Paper, Scissors, Rock

by Nicole S. Goodin

  A giggle slipped out.

  “Are you laughing at me?” he asked as he finally stopped talking and looked at me.

  “I’m sorry,” I choked out between giggles. “You’re just kinda cute when you’re in trouble.”

  He let out a deep breath and laughed at himself. “I’m terrible at this shit, babe, just tell me what to do.”

  “You’re terrible at it? You remember what happened with the last guy I was involved with, right?” I attempted to joke, even though it was anything but funny.

  His eyes turned cold and he grabbed both of my hands in his. “I swear to god, I ever lay eyes on that piece of shit ever again, and I’ll kill him for what he did to you.” He spat the words, his tone full of venom.

  Shivers ran over my skin at the sincerity in his voice.

  “But you’re too pretty for prison,” I told him, my voice all breathy.

  “There’s nothing pretty about me,” he growled as he lifted his body to hover above mine.

  He was wrong, so very wrong. He was dark and dangerous, and rugged and bad… but he was also pretty and sweet, and kind and genuine.

  I was in for one hell of a ride if I decided to keep seeing him. My head was telling me to get out while I still had a choice, but my heart was telling me to just hold on tight and enjoy it.

  “You gonna fight me on this, legs?” He licked his lips and my head lost the battle.

  I shook my head slowly. “Alright, rock star.” I answered, resigned. “But you ever believe something about me, without talking to me first, and I’m done,” I told him with all the authority I could manage.

  “Not gonna happen,” he murmured as he lowered himself closer to me.

  “I’m not gonna be your play thing,” I breathed as his lips lightly brushed mine.

  “You’re nobody’s play thing, Charlotte.”

  The relief I felt from being allowed to kiss her again was insane. I’d never experienced something so satisfying – and she’d barely even touched me yet.

  The things this girl does to me…

  I’d admitted to myself, her, and even to Jasper, that she was different.

  She’s something more.

  There was something inside of me that had just snapped from the first moment I’d laid eyes on her. I never acted like the crazy bastard I’d been for the last few days, but here I was, begging a woman for forgiveness.

  First time for everything.

  She was so beautiful, so fragile. She looked like a little, china doll, and even though she was proving to be anything but breakable, I still felt this overwhelming urge to look after her. My body was always on alert when she was near, as though she might need me to take a bullet, or push her out of the path of a rogue bus or something.

  Losing my damn mind.

  ‘Protective instincts’ Jasper had told me it was. Well if that’s what this feeling was, then my protective instincts for this girl were off the charts.

  He’d then proceeded to sing ‘Parker and Charlotte, sitting in a tree’ and make kissing noises like the five-year-old he was – so I’d taken his advice with a grain of salt.

  But sitting here now, with her in my arms, I knew he was right.

  I’d give it all to protect this girl.

  I was relaxed back against her couch and she was leaning against me, her back to my front. I inhaled deeply against her hair as I played with one of the rings she was wearing.

  “What shampoo do you use?” I asked her absently. She smelt so good, but I couldn’t put a name to the scent.

  “I dunno, rock star, a pink bottle?” she replied, twisting in my arms so she could look at me.

  I smiled in reflex to the amused expression she was wearing.

  “Why?” she questioned.

  “I wanna know.”

  She shook her head as she laughed at me. “You are the strangest man I’ve ever met,” she informed me as she promptly jumped up to her feet.

  I grabbed for her, but missed. “Where are you going?” I demanded.

  She turned back and raised an eyebrow at me. “To find out what freakin’ shampoo I use, you big weirdo.”

  Damn right.

  I’m gonna buy that shit in bulk.

  I was one lucky son of a bitch to be here – forgiven by this stunning little firecracker.

  Charlotte and I had sat together on her couch and talked it all out for hours and hours. She’d told me all about her relationship with Stephen, from the emotional abuse, to the breakup and his sabotage of her career. She’d told me about how her and Hannah had clawed their way back and were now doing better than ever.

  After hearing all of that, I couldn’t believe that she’d been so quick to forgive the way I’d acted and how I’d judged her.

  She really is something special.

  I’d tried to explain why I’d jumped to conclusions and made the wrong assumptions without checking the facts first. I was almost programmed now to believe that people were out to get me – there hadn’t been anybody new in a long time that had wanted to get to know me for who I really was and not just to say they knew the ‘me’ that the world saw.

  I’d told her about how, after a little digging, I’d found out that Nelly had inflated most of the information she’d told me – she was hoping to make Charlotte look bad. She’d even fooled Kelvin into telling her the address of her and Hannah’s apartment, which she’d promptly made public to anyone with a camera in a ten mile radius.

  To say she was manipulative was a fucking understatement.

  God knows what else she’s been up to.

  It was no excuse for my behaviour, but I wanted her to know I didn’t go around throwing accusations at people whenever I felt like it. I also wanted to ensure that she wasn’t going to set her brothers on me. Those boys sounded like they wouldn’t stop short of committing murder if their baby sister asked them to.

  I found myself feeling jealous of their relationship. No matter what, they’d always had and would have each other’s backs. I had no siblings, but I did have Jasper, and he was the closest thing to a brother I’d ever known.

  Charlotte had made a solid point when she’d suggested that I shouldn’t have people around me that I didn’t trust.

  Trust… that was the problem.

  Jasper, Nona, Sammy and Kelvin were the only people I could safely say I trusted one hundred percent these days. I had a feeling that a mere click of her finger would have Charlotte on that list too. I’d misjudged her once, but I knew now that I could trust her.

  “What about family? Or people you grew up with?” she suggested as she cut the vegetables for dinner.

  I was lurking around, not being of any real help in the food prep, but not wanting to go and sit down either. I just wanted to be near her. Today was a rare, fluke day off for both her and I. I’d had Jasper cancel the meetings and studio plans I had for today, and Charlotte and Hannah had been forced to cancel their clients this morning when their apartment door was still swamped with paparazzi.

  I felt guilty, but I wasn’t exactly sorry about it. It’d scored me the day with her, and it was damn well worth it.

  “I’ve got some good mates working backstage and doing some of my promotion work,” I told her as I snagged a piece of carrot from the chopping board. “And a guy I’ve known since kindergarten takes care of my social media and all that bullshit.”

  “That’s good.” She nodded in approval.

  “There’s obviously the guys from the band when they’re around, and my cousins insisted that they do my shopping for me… clothes and groceries and shit… but I think those girls are just looking for an excuse to go spending up large with my credit cards.”

  She laughed loudly. “You give them free reign on your credit cards?”

  I shrugged. “Yeah, why not? It’s only money, right? It’s not like I’m short on it.”

  “What do they buy?”

  “Fucked if I know.” I chuckled. “But last time I checked, forever twenty-one didn’t sell m
en’s clothes.”

  She laughed again. “You know, it’s pretty cute that you let them do that.”

  I bit the carrot in half. “Don’t you go telling the boys about that… it’ll screw with my bad-ass reputation.”

  She rolled her eyes and leant her hip against the bench. “Oh yeah, you’re just bad to the bone, aren’t you?”

  I snaked my hand around her middle and tugged her flush against my body. I dipped my head down to kiss her soft, pouty lips.

  She made that little sigh noise that did messed up things to my insides and I knew that this girl was going to be the end of everything I thought I knew.

  “I’ll do the dishes,” Parker announced as he rose from his chair.

  “Damn right you will,” I told him, my voice teasing. “It’s your fault I’ve been lumped with them in the first place.”

  He grabbed my plate and shot me a grin that made my heart leap in my chest.

  I watched him stroll into the kitchen, swagger in his step, and sighed at the sight.

  Beside me, I heard Hannah make the same noise.

  I was finally ready to admit it, the man was gorgeous. I was having a hard time figuring out why I hadn’t gone for the dark, handsome and covered in tattoos type before.

  No one does tall, dark and dangerous like he does.

  “Parker Sloan is doing my dishes,” Hannah hissed at me.

  I rolled my eyes and carried on watching the show. I hadn’t had much of a chance to just stare and appreciate. He was always looking at me.

  “Mmmm,” Hannah hummed in appreciation. “That is one fine specimen.”

  “Eyes off my man,” I instructed without looking away from his t-shirt-clad torso as he reached up for something from the highest shelf.

  His shirt rose, revealing a strip of tanned, tattooed flesh on his back.

  Oh god, I am so screwed.

  “Your man, huh?” Han replied with barely concealed amusement.

  Parker bent down to look for something in the cupboard under the sink.

  I bit down on my lip, the sight of his fine ass making me want to drag him to the bedroom and have him do dirty things to me.

  “Uh huh,” I mumbled to her without looking, all of my attention on the man in front of me. “I’m not even sorry,” I muttered.

  “Where’s the brush?” he called over his shoulder.

  “Try that top shelf,” Hannah called back, knowing full well he wouldn’t find it there.

  Parker reached up again, and this time I caught a glimpse of not only his sexy back, but a sliver of his toned abdomen too.

  Good god.

  We both sighed again in appreciation of the view.

  “No?” he called back when his search came up empty.

  “Maybe under the sink?” I offered.

  Hannah and I laughed lightly as he bent down to look again.

  The brush was in the drawer right next to him, but I was enjoying the show too much to stop him now.

  “Nope,” he called back as he spun around to face us.

  Hannah was faster than I was and didn’t get caught making eyes at him, I wasn’t as quick off the mark.

  He smirked at me in that bad-boy way he had down pat. “Like what you see, legs?”

  Fuck it… I’m owning it.

  I nodded slowly and licked my lips in an attempt to tease him.

  He stayed where he was, but the tense of the muscles in his arms and shoulders gave him away.

  I affect him too.

  “It’s in the top drawer.,” I admitted sheepishly.

  He grinned and muttered under his breath something that sounded a lot like ‘you’ll be the death of me, woman’.

  “I’m not gonna rush this,” I told him firmly as we said goodbye at the door. “I need to spend some more time figuring out what kind of guy you are before I go giving it up.”

  “Giving what up?” he asked, frown lines appearing on his brow. He was leaning against the door frame, towering over me in that sexy way men did in the movies.

  “You know…” I insisted with a blush.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about?” He shook his head in confusion.

  “My… you know…” I mumbled.

  “Her vagina!” Hannah called loudly from the kitchen.

  Jesus.

  Parker spat out a laugh and shot me a knowing smirk, his poker face slipping.

  Bastard knew exactly what I meant.

  “Thanks for that, Han!” I yelled back, now thoroughly embarrassed.

  Parker dipped his head to look into my eyes. He lightly gripped my chin between his thumb and fingers and tilted my head up.

  “I would never rush you,” he promised. “I’ll do my best to jump through any hoop to prove what kind of guy I really am.”

  “Why’d you have to go and turn all sweet?” I breathed.

  He grinned wickedly.

  “You were so much easier to turn down when you were a cocky prick,” I complained, my eyes still locked on his.

  His pupils dilated slightly.

  “Oh, babe, I’m still that cocky prick, but there’s no way you’re getting away from me now.”

  His voice held authority and promise, but not the kind to be feared… the kind to be anticipated.

  I felt myself shudder under his intense gaze.

  He was doing that thing again where he just oozed sex appeal. I liked to think of myself as a capable woman who was in control of her emotions, but there was something about this man that was slowly turning me into putty in his hands.

  “I think you’d better go,” I whispered. I was hanging onto my last shred of self-control.

  “Judging by those eyes you’re giving me, I think I should stay.” He smirked, knowing exactly how quickly my resolve was crumbling.

  I shoved him lightly, further out the door. “Not gonna happen, rock star.” I grinned.

  “Call me Parker,” he growled at me.

  “I don’t believe I’ve ever met a Parker?” I pretended to ponder the thought. “I just met some egotistical rock star in a club.” I shrugged innocently at him.

  “You serious?” He huffed out a breath.

  I shot him a ‘deadly serious’ look.

  Lesson one for Parker Sloan: being famous wasn’t gonna cut it.

  Not even close.

  I tugged her into me and grumbled into her ear. “All this ‘rock star’ bullshit… it’s all because I didn’t introduce myself to you properly?”

  I saw goosebumps forming on her creamy skin, and I gave myself a mental high five for gaining that kind of reaction from her.

  “Mmm hmm,” she murmured against my chest, and I felt some goosebumps of my own rising. “You’re rude.”

  I chuckled. I wasn’t going to get away with a thing when it came to this girl. She wasn’t going to put up with a single ounce of my bullshit.

  Guess this is my first hoop to jump.

  “Charlotte?” I asked as I leant back to look at her.

  She raised a perfect eyebrow at me.

  “I’m Parker. It’s nice to meet you.”

  Her eyes softened, and even though I thought this was a fuckin’ waste of time, it was worth it to see that look on her face.

  “Parker.” She smiled and my name rolled off her tongue, sweet as honey. “It’s nice to finally meet you too.”

  Jesus.

  I’m so far gone.

  I went home that night the most full of inspiration I could remember being. I headed straight for my in-home studio and grabbed my acoustic guitar.

  Normally, I had to make notes on paper, work them and re-work them, over and over, just to get any resemblance of flow or structure.

  But not today.

  Today the words just flew out of me. The entire drive home, my brain had been filled with chords, melodies and lyrics and I strummed the tune effortlessly now.

  It was about her.

  “Captured my attention… can’t think straight…”

  “Got me walking
in circles… always handing out questions that I can’t take.”

  “Can’t explain what she’s doing to me.”

  “Her eyes see more than what I give… cut through my facade…”

  I belted out all of the words I had running through my mind.

  It could be good.

  Fuck it… it would be great.

  I strummed the final chord on the guitar and sat there silently, breathing hard.

  “Where the hell’d that come from?” Jasper drawled from the doorway.

  I just about dropped my guitar in shock – I’d made the mistake of thinking I was alone.

  “Shit, man. Sneak up on a guy why don’t ya?” I huffed.

  He ignored me. “Well? I haven’t heard that before.”

  “Just came to me,” I mumbled as I reached for my lyric book to write it all down while it was fresh – even though I knew it was all recorded.

  My studio had this innovative tech system installed. It began recording the minute someone walked in the door. I was well known for having moments of brilliance and then forgetting how it went two minutes later. The idea had been Jasper’s. It was the best investment I’d made for my music.

  “Hell of a song,” he acknowledged.

  The silence stretched between us, me writing, him watching.

  I was normally like a little kid on Christmas morning when I’d written a new song. I couldn’t wait to play it for J – he was both my biggest fan and my harshest critic. But this felt too private… too intimate to share with him yet.

  “I take it she didn’t kick your sorry ass to the curb then?” he finally asked.

  I shook my head as I scrawled the words across the page. “Nah, I got a break I didn’t deserve... she’s something else that girl.”

  “You are one lucky son of a bitch,” Jasper replied in agreement.

  I dropped the pen into the spine of my song book and looked up at him. He had more to say – I could tell.

  “Say what you wanna say,” I offered.

  Jasper didn’t need to be told twice. “Don’t fuck it up this time. You might not know it yet, but that girl is gonna be the start of something good for you, man. She’s a game changer.”