“Her fingers aren’t broken.” Elliot grunted. He pushed out of the chair and paced the room.
“Stubborn prick. What did you fight about, anyway?”
Elliot turned on him and said through gritted teeth, “My wife thinks we should date other people.”
Shock registered on Jack’s face. “Fuck, Elliot. I’m sorry.”
“But you’re not dating anyone. You’re still in love with her,” Emily said.
“Yes, always have been, always will be.” Elliot’s resigned answer was full of hurt.
“That’s a long time to be miserable because you’re afraid or too angry to pick up the phone,” Emily said.
“But…” Elliot drew in a breath.
“How about it, buddy?”
Elliot scoffed. “We’ve been separated for three hundred days.” At Jack’s triumphant look, Elliot gave him the finger. “Yeah, that’s right, I’m counting.”
He flopped into the chair vacated by Buzz. He rubbed the back of his neck and stared at Emily for a minute. With a barely perceptible nod, Elliot continued. “Siobhan had a miscarriage last summer. Instead of being with my pregnant wife, I was in California writing our new album. I rushed home, but the damage was done. We had a huge fight, and she threw me out. Said she didn’t want to raise our kids by herself.” The muscles in his jaw clenched and unclenched.
Based on Jack’s expression, Emily thought Elliot’s disclosure was unusual.
Elliot’s voice was filled with pain. “We were due in the studio in August to record our album, and that’s followed by a twenty-fucking month tour. I would’ve been home for the birth, but then I’d have to leave again. She can’t deal with this lifestyle anymore. Said she’s tired of being alone for months at a time. I don’t want to miss my kids growing up,” Elliot growled and looked down.
The raw pain on Elliot’s face made it hard for Emily to breathe past the lump that formed in her throat. “I’m sorry for your loss.” Her emotions in turmoil, Emily tried and failed to stop the scenarios from taking over in her head. “Your trip home must’ve been excruciating. I imagine you were both wishing for the other, both cursing the distance. By the time you got home, I’m sure she’d worked herself up into a frenzy, and that’s a bad state to be in, so easy to say things you don’t mean. And you must’ve been out of your mind on the flight home.”
Elliot raised his head and nodded.
Emily exhaled deeply. “Definitely one of those times an active imagination is a dreadful thing. No doubt, awful things were said, but do you want to let a”—Emily shifted her eyes to Jack, who held up six fingers—“six-year marriage go down without a fight?”
Elliot shook his head. “She wants me to quit the band, said she can’t continue the way things are, that she deserves better. That our children will deserve better.”
“She’s right,” Emily said.
Elliot’s head snapped up. “You think I should quit?”
“No,” Emily said. “She’s right that children deserve the best we can do for them. Sometimes that doesn’t fall in line with normal. You quitting the band was the only solution she came up with, but it doesn’t mean it’s the only one.”
Elliot shoulders slumped, and he returned to staring at the floor.
“Do you have a solution?” Jack asked.
Emily tilted her head. “I have an idea.”
Elliot leaned in and half-smiled. “I’d consider anything if it can save my marriage.”
Emily paused for a long second. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “What does she do for a living?”
Elliot laughed wistfully. “She loves kids, always has, she works in a daycare center.”
“Well, she may not like the idea, assuming she even wants to hear what a stranger has to suggest, since it’s none of my business...” Emily wished she’d kept her mouth shut, but she hated seeing anyone in pain.
“Please, any idea that might help.”
With Elliot’s pain so visible, Emily had no choice but to continue. Nicki must be rubbing off on her. “Okay, assuming she’d be willing to quit her job, once you have kids, pack ’em up and take ’em on tour with you.”
The hope in Elliot’s face faded. “Kids need stability, not being dragged all over God’s green earth because their dad’s in a band.”
Emily shook her head. “Kids need their parents, love, nurturing, food, water, shelter, and clothing. The stability comes from being together. Everything else is negotiable.”
Elliot started to get up, but Emily stopped him. “My dad was a Marine. My parents married when they were twenty-one. My mom lived with her parents until she finished college, but they were miserable without each other. They’d only see each other when he had leave. Once she graduated and family housing came through, she moved to Camp Lejeune, where my brother was born. I was born in California. When he wasn’t deployed, my dad was home for dinner, helped with our homework, played catch with my brother, and had tea parties with me.” Emily smiled. “We were happy. We did all the things other kids did. We just moved more often, but that was our normal.”
Elliot nodded. “I’ve thought about maybe bringing the kids along, but it seemed so selfish on my part, you know, having my cake and eating it too. I don’t know if Siobhan will go for it, but it’s a start, right? Oh.” His smile faded. “Siobhan will have to sacrifice more than I will.”
“I asked my mom if she ever regretted giving up her life in New York. She said she never gave up anything. She stayed in touch with her friends and family with phone calls and email, and she still loved them dearly but chose to be with my dad.”
Elliot relaxed back into his chair. “Siobhan can’t hate me anymore than she already does, so I guess it can’t make things worse.”
The exhaustion that had plagued Emily the last three weeks returned full force. She needed to find Nicki so they could leave.
“Emily,” Jack said. “Do your novels have BDSM?”
Emily blinked a few times before she looked at Jack. He was trying to change the subject. Good idea but she wished it hadn’t come back on her. “No…well, maybe a little B. One of my characters was tied to a bed with silk stockings during a game of sex truth or dare. It was all in good fun though, just so he wouldn’t touch her while she stripped for him. He had a problem keeping his hands to himself, and she didn’t appreciate being interrupted.”
Jack grunted.
“What does a story have to have to get four flames?” Elliot asked, glancing at Jack with a smirk.
Emily could practically hear Jack call him a dick. “Well, the sex is explicit, there’s more of it, and no flowery euphemisms to describe the action. Dick, cock, tits, pussy, fuck. Sex takes place outside, backroom of a bar, executive lounge at an airport under a blanket, anywhere the mood strikes.” The room suddenly felt warm, and Emily licked her dry lips.
chapter
SEVEN
He was trying not to stare, but Jack couldn’t help but notice the way Emily’s fitted T-shirt hugged her full breasts. Or the way they rose and fell when she took a breath. Or the flush that crept up her neck. When her pink tongue darted out to moisten her naturally rosy lips, he could practically feel it on his skin. And when she said tits, pussy, and fuck, his brain conjured an image of her naked. Under him. Over him. Up against a wall. Shit. He had to shower as he had an urgent need to attend to. A bead of perspiration trickled between his shoulder blades, and he shifted on the couch. As much as he wanted to hear more, he needed to change the subject before he embarrassed himself.
Elliot snickered under his breath, but Jack ignored him. He closed his eyes, in the hope he could clear his mind of the dirty thoughts roving around inside his head.
Big. Fucking. Mistake.
He wanted to fuck her—hard. His dick threatened to burst the seams of his jeans, and it was all he could do not to unzip and rub one off. Good thing there wasn’t a bed in this room, or he’d beg her to tie him to it with sil
k stockings and torture him with a slow striptease.
Jack’s mind filled in the blanks; lace bra and panties in the exact color of her burgundy shirt. Against her fair skin, oh fuck. The lace barely contained her tits, and her pussy was drenched. Her scent drove him mad.
While tied to the bed, he’d beg her to climb on his face so he could drink up every drop of her juices. Not being able to touch her while feasting on her would drive him crazy, so he’d rip through the stockings and pin her to his face with one hand, while reaching behind her to free her tits from the lacy fabric with the other.
After she came, he’d enter her sweet pussy in one thrust from behind. He’d fuck her hard. With every thrust, she’d scream, “Oh fuck, Jack, yes, harder.” So, he’d fuck her harder.
He needed to see her face, look into her beautiful eyes, so he pulled out, flipped her onto her back, and took her again. Her long legs wrapped around his waist. Oh. So. Fucking. Good. She was so wet that his dick glided in and out of her with ease. Their lips met in a brutal kiss. She nipped his bottom lip and moaned. Tearing his lips from hers, Jack trailed kisses down her neck and over to her shoulder, which he bit just hard enough to leave a faint mark.
He took her nipple in his mouth and scraped it with his teeth. She convulsed around his cock, and he came with a shudder. Jack collapsed on her, spent. The smell of their sweat and cum mingled in his nostrils. He could still taste her, and his semi-hard dick was still inside her. Bliss.
When Jack opened his eyes, Emily and Elliot stared at him. Oh fuck. He felt every second of his three months of self-imposed celibacy. He wanted to excuse himself to the bathroom, but that would be too obvious, so he had to get his shit together. “Sorry, just got a little light-headed. I haven’t eaten dinner yet,” Jack said, attempting to explain why he’d zoned out.
“Should I call someone?” Emily asked, her brows pulling together as she stood.
Her concern was apparent. He didn’t deserve it, but he was grateful for the out. A quick glance at Elliot confirmed he understood Jack’s situation.
“No, I’m fine, really. I need to eat soon.” Jack waved her back into her seat. “I eat a small meal about three hours before a gig, then a regular dinner after, but we got held up at the airport and I only grabbed a protein bar. Apparently, it wasn’t enough.” At least that was the truth.
Elliot grabbed three bottles of water, handing one to Emily and one to Jack. “You’re probably dehydrated, too. Drink up.”
Jack took a long drink. “Thanks man.” He needed to do something with his hands, so he grabbed his bag and fished out a granola bar. He took a bite, trying to remember to chew with his mouth closed.
“Do you have low blood sugar?” she asked, leaning in.
Jack sighed. “No, nothing’s wrong with me.” He was interrupted by Elliot’s snort. And he’s back. Jack gave him the finger. “No, just bad timing today. This’ll help.”
Emily’s face softened as she sat back and smiled. She had a gorgeous smile. When it reached her eyes, he was a goner. He’d always been a sucker for a great smile, and even though she’d had a rather eventful night, she could still smile. She had the most beautiful hazel eyes. Jack caught himself zoning out again. He searched for a topic besides erotica, sex, silk stockings…
Emily stood. “It’s getting late. I don’t want to hold you up, you probably have plans—”
“Nope, no plans,” Jack said. What the fuck is wrong with me? Ask her out already.
J
Jack’s zone out seemed like something else. She was normally a confident woman, but catching her fiancé fucking another woman had trashed her self-confidence. Jack could, and probably did, get any woman he wanted. He was intelligent and caring, two things she normally found very appealing, but he had to realize by now he was wasting his time with her. And being in the band’s dressing room, backstage at Madison Square Garden, wasn’t normal. Not for her anyway. She didn’t sleep around, and she was no way near ready to date. Date a rock star? Did they even date? Didn’t they just screw random women one after the other?
She knew Vince didn’t date, at least not like a regular person. He’d see a girl for a few months, but then he’d be leaving on tour again, and he said it wasn’t possible to keep up a relationship like that. Emily knew Vince wasn’t lonely on tour. He was handsome, and girls had always flocked to him, including her. One of his bandmates was married, but that didn’t stop him from screwing every girl he saw. Even if Jack was like Vince, he was on tour, and that made dating impossible. Not that she was ready. She wasn’t. How could she ever trust her judgment again?
Emily grew more uncomfortable by the minute. It wasn’t so bad while they’d been talking, but the conversation had stalled, and Jack kept staring at her. And where the hell was Nicki? She’d been gone for twenty-five minutes.
“Are you seeing anyone?” Jack asked.
Emily gaped at him. He was asking her out. Then his zone out… Emily’s cheeks heated. She must’ve given him the wrong idea. Of course, she had with the way she’d stared at him while he was on stage. But then again, he was the singer, everyone stared at him. Had she misled him? Not allowing herself to be a coward, she owned that she was flattered by his obvious interest. Had she allowed herself to enjoy it so much that she’d encouraged him?
When Emily didn’t answer, Jack looked at Elliot. “What do you think, Black, boyfriend?”
Elliot leaned forward in his chair and studied her.
She blushed and shifted on the couch but didn’t look away. She wished they’d stop staring at her.
“Nope,” Elliot said, as verbose as ever. He leaned back and took a drink of water.
Emily ignored them and took back control of the conversation. “How long have you guys been in a band together? I should’ve done a search, but my main purpose in coming tonight was to keep an eye on Nicki.”
Elliot smirked. “How’d that work out?”
Her smile faded, and she looked down at clenched fists. “Epic fail.”
“Hey, it’s not that bad,” Elliot said.
She put up her hand. “Don’t. I was supposed to keep her from crashing and burning tonight. Instead I supplied the gasoline and the match.” Every emotion she had was so twisted she couldn’t trust anything. Rage, frustration, humiliation, hurt, and insecurity all warred against the growing attraction she felt for Jack. It assaulted her fast and furiously, and now confusion mixed with worry for Nicki had her angrily swiping the tears that fell.
Jack moved closer but didn’t touch her. “Emily, Curt’s a good guy, he’ll treat her right. I’ll have Jeff find them right now.” Jack made a call and issued the order for the search to begin.
As Emily’s tears continued to fall, Elliot handed her a tissue. She mentally shook herself. After several deep breaths, she realized her eyes were scrunched closed. More deep breaths. When she opened her eyes, Jack had inched closer, and Elliot crouched down next to her. She smiled weakly at them. A heaviness settled in her chest. She dabbed her eyes with the tissue, much like Nicki had earlier in the day, only her mascara was probably running down her cheeks.
“I know we seem like an odd couple, but Nicki’s a good friend, sweet, kind, and nice. Nice is good.” Emily excused herself to the bathroom. Not as bad as she’d expected. She splashed her red face with cool water, and she gently dabbed the faint black marks from under her eyes, taking longer than necessary. Her face was red, but there wasn’t anything she could do about that. Maybe they’d just leave. Men ran from hysterical women, didn’t they?
When she returned to the dressing room, they were still there. Jack was back on his end of the couch and Elliot was in the chair. “Sorry about that.” Emily resumed her seat on the couch. Picking up her water bottle, she took a few sips.
Jack smiled. “You never answered my question.”
She looked down. “No.”
“Bad breakup?”
Emily nodded. She hadn’t thought of Sully much ton
ight, and the break was just what she needed. She was well aware what Nicki thought she needed. In Nicki’s own twisted way, she’d probably convinced herself that she was helping by leaving Emily here with Jack. She loved Nicki, but sometimes she wanted to strangle the shit out of her.
“I’m not going to ask you back to my hotel room.” Jack’s voice drew her out of her head.
Her eyes met his, but she said nothing.
Elliot snorted but Jack ignored him. “I’d like to see you again. I’m in town for the next six nights.”
Her mouth fell open, but again, she said nothing.
“Maybe we could go to dinner. What I’d like is your phone number.”
Elliot, who was in the middle of taking a drink of water, choked and sputtered loudly.
“Fuck you, Black.”
This was worse than she’d imagined it’d be. If he’d been arrogant, expecting she’d fuck him because he was a rock star, she would’ve told him to go to hell, found Nicki, and left. Why’d he have to be nice? Emily looked Jack directly in the eyes. Shit, she had to stop doing that. She swallowed hard and with as light a tone as she could manage, said “Sorry, Jack, but I agree with Elliot on this one, very un-rock star of you.”
Elliot erupted into laughter, which quickly turned into coughing.
“Why are you still here, Black?”
“Apparently, I’m not the only one who provides comic relief,” Elliot said. “Sorry, buddy, she’s right, very un-rock star of you.” Elliot’s face broke into a genuine smile. “I like this girl, Jack.”
“Me too.”
Jack and Elliot exchanged an odd glance.
She needed to get out of here. What had been uncomfortable was now unbearable. Tonight was a train wreck. Jack smiled when she looked at him. Emily took a deep breath and prepared to let him down easily.
But before she could, Jack asked, “You never liked Nicki’s ex?”
“What?”
“Nicki said you never liked her ex.”
With You: A Rock Star Romance (Rocked in Love Book 1) Page 6