Rock Me Deep (28 page)

I battled the urge to probe further. The issue was moot, luckily, when a familiar car roared into the parking lot. As one, we all twisted to follow the vehicle until it halted a few feet away. Before anyone climbed from the car, I was moving.

Lola managed to crack the door, starting to unbuckle. “Drez—” Pushing her in the seat, I ended my name on her tongue with a kiss. Under my touch, she twitched and melted with rising excitement. I could sense her tensing, feel her muscles giving way. It was good that she was sitting.

“That's a nice way to say hello,” Brenda said. I didn't bother looking at my manager. I was too eager to fill my vision with this beautiful fucking girl. The burger I'd eaten had done nothing for me. She was the real cause of my famine, and now, I had her to gorge myself on. “Why don't I get greetings like that?” Brenda laughed, shutting the door loudly.

Breaking the kiss, I thrilled at the desperate, sharp inhale Lola made. Leaning back enough to gaze on her blushing cheeks, I also saw her sparkling eyes.

Eyes like her brother's.

I was reminded why I'd been consumed with panic all day. “Where the hell were you?” I asked, crushing the edges of the car seat.

Her delicious lips fell open. “Oh. It's kind of a long story. Mostly, we had a flat tire.”

“
Mostly?
”

Rubbing her tattoo, Lola glanced to the side. “Let me tell you about it later. Brenda said as we were pulling in that we need to hurry and do sound check.”

I flushed with a million things; frustration, bitterness, and the all too powerful desire to just keep Lola right there and taste her again.
Sound check.
Not backing out of the open car door, I noticed Sean scowling at me from the corner of my eye. “Fine. Later. But I want to know everything.”

Stiffening, Lola squeezed her arm again. “Sure. Okay.”

Whatever she was worrying about, I wanted to erase it. Thumbing her lower lip, I buried my mouth on hers once more. Our tongues glided together, her moan soft, for my ears only. I
felt
it more than I heard it. With as much control as I could muster, I released her and backed away.

Sliding free, Lola smoothed her hair. The glow on her skin was from me, and I reveled in it. The young woman froze, spotting her brother where he hovered nearby. “Sean?” she asked, taking a single step out of the car. “What's going on, why are you hanging out here?”

I knew what 'here' meant; why was he hanging out with
me?

“You wouldn't answer your phone,” Sean said, palming his neck. “I got worried, thought you were avoiding me.”

Brenda cleared her throat. “Blame me. I didn't want us worrying anyone, or for people to try and come help us despite us not needing it.” Her eyes shot to me pointedly. “We got a busted tire, took a bit for someone to come out and fix it, that's all.”

“You couldn't have just texted me to say that's what was up?” Sean asked, wearing his hurt on his sleeve.

“Not just that.” Shaking her head violently, Lola lifted her phone and opened it. The black screen gazed back at us. “It died early on, I forgot to charge it last night. I couldn't have said anything if I had wanted to.”

Her phone died?
The knowledge left me nervous.
What if this had been an actual emergency?
Reaching out, I took Lola by the wrist. “Come on, let's go.”

“Slow down,” Sean said through gritted teeth. “I need to talk to her first!”

“I thought you just wanted to make sure she was okay?” I asked. Keeping my hold on Lola, I peered at Sean over my shoulder. I didn't see Lola's irritation until she pulled free from me with a grunt.

Rubbing her wrist gingerly, she frowned my way. “Let me talk to him, we can all walk over to sound check together. It won't mess up the schedule.”

It'll take away from the time I want with just you,
I thought darkly. I was being greedy, but I chose not to voice it.
I'll have her to myself soon enough.
“Fine.” Ruffling my hair, I glanced sideways at Sean. “Let's walk and talk, then.”

My manager, phone to her ear, waved someone down. “In the trunk,” she said to the young man, “There's a bunch of food. Hopefully nothing went bad, it's been a bit since the store. Load it onto the bus—and you.” Those chocolate eyes stabbed at me. “We need to hurry, so less 'walk' and more 'jog' to the building.”

Taking my eyes off of Lola and her brother, the two of them strolling with their heads together in front of me, I wrinkled my nose. “It's not my fault you're so late. Speaking of which, what the hell was that bullshit about not calling me to tell me what was wrong?”

She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Speaking softly, Brenda leaned towards me as we walked. “Be angry at me if you want, but with all the alone time I got with Lola, she finally opened up to me. I learned... some hard stuff. I think it really helped her to get it off her chest.”

My mind was floored. Watching the siblings, I saw how hunched Sean's shoulders were. The guy looked
pissed
. Abruptly, Sean broke away. The guitarist stomped off to the side, no longer heading towards the back door of Belly Up.

“Uh oh,” Brenda mumbled next to me.

We came to a halt beside the girl, her sapphire eyes fixed on the fleeing back of her brother. The hurt in her face was tangible. “What happened? Why'd he leave like that?” I asked, curling an arm around her waist in an attempt to comfort—or claim—her.

“It's stupid,” she said quickly, features smoothing to hide any emotion. “He's just being a jerk. He wanted to know what went down, and I said I'd talk to him about it another time.”

Colt, who had followed us as we moved, bent down to grab Lola's shoulder gently. “Don't let it get to you. Siblings can be real assholes to each other, take it from me.” The wink he offered softened the teasing.

Lifting her head, Lola broke into a weak smile. “You said before that you had a brother. I remember that now. Does he get like this sometimes?”

The lanky guy waved a hand, displaying three fingers. “I have three brothers,
and
two sisters.” He chuckled at Lola's amazed gawking. “And do they get like what, immature stuck up babies? Yeah, every single one of them has at some point. It's normal.”

“Hey,” I said, breaking into the discussion. “Let's just get set for the show tonight, we can worry about family dynamics when things aren't so time sensitive.”

Covering her mouth, Brenda gasped dramatically. “Holy shit, has the real Drezden Halifax returned to us? I thought you'd been replaced by a selfish prick who didn't
care
about schedules anymore!”

My eyes became slits. “I always cared.”

Lifting her hands, she spun on a heel and opened the back door. “I could have sworn that the man I had to drag out of the hotel this morning didn't care about leaving on time. That's all I'm saying.”

Lola and I shared a look. Her face was pink, a rose in bloom; I was sure she was thinking about what we'd done. Any anger at Brenda for busting my balls dissipated at the tiny, private smile the girl sent me.

There were many thoughts roaming my skull that evening. Most of them suspicious, dark things that traveled from the root of my past to the dawn of my problems cropping up on this tour.

Gripping Lola's hip, guiding her into Belly Up, I made a decision.

She
was my main thought.

For that evening.

And for as long as I could keep her
at my side.

Lola

––––––––

S
ean wouldn't look at me during sound check.

Every lick of music I made was haphazard, my eyes trying to force my brother's attention towards me. By the time the set was done, all I had to show for my effort was a massive migraine.

I should have just told him.
The guitar felt heavier than usual; a reminder that it, like my first, had been a gift from Sean.
Should have just taken five minutes to tell him I'd gotten stalked at the mall, had a tire sabotaged, and then spilled my guts to Brenda.

Hanging my head, I snapped the instrument's case shut. I barely got off the stage before Drezden moved beside me. His words, his heat, clung to me. “Everything alright? You seemed distracted up there.”

Tossing a quick look at Sean across the room, I noticed Drez following my eyes. “I'm stressing over him ignoring me," I said.

“I could drag him over here for you,” the singer said casually. I wrenched my head around to stare at him; he was smirking like a champ. “Or... you could give him some time alone to think.”

Chuckling, I let my shoulders slide down. “Does that mean your offer isn't really on the table?”

Bending low, Drezden traced his fingers along the nape of my neck. Knowing everyone could see, that Drezden didn't give a shit, set my senses on hyper-aware. “I'll do anything you ask me to, Lola. Want me to drag him here kicking and screaming? Just say the words.”

A tremble shook me to my knees.
How do words work?
He was too talented at stealing my control. “No,” I rasped. “Giving him some time is fine.”

He kissed me once, teasing with his teeth. “You know,” he whispered, dragging a thumb-pad over my jugular, “They might need to put makeup on your neck tonight. You're covered in my hickies.”

I clasped a palm over my throat. “Shit, that's right.”
I forgot about the bruises!

Straightening, his hands let me go... but his stare kept me ensnared. Tucking his fingers into his pockets, Drezden didn't hide the smoldering hunger in his angular face. “If they try, don't let them.”

“What?”

“Don't let them hide my marks.” Wild fire flickered in his green eyes. “I want the world to see what I did to you.”

One beat, four beats, a million beats; my heart couldn't take it. Unable to articulate my thoughts, I gave him a tiny nod. His instant, sly grin made my mouth feel fuzzy.

“Fuck,” he growled, “I want to get alone with you.”

“No. No no no.” Brenda strolled forward, a clipboard in her hand. She wielded it like a giant hammer, smacking Drez on the top of his head—lightly, but he still winced. “No one runs off. This place is going to get packed in less than an hour. I need you all to stick around.”

Drez lifted his eyebrows at her. Grabbing my wrist, the singer pulled me towards the rear exit of the bar. I let him take me, I didn't even struggle.

“Hey!” Our manager waved her arms, shouting at us, drawing every eye in the room. “What did I just say?”

“I'm not sure,” Drez said. "I think that clipboard gave me a concussion."

"I said
get back here!"
she shouted. "You heard me the first time!"

Chuckling, he kept on walking. "Okay, I heard you. I still need a smoke break." He spared only a second to glance down at me, mystery leaking from his muted smile. “I always smoke before a show.”

Behind us, Brenda was still yelling. It wasn't even words; just frustrated groans. We stepped through a door and into the parking lot. It was chilly, the air waking up the parts of my brain that Drez had managed to weaken.

I asked, “Are you really going out for a smoke?” In my heart, I knew he wasn't.

I just wanted to hear the truth out loud.

Peering around, taking in the fading light above, he answered me with a voice crafted from honey. “No. Of course not.” In the growing shadows, his face was a puzzle. “It's you I want. Lola Cooper... my new addiction.”

****

M
y question about where we would go was cleared up before I voiced it.

The inside of the trailer was empty. I figured it must have been meant for some of the crew, all of which were now inside Belly Up. There was little to see but some fold-up chairs, a small card table, and leftover coffee and snacks on the counter.

The sharp 'click' behind me was a warning. Twisting, I saw Drezden's fingers leave the locking bolt. No one could get inside anymore.

I was trapped with Drezden Halifax.

He's going to wreck me before the show!
The realization was chilling.
There's no way I can play after he's through with me, he'll rip me to shreds, I'll forget the songs!

The word 'wait' was on my tongue.

The answer of 'no' poured from his eyes.

He shoved me against the trailer wall, the building vibrated from impact;
I
vibrated. The marrow in my bones shook with my fear, but also my anticipation. Even if I knew it was a bad idea to do this, I still
wanted
him.

Where the kiss started, I couldn't say. The ending was what mattered; it was what allowed me to finally breathe. “Drez,” I said weakly, searching his face for clarity. “Wait, hold on, we can't—the show will start soon!”

“They don't need us for the start.”

“But I want to see my brother play!”

“And I,” the singer murmured, “Want you.” Gripping my middle, he slid his palms down until they met the top of my jeans. His thumbs hooked in, sandwiching between the denim and my skin.

I endured a flutter of pleasure. It forced my head back, my eyes shutting.
If he keeps going, I won't be able to resist him. And then I'll miss Barbed Fire.
Suddenly, I understood what was happening.

It hit me hard, left me cold under Drezden's expert fingers.

He's making me choose between him... and Sean.
Since my brother had played his first show at school, I'd watched every single one of his performances. When he started bringing me along to help at shows, I'd jumped in whole-hog.

That was how I'd gotten my first taste of Four and a Half Headstones. Their music had turned my life around; Drezden's lyrics had soothed my soul.

And now, the man who crafted that music?
Lifting my chin, I stared into his acid-green eyes.
He's right here, making me pick between him—the guy I'm falling for—or the brother who's supported me from the start.

My lips spread, preparing to say something—anything—that would free me from Drezden's spell. His fingers closed on my bottom lip, peeled it down, exposed the sensitive inside. His agile tongue slid side to side, tasting the soft flesh until I forgot what I was even doing.