Rock Hard: A Bad Boy Rock Star Romance

by Archer, Arielle

  “Hey man!” Todd said, walking up behind me and slapping me on the back. “You ready for the big performance?”

  I took a deep breath and fought down the shudder that was threatening. Damn. I hadn’t been this psyched out for a performance since forever. I was imagining walking out there and seeing Mia there. I was imagining walking out there and not seeing Mia. Both thoughts were terrifying, but the latter was far more terrifying than the former.

  “I suppose,” I said.

  “Well it’s all about you in the opening,” Eric said, coming up beside me. I realized I was surrounded by the guys in the band, and it felt good. Sure we’d hung out and we’d been together on this tour, but it hadn’t been like the old days. It had been every man for himself for the most part, with the exception of Blake coming around to my bus of course.

  It was different now, though. Suddenly it felt like we were the four musketeers again. And yes, before you go correcting me there were, in fact, four musketeers by the end of the book. Go read the book or watch a movie sometime.

  The point is we were together. It felt like old times. It felt like we were about to have fun and rock this, and I couldn’t wait. I was giddy. The crowd was roaring and then a PA was walking through telling everyone to get in their places.

  Of course the guys were going to have to wait for just a little bit. This was going to truly be the Grant show for the first little while. I closed my eyes as I stood on the edge of going out onto the stage. I allowed the screams of the crowd to wash over me as I stepped out on the stage. It was completely dark, but there were plenty of lights flashing throughout the arena as girls held up their cell phones which had replaced lighters well before my career as a rock star had started.

  Which was too bad. I still had good memories of going to concerts with my dad where we were surrounded by people holding up lighters. I’d always dreamed of that moment with my own music, but I suppose it wasn’t going to happen now.

  None of that mattered now, though. What mattered was that the lights flipped on and then the crowd really went wild. I let my guitar fall loose, the strap feeling comfortably familiar tugging on my neck, and I held up my other hand. The screaming reached a fever pitch, washing over me like a wave of humanity trying to knock me over with the force of the massed sound, but I let that wave break over me just like I had so many times before.

  Besides, my attention wasn’t on the crowd. No, it was on the front row and the seats I’d reserved for Mia and Kayla. I looked straight to that spot, I had it memorized from prepping before the arena opened to people, and my breath caught as I saw the two of them sitting there. Smiling up at me.

  God she looked beautiful. I wanted to jump down from the stage right now and pull her up in my arms, but I still wasn’t sure exactly how she felt about me. I still wasn’t sure if she was more likely to slap me or hug me if I approached her, so I figured it would be a better idea to test the waters first.

  Luckily I had just the thing. I walked over to the chair that’d been set out on stage. It was alone in the center and it was a departure from our usual concerts where things were driven by massive electric guitars.

  No electrics right now, though. Just an old fashioned acoustic with a mic on it that was ready to go. Ready to launch into Mia’s song.

  I sat and the crowd went silent. I plucked a couple of notes from the song and they started screaming again, but started quieting down as I stopped playing. I looked up and grinned at Mia, held her eyes as I launched into the song. As I poured my heart out. As I played a piece of music that encompassed so much. My past leaving a trail of broken hearts across the country. My experience with the Incident and how it tore the band apart for almost a decade. How I couldn’t write anything new until I found her. Until she unlocked the music trapped inside me, as ridiculously cheesy as that sounded.

  I played the song effortlessly. All the nervousness I’d been feeling when I was walking out on stage and getting ready to confront her melted away. I felt right with the world again, and I realized I was feeling right with the world precisely because Mia was right there in front of me.

  It was an amazing feeling. I almost felt drunk. Of course I’d had a bit before the concert for good luck, but not enough to account for this sudden incredible feeling. I finished playing and the crowd was silent.

  Huh. That wasn’t the reaction I was expecting. Usually the crowd was screaming at this point, the song was that damn popular, but I could’ve heard a pin drop.

  I turned and looked up at the monitors and it suddenly became obvious what was going on. Why it was suddenly so quiet. Mia was up there on the screen, and she must’ve realized she was up on the big screen because she was blushing and it was pretty damn obvious when she was up on the jumbotron.

  I turned back to her. I leaned into the microphone and figured it was time for an apology.

  “Mia, I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life. I don’t want you to be one of them. This song is for you. It’s all for you. You’re the one and only for me, and I really would like it if you’d give me a third chance to prove myself.”

  There. It was out there. I poured my heart out to her in front of all of these people. I’m sure plenty of those people were recording everything on their phones and this was going to be all over the Internet in a matter of minutes. Everyone seemed to be obsessed with who Mia was and what the story was behind the song for some reason. Well they were about to find out. Plus I figured that kind of video getting out on the Internet would be much better than my bare ass swinging in the breeze which had been the big topic for the past couple of months.

  Those people recording this were also about to see the final step of the drama. Whether or not it was a happy ending or I was going to reap what I’d sown from my past life tomcatting around the country. I held my breath in anticipation.

  Mia smiled. She stood and moved towards the stage with a huge grin on her face and I let a breath out. I moved forward and reached a hand down. Her hand clasped in mine and it was so warm. So inviting. It reminded me of the feeling of her body under mine as I pulled her up on the stage and smiled down at her.

  “So do you accept my apology?” I asked.

  Mia looked at the crowd surrounding us. She looked back to me. A huge grin split her face and she didn’t answer in words, but she did jump and wrap her legs and arms around me. I barely managed to catch her and go stumbling back as her mouth descended on mine and then we were practically making out on stage in front of thousands of fans.

  Thousands of fans who finally erupted in a deafening cheer that was so much more intense than anything we’d had at any other venue.

  33: Backstage Again

  I held myself in Grant’s arms as the crowd erupted around us, but I didn’t care about any of that. No, the only thing I cared about was that I was in his arms. Was his lips pressing against me. Was his hard body pressing against me and making me feel once more like everything was right in the world.

  And this time around I wasn’t going to let him go. No, I’d almost lost him because I was afraid of he was, afraid of what might happen if I got involved with someone famous like him, but I’d realized that bullshit didn’t matter. All that mattered was him. All that mattered was that we communicated with each other and made sure we were on the same page and there were no secrets like a dark past where he thought he was going to be a father and then his world was shattered.

  We might have to work up to being that close, but I knew we’d get there. Everything just felt too nice. Too right. This was too incredible for it to be anything but the real thing. I could finally enjoy being in Grant’s arms without worrying that he was going to leave me for another girl because I finally had the full picture.

  Finally he pulled away and spun me around to the crowd. “Everybody, I want you to meet Mia!”

  Once more the crowd roared in delight and it felt weird. I wondered if this is what he experienced every time he got up on stage. I wondered if he always got a high like what
I was getting feeling all that adulation rolling off of the crowd. A girl could get used to that sort of thing, even if I was just getting a little bank shot adulation. I’m sure most of them were out there cheering for Grant. Maybe even screaming because it looked like he was finally off the market. Those crazy girls out in front of the arena were still fresh in my memory even if things had gone impossibly well since nearly getting ripped to pieces.

  Grant moved me up to a microphone and gestured towards it. I wasn’t sure what to do, so I leaned into the thing. “Um, hi everybody?”

  More screaming. Grant wrapped his arms around me and I closed my eyes. That felt good. A girl could get used to being held like that. Only all too soon that perfect moment was over. He pulled away and I saw people stepping onto the stage to either side. The rest of the band stepping up ready to perform. My time on stage was coming to a close, but I knew this was far from the end of my adventures.

  “I’ll see you after the show Mia,” Grant said. “I’m so glad you came.”

  I couldn’t believe it as I stepped down from the stage. A part of me hoped we were going straight back to his tour bus for a little fun, but it’s not like they were going to stop the concert just because Grant reunited with the girl who was the inspiration for the song that made this second leg of the tour possible in the first place, no matter how much I would’ve enjoyed it if they did.

  I also couldn’t believe was the reception I got when I was back down in the crowd. I’d been prepared for something along the lines of what I faced when I was out in front of the arena, but instead the girls around us were smiling and patting me on the back and generally being very supportive. It was a different experience, but I liked it.

  There was something else I was liking about the show. Other than Grant in his tight pants prancing around up on stage, that is. I found myself actually enjoying the concert. Actually enjoying the music. It had been a convoluted road to get me here, but how I felt when the lights went down stayed true even now that I’d had my reunion with Grant and it went so well. I found myself singing along to songs I’d tried to avoid for years. I found myself blushing and screaming right along with everyone else when Grant looked down at me, though there was definitely something a little more special than usual about the way Grant looked at me.

  In short it was the perfect concert. It was an experience I never would’ve expected from Twenty Promises, and I loved it. I wanted more of it. More than anything, though, I wanted time with Grant.

  When they were halfway through the first encore Jake came up to us and Kayla and I were being spirited along the front of the stage while the band played on right next to us. I noticed Kayla giving Blake the eye on more than one occasion, and he seemed to be returning the attention in kind. I wondered if maybe there wasn’t something brewing between those two crazy kids, though I was far more preoccupied with my own Cinderella story for the moment, as selfish as that seemed.

  And then finally it was happening. We were standing at the same backstage spot where we’d been a couple of months ago, only so much had changed since then.

  “You two again?”

  I turned at the sound of a familiar voice and smiled. It was the same security guard from before who’d almost stopped us from getting into the real backstage area. I couldn’t remember his name, but I wouldn’t forget the way his domed head sloped down to his shoulders with absolutely no neck in between. He smiled for a moment, but only until Kayla and I made to go into the backstage area, the real backstage area, again. Then he stepped forward with his arms out and a frown on his face.

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” Kayla asked.

  “Do you have backstage passes?” he asked.

  That brought both of us up short. We didn’t even have passes to get into the concert, let alone backstage passes. We’d been rushed through the arena with Jake watching us closely and presumably our passes were still waiting for us back at the will-call booth with a horde of crazed fan girls surrounding it patrolling for any sign that we were coming back. Not that there was a chance I was going to try and go back to that booth and get those tickets now.

  “You’re not serious? You know who I am, right? I’m Mia!”

  “Sure you are. Lots of girls have been Mia since that song came out,” he said.

  “But I am Mia! Jake, tell him I’m Mia!”

  Only when I turned around Jake was nowhere to be found. Somehow he’d melted into the crowd without me realizing it. The guy must have catlike reflexes, though again I don’t know why I was surprised that he was light on his feet given the performance he’d pulled out in front of the arena when he lifted me like I was a sack of potatoes and did a dead run with me and Kayla safely tucked under his arms.

  I just really wish he’d stuck around for at least a minute to let this guy know who we were. As it was it was seriously starting to look like we were running through the same song and dance as last time, only this time around there was no Grant around to pull us backstage considering I could still hear him singing onstage. Not to mention that even though the girls around us in the front row had been supportive, I couldn’t help but feel that there was a chance of us running into more crazies the longer we stayed out in the open like this. I felt an itching between my shoulder blades, almost as though someone was going to do their best to land a punch or something there.

  I turned back to the guy and blinked. He was grinning. And he’d stepped aside and was motioning for us to go.

  “I’m just fucking with you,” he said. “Of course I’m going to remember anyone Grant wants backstage. Nice seeing you again Ms. Mia.”

  I breathed a sigh of relief I didn’t even know I’d been holding in. I wanted to smack the guy, but at the same time I was so happy at being let in that I also wanted to jump up and hug him. It was a conflicting set of desires that were warring inside me, and so I decided to split the difference and just smiled at him as I made my way backstage.

  “I thought he really wasn’t going to let us in for a minute there,” Kayla said.

  “Oh I don’t think there’s any worry of that, love,” a voice said from behind us. I felt a chill, but it was just the chill of hearing a male voice, any male voice, back here. Because all it took was the time for the voice to go from my ears to my brain for me to realize that wasn’t Grant.

  No, from the way Kayla’s face lit up she’d realized that voice was for her. We both turned at the same time and there was Blake, guitar still slung over his shoulder, walking towards us with a smile on his face. A pretty damn huge smile. Of course he’d be happy to see Kayla, though. He didn’t get the big moment on the stage pulling her up like I’d gotten with Grant, though he had been making eyes at her all night long.

  Kayla didn’t waste a moment, either. She sprinted the short distance between the two of them and jumped into his arms, wrapping her legs around him and pressing her lips against his. Odd that he was back here. I thought I could still hear them playing out on stage.

  Kayla came up for air a moment later and she was still grinning down at him. He was still grinning up at her, for that matter. They were staring at each other with something approaching what I imagined Grant and I looked like at the beginning of our romance, and I found myself wondering if Kayla might not be able to tame the infamous guitarist of Twenty Promises after years of being a happy bachelor.

  I didn’t even hold a grudge against him for that text message. He probably didn’t even know what he was saying, or that I would see it. He was probably just going off of business as usual behind the scenes with Twenty Promises, and it’s not like I could hold that against him.

  Of course not holding a grudge against him didn’t make things less awkward between us. He turned to me and that smile faltered just a bit. He put Kayla down and then he was walking towards me with his arms outstretched. I felt a moment of panic as I wondered what the hell he was up to. Why was he reaching out like he was going to try and hug me? Kayla was the girl for him in this friendship duo. There was
nothing for him that I had on offer, and yet he was walking towards me.

  He wrapped me in a hug and I found myself being spun around in a most disorienting way. When he put me down he was smiling again, but he was still looking at me as though he expected me to smack him or something. Weird.

  “I’m sorry,” he said.

  I blinked. “You’re sorry? What are you talking about?”

  “That text. I nearly screwed things up and, well best not to dwell in the past, but I am sorry.”

  This time I wrapped him in a hug. Talk about a surprise getting an apology like that, but I’d take it.

  “Apology accepted, but it wasn’t needed.”

  “You might not need it, but I did,” he said. “Particularly since it seems we’re going to be seeing a whole lot more of you around here soon!”

  I didn’t know what he was talking about, but that made me feel good. It had the sense of something he’d already talked over with Grant. I thought back to the offer he made in the hotel right before things really went to hell, and found myself hoping against hope that something like that might happen again.

  “Well that was something to see,” a voice said from behind me.

  This time I did feel goose bumps. I felt fire running from the top of my head where my hair was standing on end down to the tips of my toes that were curling in a sympathetic memory to the way they’d curled when the owner of that voice was on top of me in the back of a tour bus, in a hotel room, filling me with an indescribable pleasure that went so far beyond anything I’d experienced with a man before in my life that there really was no way of classifying it. I closed my eyes and let the sound of that voice wash over me. A voice that I’d hated and loved depending on the moment and my mood over the past two months.

  A voice that I desperately wanted to hear again. A voice that was filling me with the most incredibly naughty thoughts as I slowly turned around and saw him standing there. No guitar slung over his shoulder, but he still looked every inch the rock god regardless. Those muscles. That leather vest hanging open and showing off those muscles. The confident way he held himself. That cocky smile on his face.