by Anthology
Sean glanced over his shoulder at Lex’s closed door. “But I thought you were in there already.”
Lex laughed. “No, Gunner’s borrowing my room. Enjoying my birthday gift.”
Jared’s face fell. “Dude, that was for you.”
Sean turned back to Jared. “See, that’s what I was trying to tell you. He doesn’t need or want some hooker for a birthday present.”
Jared threw his hands up. “For the record, it was two hookers not one. And of course it’s what he needs. Have you seen him lately? All he does is stomp around pissed off, writing depressing songs. It’s like living with a goddamned emo teenager.”
“That doesn’t mean he needs to get laid,” Sean said. “It means the idiot’s in love.”
“What?” Lex and Jared boomed in unison.
“He’s not in love,” Jared said.
Lex could feel angry heat rush through his blood. “Of course I’m not in love. What the fuck are you talking about?”
Sean gave Lex the same look his mother used to give him when she caught him in a lie. “So you haven’t fallen for Aubrey Bordelon?”
Jared’s eyebrows knitted. “Reporter girl?”
Lex clenched his jaw. “No, I haven’t even talked to the woman since we left New Orleans. She was just a temporary thing.”
Jared nodded, but Sean kept his smug smirk. “So if I told you that she was here in the hotel right now, you wouldn’t care?”
Lex’s stomach dropped to his feet and blood roared in his ears. “Aubrey’s here?”
“She is, or was until a few minutes ago when I brought her up to your room to let you two talk,” Sean said.
“You brought her up…” Lex looked to his door. “Shit.”
Sean nodded. “Yeah, girl number one answered. Aubrey took off.”
“Took off? Where?” Lex looked left and right, clenching his fists, ready to jump through a wall if necessary.
Sean rubbed the back of his neck and gave him an apologetic look. “I’m not really sure. I called her room, and she’s not there. She was dressed for dinner, but after what happened, she probably bailed. The airport, maybe?”
Lex brightened. “She hadn’t eaten yet?”
Sean shook his head.
Lex turned and jogged to the elevator.
“Where are you going?” Sean called, but the elevator doors shut before Lex replied.
***
Aubrey sat at the bar with a plate of nachos and a margarita the size of her head. She couldn’t decide who she wanted to kick more: Sean, Lex, or the ho-bags that had their hands all over him.
No. Of all those, she wanted to kick herself the most. Lex hadn’t hidden who he was. He’d told her, and she’d told herself a hundred times. He was a musician, a player, a fling. Yet, she let herself have feelings for him anyway. She’d known when she agreed to Vegas that there was a possibility she would see him. She had convinced herself that she could handle it, that she was over him. But she was such a damn liar. The minute she thought he was on the other side of that door, her heart had jumped like a freaking jackrabbit.
She took a long draw from her margarita.
“Is this seat open?” someone asked.
She peered over her shoulder at a sandy-haired man in a business suit. He pointed to the stool next to her and smiled.
“Oh, um, no,” she mumbled and then shook her head. “I mean, yes, it’s open.”
His gaze flicked to her margarita. He probably thought her stumbling speech was due to drunkenness. She wished it were.
“Do you mind if I sit, then?” he asked, sliding into the seat before she could answer.
Her nose wrinkled as the scent of his cologne mingled with the smell of her nachos. “No, that’s fine. I’m not expecting anyone.”
“Great,” he said with more enthusiasm than necessary. He raised a hand to get the bartender’s attention.
She bit her lip. Yeah, it was great that she wasn’t expecting anyone. Just super that she was alone in Vegas while the guy she couldn’t stop thinking about was screwing two groupies. Simultaneously. Fabulous. Life couldn’t be better. She gulped the rest of her drink down.
“Do you need another one?” the man asked, indicating her empty glass.
She waved him off. “It’s fine. I can get it.”
“No, it’s not a problem.” He raised two fingers to the bartender. “Make that two, please.”
“Thanks, you didn’t have to do that.”
He turned to her with an easy smile. “Think nothing of it. I’m on the company’s dime anyway. You and I are having a business meeting.”
She didn’t feel like talking, didn’t want some guy buying her drinks—even if he was good-looking—but she forced a smile. “Oh, is that right?”
He nodded. “Yes, are you in need of a financial planner?”
“Nope.”
“Terrific. Business meeting done,” he said as the bartender placed the margaritas in front of them. “Now, we can charge these to the company’s bill and move on with more interesting conversation. I’m Eric, by the way.”
“Aubrey,” she replied, taking in his tan face and friendly brown eyes. This was the kind of guy she should be dating. Cute, professional, polite. Someone who would fit right into her family and her life. The opposite of Lex. Too bad her heart didn’t care about shoulds.
“So, Aubrey, what are you doing in a bar in Vegas all by yourself?”
Licking my wounds. Kicking myself. Her finger traced the rim of her drink, wiping off the salt. “I’m here on business, too. I’m a journalist.”
He shifted his weight, turning fully toward her. “Oh, really. What are you doing a story on?”
She wiped her finger on the cocktail napkin and met his gaze. “The band Wanderlust.”
His face brightened. “Seriously? I love their music. You actually got to meet them and everything?”
She snorted. “Yep, I met them and everything.” If “everything” meant slept with one of them and fell in love.
“That’s way more interesting than my job,” he said, shaking his head. He dropped his chin into his hand and grinned. “Now how am I supposed to impress you?”
A laugh escaped her. She didn’t need a date, but she was thankful for the company. Maybe he could distract her enough to stop thinking about—
“I think you’re in my seat.” The firm voice came from behind her and brooked no argument.
Aubrey’s throat constricted, cutting off her laughter. She whipped her head in the direction of the familiar sound. Lex stood with his thumbs hooked in his pockets, his stare burning into Eric.
Eric scrunched his forehead in annoyance as he turned toward Lex then his mouth fell open in wonder. “You’re Lex Logan.”
“Yeah. I am. And that”—Lex pointed at Eric’s chair—“is my seat.”
Eric shot a nervous glance at Aubrey. “She said she wasn’t with anyone.”
Lex’s hand landed on Eric’s shoulder. “Well, she lied. She’s with me.”
Aubrey shook herself from the daze Lex’s sudden appearance had created and straightened her spine. “No, I am most definitely not with you.”
Eric’s eyes darted from Aubrey to Lex then down to Lex’s hand, which gripped his shoulder firmly.
“Uh, I didn’t mean to get in the middle of anything.” Eric stood, dug his wallet out of his pocket, and threw a few bills on the counter. “Seat’s yours.”
“Smart guy, this one,” Lex said, patting Eric’s shoulder. He cut his eyes toward Aubrey, and she noticed the dark bags beneath them.
Her lips thinned. “You look tired, Lex. Two groupies at the same time too much to keep up with?”
Eric’s mouth gaped as he stepped around Lex and made a hasty exit, not even bothering to say goodbye. Lex slid onto the stool Eric had vacated. “They weren’t groupies. They were hookers.”
Her nachos threatened to make an encore appearance. She cleared her throat. “How nice for you. Girls that won’t talk back.”
Having him so close made oxygen hard to come by. The urges to punch him in the face and throw herself into his arms warred inside her. She turned back toward the bar and focused on the golden color of her drink. “It’s not hard to believe the worst when you see it live in concert.”
He placed his forearms on the bar so that he was elbow to elbow with her and started tearing a cocktail napkin. “Why are you here, Aubrey?”
She cast a sidelong glance at him, but his focus remained on his own hands. Her jaw tightened. “I’m here for the big story. That’s what I’m always after, right? Fame and fortune.”
He tore another piece of napkin and sighed. “No. Why were you at my door?”
The Spanish music filtering through the restaurant suddenly seemed too loud. She watched condensation drip down the side of her glass, not wanting to answer. “I don’t know.”
“It wasn’t me in the room, for the record,” he said, his tone flat.
Her head snapped up, but he didn’t move.
“It was Gunner. Jared got me two girls for my birthday. I wasn’t interested. Gunner was.”
Aubrey’s heart picked up speed, but she didn’t trust herself to speak. Even though he wasn’t the one with the hookers, it didn’t change all their other issues. She stared at his profile, trying to read his expression.
“You ruined everything, you know?” He cut his gaze toward her.
She crossed her arms. Her voice iced over. “Did I now? Because Sean’s addiction was clearly my fault.”
His hand reached out and grabbed her upper arm, pulling her off her stool and against him in one swift movement. She gave a feeble struggle, but he held her to him, pressing his forehead against hers. “No, because you’ve ruined me, Aubrey Bordelon. I can’t even look at another girl without aching for you.”
She sucked in a breath as every muscle in her body tightened.
“And I’m driving the guys crazy because all I can write is sappy-ass, vastly depressing love songs.”
She pulled her forehead away from his and met his gaze, searching.
“Lex,” she whispered, unable to form a more coherent thought.
“Shh.” He brushed her hair away from her face. “You don’t have to say anything. Just listen. I’m so sorry for the things I said you at the hospital. I was freaked out and so angry at Sean, and I took it out on you. And I know you’re probably still pissed at me. You should be. What I said…it was fucking horrible. I never ever want to make you feel that way. It was asshole move. When I’m hurt, I want to hurt everyone around me worse. It’s how my father was. And God, I don’t want to fucking be that person. I’ve been sick thinking about how it all went down.”
“Lex…”
“But if you think you can find a way to forgive me, I swear I will never hurt you like that again.”
She started to speak, but he didn’t take a breath to give her a chance. His words tumbled out like he was afraid he wouldn’t get them out fast enough.
“I know things are complicated. I know we live very different lives, but there has to be a way to figure it out. Maybe you can get some vacation time at your job and come visit me on the road. And we’re only touring for a year. After that, I can get a condo in New Orleans so that I can be down there more often. Long distance can work until then, right? People do that all the time.” He nodded as if answering his own question.
“Lex—”
“And I know that Grayson can give you a lot of things I can’t. But Aubrey, he really is a dirt bag, and I can’t stand the thought of you settling for someone like that just because he lives there and I don’t and—”
“Lex!” she said raising her voice, and he snapped his mouth shut and stared at her. “Can you stop for a second and let me talk?”
He cringed like he was expecting her to shoot down all of his ideas.
“The condo wouldn’t work.”
“But—”
She shook her head, cutting him off, and took a deep breath. “I quit my job.”
“What?”
“I’m going to travel and freelance. I won’t be in New Orleans. And Gray is a dirtbag. I haven’t spoken to him since I got out of the hospital.”
The lights behind Lex’s eyes flicked on, all tiredness disappearing. “You quit? Are you shitting me?”
“No. And you did hurt me. Yes, I should’ve said something about Sean, but you assumed the worst about me. What you said ripped me in half.”
He winced. “Baby…”
“But in a way, I get it. People use you. That’s what happens in your world. You just didn’t realize I wasn’t one of them.” She met his gaze. “I swear, if we give this a go, I will never, ever use you for something like that. I am strictly using you for your body.”
He blinked, the words not quite registering, and then a laugh burst out of him. His hands clasped her head. “Oh God, Aubrey. I thought you were sending me packing again.”
She laughed, her eyes filling with happy, relieved tears. “No, not this time. I’ve been a hot mess since you’ve been gone, too. You can’t even imagine how many batches of cookies I’ve made. I’ve probably gained five pounds.”
He smiled. “You look gorgeous.”
She shoved him in the shoulder half-heartedly as the tears finally fell. “You weren’t supposed to do this to me, you idiot. You were supposed to show me a good time, not leave a goddamned hole in my chest. This wasn’t supposed to matter. You weren’t supposed to matter.”
This heartbreaking expression moved over his face. “Baby…”
“So here I am, Lex Logan. I’m yours if you want me.”
“Want you?” He slid off his stool and gathered her against him, his gaze tender. “I don’t just want you. I fucking love you.”
Her throat tightened, and all the air she’d been holding in disappeared.
“I’m an idiot. I never should’ve walked away from you. Nothing has felt right since.”
His voice wrapped around her like a soft wool blanket, and she closed her eyes, inhaling the words, the feeling behind them. “I love you, too, Lex. So damn much.”
A breath whooshed out of him and then he was lifting her up and kissing her hard. Murmurs sounded around them. People were probably looking, but she didn’t care—let ‘em look. She hooked her legs around him, her dress barely keeping her covered, and let herself sink into the kiss—hot lips and tongue crashing together, need vibrating through them, and his hold on her going so tight it felt like he’d never let go.
He backed her into the bar and she gasped, breaking them both away from the kiss before it got too out of hand. He was panting, his eyes wild, when he looked down at her. “Maybe we should get out of here.”
“I didn’t agree to such things, Mr. Logan. I only came to Vegas because I owed you a lap dance.”
He curled his lip and let his gaze travel down to the neckline of her dress. “Oh, and don’t expect me to let you off the hook, you big cheater. I knew you were up to something that night.”
“Maybe this time we can do it without an audience.”
He grinned. “Definitely. I’m not sharing you with anyone.” He pulled her tighter against him, and his lips met hers in another bone-melting kiss.
The bartender cleared his throat loudly. “Um, ma’am, do you need anything else?”
She drew away from Lex’s kiss but didn’t break eye contact with him. “No, I don’t need anything else. I’ve got all I need.”
EPILOGUE
One year later…
Aubrey’s mother swung her head left and right taking in the motley group of people surrounding her. Her lips twitched into an uneasy smile. “They certainly do attract an interesting crowd.”
“They’re harmless, Mom.” Aubrey bit her lip, trying not laugh. Her mother’s pale pink blouse and white capris created a pastel beacon amongst the black and denim clad fans around her. “And if it gets rowdy, I’ll protect you. I’m
used to this.”
Ella shook her head. “I don’t know how you do this every night. Don’t you get tired of it?”
Aubrey grinned. “Not at all. Each city is different. Each show has its own energy. But I don’t hang in the audience every night. I usually watch from side stage.”
Her mother peered at the stage. “And why aren’t we doing that?”
Aubrey laughed. “Because you said you wanted to see what I love so much about all this. Therefore, you need to full experience. Plus, this is the last show of the tour, and Lex asked me to be in the audience for it.”
The tense lines in her mother’s face softened. “You really do love this young man, huh?”
“I can’t even put it into words, Mom.” The last year on the road with Lex had been the happiest of her life. Seeing the world, working for herself, selling stories faster than she ever thought possible—all of it had been a dream come true. And now the chapter was ending, at least for a while. She gave a wistful sigh, wondering where they would go from here. Afraid to mar the wonderful time they were having on the road, she and Lex had both avoided talking about what would happen after the tour. The thought of not seeing him daily filled her chest with a hollow ache.
Ella grabbed her hand and squeezed. “I’m happy for you, honey. I really am.”
Her mother’s sincerity sent a lump to Aubrey’s throat. “And dad?”
Ella’s shoulder lifted in a half-shrug. “As hard-headed as ever, but I’ve seen the smile on his face when he gets one of your postcards. Give him time. He’ll come around. He’s not as hip as I am, you know,” she said, her face dead serious.
Aubrey snorted. “Yes, Mom, you are so with it.”
Her mother nodded, proud as a peacock. “I know.”
***
Aubrey’s ears rang as the crowd screamed for more. Wanderlust’s final show had surpassed all of her expectations. The guys had left it all on the stage, throwing every ounce of passion into every note. All that remained was the two-song encore, and the tour would be over. Thousands of feet in the arena started stomping along with the screams for the band to return to the stage. She glanced at her mother, who to her surprise, was hollering and clapping with the rest of the fans. Her mother turned her flushed face toward her. “Are they coming back?”
