Damaged Hearts (Book 2, Rock Star Romance)

by McAdams, Mia

  We’ve hired a small band to play and they’re already doing their thing when we step onto the floor. Drinks have been poured, and appetizers of all kinds are being offered.

  While the girls walk around, checking out the art on the walls and the unique décor, Derrick and I toss around stories about early life with the band.

  “Two years ago, we’d be at the bar every single night. What happened to us?” Derrick jokes.

  I nod my head at the girls, who are giggling as they sip from their champagne glasses while standing in front of a bicycle made from recycled trash. “The most beautiful women ever.”

  Derrick nods. I know my friend well. He’s never been a douchebag, scoring chicks every night like the rest of us, but he’s never found someone he wanted to attach himself to like Terese. I’ve been consumed with Lyric lately, but I can see that my best friend’s got it bad.

  “Is Terese coming with us to Europe? Have you talked to her about that yet?”

  Derrick’s smile immediately falls, and I cringe, realizing this might be a sensitive subject. I’m lucky that my girlfriend tours with the band. Terese has a job in San Diego and almost wasn’t able to get time off to vacation with us here in Florida. Now I’m full of regret, wishing I’d never asked the question.

  “No. I’m not done working on her, though.”

  “What’s the problem? Her job?”

  Derrick nods. “The company is already on edge because of what happened with you and Lyric, but that’s not all. She’s worried if she leaves her job, she won’t have one to return to when things don’t work out between us.”

  “Ouch,” I say while scrunching my face is distaste. “She said that shit?”

  Derrick rolls his eyes and shifts his stance. “Yeah, dude, but I get it. We just started up, and we’re into each other, but it’s a lot to pick up and quit her life to have a fun few months in Europe. Anything could happen, I guess, and she loves her job.”

  “We could give her a job,” I say, the idea just coming to me. “She’d love working with the crew, and she could still be employed by Perform Live.”

  Derrick puts on his thinking face, tilting his head to the side. “Shit. Not bad, dude. Maybe she’d go for that. You think Perform Live would let her tour?”

  “Ask her if she’s into it. I can handle the tour company. Shouldn’t be a problem since she’s been here all week. We’ll say she helped out a lot at the studio and we could use her on the tour.” I shrug. “They won’t say no. Trust me.”

  Derrick’s mouth turns up into a smile. He’s obviously relieved. It feels good to do something for one of my friends. Ever since meeting Lyric, my world has revolved around her. I’ve been selfish, but I don’t regret a moment. Now that life seems to be heading in the right direction, I’m ready to start working on balancing time for my relationship and with the band.

  Slim arms wrap around my waist, and a head snakes under my arm until Lyric is gazing up at me with a tender smile. “Am I on this date with Terese or my hot rock star of a boyfriend?”

  I wink at her. “Me, babes. What do you think of this place?” I gesture around the room with my head.

  “It’s beautiful up here.”

  “You’re beautiful up here.”

  Her cheeks pinken. “Okay, charmer.”

  “I mean it. You make this place look good.”

  She slaps my chest and pushes off me. “You’re on a roll.” She grabs my hand, pulling me back toward her. “Dance with me.”

  Derrick and Terese are already swaying to the beat of the music when Lyric makes her way to the dance area, tugging me along. She’s in my arms and I lean down, touching her nose to mine before she flattens a cheek on my chest and sighs deeply. I settle my hand at the dip in her lower back, holding myself back from sliding down to check out her panty line.

  Lyric shifts to peer up at me, a smile pushing up her cheeks. “You want to do some writing tomorrow? Before the big party?”

  I chuckle. “If Hedge has anything to do with it, the party will start before we even wake up. But we can hide out for a while if you want to write. Or we could write at the piano.” My eagerness must show in my expression because she looks hesitant at first. “We need to get you a new songbook,” I say, changing the subject.

  She wrinkles her nose. “My dad should get my book back from the label, right?”

  I shrug. “I don’t know what his plan is tomorrow. I assumed he would just have the label mail it or something so he doesn’t have to deal with running into Destiny. He’s supposed to be back in town tonight. We can call him in the morning.”

  She smiles and nods. “Okay.”

  “I like you like this.” I move a strand of hair over her ear. “Happy. Carefree.” I smooth my hand along her ass and squeeze. “Kinky.” I practically groan when I realize there’s no fabric beneath the fabric. My thorough search confirms it.

  The glimmer in her eyes gives her away. “What are you looking for, rock star?”

  I lean in, the tightening of my groin making me bite my lip to keep from pulling her to the floor and ripping off her clothes. “Is your pussy wet?” I can just imagine the glisten between her thighs, her pink lips begging for my finger to push its way inside as I delicately torture her nipples.

  She giggles in my ear then bites the outer rim.

  I have to take a deep breath to keep my shit together. Fuck. “It is, isn’t it? You imagining my mouth down there?”

  Her grip on my shoulders becomes claws as she digs into my skin and lets out a whimper. “Stop.”

  “Why, babes?”

  She shifts, her expression conveying frustration and angst. I can’t wait to get this girl home, but she’s right. I need to be careful. We’ll have time for this later tonight. Right now is about wooing my girl. I shift so there’s space between us and lean in to kiss her cheek. “I’ll stop. For now. Need another drink?”

  She nods, and I take her hand, spinning her, before leading her to our table. Derrick and Terese join us, and soon we begin talking about Europe. Derrick already let Terese in on our discussion, but she’s not as optimistic that the company will agree. Not after what happened with Lyric and me a few days ago.

  “Does your boss know you’re dating Derrick?”

  She shrugs. “Possibly. I haven’t said anything to her directly, but the girls I work with know.” Her face turns pink and she glances at Derrick, who sits back with a smug look on his face.

  “Talking about me at work, darlin’?”

  She smacks the back of her hand into his chest, and we all laugh.

  “I’m sure it will all work out.” I wink at her and then smile at Derrick. I’ll make a few phone calls tomorrow, but I can tell Lyric’s excited about it, too. It must be nice for her to have a close friend again, one who won’t try to sleep with her boyfriend. Not that I’d ever pull that shit on Lyric. Tony is a Grade A ass, but whatever happened that led Lyric to me, I’m grateful for it.

  We work our way through our five-course meal. The girls struggle to make it through their tiramisu but try their best. I think we’re all groaning when it’s time to leave.

  When we step into the elevator, Lyric and Terese assume we’re going home, but Derrick and I have other plans. Derrick pushes a button and winks at me. The girls are leaning on each other, talking about working out first thing in the morning, when the elevator door opens wide, revealing the rooftop.

  Their attention turns to the helicopter that sits on its pad in the center of the roof. It’s hard to miss with the loud roar of the engine, and the wind that’s whipping the girl’s hair before they even exit the elevator. I watch Lyric’s eyes go wide in surprise and then transform as realization hits. Derrick and I just grin and wait for them to say something.

  “You’re shitting me,” Terese says. She’s the first one to step out.

  Lyric’s eyes linger on mine, and I notice something new there. She steps out behind Terese. Derrick and I lead our g
irls to the man in the suit at the edge of the pad. He’s full of smiles as he greets Lyric and Terese and then Derrick and me.

  “Mr. Chapman. Mr. Kennedy.” He shakes our hands. “I’m Arnie. I’ll be your pilot. What do you say? Are you ready to tour the city?”

  I’m too busy looking at Lyric to respond, so Derrick takes care of it. Lyric’s got her hands on her dress to keep the wind from blowing and flashing our company. All the while, she’s laughing with Terese, their surprise and happiness lighting up their expressions.

  Derrick helps Terese in first, and then it’s Lyric’s turn. She gives me that same look I saw earlier, the different one that makes my heart beat like a wild horse in my chest. “Well played, Mr. Chapman.”

  I wink at her. “This is only the beginning, babe.” I help her into the helicopter, careful to keep her dress from flying up, and then I hop in behind her. It probably wasn’t the smartest idea to encourage her to go panty-less tonight.

  Once we’re all secure in our seats, the pilot does his thing, adjusting knobs, talking to someone on the radio, and then we’re ready to lift off. Lyric grabs my hand, and I squeeze it.

  “Ready to see Miami, girls?” Derrick calls out into the headsets.

  The girls cheer, I laugh, and we’re off.

  Lyric

  “You got a freaking helicopter ride? I swear, I need to reevaluate my relationship goals.” Melanie flips onto her front and lifts her chin onto her hands.

  The party is in full swing before noon. Wolf promised it wasn’t a big deal if we skipped it and went shopping like we’d planned, but I told him no. He deserves this time with the guys, and I’m looking forward to lounging by the pool with the girls.

  Lorraine, Melanie, Misty, Terese, and I claimed our lounge chairs around breakfast time, and we now have the perfect setup. A stack of magazines sits at our feet, Kindles are charged up and ready to be devoured, and there’s a cooler of drinks and snacks just for us. We don’t have to move, but we haven’t touched the copious amounts of reading material because we’ve been chatting it up for hours.

  Listening to Terese gush about last night causes my lips to curl up into a smirk. “Except Terese and Derrick were too busy sucking face to see much of anything.” Terese waves me off and reaches for her beer.

  “Maybe Hedge and I could be a thing. We flirt.” Melanie’s suggestion comes with a thoughtful expression, followed by a smirk. We all know she’s full of shit. Melanie flirts with all the guys; the only thing that makes Hedge stand out is the fact that he’s the only single guy left in the group.

  “Scratch that,” Melanie responds to her own comment. “Rock stars aren’t my thing. Even if some of them do prove that it’s more than partying and fucking. I’ve been in this industry for as long as the boys, and I’ve never succumbed to the rock cock.”

  We all burst into laughter. “A little rock cock might be just what you need.” Terese smacks Melanie’s ass and sits back in her chair.

  “If I’m getting me some of that, it better not be little.”

  Again we laugh. All of us but Lorraine. She seems amused, but not as into this conversation as the rest of us since her sexual preference has no cock size.

  “You can’t tell me you’ve never thought about sleeping with a rock star,” Lorraine says to Melanie.

  Suddenly, Melanie’s cheeks turn pink. “I didn’t say I never thought about it. I’ve messed around with one guy . . . it just didn’t go past that.” She looks uncomfortable and shakes her head. “Can we change the subject?”

  “Who?” Misty asks, pulling in closer to Melanie.

  I stifle my laugh, knowing we’re all wondering if she’s fooled around with our boyfriends. It’s crossed my mind that Wolf could have messed around with someone from the tour, but I decided early on that I didn’t want to find out. It would make things awkward with whomever it was, and Wolf has never made me feel remotely jealous when it comes to other girls. Well, except for little Suzie, but even that is already old news.

  Lorraine’s still stuck on the subject. “You’ve been in the business for what—six years, Mel? Don’t lie. Even I’ve done a rocker boy.”

  In unison, we all turn to Lorraine to see if she’s full of it. She’s completely serious. “What?” She’s sitting next to me, so I tap her tummy with my toe. “You mean before you knew you liked girls?” I’m so confused.

  Lorraine rolls her eyes. “Why does everyone assume I only like girls? I still think man meat between my legs is fucking awesome.”

  I laugh, and I’m not alone. Looking around, we’re all a little confused. “So you swing both ways?” Melanie shrugs. “That’s cool. We’ve only ever seen you with the ladies. And you’ve been with the guys forever. I’m surprised you haven’t done one of them then.”

  Lorraine shrugs. “They’re like my brothers.”

  I sigh with relief; happy no one can see me. If no one had told me about Lorraine’s sexual preference, I might have been worried about her friendship with Wolf. They get along really well, but I never had to think about it before.

  Terese stands up and adjusts her bathing suit. “Bathroom break. Be back, bitches.”

  I scramble to my feet and follow her just as Lorraine and Melanie pull off their tops to get the full tanning experience. Terese holds out her elbow, and I take it when I reach her. She looks over her shoulder and then quickly pulls back to whisper to me. “I don’t think I want Derrick checking out Melanie’s tits,” Terese admits.

  I look back and shrug. “Don’t worry about it. She’s been with the guys a long time. If she hasn’t done any of them by now, I don’t think it’s going to happen today.” I smile. “Besides, Derrick wants you to come to Europe. That’s a pretty big deal, if you ask me.”

  She smiles. “Has Wolf talked to Wright yet?”

  I shrug. “I don’t know. He’s been with the guys all morning.”

  As soon as we enter the house, we hear cheering and hollering. The guys are watching a recording of some fight they missed last week. It’s not something I’m into, so the girls and I were happy to let them be. There are about a dozen or so guys in the living room, a few more in the kitchen. The chicks who were invited—mostly by Hedge and some of the crew—are scattered around, some trying to get the attention of the band and not caring that they may have girlfriends.

  I catch sight of Wolf as we sneak down the hall and into the first bathroom. He’s taking a swig of his beer and laughing at something Hedge shouted at the television. When Terese and I are done, we come back into the living room, but the crowd has moved away from the television.

  Terese darts away from me, probably off to find Derrick before he catches sight of Mel outside. I chuckle to myself, knowing Terese has nothing to worry about.

  I find Wolf in the kitchen, throwing a handful of peanuts in his mouth and then taking a swig of his beer.

  “Where’d everyone run off to?” I ask as I snake my arms around his waist.

  He looks uncomfortable. “Mel’s putting on a show out there. Saw it. Left. Just eating my peanuts.”

  I laugh at his expression and stilted words. “Is that the first time you’ve seen Mel’s tits?” I’m teasing, I think. My face heats, and I realize I might be feeling an ounce of jealousy.

  He scrunches his face at me. “You’re not going to be pissed at me, are you?”

  I step away, glaring at him. “Why? What did you do?”

  He shakes his head, pulling me back. “No! Shit. Nothing. She likes to do that. I’ve seen ’em before. Never bothered me before today.”

  “Why does it bother you today?”

  He chuckles. “Because I wasn’t in love with someone else’s tits before.” He leans down and kisses the top of my breast. “I don’t need them feeling all jealous and shit.”

  I chuckle and lean in to kiss his cheek.

  Just then, loud voices reach the dining room. Terese walks in yelling while Derrick follows, frustrated and embarrassed.
When Terese pushes him away and walks toward the hall leading to their bedroom, he pauses a minute before following her.

  “Shit,” Wolf and I say in unison.

  “That won’t be a fun conversation. Derrick and Mel used to have a thing. Terese probably won’t like that very much.” Wolf pulls me against his chest. “Mel really shouldn’t be pulling that shit around us anymore.”

  “Mel and Derrick?” My heart drops in my chest. “I really wish you didn’t tell me that, Wolf.”

  He cringes. “I’m sure Derrick will tell her. It’s nothing like what he’s got going on with Terese. And it’s been ages since anything happened.”

  “That you know of!”

  Wolf shrugs. “Derrick’s my best friend. He tells me shit, and I promise, they haven’t hooked up in a long time. They never even had sex.”

  “Still, Terese will be hurt.” I frown. “I don’t want there to be any weirdness between Terese and Mel.”

  A door slams and Derrick storms into the kitchen and grabs a beer from the fridge, slamming that door, too. He pounds a fist into the wall, and Wolf pulls away from me. “Whoa. Let’s go outside.”

  Derrick shakes Wolf off and points to the patio. “I’m not going back out there.”

  Wolf looks at me, and I nod. “I’ll go tell her to cover up.”

  When I reach Melanie, she’s already pulling her swim top back on. Someone must have already told her. “Shit, Mel.” I drop into my lounge chair with a smile. “We know you have nice tits and all, but you’re really stirring it up in there.”

  She rolls her eyes. “I heard. I’ll go talk to Terese. I feel like rock skank now.”

  I frown. “You didn’t do anything wrong. Don’t feel bad. This thing with her and Derrick is just new, that’s all. It’s natural for her to have some insecurities at the start, especially since he’s asked her to come to Europe.”

  Lorraine has her top back on, too, when she joins into our conversation. “Honestly, Lyric, if Terese is going to get upset about Derrick checking out a set of lady lumps, it’s going to get ugly if she comes on tour. We don’t need that kind of drama. You and Wolf are enough.”