Brooklyn Rockstar (Kendall Family #1)

by Jennifer Ann

  Eyes wide, she laughs in a bright, cheerful sound. “Both of us? Guess he is infamous for that sort of thing. He’s a smooth talker, that one.”

  “You think he really does that?” I bite my lip and cringe when I remember the article that mentioned he was into 3-ways. “That’s not something I could do. I mean not just with you, with anyone. Especially when I have barely done a one way.”

  “Relax. He seemed mostly interested in finding a way into your knickers and I’m certainly not going to throw away our friendship for the chance to get stuffed by someone famous.”

  I glance at the doorway to make sure he isn’t coming back. “He doesn’t seem to have the best reputation with women in general. I mentioned the underage thing, though, and he told me not to believe it.”

  Sharlo shakes her head, smiling brightly. “You’re analyzing this far too much, love. You’ve said it yourself—you’re ready to give sex another go. Who better to scratch your itch than a rock god?”

  “I don’t know. It’s just weird. When I asked him what he was doing here, he said he came for the band. He was touching my hair while going on about wanting to get to know me. It’s obvious he’s a total player.”

  I leave out the part where I was sure I’d implode from the sexual tension between us and couldn’t stop thinking what a shame it was that his long hair is gone so I couldn’t drag him closer and have my way. Just the musky scent of him combined with the feel of his warm breath on my face turned my insides to jelly.

  I set my chin in my hands and sigh dreamily. “He’s crazy hot and everything, but I know how this works. He’s famous. What would he want from someone like me? Of course he’s going to turn on the charm. If I sleep with him, that’ll be the end. As much as I want to get a little action, I’m not going to start back up with one night stands.” A big part of me fears one little taste of Charlie Walker could never be enough and I’d be ruined for all future relationships.

  “You little twat,” she scolds, laying her open hands on the table. “Your lucky arse got to experience the charms of one of the country’s most beloved rockstars and you’re considering turning him down? Have you gone yampy?”

  “Hard to say when I have no clue what ‘yampy’ means.” I grab her by her wrists, giggling. “Help me. I really like him, but it’s been so long. What if he laughs at me because I suck in bed? What do I tell him?”

  “March your fabulous arse back out there and tell him that if he really wants to get to know a lady, a cuppa tea in the daylight would be preferable. And having sex is like riding a horse. You’ll be brilliant. If you decide you do in fact fancy nothing more than a shag, I’d be more than happy to accompany you to his flat as a chaperone. I’d even pretend not to be jealous when I hear your bloody cries of ecstasy.”

  The options war against each other inside my head. Does Sharlo honestly believe the line about getting to know me better was genuine? Would he really be open to a casual date? I can’t stand here and pretend that I wouldn’t jump at the chance for what’s sure to be a steamy night with someone as gorgeous as Charlie Walker. But would I be able to walk away when it was done and stop obsessing over him? I get the feeling after he’s made my wildest fantasies come true, the fangirl moments would only intensify.

  “Ev,” Sharlo sings, “we haven’t got all night.”

  “I’m trying to decide,” I say, silencing her with a raised finger.

  “Okay, let’s give it a go.” Taking my hands in hers, she looks me square in the eye. “Do you have the slightest bit of interest in getting to know someone of his caliber on a personal level, or is this just about being sexually attracted to his persona?”

  “Both?” I squeak out.

  “Right then, let’s get out of this place and head over to his flat before you lose the courage to do this thing.”

  I’m in a daze as she whisks me away toward the door and back out onto the sidewalk. I stop dead in my tracks when I don’t see Charlie anywhere. Three times as many people have gathered outside watching as a group of women talk to a reporter I recognize from the gossip show Celebrity Insider.

  “This can’t be good,” I say to Sharlo.

  “You guys just missed Charlie Walker!” a girl in knee-high socks and a dress tells us with the enthusiasm of a crack head. “He was taking pictures with a bunch of people and got mobbed. Then a big black SUV pulled up and he jumped in. It was intense!”

  “I’m sure it was!” Sharlo answers in a mocking tone.

  My shoulders drop. “Well, there goes that idea.”

  “Only you’re forgetting one small, very important fact.” Sharlo pats my purse resting on my thigh between us. “We know exactly where we can find him,” she whispers.

  “That’s her!” one of the women beside the reporter yells, pointing directly at me. “That’s the woman Charlie was kissing!”

  Sharlo and I exchange a baffled look just as a great commotion arises. Everyone rushes toward me, phones clicking away as they yell over each other. The woman with the microphone snakes her way through the crowd, coming at me with a cameraman on her heels. My mouth drops as several people begin to shout questions at once.

  “Who are you?”

  “How is Charlie taking the negative reviews?”

  “What’s your name?”

  “How long have you been sleeping with Charlie?”

  “Are you an actress or a model?”

  “What’s it like to kiss the Sexist Man Alive?”

  “Bloody hell,” Sharlo grumbles, reclaiming my hand. “Keep your head down and do try to keep up.”

  As I step away with her, a woman grabs a handful of my hair, and I’m propelled backward. “What makes you think you’re good enough for him, skank?” she roars.

  Sharlo’s jaw drops when she turns to see me struggling to break away. “Fuck off!” she yells at the crazed woman, freeing my hair from her clutches. I don’t know if I want to laugh or cry as we run as fast as we can from the nightmare. How does Charlie put up with this shit?

  * * *

  Somewhere in the neighborhood of twenty minutes later, after we’ve outrun the crazy fans and I’m not quite as shaken by what happened, we’re standing on the steps of a well-kept brownstone. As I ring the doorbell, I’m so damn nervous that I can’t stop tapping my fingers on the metal railing beside me. Sharlo’s hand snaps out to grab mine just as the door swings open.

  Charlie’s chiseled face and bright eyes, free of the baseball cap, light up when they land on me. His dark hair is shorter than I realized, but it makes him even sexier. He changed into running shorts and a sleeveless shirt that reveals every delectable inch of his tattooed arm. I think I actually wince a little with the sight of them.

  He rushes forward eagerly like he’s two seconds away from scooping me off the ground and into his arms. “How—”

  “You forgot something,” I say, producing his wallet and biting back a smile.

  Understanding crosses his face as he takes it from me. “I didn’t plan to bail on you like that. Apparently some fan posted my location. It turned into a shit storm real fast.”

  Mesmerized by the icy blue eyes staring back at me, I become paralyzed and unable to form a sentence. Desire coils in the pit of my stomach, making it hard to breathe.

  “We’re well aware of what happened,” Sharlo tells him as she casually bumps her hip against mine. “You’ll be forgiven if you give us those pints you promised Evelyn.”

  Charlie opens the door wide and flashes another one of his brilliant smiles. “Come on in, ladies. Make yourselves at home.”

  All at once I’m especially grateful that Sharlo came along when she hooks her arm through mine and leads the way. I probably would’ve been frozen on that step all night if I had come alone.

  Having never set foot inside a rockstar’s house, I don’t know if I should be underwhelmed or impressed to see Charlie isn’t the type to show off. Dark wooden floors and several brick walls are the most dramatic asset of the open layout leading to
a decent sized galley kitchen with black cabinets and a comfortable living room. Worn, inviting furniture arranged on a sophisticated rug face a modest flat screen TV and open shelves of liquor beside a plain table with benches for chairs sit beneath decorative lighting and a metal stairway to the second floor.

  The only decorations other than the bottles of booze are picture frames lined up along a walnut bookshelf where there are honest-to-goodness books that look to have been well-read. A classic Pixies tune playing from hidden speakers and the smell of leather complete the feel of what I consider a cozy home. Though dishes fill the sink and my eyes catch on a patch of dust in the living area, there’s an overall orderly vibe to the decor. It’s not what I would expect of a famous rockstar, but the barefoot, laid-back hottie standing beside me fits right in.

  “Kick back and relax,” Charlie tells us, pointing to the twin couches. “I’ll grab those beers.” When our gazes meet, he winks and produces a friendly grin.

  A warm flush climbs up my neck and spreads through my entire body, likely turning my cheeks a dark shade of red. But it isn’t just my face that reacts in a shameful way to his good looks and deep voice. I really want to scratch the itch he created, but I can’t seriously believe something is going to happen between me and this gorgeous, famous man. Wrapped in my thoughts, I miss my footing when I turn away and collide with Sharlo.

  “Careful, groupie,” she teases in a whisper as she steadies herself. Her arm links with mine and she pulls me over to inspect the picture frames. The photos make up for the lack of swag in the apartment. Movie stars, rock legends, even the President—it seems no one is too famous for Charlie. I can’t help but bristle when seeing him in a cozy pose with the actress recently crowned as “America’s Sexiest Sweetheart” and wonder if they had a thing.

  Charlie soon joins us, passing out bottles before standing rigid at my side.

  “Quite an impressive lot,” Sharlo comments, motioning to the collection.

  “It’s just part of the business,” he answers with a modest shrug. His hand falls to my lower back, reigniting the full body flush I felt earlier. “Let’s sit.”

  Claiming the spot at my side, Charlie stretches his tattooed arm out behind me on the couch. Uncontrollable spasms ripple between my legs and I’m rendered helpless when his scent returns, hovering around me like a warm embrace. Holding back a whimper, I take a long drink of my beer and flash Sharlo a helpless look as she takes the couch adjacent to us. If I don’t check my hormones soon, I’m going to be straddling him in front of my friend and licking every last inch of the inked arm behind me.

  “We got a taste of stardom tonight,” Sharlo says matter-of-fact like. “The little mob you created came after her, thinking the two of you were an item.”

  “Shit.” Charlie sets his beer down on the walnut coffee table by our knees before squeezing my shoulder. Warm tingles shoot down my arm when I look into his icy blue gaze. “What happened? Did they hurt you?”

  Waving a hand through the air, I try my best to laugh it off. “It wasn’t a big deal. Just caught us by surprise. I had no idea they could get that out of hand.”

  “One of them thought she’d leave with a souvenir,” Sharlo continues. “Tried to pull Ev’s hair right off her head.”

  A wave of ferocity like nothing I’ve felt before vibrates off Charlie’s taut chest. “Fuck!”

  I almost choke on a swig of beer. It’s like he’s ready to run back there and start kicking ass. The man brings intensity to a whole new level.

  I mouth “stop” to my smirking friend as Charlie’s large hand moves away from my shoulder to caress the back of my head. Considering the numerous nights I spent fantasizing about his touch, I’m ready to melt into a puddle on the soft leather beneath me. It’s suddenly taking an immense amount of willpower to keep my hands to myself.

  “Are you alright?” he asks in a gentle tone even though I can hear a tightness in his breath.

  “Seriously, I’m fine,” I insist with a nervous giggle. “She’s blowing it out of proportion. As you can see, I still have a full head of hair. And I’m a tough farm girl, remember?”

  The moment I set my hand on his rock-hard thigh, I’m drowning in a sea of my own juices. The guy is a living mass of perfection. Strong, enduring, and talented with eyes that send shivers down my spine and a voice that gets my motor running, it’s understandable how I could be preoccupied with thoughts of him all week.

  The playful light I saw outside of the bar returns to his eyes. “I think you and I have a different idea of tough.”

  Sitting taller, I mirror his expression. “I’ll bet you I could back your tour bus down Times Square without a single scratch. Wanna see me try?”

  “I’d have to say no,” he says, still massaging the back of my head. A playful smirk tilts his incredibly kissable lips. “My manager would murder both of us.”

  “I bet you think you’re ‘tough’ when you’re on the road performing and then stay up all night to party before performing again the next day.”

  His shoulder lifts with a shrug. “Don’t know where you’re going with this, but okay. Maybe.” When I squeeze his leg, he releases a small growl from inside his throat.

  “Try going forty-eight hours without any sleep and still be expected to be alert enough to monitor a machine as big as this room because there’s a storm on the way and you have to finish harvest before the first snow flies.”

  “That’s impressive,” he concedes, nodding. “But we’re still talking two different kinds of tough here. You ever go a round in a boxing ring?”

  “No, but I bet I could throw Sharlo over my shoulder and toss her into the back end of a pickup.”

  “I beg your pardon?” Sharlo asks in a higher than normal voice.

  A delectable chuckle rises from Charlie. “That, I’d like to see.”

  We’re staring at each other, sharing a delicious grin, when Sharlo clears her throat. “Well then, I believe I’ll step outside for a fag.”

  I open my mouth to ask her when she started smoking, but she cuts me off with a sharp look. The second the door has shut behind her, my stomach drops with the feel of a finger tracing my jawline. When I turn to face him, Charlie Walker’s beautiful eyes are dilated and burning with lust.

  Oh shit, I’m in serious trouble.

  Chapter 10

  CHARLIE

  The raw electricity crackling between us becomes too wicked to fight any longer. I touch her face, pressing my thumb over a patch of freckles. Her lips part with a quiet sigh. A dark haze of need for this gorgeous creature floods my brain and hardens my dick, disintegrating all control. I trail a hand up her back slowly, loving the way her big eyes darken with my touch. When I lean in close, eager to feel the warmth of her mouth, she arches into me with anticipation.

  Part of me can’t believe I’m really about to kiss a chick—probably the part that’s sounding more and more like Danny every day—while a more insistent part says to shut the fuck up and do it already. I bend in for her mouth, intending to give this thing a test run, but her supple lips part even more and I can’t hold back. Our tongues mash together, filling me with the taste of bitter beer and sweet Evelyn. My fingers tangle in her long, soft hair to hold her tight against me as I steal her warmth. She hooks her free arm around my neck while our lips and tongues work in tango as if possessed.

  It’s not a soft or tender kiss by any means. It’s an attempt to make up for years of refusing to kiss women, refusing to let anyone get that close. It’s fucking explosive and driven by a raw yearning to claim her as mine. Her end is just as eager and needy as if she wanted this just as badly.

  As we continue kissing, I grab the bottle of beer from her hand and set it next to mine before returning both hands to her nest of soft curls and nudging her down to lay on her back. Arms locked around my neck, she whimpers inside my mouth when my hard-on presses against her bare thigh. Everything about this woman is soft and beautiful, making me lose my goddamn mind. Her flora
l scent alone nearly blinds me with desire.

  Evelyn detaches her lips from mine. “What are you doing with me?” she pants against my mouth, pressing our foreheads together. “What is this?”

  Assuming she isn’t talking about the monstrous hard-on rubbing against her leg, I coax her lips to answer mine with another deep kiss. I don’t have the faintest fucking clue what this is. All I know is her body and kisses are driving me to the brink of insanity and I want to bury myself deep inside her.

  Her small body wriggles in sync with mine as I kiss her harder, wondering how I’ll ever stop. She doesn’t protest when I reach up to cup one of her tits over her dress. It’s a perfect handful, just like the rest of her. When she releases another small sigh inside my mouth, I sink my teeth into her bottom lip and growl. I have to taste all of her. I can’t wait any longer.

  Trailing my fingers up her smooth arm, I release one of the straps of her dress and drag it down her toned bicep before moving my mouth down to her freckled shoulder, kissing and sucking her golden skin. She tastes like sunshine and virtue, as if she brought a bit of the farm along with her.

  A brisk knock at the front door slices through the intense moment with the effectiveness of a cold shower. I pull away from Evelyn to study her soft features lax with longing and suddenly remember she’s not a random groupie I want to dominate. Lips swollen from my aggressive kisses and face flush from desire, she’s beyond gorgeous. And there’s so much innocence behind those honey-brown eyes darkened with lust that I want to take her in my arms and hide her from the rest of the world. It’s ironic, because if she becomes mine like I hope she will, there will be so much more to protect her from.

  “Shit,” she says with a small smile, dropping one of her arms over her belly. “I can’t believe I seriously forgot about Sharlo. I’m a terrible friend.”