Ballad (Rockstar #5) (30 page)

They both laughed. “Maybe that was his bad habit. Dressing up like a woman?”

She laughed. It felt good to laugh, especially when she was so close to tears every time she thought about the situation she’d gotten herself into.

“I never asked your name.” She said softly, watching him. “Mine is Julia.”

“I’m Joe.”

“Nice to meet you Joe.”

“Likewise, Julia.” They laughed. “It was much easier to date back in the day. You met a girl, dated them, married them, went away to war, came home, had a family, and lived your life. No one thought of getting divorced back then, even if you wanted to. You just made it work.”

She made a disgusted sound, “Eh, I don’t know how people did that. I couldn’t be with someone I didn’t love. All the annoying things you can’t stand about someone getting to you after a while…” She shook her head as her voice died off.

“Probably, but sometimes those little quirks and annoyances turn out to be the things you love most about a person. Robbing and leaving you not included. Those aren’t quirks, they’re more like flaws. My wife used to cluck her tongue when she was deep in thought. It was so annoying. Now, I’d give anything to hear that sound.”

She looked over at him and assumed his wife had passed. “I know.” She put her hand on his shoulder now, rubbing it. “But I refused to have a husband that’s a thumb sucking mama’s boy that gets beat up on the weekends for extra money to raise our children, while robbing me of my underwear and hair straightener every Friday night.”

He laughed as he pulled off an exit. “Do you want something to eat?” he asked as they turned into the parking lot of a truck stop.

“I don’t have-”

He held out a hand to stop her from speaking. “I asked if you wanted something to eat.”

“Yes, please. I’m starved,” she admitted.

Joe quickly found a spot and parked the car. “We’ll eat here so you can clean up a little.” He pulled out his wallet and handed her two twenties. “When we get in there you go get a shirt and a pair of pants if they have them and then pay for a shower. Take your time. When you’re done we’ll eat.”

Her clear blue eyes misted up as she took the money. “Thank you so much. No one’s been this kind to me in a long time. Thank you.” She leaned over and hugged him.

“No problem.” He rubbed her back and let her take her time with the hug.

When she was ready they both got out of the car and walked into the truck stop. He headed for a booth where he could get coffee and she made her way into the shopping area so she could look for something to put on after her shower. She picked up a convenient little travel pack, then paid for a shower ticket before trying to find clothes. Julia looked through the shirts, finally settling on one that said “SHIT HAPPENS!” She thought that was fitting for her situation. Shit does happen, and it was still happening to her. It should be the motto and creed she lived her life by.

She turned, looking through the pants and shorts that hung in rows. She didn’t like any of them, but right now she’d take anything just to get out of these clothes. After picking out a pair of Capri pants that looked like something all the old women in nursing homes wore, she walked up and paid for her things.

The showers were nice. The individual stalls were private, which meant she could take the time to wash herself down thoroughly without being interrupted. When she was done she dried off and then got dressed in the new clothes she’d bought. Julia towel dried her hair and realized she didn’t have a comb to make her hair at least presentable. She was missing a few essentials, but she was just happy to get a shower and a clean set of clothes. She’d make do without the rest.

When she dropped her clothes off with the laundry ticket, they gave her one in return. She shoved it into her pocket, figuring she’d come back for them before they left. Maybe after her tummy was full she’d be able to catch a quick nap. Now that she was sure Joe wouldn’t rape and kill her she was all right with letting her guard down enough to rest.

The smell of food led her from the showers to the diner. Her eyes quickly found Joe and she walked over to where he sat, then slid into the booth across from him and smiled.

He smiled back and nodded his approval. “You clean up nicely.”

She chuckled and was about to thank him yet again when the waitress walked over to get their order. The mention of food made her stomach growl, making her blush slightly as she looked over the menu and gave the waitress her order.

They made small talk while they waited for their food and then again when it came. Her mind was a million miles away, but she could still hold a decent conversation. Once she got back to the city she’d see about getting her job back. Hopefully Sydney would let her move back into her old room and hadn’t already rented it out. New York City was so expensive that you had to have multiple roommates to afford the rent in most places. She didn’t know what she’d do if Sydney had already given her room away on top of her position being filled by a replacement. Jobless she could do. Homeless she could not. The overwhelming feeling tugged at her again, trying to convince the tears to fall but she held them in. Julia held tightly to them because she knew if she let it happen she’d never be able to get herself to stop.

She was not a weak woman. Just because some jackass pretended to love her and robbed her instead, didn’t mean she was going to break. Big deal, people had their stuff taken from them every day. They didn’t go all sissy dick over it and let it ruin their lives and neither would she.

After they finished eating, Joe paid for the food and she went to collect her clothes. They looked so great to her clean. They reminded her of a few weeks past when everything in her life was in order.

Finally, they were off again to continue their journey toward Jamestown. She wondered how odd it would be if she asked Joe if she could stay with him. With him she felt safe and protected. Asking to stay with him would be too forward, and if she were honest, it would be taking the easy way out. What she needed to do was wake up and get back on track.

“Do you mind if I rest in the back seat?” she asked, her voice soft and edged with sleepiness.

“Sure,” Joe said as he watched her climb into the back seat. “Take it easy back there. I’ll wake you up when we get there if you’re still sleeping.”

“Thanks, Joe.” She reached up and put her hand on his shoulder as she gave him a grateful smile. “I mean it, thank you.”

Julia squeezed his shoulder lightly and then let her hand fall next to her on the seat as she stretched out and closed her eyes. She’d worry about her next ride after she recharged. She was exhausted and in that moment she just needed to rest.

Waiting For Us

©Dawn Stanton

Prologue

The warmth of the early morning sun on my face and the heat of a firm, male form pressed along my back, are the first things I notice as I slowly stir from a deep and satisfying sleep. It takes me a moment to fully grasp where I am and who I’m in bed with. His warm lips nuzzle the back of my neck and move over to nibble on the bottom of my ear. I smile to myself,
I’d recognize those lips anywhere.
I arch my back, rubbing against him like a cat purring for attention.

“This is the best morning I’ve ever had,” he whispers in my ear. I’m overcome with emotion and my throat tightens as I try to speak.
He needs to hear that I feel the same.
As I roll onto my back and look up at his handsome face, I am once again overwhelmed by the happiness I see reflected in his eyes. He opens his mouth and I place my finger over his lips, interrupting him with a gentle kiss from my fingertip. It takes me a moment to regain my voice.

“Let me say something first.” He’s always the one who puts himself out there and for once I want him to know what I’m feeling. “I love this, waking up in your arms. I can’t think of a better way to begin my day. I want to be with you, kiss you, make love with you and wake up with you, always.” The words have barely escaped my lips before he has me wrapped in his arms. As he holds me tight, I think of all the time it took us to get to this point and what a journey it’s been…

Chapter One

November 2004

I’ve never seen such an example of physical perfection as the one I’m staring at right now. He just strutted into our kitchen with my older brother Jake as if he’s been here hundreds of times before. He has black Wayfarers pushed up holding his brown, wavy, chin-length hair back and a canvas messenger bag slung across his broad chest. His plum colored Hawaiian shirt combined with jeans and brown leather flip flops gives off a bit of a hippy vibe. I’m not sure how I’m noticing anything aside from his gorgeous face…wow, that face. His cheekbones are chiseled and the strong angles of his jawline frame his plump and impossibly soft looking lips. Even though I’m only twelve years old, when he smiles at me, I feel a physical reaction, like hundreds of tiny butterflies fluttering crazily in my stomach.

“Hailey, this is my buddy and roommate at school, Cory.” As Jake introduces us, he politely shakes my hand with a nice firm grip. I’m almost incapable of speech when I glance into his whiskey-colored eyes for the first time. It takes me an extra beat before I finally manage to squeak out an awkward “Hi,” as I feel my face heat with a bright red flush of embarrassment.

“It’s nice to meet you, Hailey. Aren’t you adorable,” he says winking at me. At this point, I begin slinking lower and lower down the ladder back chair I’m sitting on while doing my homework and wanting to disappear under the kitchen table. I glue my eyes to my math textbook as if it’s the most interesting thing I’ve ever read.

“So Munchkin, where’s Mom?” I roll my eyes at his hideous nickname for me before glancing up at Jake.

“She’s gone grocery shopping. She should be home soon.”

“Okay Munchkin, Cory will be staying with us for the Thanksgiving break. I’m gonna go show him to his room.”

“Mhmm,” I mumble keeping my focus on my book as they leave the room.
Oh my God! He’s staying for a week. How am I going to make it through all that time when I can barely speak around him?

Dinner tonight is excruciatingly painful for me. Cory is sitting directly across from me so unless I stare solely at my plate of food it’s pretty much impossible not to notice him. A couple of times I’ve glanced up and actually made eye contact with him and it’s caused chills to run up my spine.
Oh God, he looks even better now than he did two hours ago.
His chocolate-colored hair falls to his strong jawline in a perfect chaotic mess of waves and loose curls. Every once in a while he runs his fingers through its thickness and pushes it back off his face. The way each shiny strand returns to its place is mesmerizing.

I try to pay attention to the conversation going on around me, but I’m too focused on watching the way Cory’s large hands cut up his roast beef and the graceful way they lift his water glass to his full lips. When I’m able to pay attention and not be distracted by his good looks, I learn that he is from New Hampshire and an only child of divorced parents. He has plans to remain in Boston after he and Jake graduate from Beacon University in two more years.

The rest of the week passes without me making a complete fool of myself and I don’t see Cory again until the next summer when I’m thirteen.

Unexpected Forfeit

©Sapphire Knight

Chapter One

CHYNA

I did it. I’m
here again after I promised myself I wouldn’t. I’m a sucker though. As soon as I heard my friend, Aria, mention that she and her boyfriend, Gavin, were going to go watch Jace fight on Friday night, I knew I’d be here, too.

Glancing around, I take in the expanse of the auditorium. This grey expo building is big. Not huge like a Vegas fight, but pretty damn big. There are rows of stadium seating and large posters of previous fights hung up all around the huge room.

My gaze stops on my favorite of them all.
Jace
. The vice I can’t seem to break myself of. I may possibly be secretly obsessed with Jace “King” Kash. Obsessed with watching his fine, buff, ass fight, that is.

I’ve been to a total of five of his fights so far and each time it’s beyond exhilarating. I love the atmosphere. The stadium is filled with noisy people, thrumming with excitement to see someone get their ass kicked, and, so far, Jace hasn’t disappointed. He gets in the cage like he’s on a mission—never fucking around—just taking his opponent out.

I’m drawn away from his gorgeous poster as Avenged Sevenfold’s ‘Hail to the King’ starts blaring loudly throughout the auditorium, and it’s my cue that it’s finally time.

I squeeze my eyes closed as soon as the song starts to vibrate through my bones, relishing the feeling of everyone’s energy. My heart rate elevates, beating faster, ready to see him. My stomach flutters with flips of anticipation. Taking a deep breath, I peer toward the hall from where he’ll enter. I’m finally going to get my fix of pure muscled beefcake.

Jace swaggers out of the hall with determined footsteps, moving quickly down the walkway to the cage with his trainers following behind. He always has four guys with him that wear matching shirts. The shirts always have the same logo on them as his fighting shorts. Today he’s wearing black shorts with two giant white fists on each ass cheek.

He stops and peels off his team shirt. The guys by the cage check him over everywhere, paying close attention to his hands before he’s allowed to get in the cage. They always check them over closely; I’m assuming for hidden weapons. I know a few guys have been busted for fighting dirty, but who knows if that’s the real reason. I’ll have to ask Gavin about it if I remember.

This one isn’t a highly important fight, but Jace has to win some matches to get to the main fight in about two months. Aria’s given me the scoop on everything from her boyfriend ever since she first found out that I’ve been coming. I’m hoping Jace makes it to Vegas. If he does, I’m going to see if Aria and Gavin will go with me to watch the big fights. I’m sure Gavin will go since he and Jace are such good friends.