Wonderlust (Steel Roses #1) (14 page)

“I’m glad you’re staying here with me and not going back to London.” His entire body was pressed against mine.

“Me too,” I muttered, watching his lips. My breath was erratic, my chest heaving up and down. I wanted him to kiss me.

“I need to ask you a favor,” he whispered, moving toward my neck. “It’s Diego’s birthday in a few weeks, and I want to hold a surprise party here, but the drama queen will find out if I plan it.”

“I can do that,” I panted as his hands moved from my hips to my back. I was pinned against his chest now. Swallowing hard, I placed my hands on his shoulders to steady myself.

“Thank you. I’m glad you jumped, by the way,” he grinned, tossing me into the water again playfully.

Half an hour later, we’d both dried off and changed. I hadn't seen Diego or Shane since we’d gotten back, but Mary had given me a wave while Alex and I had been playing in the pool. Alex led me upstairs to the top floor. I didn’t know why I was suddenly so nervous.

I gasped as he opened the double doors. This suite was for
me
? The room was massive. An impressive oak, four-poster bed draped in purple fabric was the first thing I noticed. The back wall was all glass, which gave a panoramic view of the Hollywood Hills. There was a large desk and dresser, plus a white leather couch on the other side of the room. I also noticed a few doors at the far end of the room.

“Your bathroom is through there.” Alex gestured toward one of the doors.

“Alex, this is too much. I can’t stay in here,” I gasped, walking farther into the room and running my hand down one of the posts on the bed. There was a huge flat screen TV mounted to the wall, too.

“You’ve earned this, Nat. Don’t over think it. Come on, there’s more too see.” More? Still gaping at the space, I followed him as he opened two double doors. “This is a joint living room. My bedroom is through there. You can access the private balcony through the double doors next to it.” A large cinema sized TV took center stage in the room and was surrounded by more white leather couches. This living space was a lot different than downstairs. It was more calming, with lots of pastels and whites and scattered cushions. Basically, it had a woman’s touch.

“So, you and Milly lived up here?” I mused, following him out onto the gigantic balcony. Holy shit! This wasn’t a balcony! It was the size of my mum and dad’s garden back home! It had a large metal table with eight chairs, a large, white garden umbrella, and four sun loungers scattered around.

“Yeah. It worked well. It’s a big enough space to have some privacy, too. No one uses this balcony but me, and now you.” Going to the edge, I looked over. Now I knew how Alex had watched Shane and me by the pool a month ago. “There’s a great view of the pool from here.”

“I can see that.”

“So what do you think?”

“I don’t think I deserve all this.”

“Don’t be modest. You don’t have an easy job, having to put up with me.” He nudged me playfully, leaning against the balcony ledge. “Do you want to see my room? Or is that asking too much?”

“That depends.” Tilting his head, he urged me to continue with his eyes. “You’re not trying to get me into your bedroom for a
reason
, are you?”

“Straight Lace, would I do that?” Putting his hand over his heart, he pouted. Jesus, those lips!

“Come on then. Let’s get this over with.” Truthfully, I couldn’t wait to see his bedroom. Would it give any clues to the real Alex?

The first thing I noticed was his large, four-poster metal bed. The metal was all twisted and looked damaged. Was that symbolic? It reminded me a little of the enchanted forest in Snow White, if I was being honest. A jukebox was lit up in the far corner of the room, and there were fur rugs everywhere. Several guitars were mounted on his back wall, plus there was a grand piano in the corner of the room. He had a large, red wall in the back that spanned the length of the room. There were a few abstract paintings on his walls, along with various awards that he’d been given over the years. I had to chuckle because it was all so rock star-ish.

“What do you think?” he asked, walking into the middle of the room.

“I knew you’d have fur rugs,” I snorted, following him into the room. “Where is the rotating bed?”

“I got rid of that a few years ago,” he teased, his eyes alive with humor. “I’ve kept some of the ceiling mirrors, though. I get them out on special occasions.”

“I see.” Trying to keep a straight face, I wandered over to his large, metal bookshelf that came out of the back wall and divided the space well. It was full of old CDs and videotapes, as well as several books. “
The Miracle of Mindfulness?
That’s a bit deep for you,” I grinned, reading one of the book titles.

“You can learn a lot from Buddha.”

“You’re a Buddhist?”

“No,” he sighed. “I’m a recovering drug addict and alcoholic.” He honestly floored me. What had possessed him to admit that to me? “You’re smart not to get mixed up with me, Straight Lace.”

“The first step to recovering from an addiction is admitting that you have it.” It was also resisting temptation, but I wasn’t going to tell him that…not when he’d just bared his soul to me in one statement.

“I admitted it a long time ago, Nat. I’m past saving. Drugs and Alcohol, they’re a part of me now. It’s like I’m on this never ending cycle. I’ll never be free of them, no matter what I do. I stop for a while when the doctor tells me my health is at risk, then when I’m clear, I start again.”

“Think of the damage it’s doing, though, Alex. If you keep it up, you won’t live past fifty.”

“Some people might say that would be good thing.” He was so dejected as he spoke.

“Why would you say that?” I gasped. “That’s a horrible thing to say!” He shrugged, moving to pick up an acoustic guitar that was leaning against his bed. Oh God, was he going to play? I needed to sit down!

“When you start to feel as if your life isn’t yours anymore, you lose the will to care about what might happen next.”

“Why would you feel that way?” Perching in the corner of his bed, I closed my eyes as he began to gently strum a few chords I knew well. It was the intro to
Slay Me
.

“I have a reputation to live up to. I crossed the line of fact and fiction a long time ago. I
am
that asshole rock star. You’ve been right all along.”

“You’re not
that
bad,” I snorted.

“I am, Nat. Fuck, if you knew the shit I’ve done…” He trailed off, his eyes dropping to his guitar. “All I’m saying is, you made a wise choice keeping your distance from me.” Why was he telling me this
now
?

“I’m a clever girl.” I managed to force a smile, but was so confused by the conversation.

“That you are,” he grinned, suddenly standing up. “Come on, let’s get you moved into your new bedroom.” He was done opening his soul up to me for the time being, but I really hoped with me moving onto the same floor as him, that he’d open up more as the weeks passed.

“Say that again?” I wasn’t sure I’d heard him right.

“I get stage fright when I haven’t performed for a while.” He
had
to be joking. He was a
rock star
! I mean, the man had played in front of millions of fans over the years!

Taking the whiskey bottle, I glared at him. “You promised your friend you would do this, now get in the damn car. You’re already late!” We’d touched down at the airport, but we still had a ten mile drive. I was glad there was a domestic airport near by. Atlanta would have been too far to drive from.

“That’s easy for you to say. You don’t have to sing!” Alex sulked, getting into the car. “I can’t even sing my
own
fucking songs.” Turning my head, I giggled. I was looking forward to meeting Mr. Kirkham. He had quite the sense of humor. “Can you believe the fucker? He said all my songs are crap! At least he’s paying me, I guess.”

“You’re giving that money to charity!”

“Like
fuck
I am,” he glared, trying to grab the whiskey bottle.

“Don’t you dare! You’re not doing this drunk! You’ll forget the words. This is an important day for your friend.”

About ten minutes later, we pulled up to a very impressive estate. I got to look around once Alex had been shown to his dressing room because I’d agreed to get him some coffee. Mr. Kirkham didn’t look happy when he saw the state Alex was in, so I left them to have it out. He wasn’t your typical CEO. The man was seriously good looking. His wife-to-be was a lucky woman, for sure. He could hold a room, too, but with the power he had over the weapons industry, you could understand why.

Trying to find the kitchen, I noticed two females, a redhead and brunette, and a blonde haired male near an entrance to the mansion. They looked like models.

“Excuse me, I’m trying to get a coffee for Alex Harbour. Do you know where the kitchen is please?”

“You know Alex Harbour?” the brunette squealed. “Where is he?”

“Getting ready to go on stage. I’m his PA.”

“I want your job,” she pouted.

“I don’t mind swapping,” I teased, looking toward the attractive blonde man. The redhead was giving me her bitch brow, but I had no idea why.

“The kitchen is through there,” he said with a warm smile, “and I’d be careful who you swap jobs with. Molly doesn’t do a normal nine to five.”

“Neither do I,” I grinned. “Thank you.” I felt their eyes on me as I made my way toward the kitchen.

“You can take a thermos of coffee to him, if you want.” I heard Mr. Kirkham behind me once I found the kitchen. “Here.” Watching him reach to get a thermos and pass it to me, I smiled.

“Thank you. He’ll be fine after this, I promise.”

“You seem to be very good with him. I’ve never seen Alex put in his place by a woman before.”

“We have a love-hate relationship.” He laughed at that. “Don’t let me keep you. You must have a lot to do.”

“I do, indeed. I need to get my girlfriend before she works out what’s going on. I can’t believe I pulled all this off without her finding out.”

“I think it’s beautiful what you’re doing for her.”

“Thank you. Let’s hope she says yes.” He grinned before leaving.

“Drink this,” I ordered, passing the coffee to Alex as I entered his dressing room. He didn’t protest.