That revelation went right by her in her champagne haze before sinking in. She pulled away from him and pressed her hand to his chest. “Pregnant? Is she really?”
Gavin laughed. “Seems so.”
“Oh my god. That’s so exciting!”
“You mean petrifying. They’re only kids themselves.”
“I know, but it will be so much fun to have a baby in the group!”
“Sure, yes. It’ll be great—for them.”
Sophie smiled and touched his cheek. “Don’t worry, Gavin, this doesn’t make me want to have a baby.”
He relaxed. “There’s plenty of time for all that. Let’s be young ourselves first, yeah?”
“Yeah, for sure.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Christian Hale was the founding member and lead singer of the pop-punk band Scandal. They’d had a solid career, including two hits that made waves worldwide, and earned a rabid hometown fan base. But the reason he could afford to have built his own home on the sands of Sunshine Beach wasn’t due to respectable band earnings, but rather the gifting of the land to him from beloved grandparents. He preferred to let his fans think he had poured everything he had into the land instead of tell the truth, though, since to admit to having had a comfortable and easy childhood with a generous and wealthy family would have conflicted with the punk ideals he otherwise preached and lived.
Gavin told Sophie about Christian’s background on the plane and she thought it was interesting the two had this sort of thing in common. Both men chose to manipulate the public version of their pasts for their own reasons, though she got the feeling Gavin hadn’t revealed his secrets to Christian.
Christian and his wife Patsy had helped design their three-story whitewashed home. It was built around the concept of open spaces and ocean views, as the water was a short walk through a vegetation-lined path. The most used area was the deck as it had all the amenities of the indoors including a built-in grill and stocked bar, large seating area encircling a fire pit, and, of course, the prized ocean views. A wooden pergola was threaded with crisp linens alternating in blue and rust to match the stone accents on the outside of the house.
A private car service delivered Gavin, Sophie, Conor, and Shay to Christian’s house and they were greeted warmly by their hosts.
“It’s great to meet you,” Patsy said, giving Sophie a hug. “Now, I want to show you all to your rooms so you can have a bit of a rest, because I hear we’ve got a special treat this afternoon.”
The plan was to have all of Christian’s bandmates over, grill dinner on the deck and then listen to the newly completed Rogue album.
“Screw the rest bit,” Christian said with a big smile. “The best cure for jetlag is ocean water. Get your togs on and let’s go for a swim!”
They all agreed with the suggestion and soon were diving into seventy-five-degree water and otherwise enjoying a warm December day.
~
The evening dinner had been filled with beer, fresh grilled fish and veggies, as well as overlapping and excited talk. Sophie mostly watched as the five members of Scandal and three of Rogue’s members went after each other with good natured barbs. Even Shay was out of his shell and in the mix. They had toured together briefly before Rogue could claim many fans for themselves, and it was obvious they had all come out of it as good friends. Patsy tried to include Sophie in conversation with the wives and girlfriends of the guys of Scandal, but Sophie was content just to observe the rambunctious goings-on.
Finally, Christian stood up and told everyone to shut up. This was met with boos and “fuck offs” from several guys before everyone quieted down.
“It’s time now, mates,” Christian said, “for a very special treat. Let’s have a listen to Rogue’s second album. It’s called what?”
“That Need,” Gavin said and was met with a chorus of “oohs” and howls.
Christian manipulated the sound system and the first song filled the night air at high volume through the outdoor speakers. It was called “Return To You” and though the subject matter was obvious enough—Gavin’s reunion with Sophie—the sharp guitar and crisp drumming kept it from being too sentimental. The following three songs, however, expressed darker themes relating to love. One was a brutally honest account of being the one to disappoint a lover. Sophie read this as a combination of Gavin’s guilt toward Julia and Conor’s guilt toward Sondra. Another explored the idea of love withheld as a byproduct of neglect, a song that obviously took from Shay’s experiences. Still another song was a bitter depiction of unreturned love, reflecting Gavin’s ongoing struggle with his feelings about his mother’s abandonment.
Despite the success the band had had in the past few years, Gavin had gotten away with his stock answer about his mother, saying he had “lost” her at a young age. If pressed, he admitted it was a car accident but was able to cut off any further prying. Reporters seemed to take the tragic story at face value and no one had delved deeper to find the truth.
Sophie wondered if Gavin was trying to call out to his mother with this album. She was either the subject or referenced several times, enough to be a key element in the unifying theme of pained love. His pride and insistence that she heal in her own time had kept him from hiring a private detective to search her out. But with this album, Sophie could see that this self-imposed restraint was eating away at him. His anger at what he had lost when his mother chose to leave her family was testing his life-long coping mechanisms.
The title song “That Need” lightened the mood. All of Scandal howled when Gavin sang the line “That need is deep inside of you/Exactly where I wanna be” with a sexy, husky intonation.
“Aw, what a fantastic pickup line, McManus!” Kerry, Scandal’s guitarist, shouted above the throbbing combination of Shay’s drums and Martin’s bass line. The pulsating rhythm was seductive and a perfect match for the sexually charged lyrics.
“The world needed another song to fuck to,” Gavin said unapologetically and they roared with laughter.
Gavin was letting them think of the song in terms of the surface level, but Sophie knew he had really been acknowledging her need to be the one to save him, and his need to lean on her. They met perfectly in that place of need, each seeking and finding the other there.
Sophie watched the reactions of the others as the album continued and was happy to see that they all seemed to genuinely like the new material, making specific, positive comments about melody, guitar lines, drumming, or lyrics, and applauding after each song.
Finally, the closing song, “You’re My One,” started. The previous free-wheeling chatter during the other songs ceased as everyone stilled. It was obvious upon first listen there was something special about this song. The air seemed to change as they absorbed the way Conor’s guitar evoked romantic longing. Then Gavin’s passionate, confident singing took over, causing the hair on the back of their necks to stand up. They all sat mute and motionless for thirty seconds after the song ended with Gavin’s declaration, “this thing we have, it’s fearless darling.” Listening to the album, and especially the last song, had been an intense experience and they needed a way to come down from it.
“What a bleeding-heart romantic you are, McManus,” Christian finally yelled to the delight of everyone else.
“Aw, I think it’s sweet. If only you’d stop shouting long enough to sing me a proper love song,” Patsy said with a wink to her husband.
“But, sweetheart, I write love songs all the time. It’s my mates here who won’t have it.”
Christian's bandmates all objected at once, claiming that they adored romantic love songs.
The next couple of hours passed in the same high-spirited way, with plenty of alcohol fueling loud talk. The two bands traded tour stories and took every opportunity to harass the other. Scandal chided Rogue for their instant fame, and Rogue mocked Scandal for their legion of incredibly intense fans.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
It was late in the evening when
Sophie noticed that Conor was no longer among them on the deck. Getting up, she went to the railing and could just make out his figure down at the beach. He was standing ankle deep in the water, smoking what she knew was not a cigarette.
It was futile to wait for a break in the rapid-fire conversation to tell Gavin she was going to take a walk, so Sophie simply slipped away unnoticed.
“Hey,” Sophie said as she came upon Conor.
He was slow to respond, his eyes trained on the water. “Hey.”
“What are you doing?”
“Em, well,” he said and then laughed. “I don’t know if I’m higher than I’ve ever fucking been or what, but I could swear I saw bits of neon blue sparkles in the water out there.”
Sophie was tempted to tease him but then decided to be nice.
“You did see it. It’s bioluminescent phytoplankton.”
“What are you on about?” he asked with a laugh.
She laughed too. “No, really. Christian was just telling us that they had a swarm of it a couple days ago. Apparently they’re tiny plants and they bloom if a colder current gets pushed up to the surface in warm climates. We missed the best of it. He said the whole surface of the water was glowing bright blue, and he even went surfing in it and came out looking like Tron.”
“Fuck me. What a trip.”
“Yeah.” She watched the ebb and flow of the water for a few quiet minutes. Apparently the marijuana didn’t make him chatty. “Hey, let’s see if we can find the spark.”
“What’s that?”
She hiked up her sundress and fell to her knees. “The spark. Christian said the phytoplankton can live for up to a day in the sand and that if you dig in the wet part you might see a spark of light. That’s them.”
Digging with both hands, she stared into the small hole she was making. When a tiny spark flashed, she laughed out loud. It lasted less than a second but was a thrill nonetheless.
“That’s mad,” Conor said and moved to his knees beside her.
Soon they were both digging and pointing out sparks to each other and laughing excitedly. After a time, they stopped digging and worked to catch their breath.
Sophie started pushing sand into a small, slightly inclined mound. Then she made another next to it. She stretched out on the sand, using the mound as a sort of pillow and gestured for him to do the same.
Conor settled next to her and they looked up at the sky. The moon was a sliver and the stars shone brightly without nearby city lights to dim them.
“It’s amazing here,” she said with a sigh.
“You know any constellations?”
“Hmm . . . Big Dipper?”
“Can’t quite see all of it in this hemisphere,” he said softly.
“Oh, yes. Of course you’re right.”
“Look there,” he said and pointed.
She followed his direction but wasn’t sure what he was indicating.
“See those four?” He pointed at four spots and the pattern of a giant square became visible to her eye. “It’s part of Pegasus. The winged horse.”
“I see it!”
“The story goes Pegasus was formed when a few drops of Medusa’s blood fell into the sea and mixed with the foam.”
“I never knew that.” She glanced at him, but he was still looking upward. “What else do you see?”
“How about that one there, the very bright blue one?”
“God, you can’t miss it, can you? Not once you’ve actually focused on it.”
“It’s called Vega, and it’s that bright because it burns something like six or seven times hotter than the sun.”
“Amazing.”
“That intensity means it’ll burn out that much faster, though.”
“And then what?”
“It’ll die.”
“No, don’t die Vega!” she pleaded, only half joking. “I’d miss it.”
“Well, when stars die, they don’t really go away. They sort of reincarnate. Their material creates other space formations.”
Sophie turned on her side, resting on an elbow so she could look at him. “How do you know so much about this stuff?”
He glanced at her, then back at the sky. “I can be clever.”
“You’re more than clever, and you know it. I wish you wouldn’t hide this part of you so often.”
Now he moved so he mirrored her pose and watched her with eyebrows raised.
“It’s like you pretend to be just the ‘rock star’ always chasing girls, but there’s so much more to you.”
“But I am a rock star and I absolutely adore chasing girls.”
“You’re also smart and thoughtful and caring.”
“Ah, Gavin’s the sensitive one in the band. There’s only room for one,” he said with a smirk.
“Be serious,” she said and touched his arm.
She saw him look down at her hand and linger on the connection. Before she could process what he was doing, he leaned toward her and pressed his lips to hers. She was stunned motionless but aware enough to think his kiss surprisingly sweet and gentle.
It only lasted two seconds before Conor moved away and jumped up, pulling her with him in a rush.
“Feel like a dip?” he asked.
“What?” She was confused with his change of mood. After sensually, albeit briefly, kissing her, he was now . . . playful?
“Water’s warm—even now,” he told her and without warning scooped her up and over his shoulder.
Sophie screamed in protest, at first with real anger, but quickly collapsed into a fit of laughter as he swung her around teasingly, going knee-high into the water.
“You throw me in and I swear to God you’re coming with me!” she said.
“We’ll see about that,” he replied.
As he attempted to hurl her back over his shoulder and into the water, she wrapped her foot around the back of his knee, buckling his leg so that he came crashing down on top of her.
He ended up pressed between her legs and they both laughed for a moment. When they grew quiet, he met her eyes and she saw the desire there as he moved to kiss her again. What was going on here? Did he really think this was going to happen with her?
She put her hand on his chest. “Whatever attraction you have for me—it’s not going to happen. Okay?”
Conor’s laugh was dismissive as he stood up. “Honey, relax. I was just messing. Too much drink. Too much weed. You know, you were chatting me up, so I acted like I was falling for it. Didn’t know you’d take it so serious.”
Sophie was flustered, unsure what to think. Had she read too much into the situation? She stood up and glanced at him. His white cotton v-neck shirt was wet and stuck to his skin, molding to the defined muscles of his pecs and abs. With a quick glance down at herself, she realized her wet sundress was plastered to her body in the same provocative way. The difference between them was that he was sporting a noticeable bulge at the crotch of his blue and white board shorts.
“Yeah, sure,” she said and let him know with her eyes what she had discovered. “Just—no more. Okay?”
Conor looked uncomfortable. He moved toward her and said softly, “I’m really sorry, Sophie.”
He seemed sincerely embarrassed, and Sophie just wanted it to be over.
“Don’t worry about it,” she told him with a small smile. “Let’s go back to the house.”
He agreed and they walked silently together. But when they got close enough to hear the music and the voices straining to rise above it on the deck, Conor steered them toward the front entrance. After a moment’s thought, Sophie realized he was right to want to hide the fact that they had jumped into the ocean together at three in the morning.
Inside, they separated and went to their own bedrooms. Sophie showered and crawled into bed, her head swimming. She tried to think about everything rationally. Okay, so what if she was attracted to Conor? And a little curious about what might be different in being with another man. Wasn’t it normal to feel these thi
ngs? Especially at her age and with no other relationship experience? The bottom line was that the sexual attraction she and Conor apparently shared was inconsequential compared to the reality she had with Gavin. Her commitment and true desire was for Gavin and Gavin alone. He was a skilled and attentive lover, and could leave her body trembling from the intensity of her orgasms. He was all she needed. Her confidence in this was complete by the time she drifted off to sleep.
But yet, when Gavin woke her an hour later as he climbed into bed, she immediately reached for him, eager to prove her devotion.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
It was with great excitement that Christian took them all to a surfing beach in nearby Noosa National Park the next day, promising to teach each one of them how to catch a wave. He had been addicted to surfing all his life and was always happy to share the joy he got out of riding the perfect wave. This spot featured an exposed point break that had fairly consistent and somewhat gentle surf that was perfect for the newbies.
The beach was a short drive away and much more populated than where their hosts lived, and Christian took wicked delight in telling them they’d have to keep an eye out for sharks, jellyfish, and rocks. As the Rogue boys somewhat hesitantly followed Christian to the blue-green water, Sophie and Patsy set out a couple of large, thin blankets on the sand.
Sophie found Patsy to be both a wonderful host and a genuinely nice person. She and Christian had also met while young, and Sophie took comfort in the fact that their marriage had survived over the last eleven years with them still seeming to be very much in love. Tall, with sandy hair, and a laid-back demeanor, Patsy was the perfect complement to her rangy and intense husband.
“So, Sophie,” Patsy said as she pulled her sundress over her head, “will you go on tour with Gavin?”
Sophie piled her hair on top of her head in a loose bun as she replied. “No, I can’t. I’m still in school.”
“Hmm . . . .”
“Uh-oh. What does that mean?” Sophie asked with a nervous laugh. She pulled off her tee shirt and shorts and adjusted her black bikini. Her body was a shapely contrast to Patsy’s boyish figure.
Tangled Up In You: A Rogue Series Novel Page 16
