Harley (West Coast Rock Star #1) (13 page)

Chapter Twenty

Cade lifted a corner of the sheet, folded it, and expertly tucked it under the mattress. Try as she might, she couldn’t quite ignore the rugged sex appeal emanating from Jax, who’d chosen to watch her every move. How many people could say that they’d had a rock star at their home? In their bedroom? In her bedroom…where there was a bed…a rock star in her bed…Cade shook the thoughts out of her head.

“What’s on your mind?” Jax asked, a teasing tone in his voice.

Cade halted making the bed and let herself look at him. All lean muscles, tattoos, a mess of hair, which on Jax just added to the overall appeal—and why did it seem like no one else could wear jeans better than him? She was willing to bet he knew exactly what had crept in her mind. He moved away from the vanity and rounded to the opposite side of the bed.

Good
, Cade thought,
a queen-size bed should keep her hands away from wandering all over Jax
. She raised a brow as Jax copied her previous actions of tucking in the bed sheet.

“You don’t have to do that. I can manage on my own,” she protested. “You should be resting before your flight back.”

He ignored her, finishing off the task, and surprisingly, he had done well. “I worked at a hotel in Bel-Air when I was younger. Not as a chambermaid, but I helped a few of my colleagues, then they split the tips with me,” he recalled.

Cade proceeded to fluff the pillows. “You’re evading. I’m almost done here. If you’re worried about Harley staying over here, I can get us a hotel.”

“I didn’t say I was worried.” Jax glanced at the open door. Out in the living room, Harley could be heard chatting away with Cade’s grandmother. “She’s having a lot of fun here.”

“Yeah.” Her voice ended at that. The rest of the words clung in her throat as Jax walked to the door, closed it quietly, and made his way to her.

She moaned at the sudden heat that surged through her body when Jax mashed his lips on hers, holding her face with his hands, and his hard toned body pressed against all her softer curves. Jax nudged her backwards and they fell onto the bed, all efforts from before forgotten. His lips on her neck skimmed the edge of her ear, kissed the maddened pace of her pulse, and meandered over her collarbones. Jax could do so much harm and so much good with those lips.

He had her lower half trapped between his denim-clad legs. She was hauntingly aware of what else was under those jeans. Blood rushed to her head when his hands sneaked up under her shirt, brushed her skin, and caused her a jolt of a tickle and something else. Something more. Lust.

“Jax,” she sighed out his name, squirming underneath him, but welcoming his every touch. “Jax.” His fingers posed to peel away a cup of her bra.

Jax looked up, panting, his lips red and inviting. Then he released her from the trance, his hands moved out from under her shirt, and propped on either side of her. He lowered his head and kissed the V of her cleavage, then shimmied his entire body up so he could press his forehead to hers.

“I lost my head for a moment,” he confessed.

“You think?”

“Sorry.” And he looked it, his puckered lower lip sucked between his teeth, and his eyebrows drawn together.

Cade lifted her hands up to cup his face, and gave him the gentlest kiss, a hover over his lips. “If we were somewhere else, Jax, I wouldn’t have stopped you.” Then he smiled, and she forgot where they were…for a single beat. “You’ll have to help me fix the bed again.”

His chuckle reverberated into her chest and scooped up her heart. She could have her fun now. He wasn’t her employer any longer.

When Harley was released from the hospital, Cade offered for them to stop by at her grandmother’s house for lunch. Jax needed to return to LA for the concert that night. How he was going to do it with very little sleep, and exhaustion from all the excitement of the previous day, Cade couldn’t surmise. He was the one who insisted that Bruno not postpone the concert.

“Make sure everything’s ready when I get there,” he had said over the phone.

What Jax hadn’t counted on was Harley asking to stay with Cade for a few days in Princeton, New Jersey, while she recovered.

“Travelling the same day might be harmful for her, Jax,” Cade had reasoned. “I don’t mind looking after her here.”

Jax had pouted. “Then maybe I should cancel the concert. I wanted the both of you there.”

Cade shook her head and captured his lips with her fingers. “Stop pouting. It doesn’t suit you. We’ll fly out in a couple of days,” she had promised.

But the thought of being away from him even for a few days wore Cade down. How did this even happen? She was never a clingy girlfriend. What was she thinking? She wasn’t his girlfriend at all! They were friends, nothing more. Friends who made the bed together only to mess it up with some heavy petting.

Cade groaned as she and Jax got up from the bed. She needed a moment to get herself together, away from Jax. “I’ll be ba—” Jax stopped her with another heated kiss.

“Don’t overthink this, Cadence.” His eyes seared through hers. He held her in his arms. “I want to be with you, Cade. I can see you fighting it.” He sealed that with another kiss, softer but not at all less toe-curling. “It was dumb of me to let you go before. Not going to happen again.”

Cade laid her head on his shoulder. She felt his breath on her hair, and heard his rapid heartbeat. Was she willing to admit that she wanted the same thing? She could count on one hand how many times her heart had been broken, but she had managed to recover from those without any scars. If things didn’t work out with Jax, would she even survive the fallout?

Jax was a rock star. He was popular. Women screamed his name. Men emulated him. He was desired by many. Loved by most, through his music, his talent, his voice, and that killer look he had going on. His face would be all over, and those would be painful reminders of how epic a failure their relationship could be.

Or should she jump into untested waters? Calm blues like Jax’s eyes, and deep like the love he had for his daughter. His luxurious scent was enough of an invitation, inhibiting her from walking away. The sheer magnetism of Jax’s overall persona appealed to Cade. He had confessed before that he no longer craved or desired different women during long, lonely nights. He only wanted her.

Jax’s deep moan woke her from her ministrations. “Don’t overthink it, Cade. Please. Give us a chance.”

To her surprise, Cade nodded.

The sigh which came out of Jax was so audible that she couldn’t help but laugh. He cupped her chin up and she saw the pure ecstasy swimming in his eyes, on the relaxed features of his face, on the tilt of the corners of his lips. Jax was hers. And she was his. Whatever else came after that, she knew she wouldn’t be the only one to go through it.

***

Bruno placed his large hands over Jax’s shoulders.

“You look like hell,” his agent told him through the lit mirror.

“I might look like it, but I, my friend, I’m in heaven!” Jax proclaimed, lifting his fists up in the air.

Bruno stepped back and wondered for a moment, then his face lit up. “She said yes? She’s going for it?”

“Yeah. And I couldn’t be more relieved,” confessed Jax. “They’ll fly back in two days, and I’ll meet them in Vancouver.”

Bruno patted his rock star friend’s back. “That’s good. Will she be travelling with us throughout the tour?”

Shoulders sagging, Jax felt a little defeated. How could he miss something that important?

The band would be on tour, first, all throughout the US, stopping at ten different cities, then they would be heading over international waters. Knowing Cade, and after what had just happened, she wouldn’t want to leave Harley behind. Due to Harley’s condition, travelling that much wasn’t allowed. He had waited for this chance to be with Cade, but they would be physically away from each other for months. Jax could wait longer, but Cadence had taken the chance to try out this relationship. What would the long distance do to her decision?

“I can see that you haven’t thought this out much.” Bruno’s statement was like ice-cold rain on Jax’s parade. “You have nothing to worry about. She already said yes, and she will be with Harley. You’re like a family already. What could go wrong?” Bruno exhaled, loud and hard. “I shouldn’t have said anything. Forget I said it. Let’s get this show started, huh? Michael has the cam ready. Your girls in Jersey will be able to see you perform.”

“Yeah. Gimme a minute, Bruno.” With a roll of his neck to ease the tension, and a few cleansing breaths, Jax put aside his troubles and donned his rock star persona.

Zee greeted him outside his room, and together they walked through the hallways and up the crowded backstage. The hard-working crew whistled and clapped, offering him encouragement. He stopped by the curtains and shook his hands and arms, then jumped on the spot. When he stepped out onto the stage, the stadium exploded with cheers from thousands of fans.

This…the energy, the high…this was why he became a rock star.

***

“There he is!” Harley pointed at the screen, jumping on the sofa where she and Cade sat.

Cade’s neighbour’s techie son had helped them connect Cade’s laptop to her grandmother’s TV. But when he’d found out that the video streaming was in fact a special live broadcast of the band, he had insisted they watch it at his mother’s house instead, where the TV screen was much larger, and hooked up to a surround sound system.

“Big fan of the band, man,” he whooped when Cade thanked him.

They all settled in Sheila’s living room with popcorn and drinks. Even Cade’s grandmother joined in on the fun, telling her granddaughter that if the music got too loud, she would turn down her hearing aid. Harley had laughed at her comment and given the older woman a hug.

She reminded her of Harley’s great grandmother, and being around her had given Harley a brighter hope. Her plan had been to get Cade and her father to spend more time together, until they both realized that they were crazy for each other. But she had mis-stepped, ending up at a hospital, and the doctor who’d been in charge of her had advised against any long flights.

It would have been disastrous, but since she’d be staying with Cade and her grandmother, she’d taken that as a good omen. All Harley had to do was put a bit of information in Cade’s ears of how great her father was, a little nudge here and there in the right direction.

Jax owned the stage. Even through the TV screen, she could feel the power of his presence, what attracted many to her father. After dedicating the entire show to Harley, the band started, and the crowd went wild. Before leaving, he had promised Harley that she would get to see him perform live one of these days, when she was healthier.

“Can Cade come too?” Har had asked.

Jax had nodded and laughed. “That’s the plan, kid.” At that moment, there had been no doubt that Jax was attracted to Cade.

But where was Cade’s heart in all of this?

While Jax’s voice filtered into the room, Harley snuck a peek at Cade, and found her entranced and enthralled. If that didn’t answer her question, then she didn’t know what would. Harley relaxed into the couch cushions, reached for Cade’s hand, and held it.

Yes, she would love more of this.

Chapter Twenty-One

The much cooler air in Vancouver was a welcome feeling to Jax’s warmed skin. It was scorching hot in LA during the past two days of their shows. Ideally, he should have gone straight to San Diego with the band, but he wanted to see Harley back in Vancouver. And he’d be lying if he didn’t admit that he wanted to be with Cade too.

He checked his watch. Three o’clock in the morning. After the last song, he did one quick interview, skipped the after party, and went straight to the airport. The drive home didn’t take long through downtown Vancouver. Jax managed not to go ballistic when he found his private elevator was out of service. He would take the stairs all the way up to the penthouse if it meant being with the two people he cared for the most. The other elevator wasn’t nearly as quick as his, and only a couple of residents had gone on with him and Zee.

His place was quiet. It would have been calming if his heart wasn’t on high-speed from the start.

“Go on home, Zee. Everything looks good here. Take tomorrow off too and I’ll see you Wednesday.” He shook hands with his bodyguard before striding towards the stairway.

First stop, Harley’s room.

He found her curled up under her blanket, clutching a pink bear. Harley, his larger-than-life daughter, asleep as snugly as one child could be. Jax hoped she was dreaming.

When she was two, she had the energy of ten kids. She was exuberant, lively, and rambunctious. Fiona had often passed her to him when she couldn’t deal with “it” anymore, telling Jax that there was something significantly wrong with the child.

“Our child,” Jax had reminded her, only to receive a reply of “whatever” from Fiona.

But Jax had been worried. Harley’s heart worked double time even after the surgeries she’d received early on. Wouldn’t all that energy make it pump harder? Would her heart break? The doctors had assured him that people with Harley’s condition had a brighter outlook on life. They were positive and delightful, less worried about the nuances which would often bring stress to others. Harley just loved life.

However, when she turned four, she became too smart for her age, and began to understand what life was about. What life with her mother was like. Harley’s heart only broke once she realized how irresponsible both her parents were. And at such a young age. For the past few years, Jax had seen the light dimmed in her eyes. The stress of having to look after her own mother and the lack of attention from her own father, him, had sucked the life out of little Harley.

“Never again,” Jax whispered in the dim room. He curled a lock of her hair around her little ear, and kissed her on the temple. That was his promise to his daughter, just like the title of the song he’d written for Harley.

Never again would she shed tears for others. Not the least bit for him. From now on, there would only be laughter and fun in her life. No complications. Not if he could help it.

As he made a step toward the door, he heard Harley shuffle on her bed.

“Daddy?”

Her small voice pierced right through his heart. He sat on the edge of her bed, tucking her pink bear back under the sheets with his daughter.

“I didn’t mean to wake you, sweetheart. Go back to sleep.” Jax brushed his lips over her forehead. “You feeling better?”

Harley nodded as she rubbed her eyes with the back of a hand. “Yeah. Cade and I just hung out today. We had a movie night.”

“Oh yeah? That sounds fun.” He wanted to ask about Cade, but he figured he could search for her himself and get her all alone.

Harley raised a questioning brow at him, followed by a smile. “She’s not here.”

“Who’s not here?” Even he wouldn’t believe that he knew whom Harley meant.

Sure enough, Harley barked out a laugh. “You do know I’m eight, right?” Jax feigned knowledge, drawing his brows together, and rubbing his chin. Harley rolled her eyes at her father. “Cade’s not here. She had to go back to her apartment because of a flooding from a burst pipe or something.”

An alarm went off in Jax’s head. “She left you alone?”

Harley cocked her head to the side. “You and I both know that Cade would never do that. I barely had time to go to the bathroom without her checking on me.” With a yawn, Harley stretched out her arms and wiggled her body back down under the blanket. “We had a movie night, then her landlord called about the flood. She called her friend Juliette to look after me while she was gone. We thought you’d be back tomorrow morning. Cade promised to return before you do.”

“You really like her, huh?” Jax nudged Harley’s chin.

“So do you.” Harley yawned once again, before snuggling with her pink bear. “Make sure you don’t go into Cade’s room. I think Juliette is in there. She’s very loud. She might wake up the neighbours if you wake her up.”

“Har, we’re on the top floor. We have no neighbours.”

“Exactly. Goodnight, Dad. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Night, Har.” Jax waited for Harley’s breathing to steady, a sure sign that she’d fallen back to sleep before he stepped out of the bedroom.

As Harley’s door clicked closed, he heard murmurs coming from the open main floor. From the landing, Jax witnessed something he thought he would never see. There, in the middle of his living room was Zee and a woman in sleep clothes. Could this be Juliette? Jax assumed so.

What was surprising was seeing Zee with his head bent and his lips pressed against the woman’s. The woman in a hot pink tank top and candy striper shorts wasn’t someone Jax thought Zee would be interested in. But who really knew what Zee liked?

To avoid any awkwardness, Jax cleared his throat to make his presence known. Zee heard him right away, dislodging from Juliette and stepping as far away as he could, as though she was fire and he had been burnt.

Try as he might, Jax couldn’t keep the grin off his face as he descended the stairs. “You must be Cade’s friend, Juliette.”

Juliette was a head shorter than Cade and beside Zee, she appeared much tinier, but her eyes widened as she saw Jax. “Oh my god!” Yep, Harley was right. Juliette was loud.

Jax eyed Zee, who was scratching the back of his neck, clearly uncomfortable. He had his hand stretched out to shake Juliette’s, but she pulled him in for a hug instead.

“Ju-ju,” Zee muttered a low warning, “Calm down.” Zee sent Jax an apologetic look. “She’s a big fan of yours.”

Juliette released Jax, straightening his shirt with the palm of her hands. “Number one fan. Oh! Cade’s not here. I was just telling Zee. Well, I was going to, but we got…” She waved her hand in front of her face. “Never mind. Cade’s at her apartment.”

“Yes, Harley told me. Is she okay?”

“Yeah, she called when she got there. She said her place was a mess. I think most of her stuff is soaked. She’s just going to clean up then come back as soon as she’s done,” Juliette explained. Not only was she loud, she was also a speed-talker.

Jax crossed his arms over his chest as he contemplated how he could see Cade without disturbing her, and without making it obvious to everyone that he was trembling in his boots from the anticipation. Before he could open his mouth to speak, Juliette beat him to it.

“She probably needs help. You should go see her.”

“Ju-ju!” Zee’s voice boomed. Juliette turned her head and challenged him with one brow raised. “Baby, I’m just—”

“Just nothing, babe. Can’t you see that Jax wants to see her too?” She faced Jax next. “Am I right or am I right?”

“Ummm…” Jax ran his fingers through his hair.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Zee rub his eyes. “I’ll take you to her. Ju-ju, go back to bed and I’ll be back to…help you watch over Harley.”

“Sure, babe.” Without warning, Juliette swung her arms around his neck and smacked her lips over his. “I missed you.”

Inside the elevator, Jax tried not to tease Zee. The man could probably pound him into the ground if he said anything about how much he was whipped by his woman. Jax smiled to himself as he sensed Zee’s discomfort.

“Your secret’s safe with me, Zee. Don’t worry about it,” Jax said without looking over his shoulder.

***

After two more knocks, Jax heard Cade’s tired voice on the other side of the door. A shadow appeared through the slit at the bottom, and he could almost feel her through the wood. He leaned his body forward, gripping the doorframe with his hands.

“Jax, is that you?” she asked before unlocking the door. “What are you doing here?”

There were bags under her eyes, and her hair was a pile of mess on her head. She wore a tattered shirt, which hung off one shoulder, and shorts, which displayed her toned legs. She was the most beautiful woman Jax had ever seen.

“I came here to keep my promise,” he answered.

“What promise?” Cade stepped back as Jax crossed the threshold and caught her in a predatory stare.

With a quick push of his foot, Jax closed the door behind him and wrapped Cade in his arms, pulling her legs up and around his hips. Cade had to hold on before she fell, but Jax wouldn’t dare let her. “Don’t you remember?” he said between swift kisses on her lips. “I told you once we’re back we’ll finish what we started.”

Jax ran one hand up her shirt and pressed her against a wall, while the other hand cupped her bottom. He ground his hips against hers, garnering a moan from Cade. He swallowed that moan, and slipped his tongue between her lips. She tasted sweet, just as he remembered.

“Bedroom?” he asked against the softness of her lips.

With her eyes closed, Cade pointed to her left, and that was where Jax took her.