Silence stretched until I thought she’d hung up on me.
“My name is Anna.” The nervous edge to her voice told me something was off. Distrust was an unfortunate side-effect of fame, and the remnants of my shitty mood weren’t helping. Had she hooked up with Pops and stolen his phone? Was she some gold digger, trying to use Pops to get to me?
“What do you want, Anna?” It was little more than a growl, but I didn’t care.
“Take it easy,” Eli whispered, reaching to mute my phone.
“Fuck that,” Derek said. “This chick needs to know who she’s messing with.”
“Why do you guys always assume the worst?” Callie asked. “Give the poor girl a chance to talk.”
I counted to five and unmuted the call. “Where is Pops? And how do you know who I am?”
“He asked me to call you.” She cleared her throat, her voice growing stronger. “He’s been in an accident.”
“What?” everyone shouted in unison. Then all hell broke loose as we began peppering her with questions.
“Where is he?”
“Is he okay?”
“What happened?”
“What kind of accident?”
“QUIET!” I yelled, pointing to Derek. “Call Lance and tell him to get here in the next two minutes or we’re leaving his ass.” I hopped behind the wheel and switched the call off of speaker mode. “Where is he?”
Subdued chaos greeted us as we rushed through the electric doors of the emergency room. Luckily, Lance had made it to the van in record time, but we’d gotten stuck in traffic leaving the venue. Our impatience had only been made worse by the limited information Anna had been able to give. We knew the name of the hospital, that Pops had injured his leg, and he was otherwise awake and alert. It was little comfort.
Shawn checked in at the front desk as I scanned the waiting room. Apparently, drunken crowds of vacationers and music fans resulted in big business for the hospital. One young guy, wearing a torn Shinedown t-shirt, held blood-soaked gauze above his eye. His buddy wore a guilty expression, but the injured fan raved about the best mosh pit he’d ever been in and high-fived his friend as we passed.
Lance inconspicuously captured the moment, posting the picture with hashtags like #pitlife and #hardcorefans. I nodded towards the relatively quiet space at the back end of the room as everyone followed. An old game show played on the TV hanging above a young woman tucked into one corner.
She was curled into a ball on the hard, plastic seat, with her head resting against the window. At first glance, I thought she was topless. Naturally, I did a double-take. After discreetly checking her out, I noticed the straps of a bikini top. Sadly, the backpack she hugged hid the rest of it. Pale, creamy legs were bookended by well-worn sneakers and white cutoff shorts with fresh bloodstains. Dark circles shadowed her eyes, which were closed in slumber. Wild strands of silky brown hair had escaped a messy bun to fall all around her relaxed face. She looked so peaceful, but there was a vulnerability about her that instantly pulled at me.
In hushed tones, we quietly reassured each other that Pops would be fine. He was an essential part of our band family and was someone we all looked up to and respected. Everyone agreed that the idea of anything happening to the strong, rugged, former marine seemed preposterous. He had to be okay because the alternative was impossible to fathom.
As we waited, my attention repeatedly drifted over to the woman beside me. She lacked any make-up and had the type of natural beauty that I had always been attracted to. In fact, the longer I looked at her, the tighter my cargo shorts grew. It was a welcome feeling, even if the circumstances weren’t the most appropriate. I hadn’t reacted that strongly to another woman in months, though I wasn’t sure I’d ever had such an immediate reaction. Especially to someone who wasn’t even conscious. Maybe it was the result of my recent dry spell or maybe it was her. Either way, I hoped to get a chance to find out.
A nurse finally approached, gaining our attention until she crouched in front of the woman next to us. “Angel,” she called, gently rubbing the woman’s arm to wake her.
Green. That was my first thought as she opened her eyes. They were green and wary as she waited for the nurse to relay her message.
“Your father’s going to be okay,” the nurse informed her. “He was just taken for an x-ray and will be moved to the main emergency department when he returns. You’ll be able to see him soon.”
She released the breath she had been holding and nodded, visibly relieved. Her smile wobbled as she blinked back tears. My chest tightened as an array of emotions danced across her face. Somehow, I felt each of them as if they were my own.
“Thank you,” she told the nurse. I turned away, not wanting to believe what I was hearing. “Tell Pops I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
Shit. There was no denying it. I knew that voice.
“Anna?”
Chapter 3
Anna
As if through a fog, a man’s voice called to me. Grogginess from being woken up so soon after dozing off weighed me down. But Pops would be okay. My brain processed that much.
“Anna.” My name was a growl, punching through the fatigue.
Turning towards the voice, my eyes flew wide. Holy hell, he was easily the sexiest man I had ever seen. Big brown eyes, dark shaggy hair, a scruffy beard, and wide shoulders were each an attractive feature. Combined with a deep, gravelly voice and an air of confidence, it was simply unfair to all other men.
Something about him seemed vaguely familiar, but even my half-comatose brain would have remembered meeting someone as gorgeous as him. All of my lady parts were first to fully waken. My nipples hardened while lower areas began to flutter in excitement. Holy double hell. I gripped my backpack tighter to my chest, suddenly self-conscious about my lack of clothing.
“You must be Jaxon.” Thankfully, my brain was finally catching up with the situation. Bonus points for a coherent response.
“Yes,” he confirmed, rather abruptly. “And you are a liar.”
“Excuse me?” I reared back in my seat. He’d been angry on the phone, and that hadn’t changed. Although I wasn’t quite sure what I’d done to warrant it. Five more sets of eyes settled on me. Four other smoking hot guys and one very lovely girl were all staring expectantly. Their expressions appeared cautiously friendly while Jaxon’s remained downright hostile.
“Pops is not your father. You are a liar.”
“I didn’t lie.” It was a weak argument, the tone of my voice said as much. I had perpetuated the lie, even if I hadn’t started it. Still, there hadn’t been anything malicious behind it. “Pops said-”
“Give me his phone,” Jaxon demanded, rising to tower over me with his palm extended.
Alrighty then. Maybe he would calm down if I complied; earned a little trust. A blast of cold air hit my chest as I set my backpack on the seat beside me to retrieve the items Pops had given me for safekeeping. Goosebumps exploded on my skin. I did my best to ignore them along with the eyes that were laser-focused on my breasts. Yeah, there was no missing the pebbled nipples trying to claw through the thin material. My full B cups weren’t going to win any awards with a guy this hot, but they were proportional to my body, which was lean with enough curves to draw interest. Sadly, Jaxon only seemed annoyed, a low grunt rumbling in his throat as he forcefully redirected his eyes to mine.
“You have his wallet too? Were you even planning on returning that?”
“Yes! I wasn’t hiding it.” My throat got tighter as his anger grew, and I had to force myself not to cower as I looked up at him.
“Sure.”
“I didn’t have anywhere else to put it.” I motioned to my limited attire and lack of pockets while trying not to let the implication upset me.
“Maybe you should consider dressing for function instead of attention.”
His gaze slowly raked me up and down, pausing again on my chest. I held my ground even though I wanted to fidget under his scrutiny. Jaxon sna
tched the items from me and immediately opened the wallet to check its contents.
I swayed and felt the blood drain from my face. I was not a thief, but being accused of stealing brought up a slew of bad memories. Another past domino set into motion, blazing a path of destruction in its wake.
“Damn, Jaxon. Take it down a notch,” one of his friends commanded, nudging him aside to squat in front of me. With olive skin and long jet-black hair, he was handsome in a more exotic way. He had kind eyes and a gentle touch when he took my hand. “Hi, Anna. I’m Eli.”
Before I could respond, a uniformed officer came into view. My heart started pounding at a frantic speed. The nurse, who I’d spoken with earlier, pointed and led him directly towards me. Flashbacks filled my mind, and I could practically feel cold, metal handcuffs snapping around my wrists. Chilled from fear and the subzero air in the hospital, I started trembling. I shook my head in denial as the officer stepped closer.
“Hey, you’re okay.” Eli rubbed my frozen hands in his. He turned to Jaxon. “Give me your jacket.”
Surprisingly, Jaxon didn’t argue. He simply shed his jacket and passed it to Eli, who dressed me like a small child. Instant warmth and a manly scent enveloped me as the officer called my name.
“Annalise Taylor?”
I nodded, unable to speak around the tight bands squeezing my chest. This couldn’t be happening. My one experience with the police had taught me to stay off their radar. I didn’t even jaywalk for fear of being caught.
“I’m Officer Daniels. I’m here to follow up on the accident.”
“What?” I was certain I’d heard him wrong. He wasn’t there to arrest me? Air rushed from my lungs, and I relaxed enough to finally see past the badge and uniform. He was old enough to be nearing retirement and had a warm smile that lifted under his big, grey mustache. He looked nothing like any other officer I had ever encountered. That alone was comforting.
Eli moved my backpack and took the chair beside me, continuing to warm my hands.
“I just spoke with Mr. Popovitch and hear you were quite the hero tonight,” the officer boasted.
“A hero?” Jaxon’s tone dripped with disbelief.
“She saved his life,” the nurse explained, oblivious to the drama that had been unfolding. “Used her shirt to apply pressure to his leg and control the bleeding.” Surely, she was exaggerating a bit, but her words calmed some of the tension that had been crackling in the air.
“Is it okay if I ask you some questions?” Officer Daniels waited expectantly, holding an official notebook and repeatedly clicking a pen at his side.
“Yes,” I whispered and cleared my throat. The panic that had been consuming me slowly faded.
Warmth began to soak in and my teeth stopped chattering thanks to the cozy jacket I wore. Again, everyone’s focus was on me, making me uncomfortable. Jaxon’s gaze held a little less judgment now, though his earlier accusations still stung.
“Can you tell me what happened?” the officer prompted.
There was no way to prevent everyone from hearing my conversation with the officer, but I figured they had a right to know. Plus, I wanted to help Pops in any way I could, so I described the accident in as much detail as possible.
“Are you kidding me?” one of the hot guys interrupted. “The jackass that hit Pops didn’t even stop?”
“No.”
“Well, that’s not going to stand.” He said it in a way that made me think he would be taking matters into his own hands. And he looked capable of doing just that.
“Let the police handle it, Derek,” Eli told him.
Officer Daniels halted the conversation with a raised hand like he was stopping traffic. “You’ll be happy to know that the driver’s already been apprehended.”
“That’s one piece of good news,” Derek conceded.
“Fortunately, we had some help. A passing motorcyclist followed the car and called it in.”
This information provided a small bit of relief as another nurse arrived to announce that Pops was ready for visitors. Everyone stood, preparing to follow her, but I waited, unsure if I would be welcome. I was a stranger who had helped Pops earlier and was no longer needed.
“We’re almost done,” the officer assured me.
“I’ll stay until you’re finished,” Eli offered.
Jaxon hesitated, looking torn between staying with us and going to see Pops.
“Go,” Eli told him. “Tell Pops we’ll be right there.”
Once the officer was gone, Eli sat with me, rubbing circles on my back. It wasn’t flirty, just meant to offer support. And it felt heavenly. Eli’s whole presence was comforting, and I was in no rush to leave him. A yawn escaped me as exhaustion and all of the day’s events caught back up with me. Glancing at my phone, it was nearing two in the morning. I had no idea how I was going to get back to my motel, much less trudge through two jobs later. Tackling one problem at a time, I opened the Google Maps app to consider my options.
Rock, meet Hard Place.
“You’ll have to forgive Jaxon,” Eli said, interrupting my search. “He’s actually a great guy. He just doesn’t trust easily. Pops is like family to us, and Jaxon was worried about him.”
“I didn’t lie. Pops told the EMTs that I was his daughter so I could ride with him. He was scared and didn’t want to be alone.”
“I figured it was something like that. Thank you for staying with him.”
“And I would never steal from anyone,” I whispered, barely able to get the words out.
“I believe you.” He wrapped his arm around me, a silent invitation to rest my tired head on his shoulder and soak in his soothing vibe.
“Please tell me what I can do for you.” Obviously, Eli possessed some type of mindreading ability. I never would have caved under normal circumstances, but the combination of fatigue and Eli’s special blend of comfort had me lowering my defenses. Sometimes pride took a back seat to necessity, and I got the sense I could trust him.
“I need a ride back out to the beach,” I admitted. “The bus doesn’t run this late, and I really can’t afford an Uber. It’s a two-hour walk, but I have to get up for work in less than four-” I slapped a hand over my mouth to stop my rambling.
Eli placed a quick kiss on my temple like we’d been friends forever. “Then let’s go see Pops. After that, I will personally drive you wherever you need to go.”
There was no pity in his tone or his offer. He simply stood, slung my backpack over his shoulder, and tucked me back under his arm.
Along the way, I stopped off at the ladies’ room. Removing the oversized jacket, I rushed to take care of business since I was instantly chilled without it. Washing my hands, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and flinched. What a mess. I hated being dirty, especially when it was noticeable. It made me feel like the trailer trash I was as a little kid. I’d fought hard to overcome that image so that no one would ever know it by looking at me. Yet I always felt like that little girl just below the surface.
Frantically, I dampened a paper towel to clean the dirt from my knees and shins. I attempted to finger comb my hair to tame it in a bun. As a last-ditch effort, I splashed some water on my face, but it made little difference. A raggedy street urchin still stared back at me. Appearances were important, and my first impression had not been a good one. No wonder Jaxon had assumed the worst.
Cringing, I noticed the stains on my shorts from wiping my bloody hands on them earlier. I would need to throw them away. Immediately. No matter how limited my wardrobe became, I could never wear them again. Even now, being forced to keep them on made my skin crawl. But I had no other option.
Putting the jacket back on to cover as much as possible, I focused on breathing in the spicy, musky combination of Jaxon’s scent. I couldn’t put a name on any of it. It was just a unique blend of testosterone and pheromones. Dragging in one last hit, I opened the door to find Eli patiently waiting for me.
Laughter echoed into the hallway ou
tside Pops’ room along with an off-key version of “Dr. Feelgood”.
“They must have given him something good for the pain. Enjoy the show.”
Propped up in his bed, Pops’ left foot was elevated with a stack of pillows and had a boot-shaped brace strapped from his toes to his knee. And he sang like he was fighting for the grand prize on karaoke night. It was nice to see him in such good spirits, even if they were chemically induced.
Eli and I hung back, just inside the doorway. Everyone else was crammed into the tiny space with one of the guys recording Pops’ performance on his phone. I didn’t know anything about their relationship, but they were a family, by blood or by choice, and my chest ached from the obvious love in this room.
Jaxon stepped toward us, wincing and covering his ears. Weariness lined his deliciously handsome face as we stood face-to-face for the first time. About six inches taller, it wasn’t quite enough to feel intimidating. Instead, he was the perfect height for nestling my face into the crook of his neck. Not that I would do that. Though I bet he smelled even better in the flesh.
My body already hummed from the contact of his jacket. But his sudden proximity sparked an added rush of warmth that no amount of clothing could ever create.
And it immediately set off warning bells.
Why was I always attracted to men who were jerks? For goodness sake, I was still recovering from the last jerk I’d let into my life. I didn’t need another one, no matter how much my body begged. I could not afford to make any more stupid mistakes.
“You just missed the doctor,” Jaxon informed us. “Pops has a fractured shinbone, some stitches in his thigh, and had some minor blood loss from a nicked artery. All in all, he’s very lucky.”
Jaxon’s intense gaze met mine and held. It felt as though there was an electric current running between us with little sparks arcing off of it. Every part of me buzzed from the unseen energy surrounding us, pulling me closer no matter how much I fought it. He was about to say more, but the moment was broken by Pops’ booming voice.
Changing the Key: A Detrimental Rock Star Romance (Book 1) Page 3
