Cocky Rockstar: A Hero Club Novel

by Regina Frame

  “Thank you for letting me stay here. I promise to be out of your hair soon,” I assured him.

  “You’re not imposing. I kind of like having you here,” he said with a grin. Tucker’s phone vibrated on the glass-top table. He stared down at the name on the screen and frowned. “I need to take this,” he said, as he got up and walked inside. I took the opportunity to do a little more digging into Tucker and his band.

  There were tons of articles and pictures. One of him coming out of a police station. Multiple pics of him and various women. Then I came across a photo shoot for some line of guitars. There were pictures of Tucker and each band member holding different guitars in front of their crotches. The one that caught my eye was a picture of Tucker completely naked with a woman kneeling behind him with her hands covering his dick. My mouth grew dry and a surge of warmth hummed through my veins as I took in his broad shoulders, chiseled abs, and thick thighs. I don't know who the woman in the picture was, but I was jealous of her. I wanted to be her. I wanted my hands on him, all of him. Every time I was near him there was this strong sexual energy in the air around us and the little hairs on the back of my neck stood up. When I thought back to riding his bike, the way my arms wrapped around his tapered waist and my chest pressed into his heat sent a steady throb between my legs.

  2

  TUCKER

  “Honey, I'm home!” Adeyn shouted as he stepped outside, followed by the rest of the guys.

  “Help yourself to a beer. Oh wait, you already did,” I said. “It's about time. Where have you guys been?”

  “Cade wanted to stop off at a tittie bar. It took half the day and then there was the police we had to deal with.” Ayden whined. Cade cut his eyes to Adeyn and flipped him off.

  “What happened this time?” I asked.

  “You know how he is when he’s drinking. He’s all hands. The bouncer kept telling him no, but Cade wasn’t listening. We spent the remainder of the day at the police station, trying to bail his sorry ass out. “Adeyn growled.

  “Is that her?” Adeyn lifted his chin in Trinity's direction. She was lying on a float in the pool, watching the guys with caution. It didn't escape me, the look of hunger on Adeyn's face. Adeyn is a total man-whore. I watched as Trinity stood and walked up the steps and over to me. Droplets of water dripped from her hair and landed on her luscious breasts. I wanted to lick them off.

  “Trinity, this is Adeyn, our guitarist. He drove your car home,” I told her. If Adeyn didn’t stop looking at her with mischief in his eyes, I was going to punch him the fuck out. He cleared his throat and thrust his hand in her direction.

  “Careful! You don’t know where that hand has been!” Blake laughed. Trinity’s hand paused mid thrust. “I’m just joking.” Everyone laughed, including me.

  “Thank you so much. I feel so stupid letting it run out of gas,” she said.

  “I think the gauge is faulty,” Ayden says. His eyes zeroed onto Trinity's breasts.

  “Yeah. I figured that out the hard way,” she admitted, and laughed uncomfortably when she noticed Ayden staring.

  “Why don't I introduce you to the rest of the guys?” I offered.

  “You’ve met Ayden, our guitarist. The guy over there with the beer in his hand is Blake, our bassist, and this guy right here,” I wrapped my arm around Cade’s neck and squeezed, “Is our drummer, Cade.”

  “It was nice meeting you all. I'm going to head upstairs and change out of this suit.” Trinity said, fidgeting beneath Ayden’s stare.

  “Don’t do that on our account,” Ayden begged. I cut my eyes over to him and shot daggers. “Let’s get some music going in this place! It’s time to let loose!” he shouted, thrusting his hands in the air. I watched as Trinity disappeared inside and closed the patio door behind her.

  “What the fuck, Ayden?” His eyes widened in surprise. “You were making her uncomfortable. She’s not some groupie. She’s not here for our dicks. Grow the fuck up! Don’t you guys have somewhere to be other than hanging out at my house?” I gritted my teeth.

  “Since when has it ever bothered you that we hung out? We brought the stupid car home for you and now you’re acting shady as fuck,” Ayden accused. “Wait a damn minute!” He held up his finger for everyone to stop talking. “You’ve got a thing for this girl.” He pinned me with his green eyes.

  “I do not,” I shot back a little too quickly. A wide grin spread across Ayden’s face.

  “Don’t lie. I can always tell you’re lying. Do you want to know how I know? You get this little twitch in the corner of your mouth. It’s like your mouth doesn’t even believe the BS you’re spewing.” He grinned. He was clearly proud of himself.

  “That’s not it. She’s just a nice girl and sometimes we can be a little much to take in at once. She’s not like the groupies that hang out at the shows. Why don’t you guys go on home, and we can have a band party later on so that she can get to know everyone,” I offered.

  “Okay, you win, but I’m not letting you get out of this. I want to know the chick that’s got the great Tucker James so screwed up,” Ayden accused. There’s no need to argue with him because I already know I won’t win.

  “Okay. We’ll plan something big,” I promised. That seemed to appease him. “See you later man.” He whistled really loud for the rest of the guys to follow. I’m glad to have them out of my hair for a while.

  Trinity strolls into the kitchen wearing a flowing black sundress that looks beautiful against her sun kissed skin. Her silky blonde hair hangs straight over her shoulders and shimmers in the light. She looks like an angel.

  “Did the guys leave?” she asked. “I was looking forward to getting to know them.”

  “They had to go home. As of today, we’ve been on the road for four months without a break.”

  “Wow! Is that normal when you tour?”

  “We have been gone ten months out of a year before. That gets old real fast. If you want to get to know the guys, we’ll make plans to have a pool party in the next couple of months when it works with your schedule once your business is up and running,” I said. She smiled, seeming to like that idea. “Would you like a glass of wine?” I took a bottle from the wine cooler next to the refrigerator.

  “I would love one. Thank you.” She flipped her silky blonde hair over her shoulder and sat across from me on one of the bar stools.

  “Do you have Aubrey’s number, by chance? I’d like to ask a favor of her.”

  “Actually, I have Chance’s number; we’ll start there.” A smile curled her lips as she watched me take out my phone and place the call.

  3

  TRINITY

  “Thank you for coming to lunch with me today. It’s so good to know another female in Temecula.”

  “I’m so glad you asked. Chance was working in his studio, and I was so bored. This is great,” she said.

  “I was wondering if you know of a house or apartment to rent? I thought since you live here you might know of the areas to look and the ones to avoid.” I asked.

  “Oh! Yes. I do happen to know of a beach house that just came open. It needs a little work, but it’s a great house. If you'd like, we can go over and look at it now. I know where the key is hidden,” Aubrey offered.

  “I would love that! I really need to get out of Tucker's place, even though it's huge and I barely see him. It just doesn’t feel right.”

  “Something tells me that Tucker doesn't mind. I think he likes having you there,” Aubrey said, around a grin. “The band comes over to practice and it always turns in to a party,” she said.

  “I feel like I'm in the way,” I admitted.

  “What makes you think that?” She asked.

  “I'm always in the way. He has no privacy. The man gave me a ride home and a place to stay for a few days. It's time for me to go. That was weeks ago. He keeps getting these texts from someone named Penny. He’s always quick to leave the room or turn his phone face down. Do you know if he has a girlfriend?”

&nbs
p; “He doesn’t date anyone that I know of. I have a feeling he has a thing for you.” She said.

  “What makes you say that?”

  “It was something he said to Chance about how nice it was to have you around. He said you two really hit it off.” Aubrey beamed. “Besides, I've seen the way he looks at you. That man has it bad for you.”

  “Really? He is ridiculously hot. What would he ever see in me when he could have his pick of women?”

  “That’s just it. You’re not like other women.” Aubrey smiled. “You know what you want in life and you’re going for it. You’re not out for what he can give you,” Aubrey declared. We walk down the beach until we come to a two-story beach house painted white with dark blue shutters. The landscaping could use some work, but it has a wraparound front porch. Aubrey must have read my mind when she sees me looking at the sparse landscaping.

  “Don't worry about the landscaping; Chance can take care of that for you. He’s the best,” Aubrey offered, as she picked up a yellow flowerpot and snatched the key. The house was an open floor plan with lots of windows and a view of the ocean. The kitchen was all white, with beautiful gray stone floors that spilled over into the living room. We walked through to the master suite and opened the French doors. The waves from the ocean could be heard rolling onto the beach. This will be so soothing after a long day at work.

  “This is beautiful but I'm not really sure I can afford something this nice and right on the beach.”

  “Let me talk to Bruce. He owns this place, and I'll put him in touch with you. How does that sound?” Aubrey asked.

  “That's so nice of you, Aubrey. Thank you! You have to promise me that you and Chance will come to dinner if I get this place.”

  “Deal.” Aubrey leaned in and gave me a hug. Now all I have to do is wait for the realtor to call.

  The deal on the house couldn’t have gone smoother. Aubrey was right about Bruce. He was ready to sell because he was looking to relocate for his business. We closed the deal within two weeks. Since then, Chance had worked on the landscaping and I in turn fed them my famous lasagna. Chance promised to be back soon to work on landscaping behind the house. He said he wanted to incorporate a piece of metal art that he made. Tonight, I invited Tucker for dinner. It’s the least I could do after weeks of staying at his place and eating his food. I checked myself in the mirror. My skin was now golden brown, and my hair was a lighter shade of blonde. I braided it in to one ponytail and draped it over my shoulder. I dressed in a pair of faded ripped shorts and a baby blue tank top.

  There was a knock at the door. Tucker was right on time for dinner. When I opened the door, I found him standing there with a bottle of wine and a bouquet of colorful flowers. No man had ever brought me flowers, not even my ex-husband.

  “I wasn't sure what you were planning for dinner, so I grabbed a bottle of Pinot,” he said.

  “That's perfect. And thank you for the flowers. They’re beautiful.” I took the bottle and flowers from his hand and motioned for him to come inside. “I'm cooking fish. I hope you like salmon,” I said as I pulled two wine glasses from the cabinet and poured us each a glass. “Would you like to sit on the back porch? It'll be a little while before dinner is ready.”

  “I would love to, cupcake,” he said with that adorable cocky grin on his too handsome face. Don’t fall for him. Men always cheat.

  “Your place looks really nice,” he said as he lowered himself into one of the white wicker chairs. There was a nice breeze coming off the ocean, and the smell of saltwater floated through the air. I loved being this close to the ocean.

  “Thanks. Chance is coming tomorrow to begin work on the landscaping behind the house. I still have a couple of rooms to paint before the inside is complete.” I took a healthy sip of my wine.

  “I could help you paint if you'd like. We don't go to the studio for a couple more weeks,” he offered.

  “I couldn't ask you to do that. I've already taken advantage of you for too long. I can handle it. I actually like to paint. It's very calming, and it gives me time to think,” I said.

  “I insist. It'll keep me out of the headlines if I lay low for a while,” he joked.

  An evening breeze picked up and blew a few loose strands of hair in my face. Tucker reached over and gently tucked them behind my ear. The touch of his hand sent a surge of warmth through me, and my core suddenly had its own heartbeat. My heart is in so much trouble with this guy.

  “Okay, if you insist.” I smiled, a little unsure if this was a good thing or not. There was so much sexual energy crackling in the air around us it was dangerous. Dangerous to my heart. I wasn’t looking for a relationship, but I also wasn’t a one-night stand kind of woman either. We had become friends. That’s right, keep it in the friend zone.

  “All right, it's settled then,” he told me, tipping his glass and finishing off his wine. “I’ll be here bright and early with muffins and coffee from your favorite shop on the beach.” He grinned. I’ve read all the stories online about Tucker acting out. Throwing a TV off the penthouse balcony and the latest one being that he punched a photographer for getting in his face. It was kind of hard to believe that as I looked at the man in front of me.

  “Who said Tucker James was arrogant?” I teased. That’s the way Tucker was described in numerous tabloids that I read online. He threw his head back and laughed before walking over and placing a kiss on my cheek.

  “I see you’ve been doing your research.” My face heated knowing that I’d given myself away. “I’m interested in you, Trinity.” A slow smile curled his lips as he pinned me with his baby blues.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” I swallowed hard. “I think that would ruin our friendship because in the end everyone leaves.” I looked up into his blue eyes.

  “You can’t compare me to every other douche bag out there. I know I have a reputation as a player. I can assure you that’s not me at all. I don’t know half those women I’ve been photographed with. They were all put in place by my publicist for events.” He lightly brushed his fingers along my neck, giving me goosebumps. When my eyes met his again, he kissed me hard, and I kissed him back. At this point, I didn’t think I could be just friends, but when I thought about everything that went wrong with Keith, my stomach formed a painful knot. I was in trouble.

  4

  TUCKER

  “I think you’ve still got paint in your hair,” I said to Trinity as I wrapped a silky strand around my finger.

  “Well,” she placed her hands on her hips and looked at me with her dark green eyes. “I seem to recall you and a paintbrush, wielding it like a sword.” We both laughed because by the time we finished painting we had as much paint on us as we did the walls. We had painted all the bedrooms the same color, a soft butter cream color where the other rooms were a crisp eggshell.

  “My apologies, fair lady.” I bent at the waist, and she snickered.

  “Apology accepted now give me a slice of pizza.” She held out her plate so that I could serve her a slice. We both grabbed our plates and a beer and hit the back deck. The sun was going down. The sky was a beautiful shade of purple, pink, and dark blue that sank into the ocean.

  “Thanks for today,” she said before taking a bite of her pizza.

  “You’re welcome. I told you I like to paint.”

  “That’s not what I’m talking about. I mean the laughter. I can’t remember the last time I’ve let my guard down and laughed so hard. You make that easy.” She smiled.

  “I’m glad. It’s one of my many talents.” I winked.

  “Do I even want to know?” She arched a perfect blonde brow.

  “Maybe I’ll show you my other talents some other time,” I promised. She smiled around the lip of her beer bottle.

  “Promises, Promises, Mr. James.” She giggled and tilted her head to the side. I needed to change this subject and change it quick before we both ended up naked and that’s not where this was going tonight. I wanted to show her that I
was worth getting to know.

  I dropped my head back against the white wicker chair and crossed my ankles. I took a deep breath, smelling the fresh ocean breeze. It’s something I love about living on the beach.

  “I could get used to this.”she said. I looked to my right to find Trinity watching me with a smile on her beautiful face.

  “I’ve had dinner on the deck every night since I moved in and coffee every morning. There’s just something calming about the sound of the ocean.” She admitted. She rolled her head back, facing the ocean, and closed her eyes. I picked up our plates and empty bottles and took them inside. It gave me the opportunity to really look at what Trinity has done with the place. There were little pieces of her everywhere, from the pictures on the end tables to the pastel print rugs on the floor. Everything was fresh as spring and smelled like her. Like spring flowers after an early morning rain. When I walked back outside, she startled, almost like I’d awoken her.

  “I guess painting takes a lot out of you,” she apologized.

  “I can go if you like.” I started inside, and she grabbed my arm. Her hands were so soft and warm.

  “Oh, no you don’t! You promised me a movie,” she begged.

  “Come on, let’s go.” I wrapped my arm around her small waist and led her into her living room, where she already had several movies laying on the coffee table. I pointed to them.

  “Why don’t you go ahead and pop one of those in and I’ll make us some popcorn?” I thumbed over my shoulder toward the kitchen.

  “Okay. Extra butter,” she shouted as I rounded the corner to the kitchen. I popped a bag into the microwave just as my phone vibrated in my pocket. I fished my phone out of my back pocket and froze when I saw the number. She calls or texts me constantly wanting money. Everything I had to say, I said when we parted ways. I looked over my shoulder to be sure that Trinity wasn’t within earshot and swiped the number.