“Of course. I didn’t think you’d want to have a baby with your fake girlfriend,” she said, her voice shaky. She could hardly believe that any of this was happening. A part of her still believed that it was a joke.
“For all intents and purposes, Heidi, you’re the only real girlfriend I’ve ever had,” Declan said, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her close to him. She landed on his chest, placing her hands on his shoulders for support.
She couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across her face.
“I'm sorry if I pushed you away earlier, Heidi. I didn’t think it was right,” he whispered in her ear and then nibbled her earlobe. Heidi smiled and looked into his eyes.
“I was pushing you away too, without realizing it,” she said, and they kissed softly.
“Can we just make this official now, so I can kiss you in private too?” Declan was smiling as he covered her face in kisses.
“We already made it official, remember?” Heidi laughed.
“To David, I mean,” Declan said, gently biting her chin. Heidi wrapped her arms around his neck and nodded.
***
When Heidi got out of bed, the curtains had already been pulled and the sun was pouring into the room. She stretched her arms and noticed that Maud had left a tray of her usual breakfast beside her.
Her hand went to her belly. She had begun to show. There was no hiding it from the media anymore. David had planned an exclusive interview with one of the big entertainment channels that morning. Heidi remembered this and quickly stepped out of bed.
Declan, as usual, was nowhere in sight. A quick shower later, Heidi ate her breakfast while putting her makeup on. She went for a fresh, minimal look, her trademark style, much to the disappointment of David, who had initially insisted that Declan Xavier’s girlfriend should wear dark, Goth eyeshadow and sparkly lipstick. Heidi couldn’t stand it. She wasn’t going to spend the rest of her life pretending to be someone else. The truth was that Declan Xavier wanted to be with her. It wasn’t a pretense anymore. He had picked her, Heidi Scott, with her plain taste in clothes and lack of interest in makeup.
She had decided to grow her hair again, and it had already started grazing her shoulders, falling in tight curls.
Heidi picked out a turquoise Lycra dress. It accentuated her baby bump and she examined herself in the mirror sideways. Her hand stroking her belly, feeling for the child she was carrying. Declan’s child.
Sandals and small turquoise earrings completed the look, and she was ready.
“You look absolutely stunning,” Declan said, when he saw her descending the stairs. David was busy in the background, attending to cameramen at the front door. Maud and a few of the other household staff were assisting him.
Declan welcomed her into his arms and they hugged tightly.
“Your first interview. How do you feel?” he asked her, as they walked together hand-in-hand towards the living room. David had specially rearranged it for the interview.
“Nervous, a little. Mostly excited,” she said, and he kissed her on the cheek.
***
“What is it like being Declan Xavier’s girlfriend?” was the first question Liam, the reporter interviewing them, asked, directing it to Heidi immediately. She laughed coyly, exchanging a quick happy look with Declan and then turning back to Liam again.
“I can’t say he’s not hard work. It’s very difficult to have a serious conversation with this man,” she said, and Liam smiled. Declan laughed at that himself, and Heidi instantly felt at ease.
“We assume that you’re getting used to the rock star lifestyle gradually?” Liam continued. Heidi brushed away some curls from her eyes.
“There’s nothing to get used to. It’s a regular household with regular people. Declan and I like our private, quiet days. It’s not what you think you know from the movies,” she replied. She felt Declan squeeze her hand gently.
“And we hear that there’s a grand opening for your bakery next week?” Liam threw this question to the floor, and Declan jumped in.
“You have not lived if you haven’t tried my girlfriend’s cupcakes. It’s what clinched the deal for me. I tasted one of them and I was a goner,” Declan said, and Liam and Heidi laughed.
She liked watching him in front of the camera, how his personality remained the same, how his smile was capable of pleasing everyone in the room. Declan made it look so easy to be a celebrity. That was probably what made him a rock star.
“And your other big announcement is…” Liam said with a smile.
“That we’re pregnant!” Heidi and Declan said together and kissed lightly. Heidi noticed the camera pan downwards and capture her baby bump for the audience.
“Congratulations to the happy couple. Have you picked out names yet?” Liam asked.
“If that’s your way of finding out if it’s a girl or a boy, that’s not happening, Liam,” Declan said, and squeezed Heidi’s shoulder playfully. Liam laughed at that as well.
“I have to ask a question that has been on everybody’s mind, really. How did Heidi Scott manage to slow down Declan Xavier? How did you manage this big transformation in him?” Liam asked, crossing his legs.
Heidi felt the cameras focus on her, and she shifted in her seat. This was always the hard part, lying with a straight face about how they met.
“I don’t know if I’ve changed him,” she began, and Liam pounced on that.
“Of course you have. Declan was surrounded by women, there were scandals about him sleeping with underage girls, supermodels with broken hearts…” Liam cut in.
“But that wasn’t necessarily his side of the story. Declan is a celebrity. He’s a rock star. Of course the stories about him will be exaggerated. Not that I’m defending any of the bad stuff that he may or may not have done. From my perspective, we met and we changed both our lives forever,” Heidi said. She could feel herself getting worked up. When would these allegations ever end? Even after all these months, they refused to abandon him.
“The truth is, Liam,” Declan spoke up then, “that she did change me. She changed my life because I met her and realized that I didn’t need anybody else. Nobody had ever done that to me before. And then I fell in love with her.” He had turned to her while he spoke and she could feel the squeeze of his hands in hers.
That was the first time he had said that to her, and she was afraid she was going to cry.
“And now she’s going to be the mother of my child.” Declan smiled at Liam, who smiled back at the happy couple.
***
“That was an incredible performance!” David clapped his hands as he shut the kitchen door behind him. Declan and Heidi were kissing when he entered.
“It wasn’t a performance, David, for heaven’s sake.” Declan slapped David on his back.
“Okay, okay. You know what I meant. We’ve done it, team,” he said, simultaneously offering high fives to both Heidi and Declan.
“And my first interview!” Heidi let out a sigh, pouring herself a glass of water.
“Very well done, sis. And I have to say, you look incredible as well,” David said, giving her a quick hug.
“Free publicity for my bakery too,” she said, with a wink towards Declan, who shook his head and laughed.
“Heidi Scott, ever the businesswoman,” Declan said, pulling her into his arms again.
“I’m so glad this isn’t a game anymore, so I don’t have to tiptoe around the media,” David said, sitting down at the table.
“We might have one more secret to keep, for a few months.” Declan turned to David who frowned. Heidi was staring at Declan too. Now what?!
“Heidi.” He turned to her and was down on his knee in a flash. She nearly squealed but remembered that the people from the TV show were still in the house outside.
Declan took out a small velvet box, which he popped open. A diamond ring sat in the center, and Heidi nodded her head before he had even asked her.
“A rock for my rock star gir
lfriend,” Declan said, slipping the ring onto her finger before he had picked her up in his arms and swung her around. Heidi had never felt this much happiness before.
*****
THE END
Played by the Rock Star
Description
I’m a good girl, I don’t like hot, famous rock stars. All I have to do is pretend that I’m dating one...
Brent Jacobsen is living the life of a rock star.
Sold out concerts.
All of the girls that he could ever want.
Parties and fancy hotel rooms.
It’s just too bad that he’s broken and self-destructing. After destroying another hotel room, his best friends come up with a brilliant idea on how to deflect the negative press: date their younger sister out in public and feed off of her sweet and clean life. They already know each other, so it will be easy enough.
It sounds so simple, until it isn’t.
Riley is beautiful and smart. Brent watched her grow up but now, at twenty-two, she is mature and compassionate in ways that he doesn’t understand. They both agree, but soon know that it is more than just a news story.
Can Brent find it in himself to give Riley what she deserves? Can he be what she needs?
Will his friends ever forgive him for what he’s about to do to their sister?
Will he ever be the same again after he tastes her lips?
Chapter One
The sun glared into the room. Brent Jacobson raised his hand to block it and turned onto his stomach in the king sized bed. “What the fuck? It’s so early.”
“Poor baby. What they hell are you up to, Brent?” the sharp voice of his publicist responded, as his head started to pound. “Nice room. Too bad the rest of it is trashed.”
“Trashed? What happened?” Brent groaned as the full effects of his hangover started to kick in and make him feel like shit.
“Jesus fucking Christ. You’re lucky the band is doing well,” McKenzie Adams grumbled, as she stared at the man who was making her life a living nightmare. “A few girls went scrambling out of here when I knocked, since you wouldn’t answer your cell. I got a call from the hotel due to a report of noise sometime this morning and had to catch a flight here from Philadelphia. It was my daughter’s fifth-grade graduation today. Thanks a lot for that, Brent.”
“Shit, I’m sorry.” She snorted at his apology as she paced the room.
“The rest of the band doesn’t even want to answer their phones anymore. Do you think there’s a problem?”
Brent turned in the bed and kept the sheet over his body, even though he knew that Kenzie didn’t care. When she wasn’t babysitting him, she was a happily married mother of two kids. “The gig was great, and we partied afterward. What’s wrong with that?”
“Nothing, except that you have another bill from another trashed hotel room. It’s in the thousands of dollars, this time, Brent. That TV was quite large. Judging from the mess of bottles, you owe on the mini bar as well.” She looked at him with worried, jade green eyes as she ran a hand through her wavy, chestnut hair. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know, Kenzie. I wanted to have some fun after a show, and the girls were hot.” He looked at her with dull blue eyes that before covering his handsome face with one thick, tattooed arm.
“You know it’s more than that,” she said, before letting out a sigh. “Are you going to stay calm for a while? I have to do damage control.”
“I’m fine, Mom.”
“I am going to call Declan and have him come be here with you.” Her brother was a roadie for Nothing Lost and staying in the same hotel, but she hadn’t made the call yet. She knew how late he’d been up, and this was her job. Technically. Declan just helped her out.
Brent groaned as he saw her shadow leave the room and pulled the sheets over his head. He had no recollection of last night apart from the girls and the drinks, but Brent was well aware that he could lose control quickly these days. His life was successful, and he was doing well on paper, but inside he was a mess.
Brent had wanted more for himself at thirty, but things had just happened to bring him down. He rode the high that was being lead singer of one of the most popular bands in 2016 and tried not to think about the rest of it. Brent knew that he was awake for the day and got up to hit the toilet and pull on some shorts before he walked out into the living area of the suite.
Kenzie was right. It was destroyed. He looked around at the broken and upturned furniture and the shattered television on the floor, not to mention the general mess from the party that he’d thrown at the last minute. He pushed a reddened hand through his dirty blond hair, which was hanging down into his face, and closed his eyes slowly as he heard a knock at the door.
Brent made his way through the destruction and opened it to find Declan Keller standing there in board shorts and a t-shirt, looking as though he’d partied as well. He just didn’t look or probably feel nearly as bad as Brent did. “Were you here last night?”
“I did the after party with the opening band. Cool guys.” Declan walked inside and whistled as he looked around. “Is Kenzie pissed off? It was Scarlet’s graduation today and she scheduled hard to be there. She could’ve just called me.”
“I think she wanted to scream at me in person. Hopefully, she can write a check and get back in time for some of it,” Brent replied, as he walked into the kitchen and sat at the table. Declan followed him and grabbed some water as he looked closely at his best friend. “I think she’s done with me this time.”
“This is…five rooms?” Declan asked, and Brent nodded. “You guys are making bank, but you’re dragging the band’s name through the mud right now. The media is all over your shit, and the other guys didn’t ask for any of this.”
“I know,” Brent responded before he downed the bottle of water. He’d already done a stint in rehab to clear one of his predicaments, but it hadn’t seemed to help. Besides, he wasn’t really addicted to alcohol or drugs as much as he used them to cope with things in his life. Rehab was always a good cover when you got into trouble, though, and it cleared the air, at least until you messed up all over again.
Declan’s phone chimed and he slipped it out of his pocket. He grinned and punched something in. “Riley’s here. She’s going to hang out with us for a couple of months while you tour if you’re not fired soon.”
Brent rolled his eyes and drank some more. He was close to Declan’s family and thought that his sister Riley was a good kid. Hell, she was twenty-two now. “How is she?”
“Dad fucked her out of college money. He said something about Mom being remarried so she can afford it herself. Mom married a plumber this time, and they have their life to live.” Declan looked at him. “I asked her to hang out to get her mind off of things. She only has a couple of years left and hell, maybe I’ll pay for it.” They both knew that she had a promising future in Graphic Design with her talent, but a degree from Parsons in New York wouldn’t hurt her at all.
“You have Mel,” Brent told him, referring to his fiancée. The two were going to get married in six months, and he was already sending her to school for Journalism. She didn’t work and attended college full time while Declan made the money in the family.
“Yeah, I know. I’ve been pretty pissed off about this.” He sent something on his phone. “She’s going to drop her bag off at my room and come here.”
“Let’s get some room service and eat before we clean up,” Brent suggested, and Declan shook his head. “I’ll need the energy. We drank a lot last night.”
Brent walked over to the phone and ordered a few platters of food before he went to take a shower and face reality. Again. He got out and put some clean shorts on with a gray t-shirt and went back into the living room to see Kenzie and Declan talking to a pretty hot little redhead. “Hey there,” he said.
His eyes almost popped open as bright teal eyes met his, and he realized that Riley was the girl in his room.
Chapter Two
“I hear I’m paying for breakfast,” Kenzie said, as she glared at Brent. “You’re covered with this room, but we need to figure out what we’re going to do. Brent?”
He was staring at Riley but blinked and looked away at Kenzie’s question. Riley was gorgeous now, and it had only been a few years since he’d seen her. “We will. I’m going to eat something and clean this shit up.”
“I am going to the airport. I have a graduation to go to.” Kenzie left in a huff, and Brent glanced at the clock to see that it was still early in the morning.
“Riley, you’ve grown up since I saw you last,” Brent told her, as he walked over to her and gave her a one-armed hug. She was taller than before, just a few feet under his six foot one frame, and she had some beautiful little curves. Damn, if she didn’t smell like something sweet, as well.
“That happens when you’re a famous rock star on the road all of the time,” she replied dryly, as she gave the room a long look. “Really, Brent?” She looked into his eyes, and he turned his face to the floor as disapproval flooded her pretty face. “You’re a talented guy, and this is what you do?”
“Last time, Ri.” It sounded so weird calling this gorgeous young woman by the nickname that he’d used for years. “Your sister is going to kill me if I don’t chill out.”
“You got that right,” Declan agreed, as they heard a knock at the door. He opened it and brought in the tray himself after tipping the delivery guy, giving Brent a look as he wheeled it into the center of the room and poured some coffee. “There’s a crowd outside. Way to be low key, Brent.”
Riley walked over and looked over the platters as Brent tried to force his eyes away from her ass in the skinny jeans that she was wearing. What the fuck was wrong with him? She was like his own sister in some ways, and he pushed his hair back as it started to drip into his eyes before joining them.
The Boss’s Secret Baby Page 13
