Pieces of Me (Midnight Steel Trilogy Book 1)

by Lori J. Nelson

  The whistling of the kettle brought her back to the present. As she poured the steaming water into her favorite mug, she decided that she would see what the next few days brought. In the meantime, she had work to do around the house sorting what food had survived, gathering eggs, and making up the larger of the two guest rooms for Alek. Their nights of sharing a bed had come to an end. She was sad but knew it was for the best. He was just too tempting.

  “Please tell me that’s the heat I feel?” asked a sleepy Alek as he walked into the kitchen. His long hair was a tousled mess, but his eyes smiled at her. All he did was look at her and Corie felt the impact of that all the way to her core. Right then, she knew that she didn’t even have to sleep with him to fall in love. It was happening already.

  How do you fall in love with a man whose last name you don’t know nor much else about him at all flashed through her mind? Apparently, it was proving possible.

  “Yes, that’s the heat back on as is the water and the hot water heater. The kettle should be still hot if you want some tea,” she replied. His low riding sweatpants did nothing to stop the tingling she was feeling.

  “Coffee?” he asked hopefully.

  Corie laughed as he looked like he was going to die without it. “Somewhere, in the cooler bins outside are the k-cups for the Keurig. I freeze them, so they last longer for my guests since I prefer tea. With the electricity back on you can have your coffee.”

  “I think I bloody well love you,” he said grabbing her face between his hands and kissing her soundly on the lips before heading to the outdoor porch where she had the coolers stored.

  She was about to touch her lips after his kiss when Alek came hopping back inside. “Shoes, where are my fucking shoes?” he growled.

  He was so adorable jumping up and down on his cold feet. “Try next to the sofa. I think I saw them there,” she laughed.

  A few minutes later the kitchen smelled like freshly brewed coffee and Alek was staring at the Keurig machine. He was so desperate for that coffee that it was making her giggle.

  “Are you laughing at me,” he asked her not taking his eyes off the almost fully filled mug.

  Corie had her feet on the edge of the chair with her knees up against her chest. Both hands held onto the mug of tea that was resting on her knees as she gave him an innocent look. “Not me. Just because you look so ridiculously desperate for that coffee? Nope, wasn’t me.” She took another sip of her tea trying to look as innocent as possible.

  The second the machine stopped, Alek pulled the cup out and cradled it in both his hands. The coffee was so hot it burned the inside of his mouth, but he didn’t care. The taste, the caffeine was what he needed. It had been days since he had a cup when typically it was several throughout his day.

  He sat down across from Corie and glared at her as he blew on the hot coffee. All she could do was openly laugh at him, which had him finally smiling back at her. “Now you know not to get in the way of my morning coffee, Luv. It isn’t pretty.”

  “I’ll remember that,” she smiled at him.

  “Now, I am beginning to feel human again,” he sighed. “What are the plans for today?”

  “A long hot shower to start,” and when she saw him raise his eyebrows, Corie added, “Alone.”

  “Did I say anything? No, not a word.”

  “You didn’t have to. Hopefully, by then, Billy will be out to tow the car. We can get the rest of your stuff from it before he hauls it off. I was going to run into town to pick up a few staples. Do you want to come with me?”

  He shouldn’t go since there was a good chance he would be recognized, but he said yes anyway. “Sure, I’ll go with you.”

  “Good. I’ll make us a quick breakfast before we shower and if Billy hasn’t come by then, I’ll call the garage. How does that sound?”

  Alek told her that was fine and he watched her throw together some scrambled eggs and toast, which they quickly ate. Then they lugged the mattress back upstairs to the smaller of the spare bedrooms. Corie didn’t want to waste time making stripping the sheets and remaking it right then.

  Together they carried the bags upstairs that Alek was going to need during his stay. Corie got him settled in his own room, before heading back to hers to shower and change clothes. She closed her bedroom door and briefly thought of locking it, but didn’t it. She knew that Alek wouldn’t invade her privacy. He promised her he would behave, and she believed him.

  The bathroom was completely filled with steam when she stepped into the shower. The warmth from the air and the heat from the water were finally taking the last of the chill away. Her body was feeling normal again. Well, as normal as it could with a very desirable man in the house that she was trying to resist. And that man was taking his own shower right now as she had heard the water across the hall turn on.

  She tried not to picture him naked standing under the water just like she was. He had those broad shoulders and strong arms that flowed into his muscular chest all tapering down to his long legs. The more she tried not to picture him in the shower the more she couldn’t get that possible image out of her head.

  “Damn it,” she groaned as she washed her hair. “This is what happens because I haven’t had sex in so long. And yes, I know I could end that drought right away with Alek, but I need it to be more.” She forced herself to stop thinking of a naked Alek and hurried through the rest of her shower.

  She dressed in her flannel-lined jeans with a t-shirt under a thick light blue sweater. A quick blow dry of her hair left it wavy hanging down her back and with just a light touch of makeup, and she was on her way back downstairs. Alek was nowhere in sight.

  That gave her time to check the supplies that were left in the fridge and see what she needed to replace. She was tucking the list into a pocket when he walked into the kitchen. Without thinking she walked over to him and moved his long bangs out of his face so she could see the bruising. “You’re getting very colorful. Does it hurt?” she asked as she gently touched the side of his face.

  Alek looked down into her expressive green eyes. He saw she was a bit startled by being this close to him, but it was all her doing. He knew he wanted her badly, but didn’t want to scare her off, so he lightly touched his lips to hers for a moment before taking the hand that was still on his face and kissing it. “Not that much. Thank you again for saving me. It was a bloody stupid thing that I did driving in that snow, but I’m glad I ended up here.”

  “Me too,” she answered softly.

  Alek was just lowering his head to kiss her when a horn sounded outside. “Again?” he moaned.

  Corie laughed nervously. Billy had unknowingly saved her once more from falling under his spell that she so easily gave into. “Time to get the car towed,” she said stepping back from him. “Didn’t you say your phone was still in the car? I’m sure you need to let someone know where you are, right?”

  “Maybe,” he mumbled. Alek was sure that there were dozens of message waiting for him. He wasn’t ready to deal with them yet.

  “C’mon, Billy’s waiting,” Corie told him as she slipped on her snow boots and coat. She opened the door and waved to the tow truck that honked again and headed out to the road. She turned and saw Alek slowly putting on his boots. “What is taking you so long? The sooner we get this done, the faster we can get to town. I can’t wait to show you Ashland.”

  Alek was in the passenger seat as Corie slowly drove her Tahoe toward town. He was staring out the window as the snow covered countryside passed by. He should never have agreed to go. There was a strong chance he’d be recognized there, and that would blow up everything in his face. He should have her turn around right now. But he didn’t.

  “You are so fucking stupid,” ran through his head. “You’re not being honest with her and how do you think she will react once she finds out…because at some point she will. Then you will lose her and this life.”

  He needed to tell her but was so afraid to. He just didn’t know what to do.
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br />   His phone weighed heavy in his shirt pocket. It was dead, and he would charge it when they got back, but it reminded him of the life he left. The life that was dragging him down with it. He needed to find a compromise as he could never give up performing, but he needed a life outside of music.

  He turned slightly so he could see Corie as she drove. She made him smile. Alek didn’t know the last time he had done that before meeting her. For months he was growling at everyone around him over everything. It didn’t matter if it was good or bad. He had been a major dick to everyone, except Ethan. Jimmy got it the worst. He knew he owed his guitar tech an apology. He had been unnecessarily hard on him, and that wasn’t right. Even though Jimmy got paid by the band, Alek decided to toss him a big bonus out of his own pocket for putting up with him. The kid deserved it.

  “What are you smiling about?” Corie asked him.

  “You.”

  “What? Why me?” she asked. He saw a faint shade of pink appear on her cheeks.

  “Because I’ve never seen a lovelier sight than you.”

  Alek watched her roll her eyes at him. “Yeah, right. With all of the traveling you’ve done and how good looking you are, I’m sure you had plenty of beautiful women throwing themselves at you.

  Damn, she spoke the truth without even knowing it. “I may have come across a few in my travels, but none of them compare to you. Sometimes a pretty face is only covering up a viper underneath. That is not you. Not by a long shot.”

  “I just don’t know what to make of you, Alek. You’re still a big mystery to me. I know you want to get in my pants, but I don’t even know your last name. I think you see me as a challenge, that’s all.”

  “Malcolm Alexander Lazare.”

  “What? Who?” she asked trying to miss some of the larger potholes the road had.

  “That’s me. You said that you didn’t know my name. That’s it, but my…family calls me Alek.” They did, but they were the only ones. Everyone else called him Laz.

  Corie flashed him a big smile, and all he could think of was how beautiful she was. “It’s nice to meet you, Malcolm Alexander Lazare. I’m Corrine Elizabeth Monroe. Corie to all. And welcome to Ashland, Maine.”

  Alek saw that they had turned onto the main street of town. It was much smaller than what he was used to, but smaller he liked. He needed to stay a nobody. When he and Corie had walked out to the road to his totaled rental car, he wore his sunglasses and a wool hat. The kid, Billy was in his twenties, and Alek didn’t want him to recognize him. It was as close to a disguise as he had and he was still wearing it as they pulled into a parking spot.

  He had fooled Billy, but he had no idea how long that would last.

  As he got out of the car, he tucked his hair behind his ears and pulled the cap down low. He put his hands in his jacket pockets and followed Corie down the sidewalk with his head down. Alek looked up every few steps to see where they were going. Finally, something caught his eye. A barber pole spinning slowly outside a shop across the street.

  Maybe if he didn’t look so much like a rock star, he would stand a better chance of going unnoticed. “Corie,” he said grabbing her arm so that she stopped.

  “Yes?”

  “I’m going to go over there, okay. Can I meet you back at the car?”

  “Where? Oh, you are going to cut your hair. Are you sure?” she asked reaching up to touch the long strands below the cap’s edge. “What about a salon instead?”

  Alek looked inside and saw the barber standing in the doorway was old enough that he most likely didn’t know who Midnight Steel was. “No, this is fine. Unless you need my help in the market?”

  “I’ll be okay. I’ll meet you back at the car then?”

  “Thanks,” Alek told her dropping a kiss on her cheek. Then he walked across the street as he took a big step in changing his life.

  The car ride back to Corie’s house was quiet. Alek noticed her looking over at him every few minutes. The barber had done a surprisingly good job. It was quite short around the sides, but longer on top. The old man teased him that he belonged in a magazine. But damn the guy was right. He looked good and not like Laz.

  “Alright,” he laughed. “You have to stop doing that.”

  “I know, but I can’t believe George did that. He’s an old school barber! Your hair is so different now, but it looks good, Alek. Really, good,” she admitted.

  “Well, I don’t want to end up in another tree, so keep watching the road and not me,” he told her with a wink. Alek then put his arm around the back of her seat. Her soft curls fell against his fingers. He played with them until Corie finally turned down her long drive.

  It was as close as he could come to touching her. Every minute he was with her, he wanted her more, but he had a promise to keep. He wouldn’t push things between beyond a kiss. That she had even agreed to that was a miracle.

  The cold air had both their cheeks a rosy red as they hauled the groceries from the SUV into the house. Before she started to unpacked everything, Corie had surprised him with a pair of all-weather boots telling him expensive leather ones would get ruined if they weren’t already. These were at least waterproof.

  Once the groceries were taken care of, Alek got his first lesson in taking care of the chickens. Those damn ugly birds with the pointy beaks, sharp talons, and beady eyes scared him to death. Having to feed them and then clean up after the squawking creatures was unnerving, but not as bad as reaching under them for the eggs. The only thing that kept him from saying, “Fuck this” was Corie. He didn’t want to come off as a coward when it came to these damn birds.

  Alek had forgotten to charge his phone when they got back. Maybe, subconsciously he didn’t want to hear from his old world. Corie was getting dinner together and told him to get out of her hair for a while. He was bored and watching her do anything was enough for him, but apparently, it was irritating her.

  He came up to his room and unpacked most of his clothes into the empty dresser drawers. His phone charger was resting on the bed. Alek reluctantly picked it up and looked for a plug in the room. There was one conveniently next to the nightstand, so he plugged it into the wall and then into his phone. After a few seconds the dead phone booted up, he watched as all of the missed calls, text messages, and voicemails registered.

  Damn, there was a lot. He probably should have at least told Ethan he was leaving.

  He had four voicemails from his mum, a dozen texts between Stephen, their tour manager, and Tony. Nothing from Davey. It was Ethan who was literally blowing up his phone. His last text message from a few hours ago read, “If you aren’t already bloody well dead, I will kill you myself for not answering any of my fucking messages. Quit being such a damn wanker and call me!”

  Just as he was deciding whether or not he should call Ethan the phone vibrated in his hand. It was like his old friend knew he had just turned on his phone, so before he could talk himself out of it, he answered it.

  “Hey, Eth.”

  There was a slight hesitation on the line before Ethan spoke. “Where the fuck are you, you fucking bastard!”

  Alek heard a sigh of relief come from Ethan. He knew he should never have worried his best friend this way. “I needed to get away from it, Ethan. You know I wasn’t myself those last few months on tour. The life was killing me, but I stayed until the end. I just need to do things my way for a while. I’m okay.”

  “You should have let me know you were leaving. Not even a fucking text! I’ve been trying to find you for days, Laz. Days! And you never answered me. I thought you were dead!” Ethan growled into the phone.

  Ethan was madder than Alek expected. His best friend didn’t deserve him just taking off that way. “I did almost die if that’s any consolation to you, man.”

  “What the fuck, Laz! Tell me everything right now and don’t leave anything out,” his friend demanded. “Now.” Ethan always had a relaxed manner about him, it was rare to see him angry this way. Alek knew he must have really worrie
d him if Ethan was this upset. He had sure fucked everything up.

  Alek explained how he ended up leaving the hotel that last night. His frustration with the rock and roll lifestyle had just gotten too much for him. He told him how he rented a car and just drove off in the middle of the night. When he crossed the Canadian border into Maine, the weather changed, and he ultimately ended up lost and into a tree.

  “Laz, you could have killed yourself!”

  “I almost did, until I was rescued by an angel.”

  Ethan finally started to laugh on the other end of the phone. “That’s the reason why you don’t have time for me. So how hot is she, mate? I can’t believe you didn’t call me back because you’re shagging this angel of yours. To keep your attention for more than a day, she has to be fucking incredible. Eh? Right?”

  Alek knew Ethan was never going to believe that he wasn’t sleeping with Corie…at least not yet. “Ethan, it’s not like that. I just got my phone out of the car today when it was towed. I was about to call you back when you called me. We only got the power back here this morning anyway. So it’s been no electricity and no heat here for days. Corie, that’s the woman that saved me. She’s not what you think. She’s sweet and brave and fuck, yeah she’s beautiful, but she’s so different than the women we usually meet. And no, I’m not shagging her.”

  “Ah, I hear a tinge of regret there. She turned you down, I see. So is she a challenge for you, mate? Is that why you aren’t home in London?”

  Ethan was probably not going to let him live this down. Both of them could have had any woman they wanted in the years since they became famous. Hell, even before too. They were two incredibly handsome rock stars who never heard the word no, until now.

  “Am I right, Laz?”

  “Yes, but it’s more than that Eth. I just want time to get to know her and her me. I’m not going back to England until I can figure out what is going on between us. Why should I go home to that big empty house, when I am happy here? Listen, I think I hear her coming up the stairs, I’ll call you in a few days, mate.” Corie was still in the kitchen, but he wasn’t ready to get into things deeper with Ethan. Not just yet.