“Because I needed to handle it, and she would have held it against you if you’d interfered.”
“And now you’ve got street cred,” Eli added, giving me a fist bump. “She knows she can’t intimidate you.”
“Exactly,” I nodded. “Though I held back out of respect for the situation. It was hard, but I took one for the team.”
“What did she say?” Jaxon’s brow was creased again, and I reached out to smooth it.
I replayed my conversation with Bianca and saw all of the guys grow more frustrated.
“In a few months we can start changing all of this, but until then, we’re stuck abiding by their rules. It’s not worth the legal hassle and expense of going up against a powerhouse like LGR when we’re so close to the end of our contract anyway,” Shawn advised.
Everyone agreed. The truth couldn’t be ignored, no matter how unpleasant. Still, there were always ways to work around it, and I was determined to find a way to start changing Jaxon’s image without any repercussions from the label.
Lunch finished quietly. Between Bianca’s threats and the sleepless night, everyone was worn out. Luckily, we all made it back to the waiting cars with minimal harassment from the paparazzi. Jaxon shielded me with his jacket as he led the way to the already opened door. It was a strange reality to be followed and have questions yelled at you just because you went to grab a sandwich. Fortunately, we were able to pack and head to the airport without any further issues and were soon airborne, returning to the tour bus back in New York.
“Thank you for an amazing trip.” I kissed Jaxon’s cheek and rubbed his chest as we snuggled together under a blanket in the back row of the plane.
“Do you mean it? Or are you just being polite?”
“Honestly?” I asked.
“Always,” he said, though I was sensing some insecurity from him.
“Then the answer is both. I’m being polite because I appreciate all you did to make the trip enjoyable for me. And I mean it. New York would have been fun, but so was this. It doesn’t matter where we are, I just enjoy being with you.” The confession felt heavy, and I tried not to make too much of it.
An intensity filled his eyes. “I enjoy being with you, too.” He leaned in and pressed his mouth to mine, humming when the kiss deepened. “I’m sorry we didn’t have time to see the ocean.”
“That’s okay,” I assured him, cringing dramatically. “My last, and only, trip to see an ocean didn’t exactly go as planned.”
“How did you get stranded in Daytona, anyway?” he asked.
I hesitated, mostly out of habit. By now I knew that I could tell him anything and feel safe in doing it. So I gave him all of the dirty details.
“He fucking left you there?” Jaxon asked, clearly outraged.
“Yep. At first, I thought they’d be back for me. But by the time I got ahold of Karl, they were already halfway home. He offered me a pathetic excuse but ultimately didn’t feel bad since I hadn’t been much fun. Then he stopped answering my calls.”
Jaxon released a heavy breath. “A large part of me wants to punch his face in. But without him, we never would have met so I’m trying not to hate him too much.”
Karl’s abandonment was the shift in the chain reaction that had been set in motion the day I’d first met him. And it was the moment that set up my path crossing Jaxon’s. “There were a lot of things that aligned for us to meet. If Pops hadn’t been hit by that car, or if I hadn’t been walking by at that exact moment, or if Bryce hadn’t tried to assault me just as you guys arrived, I’d likely still be stranded in Daytona.”
“Fucking hell. I can’t even think about that.”
Jaxon’s arms tightened around me, and my breath caught as I thought of never meeting him or having this time together. The ache in my chest intensified as I envisioned returning to Chicago and never seeing him again. I tried to focus on the things I would return to, like Megan and my new career path. For some reason, they didn’t hold as much appeal as they once did.
Chapter 17
Jaxon
It had been a week since our trip to L.A., and I couldn’t help but want to slow down time. It had been an especially frustrating week with Anna stressed over final exams and needing to turn in a big assignment. Plus, she had started a mystery project and refused to give me any details. Other than meals, we’d had very little downtime together. Even our bedtime TV routine had been disrupted so she could put in extra time studying. I had been outwardly understanding, knowing how important school was to her, yet secretly hated when anything infringed on the small pockets of time we usually had.
Each passing day brought Anna closer to Chicago and me back to a life without her. Following shows in New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia, we had ended the week with a show in Washington, D.C., where we remained for our two days off. They’d been extra special knowing that all of Anna’s classes were complete and she could fully relax.
Torn between wanting her all to myself and wanting to hang with everyone else, we’d spent most of our days with Eli, Callie, and Derek. Lance had zero interest in museums unless there was nude art, and Shawn always felt trapped indoors unless there was music involved. Meanwhile, Pops was spending the time off with an old buddy from the marines. However, Anna had been enthralled with the museums and the history surrounding us. It was too late in the year to enjoy the cherry blossom trees, but as we walked along the Tidal Basin, Anna smiled, envisioning them in full bloom.
As much as I tried to make each day as memorable as possible, I wondered if I was just setting myself up for more heartbreak when she left. I knew I would only feel the loss deeper as I grew more accustomed to having her with me but was determined to enjoy it for as long as possible.
Opting to walk or use the subway system to navigate the city, we’d been happy to rest our tired feet in the evenings. Meeting up with Derek and Shawn for dinner and some live music had been the perfect way to round out each night. Until we’d reached our hotel room. I discovered that museums followed by mojitos made my girl frisky.
We were almost late getting to the bus, spending every last second soaking up everything D.C. had to offer.
“Hey, Pops,” Anna greeted as he loaded a few cases of water in the underneath compartment of the bus.
“Hey, Angel.” Pops leaned in to kiss her cheek and took the laundry bag she was carrying to store it as well.
“Did you have a good smeekend?” she asked cheerfully.
He shook his head and smirked. “What the hell is a smeekend?”
“A Sunday, Monday weekend. A smeekend. It’s confusing to call our days off the weekend, so I improvised.”
He and I both rolled our eyes but went with it. There was a strange logic to it. “I think you read one too many Dr. Seuss books when you were a kid,” I teased.
Anna stopped in her tracks and held up a hand. “Seriously, that’s not even possible,” she argued, as Pops carefully climbed the steps ahead of us. “I loved his books and always wanted a set of them. I even asked Santa but never got any.”
She pouted playfully to lighten the mood, but it still hurt my heart to hear how little she’d had as a kid. Shifting the bags that I was carrying, I cradled the back of her neck and pulled her in for a kiss. As it grew deeper, my dick sprang to life, unconcerned that we were in a parking lot and unsatisfied with the round of naked fun we’d had that morning. After all, that was several hours ago.
“Hmmmm,” she hummed, pressing her hips against mine. “Is there a wocket in your pocket, Mr. Hartley, or are you happy to see me?”
I urgently nudged her up the stairs to board the bus, dropping our bags on the floor as I urged her past everyone to lock us in the bathroom.
“How about a banana for my Anna?” I asked, making her burst out laughing. It didn’t stop her from kneeling, unzipping my pants, and swallowing said fruit whole. Damn, she was good at that. I had to use the utmost control because of the tight space and the paper-thin door separating us from
our bus mates. But with a little creativity, I enjoyed a mind-blowing orgasm, then evened the score with a hand over Anna’s mouth to muffle her moans before we adjusted our clothes.
“Damn, that was hot,” I panted, refastening one of the buttons on Anna’s shirt.
“Yeah, but stick with writing song lyrics and not children’s books, okay?” she suggested, making both of us laugh as we stumbled out of the bathroom to the rapt audience in the front lounge. We were greeted with applause and Lance holding a paper that had 7.5 written in thick, black marker. Seeing everyone there made us laugh harder, though Anna hid her face in my chest.
“Dude, if your girl is laughing at you while you’re seducing her, you’re doing it wrong,” Lance said, woefully shaking his head. “I can teach you a few things if you want to increase your score.”
“Like how to treat crabs?” I joked.
“Hey, I was young and stupid. One brush with the crotch crickets was enough to learn my lesson. My advice is to keep your grass mowed and don’t bump uglies if the woman is sporting any vagitation.”
“Vagi—,” Anna couldn’t even get the word out, she was laughing so hard.
“Where do you get this shit, man?”
“The internet.” Shrugging, he headed towards the bunks.
“For the record,” Anna said, recovering before he reached the door, “Jaxon is doing everything right.”
“Good to hear.” He winked at her as the door slid shut.
In Anna’s bunk that night, I serenaded her with an impromptu ballad named “A Banana for Anna”, which proved to be quite a hit if the sex that followed was any indication. Of course, she also might have been trying to shut me up. I took it as a win either way.
“What in the ass?”
Lance’s Deadpool impression was spot on as he slammed the door shut. It was just the band, Callie, and Anna in the green room as we waited for our soundcheck. His eyes were glued to his phone as he scrolled through something.
“What’s wrong?” Derek asked. “Didn’t get enough likes on today’s Hump Day selfie?”
“No, dickwad. Some tabloid printed a story that the band is breaking up, and it’s getting picked up by other sources.” He rattled off the name of the site so that we could see for ourselves.
Anna was sitting in my lap on the small sofa in the dressing room as I pulled up the article. Front and center, a series of photos came into view. The first one showed me dancing with Anna at the party we had attended last weekend, though her face wasn’t visible. I had to focus on not getting sidetracked remembering how beautiful she looked that night and all of the erotic images that came to mind thinking of her later that same night.
The next picture was of me at the deli where we’d had lunch before our flight back to New York. It was an unattractive shot with me looking livid, and I had been when I’d learned about Bianca’s altercation with Anna. But the angle of the picture made it look like I was yelling at Eli, who was seated across from me. The last photo was of me walking Anna to the car outside of the hotel with my jacket covering her, while the guys and Callie remained several feet back.
All in all, there was nothing in the photos to be alarmed about. I was happy that Anna’s face had not been shown and hoped that she had not been identified. However, I knew from experience that even the most innocent picture was worth a thousand words if it was paired with a salacious story. The room remained quiet as I read the short article aloud.
“Heartless Hartley’s new love interest is none other than Detrimental’s assistant, causing tempers to flare among the members of the band. Jaxon continues to defend his relationship despite the increased friction with those he used to consider his brothers. Sources also confirm that a solo project is in the works for him, making fans wonder if this is the end of Detrimental.”
“This is bullshit,” Derek declared, “and it has Bianca’s name written all over it.”
“Of course it does,” I agreed, furious at Bianca for this latest stunt. “She gets to assert her authority and start planting the idea for my solo career while stirring up more drama.”
“Your fans are all going to hate me,” Anna stated, a look of numb shock on her face making me want to soothe her. Being thrust into the spotlight for unfavorable reasons was not pleasant for anyone. But I knew enough about her past experiences to understand that it would be especially painful for her.
“No, they won’t,” Eli assured her. “If we actually broke up, then you might get some hate thrown your way, but that’s not going to happen. Luckily, your name wasn’t mentioned and your face is hidden, so no one will know who you are. Just stay off of social media until it blows over.”
“That won’t be a problem since I don’t have any social media accounts,” she said, causing Lance to look at her like she was an alien life form.
“Can we just go on stage tonight and deny the rumors?” Derek asked.
“It’s a grey area,” Shawn said. “Our contract specifies that all promotional interviews and public announcements related to the album, sales, and our public image are at LGR’s discretion.”
“Even if they’re the ones trying to sabotage us?” Lance demanded. “That’s fucked up!”
“We have to do something,” Derek said, tension building in his large frame.
“We can’t” I reminded him. “Not until our contract is over.”
“Derek’s right,” Shawn mumbled, lost in thought. “So is Jaxon. Still, there’s got to be a way for us to set the record straight without being directly accountable.”
The room remained quiet while we were all lost in thought.
“You can’t make an announcement, but someone else can. Is Borrowing Trouble signed with LGR?” Anna asked.
Lance marched up to us, grabbed Anna’s face, and smacked his lips to hers. “You’re a genius!” he exclaimed and headed for the door.
“Hey, fucker! Keep your lips on your own woman,” I yelled after him, but he was already out the door.
In no time, he was back with Tence, the lead singer for Borrowing Trouble. After explaining our predicament and trusting him with some of the more delicate details, he was in full agreement that Bianca needed to get beat at her own game. We brainstormed different ideas starting with his offer to intentionally make a statement on stage each night. At the end of their set, Tence usually thanked Detrimental for the opportunity to open for us, but now he would make sure he elaborated on what a solid band we were and that the tabloids were full of shit. He and his guys would also start using their social media accounts to capture more tour highlights pointing out the strength of our band’s bond and the admiration they had for us. He also agreed to lead the conversation towards Detrimental in any interviews he gave and would make it a point to negate the rumors that Bianca had stirred up, including the image of me as a dark, heartless bad boy.
Lance was right. Anna was a genius.
We all went through our soundcheck and evening routine with a load off of our shoulders. Anna disappeared just before the doors were opened, which she had been doing since we got back from L.A. All I knew was that she had some ideas she wanted to work on and asked that I trust her. Amazingly, I did. Without question. I had no reason to doubt her.
As we went on stage, I pulled Anna in for my good luck hug. I held her tight, not wanting to let go. She fit so perfectly and felt so right.
“Enjoy the show, Angel,” I said, nuzzling her nose.
“Go kick some ass, rock star,” she replied, closing the space. Our mouths fused with enough heat to make any passing crew members blush.
Tearing myself away, I adjusted my jeans, knowing the front row would be in for an extra eyeful tonight. With one last kiss, I hit the stage full force and gave the ampitheater’s audience a show to remember. During a quick break between songs, the lights dimmed. I looked to the side of the stage to find Anna watching, just like she did every night. I loved her being there, supporting me without fail.
“Good evening, West Virginia,” I
shouted to the crowd. A loud greeting came back at me. “I don’t know if you’re aware of it or not, but we like to switch it up each night when we play a cover song. We take turns to keep things fair and interesting, and tonight I got to pick the song.” The crowd cheered with enthusiasm. “My girl is a fan of the Foo Fighters, and one of her favorite songs is ‘Best of You’”.
As the crowd approved my choice, the memory of our conversation about the song washed over me. It had happened one night in D.C. as we were talking in bed. She’d told me how that song helped her when she was trying to break free from the shit she had been through and everything that was holding her back. She admitted to being pretty guarded the past several years, but I knew as well as she did that letting people in came with risk. To protect herself, she’d become more focused on achieving the goals she had set for herself, leaving little room for relationships of any kind.
The conversation had made me admit to doing the same thing since the breakup with Krissy and Bianca’s manipulation. Hearing about all of the things Anna had overcome made me even more determined to take back control of my own life. And I was glad she was there to help me do it. She truly inspired me to do better.
I wanted to shout it to the rafters, letting the whole world know how amazing Anna was, but I kept it between us. Not because Bianca might find out and use it against me, but because our relationship was sacred. She always gave me the best of her, and I vowed to treasure it. I would never take more than she was willing to give me and I wanted to always give her the best of me in return.
Love. That sounded a lot like love, and though I wasn’t ready to admit it out loud, the thought didn’t cause me to panic. Instead, a sense of peace filled me. Drawn to her presence, I turned and locked onto her eyes. I tried to convey all I was feeling, and it was humbling to see it all reflected back at me.
“This song is for you, baby,” I said softly, though with the mic on, my voice still filled the air.
Changing the Key: A Detrimental Rock Star Romance (Book 1) Page 17
