Phone Calls From a Rock Star (18 page)

“
My friends hate me. Annie
moved out. Lance made a bet about me. And I think I’m an
alcoholic.”

His brow furrowed as he stood and screwed
his lips up in concentration. “You’re not an alcoholic, though I
had a feeling you were drinking a little more than you were telling
me. I hope you’re over that bit of stupidity.”

I nodded enthusiastically. That was no
longer a problem.

“
What’s the deal with
Lance?”

I took another breath and explained about
the parties and the times I spent alone with Lance. I assured him
that I didn’t give in and went on to explain about how I neglected
Annie and Cammy and how Annie moved out. I ended my story with
Krysti’s phone call, my cheeks flaming with shame. I talked for
nearly twenty minutes, tear-free for once.

He exhaled and rubbed his temples, rising to
his feet. He began to pace in front of me, brow furrowed in
concentration.

“
I think if you start out
by apologizing to Annie and Cammy, maybe they’ll let you explain.
As for Lance, well, I’m going to need to deal with him.”

I cracked a tiny smile until I caught a
better glimpse of the set to Jake’s jaw and fire in his eyes.

“
I’m not kidding,
Iz.”

Jumping off the bed, I grabbed his arm. “No,
Jake. I don’t want you to get in any trouble over this. It’s my
fault.”

He cupped my chin and pecked my lips.
“You’re not totally innocent, no. You did do some pretty stupid
things. But you didn’t deserve to be treated the way Lance treated
you. No girl does.”

My heart fluttered at his kiss but stilled
at his words. I knew he was right but it hurt to hear it. My eyes
welled up again—I thought for sure I’d run out of tears. He pulled
me in his arms and rubbed my back.

“
I’m sorry, Jake. I didn’t
mean to disappoint you,” I sobbed in his chest. “I am so
sorry.”

“
Iz,” he said firmly in my
hair. “Angel, I’m not disappointed in you. I’m just happy you came
to me.” He pushed me away and smiled gently, wiping my tears from
under my eyes and off my cheeks. “I’ll get you a t-shirt. Why don’t
you go in the bathroom and wash your face.”

I nodded and he released me to dig in the
hotel dresser drawer. He handed me a plain black t-shirt and
pointed me toward the bathroom. I quickly pulled his shirt over my
head, relieved it fell past my knees. I washed my face and scrubbed
it dry. My eyes were red and puffy and my skin splotchy. I was a
mess and I looked it but there wasn’t much I could do about it now.
Taking a deep breath, I returned to Jake.

He stood, staring at the bed, rubbing the
back of his neck. I ambled next to him, questioning him with my
eyes.

“
I can call the front desk
to get you your own room but since it’s nearly three, I’m not
counting on prompt service”

“
I want to stay with you,”
I pleaded. “Please.”

He looked at me, lips twisted to the side of
his face, as he considered my request. “Iz, it’s not exactly
appropriate.”

“
We’ll just be sleeping. I
trust you, Jake.” My heart ached for him to hold me. I just wanted
to be in his arms all night. He was the closest person in the world
to me at that moment—the only person on my side. I didn’t want to
be away from him for a second.

“
Okay. But only because I’m
tired,” he relented. He flashed a feeble smile and held up the
blankets. Grinning, I climbed into his bed. He deliberated a moment
before crawling beside me. I snuggled next to him, heart racing in
happy circles. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed my
forehead.

“
Get some sleep, angel.
Everything will look brighter in the morning.”

***

A relentless thump brought me out of my
slumber, and I groaned. My head thumped, too, but I knew it wasn’t
from alcohol this time. Rolling over, I rammed into a hard body. I
shot straight up, forgetting momentarily where I was.

“
Relax, Iz,” Jake yawned.
“It’s just Nick.”

He sat up beside me and ruffled my hair.
“Won’t you go in the bathroom? There’s a hotel robe hanging on the
door.”

He turned his head respectfully as I
scampered off the bed and hurried to the bathroom. As soon as I was
safely ensconced in the bathroom, I heard a door open and a male’s
voice as I found the fluffy robe and wrapped it securely around my
body.

“
Dude, I thought you were
supposed to come get us for breakfast?”

“
Something came up,” Jake
muttered. I checked to make sure the robe covered me completely
before opening the door and stepping into the room. I came face to
face with Nick Collins, drummer for Controlled
Environment.

His eyes widened and a knowing grin appeared
on his handsome face. “Oh, hey, okay. No problem, dude.”

Jake’s jaw fell, horror in his eyes, as he
grabbed my hand and pulled me to his side. “No, man. It’s not like
that. This is Iz.”

Nick’s face lit up as he stepped forward to
shake my hand. “Oh. Nice to meet you, finally. Jake talks about you
all the time.”

I glanced at Jake from the corner of my eye
and was delighted to see a little color touch his cheeks.

“
It’s nice to meet you,
too,” I whispered.

“
She got here around three
this morning,” Jake explained. He draped an arm over my shoulder.
“She’s had a rough time lately and needed a friend.”

Nick nodded in understanding, his green eyes
sympathetic. “I’m sorry to hear that. Is everything okay now?”

“
It will be,” I said, a
little shy.

“
Oh, hell,” Jake cursed,
startling me. “Do your parents know where you are?”

“
I am eighteen, Jake,” I
reminded him with a scowl. He raised a brow. “And they’re on a
cruise. I left a message on my dad’s cell and told him I’d be
staying with friends.”

“
Does that mean you have
some clean clothes with you?” he asked, winking roguishly. “Not
that you don’t look great in my t-shirt.”

Heat flooded my cheeks. “Yeah. In my
car.”

“
Give me your keys and I’ll
go get them. You jump in the shower and I’ll throw the bag in the
bathroom.”

“
What if you get mobbed?” I
asked, horrified.

Jake and Nick exchanged an amused smirk.
“I’ll be fine.”

Nick slung his arm around Jake’s shoulders.
“I’ll go with him—protect him and all that.”

“
You’ll both get mobbed,” I
mumbled, put out that they thought I was being silly.

Jake pressed a kiss to my temple. “We’ll be
fine. Get in the shower.”

I showered quickly, totally conscious of the
two rock stars on the other side of the door. As soon as I
finished, I dressed, curious about the racket going on in Jake’s
room. When I stepped into the room, hair still damp from my shower,
I was immediately swept up in the arms of Ronnie Stone.

“
Iz!” he exclaimed,
crushing me to his chest. “Great to meet you and all that stuff.”
He released me and grinned. “Now can we order some
food?”

I gawked at him, frantically gasping for
air. “Sure?”

“
Jake said I had to wait
until you got out of the shower to find out what you wanted,” he
pouted. I couldn’t help but laugh. He very much resembled a
petulant child and not the guitarist I’d watched perform on stage a
few months ago. “So what do you want?”

“
Anything,” I said. He
hugged me again.

“
You are a woman after my
own heart,” he declared. He let me go so quickly, I stumbled. A
hand reached out and prevented me from falling to the floor. I
looked up into the tender eyes of Matt Wenslow. His slow smile was
exceptionally sweet.

“
Hi, Iz. I’m Matt. It’s
nice to meet you,” he said in a quiet voice.

“
Hi,” I said, a little
breathless. I stared at them all, sprawled casually about the
room—Ronnie on the phone frantically ordering food. I couldn’t
believe I was in their midst. They were currently the hottest band
in the nation and I was about to eat breakfast with them. I reached
back to find the wall as a dizzy spell touched my head.

“
You okay, Iz?” Jake
asked.

I nodded. “It’s just kind
of weird, you know, to be in the same room as you guys. I mean,
you’re all so
normal
.”

Jake laughed, eyes crinkling in the corners.
“I think she was expecting a trashed hotel room.” The others
laughed with him, enjoying some kind of inside joke.

“
Food’s on the way,” Ronnie
happily declared. He turned his eyes back on me. “So, are you
staying with us this week?”

I hadn’t thought about that. I came on the
spur of the moment but hadn’t planned any further in advance. I
nibbled on my bottom lip as my eyes sought Jake’s. “I don’t
know.”

“
Of course she is,” he
said, a grin flitting across his face. “I mean, if she
wants.”

“
I do,” I said as happiness
flooded my heart. “Thanks.”

Ronnie hugged me to his side. “You’ll have
so much fun, you’ll never want to leave.”

I didn’t doubt that in the least.

After breakfast, the guys discussed showing
me the site where they’d shoot their video the next morning. I
agreed, happy to do whatever they wanted. My lonely heart was
beating a happy rhythm again, and I couldn’t get enough.

Jake pulled me aside before we left and told
me that the hotel was booked solid because of the upcoming show. He
offered me his room, telling me he’d crash with Nick. I shook my
head emphatically.

“
I want to stay with you,
Jake,” I said. I didn’t want to be alone for a moment. I was afraid
of the gloom and depression that loomed around the corner, waiting
for the chance to take over my heart. “I trust you. And I promise
to behave.”

He smiled softly and took my hand in both of
his. “Are you sure, Iz? After what that idiot put you through, I
don’t want you feeling the least bit uncomfortable.”

“
I’m sure,” I told him. I
stood on my toes and kissed his cheek. “I’m being selfish, I know,
but I want you with me every second while I’m here.”

His face brightened as his lips twitched,
curling into an eye crinkling smile. “Whatever you want.”

And that was how the next few days went.
Anything I wanted, one of them gave it to me. I had to be very
careful what I said because if I mentioned I liked something, I
inevitably wound up with it. It was sweet and wonderful and helped
my hurting heart to heal. But, I didn’t want to take advantage of
any of their good natures. I’d taken to them all immediately and
they obviously wanted to make me happy.

As smitten as I’d become with Jake’s band
mates, it was nothing compared to what I felt for him. I was
shocked at how strongly I reacted to each touch or friendly kiss.
My feelings for him emerged from my heart like a rocket shooting
off into space. And when I curled next to him each night, it took
forever to calm my racing pulse enough to sleep.

Although he never treated me as if he
thought of me as more than a friend, especially at night when we
were alone in his room, something else lingered in his eyes. We’d
be laughing with the others over Ronnie’s antics when I’d catch his
eyes on me, longing for…something. My heart would race and my
breath would come in harsh spurts. What I felt for Lance was
child’s play. What I felt for Jake was real.

I wanted him for more than a friend.

The thought came to me while I sat on the
sidelines, watching them work with the directors as they filmed a
video. I sank to the nearest chair, heart hammering and nerves
jangling. I wanted to shout it to him, but I was afraid. Not of
embarrassing myself, but of ruining the one true friendship I had
left in this world.

New Year’s Eve came before I could blink,
and suddenly I was holding Jake’s hand as he led me through a
complicated maze to the dressing room at West Village University’s
auditorium. The others were hyper—Nick was drumming on any
available surface, Ronnie and Matt pacing, comparing notes and
going over the set list. Jake sank to a sofa and yanked me down
beside him. I was still hyperventilating because I’d nearly run
smack into Flyby’s drummer.

A woman with a iPad peeked inside the
dressing room and smiled in relief. She greeted the guys, said a
quick hello to me, and ran down the evening’s schedule. She left,
and Ronnie opened the mini fridge. I tensed, afraid he would start
passing out alcohol but he surprised me by handing each of the guys
various soft drinks. He tossed a lemon lime soda to me with a
smirk. He knew me so well already.

Jake, who’d correctly read the tension in my
body, chuckled softly before leaning over to whisper in my ear. “We
don’t drink much at all, Iz.”

His breath tickled the skin surrounding my
ear, and a shiver ran up my spine. I nodded as I looked into his
eyes, mesmerized again by their beauty. He winked, and a blush
started at my toes and stopped only when it had to at the top of my
head.

Amanda, the iPad lady, popped back in to
check that they were indeed ready and popped back out just as
quick.

“
It’s hurry up and wait,
huh?” I asked no one in general.

“
Pretty much,” Matt agreed.
He tossed his empty can at a recycle bin and missed. He smiled
apologetically at me. “See why I got into music?”

I laughed until Rob Ross stepped in the
dressing room. My jaw dropped. Rob Ross was lead singer for Society
Lost, one of my favorite bands. He also founded and ran Ross
Records, the label that had discovered and signed Jake and his
band.