My breathing sped up. Cole stared at my lips, his tongue darting out, making my heart race. The theater that had seemed cold only seconds ago, now felt like an inferno. Cole started to lean in.
Closer.
Closer.
I turned my face away. I couldn’t go down that road with him again. Above the noise of the movie I heard his sigh, and my seat shook as he turned back to the screen.
The second the credits started to roll, I leapt from my seat like my ass was on fire. I needed fresh air. His proximity was messing with my head.
But even outside, the air between us felt charged. Ever the gentleman, Cole leaned forward to open my car door and something distinctly . . . Cole assaulted my senses. I swallowed in deep gulps of air, trying to get my wayward body under control. My hormones and my brain needed to get on the same wavelength.
Cole helped me into the car, caressing my palm as I took my seat. “I had fun tonight.”
“I did, too.”
“Thank you for giving me a chance to earn your trust.”
I gestured at myself with my free hand. “Everyone has it in them to change.”
“That they do.” He placed a kiss on my hand. It was the kind of gesture you only see in movies and on TV, and it almost stopped my heart with its sweetness.
“’Night, Mari.”
“Good-night.”
As I drove off, watching him from my rearview mirror until I lost sight of him, I wondered whether I would ever be able to let go and just enjoy his company. But there was the question of where to draw the line. From the time I’d spent with him, I knew we could be friends, except there was a part of me that screamed it could be something more, if only I could open myself up to the possibility.
***
“It’s on the fucking radio!”
What the hell? I threw the covers off and walked to the door. Opening it a crack, Jackson’s excited voice traveled down the hall.
“I can’t believe it’s out already. Or that anyone agreed to play it.”
There were whoops and the slap of high fives and I had the immediate desire to lock myself in my room and hide. But the guys would never go for it.
Deciding that going out to the living room on my own was better than them coming in and jumping on my bed if I pretended I was sleeping. I threw on yoga pants and a T-shirt. No way in hell was I going out there in my skimpy pajama bottoms.
I finger-combed my hair on the way down the hall, the noise getting more raucous as I moved through the house. “What’s all the yelling about?”
Four sets of excited eyes turned to me. “Runaway Dream is on the fucking radio.”
I swallowed hard. “They released it?”
Heath smiled. “Yes. Way sooner than we expected.”
Jackson pulled out his phone, pulling up our Twitter feed. Hundreds of tweets tagging us stared back at me. People begging for more.
Love her voice @JadedIvory
New release from @JadedIvory. We need more from this band
Awesome debut from @JadedIvory
Runaway Dream needs the number 1 spot @JadedIvory
My jaw was practically sitting on the floor. People’s reactions were way beyond even the wildest of my dreams. I ran and jumped into Sawyer’s arms, wrapping my legs around his waist, squeezing him as tightly as I could.
“We did it, Keys.”
“Thank you for asking me to sing that night.”
Monty pressed up against my back, hugging Sawyer and me. “We couldn’t have done it without you.”
Jackson and Heath joined in with our Jaded Ivory group hug, making the weight too much for Sawyer and we all went crashing to the floor. Laughter pealed from us, filling the room until, slowly, we got ourselves under control. Jackson was the first to make it to his feet. That’s when I noticed they were all wearing their pajamas.
“At least I had the decency to change.”
Monty winked. “Hey, we were excited. Now we need to go and celebrate.”
I glanced at the clock on the microwave in the kitchen. “We are not going out drinking at ten in the morning, and I’m not going anywhere with you guys dressed liked that.” I pointed at their clothing.
Monty struck a ridiculous pose, like something you’d see on the runway. “What are you talking about? I make this look good.”
“Uh-huh.” I smirked. “I have a better idea. How about you guys head back to your place, make yourself somewhat more presentable, and Sawyer and I will make brunch. Then after we eat, we can go out and celebrate.”
“Deal.” Heath had his hand on the doorknob before Jackson or Monty even made it to the door. With all eyes on him, he shrugged. “What? We’re talking about Mari’s cooking here.”
“Good point. We’ll be back,” Monty yelled, shoving Jackson out the door.
Sawyer wrapped an arm around my shoulder. “Brunch, huh?”
I shrugged. “Yeah. It’ll give me time to process everything. You’re forgetting that everyone in the area knows who we are now. If we go out, people are going to recognize us. Things might get crazy. Better to start later, on full stomachs.”
“Always thinking.” He nodded his head toward the hall. “Go shower. You take longer than me.”
I flipped him off and was just turning to head for the bathroom when his hand landed firmly on my ass. I squealed and raced down the hall, glancing over my shoulder right before I stepped out of sight. “Now I’m gonna use all of the hot water.”
He groaned and I laughed, amazed at how much lighter I felt. This was happening. It was really happening.
I showered quickly, unable to slow myself down even though I would have loved to have messed with Sawyer more. I was just too damn excited to keep still.
I opened the door with my towel wrapped tightly around me and ran into a wall of solid muscle. Sawyer’s eyes connected with mine and I couldn’t help but smile up at him. The moment held as if we were in a trance until a shiver raced down my body. He smirked and once again smacked my ass.
“Go get dressed.” He stepped into the bathroom and I narrowed my eyes at him as the door closed. Once I was dressed in a pair of jeans, a black tank, and leather jacket, I went to the kitchen to get breakfast started.
“We’re back,” I heard Monty call. I’d finished everything but the waffles.
“Grab a plate.”
“Holy shit.” Jackson’s eyes were wide, taking in the counters covered in food. “You’re quick.”
“Damn, Sawyer. Why haven’t you scooped Mari up yet? She’s fucking perfect.” Monty’s plate was already piled high with food, all of it balanced precariously.
I glanced over at Sawyer who shared a look with Heath. Apparently, Heath also knew about everything that had happened. “I’m perfect? Have you met me?”
Monty busted out laughing. “Okay, fair enough.”
Crisis averted.
I turned off the waffle iron and filled my own plate. “How do you think LiteStar is going to react to the release?”
“I have a feeling we’re going to hear from Tom pretty soon, about more than a debut single. But you know that’s probably going to mean a lot more time in the studio.” Jackson shoved another forkful of food into his mouth.
“About that,” Heath said, his tone somber. “Depending on how things continue, I wonder if it’s time for us to start considering moving closer to the city.”
Groans sounded throughout the room.
“I know, I know.” Heath raised his hands. “But we can’t keep driving back and forth two hours each way. We only stayed here because it was close to our normal spots. With those shows ending, it’s something to consider.”
As much as I hated the idea of moving, Heath had a point.
Then I thought about Cole and my stomach soured. Moving closer to the city meant moving farther from him. We’d spent a lot of time with each other over the last few weeks, but that shouldn’t have any bearing on a decision to move. My life was with the band. That was what I needed to focus
on. Besides, it was only something to think about. It wasn’t as if we were packing up and leaving tomorrow.
“It’s something to think about,” Jackson said. “But I don’t think we need to worry about it yet. The song just debuted today.”
“It would have been nice if Tom would have given us more notice.” Sawyer set his empty plate on the coffee table.
I laughed. “Yeah, I doubt we’re at that level yet. We’re just lucky it got released.”
“Ain’t that the truth.” Monty oinked at his piece of bacon before shoving it into his mouth.
I couldn’t stop the snort that escaped. Monty had a way of taking any serious situation and turning it around. It was one of the few talents in his arsenal I was grateful for.
“You guys have dish duty,” I said, holding my plate out to whoever was going to take it. The guys had attacked all the food until there was nothing but a few rogue pieces of waffle left. A harmony of groans hit my ears. “I cook, you clean. It’s the rule.”
“Fine,” Sawyer grumbled, taking my plate.
The four of them piled into the kitchen, coming back a little while later.
“Everything’s done.” Jackson shoved his hands into his pockets.
I stood from the couch. “All right, boys, then take me out to celebrate.”
“That’s what I’m talking about.” Monty bent, throwing me over his shoulder and carried me out the door, tossing me into the back seat of the car.
And off we went to celebrate our first single. For a moment, I thought about texting Cole. Then I shoved the phone into my back pocket, deciding against it. He could wait. It startled me that I thought of calling Cole even before my parents. They were my go-to people. I had to tell them first.
I’d talk to Cole later.
CHAPTER 18
Cole
Bus duty.
Besides lunch duty, it had to be the worst job in the school; constantly dealing with attitude and dirty looks when you asked students to put their phones away until they were off the bus. With modern technology, we had to be super vigilant about cyber bullying. Kids taking pictures of other kids in school and using it against them was, unfortunately, not a rare occurrence, and I had firsthand knowledge of how much damage that could do to someone. Mari had suffered enough from the decisions my friends and I had made. Honestly, looking back, I think I knew what a bastard Sam was. Someone as fucked as that in the head probably wouldn’t bother trying to change.
No wonder it had taken Mari so long to trust me. We’d spent more and more time together and each day I’d started to notice her opening up. I couldn’t blame her for wanting to be sure that I’d really changed because she’d only seen the way she’d been treated. She probably didn’t realize that I’d been on the sideline for most of it. Not that it excused my behavior. I should have stood up for her.
Another student stepped out the door, headphones in, staring at his phone. I stepped into his path, he practically ran into me before he looked up and noticed I was there.
“Mr. Wallace?”
I crossed my arms over my chest, glancing down at his phone and back at him. He yanked the earbuds out, the music so loud I opened my mouth to tell him to put it away, when her voice hit me like a ton of bricks.
“What are you listening to?”
The kid narrowed his eyes at me. “Umm . . . I think their name is Jaded Ivory.”
“Where did you find that song?”
He took a step back. “I swear, Mr. Wallace, there’s nothing bad.”
His reaction made much more sense now. He was afraid to get in trouble for breaking the principal’s new rule about inappropriate music being played in school. She wasn’t messing around. I’d already seen two students suspended.
“Relax, I was just curious. I think I’ve heard that band before.”
“Oh.” His features instantly relaxed. “The song is epic. It’s been all over Twitter today.”
Twitter.
I needed to get to my phone.
“Just put it away until you’re off the bus.”
“Got it.” He shoved it in his pocket and climbed onto the bus.
I tapped my foot, waiting for the buses to leave. Could Mari and the guys have really released a single? Why hadn’t she told me?
The moment the buses pulled out of the drive, I ran down the hall to my office, yanking my keys out of my pocket and unlocking the top drawer where I kept it. I hadn’t been big on social media after everything that happened, but I kept my accounts for when the few times I wanted to see a feed.
I pulled up Twitter and searched for the hashtag #JadedIvory. Apparently, they were trending. Their name was everywhere. Tags. Hashtags. All relating to their debut single, Runaway Dream.
The reviews praised the band and the talent of the lead singer.
That’s my girl.
My girl.
Oh fuck.
I’d fallen deeper into the hole than I expected to. Mari wasn’t mine, even if my subconscious wanted her to be. But while we might not ever be that, I would consider Mari to be a friend. A good friend. Ryan had joked the other night that he felt like he was being replaced. I’d laughed, but Mari had become more important to me than I expected. I’d gone into this whole thing hoping she’d be able to forgive me for the past. Never in a million years did I think we’d come this far.
But she never mentioned that they’d be releasing a song on the radio—something I knew they had to be hoping for. Who in their situation wouldn’t? My best guess, with everything I’d learned about Mari over the last few months, was that she wouldn’t want me hanging out with her because of that. Nothing like that would ever cross my mind. It was Mari herself who drew me in. Yes, her voice was beautiful and I enjoyed listening to her sing, but that wasn’t all she was. There were many more layers to Mari. Layers that I was starting to care about way more than I should.
I dialed Mari’s number. She needed to know she didn’t have to keep this from me. I wanted to take her out to celebrate her success, not boost myself from it. It would have been the same had I made the NFL. I wouldn’t have wanted a cleat chaser who was only after fame and money.
The phone rang a few times before her soft voice answered, making a chill run down my spine. The noise in the background was deafening.
“Hey, Cole.”
A chorus of, “Hey, Cole,” sounded in the background. It was a little after three in the afternoon and they were already wasted. They had to be out celebrating their release.
“Hey. I just heard your new release. Congratulations.”
“Thanks. Hold on a second.” The sound became muffled, but I heard her tell one of the guys to move so she could go somewhere to talk. When she spoke again, there was less noise. I could hear her better. “Sorry, I went out front.”
“No problem. You could have told me you guys were releasing a song. I would have blasted that shit all over social media.”
She laughed. “You hate social media.”
“I would have done it for you.”
The line went silent.
“Mari?” I said a few moments later, wondering if she’d hung up. My grip on the phone tightened.
“I’m here,” she whispered.
“I’d love to take you out to celebrate. And this has nothing to do with me, I want to celebrate you. What you’ve accomplished.”
She sighed. “I’d like that, but I don’t want to ditch the guys right now.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to.”
“I know.” I could hear the smile in her voice. “How about I text you tomorrow? There’s somewhere I want you to come with me.”
“You name it, I’ll be there.”
“I’ll hold you to that.” There was a rustling over the line. “Look, I gotta—”
“Go. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
We disconnected the call and I immediately found myself looking forward to tomorrow. Every piece Mari shared with me gave me a little more insight into who she was. The do
wnfall was that it made it harder and harder to keep my hands to myself. The night she’d come home with me was burned into my memory, my mind taunting me with it, over and over in my dreams.
By the time I walked in the door Ryan was already home, head in the fridge, looking for a snack.
“Hey.” He straightened up, a slice of cold pizza in his hand.
I dropped my duffel on the floor. While I loved football, getting home before the sunset was nice. “Did you hear Jaded Ivory released a single today?”
“No shit. Did you talk to Mari?”
“A little bit ago. They’re out celebrating, but she wants me to go somewhere with her tomorrow.”
He dropped onto the couch, resting his feet on the coffee table, his tie hanging over his shoulders, already tugged loose. He glanced over at me. “Damn, I envy you. I’m tired of the shirt and tie. I wanna where gym clothes to teach in.”
I raised a brow at him. “You could always go get a phys ed certification.”
“Oh hell no. No more school. I’m just gonna sit here and be jealous.”
“I’m going to change and go for a run.” I stood to head to my bedroom.
He rolled his eyes. “Who wants to exercise?”
“You will in about an hour when I get back. Just like you always do.”
“Probably. Get in a couple of extra miles for me,” he said, patting his stomach like there was an ounce of fat on it. Ryan may joke about being lazy, but some days I wondered if he spent more time in the gym than I did.
My feet pounded the sidewalk. Mile after mile, I tried to stop worrying about where Mari wanted to take me. She’d sounded nervous asking, which raised the hairs on the back of my neck because there was absolutely no reason for her to be nervous. I would never judge her. I hoped she knew that by now.
After ten miles, I called it a day and headed home. I walked through the door and dropped on the couch. Ryan was nowhere to be found. The running sneakers that normally sat by the door were gone, exactly like I’d said they would be.
Rock Me (Jaded Ivory Book 1) Page 16