Ready For Flynn,Part 3: A Rockstar Romance: Ready For Flynn Series

by K. L. Shandwick

  “Are you okay?” Flynn asked as he leaned, took my hand in his, and brushed his mouth over my knuckles. I breathed deeply and nodded, then gave him a small smile. He looked relieved, and I figured he was still chewing himself out about what had happened earlier in the day. I took his face between my hands and pulled him closer to me.

  “I love you, Flynn,” I declared in a soft voice that was for his ears only.

  “And you are everything to me, and then some, babe,” he countered.

  Turning back to look at the young boy, he pulled on his shirt hem in an obvious tell of nerves, and I watched him swallow his fears several times, as his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down while he built up the courage to sing.

  He glanced over at me and swept his hair back with his fingers, and I noticed a silver guitar pick between his teeth. He took it from his mouth and strummed the first notes of a song I knew very well, “Thinking in Black and White,” Flynn’s song about me. Flynn sat watching him sing the first verse and bridge, then squeezed my hand, winked, and rose out of his seat.

  Making his way to the young musician, he began to clap out the rhythm of the drum beat that accompanied the guitar riff the boy was playing. I smiled at the shock and uncertainty of the young performer when he saw who was hijacking his moment of glory. Flynn eyed an old well-played acoustic that had been left standing against the wall on the tiny makeshift stage.

  Beckoning to Kayden to come up beside them, he picked it up and looked back at Kayden as if to say, “Well? Are you coming?” Kayden rose from his chair, grinning from ear to ear and wandered over beside them. He drummed out the beats to the song on a small wooden table to the left of the stage.

  The boy tried to offer Flynn his guitar when the first song was over but Flynn declined asking his name instead. Then in a voice loud enough for the mesmerized audience to hear, he said, “I’m delighted to tell you we’ve got the gig, and we’re Jessie Martello’s backing band for the night.” He said without a hint of sarcasm. The small audience erupted in cheers while Jessie grinned and scratched the back of his head with a what-the-hell look on his face.

  If someone could have bottled the smile he returned to Flynn right after that moment the world would have been an amazing place to live in. Jessie knew his stuff and rocked the house with four more numbers before Flynn and Kayden made his day and invited him to sit with us. He was embarrassed when he pointed at his dad and said he had to bring him because they wouldn’t have let him in on his own at his age.

  I was reminded of one of the things I loved the most about Flynn, he clapped the boy’s back and leaned in to shake his father’s hand, “I’m stoked you’re encouraging your boy with his music, it fills the soul, you know. As long as he’s got a guitar in his hand, he’ll never go hungry,” he told Jessie’s dad.

  “I’m Larry,” Jessie’s dad said, “Very true, it fed me through college,” he said, standing to cover Flynn’s hand in his with his other hand in a two-handed shake. “Thank you for making my boy’s year,” he said with a delighted look on his face.

  Flynn shrugged and glanced at Jessie again, “Actually, he’s made mine. Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve jammed with someone, apart from Kayden here, for the simple fun of playing music? Since fame found me, I’ve rarely had a day when I’ve been able to choose when I do that for my own pleasure. Jessie you’re a talented kid; whatever you do, keep that authenticity in your music. Don’t play it how others want you to play. Do it for you. If you are meant to do more with it, the music industry is a game of chance and luck.”

  I’d seen enough to know that Jessie was indeed something quite special and with a bit of coaching he could potentially be the kind of artist we wanted to mentor.

  “Jessie, Flynn didn’t know how talented he was. Self-doubt played into that, but look where he is now, he’s one of mine. I’d love to talk with you about sharpening your skills. I’m not promising anything except advice, and pointing you in the right direction at this moment in time, but it’s a start. Who knows? When you leave school with that high school diploma in the bag, and a mountain of experience with the people I can hook you up with, maybe we can see where that leads?”

  Once I’d seen his reaction to what I’d said, I felt even more obliged to do what I could. He was almost hyperventilating. Kayden started talking to him while Flynn continued to talk to his dad, then a middle-aged country and western singer got up and started belting out, “Something in the Water,” a Carrie Underwood song and no one could hear themselves speak.

  Flynn had blown his cover, so people began to ask for pictures, and at that point, we knew it was time to head back to the quiet sanctuary of the beach houses. I passed my card to Jessie, and Lee who always seemed one step ahead told us the Hummer was waiting for us outside the bar. We climbed in, and I loved the way Flynn squeezed Kayden out of the way to sit next to me when I’d been first to get in and taken the back window seat.

  “Jesus, Flynn, knock it off, it’s a ten-minute drive for God’s sake. You can keep your hands off of my sister for that long, surely?” Kayden scolded.

  Flynn glanced at him and turned his head toward me, “Maybe so, but it would kill me knowing she was so close, and not be able to hold her in my arms like this,” he said, wrapping his arm around my shoulder and pulled me to his chest, “And why should I keep my hands off her? She’s fucking gorgeous. She may be your sister, but she’s mine now,” he said, smiling down at me then bent his head and gave me a small kiss.

  “All right, fucking knock it off. I’m not sitting next to you with a boner, Flynn. If you have to sit there, keep your horny dick locked in your pants for another ten minutes at least,” Kayden said, turning his head to scowl at the both of us.

  No matter how long I’d been with Flynn, Kayden still felt the need to play the role of my protector with him at times. He’d been drinking as well, and with Kayden, alcohol always brought his feelings of loyalty and protectiveness to the surface.

  When we stepped out of the minibus at the beach huts, we all made our way to our respective accommodation. Flynn unlocked our door and turned to look at what I was staring at. The full moon was massive against the navy blue night sky. Its bright reflection on the ocean seemed like a silver road that paved a path from the shoreline right to where it appeared to hover just above the ocean on the horizon.

  Taking the spot behind me, he wrapped his hands tightly around my waist and leaned his chin over one of my shoulders. I could smell beer on his breath and his cologne on his face. He smelled intoxicating. His tender touch and the feel of his warm hard body behind mine was the perfect caress for that moment, and I leaned back into him.

  We stood together in a quiet moment of reflection until he inhaled deeply and removed one hand from my waist to sweep my hair to the side. Once he’d done that his hand went back into place, and he pressed his lips to his favorite spot on my neck, “Thank you for sticking it out with me, babe. I love you so much it hurts at times, ya know?”

  I knew what he meant. I felt the same, “Yeah,” I answered wistfully and more silence followed for a few minutes until he took a deep breath.

  “Valerie, I know I’ve got a lot to live up to, and I know I’m far from perfect. What I did the other week was a shitty thing to do to you. I wasn’t thinking straight. I was just so fucking mad that a random bitch could do something like that and it almost wrecked what we have. Believe me, I’m well aware of my flaws, but I love you beyond measure, babe. One day you’re gonna be my wife, ‘cause I’m never gonna want another woman the way I want you. My heart aches for you when we’re not together and it fucking tears me to shreds every time something happens that impacts you in a negative way.”

  I turned into his chest and leaned my face against the warmth radiating through his shirt. I inhaled his scent and welcomed the comforting feeling of being there with him. I took a deep breath of my own and let out a long sigh, “Whatever happens from this day forward, Flynn, I’m going to be
lieve those words because you’re right. You’ve never done me wrong. You’ve always been the one to save me, even from myself. I give you my trust, and I want yours in return.”

  Pushing me back by my upper arms Flynn looked into my eyes, “Thank you, babe, you won’t regret that,” he said and continued to stare intensely. After a few long moments, he bent and kissed my nose, both eyes, and eventually my mouth. His touch was soft, slow and gentle.

  As he kissed me, I heard the latch click on the door, and the light from inside shone in my eyes. Flynn held me tightly but walked backward pulling me with him into the privacy of our room. Once inside, he undressed me in the slowest, unhurried way, kneeling beside me to stroke and pepper feather-light kisses up my legs from below my knees to my thighs. His palms skated up my smooth skin to rest on my butt cheeks, and he grasped one globe in each hand.

  Every stroke was a deliberate one. Every kiss targeted to perfection. When his hands and mouth left my body and connected again, every new touch set my body on fire and filled my heart with love and desire. That night Flynn worshiped me until I couldn’t take any more. I was left limp and sated, but most of all I knew without a doubt it was me he wanted.

  Chapter 24

  Jonah

  Flynn

  When I woke up, the heat in the room was stifling. Valerie was stuck to my body from my knees to my chest. My sweat-drenched arm draped over her, and my clammy hand latched onto her left tit. I’d been spooning her in my sleep. The air conditioning had taken a hike.

  “Damn,” I muttered as I peeled my skin slowly from hers and slid off the edge of the bed. Investigating the unit under the window I could see it was on, but the temperature switch on the wall did nothing no matter how many times I cranked the dial up.

  I walked to the bathroom and took a quick shower to cool off, before going back to the room to find Valerie shifting to sit up in bed. She leaned back against the headboard, “Jesus, did someone light a fire somewhere? How do people live here?” she asked.

  Somewhere outside, I could hear Lee’s voice and knew that the heat had woken everyone up. “Since you’re awake grab a quick shower, and we’ll head to breakfast. I know you, Valerie. You’re missing Liam, me too. We’ll cut the morning I had planned and head home. We should be back by lunch; it’s only 6.45 a.m.” I said checking my wristwatch.

  Valerie scooted out of bed, and I sat down in the wicker chair near the door. I watched her beautiful curves as she wiggled her way into the bathroom. I stood and pulled on my shorts and t-shirt and took myself out of the room.

  As usual, Lee was already on it, he’d asked for pancakes and syrup, muffins, pastries, sausages and had called ahead for the pilots to come and pick us up in the seaplanes to take us back to the villa rental. Forty-five minutes later Val and I were sighing with relief at the air conditioning in the little plane as we headed along the shoreline with the Atlantic Ocean beneath us.

  Our chartered plane from Miami to home was prepped and ready while we collected our things from the villa, and as soon as we got on the plane Kayden and Lee fell asleep during the flight home.

  Amber began to talk to Val about the wedding, and I was a little perplexed at Valerie’s enthusiasm about them taking the huge step, but her attitude toward us showing that commitment was almost a moot subject. I pushed past that feeling because we were together and after what almost happened I was thankful we were still together after the way I’d treated her.

  By the time we landed, I was kind of sick listening to Amber and those plans. I felt relieved when Valerie’s cell rang after we landed.

  “Hey, Javier, what’s up?” Val asked before her smile froze, and she chewed her lip in that nervous habit she had when someone told her something she didn’t like.

  “And the press are all over that, no doubt,” she said in the one-sided conversation I could hear.

  “What the fuck is it, now? What’s wrong?” I asked searching her face.

  She finished the call telling Javier to meet us at the house and swiped to end the call. Flopping back in the car seat she shook her head and tilted her head to look at the roof of the car, “Fuck,” she spat.

  “Damn it, Valerie, what the fuck is wrong?” I demanded. My heart rate spiked with my concern.

  Glancing at me nervously, she shook her head and drew in a deep breath, “Jonah has been caught having sex in a seventeen-year-old girl’s bedroom by her father.”

  “Aw, shit. He’s getting out of control, not to mention he’s turned into a coke head. I’m sure he was using the other night at the nightclub,” I said.

  “Then he has to go. Plain and simple. I won’t tolerate someone living their extreme lifestyle around Liam.”

  “Wait a minute. Valerie, he’s a fucking rock star. The public expects we’re all doing drugs even if some of us aren’t.”

  “I don’t care, Flynn. He’s a liability to all of us. Lexi and Simone have been complaining about the way he’s been behaving. He fell asleep smoking on the tour bus last month as well, according to Simone. Everyone could have been burned in their beds on that bus if Lexi hadn’t gotten to him quick enough.”

  “You can’t just dump him, babe. We need to support him and encourage him to go to rehab.”

  “Of course, I’ll still support him to get clean, but I have a contract that says he’s not staying if he does anything that brings the band into disrepute. It isn’t just the alcohol and drugs, it’s his general attitude. He’s not the same person as the sweet guy that came to audition,” she said, firmly.

  “We’ll call him in and talk to him. Give him an ultimatum. If he wants to stay in the band, he goes to rehab. We brought him into the band. We’ve got to accept a little responsibility for where he is at. It’s all great being cut and dry about what he should do, but trust me, babe, I’ve seen this all too often. It’s not just the excesses that come from being in a rock band— it’s the pressure of the position. I’m so lucky to have you; Craig has Simone; even Lexi has a partner to share the burden. He has no one there to understand what he’s dealing with, and he’s mirroring everything Tyler did in my old band.”

  Valerie turned her head and sat quietly staring out of the window, but I could practically hear her mulling over what I’d said. Sometimes she was so black and white in her decision-making, but in my experience, there were subtle tones of gray in a lot of situations. I felt that Jonah’s situation was one of those times and that we had to do what we could for him.

  Since his admission about his original intentions and the way he looked at Valerie on occasion, I had watched him like a hawk. He hadn’t strayed far from the agreement he’d made. And since the fuck up at the first gig he hadn’t put a foot out of line, so I figured he deserved the benefit of the doubt.

  Convincing my girl of that was another matter.

  *****

  Our little man was sleeping in the cushioned swing on our porch when we arrived home. Niven looked relaxed reading a book, and closed it when he saw us coming toward the house. He stepped off the porch and met us about ten feet from the veranda.

  “Hey, good flight? Liam worked himself up to a frenzy about y’all getting back. He tuckered himself out watching for his mom and fell asleep about ten minutes ago,” he said, snickering.

  “How’s he been?” Valerie asked.

  “Oh, you know, Liam, as long as I play ball and run around after him he’s a hoot. If he doesn’t get his way, there’s hell to pay.”

  “He’s definitely yours then, Valerie,” I said, nudging her shoulder.

  “Hey…when do I get my way?”

  “When I let you,” I answered, raising a wicked eyebrow for her to see.

  She gave me an affectionate smile and was about to reply when her phone rang interrupting us. She glanced at her cell, “Sorry, but I have to take this,” she said and walked away tucking her hair behind her ear. She played with one of the diamond studs I’d bought her for Christmas just after Liam was born, “Hi, Jav
ier,” I heard her say before she became inaudible. I watched as she paced the grass then she started making her way back to us.

  “Call Clay to get him represented. Get a message to him not to make a statement of any kind. No comment is the only words he knows until our lawyers tell him otherwise. Keep me informed,” she said, and ended the call. Dropping her cell back in her bag, I could feel the anger rolling off of her. “Fuckwit,” she spat.

  “Mommy say fuck,” Liam chose the wrong moment to wake from his sleep. Valerie was pissed off about the situation with Jonah and our relaxing time was quickly becoming a distant memory.

  Stepping up onto the porch I scooped Liam up in my arms, “What did I tell you about dropping that F-word little buddy?” I scolded.

  “Mommy sayed it?” he questioned.

  “She did, and she’s a naughty girl. Tell us you’re sorry, Mommy.”

  Valerie glared at me, before stepping up and taking Liam from me. Balancing him on her hip, she leaned in and inhaled his scent, closing her eyes as she breathed in.

  “Mommy missed her handsome little guy,” she cooed and rained kisses all over his face and bare neck. Liam chuckled heartily and wriggled in her arms until she eventually put him on the ground at her feet. His tiny outfit was damp with sweat after his sleep, so she grabbed the hem and peeled his top off leaving his pure lily-white skin to dry in the fresh air.

  “Me go to the waterpark?” he asked expectantly, and I marvelled at how our smart, tiny little boy had the capacity to remember what we’d told him the day before. Valerie’s shoulders slumped at the thought of letting him down, and I was damned if we were.