by Regina Frame
I had my suspicions about what Trevor wanted from me, and I wasn't about to let him take advantage. When he showed a little too much interest in my father's record label, the share that I inherited, I knew that he was probably using me for his gain.
"It's his loss then. He's definitely nuts. If I had a woman as beautiful as you, I'd throw myself at her feet and worship her. I would never force her to be something she's not."
My stomach fluttered at his words. He didn’t even know me, and if he did, he'd probably think differently. My fingers automatically went to the tattoo on the inside of my wrist. The one with the word faith entwined with the infinity symbol that covered the ugliness.
"I'm pretty sure you have women lined up for a taste of Chance Roberts." My face heated when his cocky grin appeared and I realized what I'd said. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at him. "Is your mind always in the gutter?"
"Always." He chuckled. "That's pretty much all they want is a taste, and right now, that's all that I'm willing to give." He paused and tossed a slice of pepperoni to a very excited bulldog. "So, tell me about this asshole, Trevor."
"Let's just say, I think he was more interested in my father's record company than he was in me. He had been hired for some of the smaller accounts, and I know for a fact that wasn't where he wanted to be. I believe he had a hidden agenda and he was planning on using me to get what he wanted. He wanted to be at the top." He studied me a moment longer, and when he opened his mouth to speak, I cut him off. "I really don't want to talk about him. You got another controller?"
He gave me a quick nod and tossed me the white controller, finally letting the subject of my ex go. Thank God. I didn't even want to think about Trevor.
***
We played X-box until one in the morning before calling it quits. I stood up and stretched my arms above my head, ridding myself of the kinks in my back from sitting on the floor for so long.
"I'm gonna turn in." I smothered a yawn. "Thanks for letting me play."
"Anytime, Sparkles. You need me to tuck you in? Cuddle for a while? Spoon?" he asked, licking his lips.
I would so like to cuddle, among other things, with him, but it was probably not wise to step over that line. I grinned, and then asked. "Why do you call me Sparkles?"
He just shrugged a shoulder and smiled without answering the question.
"Good night, Chance."
With a nod, he turned back to his game. I brushed my teeth and then crawled into bed, and sighed at the feel of the cool sheets against my skin. I swear it felt like I'd been wrapped in silk and laid on a cloud. It had been a long day, and it didn't take long for sleep to pull me in.
***
Sometime later, I awoke to the sound of someone knocking on the door, or, at least, that was what I thought it was. I lifted my head from the pillow and listened as the knocking increased in volume, and then the sound of a woman moaning drifted through the wall.
It was then that I realized it wasn't someone knocking on the door; it was the sound of a headboard bouncing against the wall. Holy shit.
I checked the time on my phone to find that it was three in the morning. Chance had a visitor after I went to bed. For some reason, that didn't sit well with me. Jealous? Pfft. Maybe. Okay. Yes. Sure, he was sexy as hell and smelled delicious, too, but, I'd barely known him a day, thought I'd crushed on him for a whole lot longer.
I closed my eyes and tried to block out the sounds coming from the other room, but when she started moaning and chanting ‘fuck me’, over and over, I covered my head with a pillow in an effort to drown out the sound. No such luck. The woman was a screamer. I lied there in the dark and tried to imagine what he could possibly be doing to her that would illicit those kinds of sounds.
Believe me when I tell you that I had a pretty damn good imagination. That was a bad idea, because I had a growing ache and a persistent throb between my legs. It had been a while since I'd had sex, and if I were being honest with myself, I'd have to say that I was a little envious of whoever was in that room. And turned on.
I clenched my thighs together in an effort to gain some relief. I refused to flick my bean to the sounds of Chance having sex with someone else. I was not that pathetic … yet.
Chapter Four
Chance
I awoke to the feeling of something wet on my face. Forcing my eyes open, I was met with the wrinkled face of my dog. He was licking my face in an attempt to wake me up. Probably because he needed to go out.
I stood from the sofa and stretched my back, popping it several times to get the kinks out.
Dane showed up with some chick named April after Honor went to bed last night. We'd drank a lot of booze, snorted a bunch of coke, and when I couldn't hold my eyes open any longer, I told Dane they could crash in my room. He was too fucked up to drive, and, for once in my life, I was trying to be responsible.
I shuffled over to the patio door, opened it, and let Booger out to do his business then headed to the kitchen in search of coffee. I was surprised to see Honor leaning against the kitchen counter with a cup of coffee in her hand and an amused look on her face. Her blonde hair was piled on top of her head in a messy ponytail, with a few strands hanging around her face. She was fucking gorgeous even with bed head.
"Morning, Sparkles. Sleep well?" I asked.
Her blue eyes widened and her cheeks turned pink.
"I can't believe you asked me if I was a screamer. Just so you know, the walls are thin in this place."
I couldn't hold back the grin that spread across my face.
"You heard that, huh? Sorry about that."
"Hey. This is your place. I'm the guest here. If you want to swing from the rafters, it's no business of mine. I'll make it a point to buy some earplugs today, though," she declared.
"You could just join in the fun. I promise to make it worth your while." I winked, and her pink tongue peeked out and licked those sexy as fuck pouty lips.
"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" She smirked and cocked her head to the side. She didn't have a clue who she was talking to. "You couldn't handle me," she declared with her hands on her hips.
"Is that a challenge? I'm all about a good challenge. You have no fucking idea, Sparkles."
My dick heard that challenge and accepted. He was now waving the green flag. Her eyes dropped to my crotch, and there was no doubt she was checking out the bulge in my pants, because I was growing harder by the minute. When her eyes slid back to mine, I winked playfully. She stood up straight and squared her shoulders. The teasing smile that had been there just seconds ago was now gone, but that was okay because I liked a good challenge.
Dane and April staggered into the kitchen, and came to an abrupt halt when they saw Honor standing there.
"Sleep well?" I arched a brow and gave them a knowing smirk. "Or should I ask if you slept at all?" Dane chuckled while April's face turned a deep shade of red.
"Honor, meet Dane. Now you can put a face to the sounds from last night."
Her blonde brows shot up in surprise, and her eyes slid back to mine. If I was expecting an apology from her, I was shit out of luck.
"Oh man! Sorry about that," Dane apologized, but I was pretty sure he didn't mean it. Honor actually looked relieved—of what I was not sure. "Big guy here," he lifted his hand toward me, "wouldn't join. If you think we were loud, you haven't heard anything until . . ."
"Just stop." Honor cut him off before he could finish. "I don't need to know about your sexual habits," she declared. "Nor my roommates," she added, and it was Dane with the look of surprise on his face.
"Oh. It's no habit, Sparkles. It's a gift. Trust me." I winked.
She narrowed her eyes at me.
"Your ego knows no shame." She huffed.
"The ladies can't get enough of it. It's quite spectacular. Want to see it?" I grabbed the drawstring at my waist, ready to drop my pants.
She slapped a hand over her eyes and gasped in surprise.
"Don't you dare drop your pant
s! I do not want to see your junk," she squeaked.
"Awe. Come on. I see you peeking between your fingers. You're curious, aren't you?" I goaded. Dane doubled over in laughter, and his companion’s eyes were big as saucers.
"No!" she choked out.
"Alright. If you say so, but, seriously, there's a whole social media page dedicated to my dick," I announced.
Yes; the pictures were still up. Maybe even a few new ones. Courtesy of yours truly.
"You're kidding? Your dick has a fan page?" She choked out a laugh, and a little disbelief.
"No joke. You should Google that shit. But, I must warn you, because once you see it, you'll be like: Oooh, Chance. It's sooo big. Can I touch it?" I said in my best high pitched voice. "And, of course, then I'll have to let you, because who am I to crush your dream?" I snickered as I grabbed a mug from the cabinet and poured myself a cup of coffee.
"Wow. Let me guess: you're your biggest fan," she joked.
In the background, Dane was still laughing. The dumbass.
"I'm just telling you the truth. My cock has been rated five fucking stars." I held up my hand, wiggling my fingers to make a point. "Five."
"Okay." She exhaled and shook her head.
"Want some breakfast?"
I opened the refrigerator door and stared at the contents, desperate to change the subject. I didn't even wait for her to answer. I pulled out the makings for omelets and went about making them.
"Can you put some mushrooms in mine?" Dane asked, taking a seat at the bar.
"Who the hell invited you?"
He took that as his queue to leave. He grabbed April by the hand and walked out.
I took the opportunity and steered the conversation away from my dick. It was time to get to know my new roommate a little better. Honor told me what her childhood was like growing up. How her parents were supportive of her music, and that she learned to play from some of the biggest names in the industry. It sounded like her parents loved her very much, right up until the day they were taken from her in a car accident. She explained that they were on their way to her music recital and hydroplaned during a storm, sliding off the road and into a ravine.
It was hours before they were found, and by then, it was too late. For some reason, I had a feeling that she might have blamed herself for their accident, but I didn't push that part of the conversation. I didn't know her well enough to pry in to her private life.
It was hard for me to comprehend having loving parents. And if I was being truthful, I was envious of the love and support her parents gave her because I had never known that type of love or support from my own. My mom walked away when I was five and left me with my dad. I would have been better off if she would have just dropped me on a stranger’s doorstep or hung a cardboard sign around my neck with the words ‘free to good home’.
I barely survived my dad's abuse, and it wasn't until one of my friends at school pointed out to a teacher that I had a burn on the back of my neck that child services got involved and I was taken away. But, that was after several years of his abuse. I lived in some pretty shitty homes after that. Eleven, to be exact. In some of them, the kids were worked like dogs, and a few even withheld food from us.
My last foster parents weren't the best in the world, but at least I had food in my stomach and clothes on my back and they never once raised their hand in anger.
There was not a doubt in my mind that I'd be dead if it weren't for Jinx Raines. After that day in second grade, we became close friends, so when he came to me our junior year in high school and asked if I wanted to start a band with him, I was all over it. It was a way for me to escape my thoughts of how shitty my life was.
We started out playing birthday parties, school events, and then when we were old enough, we played in bars until we were discovered by our label.
Now I had way more than I needed and probably waste a lot of shit, but, I'll always remember where I came from and that was why I started Heartstrings. A children's home that provided shelter and other services to abused and neglected children.
***
Honor
Chance and I had hung around the house practically all weekend, watching movies and playing Halo on X-box. And aside from finding out that he was a fan of threesomes in the past, I was finding that he was a pretty cool guy who liked to play practical jokes on his friends. He was easy to talk to. I found myself laughing more than I had in a very long time, and that felt good.
I didn't have to worry about being something that I was not. He made me feel special, and I could let my hair down and just be me. He laughed at my stupid jokes, which was something Trevor never did. He would always frown and tell me to stop acting childish.
"It's time you put that guitar down, and for God's sake, stop with the ink. Be a professional."
He even made an appointment with a specialist to discuss tattoo removal. He just went behind my back and did it. That was when I ended it with him. I never wanted to be with someone who didn't accept me as I was.
I would never change who I am for someone else. Chance’s personality was infectious in a good way. He told me about a surprise birthday party he threw for Levi last year, and how he jumped out of the cake wearing only a thong and nipple pasties. I laughed so hard I cried, and maybe even peed a little. But, I would never admit that to him. I remembered in all the *cough* stalking that I'd done over the years that Chance's birthday was the next month, and that made me really excited, because I wanted to surprise him with a party of his own. Something told me no one had ever done that for him, because for one split second while he was describing his friend’s party, hurt flashed in his eyes and then was gone just as fast. We are getting ready to head out for Thanksgiving dinner at Linc's and if all goes well, I'll recruit Honesty to help with the planning.
"Sparkles, I swear, if you don't come on, I'm leaving without you!" Chance shouted down the hall.
I gave myself one last glance in the full length mirror in the bathroom to make sure I looked okay. I'd dressed in a pair of jeans and a long sleeve pink tee shirt with the band logo pulled tight across my chest. Damn boobs. I could never find shirts that fit properly.
"Hold on to your nut sac there, Papa Smurf." I huffed as I made my way in to the kitchen where he was standing with the plate of homemade cookies we'd baked the night before, a deep scowl on his face.
"Papa Smurf? What the hell?"
"Well, your hair is blue and you are kind of old." I snickered as I grabbed my purse off the marble countertop.
"Whoa. Back the boat up there, Bobby. Just how old do you think I am?"
He licked his lips and arched the brow with the barbell in it. I crossed my arms over my chest and let my gaze move over his muscular body from head to toe as if I were deep in thought. Bad move on my part, because all that did for me was cause my nipples to harden from thinking about his tatted and toned body.
I had gotten a pretty good look at him in the kitchen earlier when he was wearing only a pair of sweats. Every inch of his mouth watering torso was mapped out in colorful ink from the neck all the way down to the waistband of those pants.
"If I had to guess, I'd say you're around thirty-two to thirty-four," I declared, cocking my head to the side with a smirk on my face.
Knowing full well he wasn't even close to being that old. He slowly placed the plate of cookies on the counter and stalked toward me, closing the distance between us and forcing me back against the counter. We were nose to nose, chest to chest, and holy hell he smelled delicious. My body hummed in response, and my gaze dropped to his full lips. I wanted to taste him so bad; lick his lip ring and tug on it with my teeth. I wanted to find out if his lips were as soft as I imagined they were.
"I'm twenty-seven, and that is by no means old. I'll be twenty-eight next month," he said. Yes. I was correct. His birthday was next month. "How old are you? Eighteen? Nineteen?" He questioned me., and I don't know why, but it kind of pissed me off.
Did he see me as a child?
I knew I looked young without makeup on, because my ex told me so. He wouldn't be seen out in public with me without my makeup, because he was afraid people would call him a cradle robber, and in all honesty, I guess he was, because he was ten years older than me. Don't judge. He was very charming when we first met, and age is just a number.
"I'm twenty-four." I placed my palm against his shoulder, feeling the warm muscle beneath flex against my palm. "Be afraid, Chance Roberts. Be very afraid. You not only just admitted that I look like a child, but I also owe you for eating all my raw cookie dough last night. You're lucky I bought enough ingredients at the store for a double batch." I narrowed my eyes at him and tried to contain the smile that was threatening to break free, and when he crossed his eyes at me, I said, "Better be careful or they'll stick like that."
I grabbed the plate of cookies off the counter and stomped outside where I waited for him. A moment later, he strolled out of the house with a grin on his face and keys in hand. He opened the passenger door to the Porsche and waited until I was buckled in before walking around the car and sliding into the driver's seat.
"Would you love me even if my eyes stuck like that?"
I couldn't hold back the snort that escaped me. He looked deeply disturbed by that comment.
"Love is such a strong word. Like. I would still like you, even though you get on my last damn nerve."
I reached over and placed my hand on his muscular thigh, causing it to tighten beneath my touch.
"You've known me all of three days." He snorted.
"Yeah, but I knew within the first five minutes," I replied, grinning over at him.