Heart of the Music (Saints & Sinners #1)

by Kaithlin Shepherd

She took a few seconds to process the schedule for the next few days before speaking. “Well, the band has a show tomorrow night here in town. Why don’t you come to the show, and then I can introduce you to the band and we can play it by ear.”

  Makayla shifted in her chair. “Oh, well, tomorrow night, well that’s….”

  “You are more than welcome to bring Riley, Makayla. I can leave backstage passes so you feel comfortable with Riley. I’ll be there too, and a lot of our crew have their kids with them on the road. We’re a quiet bunch, really,” she said, hoping it would ease the other woman's concerns.

  After a moment’s hesitation, Makayla accepted. “Well, okay then, if you think that’s not a problem.”

  “Not at all. What do you think, Riley? You want to hear some music tomorrow?” The little girl screamed her excitement and sealed the deal in the process.

  After she took down Makayla’s information, they said their goodbyes, and as soon as the door closed behind them, she turned around to look at Jarrod. “She seems nice,” she told him.

  “I agree. I was a bit concerned about this book, but I have a feeling she’ll do a great job on it.”

  “I know you didn’t want to do it, but we have creative control. This is a win-win, babe.”

  “You know our relationship is going to end up in that book,” he told her.

  Yeah, she knew, and she had come to peace with it. “I know, and I’m okay with it,” she told him truthfully before kissing him.

  “As much as I want to finish what we started in the shower, the guys are waiting for us,” he told her, sounding annoyed that they’d agreed to go to the beach.

  “We’ll finish it later,” she promised before getting ready for their day out.

  By the time they made it downstairs, the guys were already waiting for them in the lobby. “Sorry we’re late. We had a visit from that reporter from Time and her beautiful daughter.”

  “How is she?” Sam asked them.

  “She’s cool. You’ll like her. She isn’t stuck up,” Jarrod answered before she could. The guys all nodded, trusting their judgement.

  Jarrod

  Being in California for a string of shows had it perks, like the ocean and spending the afternoon with Trish on the beach. Jarrod couldn’t take his eyes off her as she let the water hit her legs; she was fucking stunning in her pink sundress with her skin glowing and the sunshine bouncing off her skin. How he’d gotten so lucky was beyond him.

  He was about to go join her when Austin sat down beside him. “California women make me crazy.”

  “Women in general make you crazy, man. What’s so different about California women?” he asked, not taking his eyes off Trish, loving the way she was relaxing under the rays.

  Austin exhaled and ran a hand through this hair. “Suzie.”

  Jarrod turned around as fast as lighting when Austin mentioned that name. “Wait, what? You saw Suzie?” Well now, that explained why Austin looked like someone who had just gone three rounds with a pro-wrestler.

  Suzie was Austin’s high school love, the kind of love that made it impossible for a man to get over it. The kind of love a man encountered once in a lifetime, and now that he had Trish in his life and in his bed, Jarrod understood the pain Austin had been in for more than a decade,

  “She moved out here after high school, went to UCLA. I looked her up before we got here, and I went to see her at the hospital where she works. Wish I hadn’t done that. The woman drives me crazy.”

  “Maybe it’s time you let her go,” Jarrod suggested, knowing his friend would never be able to do it.

  “I can’t. I wish I could, but I can’t. I still love her, you know?”

  Soon after, Trish joined them, sitting in between Jarrod’s legs and leaning back on his chest, enjoying the sun. “This is the perfect day,” she whispered as she laid her head on his shoulder. Jarrod wrapped his hands around hers and allowed himself to get lost in the moment, until flashes appeared in front of him.

  Austin was quick to grab a towel and put it up as a wall between them and the paparazzi. Patricia jumped to her feet and Sam, Tyler, and Mike were beside them in seconds, crowding themselves around Patricia, who was now being hounded by the media.

  “Let’s get the hell out of here.” Sam’s words were forced and raw. His jaw was tight as anger rolled off his body. When one photographer got too close to Trish, Sam pushed him off. “Back off, asshole.”

  Jarrod grabbed her hand and more flashes went off. She seemed calm, and looked strong and in control, but he felt her hand shaking in his. This was new for her; being the one the cameras were chasing was a whole different game than what she was used to.

  He wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they walked back to their hotel and kept whispering, “I’ve got you, baby.”

  Hotel security met them outside, keeping the paparazzi out of the building. Without debate, they all headed toward the hotel bar. “I need a drink after that,” Trish laughed as she sat down.

  “Damn, Trish, are you okay? I fucking hate the paparazzi.” Mike rubbed circles on her back as Jarrod grabbed drinks from the bar.

  “I’m fine. It was just a shock to be the one they were pointing those cameras at.” She took the glass Jarrod handed her and offered him a smile.

  “Hey, at least the pictures are going to be hot,” Mike said, and with that, all the tension and concern in the room were gone.

  “I know you guys wanted to go out for dinner, but I think I’d like to stay here. I can only handle that once a day.” She rested her head on Jarrod’s shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her back in the booth.

  “Sounds good to me, baby.” He tilted her head up with his fingers under her chin and kissed her. Yeah, this was how life was meant to be.

  Chapter Ten

  1 year ago

  Patricia

  “So, Patricia, are you seeing anyone?” Why she said yes when Sam asked her to join the band and Jarrod’s new flavor of the month, Elise, for dinner was something she would never understand.

  Elise was beautiful, which was a given since she was a lingerie model. She wanted to like her for Jarrod, but for the life of her, she couldn’t do it. She hated the woman on sight. She was the kind of woman who gave the rest of the gender a bad name.

  “No, the guys keep me pretty busy.” Thirty minutes into this dinner and Patricia already felt nauseous at the idea of Jarrod and Elise getting serious. As much as Jarrod wanted to believe this evil specimen of a woman was with him because of him, it was clear as day to Patricia that she was only with him because he was Jarrod Banks, the music superstar.

  “Oh, I’m sure they do, honey.” Elise looked more than pleased at the sting of her comment and had no shame in displaying physical affection toward Jarrod, which made Patricia cringe. And what the hell was that supposed to mean anyway?

  She hated the idea of someone taking advantage of Jarrod’s fame and fortune, and Elise had gold digger written all over her face. “I’m sorry, what is that supposed to mean?”

  “Well, nothing. It’s just everyone knows you’re way more than their publicist, that’s all.” She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to shake off the sting of this woman’s comments, but no matter how hard she tried, it wasn’t happening.

  Anger boiled inside her veins. “What exactly are you saying, Elise?”

  “You’re with them 24/7 and you’re single. It’s pretty obvious you’re scratching an itch with one of them, or is it more than one?” Mike choked on his beer and looked ready to jump across the table to make Elise swallow her words, but Patricia gave him a look that told him to let it go.

  “Elise, that is way out of line.” Patricia heard Jarrod’s voice, but she couldn’t focus on anything but her anger at Elise’s comments.

  “Thank you for dinner.” She grabbed her jacket and walked to the door as fast as she could. She had never felt more embarrassed and humiliated in her entire life.

  “Trish, wait up.” No, no, no. Why did he have to follo
w her?

  The last person she wanted to talk to or see right then was Jarrod. She looked at him over her shoulder. “Jarrod, don’t. Just go back inside.”

  Present Day

  Patricia

  Patricia woke up to the sound of her alarm blaring and wished they didn’t have to get out of bed. “Oh, God, just a couple more minutes.” She knew she would be dragging her feet today since Jarrod had kept her up until 5 a.m. The man was insatiable, and she was right there with him. She couldn’t get enough of him or the way she came alive when he touched her. Her body was completely at his mercy, and she loved every minute.

  His arms slipped around her, teasing her stomach, slowly travelling down to her wet pussy. “Hey, beautiful.” With her earlobe between his teeth and his hands roaming over her core, she was so turned on, she couldn’t think straight.

  “Hmm, I was just thinking about how much I’m enjoying all of these sexual discoveries I’ve been making with you. I never knew it could be like this,” she admitted. He flipped her onto her back, pinning her hands above her head as he straddled her hips.

  “It’s like this because we were made for each other, baby. Your body was made for fucking me and no one else. You’re so fucking responsive, Trish. It drives me insane how I get you onto the edge in less than a minute just from touching you and talking to you. I bet you didn’t even know you loved dirty talk this much before I whispered in your ear how many ways I could fuck you.”

  “Jarrod, please, I need you.” She never considered herself the begging type before him, but she was pretty convinced she would promise anything for him to touch her. His fingers teased her entrance, spreading her juices over her pussy.

  “Always so wet for me, baby. It’s so fucking hot.” He sank his teeth into her soft skin, biting the sensitive area between her neck and shoulder at the same time as he fucked her with two fingers. Her hips bucked off the bed and she felt her whole body tighten underneath his.

  “Keep your hands over your head,” he instructed before licking down her body to her pussy. When his tongue touched her clit, she screamed his name at the top of her lungs, and she felt him smile as he sucked her clit in his mouth, still fucking her with two fingers.

  “Oh, God! Don’t stop…. Shit. I’m going…. Yessssss.” She came all over his face, dripping on him. He growled when she came undone, screaming his name, pleading for him to give her what she needed.

  “So fucking perfect.” He kissed his way back up her body, lingering on her breasts, tweaking her hard nipples with his teeth, lighting her fire again.

  She grabbed his ass, lifting her hips so his erection brushed her core. “Jarrod?”

  His voice was strained when he answered her. “Yeah?” He grabbed her arms, placing her hands above her head once more, before kissing her.

  “Fuck me. Now.” When the words slipped past her lips, he slammed inside her with a force he’d never used before.

  “This is how bad I want you, baby.” He fucked her harder and harder, until the bed was hitting the wall and the picture frame above their heads almost fell to the ground. His eyes never left hers, almost like he needed to make sure she was able to take what he was giving her.

  “Harder, Jarrod, I’m not going to break.” She was shocked by the intensity in his eyes and in the way he was fucking her, but she loved every single minute of it.

  He had never fucked her this hard before, and even though she was pretty sure she was going to have a difficult time walking later today, she urged him to take her harder. He pulled out and slammed back into her a few times, and when his teeth clamped around her nipple, she came so fiercely the whole floor probably heard her screaming his name.

  Jarrod lost it when her orgasm racked her body, and with one more thrust, he came with such intensity that his body came crashing down on top of her and he couldn’t catch his breathe.

  “Good God.” Her hands were still pinned above her head and Jarrod’s body was sprawled on top of her, yet she had never felt freer than in that moment.

  Jarrod slowly pulled out and rolled himself to his back, fighting to breathe. “Shit, Trish, are you okay? I lost it there.”

  Before kissing him, she placed her hands on each side of his face. “I am way more than okay. That was incredible.”

  She pressed her mouth to his chest before he pulled her into his embrace, kissing her hair. “I love you, Trish. That’s never going to change.”

  She didn’t think she would ever get tired of hearing Jarrod tell her he loved her; the words were the sweetest melody she’d ever heard. “I love you, too.”

  She didn’t want to leave their room, but they had a show that night and a full day of interviews, meet-and-greets, and a dinner with their sponsor. “We have to get up. We have a packed day today.”

  “I know. Just give me five more minutes to hold you like this.”

  The Staples Center was buzzing with energy by the time they pulled up to the venue. They walked inside for the sound check as the crew set up for that night’s show.

  “Okay, there’s about twenty fans out there today for the sound check, so make sure you interact with them a little. When you guys are done, you’ll have twenty minutes with them. Keep it short and keep it clean because the LA Times and Rolling Stone are out there tonight.” Patricia was in the zone as she spoke to them.

  Jarrod grabbed her hand and pulled her aside, hiding their bodies behind the massive speakers around the stage.

  “You are so fucking sexy when you’re in control like that. Makes me hard every time.” He kissed her jaw, making sure to mark her with his five o’clock shadow.

  “You are so bad. You have to get out there before they get any ideas that we’re having sex against the speakers.” She giggled when he grabbed her ass.

  “Now that is an idea I will store away for later, Miss Monroe.” He kissed her and walked on stage, waving to the fans who screamed when they saw him.

  Patricia spotted Makayla by the sound booth with Riley, who wore her all-access pass and a Saints and Sinners T-shirt, sporting the biggest smile she’d ever seen on a child.

  She walked over to them, and when Riley saw her, she ran toward her. “Thank you for letting me be here. My mom said I couldn’t forget to tell you.”

  “You’re welcome, sweetie. Are you excited to meet the band?” Patricia kneeled down beside Riley and brushed her hair away from her face.

  “Yes!”

  Patricia looked at Makayla, who stood behind her daughter wearing an apologetic look. “She’s a big fan. I think you’ve made her whole life by inviting her.” Makayla put her hands on her daughter's shoulders, but Patricia caught her looking over at the stage more than once.

  “Who’s your favorite member, Riley?” she asked the little girl, never missing Makayla’s eyes glued to Mike.

  “Mike, he’s so nice.” Patricia laughed before taking Riley’s hands and walking to the stage. The five-year-old little girl’s excitement bounced off her small body. She motioned to their sound tech to bring her headphones for Riley before going up the few stairs and heading straight for Mike.

  When Jarrod saw her on the stage with Riley, he told the guys to cut it. “Mike, this is Riley, Makayla’s daughter. You’re her favorite member, so I thought we’d come and say hi.”

  Patricia pointed to the woman, who was watching her daughter closely, standing by the sound booth, and she saw something shift in Mike’s demeanor. Before she could say anything, he kneeled down beside the shaking little girl.

  “Hey, darling, aren’t you just the prettiest little thing I’ve ever seen.” Riley blushed and the sound of her giggles echoed through the empty venue.

  “Thank you. You’re my favorite.” Riley buried her little body in Mike’s arms, kissing his cheek.

  “Well now, darling, I think you just became my favorite girl.” Mike lifted Riley in his arms, spinning her around the stage.

  When Riley saw her mom come on the stage, she screamed, “Mama, I’m his favorite girl!
”

  Patricia stood to the side, watching Makayla and Mike all but eye-fuck each other, which took her by surprise. As much as Mike loved women, he never made a public display of his attraction, but there was no denying it at the moment. She glanced over at Sam, who looked just as confused as she was.

  “Thank you for doing that for her. You just made her year.” Makayla’s voice was soft, but the shakiness was still there as she took Riley’s hand.

  “Anytime.” Patricia watched Makayla and Riley run off the stage, and when her eyes landed on Mike, he was still looking at the mother and daughter.

  “What was that all about?” Her question seemed to make him snap out of whatever trance he was in.

  “Nothing. I was just being nice to a kid.” Patricia didn’t believe what he was trying to sell, but she knew this was not the time to push, so she decided to let it go, for now.

  The guys finished their sound check in record time, which seemed to make the fans happy since it meant they had more time with the band. After handling over-excited fans during the meet and greet, and coordinating the interviews the guys had lined up for the day, she realized she was late meeting Makayla. Patricia hurried to the bus and changed for the night’s show as fast as she could and ran to the spot where they were meeting.

  “I'm sorry I’m late. Come on, let’s introduce you two to the band properly.” Riley grabbed her hand and trotted down to the band’s dressing room. With Riley distracted by all the sights going on around them, Patricia decided to take advantage of the situation.

  “So, you and Mike seemed to have hit it off this morning.”

  Makayla blushed, trying to hide her embarrassment. “Oh, well, I don’t know about that. He was just being sweet to Riley. That’s all she could talk about during dinner.”

  Patricia put her hand on Makayla’s shoulder, hoping to calm the woman’s unease because she had nothing to be embarrassed about. For a woman to get to Mike like she did, it meant a lot more than any of them were letting on. “I’ve never seen him react like that to anyone. I’m just putting that on the table.”