“What the hell is that?” I dropped into a seat at the table, deciding it was no longer a good idea to be wandering around. The smell permeated my senses, making me dry heave.
“Don’t you dare puke. You got yourself into this mess and I refuse to clean up after you.” He set a glass of water and a white bottle down in front of me.
So much for him not wanting to clean up the mess. I popped the top off the bottle and dropped two of the tablets into my mouth, chasing them with half a glass of water. Once I knew it wouldn’t come back up, I finished the glass. I hadn’t realized how thirsty I was until I took the first sip. “Thanks.”
Ryan nodded, his eyes narrowing on the thing in the pan. Thankfully he dumped it into the trash, grabbed a mug off the counter and joined me at the table. “Now that you’re coherent, want to tell me what got into you last night?”
I shrugged. It hurt. “Maybe she is dating the drummer.”
He shook his head. “I doubt that. She would’ve just told you to back off.”
I scrubbed a hand over my face. “Yeah, that’s what I was thinking. Can’t figure out why, though.”
“I’ve had it happen once.” He leaned back in his seat. “Had nothing to do with who she was dating and everything to do with my assholish behavior and inappropriate comments.” He made air quotes around the last part.
“I only asked about where she got her tats done. Doesn’t make any sense.”
He took a drink of the coffee. “Don’t worry about it. There’s plenty of pussy around.”
“Maybe.” But like any other guy, I wanted what I couldn’t have.
He narrowed his eyes at me. “What are you thinking?”
I ignored him and went back to my room to grab my phone, feeling his eyes track me when I came back into the room.
“What was the name of the band?”
“Why?”
“Just tell me.” I opened the web browser.
He sighed. “Jaded Ivory. You’re not going to do something stupid, are you?”
I typed in their name, hoping like hell they had a website or Facebook page where I could find their schedule.
Jaded Ivory ~ Fan Page.
Bingo.
The second link led me exactly where I needed. The calendar said they had a show tonight, about an hour away.
I glanced up at Ryan. “What are you doing tonight?”
He quirked a brow at me. “Why?”
I twisted my phone around for him to see the site I was on. “Didn’t know if you wanted to grab a drink?”
“You think that’s a good idea?” He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Probably not. But apparently I’m full of bad ideas.”
He stared at me, waiting to see if I’d say anything else. When I didn’t he dropped his head to his hands. “Fine.” I smiled but it was short-lived, my mouth turning down when he lifted his head and pointed a finger at me. “But if the drummer tries to kick your ass, you’re on your own.”
I shrugged, knowing he didn’t mean a word of it. “Get a shower. You can’t cook and I don’t feel like it. We’ll go grab burgers.”
“You’re paying. It’s my charge for putting up with your crazy tonight.”
Ryan got up and left the kitchen to get changed. We shared one bathroom so I sat back and waited my turn, thankful when the pain relievers took effect. My skull no longer throbbing, I swiped my finger across the phone, choosing the “Meet the Band” section of the page. Each member had their own profile, complete with pictures. Mari’s still didn’t have any information to help me dig deeper.
“You can’t hide from me,” I said to her picture on my phone. “I’ll find a way to convince you I’m a nice guy.”
CHAPTER 5
Mari
Three weeks.
Nine shows.
And no escaping Cole.
It didn’t matter where we played, he showed up. I’d kept it together, afraid of what the record label would say. Tom had contacted Sawyer the day after he saw us perform, sharing that he’d convinced his bosses that we were good enough for a contract. He’d asked Sawyer for demos, which we already had ready, and passed them on to the head of LiteStar. The final contract was coming. We were just waiting to put pen to the paper.
But the excitement I felt with this development was slightly diminished by seeing Cole every time we played.
It didn’t matter whether I told him to fuck off or ignored him for the night. He was like a dog chasing after a bone. He still had no idea who I was, and I certainly hadn’t told him. I didn’t want to tell him anything about me. All he saw was a woman who wouldn’t give him the time of day. He didn’t remember the high school me.
I did.
Each night he tried to talk to me. Some nights he bought me a drink, others he did his best to draw me into conversation even with Sawyer scowling at him. Every time I kept my cool and my drink in its glass.
Somehow, I had to get him to give up. The tenacious bastard didn’t seem ready to quit. I’d even gone as far as to hook up with another guy, hoping he’d get the hint.
Nope. All I got was Sawyer pissed at me.
He wouldn’t have cared if I’d done it for me. The fact that it was for the sole purpose of getting rid of Cole, he did not like.
I needed to find another way. The deal was everything. I’d worked entirely too hard and for too long to let one guy ruin everything.
“Mari?”
I blinked rapidly to clear my vision. Monty stood in front of me, his dark hair spiked in a million directions.
“What’s up?”
His brows drew together. “You feeling all right tonight?”
“Yeah. Just thinking about when they’ll send the contract over.” I pushed off the wall, hoping my excuse was enough.
Sawyer had cornered me when I was too hungover not to tell him everything that had happened with Cole. Apparently, the little information I’d given him in my dressing room hadn’t been enough. It took another three hours to calm Sawyer down enough that I could get him to promise not to hunt Cole down. It was a long time ago. Not that I could have seen myself forgiving him, but I also really wasn’t interested in the rest of the band knowing. Some secrets were best kept locked deep down inside.
He clasped his hands together. “I know what you mean. I’d always hoped we would get our break, but honestly I wasn’t sure it would ever happen.”
I covered his hands with my own and leaned up to press a kiss on his cheek. “We definitely deserve it. Now let’s go out there and show the crowd what we can do.”
A smile pulled at the corners of his lips. “You bet your ass we will.”
With a nod he stepped back, then turned and walked to the stage door. I glanced up and noticed Sawyer leaning against the doorframe, watching me. I stopped and looked in the mirror on the wall. Nothing seemed out of place. Pushing down my old insecurities, I went to the door but when I tried to step through, Sawyer lay a hand on my arm.
“Want to tell me why it took Monty a few minutes to get your attention when he was standing right in front of you? Or why you’ve checked your hair and makeup at least five times since you came out here.”
I couldn’t look at him, I knew he’d see right through the lie about to slip past my lips. He’d already seen enough to know something was wrong. “I’m fine.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him shake his head before letting go of my arm and walking through the door before me. My chest constricted. Sawyer never walked away from me. He pushed and pushed until I opened up.
Damn Cole.
I had to find a way to prove to myself that nothing Cole and his friends had done would keep me down. And if I wanted to remove the wedge that was driving space between me and my bandmates, I had to do that fast.
“Mari. Mari. Mari.”
Now wasn’t the time to dwell on ridding myself of Cole. Heaving a sigh, I climbed the stairs to the stage. I plastered a smile on my face and stepped in
to the light. Of course, the first face my eyes landed on was Cole’s.
So much for pushing him out of my head.
It was the same every time I sang. Was my subconscious trying to torture me? There had to be a reason why he was the first person I seemed to find.
The backbeat came out louder than normal, and I didn’t have to turn my head to know Sawyer was pissed. Well, so was I.
At myself.
I did the best I could to push all thoughts of high school trauma and annoyed best friends from my head and to put on the best show possible, letting all my insecurities and fear bleed out into the music.
By the time we finished one set and an encore, I was physically and emotionally drained. If I wanted, I knew I could convince Sawyer to take me home. But what would I do there? Sit in the silence and think about all the memories that wanted to take me under? To wonder why I couldn’t push Cole out of my head?
No. It was time to take matters into my own hands and approach the problem in a whole new way. Tonight would be different.
“Still avoiding me?”
I glanced over to see a quirked brow over the green eyes I’d remembered so well through the years. Drink number three sat half empty in front of me. Tingles in my fingers and toes indicated a wonderful buzz, something that made the prospect of facing Cole easier. I had to admit, seeing him was getting a little more painless. The need to brace for a rebuff or nasty comment no longer washed over me—the first sign I’d had all night that I was stronger than I’d been giving myself credit for. I wondered whether his reaction would be the same if he knew I was Mariella. Maybe. Maybe not. Mari, on the other hand, seemed to be free and clear of Cole’s retorts.
“What makes you think I’m avoiding you?” It was hard not to register the way the button-down shirt accentuated the muscles of his biceps. The way the fabric stretched across his clearly defined chest.
What in the hell am I thinking? Am I really checking out Cole Wallace?
“Maybe you’re not. My name’s Cole.” His voice was low and raspy.
My head snapped up. Something warred in his eyes.
Lust?
Amusement?
Whatever it was, he’d caught me staring at him. Much to my dismay, I felt the heat rush to my face and turned away. The glass in front of me suddenly became the most interesting thing in the room.
Or I was going to pretend it was.
A warm hand settled over mine. Heat raced through me. I narrowed my eyes at the tan fingers, such a stark contrast to the alabaster of my skin.
“I’ve come to every show you had for the last three weeks just to see you.” He gave my hand a light squeeze. “You’re absolutely gorgeous. Can’t you give me a chance? I’m a nice guy.”
The breath caught in my chest.
Second period. The worst point of the day. Every single person in the class made it their mission to make my life a living hell. Normally, I’d find a reason to leave class, whether to the nurse’s office or the bathroom. It didn’t matter where I went, as long as I wasn’t in the room most of the time. The teacher wasn’t letting anyone leave the room so I did my best to focus on writing the notes from the board.
Of course, Cole sat directly in my line of sight.
When the phone rang, I wrapped my fingers around my necklace and said a quick little prayer that whoever was on the other end of the line would be looking for me and I could get out of there. Mr. Long stepped out into the hall to finish his conversation and my hands started to shake. Maybe if I was quiet, no one would pay attention to me. I kept copying the board, doing my best to ignore the conversations that had sprung up around the room.
“I’m not going.” Jackie, one of the nastiest people in the room, shook her head at Cole.
If she didn’t deserve Cole, I might have felt bad for her.
Focus on your notes.
Cole reached out and touched her arm. “Come on, Jackie. At least let me pick you up after the game? I’m a nice guy.”
I caught myself before the snort slipped out. “Nice guy” was exactly the opposite description of what I’d use for Cole. I looked up to see the next line when my eyes locked with emerald green eyes. For a split second, I lost my mind and didn’t look away.
“OMG, Mariloon. Are you trying to flirt?” Cole smirked.
That snapped me to attention. Jackie’s brown gaze was cold and I knew hers weren’t the only set of eyes on me. “No guy in this world would bother trying to get his dick in that dry virgin pussy.”
Laughter filled the room.
I had to get out of here.
I wasn’t that girl anymore. The past shouldn’t stop me from having fun. The last few years had been good to Cole. He’d always been muscular, but the definition of his arms and chest far exceeded my teenage memory. His green eyes were molten as he watched me, waiting for my reaction.
I tipped back the rest of my drink, the alcohol burning away any protest my conscience might have had. It was time I proved they couldn’t hurt me anymore; that I came out stronger and could face any one of them now.
And what better way to do that than to go home with Cole?
Each time I saw him my defenses crumbled a bit more. Not the emotional ones. I wasn’t sure I could ever forgive him. This was all physical. My body craved the man next to me. One night wouldn’t hurt anyone. One night to give into my fantasies.
“What kind of chance do you want?” My voice was husky to my own ears.
The pads of his fingers lightly caressed up my arm, across my shoulder, and down the side of my jaw, sending goose bumps racing over my skin. He bent his head low, teasing the shell of my ear with his tongue. “To be alone with you.”
I glanced around the room, more than happy to see Sawyer preoccupied with Heath at a pool table. I didn’t need his input. He’d tell me this was the dumbest fucking idea I’d ever had. That I was only thinking about it because I was drunk.
“Any suggestions where we might find some place to be alone?”
His eyes widened for a brief second, only to turn heavy-lidded. “I think we could find somewhere.”
It couldn’t be my place. Sawyer would be home later and if he found Cole in my bed I had no doubt he’d break his promise and give me away. Plus, I wanted the chance to make a quick getaway without him knowing where I lived.
Cole gestured his head toward the other side of the bar.
“My roommate is here, too, but by the way he’s talking to that redhead, I don’t think he’s heading home any time soon.”
I didn’t give myself a chance to think. “Lead the way.”
His hand slipped down to take mine and he linked ours fingers on the bar, in full view of anyone and everyone. On shaking legs, I let him lead me out to the parking lot and to his car. Sawyer had driven us to the bar that night. He’d been doing that a lot the last two weeks, knowing that I was likely to end up sloppy drunk by the end of the night. Coping mechanism my ass. All I got was a brain-pounding hangover and Cole still on my mind when I woke up.
He led me to a black SUV, the lights in the lot were too dim to tell what kind of car it was, and as we climbed in and Cole started the car, I reached up and fussed with my hair.
Instead of pulling the car out of the lot, he turned to me and without warning, brought his mouth down on mine. It took me a moment to process what was happening. The taste of the beer lingered on his lips. When my brain finally registered that not only was Cole kissing me, but that I loved the feel of his lips, I lost it and joined in, parting my lips, slipping my tongue into his mouth, taking my first and only true taste of Cole Wallace.
He tightened his grip on me, holding the connection of our lips until he abruptly broke it. My heart sank, then I saw him reach down and adjust himself in his jeans.
“Fuck, Mari. If I keep kissing you, I’m gonna blow right here in the car.”
“Then take us back to your house.”
He watched me for a second before throwing the car in reverse, the squealing tir
es throwing stones and dust up into the air as he hauled ass out of the lot.
Cole pulled up in front of a small single-story house. It wasn’t huge. Again, not what I expected. The Cole I’d known had been ostentatious. When I thought of it, even his car didn’t scream anything to me.
Interesting.
He made it around to my side of the car, throwing the door open to let me out. Never in my life had I expected Cole Wallace to open a door for me. The second my feet touched the ground, I was backed up against the car, his lips stealing my breath, the scenery around me spinning like a carousel. Closing my eyes, I wrapped my arms around his neck and let myself simply . . . feel.
In for a penny, in for a pound.
CHAPTER 6
Mari
Desire.
The need to touch him.
These sensations and these alone overrode every other sense I had. His hips pressed against me, letting me feel how much he wanted me. My core heated, hardening my nipples until the scrape of fabric across them sent tingles of desire along every nerve ending. At the first swipe of his tongue I let him in, teasing his mouth with my own.
He moved his lips from mine, tracing them across my jaw and down my neck. A shiver ran through me when his tongue reached the lobe of my ear and paused.
“What are you waiting for?” I whispered.
He drew back, his eyes locked on mine. The connection lasted longer than I expected and for one moment I thought he might have recognized me. When he stepped back and held out a hand to me, I took it, only a slight tremor to my fingers.
He led me into the house, down a dark hall into a room. I didn’t take in much of my surroundings. The only thing I noticed was the way his jeans stretched across his muscular ass.
There was a click and a light came on, and for the first time since I was a teenager, I saw Cole in more than the muted light of the bar. Whether or not I wanted to admit it, Cole had grown even more gorgeous in the last six years.
He turned to me, eyes alight, and tugged his shirt over his head. A tattoo ran across his bicep, but what really caught my attention was the deep V that led below the waistband of his low-slung jeans. The fire in his eyes blazed brighter with each step he took toward me. Shutting my brain off and letting my body make the decisions, I met him halfway.
Rock Me (Jaded Ivory Book 1) Page 4
