Rock Star Romance Ultimate: Volume 1

by Olivia Cunning, Jayne Frost, RB Hilliard, Crystal Kaswell, Michelle Mankin, Emily Snow, Athena Wright

  He raised an auburn brow. I’d seen Avery do that same thing when something amused her.

  I sauntered toward Lace, wedging myself between them.

  Amuse yourself with a view of my backside motherfucker. That’s all you’ll be getting. You can’t have her.

  “Bry,” she breathed. The sound of her voice had the usual effect, only worse because it’d been so long. Too long. I wanted to close my eyes and fill my lungs with her addictive sweet vanilla scent.

  “Lace.” I put my hand on her arm instead. I had to touch her. I needed to feel her warmth. Her skin against mine.

  She swallowed. “What are you doing here?”

  I heard the trembling uncertainty in her voice.

  “Mary flew all of us up for a meeting,” Dizzy quickly explained, his eyes flicking briefly to me.

  Good save Dizzy. I shot him back a grateful look. Damn, I needed a cigarette bad right now, but I’d been trying to quit. I’d actually been in town for two weeks, getting my plans together. And keeping an eye on her. Stalking would be too strong a word, but I pretty much knew her routine by now. I’d thought she might have even spotted me once at the Armani Exchange, but if she had, she gave no indication now.

  “Oh, I thought…” Disappointment dimmed the light of expectation in her expression. Her response gave me a boost of hope.

  “Aren’t you going to introduce me to everyone?” Justin asked from behind me.

  This dude was pissing me off. I wanted him g.o.n.e. I turned to him, my eyes narrowing, but Dizzy got in between us. He offered him a civilized hand shake, averting a full blown conflict. While the two of them played nice, I zeroed in on Lace, moved closer, using that voice on her, the tone that always made her eyes darken. “I need to talk to you.”

  It worked again. Her pupils dilated and she licked her lips. “Alright,” she whispered.

  Thank, God. All my plans hinged on her agreement. The hands had been dealt. My heart was the ante. It was time to lay my cards on the table. I touched her shoulder and felt her body vibrate beneath my palm. “I have some things I have to do first, but I’ll meet you here around six, ok?”

  She nodded.

  “Dizzy,” I called. “Got everything you need?”

  “Right here.” He patted his coat pocket discretely.

  “Good, thanks.” I shifted back to her, tracing her smooth cheek with my thumb. She shivered. “I’ll see you tonight.”

  ***

  Lace

  I watched him leave the building with that easy saunter of his. I trembled with the control it took not to chase after him.

  What was going on?

  What was he up to?

  Why the delay? What was going to happen at six?

  I turned to Dizzy, the questions on my lips.

  “Uh-uh,” my brother shook his head, reading my expression. “I’m sworn to secrecy.” He hugged me. “Don’t look so worried.”

  I drew back and took in a deep breath.

  “He’s the one.” Justin hooked a thumb over his shoulder. “The guy you said you’d never get over.”

  I’d forgotten that he was even there.

  “Looks to me like the feeling’s entirely mutual.”

  “I hope so,” I sighed.

  He smiled and kissed my cheek. “Call me later.”

  “Alright.” I managed a small smile of my own before turning back to Dizzy. “That all your luggage?”

  He nodded. “Just that and my guitar.”

  “Ok.” We weren’t going to need a bellhop. “I’m on this side.” I gestured to the left. He grabbed his bags and started to follow me down the corridor. We passed the tiny gift shop and I led him to a narrow hallway that had just two small elevators. “How are King and Sager doing?” I asked trying to make small talk. I needed a distraction. What I really wanted to do was grill him about Bryan.

  “They’re good,” he replied as we rode up. “Usual K&S routine on the plane ride, both of them cutting up and trying to get a cell number from the first class flight attendant. Without Bryan to help me keep them in line it was tough.”

  “What?” I asked, my brows furrowing. “You said you all came up together.”

  “Oops.” He gave me a sheepish smile.

  I let him off the hook until I had him inside the apartment. “Dizzy Lowell.” I put my hands on my hips, confronting him. “You tell me right now. What the hell is going on?”

  He set down his cases and pulled an embossed vellum envelope out of his jacket pocket. It had my name scrawled on the front in Bryan’s handwriting. “He’ll tell you himself in a couple of hours.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

  * * *

  Lace

  I clutched the invitation in my hands and looked down at my formal gown. The light pink silk dress was a 1965 vintage Oleg Cassini, strapless and gathered in an elegant rhinestone encrusted bow beneath my breasts. It was a real find, very Jackie O. The dress and shoes had been delivered to my apartment moments after Dizzy and I had entered.

  My palms were sweaty as I waited in the lobby for him to pick me up. I didn’t know what to expect tonight. The invitation just said dinner and dancing and was signed, “Love, Bryan.”

  Oh yeah, I read a lot into that salutation and was mulling over the possibilities when the limo pulled into the front circle past the clipped topiaries with their twinkling white light adornments. Keeping with the sixties theme, the car was a 1968 cream colored Mercedes Benz.

  Wow. This was quite the elaborate set up.

  I pulled the matching silk wrap around my shoulder. It didn’t do much to ward off the damp, chilly Vancouver night air but it gave me something to do with my hands. My legs were another story. My heels felt as shaky and fragile as glass slippers as I walked out to meet him.

  A uniformed driver popped out of the vehicle and scurried to open the back door for me. I thanked him as I ducked in, expecting to see Bryan, disappointed to discover that he wasn’t there.

  The driver folded himself into the front, and tipped his cap to me in the rearview mirror. “Mr. Jackson said to tell you that you look beautiful.”

  I smirked. I couldn’t help it. How could he know that?

  “He also said to tell you that he’s waiting for you at the restaurant. It’s only a short drive from here.”

  I nodded my head, settled into the seat and tried to relax. I looked out the window as he drove. The lights of downtown sparkled in the light evening mist. I noticed we were driving downhill toward the waterfront.

  After just a ten minute drive, the driver pulled up in front of a tall glass building, turned off the engine, and came around to open the door for me. He waited as I smoothed out the ankle length skirt before offering me his arm.

  “I’m to escort you to him,” he explained.

  We rode the elevator up to the thirty-fifth floor in silence. I found myself more and more curious as to what was coming next. When the door slid open, I gasped. I didn’t even remember stepping off the elevator or the driver leaving. I just stood there in complete awe.

  The restaurant was deserted, but all around me candles flickered atop tables draped in white linen and sprinkled with red rose petals. Out the windows and beyond the waterfront, the lights of West Vancouver sparkled elegantly in the distance.

  The invitation, the gown, the car, and now this. I was overwhelmed with the emotions that swirled around inside of me. He’d gone to an awful lot of trouble. No one had ever done anything so special for me. Tears filled my eyes, and then he stepped out before me.

  “When a Man Loves a Woman” began to play over the sound system, but my blurry eyes, my heart, my soul were all focused on him. He’d never looked so handsome or so serious. His hair was un-gelled, the longer strands resting against his forehead. A tuxedo black jacket hugged his broad shoulders, a white shirt and black silk tie underneath. Black trousers moved fluidly against his thighs as he walked toward me his hand outstretched, his grey green eyes beckoning with deep emotion.

  �
�You look wonderful, Lace.”

  I put my hand in his, a surge of warmth blushing my cheeks as soon as we touched. He led me out to the middle of the dance floor. I moved into his arms, inhaling deeply, my senses flooded with the familiar spicy scent of him. I licked my suddenly dry lips.

  His presence, his hands on my bare skin, the strength of his shoulders beneath my fingertips, the evening, the way I felt about him, all of it, made me sway a bit as if I were a little tipsy.

  I drew in a shaky breath and gazed up at him. His eyes were heavy lidded, his face drawn tight with desire I was sure matched my own.

  He closed in. I didn’t resist.

  The time for caution was over. This man had me from the moment he’d made that first silly face when I was five. I’d only gotten a tiny glimpse of his tender heart back then, but it had been more than enough to completely rock my world. He was the constant in my life, my irresistible refrain. I could no more keep myself from needing, wanting, or returning to him than I could keep myself from breathing.

  It was always going to be him.

  Our bodies brushed together, hard against soft, the silk of my dress rustling between us. I felt a shudder run through him. His warm hands made me shiver as they slid down my arms and came to rest in the small of my back.

  His eyes burned into mine as he held me close. “Lace, I made a huge mistake in Orlando.” His voice was deep and thick with regret. “I should have been supportive instead of putting pressure on you by throwing down an ultimatum like that.”

  I held onto his forearms to steady myself just as I’d done that day on the beach when he’d first kissed me. My head was spinning as if I’d just gotten off the tilt a whirl ride. “What exactly are you saying?” I whispered.

  He blew out a ragged breath. “I had it all planned out, but I’m finding it really difficult to think straight, let alone make the kind of speech you deserve when I’ve got you in my arms like this.” He took a step back, not much, about an inch, but enough that I suddenly felt bereft without the delicious warmth of his body pressed against me.

  He reached in his jacket pocket and I held my breath, eyes filling instantly when I saw what he held.

  “Oh my God.” My wide eyes met his. “Is that what I think it is?”

  He nodded.

  The ribbon I’d worn around my neck on prom night.

  I stared at him in dazed wonder.

  “Lace Lowell, I love you. You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known, and I want you to know that I’ve always had faith in you, even when you lost your way. I know that you’re no weak minded princess in need of a rescue, and that’s ok because I’m no prince. It’s really me who needs the rescue, from a life that means absolutely nothing to me if you’re not in it.” His hands moved softly through my hair and his eyes traced over my features as if he was committing them to memory.

  “What I believe in most is the two of us. We’re better than any fairy tale. And if you want me to wait for a day, or a month, or a year for you, until you’re ready for us to begin our life together, I’ll do it. But just like I’ve been doing for the past several weeks, I’m gonna do it right up here in Vancouver where I can watch over you.” His eyes blazed with intensity. “You know me. I protect what’s mine.”

  Holy shit.

  I didn’t say that out loud. Hello. I have much more princess class than that.

  I didn’t need any more time to think it over. He was right. I could take care of myself. I knew that now. That impediment to our being together was out of the way. And I didn’t need…

  Fairy god mothers,

  or enchanted coaches,

  or even glass slippers.

  I just needed him.

  Bryan.

  His faith in me was all the magic I would ever need.

  “I’m ready now, Bry.” I took the ribbon from him, pulled it taut in both my hands, held it across my neck, and turned around. Bowing my head, I offered him the loose ends to tie.

  I felt him breathe my name across my neck. I felt his rough finger tips tremble as they brushed across my bare skin. I felt the cool silk ribbon tighten as he fastened it around me. And I felt his lips drop a soft kiss on the tender skin between my neck and shoulder after his task was complete.

  Bryan turned me around to face him. His dark possessive gaze swept warmth over me before his lips claimed mine in a deep hot wet kiss.

  Bleep. The sound of an incoming text.

  “I think that’s your phone,” I whispered breathlessly as he rained passionate kisses up and down the column of my throat.

  “Mmm,” he groaned without pausing from his tender assault on my fevered skin. “Forget it. Tonight’s just for us.” He pulled me closer, slid the cell from his pocket, and tossed it on a nearby table without reading the message.

  EPILOGUE

  * * *

  Mary Timmons: Meeting reminder: My office. 9 a.m. Tempest has a new lead singer.

  The End

  HEROIN FACTS PROVIDED BY THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE

  Heroin is an opioid drug that is synthesized from morphine, a naturally occurring substance extracted from the seed pod of the Asian opium poppy plant. Heroin usually appears as a white or brown powder or as a black sticky substance, known as “black tar heroin.”

  In 2011, 4.2 million Americans aged 12 or older (or 1.6 percent) had used heroin at least once in their lives. It is estimated that about 23 percent of individuals who use heroin become dependent on it.

  HOW IS HEROIN USED?

  Heroin can be injected, inhaled by snorting or sniffing, or smoked. All three routes of administration deliver the drug to the brain very rapidly, which contributes to its health risks and to its high risk for addiction, which is a chronic relapsing disease caused by changes in the brain and characterized by uncontrollable drug-seeking no matter the consequences.

  HOW DOES HEROIN AFFECT THE BRAIN?

  When it enters the brain, heroin is converted back into morphine, which binds to molecules on cells known as opioid receptors. These receptors are located in many areas of the brain (and in the body), especially those involved in the perception of pain and in reward. Opioid receptors are also located in the brain stem, which controls automatic processes critical for life, such as blood pressure, arousal, and respiration. Heroin overdoses frequently involve a suppression of breathing, which can be fatal.

  After an intravenous injection of heroin, users report feeling a surge of euphoria (“rush”) accompanied by dry mouth, a warm flushing of the skin, heaviness of the extremities, and clouded mental functioning. Following this initial euphoria, the user goes “on the nod,” an alternately wakeful and drowsy state. Users who do not inject the drug may not experience the initial rush, but other effects are the same.

  Regular heroin use changes the functioning of the brain. One result is tolerance, in which more of the drug is needed to achieve the same intensity of effect. Another result is dependence, characterized by the need to continue use of the drug to avoid withdrawal symptoms.

  INJECTION DRUG USE AND HIV AND HCV INFECTION

  People who inject drugs are at high risk of contracting HIV and hepatitis C (HCV). This is because these diseases are transmitted through contact with blood or other bodily fluids, which can occur when sharing needles or other injection drug use equipment. (HCV is the most common blood-borne infection in the Unites States.) HIV (and less often HCV) can also be contracted during unprotected sex, which drug use makes more likely.

  Because of the strong link between drug abuse and the spread of infectious disease, drug abuse treatment can be an effective way to prevent the latter. People in drug abuse treatment, which often includes risk reduction counseling, stop or reduce their drug use and related risk behaviors, including risky injection practices and unsafe sex. (See box, “Treating Heroin Addiction.”)

  WHAT ARE THE OTHER HEALTH EFFECTS OF HEROIN?

  Heroin abuse is associated with a number of serious health conditions, including fatal overdo
se, spontaneous abortion, and infectious diseases like hepatitis and HIV (see box, “Injection Drug Use and HIV and HCV Infection”). Chronic users may develop collapsed veins, infection of the heart lining and valves, abscesses, constipation and gastrointestinal cramping, and liver or kidney disease. Pulmonary complications, including various types of pneumonia, may result from the poor health of the user as well as from heroin’s effects on breathing.

  In addition to the effects of the drug itself, street heroin often contains toxic contaminants or additives that can clog blood vessels leading to the lungs, liver, kidneys, or brain, causing permanent damage to vital organs.

  TREATING HEROIN ADDICTION

  A range of treatments including behavioral therapies and medications are effective at helping patients stop using heroin and return to stable and productive lives.

  Medications include buprenorphine and methadone, both of which work by binding to the same cell receptors as heroin but more weakly, helping a person wean off the drug and reduce craving; and naltrexone, which blocks opioid receptors and prevents the drug from having an effect (patients sometimes have trouble complying with naltrexone treatment, but a new long-acting version given by injection in a doctor’s office may increase this treatment’s efficacy). Another drug called naloxone is sometimes used as an emergency treatment to counteract the effects of heroin overdose.

  For more information, see NIDA’s handbook, Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment.

  Chronic use of heroin leads to physical dependence, a state in which the body has adapted to the presence of the drug. If a dependent user reduces or stops use of the drug abruptly, he or she may experience severe symptoms of withdrawal. These symptoms—which can begin as early as a few hours after the last drug administration—can include restlessness, muscle and bone pain, insomnia, diarrhea and vomiting, cold flashes with goose bumps (“cold turkey”), and kicking movements (“kicking the habit”). Users also experience severe craving for the drug during withdrawal, which can precipitate continued abuse and/or relapse.