Rock Me: A Billionaire Romance (Billionaires, Brides and Babies Book 1)

by dos Anjos, Maria

  “My mother raised me to be a gentleman. I saw a lady in distress, and I brought her home safe and sound.” He stroked the inside of my wrist with his long, graceful fingers.

  In my mind’s eye, I imagined those fingers touching me. I tried to push the thought away like it was a calorie-laden slice of cake and I was on a crash diet.

  “Why did you come by the bakery? Why did you send me flowers?” I asked.

  He sighed. “I don’t know,” he said. “Why does the sun rise? Why do the tides ebb and flow? Why does the Earth move?”

  “Believe it, or not, I know the answer to all those questions,” I said. “What I don’t know is why you picked me out of the crowd when you could have had anyone else.”

  “Maybe it was fate,” he said. “Maybe dreams really do come true. I’ve been dreaming of someone like you my entire life, and I just found out that you’re real.”

  Chapter Seven

  The doorbell rang, and we both jumped nearly out of our seats. There was nothing good about a ringing doorbell. It never seemed to be the prize patrol handing out balloon bouquets and million dollar checks like you see on television.

  “Let’s not answer it,” I whispered. It’s not like I was expecting any packages or good news at my front door. There was a handsome rock star at my kitchen table. Nothing on my front porch was going to top that. “There isn’t anyone I want to see.” That was the truth.

  “Except me,” Dom whispered, “and I’m already here.” He was right. My humble abode seemed better for having him in it. The little kitchen seemed bright and vibrant for the first time in years.

  The doorbell rang again. The sound was followed by a flurry of hard knocking. “Answer the door, Jenny. I know you’re in there.” A familiar voice filtered through the closed door.

  I sighed and rolled my eyes. “It’s him,” I whispered. “Let’s be super quiet until he goes away.” My heart was doing nervous somersaults in my chest. I was on the verge of a panic attack. “What’s he doing here?” I mumbled to myself.

  “Who?” Dom asked. “Who’s at the door?” He flipped the switch into protective mode. Having him there made me feel safer, but I still didn’t want to face Jeff, especially since I didn’t even know whether he had understood the previous night when I said I was pregnant.

  “It’s Jeff, the married guy I told you about, the one who went to your concert last night.” Explaining this to Dom was humiliating. I hardly knew the guy, and he was already privy to one of my darkest secrets and biggest shames.

  “Oh,” Dom said softly. “Do you think I can take him?” He winked and flexed his impressive biceps.

  “Can you imagine the headlines?” I asked. “I don’t think it’s a very good idea. Besides, he’s a lawyer.” That fact had always bothered me, as if I always thought there would be legal repercussions for failing to follow his every command.

  Dom leaned toward me. “I’ve punched lawyers before. They’re not as tough when their noses are broken and spurting jets of blood.” He cracked his knuckles and grinned.

  I stifled a laugh. “God, I hope that’s a joke. Otherwise, you have a lot of explaining to do.”

  The doorbell rang again, several times in rapid fire succession, followed by a series of knocks that made the windows on either side of the door rattle.

  “Maybe he just wants my autograph,” Dom whispered. “Do you have a pen?”

  I had to check the expression on his face to make sure he was joking. “Be serious,” I scolded. “I’m having a crisis.”

  It was quiet for a few minutes. Just when I thought we were in the clear, the knocking started again. “Open up,” a loud voice called out. “It’s the police.”

  “What the heck?” I asked aloud. “That definitely didn’t sound like Jeff.”

  “Maybe it’s really the police,” Dom said. “Don’t worry. I’ll protect you.” He rose from his chair and strode to the front door and peeked out the window. “Oh, it is the police,” he confirmed. Then he opened the door.

  There were two police officers standing on my front porch. “Aren’t you Dominic Angelchance?” one of them asked. He tried to remain professional, but he looked impressed.

  “One and the same.” Dom reached out and shook the officer’s hand. “It’s always nice to meet a fan even when it’s under less than pleasant circumstances.”

  “Your driver phoned us about some sort of disturbance.” The officer gestured to the place where the limo was still parked in my driveway. “When we arrived, we found this one causing quite a commotion in the street.” This time, he pointed to where Jeff stood flanked by two other officers. His hands were cuffed behind his back.

  “Jenny,” he shouted when he saw me look his way. “Is it true? Tell me it’s not true. My wife is going to kill me.” He looked like he hadn’t slept after the concert. His hair was wild, and he was wearing the same clothes from the previous evening.

  “Do you know that man?” the second officer asked. “He says he’s your friend.”

  I flushed with embarrassment. “Yes, I know him, but I don’t want him on my property. He’s not a friend.”

  “Do you want to press charges?” He looked at me sternly as he awaited my reply. No doubt he was thinking about how I was wasting my time with a rock star in my kitchen and a lawyer on my lawn. Maybe he even thought I was involved in some sort of seedy love triangle, which wasn’t the case at all. “Ma’am,” he said to get my attention. “Do you want to press charges?’

  “Not this time.” I stared at Jeff and spoke loud enough for him to hear. “If he shows up here again, I’ll press charges. We’ll see how that affects his brilliant law career.” I said that last part loudly enough to make sure Jeff heard me.

  Jeff started shouting again. “Get rid of it,” he pleaded. “I don’t want it. Get rid of it.”

  “Shut up,” the officer to his left said. “You’re shouting right in my ear.” He gave Jeff a shove to show that he meant business.

  Jeff tried to take a step forward. “Is that Dominic Angelchance?” he asked. “What the hell, Jenny? We just broke up a month ago, and you’re sleeping with rock stars?” He tried to pull forward, but the officers stopped him again. “I always knew you were a whore.”

  “Since you don’t want to press charges, we’re going to go ahead and remove his handcuffs,” the officer on my doorstep said, ignoring Jeff’s rant. “It sounds to me like you have some sort of incriminating evidence against him. Let me give you a piece of advice, person to person, not officer to citizen. Whatever it is that he wants you to get rid of, you keep it. You might need it later to prove your case against him.”

  “To be honest with you, I very much doubt that,” I said, resting my hand briefly on the lower part of my belly. “But I’ll take your advice under consideration.”

  The officer tipped his hat. “Have a good day, Ma’am. Sir.” The officers left, and Dom shut the door behind them.

  I tried to watch out the window as they let him go, but Dom stopped me. “Don’t waste another second of your precious time on that piece of shit,” he said. “If he comes back while I’m here, the police will need a body bag to escort him off your property.”

  “Wow,” I said. I didn’t know whether to be flattered or terrified. “I can honestly say that’s the first time any man has ever said anything like that to me.”

  “There’s a first time for everything,” Dom said. “Now, if there are any other first times that you would like to explore, I’m sure I can help you with them.”

  My mind flashed briefly to the last condom. Then I remembered that I had pressed it into Jeff’s hand along with his business card and the single concert ticket.

  I sighed. It was better this way anyhow. Although I wasn’t about to get any more pregnant than I already was. Right? Then again, without a condom, I would be subjecting myself to all those rock star cooties that Dom might have picked up on the road.

  “You’re awfully quiet all of a sudden.” Dom’s voice cut into my
thoughts. He put his hands on my waist, where they burned with the heat of a thousand suns.

  “Sorry. My life has been complicated as of late,” I confessed. “What were you saying?”

  He didn’t answer; he just kissed me.

  The feeling of his mouth against mine did something to me that I never thought possible. I felt like butterflies were about to explode out of my body. Maybe unicorns. Whatever. I didn’t care. All I cared about was feeling more of it.

  With Dom’s lips on mine, I suddenly understood every love song I’d ever heard on the radio. The touch of his tongue reminded of sunsets on the beach, lazy streams on summer days and the feeling of warm sand between your toes at the seashore on a sunny day. It was like an explosion of sights, sounds and sensations that started in my mouth and expanded until they filled my entire body.

  “Do you have any condoms in the limo?” I whispered into his ear as he nuzzled my neck with his lips.

  “I’ll never tell,” he said. “If you want to get into my pants, you have to take me on three dates first.”

  I pulled away. His words washed over me as if he had doused me with a bucket of cold water. Did I really want him to think that I was that easy? My emotions changed in an instant. I went from hot and ready to embarrassed and feeling like a slut.

  “Don’t pull away,” he said. “I was just kidding.”

  “You were right. We should wait. I don’t even know you.” I had no idea why my heart didn’t want to wait. I could understand my body being impatient, but my heart should have known better after everything that I’d been through.

  Dom still had his arms around me. He looked uncertain. Doubt clouded his dark brown eyes, and his face was serious. “I didn’t mean to offend you,” he said. “I promise I’ll be more careful about what I say from now on. Don’t be upset.”

  “This probably isn’t the way you usually spend the first day after your tour,” I teased, trying to lighten the mood. “You’re probably used to hot tubs filled with half-naked women and Champagne.” I hoped he would deny it.

  “Fully naked women,” he replied. “Minus the Champagne. Like I told you, I don’t drink, and it gets lonely on the road.”

  “Great,” I replied, taking a step back so that I was no longer ensconced in his warm embrace. “So you filled your spare time with naked women.”

  He looked at me in a way that made me feel like I was the only woman in the world, which I knew to be untrue. “Just so you know, I’m not the sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll type. Sure, I’ve done what I’ve needed to do to combat loneliness on the road, but that doesn’t make me a bad person. I’ve tried the drug scene, but my mama didn’t raise me to be a mess.”

  “That leaves rock and roll,” I said.

  “Exactly. That’s what I live for. To tell you the truth, I have other interests, too. I don’t want to bore you with the details, but music didn’t always pay the bills.” He reached out and touched my cheek. “I don’t know why it’s so easy to talk to you.”

  “Maybe it’s because I’m not a fan,” I said. I was halfway hoping he would be insulted by my comment.

  “Ouch. Wait right here. Maybe I can do something that will change your mind.” He headed for my front door.

  “Where are you going?” I called out. I didn’t want him to leave, but I couldn’t beg him to stay. It was too easy to remember how that had worked out the last time.

  He turned around. His brown eyes were gleaming, and he was obviously up to something. “I just want to get something from the limo.”

  “Oh,” I exclaimed. “Is your driver still sitting out there by himself? That’s awful.”

  Dom looked confused. “He’s on the payroll, and he’s doing exactly what he’s paid to do. I’m sure he’d rather sit in your driveway than sit in traffic any day. Besides, if I know him like I think I do, he’s busy catching up on Game of Thrones while lying in the back.”

  “Maybe I should make him a sandwich,” I said.

  Dom laughed. “I think he’d like that. We can deliver it to him together when you’re done.” He walked back to the kitchen table and sat down while I busied myself making a ham and cheese sandwich.

  I was happy that I had paid extra for the good bread. The limo driver for Angelchance was probably used to the expensive stuff. “Do you think he likes mustard?” I asked.

  “Who doesn’t?” Dom replied. He laughed. “I’ve seen him eat mustard plenty of times. I’m sure he likes it.”

  I arranged the ham and cheese sandwich on a plate, added a pickle spear and poured a glass of apple juice. Then I looked at Dom questioningly.

  “He loves apple juice,” he assured me.

  I placed a couple of napkins on a sturdy tray along with the plate of food and the juice. For good measure, I took a package of animal crackers from the cupboard and put it on the tray, too. “There,” I said. “I don’t want him to be hungry while he’s waiting.”

  Dom followed me outside and watched as I knocked on the driver’s window. “I told you. He’s probably in the back,” Dom said.

  As if on cue, the back door swung open, and the driver popped his head out. He was much younger than Dom. If I had to guess, I’d say he was in his early twenties. He had a smooth baby face, dark hair and dark eyes. In a way, he almost reminded me of a younger version of Dom. I wondered whether anyone had ever mentioned the resemblance.

  “Hello,” I said. “My name is Jenny. I don’t think we’ve properly met.” I didn’t give him a chance to respond. “Anyway, I thought you might be hungry. So I made you a sandwich. I hope you like ham and cheese.”

  He took the tray from my hands as he smiled broadly. “Thanks,” he said. “It’s nice to meet you. My name’s Roscoe.” He turned to Dom. “I like this girl. None of your groupies ever made me a ham and cheese sandwich before.”

  “She’s not a groupie,” Dom said.

  I watched Roscoe slide the tray onto the back seat of the limo. Sure enough, Game of Thrones was playing on the television. “If you need anything, please let me know,” I said. “You know. Like if you need to use the bathroom or anything.” I immediately felt silly for mentioning using the bathroom.

  “Will do,” Roscoe said. He was already lifting the sandwich to his mouth. “Thanks a lot.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Dom shut the door gently on his driver. “That will keep him busy for a while,” Dom said. “I almost forgot.” He opened the door again. “Sorry, Roscoe. I’m just going to grab this. Don’t bother to move.”

  When he closed the door again, he was holding an acoustic guitar case in his hands.

  Chapter Eight

  “Is that a guitar?” I asked. Maybe I didn’t have a musical bone in my body, but I recognized a guitar case when I saw one.

  “No,” he said with a grin. “This is just where I keep the condoms.” He took me by the hand and led me back to the house.

  “Are you going to serenade me?” I asked. My heart fluttered like a moth that was being drawn dangerously close to a flame.

  “I’m going to serenade the heck out of you,” Dom responded. He sat on the sofa and placed the guitar case beside himself. With a carefulness akin to reverence, he gently popped the latches and swung the case open.

  Inside the worn black leather case lay the most beautiful guitar I had ever seen. Even though I wasn’t knowledgeable about musical instruments, I could tell there was something special about the Fender guitar. Its finish glowed in the light like a sunset over the ocean.

  “It’s beautiful,” I said, resisting the urge to tell Dom that he was beautiful, too.

  “Wait until you hear it,” Dom replied. “What’s your favorite song?” He held the guitar on his lap reverently and waited for my answer.

  I answered without hesitating. “‘Hallelujah’ by Leonard Cohen,” I said.

  Dom laughed; he did that a lot. The sound was like music. “I meant your favorite song by Angelchance, but I forgot that you aren’t really a fan of the band. Lucky
for you, I just happen to know ‘Hallelujah.’” He began to strum the opening notes. “It’s one of my favorites, too.”

  I sat on the floor at his feet and listened as he sang my favorite song. By the time he was finished, the tears that had formed in my eyes were flowing down my face in rivers. “That was amazing,” I managed to say in between gasps for air. “You’re so talented.”

  “I think Mr. Cohen gets some of the credit for that one,” Dom said. “What if I play you an original piece next?”

  Using the sleeve of my shirt, I wiped away the tears that still flowed. “Does it come on the radio?” I asked.

  “I doubt it,” Dom replied. “I only wrote it last night. It’s about a girl I just met.”

  He began to strum the guitar again.

  Hours to go before I wake.

  Pray the Lord my soul to take.

  If I should fall in love with you,

  I’ll close my eyes and call it true.

  Dreams of you, they fill my sleep.

  Pray the Lord my soul to keep.

  Cannot forget the times gone by.

  Can’t let you go, don’t want to try.

  I know you’re gone, one thing I fear.

  That you’re with him when you’re not here.

  Why must I pay for your mistakes?

  Wish you’d return before I wake

  Hours gone by, and you’re still gone.

  Sometimes I fear I can’t go on.

  Sometimes I wish your love was true.

  I dream of us while he’s with you.

  I hope his love will keep you warm.

  I hope you’re safe though I’ve been torn.

  I hope my memories will fade away.

  Hope I’ll forget your name someday.

  I’ll still be here, if you change your mind.

  I know true love is hard to find.

  Sometimes I laugh, but mostly I weep.

  Hours to go, before I sleep.

  By the time he was finished, I was bawling. “You wrote that for me?” I asked. “We haven’t even known each other for a full day.”