A Rock & Roll Romance (8 page)

“Thanks Mark
. I promise I’ll be good to her.” I was absolutely resolute in my response.

“You better be
, or you’ll have to answer to me.” He smiled, clearly pleased with himself. He patted my shoulder, and I got up to leave. I went back to the car to get Aubrey and tell her the news. I opened the door and held my hand out.

“My lady.”
I bowed.

She giggled
, and it was the best sound in the fucking world.

We walked onto the plane
. She stowed away our luggage and started getting ready for the flight. I wanted to stop her even though it was her job. It wasn’t like I was incapable of getting a bottle of water. Besides, the flight to Boston was going to be a short one anyway. I sat in the comfy leather seat and stretched out. After a couple minutes of watching her fluttering around I was starting to get annoyed. Brett took a seat on the other side so that she could sit next to me. I’d thank him later.

“Aubrey, will you
quit fussing over shit and come sit down already. I don’t think we’ll need anything during the flight. If we do, I’ll get it. Just sit.”

She stuck her tongue out but conceded.
She sat in the seat next to me with a white box in her lap. She lifted the lid. It was filled with delicious looking pastries. There were cherry and cheese Danishes, apple turnovers, and cinnamon rolls. My stomach growled. I reached my hand over to take one, but she slapped it away.

“Mine.” She growled
adorably.

“Just one.”
I pleaded with puppy dog eyes. She held the box out. I ripped it out of her hands and smirked. “Can you get me a knife, sweetie?”

“If you
want a knife why don’t you check my back? That’s where I’ve seen it last.” She pouted crossing her arms in front of her chest.

“If you could
find a way to turn snarky sarcasm into a paying job you would a very rich woman.” I wasn’t even joking. She would be in Forbes with Bill Gates.

“I know. Now
, if you want to be able to sleep tonight and not worry if you’re going to wake up tomorrow I suggest you hand over the pastries.”

I picked out a cinnamon roll and an apple turnover and relinquished the
box.

“Who’s a good boy?” She cooed.

“Me. I am. Do I get a kiss?” I grinned.

She leaned in and li
ghtly pecked my lips. Aubrey has unbelievably sensuous lips; picture Angelina Jolie meets Megan Fox. I ate my cinnamon bun in three bites and licked my fingers. Mark came over the intercom and said we were ready for takeoff and to make sure our seatbelts were secured. Aubrey’s hands were filled with delicious confectionary treats so I reached over and clicked her belt. She rolled her eyes at me. She seductively stuck the last bite of cheese Danish into her mouth with her thumb. She made low moaning sounds and sucked her thumb teasingly. I was instantly hard.
That bitch plays dirty!
I scoffed in mock disgust. I huffed and turned my back to her. Pretty soon we were airborne. Once we got the all clear she got up and moved to where she sat the other day. Obviously she was planning on ignoring me. I let her be for a couple minutes before approaching her.

“What’s the matter?” I prodded
.

“I’m pretty sure it has something to do with you being a fucking asshole.”

“I’m pretty sure it has somethin
g to do with you being strung to tightly. Relax.”

“What do you know?” She spat.

Meow! She was in a feisty mood. I sat next to her and started rubbing her shoulders. I swear she was purring.

“Aubrey
, has anyone ever tell you you’re like a cat?” She shook her head no. “You are. You want affection when you want it and on your terms. The rest of the time you want to claw eyes out and draw blood.”

“I do not!” She defended. “Okay. M
aybe a little bit, but I have my reasons.”

“That’s better.”
I moved her head so that it was on my shoulder.

I pulled out my little notebook and started writing some more.
She kept trying to peek over to see what I was working on. I turned so that she couldn’t see. I was going to have to see if I could have the guys come up with some music to go with it. I felt bad because I pretty much zoned out for the rest of the flight trying to wrap the song up. When we landed in Boston, I hoped the media frenzy wouldn’t be nearly as bad. Brett handed over the itinerary. I looked it over and saw a potential issue.

“Aubrey, can we
repeat last night? The hotel where we’re staying only has one bedroom suites.”

“I guess.” She shrugged.

“Good, then it’s settled.” I said smugly.

             
Another night snuggling in bed with Aubrey was just what the doctor ordered.

CHAPTER THREE

Blood, Sex, & Booze

Aubrey

We arrived at the Millennium Hotel without as much as one photographer lurking. It was a total three-sixty from New York. Jake checked us into our room without a hitch. Granted there was a man behind the counter, but still. Since it was pretty low-key, he told Brett to go out and have fun. Brett looked as if he wanted to argue, but Jake wasn’t having it. It was just the two of us. I didn’t want to tell him why I was such a bitch on the plane. It was childish and stupid. Luckily, he was easily placated and seemed to be over it already. I was actually kind of hurt the way he reacted to me putting myself out there, trying to be sexy. He completely ignored me and then accused me of being wound to tight. It didn’t help that he made me feel things that I haven’t felt before. I wasn’t sure what to do about them, yet.

He rolled our
luggage down the hallway and stuck the keycard in the door. He held the door open and gestured for me to go in. I walked into the room and looked around. We had a small little area with a couch and two chairs. Our balcony overlooked Quincy Market in downtown Boston. We had a king sized bed with a fluffy, white comforter. I walked over and flopped onto the bed. Jake came and sat beside me. I looked at him and gave him a shy half-smile. He smiled back and it made my tummy do a somersault. I moved so that my head was resting on his leg. He rubbed my hair soothingly. He grabbed the remote and clicked the TV on. Since there wasn’t anything good on, we decided to watch a movie. I moved so that we could get more comfortable. He wrapped his arm around me, and I snuggled on his shoulder. It was bizarre to be able to do this kind of thing. I honestly didn’t think it could ever be possible for me again.

Around dinnertime Jake
asked if I wanted to go out to dinner. I was still tired, so he ordered us room service instead. We decided on bacon cheddar burgers and onion rings. After dinner, I fetched my pajamas out of my suitcase and headed to shower. I locked the door and took a good, long look in the mirror. I was self-conscious of what I saw, and it wasn’t my body. Afterwards, I brushed those thoughts aside and hopped in the shower. I brushed my teeth and put on a pair of flannel pajama pants and a long sleeve shirt on. When I went back into the room, Jake was on the phone with Derek. I curled up in bed and watched him talk. His voice was so sexy, I could listen to him talk all day long. He hung up and kissed the top of my head before going to shower.

While he was in the shower
, I started thinking about how we might actually be compatible. We both had scars from our past. Maybe it could work? If only I wasn’t such a chicken shit. I started feeling sleepy when Jake walked into the room. He just had a towel wrapped around his waist. He let it drop and I got a view of his glorious backside.
Holy hotness!
He slid into a pair of boxers and climbed into bed next to me. He wrapped his arm around me and placed his hand in mine.

“Sweet Dreams, Aubrey.”

“You too, Jake.”

Jake

I was glad that Aubrey had a good time on our un-official date yesterday. I took her to the New England Aquarium. Her favorite were the sea lions. We walked around by the wharf, and I only had to sign three autographs, which was a new record low.
Score!
I took her to Faneuil Hall. We window shopped, and I bought her a shirt that says, “I only date boys with tattoos.” She picked the Hard Rock Café for lunch. I was recognized there, but they moved us to where it was more private so we wouldn’t be disturbed. She smiled the entire time.

The past
few days were the best that I had in years. Plus, I was getting the much-needed relaxation that I wanted. Everything was better when she was around. She admitted that she was pissed on how I reacted to her trying to be sexy. I told her she was the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen. She smacked me and called me a liar. So I kissed her.

I called Blake w
hile Aubrey was in the bathroom getting ready for the show. I wanted to make sure everything was good for the show tonight. I was mid-sentence when Aubrey walked into the room, my breath hitched. I ended the call without another word. She looked phenomenal. Her hair was curled, and she had on a little more make-up than usual. She had on her new shirt, the one I bought her yesterday. She paired it with a black tutu, fishnets and a pair of knee high Doc’s. I wiped the drool off my face and went to the dresser and picked up my lucky leather bracelet. I fastened it in place. I needed a distraction before I threw her on the bed and ravished her. We certainly weren’t at that point yet. I wondered how she packed all that shit into that tiny suitcase. I was going to have to ask her for pointers. I usually just ended up throwing clothes out and buying new ones.

Aubrey

We arrived at the venue
a couple hours early so Jake could do his sound check before the show. He said a lot of bands had their roadies do it, but he liked to do it himself. Today he sang ‘Afflicted’ by Age of Daze. His voice was so damn sinful. Brett was standing next to me keeping a close eye on things. He seemed to be in a better mood today too. Jake hopped off the stage and picked me up. He spun us around a couple times and kissed my nose.

“Are you excited about tonight?” He asked.

I grinned excitedly. I was actually really looking forward to watching another one of their shows. Just seeing Jake on stage was something to look forward to. It was entrancing. We headed backstage to join the rest of the guys. Jake ordered pizza and beer for everyone, and we ate in the dressing room while the opener was on. I couldn’t really hear them, but from what I could hear they sounded good. I watched Jake bobbing his head along with the beat and smiled. When it was time for them to go on I walked to the side of the stage with him. I gave him a good luck kiss as he was taking the stage.

“Boston
! ARE YOU GUYS READY TO ROCK?” He yelled. “We’re going to start with a cover song tonight. This one goes out to my Bellissimo. You know who you are.”

The thundering roar reverberated through the stadium.

“WELL COME ON!” Jake screamed and jumped three feet in the air.

It was
completely enthralling.

The band broke into
Hinder’s ‘Heaven Sent.’ It was about an angel saving him from his hell. The more I listened to the lyrics, the more I wondered if he was singing it about me because I felt the same way about him. He was saving me from my own hell. I was amazed how much better I slept the last couple nights because he was there. I was still apprehensive, but it lessened with each day we spent together. It was going to be an uphill battle for sure, but with time who knows.

The Boston crowd was out of control. People were crowd surfing and moshing. Jake kept sneaking glances in my direction and winking. The guys had so much passion and enthusiasm tonight that it was insane. Battlescars finished out their set and killed it. They bid the crowd goodnight and exited the stage. After the show, we were going to an after party at a club downtown. Jake came off the stage dripping sweat and kissed me lightly. I looked into his blue eyes completely mesmerized at the intensity. I realized in that moment that if I had to leave Jake right now, I would be heartbroken. I was absolutely scared to death because the first time in a long time I felt vulnerable. My mentality for the past five years was, ‘I’ll keep you out and stay safe rather than taking a risk and winding up hurt.’ With Jake, I was taking a huge risk.

I watched Jake change
his shirt and put on a clean, white t-shirt. I wished that I could get close enough to look at all his tattoos. He took my hand and led me to the door. There was a limo waiting outside to take the band to the club. We all climbed in and drove across town.

“Dude, we fucking brought it tonight!” Derek yelled.

“Yeah we did.” Blake said smugly.

Kevin just sat there with a smile.

“What did you think, Aubrey?” Jake asked me.

“I thought it was thoroughly
entertaining. You guys did a really an amazing job.” I said shyly.

Jake rubbed his thumb over my hand and smiled thoughtfully.

When we arrived at the club, the event security let us in through the VIP entrance. The place was jam-packed. It smelled like sweat and booze. Bodies were writhing all over and people kept bumping into us. Jake held me close to his side and headed towards the back. We spotted an empty booth near the corner and climbed in. I was happy when Kevin decided to sit with us. Brett stood next to the table to keep the crowd at bay. It didn’t stop a couple hopefuls from trying to get to Jake.