No More Yesterdays: A Rock Star Romance (Rocked in Love Book 2)

by Jessica Marlowe

  “You trust this guy?”

  “Yes.”

  Meg nodded. “Okay, I’ll drop it. But please be careful, I’ve read enough romance novels to know this could end badly.”

  “Really, that’s where you’re getting your information?” Emily leaned in. “You know they’re fiction, right?”

  Meg smiled and patted her hand. “Right, like the titles of your first two books had nothing to do with anything that happened in your own life? And that Eddie and Sheryl aren’t really friends of yours? Hmm?”

  Emily’s jaw dropped open, and she sat up straight. A chill ran through her. “What’re you talking about?”

  “So much of you is in your books; you aren’t even aware of it.” Meg lowered her voice. “You’ve turned tragedy into triumph. It’s why your readers love you so much.”

  Emily had never consciously included anything in her books about her personal life. “I just used Eddie and Sheryl’s names in that book, it wasn’t their story. I checked with them first.” Emily’s face heated.

  “Hey, it’s okay.”

  Emily took a gulp of water. She’d never invade her friends’ privacy by writing about what Eddie and Sheryl had gone through to be together. She hadn’t realized, until this moment, that maybe that’s why she wrote romances because theirs was so beautiful, and that Eddie shared it with her as part of her rehab had meant the world to her. Every session he’d tell her another part of it. It had kept her going back even when she’d wanted to give up. She was embarrassed to remember how often that had been. And Eddie had believed in her, that she could recover physically, like he had.

  A server appeared and placed another drink on the table. “Compliments of the gentleman at the bar.”

  Emily seethed. Oh, holy hell, can’t a guy take no for an answer? Emily looked at the guy in the navy shirt, but he’d moved on to a petite, black-haired woman, who giggled at everything he said. The server pointed to her right, and a guy raised his glass to her.

  “Please thank him for me, but I have a boyfriend.”

  The server nodded, took the drink, and left.

  Meg pulled the manuscript in front of her. A slow smile spread across her face as she tapped her forefinger over the title page. When she looked up at Emily, her eyes were misty. She’d never seen Meg choked up before.

  “No More Yesterdays. I love it already.” Meg nodded at her and began to read.

  Emily had never watched Meg read one of her manuscripts before. Emotions crossed Meg’s face like the tide flowed to the shore; anger to smiles to sniffles then to more smiles.

  Emily glanced away, and the guy at the bar raised his glass to her so she quickly focused back on Meg. Watching Meg read was nerve-racking, so Emily allowed her mind to wander to her conversation with the Sullivans. A thread of an idea had begun to take hold. Emily had never considered giving up her job and writing full-time, but if she took the money, she could live off it for several months. Her next royalty payment wasn’t due for over four months.

  In the week since the Sullivans had called, Emily had dismissed the idea several times but kept coming back to it. Why shouldn’t she get reimbursed? She needed to call them back before they called her again.

  “Hey, gorgeous, have a drink with me.”

  Her head shot up. The guy from the bar stood at their table. She scowled at him. “I have a boyfriend, which I told the server to tell you. I guess she forgot.”

  “No, she told me. I’m okay with it.”

  Anger rose in Emily’s chest. What a dick. She glanced at Meg who had stopped reading and gave the scene unfolding her full attention. “I’m not interested.”

  “I can be Mr. Right Now. After a night with me, you can decide if you want to go back to Mr. Not Here.” He squatted down and rested his elbows on the table. “If you were mine, I wouldn’t let you out of my sight.”

  Emily turned on him. “I’m not yours. I’m also not interested, which has nothing to do with the fact that I have a boyfriend.”

  “Come on, baby, what have you got to lose?”

  Emily glanced at Meg, who quirked a brow at her.

  His lips curved into a smug smile. “One drink.”

  When he touched her hand, Emily yanked it away. She needed to wash it as soon as possible. “You’re going to be Mr. Call Me an Ambulance Right Now if you don’t back off.”

  The dick left but not before adding, “Bitch.”

  Emily scoffed to herself. Yeah, I’m the bitch. She shook her head at Meg, who smiled at her. “What?”

  “That was awesome.” Meg’s eyes glowed, and a satisfied grin crossed her lips.

  Emily shook her head. If Nicki was home, she’d call her and dish, but no way she’d tell Jack about this. He was already irrational about Sully. Sean Sullivan never begged for anything from anyone. He’d made his decision and ended their relationship, and there was no way he wanted her back.

  chapter

  NINETEEN

  Jack woke Sunday morning still angry over the conversation he’d had with Em the night before. Why had she waited an entire day to tell him that two assholes had hit on her while she was having drinks with her editor? She’d said it wasn’t a big deal, but it was to him. If Fletcher hadn’t gotten caught so easily, he’d be watching over her now. He could’ve kept guys from hitting on his girlfriend. Guys who were there when he couldn’t be.

  The second fuckhead had said he’d never let her out of his sight if she were his. That cut Jack to the core. What he did for a living, what he loved, would keep them apart, and he worried she’d tire of him and move on to some other guy. Em wanted normal, and he’d never really considered his life wasn’t normal before.

  And now that Emily’s ex was back, it was only a matter of time before he showed up.

  Jack jumped out of bed. He took comfort in the fact that Em had been pissed that these guys interrupted. And telling asshole number two he’d be Mr. Call Me an Ambulance Right Now made Jack laugh in spite of himself. God, he loved her. He’d be with Em on Tuesday, and then they’d have two days together.

  They Skyped later that night after his gig, and she’d looked beautiful. She’d fallen asleep on the couch, so when he’d called her, her hair was all messed up, and she looked sleepy. He wanted to spend the rest of his life waking up with sleepy, messy-haired Emily.

  Monday, he woke to the news that their gig that night was canceled because an overnight storm had damaged the roof of the Berglund Center. Jack shouldn’t be happy about that, but he was. An extra day with Em. He’d just made it to the airport for the ten thirty flight to Newark. He’d left a voicemail and texted her his change of plans, but she hadn’t responded. Since she was at work and didn’t carry her phone around with her, Jack wasn’t concerned.

  He and Jeff checked into a motel a few miles from Em’s place. They hadn’t discussed it, and since he was trying to be patient, he’d wait for her to invite him to stay at her place. When they drove past her apartment complex, and Jack saw her car, he told Jeff to pull over. It was two thirty, and maybe she’d gotten his messages and left work early to surprise him. He checked his phone, but he she hadn’t called.

  His heart leaped in his chest. He ran up the steps and pushed the doorbell three times. A minute passed and she hadn’t answered, so he called her. No answer. He banged on the door. Fuck. He needed to find the management office. Hopefully, they’d let him in.

  Before he got down the steps, her door swung open. Emily stood there, shading her eyes from the bright sun, looking like death warmed over, in the world’s ugliest pajamas—two sizes too big and a god-awful shade of blue.

  “Jack?”

  He closed the distance between them. “Baby, what’s wrong?” Before he could pull her into his arms, she paled even further and bolted up the stairs. Jack took the stairs two at a time. By the time he reached the top, he could hear her throwing up. He ran down the hallway to the bathroom where Em was on her knees getting violently ill.
<
br />   Jack stepped into the bathroom but stopped when she yelled, “Don’t come in. Your cologne is killing me.”

  He knew she was sensitive to smells, but he’d worn this cologne the week they’d spent together and she’d been fine. Jack went to the kitchen, grabbed a towel, ran it under the faucet, and wiped it off. Em sat on the edge of the tub, head down. Jack knelt in front of her. “Better?”

  “No. I can still smell you.”

  Then it dawned on him maybe she was pregnant. Warmth flowed throughout his body. His mom had been nauseated by most smells when she was pregnant with Jimmy. She’d been home on bed rest the last five months of her pregnancy, and Jack had taken care of her.

  Jack ran a washcloth under cold water and placed it on the back of Em’s neck. He went to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. He couldn’t stop smiling. It wasn’t planned, but he was ecstatic. “Here, drink.”

  Emily took the bottle but left if on the side of the tub. “No, I don’t want to throw up again.”

  “You’ll get dehydrated.” Jack picked up the bottle, opened it, and handed it to her. “Please? Just a few sips.”

  She took a sip, swished it around her mouth, and spit it out in the toilet.

  “Can I get you anything, crackers maybe? Or ginger ale?” He’d run out to the store if he had to.

  “No, I just need to go to sleep. This is the worst migraine I’ve ever had.”

  Jack’s heart plummeted to his feet. Shit. At least he hadn’t said anything stupid. A profound disappointment settled in the pit of his stomach. “What can I do?”

  She shook her head. After she brushed her teeth, Jack helped her into the bedroom. The blinds were closed, and she’d obviously been asleep before he’d shown up. Fuck. Em hadn’t flipped the light on in the bathroom, so he’d bet she had light sensitivity too. He pulled the covers up and placed a kiss on her forehead.

  The thud of a truck door had Emily burying her head under the pillow.

  Jack left and pulled the door over. He went to the kitchen and made a list of items she needed, and then he called Jeff, who offered to take care of it. Em had a washer and dryer behind folding doors in the hallway, so he stripped out of his clothes, put them in to wash, and jumped in the shower to wash off the last remnants of cologne.

  He wrapped the towel around his hips and walked into the bedroom. The steady sound of Em’s breathing was a relief. At least she’d been able to get back to sleep. He crawled into bed next to her, and she stirred, trying to move away from him, but he held her tight. “Smell me.”

  She inhaled deeply, and he felt her smile on his neck. “You don’t smell anymore.” She nestled against him and went back to sleep.

  An hour later, his phone buzzed with a text alert. Jeff was outside with the groceries. He inched his way out of bed, wrapped the towel around his waist, and went to let Jeff in.

  Jeff unloaded the groceries while Jack put his clothes in the dryer. Jeff brought Jack’s overnight bag, so he pulled on a pair of sweatpants.

  “Anything else?” Jeff asked.

  “No, thanks, man, I appreciate you going to the store. I didn’t want to leave her.”

  “No problem,” Jeff said with a rare smile. Jack followed him downstairs and locked the door after him.

  Em was still asleep, so he went into the living room and made a few phone calls. He’d packed his notebook in his suitcase, which was on its way to the next venue, so he went into Em’s office for some paper. A crumpled piece of paper was on the floor by her desk, so he picked it up. He hadn’t meant to look at it, but when he saw the business name, he did. Elegant Affairs. It was an invoice for $1,137 for tuxes rented for April twenty-second, Em’s wedding date. But the wedding had been canceled, so why was the rental place sending her a bill? It was even addressed to her and not the fucker. Probably the only thing she hadn’t paid for. Jack grabbed a notepad and stalked out of her office. He hadn’t been snooping, but now that he knew about it, he’d have to bring it up to her later, after she felt better.

  Jack worked for a while then crawled back into bed with Em. She hadn’t stirred since he’d left, which was really odd for her. Jack was hungry, but he didn’t want to disturb her. She stirred when his stomach growled in protest. Her hand caressed his belly.

  “You better feed that thing.”

  She snuggled closer, and he loved it.

  “What time is it?”

  “Just after seven.”

  “Morning or night?”

  “Night.”

  She bolted upright. “Shit, I never called out sick.” She rubbed her eyes. “I can’t believe I slept so long.” She looked around. “Where’s my phone?”

  She seemed confused. Jack sat up and rubbed her back. “Calm down. Your stuff was at the top of the stairs. I’ll get it.”

  Jack retrieved her cell and handed it to her.

  “I can’t believe I missed two days of work.” She turned the phone on and waited impatiently for it to boot up.

  “What day do you think it is?” Jack settled back in bed, pulling her between his legs so she could rest up against his chest. He needed the contact.

  “Tuesday.”

  “It’s Monday.”

  She looked at her phone and tapped on the text messages. “I don’t understand, you weren’t supposed to be her till Tuesday.” Emily paused as she read his texts. “Oh, how awful, I hope no one was hurt.”

  “It happened overnight when the place was empty. I jumped on the first available flight this morning.” Jack kissed the back of her head. Her hair was matted from sleeping on it, but she looked much better than she had when he’d arrived. “How’re you feeling?”

  Emily relaxed back against his chest. “My head still hurts, but it’s better than it was.”

  “Are you going in tomorrow?” Jack asked.

  “I’ll have to see how I feel in the morning. Once the migraine resolves, I’ll still feel crappy for the next two days. My head always feels hollowed out after a bad one.”

  “Do you get them often?”

  “It’s been a few years.”

  “What triggered it?”

  “Bad news in the mail.”

  Jack tamped down on his anger. She wasn’t going to tell him about it. When would she trust him? He was her boyfriend; he was supposed to know about this kind of stuff. Jack’s stomach growled again.

  “I think I felt it kick. You should eat. It’s getting angry.”

  Jack chuckled. She could always make him laugh even when he was pissed. Emily moved so he could get up. “What about you? What can I make you?”

  “Nothing.”

  Jack turned to look at her. “When was the last time you ate?”

  “Breakfast.”

  “That doesn’t count. You puked that up.” He leaned over and kissed her lips. “How about a sandwich?”

  “I don’t have any cold cuts. I was going to go to the grocery store after work today, but that didn’t happen.” Emily covered her face with her hands. “I’m sorry, Jack, you didn’t exactly get the welcome you were expecting.”

  He sat on the bed. “To be honest, I was hoping for wild sex first thing.”

  “Yeah, me too. And no puke.”

  “Hey, you’re sick, and I was kidding. Besides, we have plenty of food. Jeff went grocery shopping, so we’re all stocked up.”

  “You sent Jeff to the grocery store? Isn’t that above and beyond the duties of a bodyguard?”

  “When I told him you were sick, he offered. He has a soft spot for you.”

  Em smiled. “You’re in good hands with him, so I worry a lot less than I would if someone else was watching out for you.”

  “You worry about me?” He liked that idea; it meant she cared.

  She kissed him on the cheek. “Course I do, the traveling, all those handsy women, your stalker. I’m glad you have someone to look out for you.”

  Jack kissed her lips. He wanted to do
more, but she was still unwell, so he pushed all selfish thoughts aside. “You have to eat something. What can I make you?”

  “Vegetable soup.”

  Jack thought for a second. “I could make chicken noodle.”

  “Not make, heat up. Vegetarian vegetable in the pantry.”

  Jack made a face. “Canned soup?”

  “I know it’s weird, but it’s my comfort food.”

  She looked totally adorable sitting in bed, ugly pajamas and all, wanting him to make her canned soup. He’d remedy her pajama situation sooner than later. “Okay.”

  Jack went into the kitchen, heated up her soup, and made himself a roast beef sandwich on a roll. When he returned with their meal on a tray, Emily had dozed off but woke as soon as he sat on the bed.

  She sat up and Jack put the tray over her lap. “Mmm, smells good.” She crumbled a few crackers into the soup and then took a spoonful. “Yummy.”

  He sat next to her and ate his sandwich. She finished before he did and eyed his sandwich. “Something you want?” He took a big bite.

  She nodded and pointed to his plate.

  “What will you give me for it?” It was hard to chew with his mouth closed since he was grinning like an idiot.

  “You owe me.”

  Jack raised his brows. “Do I?”

  “Yeah, I gave you that ice cream cone.”

  Jack’s heart flipped in his chest. He remembered their playful banter over that cone and how it felt so normal even though they’d just met. That she remembered it also made him feel…wanted. Like it had meant something to her. “I always pay my debts.” Jack handed her the plate.

  She spent the next few minutes enjoying his sandwich. When she got to the last bite, she offered it to him. He smiled, opened his mouth, and she fed it to him.

  J

  Jack left to wash the dishes, so Emily called Ben to let him know she was still alive.

  “Hold on,” he said.

  Several seconds passed before Ben was back on the line with Jerry. Emily chuckled. She knew they weren’t twins, but they sure acted like it.