Relentless (Relentless Soul Book 1) (16 page)

Jeremy

Lifting the bottle up to my mouth I take a long pull on it and wince as I feel the liquid burn all the way down my throat. I look up to see Brody watching me.

"Did you fuck her?"

Brody's mouth drops open in shock "What the fuck did you just say?"

Jeremy tries to stand up from the chair but stumbles and falls back down. "I said 'Did you fuck Ava?"

Brody points a finger at me "Watch your fucking mouth, Jeremy. That's your girlfriend you're talking about. What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"You were pretty quick to chase after her. I was only in the bedroom for a minute and you fucking ran after her like a little puppy."

Brody is shaking his head at me "I went to check that she was okay. Obviously something you weren't planning on doing."

My anger is rising now and so is my voice. "She walked away from
me
. I tried to get her to talk to me and she just wanted to get away."

Brody's expression softens a little "Jeremy, she just wants you to show her that you care. She wants you to fight for her. You have this amazing, beautiful girl who deserves every bit of your love and respect. You need to give her that or you will lose her."

Brody walks away and leaves me to sit and wallow in self-pity as I wonder why the fuck everything always has to be so fucking difficult.

***

Sweeping the curtain across my bunk I squint at the sunlight coming through the windows of the bus. It's quiet. Good. My head couldn't possibly handle any noise this morning. Swinging my legs over the side of the bunk and onto the floor, I make my way to the bathroom. Fuck, I haven't been this hung-over in a while. I burp and feel the vodka that I drank last night swirling in my stomach and rising in my throat and I only just make it to the toilet before it all makes its way back up again. Flushing the toilet I strip off my boxer briefs and step into the shower.

Fifteen minutes later I'm sitting at the table sipping a scalding hot coffee, regretting last night's decision to ingest a whole bottle of vodka, when Hunter and Luke enter the bus. They see me sitting there and Luke actually has the balls to fucking laugh in my face.

"Dude, you look like death warmed up."

Flipping him the bird I sip at my coffee hoping it will alleviate some of the pain currently throbbing in my head.

Hunter sits down opposite me and asks "Are you okay, man?"

Shrugging I mutter "I don't know. I just keep fucking everything up. I don't know what the hell is wrong with me. Have you seen Ava this morning?"

Hunter nods his head and looks over at Luke, who is now sitting in one of the armchairs staring down at his phone.

"How is she? Is she pissed at me?"

"Let's just say, she isn't totally
happy
with you at the moment."

Rubbing my eyes I feel like the biggest fucking jerk. Why the fuck wasn't I just straightforward with her all along? We could have avoided all this fucking drama.

Luke pipes up from the lounge area "Brody's pretty pissed as well. Man, I can't believe you accused him of fucking Ava last night." He chuckles softly. "Fucking classic."

Oh, shit. I'd forgotten about that. By that stage I was pretty wasted and clearly wasn't thinking straight. I know Brody would never do that to me. Standing up, my body sways slightly as dizziness hits me.

Hunter looks a little concerned "What are you doing?"

Draining the last of my coffee I place my mug in the sink. "I have to see Ava. Explain everything. I'm gonna head over to her bus."

"Um…… Stone."

Waiting for Hunter to finish I turn back and stare at him "What's wrong?"

"She's not there. She and Brody went down to that little café down the road for breakfast."

As I walk through the front door of the little café the loud ringing of the bell makes me wince. I so could have done without that. Searching the café I see Brody sitting by himself, watching me from a booth table to my left. Strolling over to the table I wonder where Ava is. As I approach the table, I notice the bathroom door open and Ava walks out. She is standing roughly five meters away from me and I just want to pull her into my arms and hold her for the rest of the day. She seems frozen on the spot as she stares back at me. Taking a couple of steps toward her, I turn back to look at Brody noticing he is no longer in his seat. Hearing the bell ringing above the front door I look up just as he pulls the door closed behind him. I turn back to Ava and say the first thing that pops into my head.

"Dundee, I don't want Jo. She is my friend and nothing more. I'm with you. I only want you."

Ava

Cuddling into Jeremy's chest I close my eyes and think back to this morning. I didn't know what to think when he showed up at the café. We had sat down and I told him that I don't care that Jo has feelings for him or that they are friends, I only care that he lied to me. We came straight back to the bus and hadn't even made it through the bedroom door before I was stripping his shirt off and his fingers were clutching the bottom of mine. Luke, Hunter and Brody were all hanging out gaming again but I heard them quickly get up and leave the bus as we reached the back room. The makeup sex was great but it kind of felt like there was something missing. I don't know if it was the fact that I now constantly have this doubt about our relationship lasting. We have never had sex on the bed, well not in the traditional love making way. It's always been fast, hard and needy. It's never slow, gentle or tender.

There’s a soft knock on the door.

"Uh, Stone it's time to get ready for the show."

"I'll wake him now Luke."

Looking over at Jeremy I place my hand on his shoulder and softly shake him "Jer its time to get up and get ready for tonight's show." He groans and opens his eyes, sitting up he throws his legs over the bed as he glances back at me and smiles.

"I better shower."

"I'll meet you back stage I have to go and get ready too." Standing up I find my clothes and dress. Walking down the bus I smile at the band "See you all back stage."

Brody avoids my eyes and just waves as an acknowledgement.

"So you made up just like that?"

"Yes Tori, I'm pissed off that he lied to me but I'm not going to drag it out."

"Ava you weren't there. He was into her, the way he danced I thought he was going to bang her right there on the dance floor."

Wincing at the thought, I reassure her, "Nothing happened. Let just forget it ok, it's not like we're that serious yet anyway. He has never made me any promises."

"Okay. Fine. I'll drop it."

"Ava I don't want you to take it the wrong way but I don't think he is meant for you. You are different people and there is someone out there for you but it's not him."

Smiling at Emma she has been quiet in this conversation, "Honestly I know that deep down but I don't want to give up and say we didn't try. I do like him and I do want to see if it can go anywhere. Trust me I'm not investing my heart completely in this relationship just yet."

"Thank god you can see that Ava. Now you and Brody on the other hand. That would be epic, you would be perfect."

Shaking my head I give a small giggle "We are mates Tori."

"So? He really cares about you, Ava. I can see it. I think he cares more about you than Jeremy does."

"Emma don't you start as well."

"You would make the cutest babies together."

"Oh, you two need to stop. Right, I'm heading over are you two coming?" Stepping down from the bus I walk through the back door of the arena with Tori and Emma still laughing and talking about my babies.

As the girls are prepping the band before the show, I get a few photos for the magazine. Brody seems a bit down again tonight he must be nervous or something. Placing my hand on his shoulder I look at him in the mirror. "Are you ok? You seem off?"

He looks directly into my eyes and speaks quietly.

"I'm ok just feeling a bit home sick."

"I know the feeling I miss home so much."

"Which home?"

"Australia, the apartment doesn't feel like home yet, I have been there for like a week. The bus feels more like home than that."

Laughing he smiles at me in the mirror. Turning around, I see Jeremy look back at us with a frown on his face. I walk over to him and climb onto his lap while Emma starts working on his hair.

Jeremy

Once we've all had our hair and make-up done we head out to backstage. There is no better feeling for me, than being on stage. I was born to be a performer. The lights, the atmosphere, the adrenalin, the crowd screaming; it's all fucking awesome. We hear the announcer introduce the band and I turn and give Ava a quick kiss before strolling out and taking my place behind the microphone. I look out at the sea of faces and squint at the bright, blinding lights.

"Salt Lake City! Are you ready to rock?" I shout out to the crowd and the reply is deafening.

Hunter taps his sticks together starting the intro to our first song and I take hold of the microphone stand ready to do my thing.

The show is over way too soon and we hang around for the usual meet and greet with the VIP fans. I'm standing in a large dressing room with a group of fans chatting about the show, when my eyes travel around the room to seek out Ava. I locate her standing to the side of the room with Brody. They don't realize I'm watching them and their body language is pretty intimate. She's leaning with her back against the wall and he's standing just to the side of her with an arm resting against the wall beside her. I know they are just friends, but any stranger seeing them together like that would swear they were a couple. Quickly excusing myself from the group of young girls, I make my way over to Ava and Brody. As I walk toward them Ava throws her head back and laughs at something Brody has said and as he gazes down at her I see something in his eyes that scares me. Is it lust, love, desire, or all of the above? It stops me in my tracks and I quickly turn around and head back in the opposite direction feeling like I'm imposing. This feeling stays with me throughout the meet and greet and hours later as I'm lying in bed with Ava tucked up in my arms I still can't shake the feeling that there is more to their relationship than they are both admitting.

The next morning we leave Salt Lake City and head to Phoenix, Arizona. It's another long trip and Ava and I play games and watch movies on her bus to pass the time. I invited myself onto her bus this time as I wanted to spend time with her without the other guys hanging around. I say guys, but I think deep down I mean Brody. We're seven weeks into our tour with only one week remaining and it's quite strange knowing that soon our lives will go back to normal. Our album is still sitting comfortably in the top 40 of the Billboard charts, but it doesn't seem to be rising anymore, so at this stage it is unclear if our record company will organize the national tour that was mentioned. We just have to wait and see.

Over the next few days we play three sold out shows in Phoenix and then we head onto our final leg of the tour; Vegas baby. We will play three shows in Vegas from the twenty eighth to the thirtieth of May and then we will head back to L.A and play our final show on the third of June.

After our first show in Vegas we all dress up and head out to one of the casinos to do some gambling. Ava looks smoking hot in a dark purple strapless cocktail dress that hugs her curvy figure to perfection and rests just below her thighs. It's a very risqué dress for her and I fucking love it. As we make our way around the casino I notice we are getting lots of admiring glances from males and females and it makes me feel a little possessive of her. I keep my arm around her waist for most of the night. I'm not sharing my little pocket rocket with anyone.

Brody

I can't take my eyes off Ava tonight. She looks so beautiful in that purple dress. As the seven of us sit around a table in the bar downing shot after shot, I find myself watching her. She's giggling at something Emma just said and the sound warms my heart. Glancing at Jeremy, his eyes are watching me, eyebrows drawn together and he's obviously not happy that he just caught me watching his girlfriend. Staring down at the drink in my hand I try to ignore the questions in his eyes as he watches me. Standing up I head over to the blackjack table and try to distract myself. Suddenly, Tori sits down in the stool beside me and bumps her shoulder against mine as she smiles sweetly.

"Hey, stud. You're quiet tonight."

Shrugging my shoulders, I don't know how to respond.

"She likes you too, you know."

Feigning confusion, I reply "Who?"

Tori rolls her eyes "The girl you've been lusting over all night. Ava."

Turning to face her, I notice the playful smile "I'm not lusting over her, Tori. She looks beautiful, but she always does."

Feeling a rough slap on my shoulder, I turn and see Hunter grinning down at me.

"Brody, are you chatting up my girl?" He's slurring his words a little and obviously had a bit too much to drink. He wraps his arms around Tori and they watch closely as I play a few more rounds. Pocketing my winnings, the three of us stand and head back to our table. In my absence, Jeremy must have consumed a few more drinks as he looks and sounds totally wasted. Ava pulls him up out of his chair and with a little help from Luke starts leading him toward the front door.

When we arrive back at the buses the group splits up and the girls head to their bus as we try to get Jeremy up the stairs and onto ours. He's like a rag doll as we drop him onto his bed and he is literally snoring seconds later.

The next morning I wake to the sound of retching and groan as I sit up. The toilet flushes and a minute later Jeremy appears looking as white as a ghost as he carefully lies back down on his bunk opposite me. Swinging my legs over the side of my bed, I stand up and by the time I throw on some shorts and running shoes he is snoring again. Grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge I make my way off the bus and head off for my morning run. I run for forty five minutes around the streets of Las Vegas noticing how different it looks in the morning without all of the neon lights. It's a hot morning and as I return to the bus I'm looking forward to a nice cool shower. Rounding the corner I see Ava stepping down off the band bus with a frown on her face. She spots me and smiles as she watches me run toward her, her eyes roaming over my bare chest as I come to a stop in front of her.

"Hey, what's up?"

Shrugging her shoulders she looks back at the bus. "Jeremy was supposed to be taking me to get a tattoo today. Don't think that will be happening though, he can't even get out of bed." She chuckles softly as she shakes her head.

"I can take you if you like."

She gazes up at me "Are you sure? You don't mind?"

"I'd be happy to. Just give me a minute to go shower and then we can head off."

"Okay. Thanks, Brody."

Twenty minutes later we arrive at the Tattoo Parlor. A young woman named Nikki greets us and after she and Ava discuss what kind of tattoo she will be getting she takes us back into a small room. As I realize she is the one that will be doing Ava's tattoo I'm actually a little relieved, especially when Ava unbuttons her jeans, slides them down her golden legs and steps out of them. She glances shyly at me as she stands in just a pink tank and light blue boy short panties. I feel like I should look away, but I just can't. The sight of her like this just takes my breath away. She hops up onto the chair and as Nikki prepares her work station, I let my gaze linger on Ava's gorgeous slender legs. There is a little muscle tone there from the running she does, but they still look soft and smooth and I long to run my hands up them. Nikki's voice pulls me from my thoughts.

"Now, I need you to roll down your panties and lift up your shirt."

Ava doesn't hesitate and pulls her tank up above her waist so that it rests just below her breasts, and then as she watches me nervously as she lowers her panties to sit below her hips, just covering her pubic area. I know that I shouldn't be enjoying the sight of my best friend's girlfriend half naked, but, fuck; this girl is so god damned beautiful.

I feel sweat beading on my brow as I try to keep my gaze on her face and I realize that my breathing is labored. This girl affects me in a way that no one ever has before and it scares me to realize that I am so in love with her, I would do anything for her.

"Come sit closer, Brody. I need you to hold my hand."

Moving my chair closer to hers I sit down and suck in a breath as I feel her hand grip onto mine. I realize then, that she is shaking a little and must be nervous. My thumb starts rubbing circles on the palm of her hand and she leans her head back closing her eyes. Her body tenses slightly as Nikki starts working on the tattoo and Ava's grip on my hand gets tighter as I feel her nails press gently into my palm. Her eyes open and lock onto mine. Every now and then she closes her eyes as she winces in pain but then after a few seconds her eyes come back to mine. There is something so intimate and sexy in watching her get this tattoo and I feel my body reacting so strongly. Leaning forward, I bring her hand up to my lips and place a gentle kiss on her fingertips.

Half an hour after she started, Nikki looks up at Ava "All done chicky." Ava stands up carefully and moves to look in the full length mirror on the wall.

Watching her reflection I grin as the huge smile lights up her face. "I love it!"

Ava gets dressed as Nikki explains how to keep the area clean and moist to prevent scabbing. We head out to the front of the shop and Ava settles her bill as I watch her noticing how happy she looks. This tattoo obviously means a lot to her and I'm so glad she went through with it. I'm also feeling really happy that I was the one that got to share this special moment with her.