Reckless Love: A Billionaire Baby Steamy Fantasy Multicultural Love Story Rockstar Romance (14 page)

CHAPTER FORTY

Jasmine and Leo
"Maybe we should get married," said Leo, laying on his back, one hand draped over his chest, the other on Jasmine's. They were both staring at the ceiling, after a near-marathon morning sex session. "What do you think?"
"Is this a proposal?" She grinned, turning her head to look at him. "If so, it leaves much to be desired."
"No, if I were proposing, I have to do it much more spectacularly than this." He grinned back at her. "After all, I'm Leo Wellington-Kerr. Of the London Wellington-Kerrs… And the lead singer of a world-famous rock band. I can't get engaged with a simple conversation." He grinned back at her. "There would have to be fireworks, and a helicopter or something."
"That's what I thought," she said playfully punching him in the arm. "And I am Jasmine, member of the soon-to-be signed-by-a-new-promoter string quartet. We’d at least have to have some Beethoven playing or… be at the Berlin Phil."
"But seriously, what do you think about the idea?" He looked bashful all of a sudden – his dark eyelashes half-closing over downcast warm eyes. "Is it too crazy?"
"Part of me thinks so," she began. She rolled over towards him, slipping her arm around him. She loved to see the contrast of their skin color, her warm latte colored skin against his pale Englishness. "But another part of me is overjoyed that you brought it up." Then a cloud passed over her face. "There is something I should talk to you about though."

"What is it?"
"Well," she was hesitant to bring it up. Everything seemed so perfect at this moment, but she felt she couldn't go on without saying anything.  Still she felt a pang of fear as the words left her mouth. "You called me – or your phone did – while you were on tour. I know I have no claim over you, but what you do affects me. And what was happening on the other line sure sounded strange."
Leo turned to her grabbing the hand that was caressing him, stopping it from moving. "What on earth are you talking about?"
"Well," nervousness struck her. "It sounded like it was a groupie. Someone asked you if you wanted a blowjob. Then the line went dead."

Jesus, it’s starting already?
Thought Leo.
We just sleep together, discuss getting serious, and now we have to talk about groupies? Is this what it’s going to be like? That’s not what I want. Not sure if it’s really worth it.

“You’re serious,” said Leo. There was a hint of threat in his voice.

“Well, yes,” said Jasmine. “I just would like to know what was happening there.”

He turned over and put his back to her. “You don’t trust me.”

I don’t know you,
she wanted to say. Then she realized it was true. She was getting involved with someone, deeply, talking marriage, even – and she didn’t even really know who he was. She lay there for a moment and then finally got up. He was motionless on the bed.
“Well you can think about the answer to that question,” she said finally, flatly. “But I don’t know if I am going to be around to hear the answer. Would you mind taking me back to my place?”

“Sure.” Leo was still motionless.
What the hell was I doing, asking her to marry me.
But a smaller voice inside him worried.
Don’t be stupid, Leo. Forget your pride.
It was too bad that that voice was so quiet. “I’ll have a driver take you.”

He didn’t want to admit it but he was hurt. He’d never extended himself so much for anyone before. Never. Not in his life. And here she was, questioning him over a simple conversation.
We clearly aren’t right for each other. At least I can see it now with the lust out of my system.

Cold seeped through her veins. “A driver,” she said flatly. “A driver. Fine.”

She pulled on her gown and struggled with the zipper. At least that seemed to rouse him to action. He rolled over. As he zipped the fabric, Leo was already feeling pangs of regret.
Why did this have to end this way? Why couldn’t she see what he wanted for them, what he was giving up for her?

She struggled away from his fingers.
She didn’t need him. Or anyone else.
She went to the restroom, and washed her face, leaving it bare of makeup. Relieving herself on the toilet, she wiped with a stab of pain. I guess we were rougher than I thought, she figured. But it hadn’t hurt. It had felt incredible. Her breath caught in her throat and the pain in her heart weighed heavily.

She allowed herself one moment of tears before washing her face again and opening the door to face the world.

When she did, Leo was standing there, still naked. Her jaw fell open.
He was so freaking beautiful.

“Hey,” he said. “Can you sit down for a minute?”

She paused.

“Please don’t leave like this, Jasmine. We should talk.”

***

She pulled on the clothes he’d lent her. He wanted to talk on the moors, and after a few moments she acquiesced. He was worth a conversation – after all it seemed clear that he had crossed the ocean to talk to her. It wasn’t completely his fault that they had just fallen into bed the first chance they got.
There was no way that she could talk there in her gown though. She was ridiculously swimming in his shirts, even though he brought out the smallest version he could. But the pants were another story. They settled on sweatpants, but she could imagine how silly she looked. She decided to go barefoot rather than wear his concert shoes, but Leo insisted on bringing some slippers he had found in the hall closet just in case her feet started to hurt.

When they got outside, she was glad he had. The mist on the moors was somehow prickly, like it had small stabs of ice in the air. It was summer but the damp cold of Britain’s grey skies was in full force that day.

“Look, I am going to have to leave the country soon for our next concert. And I know you have a concert as well, so you can’t stay here at the estate forever. So that’s just the reality of things. But if we are going to be together, I need to know that you are going to stand by me, and trust me. Because I am going to be alone on tour, and that’s hard. It makes it even harder if I find out that you wouldn’t even appreciate that I am alone. When the others have their girls for the night, I will be by myself. Sleeping in my own bed. And I am happy to be so, because I know that I have you. But I can’t bear it if you don’t believe that when I say it.” He stared across the moor, eyes narrowing.

What was that emotion in his eyes?
She wondered.
“Look Jasmine, I love you, and I want you,” he finally said. He swallowed hard, and she thought she could hear his heart beating. “I want you in my life, but it’s just a fact that my life is not like other people’s. Not like other musicians’ lives, even. My life is complicated, and I can’t change or help that. And much of me doesn’t want to change it. But ever since I laid eyes on you I haven’t been able to seriously – or non-seriously, even – consider any other woman. Even if I wanted to, my body wouldn’t let me. So whatever happened with this phone call you brought up, I have no idea. It obviously wasn’t anything important to me, and I am not saying that because I did something and it wasn’t important to me, I am saying it because I completely forgot about it… Because it’s you, Jasmine.” He rubbed his face with his hand for a moment.
Perhaps to rid it of tears?
 

“It’s you.” His voice was soft. “You are the most beautiful woman in the world to me.”

He turned to her, her mocha skin with a tinge of blue from the cold, her makeup-less face, and her ridiculous outfit, and touched her cheek. “The most beautiful.”

Tears came to her eyes.
“I’m sorry, Leo,” she said, grabbing his hand. “I’m sorry. It’s just that we don’t know each other so well and I am really scared of all the feelings I feel. I don’t want to lose you, but I don’t want to invest so much if it’s all going to just fall apart.”
“I am in the same boat. But the problem is that we are stuck with this. We are either going to get through this together, or not.”

She snuggled into his body. “Can we go back inside soon? I am freezing.”

“Yes,” he said. “Now that I’ve said that, what do you think?”             

“Well maybe we should hold off on the engagement thing for a bit, but I’ll be back in the US soon. Maybe we can see each other there?”

“Yes. And we’ll both have a chance to think about things, to decide if this is worth it for both of us,” he said. He fervently hoped she could trust him. He was fairly certain he could trust himself. Seemed like his body would police him if his mind wouldn’t.

She reached out to touch the side of his face, the angle of his cheekbones, the softness of the slight pout of his lower lip. Leaning down, he touched his lips to hers, and they stayed motionless for a moment, memories and energy flowing between them, before falling into a fierce kiss.

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

Jasmine

It was almost harder to be without him knowing that they might be together than it was when they were definitely apart, thought Jasmine. Her hands felt strangely empty, like they were missing something – and that something was
any part of him.

Well some parts more than others perhaps,
Jasmine thought with a smile. She still couldn’t get over how beautiful he was. Right down to the skin. His lean, muscular body, his cut abs, the Adonis belt pointing down to his beautiful, thick and heavy cock. It would feel so good to have my lips around it right now, she surprised herself by thinking. Either set.

God she had it bad. But he was so good.

Everything she played seemed to be on fire as well, each note focused and alive, full of her feelings for Leo. All the hunger she felt in her fingers consumed her bow and cello, pouring her need to touch him into the strings. The quartet was pleased.

“You sound freaking amazing,” Kerry said, eyes wide. “You should get fucked more often!”

“I plan to,” Jasmine said, surprising herself. The others laughed.

“Damn girl, you are on fire,” Robyn said. “I like this new Jasmine. I mean, I adored the old Jasmine too, but you’re really coming into your own.”

“Thanks,” she said, a knowing smile on her lips. “I feel really good.”

“That’s what being in love does,” Jessa said wistfully. “I remember when I was in love…” She was thinking about her last boyfriend, with whom everything was going well until he broke up with her by cheating on her and then completely fading out.

“So do we,” Kerry said. “And you are better off without that complete dolt. But I am hoping that our cellist here doesn’t have the same fate!”

“Oh god, yeah. I don’t think Leo would ever do that? But yeah, I don’t know,” Jasmine said, biting her lip. “I don’t think he would?”

“The odds are against it happening to the two of us,” Jessa said, ruefully. “You’re probably ok. Let’s hope for the best!”

The fear that lay under all these new feelings she had was threatening. It was tough, trying to stay balanced on the good side of her emotions, not to tip over to the worry of losing him. Anything could set her off on that anxiety – considering she had the most competition in the world with Leo, as he was incredibly popular right now – she knew that unease was part of even trying to have a relationship with him.

She’d fought so hard with the quartet to get where they were, and if things went south with Leo she’d have to fight even harder not to let it shake her to the point of not being able to play well. And she wanted to keep her personal life anxiety out of the quartet’s radar. They may be her friends, but they were also her business partners.
Which was making it harder to admit that she was fearful that she was pregnant. It had been a little over a week since she had had sex with Leo, and she wasn’t sure that she was ok. Her period was due, and it wasn’t coming. And her breasts felt a bit tender. She realized that it was dumb, and she should have used the condom, but she had just kind of figured she’d be ok. Kids had never figured into her plans and the whole thing felt so right, at that moment, that it seemed a worthwhile risk to take.

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

Leo… and the tabloids… and Jasmine

He sat at the diner, head in his hands.
“Well fuck me,” he moaned, looking at the newspaper.

Nigel grabbed it from him. “Well you seem to have pissed that woman off pretty thoroughly,” he said.

“How the fuck did she get photos?” he asked. “And goddamn but they look so incriminating. But I never did anything with her.”

“This was the girl that stormed out the other week?” Riff asked.

“I suppose so. She was pissed. Said she’d sue me, but I never figured anything would come of it. Suing me as a nobleman would be difficult for her. Anything that can be solved in any way by money or connections would be difficult. Publically shaming me, however – well that’s different. That’s easier. And much more effective.”
Reg took the magazine from Leo. “Looks like they’ve got some more pics coming.”

Leo turned whiter than usual. “What do you mean?”

“Well they say so right here,” said Reg.

“Bloody hell,” Leo said.

“Well it’s rather badass, don’t you think?” said Nigel. “No such thing as bad publicity. Probably will work quite well for Origin of Species, especially since the Grammy performances are going to be announced pretty soon – and everyone will know we’re performing ‘Reckless Love.’ But… I suppose it does complicate things that you’re a nobleman. Makes the story even juicier. Though I don’t know what anyone was expecting you to do on tour, besides, well… act like a rock star. Hardly shocking, in that sense.”
Oh Lord, Jasmine. What is she going to think when she sees these papers? Have they gotten to England yet?

He pulled out his phone to check the time, and saw a text from his brother. He opened it up:

Thanks for again cementing my status as the good Wellington-Kerr son. You’re in all the papers.

Perfect. Just perfect.

“What am I going to tell Jasmine?” He practically wailed, hiding his face in his hands.

Riff looked at him “Yeah, she’s not going to like this, I imagine.”

***

Jasmine woke up early, as she was planning to go for a walk and grab a coffee before rehearsal. The day was a bit overcast and breezy but not too bad. She pulled on some jeans and a light sweater, grabbed her purse and headed out. Her heart was light, blissfully unaware of the smear campaign about which she was going to learn all the sordid details.

***

Throwing one magazine down after another in front of the assembled women, Jasmine was wild-eyed.

“Did you see this? He told me that he was sleeping alone on tour. And there are pictures of him with tons of women! I am so angry I could… I could…”

“Just spit?” Jessa suggested, a helpful look on her face. Jasmine glared at her. “What?” She asked weakly. “It’s what people say.”
“Look, that doesn’t matter. What matters is he fed me a stack of lies, and now I might be pregnant.”
Kerry’s mouth dropped open. Then snapped shut.

“Well, who called that one?” Robyn said, shaking her head and looking at her friend. “Sorry, shit. What are you going to do?”

“I don’t freaking know.” She sat down with a thump on the couch. “I don’t freaking know.”
All ideas of rehearsing forgotten for the time being, the girls talked for nearly an hour before finally Kerry interjected, “Just to let you guys know, I did get some good news today. From our new promoter.”
“Oh yeah?” Jasmine said, voice flat. “What is it? I could use some good news.”
“He wants us to play at the Grammies,” Kerry said. “No details, but it looks like we are going to be accompanying a rock band. Should be good for us.”
 

“Huh. Never thought something like that would happen,” Jasmine said. “I guess that’s pretty cool. Although it kind of pales when I consider everything else that’s going on, with that snake, Leo Wellington-Kerr. I wonder if he’ll be there?”

“I imagine he might. It’s a rock show after all.” Robyn looked thoughtful. “I wonder who we’re playing with?”
“Not sure. But I guess we can’t afford to say no,” Kerry said carefully, “no matter who’s there. But are you going to be ok with that, Jasmine?”

“Of course.” Her voice was hard. “The quartet is my number one priority no matter what.”

They looked at each other.

“Quartet foreva,” Jessa intoned. Admittedly, a little weakly. The others just looked at each other, worry written on their faces.