by M. B. Feeney
"What the fuc-" I looked up and had my breath ripped from me. They were the most beautiful green eyes that had ever existed.
"Oh, shit. I'm so sorry." He held out his hand to help me to my feet, but I sat on my arse, dumbstruck and gaping at him. "Are you okay?"
I let his voice wash over me before I took hold of his hand and let him pull me to my feet.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I should have been looking where I was going." I was reluctant to let go of his hands. Who knew a man who played guitar for a living could have such soft skin? Catching sight of my fingers as I smoothed down my top, I noticed I was trembling. I tried to check him out on the sly. His hair was back to its natural dirty blonde now he’d finished filming his movie. His tall, slender body was encased in a plaid shirt and snug jeans. He always looked smallish in photos, but in the flesh he was a bit more bulky, in a good way. I dropped my eyes and caught sight of his boots—the boots I had swooned over many a time online. It was a running joke that I was more interested in his footwear than I was the man wearing it. I looked back up at him when he continued talking.
"It was my fault. I was distracted.” He smiled. “Oh, hey—a Londoner. You here on vacation?" He grinned even wider at me, and I could have melted on the spot.
"Yeah, I'm visiting for the weekend with some friends. You know, have a few drinks, catch a show. That sort of thing." I wondered if he'd work out which show I meant.
"Sounds awesome. I better let you get back to your friends, though. Mine will come hunting soon if I don't hurry. It’s my turn to buy the drinks." He held out his hand again. "I'm Gage."
I almost burst out laughing while I shook his hand, trying to ignore the warm feeling spreading up my arm. "Charlotte. It’s nice to meet you."
"You, too. Sorry I knocked you on your ass. I hope it doesn't bruise." Oh my God, he actually fucking winked at me. Dare I?
"Maybe I'll get you to check it later." Over his shoulder, I could see some of the girls trying to hear what was being said. "The troops have come to rescue me. I gotta go." With more than a hint of regret, I withdrew my hand from his.
"Yeah, see ya." He looked over his shoulder at everyone behind us before disappearing into the gents.
I took a deep breath and prepared myself for the Spanish Inquisition while I walked towards the girls, a huge grin on my face. As soon as I was within arm’s reach, they grabbed me and frogmarched me back to our table.
I was in the middle of my explanation when I felt a tap on my shoulder. Turning around, I was assaulted by those eyes once more looking into my own.
"You dropped your cell phone."
Sure enough, my mobile was in his hand. I internally groaned when I remembered my phone’s wallpaper was a picture of him from a recent interview that had been posted online.
"Thanks. I didn't even miss it." Our fingers touched with a sizzle, or so I thought. It could have been the booze.
"No worries, darlin'. How's the ass?" I saw mouths drop open around me at his blunt and flirtatious question.
"It’s fine, thanks. I'll keep my eye on it." My words made him grin again. I could get used to seeing that smile up close.
"Nice job if you can get it." He flashed us all another wide smile and then sauntered back to his band mates.
"Oh holy crap, darl, you are so in there," Jenny said in my ear.
"Nah. He was just returning my phone. Once he realises his' future ex-wife' is here, I'll be forgotten." I stuck my tongue out at her. Gage once had signed a shirt for her when she’d been in hospital after having her appendix removed. A friend here in the US had gone to a show and managed to get all of the guys to sign a shirt for Jenny.
Gage had gone through a phase of mentioning her as his ‘future ex-wife’ in interviews whenever he was asked if he was single by female interviewers. So many fans had gone insane trying to get him to notice them in the street or at the gigs. Jenny was quite well known in the fandom, as most of us were, and when the guys had heard she about her surgery, they’d given Jenny’s friend a bunch of stuff to mail over to her.
"He already knows I'm here. I introduced myself while you were in the bathroom. He was shocked that I was in the States, but we chatted for a bit. When you didn't come back, we came looking. I’ll be lucky if he remembers who I am now that he’s met you."
I felt a bit nervous about this. After all, I wasn't the only one in our group to lust over him, but to have Jenny of all people say that made me feel a bit out of my depth.
"I . . . er. . ."
She pressed a finger to my lips to shut me up. "Look, it’s just a fun weekend away. If anything happens− and let’s face it, it’s a possibility. We’ve all heard the stories. Remember to err on the side of caution. We don't need another Kiss and Tell." They had a song that was rumoured to be about a girl who had purposely made a beeline for the youngest member of the band, and then had spread the story all around the internet. "I know you wouldn't do that, but I would say it to anyone. I need to protect you and the guys." She gave me a quick kiss. "Now, let me see your phone."
"Why?" I was still embarrassed about Gage seeing my wallpaper.
"I want to update the others who couldn't be with us this weekend, and mine's dead."
I looked down at my watch and was surprised to find that it wasn't even two am. It felt like we’d been out for hours. My body clock was all messed up by the jet lag, and I was starting to feel a bit screwy, so I finished my drink and told everyone I was going to head back to the hotel.
"Do you want one of us to come back with you?" Jo asked. I could see they were all settled in it for the long haul, and I didn't want to ruin their fun.
"No, you guys stay here and have a good time. It’s not far to walk, and I could do with stretching my legs before I catch up on my sleep. Big day tomorrow." I gave them all hugs and kisses before grabbing my stuff and leaving them to party the night away.
The fresh air hit me, and the chill made me pull on my blazer. As I walked, I dug around in my bag for my cigarettes. After I lit one, I began to walk at a slow and steady pace back towards the hotel. It felt weird—I was walking through a strange city on my own and felt safe. I never felt like that back home, but I kept my head up and carried on walking, taking in the lights and sounds around me.
The sound of running footsteps came from behind me, but I ignored it and stopped at an open convenience store for a couple bottles of water and some snacks. I wandered around the aisles trying to decide what I wanted to buy when I sensed someone standing next to me. Ignoring whomever it was, I carried on moving around the shop. My human shadow never left my side, never speaking. It was starting to freak me out a little.
"Look, can you go and invade someone else's personal space? I'm trying to indulge my sweet tooth here," I finally snapped, feeling irritated.
"I’m sure you're sweet enough."
Once again, I flushed with embarrassment when I recognised the voice. I spun round to look at Gage. He had a smirk on his face that would have irritated me if he were anyone else. Looking him straight in the eye, I forgot about an essential part of being human—breathing. I found words after a few seconds.
"That I am, but I need a sugar fix, so if you don't mind, I'm going to load up on chocolate and water." I leaned past him to grab a brand of chocolate bars I had never tried before.
"Why would I mind?"
I could feel his eyes on my backside while I walked ahead of him to the back of the store to get myself a big bottle of water.
"You know, unless you've got x-ray vision, you're not going to see if you managed to bruise my arse." I told him.
In an instant, I could feel more than a few pairs of eyes on me as everyone else in the store turned to look at us. Shit. I muttered to myself as I made my way to the till. I looked at the cigarettes they stocked and decided not to bother. I'd brought plenty with me from home. So I paid for my sugar rush and exited the shop, with Gage behind me trying to hide his face a little.
"Sorry I got you noticed back the
re." I pulled my last cigarette out of the packet in my bag. Before I could find my lighter, a flame appeared in front of my face. "Thanks."
"No problem. And don't worry about in there." He indicated the shop with a jerk of his head. "It's not too bad when I'm in Texas. Southerners like to think they're too cool for that sort of thing."
I snorted, thinking about how Londoners acted when they saw a celeb walking down the street. They’d pretend they hadn’t seen them, rubbernecking and trying to snap a picture on their mobile phone all the while.
"So, had enough for the night?" he asked, lighting his own cigarette.
"Yeah. I'm pretty wiped. Early morning, long flight. You know the drill."
"That I do, darlin'" He grinned at me.
It was clear he knew that I knew who he was. I hoped he wasn’t going to think I was some ridiculous fangirl acting younger than she should. I mean, I was going to be thirty-five in less than twenty-four hours.
"So why are you leaving your friends and walking the streets of Houston all alone?" he asked me.
"I wanted to head back to my hotel room for a bit of space and to catch up on some sleep I’d rather not be jetlagged all day tomorrow."
"Awesome. So, you came all the way from London just to do some last minute Christmas shopping?" He cocked his eyebrow at me, which nearly caused me to strip there and then.
"No, Christmas is all sorted. I’ve just completed my degree, so I wanted to spoil myself before going into work."
"Nothing wrong with that."
I couldn't believe I was having such a mundane conversation with a man I watched perform online, and who had invaded my dreams on a regular basis.
The hotel was looming ahead of me, and I pouted to myself. Although I would be glad to have a quiet lie down, I didn't want to stop talking to Gage, no matter how surreal it was.
"Plus, it was a good excuse to meet up with some of my friends. None of us had met in person before, and we thought it was about time we did.”
"Oh, online friends?"
I nodded.
"How long have you known them all?"
He didn’t act like he thought it was weird, unlike some of my friends back home who had been horrified that I was going to another country with people I’d never met. Thinking about it, most of Pocket’s fans were spread out across the world, and it was well known that the guys had sock accounts so they could interact with us. Maybe my meeting up with the girls didn’t seem that weird to him, since he did something similar almost every day.
"About three or four years now. What with my studies, I haven't had much of a real life for a while. Apart from spending time goofing around with my kids, that is."
"You have kids?"
I could feel his eyes travel up and down my body. For the first time in a long while, it didn't feel creepy being looked over by a man. Or like if it was a chore, like it did with Dermot.
"You look great."
"Thank you.” My face was hot from the blush I hoped he wouldn’t see in the darkness. “I have two, and they keep me busy."
We came to a stop outside my hotel, and a feeling of awkwardness came over me. "Well, this is me. Thanks for walking with me through the dark streets of a strange city."
He grinned that grin at me again, which made my insides jump.
"You're welcome. This is me, too."
Typical. Of course we'd manage to book ourselves into the band’s hotel. What was I thinking?
"Shouldn't you get back to your friends? You weren’t in the bar long before you left." Great, now he knew I'd been keeping tabs on him.
"They'll survive without me. I wasn't much in the mood anyway.” Gage was a rare one. Most of the guys I’d grown up around would drop anything and everything to go out drinking with their best mates. "Besides, I'll be doing all my drinking in a couple of days on my birthday. I need to save myself, I'm getting old now."
I laughed at the idea. As a fan, I knew that he was turning twenty six the day after my own birthday.
"Oh, please. ‘Old’, my bruised ass. You're a young ‘un." I couldn't stop the words and gave myself another mental bitch slap. Wishing for the ground to open up and swallow me whole didn’t work either, no matter how desperate I was.
"Young ‘un? Like you're so ancient."
"Oh, I am, buddy." I turned to walk into the lobby.
"Yeah, right. What are you, like twenty-nine, thirty?" I burst out laughing, which made the few people in the area look at me.
"I wish. I'm very close to thirty-five."
His beautiful jade green eyes widened. "Shut up." I felt his eyes sweep up and down my body again. He cocked his head to the side and narrowed his eyes. "How close?"
When I looked down at my watch, I saw it was now ten thirty. "About an hour and a half close." I walked towards the lift, desperate to get into my room so the ground could open up and swallow me whole.
"You're turning thirty five tomorrow? Shit lady, you look damn good. So what are you doing to celebrate?"
He sounded genuinely shocked at my age. I’d always been told I looked younger than I was, but I’d never had this kind of reaction before.
"Oh, you know, the usual. Have a meal, a few drinks, and a night out with my friends." There was no way I was telling him we were going to be at their show the next evening, although Jenny had probably already told him.
Somehow, I hadn't realised the lift had arrived at my floor. I must have been running on autopilot whilst talking to him. I'd always joked that if I ever met Gage, I would dribble on his boots, then pass out. I looked down again. Yep, the boots were there, sans dribble. So far so good. The most surprising thing to me was that I had been able to hold an actual conversation with him. For once, I felt in control of myself when faced with a celebrity. I’d met British TV stars out and about in London and had never really known what to say to them, but tonight was different. I stepped out of the lift and turned to face him.
"Well, great meeting you, and thanks again for walking with me."
He held his hand against the door to prevent it from closing between us.
"Believe me, darlin', the pleasure was all mine. Now go and rest that ass. I'm sure I'll see you around." He smiled and let the doors shut.
I stood for a moment, watching the numbers rise while the lift went higher and higher. With a smile on my face and a shake of my head to organise my thoughts, I began to walk to my room.
I found the right door, which was always a bonus after a few drinks and too little sleep, and set my bags on the floor. Then I felt around in my pockets for my key card. Just as I slid it into the slot to unlock the door, I felt a light tap on my shoulder. Confused and a little nervous, I withdrew the card, locking the door again, and turned to see who was behind me. Before I'd managed to get a good look, my face was caught between two warm hands, and lips were pressed gently to mine. My eyes flew wide open in shock, but it took me just a couple of seconds to register that Gage Weston was kissing me. Instinct made me lift my hands and link them behind his neck, where I played with the soft curls above his shoulders. His hands moved to the base of my spine, pulling me closer to him. Feeling him lick my bottom lip, I opened my mouth a little, and the slick feeling of our tongues turned me on more than I would have thought possible. The taste of whiskey assaulted me, and I began to get breathless.
The kiss soon wound down, and Gage pulled away from me. He looked me deep in the eye, making me feel as if he could see directly into my soul.
"Goodnight."
Sitting on my bed, I tried to process my thoughts. My head was swimming, and not just from the combination of alcohol and jet lag. Gage Weston had just kissed me after a maximum of twenty minutes of conversation. Me. A random nobody from the UK. I mentally slapped myself out of my shock and went for a shower to calm down. Kissing a near stranger wasn’t the worst I’d done in my teenage years, but I wasn’t a teenager anymore, and Gage certainly wasn’t any old random bloke in a seedy London nightclub.
While I washe
d my hair in the shower, the memory of his lips on mine making me tingle all over. I wondered what it would feel like having his hands on the rest of my body. Disgusted with myself for following that train of thought, but still turned on anyway, I dried off and tucked myself into the thick hotel robe. I went to lie on my bed, determined to not think about anything to do with Gage Weston. Just as I got comfortable, my phone beeped.
On the way back. You better be awake!
Jenny’s text made me laugh, but the laugh soon turned into a yawn. I pulled on some underwear and a large Pocket t-shirt before grabbing a chocolate bar to munch on while I waited. Soon enough, the girls all piled in once Jo let herself in with her own key. In all the excitement, I'd forgotten I was sharing a room with her. I sat and waited for the interrogation.
"Hey, Charlotte." The greeting chorused around the room while the girls made themselves comfortable, shit-eating grins on their faces.
"Come on, girl. Spill." Jo lay back on the other bed. "We all want to know what happened after Gage ran out of the bar like his ass was on fire."
"Somehow I doubt it was quite like that, hun." I rolled my eyes at her exaggeration.
"Oh, it was just like that, babe," Jenny told me. "The guys joined us at our table, but Gage watched you leave, then made up some lame excuse and legged it out of there pretty darn sharpish. Matt and Eli thought it was hilarious. They kept trying to phone him but got no answer." She cocked an eyebrow at me.