Stronger Within (The Silver Lake Series Book 1)

by McCallum, Coral

  “I guess you would,” acknowledged Lori with a laugh. “I’ll be sensible though. I need to be ok for next weekend.”

  “Why? Where are you off to?”

  “I’m going to a high school Christmas dance with Jake,” she confessed.

  “No dancing for you, young lady,” he cautioned her.

  “I was never much of a dancer before my accident,” she giggled. “So I’m not likely to start now.”

  The doctor laughed. “Ok, take it easy over the weekend, Lori, and I’ll see you first thing on Monday. If the pain gets too much, do you still have Jo’s number?”

  “Yes.”

  “Call me on that if you are really struggling.”

  “Thanks, John. I appreciate it.”

  While she had been chatting on the phone, Jake had been sorting through the large pile of mail he had retrieved from the mailbox. There were a handful of letters for him, a large pile of letters for Lori and an even larger pile of junk mail. As she put the phone down, he passed the letters over to her.

  “You sort through these while you drink your coffee,” he suggested. “I’m going to take my guitars downstairs, then unpack the bags.”

  “Leave the bags. We can unpack later.”

  “Rock tour’s over, li’l lady,” he joked. “I’ve got laundry to do!”

  Before she could protest, he left her alone in the sun room and disappeared through the house. Jake knew, if he left her alone with the mail and her laptop, she would soon become engrossed in catching up and take a longer rest than if he hung around talking to her. Having taken their bags down to the bedroom, he fetched two laundry baskets and sorted the dirty clothes out as he unpacked. The bag with his used stage clothes was crammed full and, as he unzipped it, the smell of stale sweat was overwhelmingly revolting. Before touching the other bags, he took the first basket through to the utility room and loaded up the washing machine.

  “If the fans could see me now,” he thought, as he walked back down to the bedroom to fetch the rest of the laundry. It felt good to be doing “normal chores”. The same feeling he had had earlier as he vacuumed his sister’s family room; a good leveller after his time spent centre stage.

  He left most of Lori’s unpacking for her, but, in true Lori organised fashion, she had made it easy for him to identify her laundry. It was all neatly folded in a bag marked “Laundry” and zipped into a separate section of her suitcase. Deciding not to even attempt to unpack the rest, he left her case sitting open on the small two-seater couch in the bedroom.

  The basement looked bare, with most of the band’s equipment still missing. Paul’s practice drum kit sat silent in the corner and all the guitar stands stood empty. Lovingly, he placed his own instruments back into the storage rack where they lived. When he lifted the new electric guitar that Jason had presented him with, he smiled at the memory of his birthday. Since then he hadn’t had the chance to play with his new “toy”. Now seemed as good a time as any.

  Up in the sun room, the pain medication had kicked in and Lori was feeling a lot more relaxed. There had been a few household bills in the mail to take care of but she had dealt with most of them over the phone. As she powered up her laptop, she could hear Jake playing down in the basement. She didn’t instantly recognise what he was playing, but guessed that it was something he was still working on. While she caught up with her emails, both personal and business, she enjoyed listening to him practice. He had run through the unfamiliar piece a few times, then cranked up the volume and entertained her with his renditions of a few rock classics. Shutting down the laptop, Lori lay back to listen to the music, accompanied by the gentle hum of the washing machine. It felt good to be home.

  She must have dozed off because the next thing she knew Jake was gently shaking her and, when she opened her eyes, the sunroom was in darkness.

  “Sorry to wake you, but I didn’t know what you wanted to do about dinner,” he said, kissing her tenderly.

  “What time is it?” she asked sleepily.

  “Almost seven. I was going to go into town and pick up some Chinese.”

  “Sounds good,” she agreed, as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. “Want me to come with you?”

  Jake shook his head. “You stay where you are. I won’t be long.”

  Before she could argue, he was getting to his feet. “And don’t touch the laundry either,” he warned. “I have that under control.”

  “Am I allowed to turn on the TV?” asked Lori with a sleepy smile.

  “Only via the remote,” replied Jake, passing her the remote control. “Don’t bother setting the table either. We can picnic in here.”

  “I get the hint,” she said. “I’ll stay here till you get back.”

  “Good. I won’t be long.”

  Once she heard the truck pull out of the driveway, Lori slowly got to her feet and wandered through the house to the bedroom. She smiled when she saw that Jake had tried his best with the unpacking, but was relieved to see that he had left her bag for her to attend to. Lifting her bag of toiletries out of the open suitcase, she limped through to the en suite bathroom to freshen up. On her way back through to the sun room, Lori paused to fetch a bottle of wine and two glasses, then went back to the kitchen for plates and cutlery. She set them down on the coffee table then settled herself back on the couch. Leisurely, she flicked through the TV channels in search of something worth watching before eventually settling for one of the rock music channels. Silver Lake’s “Dragon Song” had just finished when Jake returned with their meal.

  “You just missed yourselves on there,” commented Lori, as he came striding in.

  “Good,” he muttered, “I don’t like seeing myself on TV. I’m dreading watching the DVD footage Scott has stockpiled.”

  “He’s coming to the school, isn’t he?”

  “I believe so,” stated Jake, setting the food down on the large square footstool. He eyed the wine and plates suspiciously, then commented, “I thought I told you to stay where you were, li’l lady?”

  “I needed the bathroom and picked these up on my way back,” Lori explained. “I’m not an invalid, Jake. Besides, if I lie here all weekend I won’t be able to move at all by Monday!”

  “I hear you,” he conceded, then added softly, “Just be extra careful.”

  “I will. Now what’s in those boxes? I’m starving.”

  As they ate their meal, they watched the local news on TV, attempting to catch up with the events they had missed over the last few days. Jake sat on the floor, leaning against the couch where Lori was reclining. Both of them enjoying the relaxed intimacy of sharing each other’s meal. After the buzz and midnight meals of late, it felt strange to be eating at a civilised hour.

  “Rich called while I was out,” began Jake, as he cleared away the empty food containers. “He asked if it was ok to bring Linsey over with him on Sunday. She wants to see you about something to do with the dance. I told him it was fine.”

  “We’ll need to go food shopping tomorrow,” observed Lori, pouring them a fresh glass of wine.

  “I’ll need to go,” corrected Jake, firmly. “You can write me a list.”

  “I give in!” she conceded with a laugh. “OK, I’ll write you a nice long list.”

  “If you rest all day, we can maybe go out for dinner tomorrow night,” proposed Jake by way of a compromise.

  “Deal,” agreed Lori immediately. “Am I allowed to sit at my drawing board tomorrow? I have some work I need to finish off.”

  “Only if you have a long lie in the morning.”

  “Deal number two.”

  Saturday turned into a lazy day for both of them. When they finally awoke, Jake fetched them both breakfast that they ate in bed. A storm was brewing outside and rain was lashing off the windows. Instead of heading out for a run as planned, Jake fetched his laptop and Lori’s sketchbook and they both spent the morning together in bed, working quietly. Occasionally they would exchange a few words, but they were both individually
engrossed until almost lunchtime. It was Lori who gave in first and declared she was going for a shower. By the time she had showered and dressed, Jake had hauled himself out of bed, dressed and made them both a sandwich for lunch.

  “Sorry,” he apologised as she took her seat at the table. “There was only tuna.”

  “I like tuna,” replied Lori with a smile. “So what’s the plan for the rest of the day?”

  “Food shopping then we can see if you feel up to going out for dinner in town.”

  “I wrote you a list,” said Lori. “But no doubt you’ll phone to check it several times. Would it not be easier if I came with you?”

  “Yes, but you are staying right here, li’l lady,” he said firmly. “Rest is what you are going to do.”

  “I spent weeks resting. Months! I’m sick of resting!” she protested sharply, tears stinging at her eyes.

  “And you’ll rest until Monday when you see John Brent,” added Jake, feeling her frustration. Reaching out to take her hand, he added, “You need to take care of yourself.”

  She let out a long sigh and nodded slowly as a tear of frustration and fear slid down her cheek.

  Despite her reluctance to stay at home for the afternoon, Lori enjoyed a productive few hours at her drawing board. Instead of looking at any of her commissioned projects, she decided to try to complete some of the jewellery designs she had been playing around with. The designs that she had given to Lin had sold well and her friend had requested another small collection. With her iPod plugged into the docking station in the study, she worked away to a selection of rock tunes. The pain in her leg had eased off a bit while she had been sitting, but as soon as she put any weight on it, she was aware of the throbbing ache.

  “I’m back!” called Jake as he clattered in through the back door shortly after four. The water was dripping off his shoulders and hair. “It’s insane outside!”

  “Still raining?”

  “Monsoon style,” he called. “I’ll be back in a minute. More bags to bring in.”

  When he finally came through to see her, he was soaked through.

  “Are you sure you want to go out for dinner?” he asked as he stood dripping in front of her.

  Trying not to laugh at his bedraggled state, Lori said, “Well, I had been looking forward to getting out of here for a couple of hours.”

  “Lori,” he began to protest, then, seeing the wave of disappointment cross her face, he paused. “OK. We’ll head out to the steakhouse. I just hope we can park right beside the door, near to the canopy.”

  “Thanks,” she said warmly. “Now, am I allowed to help you put the groceries away?”

  “No,” he replied. “But you can come through and keep me company while I put them away.”

  “Fine,” she agreed, getting slowly to her feet. “But I am making a fresh pot of coffee.”

  “No argument on that one, li’l lady,” he said with a grin.

  There were only a handful of cars parked at the steakhouse when they arrived a couple of hours later, so, much to Lori’s relief, Jake had no trouble parking near to the entrance. The rain had eased off, but it was still coming down steadily. Having helped Lori out of the car, Jake kept a protective arm around her as they walked into the restaurant. They were swiftly shown to a table at the window by a young waiter, who looked vaguely familiar to Jake. When the young man returned with their drinks order and began to rhyme off the day’s specials, he realised the boy was one of his senior class.

  “How’s school been?” asked Jake with a wink.

  “Dull without you, Mr Power,” replied the student, looking a little embarrassed. “How was your break?”

  “Hard work,” admitted Jake honestly. “We only got back on Thursday. Still a bit jet lagged and tired.”

  “Are you coming back to school? Some of the kids are saying you and Mr Santiago both quit.”

  “We’ll both be back in class on Monday,” replied Jake. “If you’ve not finished that assignment I set, you’d better get a move on with it.”

  “Yes, sir,” said the boy. “I’ll be back in a few moments for your food order.”

  Taking a sip from her wine, Lori giggled, “You were cruel to tease him about assignments.”

  “Perhaps,” agreed Jake with a mischievous grin. “But he does have stuff to prepare for Monday. I set the piece myself before we left. Six weeks is more than enough time to complete it.”

  “Slave driver,” giggled Lori.

  During the drive home a couple of hours later, Jake asked Lori if she would listen to some of the new material he had been working on. Without hesitation, she agreed but suggested he bring his guitar up to the sunroom rather than playing for her in the basement. As they drove back along the lakeside road towards the house, Jake explained that he had been writing material with Rich on tour for a second album. So far they had about eight ideas, all needing a lot of work, but the bare bones were there to build on. The plan, he said, was to speak to Jason and the record company about recording locally around the time Maddy’s twins were due so that Paul could be close at hand.

  “Is there anywhere local?” asked Lori as he turned into the driveway.

  “Here,” Jake replied as he switched off the engine. “We might need to record the vocals elsewhere, but Rich reckons we can do the guitar tracking, drums and bass right here. Would you mind?”

  “Not at all,” she answered without pausing to think. “It sounds like a logical plan. If you sell it right, Jason should go for it.”

  “I hope so,” said Jake, helping her out of the car. He noticed her wince as she put weight on her weaker leg but said nothing.

  With only the two small table lamps lit, the normally spacious sun room felt small and intimate. Having fetched a bottle of wine and some glasses, Lori settled herself on the couch, silently relieved to have the weight off her leg again. Part of her was sure it was her imagination, but the pain and discomfort had grown more noticeable over dinner. Banishing it to the back of her mind, she focussed on Jake, who was sitting on the smaller couch adjusting the tuning on his acoustic guitar. His long blonde hair was falling over his face, hiding his features from her gaze.

  “Most of these aren’t acoustic tracks,” he commented, as he ran his hand through his hair.

  “Well, fetch an electric guitar and your practice amp from the basement, rock star,” suggested Lori.

  “Hmm, think I will,” he muttered, setting his acoustic guitar down against the wall.

  Quickly, Jake ran downstairs and returned with the guitar that the management had given him for his birthday and also a small square amp. It took him another few minutes to settle himself and tune up before he eventually began to play. The confidence and power of the opening riff took her by surprise and was a far cry from the Jake, who had played “Stronger Within” in the same spot only a few short months before. With a heart swelling with pride, Lori listened to half a dozen half-written new songs; some more complete than others. All of them building on the previous album’s content. Switching guitars, Jake played two new acoustic tracks for her. Both of them sounded delicate and haunting after the raw power of his electric performance. His vocals sounded different too, and she could hear the influence of the two Weigh Station tracks he had sung on tour coming through. It added a different vibe to the music that she wasn’t convinced was a Silver Lake sound.

  Carefully, he put the guitar down, then looked at her, eyes silently appealing for approval.

  “Well, li’l lady?” he asked, coming over to sit on the floor beside the couch.

  “They’re all rough around the edges, but I love them,” she replied, reaching out to run her fingers through his hair. “Just be careful. Remember, you’re Jake Power not Dan Crow.”

  He looked at her almost with an air of confusion.

  “The two acoustic melodies are beautiful,” began Lori softly. “But the vocal sounds too Weigh Station and not enough like Silver Lake. Don’t confuse the two.”

  “I hadn
’t thought of them like that,” confessed Jake, nodding his head. “I hear you, li’l lady. They are all still very much a work in progress.”

  “And they’re great,” she assured him. “Just don’t lose sight of who you are. It’s Silver Lake your fans want to hear. Its Jake Power the fans want. But, that said, you’ve got to feel the love for it too.”

  “Wise words, Mz Hyde,” he acknowledged, as he moved to kiss her tenderly. What started as a soft gentle kiss gradually grew in passion and, within a few moments, they were hungrily kissing each other.

  Taking care not to hurt her, Jake moved up to sit beside her on the couch. Slowly he unbuttoned the shirt she was wearing and caressed her breasts with light feathery kisses. With a few careful movements, he had helped Lori to slip out of the soft cotton shirt and had removed her lacy bra. Feeling exposed, she eased his T-shirt over his head and soon he was embracing her skin to skin. She could feel the bristly hairs on his chest teasing her nipples as he kissed her neck then nibbled her earlobe.

  “I want to make love to you right here,” he murmured, as he undid the belt of her jeans.

  Lori relaxed back on the cushions as he carefully slid her jeans down and tossed them carelessly onto the floor. Her Disney princess socks made him smile as he teased them off her dainty slender feet. Swiftly he stood up and pulled off his own black jeans and socks. As he was about to remove his boxers, Lori sat up and firmly pushed his hands away from the waistband. In all his tattooed splendour, Jake stood still while she slowly slid his checked boxer shorts down over his slender hips. His erection betrayed the sexual urgency of his desires as he pulled down her flimsy white lace panties. Slowly Lori spread her legs, allowing Jake to slip into position between the soft skin of her inner thighs. She felt herself tense up a little as a wave of pain swept down her leg. Trying desperately not to cause her any discomfort, Jake entered her in one swift hard move. With long, slow strokes he teased her to the brink of orgasm, fully aware of her moistness and obvious hunger for him. Lori moaned softly, almost purring, in anticipation of the ecstasy that was building within her. With a few quick hard, fast thrusts Jake sent her spiralling into orgasmic oblivion. Moaning his name with a deep throaty growl, Lori surrendered to the full force of her feelings as she felt Jake find his sexual release within her.