. Helen’s call to arms worked a treat, the conniving bitch. Trust her to take this relationship and use it to her advantage.
Personally though, we’re just trying to rise above it,
not dignify the bullshit Helen’s spouting by responding to it. I know Knley hates the level of media attention on her personal life, so I’m happy to go with that for the moment, knowing any move we make will be spread all over the pages of the gossip rags Helen has in her pocket. My father hasn’t been silent on the matter either. He was none too pleased to discover Knley and I are dating. For three quarters of an hour, I listened to him as he ranted and raved. Warnings about how I was going to fuck my career, his career, and basically bring about the end of the world were aplenty. Then there was the trip down memory lane telling me how the Rhodes’ were more trouble than they’re worth and that Helen was a lousy lay, something I could’ve done without ever knowing.
“You always had an unhealthy relationship with that girl,” he spat. “You worshipped the ground she walked on while she barely gave you a sideways glance.”
“Whether that’s the truth or not, it’s my life, and if Knley wants to be with me, then I’m not going to argue with her.”
“This is a mistake of epic proportions,” he warned.
“It may be, but like I said, it’s mine to make.”
He huffed and ended the call a few minutes later. I admit, it’s a lot to take in. It feels like we’re copping it from all sides. Despite this, we’re making it work. She’s managed to get back to Booker a couple of times, but for the most part when I’m not training, I’m in Melbourne. I’ve struck up a good friendship with Quinn, who unlike the rest of her family, is over the moon that Knley and I are together. Even though we don’t need other people’s approval of our relationship, it is nice to know we have some support.
The others put on a good show at the fan club party, but I could tell it was all an act. It was a good one, I’ll give them that, but it was also what you would expect from women who have been in the public eye as much as they have. Everything was a little too practiced and had a slightly predictable air. It was just a little too fantastic if you know what I mean.
The Ryans have been great about everything though. Knley’s pretty much a member of the family now. As an added bonus, Ryan Racing is getting a ton of publicity, which Bria loves. Reed, not so much. The baby’s due any day now, and he hates the amount of work his wife is doing. I feel bad, but she tells me not to worry, that she can handle both the extra work and Reed. Of that I have no doubt.
All of that aside, life is, well... it’s different, but a good different, you know?
Tonight Knley and I are flying solo, free from her mother’s talons. A friend of Knley’s is opening a restaurant and we’re going to the opening. As usual, there’s a crowd of paparazzi waiting for our, well, Knley’s arrival. I hate having to walk this gauntlet, hate it even more when they yell and say things just to get a reaction, but unfortunately I’m getting used to it. I’m first out of the car so I can sort of shield Knley as we walk to the front door. The paps go crazy, but after a brief struggle we make it inside.
Knley’s friend has outdone himself; the restaurant is incredible and so is the food. We spend a few hours eating, drinking, laughing, and just generally enjoying ourselves. I thought because we were inside so long, that the paps would’ve given up and gone home; one can hope, right? I’m disappointed to find out that’s not the case; in fact, the scrum seems to have grown. The crowd is so large the car isn’t able to get down the narrow laneway and the driver calls to tell me we’ll have to walk a short distance. I tell him it’s not a problem, but when we step outside I realise I’m so totally wrong. The paps are more aggressive than usual, pushing and shoving in order to try and get a good shot, of what exactly I’m not sure. It’s not like we’re doing anything interesting. I sling an arm around Knley and usher her down the street. It’s hard going and we’re making very little progress.
“Come on, guys, give us a little space, huh?” I yell. They ignore me and continue to jostle. One in particular gets right up in Knley’s face, and I place a hand on his chest to try and give Kn a bit of room to breathe.
“Just give us some space,” I repeat. Knley is clinging to my side and I can feel how much she hates this by the tight grip she has on me. I step slightly in front of her so I can clear a path, but the same guy comes at me, getting in my face this time. Again I put a hand to his chest and give him a little shove. It isn’t anything serious; it wouldn’t even have knocked Christian over. He doesn’t take kindly, go figure, to someone getting in his face, and shoves me back, hard. I’m already off balance due to the buffeting I’m getting from all sides, and he used significantly more force than I did, so I end up falling into Knley. Naturally she’s wearing high heels and with the jostling going on around her she ends up falling back. She squeals and tries to grab my jacket, but can’t. She manages to twist so she lands on her shoulder, not flat on her back, protecting her head.
“Knley!” I yell as more flashes go off around us. She’s whimpering and clutching at her arm. “Fuck, love, are you all right?”
She shakes her head. “My arm.”
Our crowd has attracted more people, with bouncers from the bars on the main road coming to help. I’m able to get Knley up and to the car. The pain on her face is clear to see.
“How bad is it?” I ask.
“Pretty fucking bad.”
Without even being told, the driver heads to the closest hospital.
Three hours and a couple of Nurofen Plus later, Knley is diagnosed with a broken arm. The break is up high, near her shoulder, so it can’t be put in a cast, which I guess is a good thing. The bad thing is she needs to keep it completely still, which means no guitar.
“We’re supposed to go out on tour in a couple of weeks,” she says.
“It’s gonna have to be postponed,” I tell her. “Six weeks to heal, then physio. You won’t be playing for a while.”
“Mum’s going to shit.”
“It’s not gonna change the fact your arm is broken and you can’t play.” She slumps against me and rests her forehead on my chest. “I’m sorry, love.”
She looks up at me. “What are you sorry for?”
“That you got hurt, that you can’t play your guitar for a while, that I shoved that guy, for all of it.”
“Cole, look at me.”
I reluctantly look into her eyes. “It wasn’t your fault. You were trying to protect me and get me through that mess. It wasn’t your fault that guy was overly aggressive.”
“I shouldn’t have shoved him.”
“We both know you barely touched him, and he pushed you back! If anything, me falling was his fault.”
A nurse comes in. “McKnley, your mother is here and demanding to see you,” she says with a curl to her lip. “Do you want me to let her back here?”
Knley sighs. “I suppose I’ll have to face her at some point. At least if it’s here and she tries to kill me, there are doctors around who can bring me back to life.” The nurse nods and leaves the room.
“I’m right here, love,” I say, giving her waist a squeeze.
The force of nature that is Helen Rhodes sweeps in. “I told you this was a bad idea,” she says.
“It was a restaurant opening,” Knley says, a hint of exasperation in her voice.
“I couldn’t care less about the damn opening. I meant your relationship with him.” She sneers in my direction. I open my mouth to say something, but she forges on. “I knew eventually he’d get violent. That’s why I sent so many photographers to follow you, so we’d have evidence when the time came.”
“Are you fucking insane?” I shout. “You sent those soul-sucking bottom feeders?”
“They are a crucial tool in keeping McKnley and Places in the public eye.”
“They stalk your daughter’s every move, yell vile and degrading things at her, and invade her privacy. How can you stand there with a straight face and say they’re vital?”
“Because they are,” she says, taken aback. “The photographic and tabloid media have been very kind by promoting my girls. Speaking of, McKnley, I’ve already released a
statement about the events of this evening, so there’s no need to worry.”
“Yes, because sitting here with a broken arm, that’s exactly what I was worried about,” Knley says dryly.
“What did this statement say?” I ask.
“The truth,” Helen tells me.
“Whose version of it?”
“There is only one version of the truth, Cole.”
“Whatever. Love, I think I should call Bria, just in case the media start looking for something from me.” She nods. “Will you be okay here?” She sighs and nods again. “I’ll be right back,” I say, kissing her forehead before going outside to make my call.
“Do you know what time it is?” Reed snaps when he answers the phone.
“Yeah, I know and I’m sorry, but I might have a bit of a situation here and I didn’t want Bria to be blindsided by it in the morning.”
“What happened?” Reed asks, the anger gone, replaced by concern.
“Is Bria there?”
“Yeah, she’s right beside me. Hang on, I’ll put you on speaker.”
“Cole?” Bria asks.
“Hey, Bri, sorry to wake you, but I’ve got a bit of a situation here and you’re probably going to get some calls.”
“What happened?”
“Knley and I were at a restaurant opening for a friend of hers. Naturally there were a few paps but nothing we couldn’t handle.”
“Okay….”
“So we went in for a couple of hours and when we came out the pap pack had multiplied, so much so the car couldn’t make it to us. We had to walk a bit to get to it. I didn’t think it was going to be a problem but these guys were overly aggressive, pushing and shoving us. There was one in particular that got right up in Knley’s face. She was terrified, her nails were digging into my side. Anyway, I gave him a gentle, and I mean it wouldn’t even have knocked Christian over, shove. He didn’t take kindly to it and shoved me back, hard. Because I was already off balance I stumbled into Knley, and she fell and broke her arm.”