Pieces of Me (Midnight Steel Trilogy Book 1)

by Lori J. Nelson

  There was a momentary flash of panic in Remy’s eyes as he realized Laz may have the power to ruin him. “Good luck with your used up whore,” he yelled at him as he stormed off the bus.

  Even though Caroline tried to say it was just a one-time mistake, and that Remy had basically forced himself on her, Laz knew she had been playing him. Things started to make sense to him. He had overlooked too much with her, but it never occurred to him that she was sleeping around. He had been a fool. Laz told her to pack her shit and get gone. When he stormed off the bus, he found Ethan waiting for him. He had come out to see what was going as Remy was ranting about suing Laz for assault.

  Laz rubbed his right hand told his friend what he had found on the bus, but he could tell that Ethan knew. And he did. No one wanted to tell Laz that Caroline was sleeping through the opening acts and roadies. He had been blind to it all and furious for being played the fool by everyone. When Caroline didn’t emerge from the bus, he went in and practically threw her out. Her clothes started flying out the door, and she scrambled to grab everything.

  Ethan had a security guard stationed at the bus to make sure no one got on it except their driver Max, Laz or himself. That night wasn’t one of their better shows since Laz was so angry and hurt. But as time went by he did his best to forget about her and became the king of one night stands. He vowed never to fall in love again.

  Except he was. But he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Corie was not Caroline. Hell, she didn’t even know that he was Laz…lead guitarist for the best damn rock band on the planet. He was a multi-millionaire rock god and Corie had no idea.

  Chapter 8

  After having their breakfast, Alek helped Corie bring more wood into the house as their supply was rapidly dwindling down to nothing. She would bring it in from the outside, and he would carefully carry it to each fireplace. Since his ribs were still sore, he only took two or three logs at a time so it took a lot longer than it should have. By the time they were done, they were both exhausted. Corie not only was lugging the wood, but she had to first dig another path to the woodshed because the snow and wind kept filing the previous one back up. She had told him that she estimated that they had gotten well over three feet of snow during this storm.

  Alek wanted to lie down for a little while, but he wasn’t looking forward to that cold, lonely room. The accident and the subsequent illness had taken its toll on him. “Can I take a short nap on the sofa?” he asked. “This way we don’t have to heat the other room, and we can save wood. That was a bloody pain to bring in. You do that on your own all the time?”

  “I don’t usually need to completely refill the wood box, but yes, I do that on my own.” Corie picked up another cup of tea that she had made, and together they headed into the living room, which was currently the warmest room in the house. “Saving wood is a good idea. Grab the blankets from the daybed, and you can have the sofa. I’ll hang out on the love seat,” she told him as she gathered her book and blanket from the larger of the two couches.

  “I don’t want to put you out,” Alek said apologetically.

  Corie looked at him and then at the loveseat. “I’m only going to read, and you would never fit on the small love seat. I’m all right, don’t worry about me,” she reassured him with a smile.

  Alek went to gather what he needed from the room. He took a minute to regroup mentally. He had no way of knowing that when he left Montreal what lay ahead for him because if he did, he would never have left the hotel. He had come so close to dying and most likely freezing to death that just the thought of what could have happened had his hands trembling. Ending up here, safe with Corie was a miracle. Not only had she risked her life to save his, but she was letting him stay with her. In this weather, there was no other place he could have actually gone, but she was treating him like a guest, not an unwanted stranger.

  Even though he was not at his best and he was always cold, he realized that he was enjoying himself. He didn’t remember the last time he could just be him. No crazy rock star lifestyle, no fans begging for autographs or photos, and no constant demands on his time. Right now he was simply a nobody, and he loved it.

  Alek gathered a couple of blankets off the bed and a pillow before heading back to the living room. He saw that Corie had the fire blazing and was wrapped in her own warm blanket on the smaller of the two sofas. She smiled up at him as he came into the room. Alek felt that smile start to make things come alive that he wasn’t prepared for. He was glad he had the blanket in front of him as it was shielding the unexpected erection he suddenly had.

  He sat down on the sofa keeping the pillow he had grabbed in his lap. He was tired, but suddenly he didn’t want to go to sleep. “What type of books do you write? Would I have read any of them?” he asked her.

  Corie laughed lightly. “Only if you read contemporary romance and you don’t quite look like the type.” She pointed to the bookcase near the fireplace. The second row of books is mine.”

  Alek got up wrapping a blanket around him and headed to where she pointed. “Damn,” he thought to himself. “She’s written a lot, and all of these are professionally published.” He pulled out one of the romance novels. He wanted to see what she was all about. “These really are all of yours?”

  “Yes, it’s what I do. I’ve always enjoyed making up stories, and I’m lucky enough to get paid for it now. Living out here gives me the quiet to write.”

  “How long have you lived out here? It’s not where I would expect someone like you to live?” he told her. Corie was young and beautiful, so he wondered why she was hiding out in the country.

  Corie cocked her head trying to figure out what he meant by “someone like her,” so she asked him. Why didn’t he think she belonged out here? She loved her country living.

  “You just don’t seem to belong way out here on a farm. Why isn’t someone as young and pretty as you are living in a city, enjoying life?” Alek was from London, so he was used to having anything he wanted at his fingertips. He wasn’t even sure how close to a town she was. When the band toured, it was always one city after another, so that’s what he was used to. That’s what he knew.

  Alek’s words ran through her head a couple of times before she answered him. On the one hand, he knew nothing about her, and he shouldn’t be judging her. If she wanted to live on her farm, that was her business. However, it didn’t get past her that he thought she was pretty. That had a little smile curling up on her lips.

  “I did live in Boston for most of my life. A couple years ago I was ready for a change, and I can write anywhere, so I was driving through Maine and came upon Ashland. That’s the closest town to the farm, and I fell in love with it. I’ve been here ever since, but I travel doing book tours, so I do get out,” she told him. It was time to get the conversation off her and onto him. “So tell me about you. You mentioned that you were touring around with friends. How long have you been doing that? And what do you do when you aren’t traveling?”

  How was he going to get out of this? Alek really didn’t want to lie to her, but he was enjoying being just him. Once she found out who he was, that would end. It always did. He had tried to get lost in some of the places they traveled to, but he was always found out. He had found the fame he had wanted, but at a high cost.

  “We’ve been traveling through America and Canada for over a year now. Just going where we felt like, but moving on when we were ready to. It was fun for a long time, but at the end, it was just too much. I needed some time without my mates. They are good blokes, but it was time to go our own ways, at least for me.” That was as close to the truth as he felt comfortable getting right now.

  “Who are your mates?” Corie said doing a decent imitation of his accent.

  Alek laughed at her. “Ethan and I grew up together. We’ve been…mates for a long time. Tony and Davey are from the same area of Tottenham that we were from. We’ve been friends, as you Yanks say, since we were kids.”

  “So let me get this straight,
the four of you have just been traveling around North America for over a year. Are you independently wealthy? That must have cost a lot. Not to mention the expensive car you totaled, and your leather jacket is not from any bargain store. So tell me, who are you really Alek?”

  Alek was impressed that he couldn’t fool Corie. She was smarter than he gave her credit for, but he wasn’t going to tell her he was a millionaire rock star. So he lied…again. “I’m a guy who has enough money that I can work when I want and travel when I want. Let’s just leave it at that.”

  The temperature in the room cooled down, and it had nothing to do with the absence of heat in the house. Alek’s words stopped Corie from asking any other questions. He stretched out on the sofa covering up with the blankets to keep him warm. He knew he was the reason for the slight tension in the air, but he felt he really didn’t owe her an explanation on who he was. He opened the book he had taken from her shelf and started to read.

  Corie has been stealing glances at Alek for the past hour. He had begun to read one of her books but had fallen asleep after only ten minutes or so. The novel was now resting on his chest, that was moving up and down in rhythm to his steady breathing.

  Her curiosity had gotten the better of her. Apparently, there was more to Alek than he wanted to tell her. As long as he wasn’t some type of wanted criminal, she really had no business pushing him for details on his life. However, his “Let’s just leave it at that” comment did just the opposite. That made her want to know more, but the change in his tone let Corie know he wasn’t going to say anything further.

  She wanted the easy going banter they had back, so when he woke up, she would pretend like nothing had happened. In the meantime, she had gotten completely bored with reading, which never happens, so she grabbed her notebook and started writing the new story that she had running through her head that Alek had inspired.

  A couple hours later, Corie was so engrossed getting the words in her head onto paper that she hadn’t realized that Alek had woken up until he swung his feet around onto the floor. Shadows had started to fill the room as the afternoon sun was dipping behind the trees. Her eyes caught his, and she gave him a big smile. “Feel rested?”

  “Yes. Almost back to normal. What time is it?” Alek asked.

  “It’s almost four. I was thinking since it’s nearing dinner time and we didn’t have lunch, would you want an early dinner? I have the venison stew I can reheat. It’s not bad if I say so myself?” Even though she basically cooked for herself, Corie knew that she was a good cook. She wished she could show off her skills to him, instead of just reheating leftovers.

  “Anything sounds good to me,” he said.

  “Great, I’ll go and reheat it. I won’t be long.”

  Alek flashed a devastating smile that Corie felt all the way to her toes. What was it about this man that was making her feel things she hadn’t in years? Maybe that was the problem. In all the time she had been living in Ashland, she had never been attracted to another man. After the mess with Jeremy, she swore off men, but then she had yet to meet one that appealed to her…until now. Alek was so different. Was that the reason that she found her heart speed up when she looked at him?

  Corie emptied the container of cold stew into a pot and turned the heat on low to heat. She sat down at the kitchen table with a blanket wrapped around her. The kitchen was freezing. As the stew slowly warmed, she let her mind wander again back to her handsome house guest.

  Her attraction to him still confused her. He was definitely a good-looking guy, but she had seen many of those in her life, but it was rare that they affected her as strongly as he did. It could just be that he intrigued her with his mysterious lifestyle and her curiosity to know more about him was strong. Then again, he had that tall, slightly muscular build that she liked and that damned British accent that she secretly loved.

  Corie got up and stirred the stew a few times. Alek was a temporary person in her life. It made no sense to even consider anything with him since he would be gone when the roads opened up. She certainly wasn’t the type for a brief fling, and that’s all he would be. As tempting as he was becoming, Corie tried to convince that she couldn’t jump into a relationship that wouldn’t have any type of future. That had heartbreak written all over it.

  When the stew was thoroughly heated, Corie dished it into bowls and placed them on a tray where she had spoons, napkins and some bottled water. When she walked into the living room, she found Alek once again reading her book.

  “What do you think of it?” she asked him placing the tray down on the coffee table.

  Alek sat up with a smile on his face. “Never thought I would admit it, but I am enjoying it. But if you ever tell any of my mates I was reading this, I will deny it to my dying day!” he laughed. “Wow, that smells good. I’m hungrier than I thought.”

  Corie handed him a bowl of the steaming stew. By the time she took hers and sat down on the loveseat, he was half finished. Corie took a few bites of her own while watching him scrape the bottom of the bowl. “I guess you didn’t like it,” she teased.

  “Luv, that was one of the best things I’ve eaten in a long time. Is there any more?”

  She always loved it when people appreciated her cooking. Alek’s compliment made her smile. “I’m glad you like it, there’s more on the stove. I’ll go get you…”Corie started to say before Alek interrupted her.

  “No. You stay right there. I am capable of getting it myself. You have done enough for me as it is,” he told her.

  Corie watched him head into the cold kitchen to get more. When he came out, the bowl was filled to the top, and he was eating as he made his way back to the sofa.

  “What’s in this?” Alek asked.

  “It’s venison stew, so there’s potatoes, carrots, onions, celery, spices and of course the deer meat. I get the venison from a local hunter. It’s easy to make and filling. I make a big batch and freeze portions.”

  “Never ate deer before, but it’s good. Thanks.”

  After they ate and she put the dishes in the sink to deal with tomorrow when she could heat water to wash them, Corie asked if he wanted to play some Gin Rummy with her. It was getting too dark to read, but she also wanted to see if she could get him to talk more about himself. A casual conversation over cards seemed like an option.

  Alek thought that was a great idea, so they played on and on until they both threw down the cards tired of the game. They must have played close to twenty hands. He still was a bit closed-mouth about himself, but she learned that he liked Thai cuisine, horror movies, and rock music. When she asked him what type of music he listened to, but his response of “all types” wasn’t good enough for her. She told him that she listened to pop and some country, but what did he like more than anything. That’s when he admitted to rock.

  Corie wasn’t sure why he was vague about that. It wasn’t like he was admitting to boy bands or something like that. Everyone listened to rock music at some point in their life. Looking at him, it made sense. The long hair with the leather jacket gave off that rock and roll vibe. Maybe she was making too much out of it, but there was no reason for him not to meet her eyes when he told her.

  The clock on the mantel chimed that it was eleven and when she turned to Alek, she saw him covering up a yawn. ”You look tired again. We should go to sleep. I‘ll stay here on the loveseat, and you can take the couch.” Corie was not looking forward to sleeping on the smaller sofa, but with Alek on the larger one, she didn’t have a choice.

  Alek looked over at the loveseat and knew that she would have to curl up to fit on that. “Where did you sleep these last few nights?”

  “On the big sofa. My room is too cold, so I stayed down here, but it gets cold in here too when the fire dies down.”

  “I can’t take your bed. I’ll go back in the office or…”

  Corie watched as he formulated an idea. “Or what?”

  Alek sat on the edge of the sofa and looked at Corie. “Listen to this
first before you say no. Could we bring a bigger mattress than what I slept on here in front of the fire to use? Our body heat will help us stay warm, and I promise that’s all I am suggesting. What do you think?”

  What did she think? Sleeping with a strange guy was out of the question, so Corie’s first thought was “No way.” But before she said no, she thought about it. The room did get cold when the fire burned down, and it always did. She slept in her warm sweats anyway, so it really shouldn’t be a problem. Part of her knew she should stay on the little sofa, but the other part wanted a warm body next to her. Even if it was just to sleep. Alek had been a perfect gentleman so far, so she didn’t have a reason to think that would change. Even though deep down she wasn’t sure she wanted him to be a gentleman.

  “Okay. Let’s do it. I’m tired of being cold all the time. There’s a full-size bed in one of the guest rooms upstairs that we can bring down.”

  “Brilliant. Let’s go get it,” Alek said.

  Together they went upstairs, and with much laughter, they maneuvered the mattress out of the room, down the staircase, and into the living room. Corie moved the coffee table out of the way, as Alek dropped the mattress on the floor in front of the fireplace. There was room at the end for tending the fire and keeping away from any errant sparks. They piled multiple blankets on top to help keep them warm.

  Alek added more wood to the fire while Corie slipped into the kitchen to get a glass of water. There she wriggled out of her bra and stuffed it in a drawer. While she was going to be sleeping fully dressed, the bra simply had to go. She just hoped it wasn’t too noticeable.

  The fire was blazing taking the chill out of the room when Corie got back. Alek was lying on top of the blankets watching the flames. He smiled up at Corie as she came around the sofa. That’s when it really hit her what she was about to do. She knew she was attracted to Alek and now she was going to spend the night on a mattress in front of a fire with him. Usually, this would qualify as a very romantic setting. Part of her wanted it to be that way, but the rational side of her knew he would be leaving soon.