When they got to the living room there was no sign of Callie or Jake. Only Jules with her iPad hooked up to the TV and ready to show them whatever they needed to see. He sure as hell hoped it wasn’t that video, once was definitely more than enough with that fine piece of journalism.
“Everybody grab a seat, and we’ll get this started,” Jules barked out at them while she continued to fiddle with the iPad. She finished and cut him a glance and a thumbs-up, picking up a piece of paper and waving it at him.
He walked over and took a look, quickly skimming the words. It was perfect.
“Excellent, Jules. Thanks for handling this.”
“I was up all night making this magic happen for you. You owe me, Cardano.”
He narrowed his eyes. “What are you talking about?”
“I mean that the next time I want you to do something, show up for a meet-n-greet with your fan club and be nice for example, you’ll do it and not give me attitude about it.”
Oh hell. He should have known this was going to come at a price. He glanced down at the paper, knowing that this was his only real chance to make it right with Lita. It was worth it. Whatever he had to do, it was worth it. He nodded.
“Anything, Rocky. Kissing babies. Signing stacks of posters. Radio interviews for a morning program.” She wagged a finger at him when he opened his mouth to protest. He was not a morning person, and he definitely wasn’t one with chirpy DJs at the ass-crack of dawn. “Anything.”
“Fine. Fine.” He turned to go grab a seat, but tugged her to his chest and hugged her tight. Jules’s entire body was stiff from the beginning to the end, and her face looked truly alarmed. “Thanks, you little extortionist.”
He perched on one of the barstools, keeping the TV screen in his sights when Lita walked in with Lori. They were arm-in-arm, best friends again, but Lita looked tired. Hell, she looked like he felt, strung out on too little sleep and adrenaline. Her eyes scanned the room until she found him staring at her.
Her facial expression did not change at all. A stranger would see nothing but the composed mask she wore so well, but he noticed her eyes. They were dark and shadowed with the pain that mirrored his own. He bit back the urge to get up and go to her now, demanding that they stop this insanity. Four years was long enough to be unhappy. Long enough to be apart.
Jules’s voice telling them all to sit interrupted their connection, and Lita snapped to it, taking a seat on the couch opposite his position in the room and right next to the door, situated perfectly for a quick exit. She’d bolt for it the minute they were done here, and he was ready to follow her.
“All right. I’m not in charge here, that’s Callie and Jake. I’m just the messenger, and I was told to play a video they sent to me when you guys all showed up. So here goes.”
Jules messed around for a couple seconds with her iPad and the screen lightened, flickered with fuzz, and then Callie and Jake filled the picture, both gazing at what had to be the camera on one of their phones. They weren’t at the Estate, that much was clear from the background in the frame, but beyond that, it was a mystery.
“Hey, guys,” Jake said, his arm stretched out to get both of them in picture and then steadying the phone as he placed it on a flat surface.
“Hi,” Callie added with a wave and a giggle. They looked at each other, the goofiest expression on their faces and leaned in to kiss each other before another giggle ended it. What the hell was going on?
“Look, first things first,” Jake said. “Lita, we don’t blame you at all for what happened. You got screwed, and so did we, and we aren’t mad at you.”
“Not at all,” Callie said. “We love you. Thanks so much for sending us your version of the video. It was lovely.” Her voice got a little wobbly, and she leaned into Jake who pressed a kiss into her hair. “Beautiful. Thank you.”
Rocky stole a glance at Lita. Her lower lip was trembling, and she brushed at her right eye with a fingertip before nodding at the screen, as if they could see her. He wanted to go to her and wrap her in his arms, but he clenched his hands on his thighs, willing himself to hold back and wait until the time was right.
Jake jumped back in. “That video made us realize that we’ve gotten hung up on all the wrong things. We’ve spent so much energy worrying about the press, Calliope Shoes, the band, and the wedding that we forgot why we were here in the first place.”
“We forgot this was all because of how we felt about each other, how much we loved each other,” Callie said. “I know I did. All it did was stress me out and create tension between the two of us.”
“So, ” They looked at each other on the screen, the goofy grins back in place. “, we’ve eloped.”
“Vegas,” Callie said.
“Sin City,” Jake said with a waggle of his eyebrows that earned him a playful smack from Callie. “By the time you get this, we’ll be hitched and on our way to a secret honeymoon. Jules knows where to find us, but only in a true emergency.” Jake pointed at the screen. “And don’t try to bribe her. I’m buying her that motorcycle she’s wanted forever if she’ll keep her mouth shut.”
Jules mimicked locking her lips and throwing away the key.
“We’ll be back in a month like we planned,” Callie said. “Thank you all for being there for us. Thank you, Lori, for planning such a beautiful wedding and Sydney for the amazing food.”
“Have the party on us. It’s all paid for anyway.” Jake laughed. “Don’t let good lobster go to waste.”
They looked at each other on the screen, and even over the distance of time and space, you could feel the way they felt about each other. It was a living, breathing thing that existed in the space between them, the glue that kept them together.
Rocky turned to look at Lita, and she returned his gaze. The air crackled, charged with the emotion that struggled for the right to exist between them. It was palpable. It was solid. It was the kind of powerful you could not ignore, or if you did, it was with great hurt and anguish.
He could not breathe, the loss of her was so great. He stood up, intending to go to her and make her see reason, make her give him another chance.
Lita’s eyes grew wide, and she stood as well, turning to make a beeline for the door. She was fast in those ridiculously high shoes, and with him having to maneuver around the furniture, he watched her slip through the door and into the hallway.
Rocky practically ran to the door and down the hallways, looking for her everywhere. She couldn’t have just disappeared, but he saw no sign of whether she’d gone down a hallway or into another room. He decided to go to the foyer, and if she wasn’t there, he’d go to her room.
Rocky dashed into the foyer just in time to see her pass through the mansion doors out to the driveway. He sped up, the tightness in his gut increasing when he understood what was happening— she was leaving, and he had to stop her before she took off. Who knew how long it would take him to get her to see him if she fled back to L.A.
He passed the threshold, barely missing knocking over the valet, and sprinted across the pavers to the limo waiting in the circle. Lita was beginning to step inside, the driver assisting her on her three-inch heels. He skidded to a stop right in front of her, and she turned, leveling a look paired with a raised eyebrow for his trouble.
“Rocky, what are you doing?”
“Nice ride,” he said, motioning toward the limo. “Where’s your rental?”
“Eddie took it back with him.” She waved a hand around the interior. “Callie and Jake had this reserved, and I needed at ride.”
“Where are you going?”
“The airport. Back to L.A.”
The driver spoke up then, peering between them. “Ma’am, is he staying or going? We have to get going if you don’t want to miss your flight.”
“He’s going.”
“Nope. You’re staying.” There was no way she was getting in this car.
“No, I’m not.”
Lita leaned to get into the vehicle, but he
blocked her with his own body, exposing him to the double whammy of the summer heat of Montana and the fire of her body partially draped over his own. She inhaled sharply, wide, startled eyes connecting with his as a flush crept over her cheeks. She might be mad, but there was no way she could tell him this was over between them.
“Yes. You. Are.”
He lowered his head and took her mouth before she could protest, pleased when she opened to him immediately. It was a lazy kiss, possessive in its depth, but intended to remind them both of what they’d be losing if they walked away. Like he’d need reminding.
Rocky broke it off and looked down at her. “You’re staying. We need to talk, and I’ve got something for you that you won’t want to miss. He leaned down to kiss her again, sweetly and briefly before pulling back. “I’ll book you another flight if you still want to go.”
She licked her lips, only nodding in response to his demand.
He reached over, moved her hand off the door handle, and shut it with a forceful thud.
“I guess she’s staying,” the driver mumbled just before he wandered away. “I’ll give you two a little privacy.”
And then they were left alone with nothing but their feelings and an uncertain future.
Rocky needed to fix that shit right now.
He crouched down and hooked his body under hers, lifting Lita in a fireman’s hold and turning to carry her back across the driveway.
“Hey, Rocky, put me down. I have a skirt on.”
“Well, then you better stop squirming.”
She sighed, her body going as limp as anyone could slung over his shoulder. He mounted the stairs to the mansion, walking past the crowd of people in the foyer. Dash, Lori, Syd, and Laz all grinning like idiots and giving him the thumbs up. He couldn’t help it; he smiled back and hoped that their good mojo worked.
He walked down the hallway, stopping in front of a room with a closed door, and slowly lowered her to the ground. Lita held onto him, steadying herself on her high heels, a frown on her lips.
“Rocky, what are you doing?” she asked.
He stepped even closer, pushing her up against the wall next to the door. “I’m going to change your mind about us.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
She needed to get a little distance between her body and Rocky.
Lita slid to the side, ducking around him as she smoothed out her skirt, and barely kept her fingers from touching her lips where they still tingled from his kiss. She couldn’t look at him, didn’t want to risk seeing in his eyes the disappointment of yesterday. Just the thought of it still cut her to the quick—to see it fresh, up close and personal would shatter her heart into even smaller pieces.
The kiss had been surprising and sweet, and exactly what she didn’t need when she’d spent all night steeling herself to resist the addictive pull of her lover. But one kiss had shattered her resolve and left her vulnerable and open and needy.
That was the worst of it. She needed Rocky Cardano. Not just for the amazing sex, but she needed his strength and his kindness and his love like she needed food. Now she would go back to emotionally starving herself and try to forget the feast she’d enjoyed for the last few days.
“You were going to leave without talking to me?” Rocky’s voice was quiet and laced with pain that she’d put there.
“We said it all yesterday. What’s left?” She looked out the window at the Montana landscape just beyond the edges of the estate. She should have just gotten in the car, ticking off the miles until she could get on a plane and get back to avoiding him like she did before.
“We said hurtful things that I know I didn’t mean, and I hope you didn’t, either.” Rocky reached and engulfed her hand in his, rubbing his thumb soothingly against her skin. “I’m sorry. I promise you that I do trust you, and if you let me, I’ll prove it to you.”
She should pull her hand back, she really should, but it felt so damn good to feel his touch.
“Rocky, we can’t seem to get past the way we burned out the last time. You don’t trust me, and I can’t spend forever trying to prove it. I’m a reporter—an unemployed reporter—”
“Oh, baby, I’m so sorry.” Rocky moved in close, before she could react, cupping her face with his hand. His eyes were intense on her own, and every ounce of his regret shone out of their depths. “I’m so sorry.”
Oh hell. Why did he have to look so damn sweet? This Rocky was the one who got her, who hooked her with the unexpectedly tender side to this mountain of a man. She took a deep breath and pulled back. He dropped his hand but stayed crowded into her personal space, their bodies touching and sharing their heat in the chill of the air conditioning.
“I’ll figure it out.” She had no choice, so it wasn’t a lie. She just didn’t know how she was going to do it.
“This should help.” He reached around her and turned the door handle, then spinning her and giving her a push inside. She followed his lead, really having no choice, and was totally unprepared for what she saw inside.
Jules stood in the middle of controlled chaos, directing a cameraman and two assistant types as they set what was clearly intended to be an impromptu set for taping a television program. Cables and wires attached to big lights and other paraphernalia crisscrossed the floor in a pattern designed to be a trip hazard.
Furniture had been removed, leaving only a few pieces around the room, but the main focus was a sofa and a coffee table. It was, interesting. And confusing.
She looked at Rocky. “What is this?”
“This will explain it all, I think,” Jules said, turning a monitor around so that she could see the screen. A quick push of buttons and it came to life, the familiar Entertainment Nightly logo filling the picture.
Lita turned again to look at Rocky. He blushed a little, cheeks high in color, when he met her eyes.
“What’s going on?” She licked her lips, her mouth suddenly as dry as her favorite martini. “Rocky, what did you do?”
“I did what I had to do to get you back. Words were never going to be enough, I understand that.”
She raised her gaze to his.
“Just watch,” he said.
She turned back to the screen as it came to life, and Brad Jensen, the evening anchor, started talking.
“Rocky Cardano, drummer for the rock super group The Rift, will sit down in a live, no-holds barred interview with Lita Matthews tonight in a special event held by Entertainment Nightly.
Cardano, who never gives interviews, made the announcement early this morning in the frenzied aftermath of the recent disclosure of the identity of his father, a convicted felon and mob hit man in New York City. Cardano and his mother were abused by his late father and fled to California at the time of his incarceration.
Jules Clare, head publicist for The Rift, explained Cardano’s reason for the interview, “Rocky wants to set the record straight once and for all. He chose Lita Matthews because she is known throughout the industry for her integrity and professional level of journalism.”
Matthews, who was recently granted all access to the wedding of Callie Hanover and Jake Mitchell, has been a freelance reporter for many news magazines in the fashion and entertainment world. Her name has also been linked to the search for a new co-anchor on Entertainment Nightly.”
The rest of the segment detailed the time and place of the event, which was just a few hours away. Holy Shit. She returned her gaze to Rocky. His expression was raw, his eyes pleading with her, his jaw tight with the tension mirrored in the clenched fist on his thighs.
“Why?”
“I could take the easy way out and tell you it’s because I love you. It’s true, but again, they are just words.” Rocky moved closer to her, using both his hands to cup her face this time, making sure she didn’t look away, forcing her to confront this once and for all. “You needed me to prove that I trust you, that for me, you are the one person to always have my back no matter what. This was the one way I knew to do it. To meet
you where you live, where you thrive, where you need to be sure of you and of us.”
“You don’t have to do this.”
“Yes, I do. That press release has been live for several hours. No backing out now.” He smiled, lips curling up in a grin that made her heart clench in her chest. “Not that I would want to.”
“Oh, Rocky.” She sighed as she leaned her forehead against his, her whole body shaking with her love for him and awe at what he’d done for her.
“Is that a good ‘oh Rocky’?” he asked on a whisper, his voice breaking and betraying his own nervousness. He was waiting for her to accept or reject his proof, his love. She had an answer.
“It’s an ‘I love you, Rocky’ and a ‘take me back, Rocky’ and a ‘kiss me, Rocky.’”
“I like all three,” he said out loud before he took her mouth in a kiss that was nothing like the tender one from a few minutes earlier. This one was hard and possessive, an obvious attempt to wipe away any memory of how close they’d come to losing this, losing them.
“I’m sorry, guys,” Jules said, interrupting the kiss, but when Lita looked at her, she didn’t look sorry. She looked smug and a little frantic around the edges. “I hate to mess up your touching reunion, but we’ve only got a few hours to pull together a one-hour live interview. We need it all. Wardrobe. Questions. You name it.”
“So no time for nookie?” Rocky asked, smiling against her cheek.
Jules mimicked gagging. “No. Please, no.”
“We’ve got lots of time. You go.” He pressed a kiss to her nose and pushed away. “I’ll be by later. I’ll be the one on camera.”
“Got it.” Lita nodded, smiling. She grabbed his hand for a quick squeeze. “Thank you, Rocky.”
“Anything for you. Anything.”
…
Hours later, he’d proven that he was as good as his word.
The interview, better than she could have ever dreamed it could go, was over. The President of Entertainment Nightly had called and told her that they were already seeing unprecedented ratings for it and congratulated her on her success.
Playing With the Drummer Page 16
