Rock the Heart

by Michelle A. Valentine

  “Make yourself useful and grab us some milk from the fridge,” Riff says. “I always keep it in there. The guys know better than to take my stuff.”

  Sure enough, there’s a gallon of two percent white milk in there. I set it on the counter and search for a couple glasses.

  “There should be some plastic cups on the stop shelf, above the sink,” Riff informs me as I poke around.

  Only one cup is left in the bag, and my heart sinks. Damn. Oreos aren’t the same without milk. I pour the milk into it for Riff and walk over to the table. I set down the cup and slide into the seat across from them.

  He pushes the package toward me. “You don’t want milk too?”

  I shrug and pull out a cookie. “Only one cup.”

  Riff smiles and puts his cup in the middle. “We can share it—just no double dipping. I heard where your mouth’s been.”

  Aubrey smacks his arm. “Sorry, Lanie, but you were kind of loud.”

  Heat rises up my neck, and my face flushes. It never occurred to me that I’m loud enough for the guys on the bus to hear Noel and I having sex, but it obviously should have. I mean, I heard every single moan on the other side of the door when they had their parties in full swing. How could I be so naive to think they couldn’t hear me too?

  Riff chuckles and dunks a cookie in the milk. “Nothing to be embarrassed about. It was fucking hot. Noel’s one lucky son of a bitch.”

  Aubrey giggles and winks at me.

  I cover my face with my hand. “Oh, God.”

  Riff bites into his cookie. “You say that a lot, don’t you?”

  My head snaps up. “Can we please stop talking about this? It’s not exactly the kind of conversation I should be having with you guys.”

  He shrugs. “You know, about the ticket thing, I’m sorry. You did try to blow me off. I didn’t think you meant it. I thought it was your angle.”

  “My angle?”

  Riff nods. “Most chicks play games. You weren’t the first girl who played the hard-to-get card with me. I figured you read one of my interviews where I said that turned me on.”

  The tension I feel toward him melts a little with his apology. He seems sincere, and since he put it that way, I could see why he thought I’m a groupie. I dip my cookie in the milk, too. “An interviewer actually asked what your turn-ons were?”

  “You wouldn’t believe some of the shit we get asked. Noel gets the worst of it though, being the front man and all. People are constantly trying to dig up things on him. He’s good at keeping his life secret.”

  I swallow the cookie. “It’s not like Noel has a lot of dirt to find.”

  Riff raises his eyebrows. “How long has it been since you dated him?”

  “A little over four years. Why?”

  Riff looks away and takes out another cookie. “A lot can happen in four years, Lanie.”

  What is that supposed to mean? Is he saying Noel has a lot of dirt—dirt that even my hours of internet stalking didn’t uncover? Noel is a good guy. I don’t buy it. I shrug. “I’m sure Noel isn’t intentionally hiding things from me. We all have pasts and secrets we don’t want people to know.”

  Riff’s eyes scan my face. “We most certainly do.” Riff pops the last Oreo in his mouth. His gaze never leaves me, as if he’s waiting for more questions that I never ask. Anything in Noel’s past is just that—in the past. If I need to know something, I’m sure he’ll tell me.

  Riff stands and sticks out his hand. “Truce?”

  I smile as his large fingers wrap around my hand. “Truce. I would like that. We should be friends since you and Aubrey...you know.”

  Riff glances over at my friend and wiggles his eyebrows. “Oh yeah, I know. Friends it is.”

  When Riff leaves the room, Aubrey turns in my direction. She smirks, and I shake my head. “Don’t you shake your head at me, missy,” she says. “I told you all about mine. Now it’s your turn to dish. It sounded incredible!”

  I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Aubrey...”

  She yanks my hands away from my face. “Stop it. Don’t be embarrassed. You had a good time—nothing wrong with that. So tell me, does he get his Sex God title back now?”

  I roll my eyes and smile.

  She smacks the table and grins. “I knew it. That guy is sex on a stick.”

  Aubrey stays on the bus with Riff and me until it’s time to head to the next stop on the tour. Riff walks her to the car, no doubt for a hot good-bye make out session. I’ll miss her, but I only have a week or so left until I’ll see her all the time.

  That thought makes me a little sad. It also means I only have a week left with Noel.

  The next morning, I wake in Noel’s bed. His arm holds me tight against his side. Warm breath wafts rhythmically against my neck. The smell of his skin so close intoxicates me, and I find myself craving to be closer to him. I trace the tattoos on his forearm—each one fading into the next. Both of his arms are living pieces of art. Beautiful.

  Noel nudges my neck with his nose. “Mmmmm. I want to wake up like this every morning.”

  I smile, and my insides turn into mush. “Me too. I love being here with you.”

  He kisses my neck and rubs my bare arm. “Good, because I plan on keeping you here forever.”

  I roll to face him. “Forever?”

  His blue eyes peer up at me through impossibly long and sexy eyelashes. “Afraid so. I’m addicted to you. There’s no way I can be without this now.”

  I giggle and kiss his lips. He is simply the most amazing man on the planet. How did I ever get so lucky? “What do you think will keep me here?”

  The softness of his lips against my jaw makes my toes curl. I wiggle closer. Noel’s hot skin against mine is maddening. I hitch my leg over his hip, and he runs his hand up my calf then hooks around my knee. His hard length presses against me through my underwear, and I gasp.

  Noel smiles and grinds into me. “This.”

  A moan escapes my lips, and Noel’s mouth claims mine. I claw at his back as he rolls on top of me. His hand shoves up the T-shirt I put on last night—my naked breasts on display for him. Noel’s eyes roam over my chest before he dips down and sucks one of my nipples. Oh God, his tongue can do wondrous things.

  Noel chuckles against my skin. “Quiet, baby. The guys are still asleep out there.”

  I slap my hand over my mouth. Am I being loud again? How embarrassing.

  Noel kisses a trail down my stomach, and I sigh. His fingers grip my underwear over my hips, and he pulls them off of me. I laugh when he tosses them over his shoulder and smirks. His expressions sometimes are downright sexy. I grin and close my eyes, full of anticipation of what comes next.

  The suite is amazing. I’ve never been in a hotel this nice. Ever. The bellboy leaves our luggage in the bedroom, and Noel gives the kid a large tip. His eyes light up, and he thanks Noel profusely before leaving our room. My Noel, always a nice guy.

  Noel wraps his arms around my waist, and I thread my fingers into his hair. “That’s nice of you.”

  He smiles and shrugs. “I know what it’s like working for every dollar you get. If a hundred-dollar bill makes the kid’s day, it’s the least I can do.”

  I kiss his lips. “You are unbelievably sweet, you know that?”

  “Speaking of sweet.” Noel sighs. “The Kid’s Wish Foundation contacted me yesterday and asked me to visit a little boy with leukemia. Apparently I’m his idol, and his wish is to meet me.”

  “That’s amazing. When do you get to meet him?”

  “Tomorrow. The organization booked a flight for me to Tucson after tonight’s show.”

  My heart sinks a little at the thought of not being with him for a day.

  He tilts my chin up and gazes at me. “It’s only for one night. I’ll be back before you know it. Besides, your boss is flying in tomorrow. You have to stick around and find out what exactly you marketing types need to do with Black Falcon’s charity to get it off the ground.”

  “
You owe me close to a thousand hours for all these kisses, you know.”

  He laughs. “Hours well spent if you ask me. You have full control of the charity. I know you’ll do what you think is best and it will be amazing.”

  I lay my head on his chest. His kindness knows no limits. “You are the most amazing person I know.”

  He chuckles and kisses the top of my head. “Right back at ya.”

  We stay locked in each other’s arms for a few moments. The steady thud of his heartbeat keeps time in my ear. My fingers trace the taut muscles in his shoulders. I don’t think a more perfect man exists. Noel can have any woman in the world, and yet he chooses me. I wonder if that officially makes me the luckiest girl on the planet.

  He twirls a lock of my hair. “What do you want to do today?”

  I pull back and lick my lips. Noel smiles as I run an index finger down his chest. “Oh, I don’t know. What did you have in mind?”

  His gaze smolders as he runs his tongue over his top lip. “I have lots of things in mind that I would like to do to you, but I’m afraid you just might break me if we keep up this pace. You’re insatiable.”

  A shudder ripples through me. Oh, how I would like to have him try all those things on me, but he’s right. If we keep this up, we’ll never see the light of day again. We’ve had sex three amazing times today. Noel is the insatiable one, or well, just as bad as me. My last boyfriend never had the stamina for more than once a day.

  I grin and look up at him. “You’re right. We should get something to eat. I can’t live on Oreos alone.”

  Noel’s eyes widen. “Shit. I have to buy Riff more. He gets bitchy if someone eats his food.”

  “I don’t think he minded. He gave them to me.”

  Noel’s brow furrowed. “He was up with you last night?”

  His body tenses under my touch. The tension whenever Riff’s name comes up is odd. The anger between them clearly hasn’t left his system. “Yeah, he and Aubrey both. He actually apologized again for the Golden Ticket thing.”

  Noel shoves his lips into a thin line and runs his hand through his hair. “Did he say anything else?”

  The thought crosses my mind to ask him about the dirt Riff implied, but the anger on Noel’s face stops me. I don’t understand his problem with Riff. He always tells me his bandmates are his brothers. The way he acts toward Riff isn’t very brotherly love like.

  I place my hands on Noel’s shoulders. “Are you okay? Do we need to talk about something?”

  Noel flinches as if I’d just smacked him in the face. “No. Why? Do you think we have something we need to discuss?”

  His tone catches me off guard. Why is he so defensive all of the sudden? Is he really keeping things from me? I drop my hands from his chest. “No. I guess not.”

  I turn to walk away, but he catches my hand. “Hey...are you mad at me?”

  I shake my head. “Of course not. I just don’t understand why you’re getting so angry.”

  He sighs and pulls me back against his body. “I’m sorry. I’m not mad at you. Riff can push my buttons like no other. I don’t want him around you when I’m not there.”

  Maybe he isn’t hiding anything. I trace his jaw. “You may not trust Riff, but you need to trust me. There’s no one I want other than you. Nothing he can say will ever change that.”

  Noel pulls my hand away from his face and kisses my fingertips. “I don’t want to lose you. The thought of it scares the shit out of me.”

  “Me too. I can’t believe we’re together again. Nothing is going to break us up this time.” My voice sounds firm.

  His large hands cup my face, and his thumbs rub against my cheeks. His blue eyes search my face. “Promise?”

  I don’t look away from his gaze. “I promise.”

  Noel’s mouth crushes mine as the words leave my lips. Heat bounds between us, and my hands fly up into his thick, dark hair. His hands slide up under my T-shirt and stroke the flesh on the small of my back.

  I moan, and Noel chuckles. “I love that you get turned on so fast for me. It’s unbelievably sexy. How come you weren’t like this in high school?”

  I kiss his lips and shrug. “Scared, I guess, and inexperienced.”

  He grins. “What do you expect from two virgins?”

  He cuddles me tighter, and I smile. “True, but I’m glad it was you.”

  “Me too.”

  We spend the rest of the day hanging out in our room. Most of the time, we’re in each other’s arms making plans and filling in the blanks between us from the last few years. The food from our room service order is devoured quickly.

  “Are you excited that your boss will be here tomorrow?” Noel asks.

  I swallow down the last bite of my hamburger before answering. “Excited and nervous.”

  He tilts his head. “Why nervous? You already have the job locked down.”

  “I know, but I really want Diana to like me. If she finds out that we are...together, she may not take me so seriously.”

  People from all over the globe request Diana for projects. She has the magic touch. It seems as if everything she gets her hands on turns into a worldwide phenomenon. I can only dream of having a career like hers one day.

  He touches my cheek. “How could she not love you? You’re the best person I know. You’re straight laced—head always in the right direction. I pretty much think you’re perfect. And who doesn’t love perfection?”

  I blush and look away. He thinks I’m perfect. The most perfect man in the world thinks I’m perfect. Someone needs to pinch me soon because this is too much like a damn dream. “I’m nowhere near perfect.”

  Noel nods and taps my nose. “You are to me.” He hops off the bed. “I have to take a shower and get ready to meet up with the guys for sound check.”

  I gaze up at him and grin. “I suppose you want me to wash your back?”

  He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively. “That would be nice...among other things.”

  I laugh and chuck a pillow at him as he heads toward the bathroom. His faded jeans hug his back side just right, and I appreciate the view. How did I ever get so lucky? My cell phone rings the minute Noel shuts the bathroom door. I fish it out of my purse by the third ring. I smile when I see who’s calling.

  “Too busy to call me this morning or what? I need some juicy details. I’m dying over here,” Aubrey says.

  I giggle. “Well, I was a little...preoccupied.”

  “Score one for the Sex God. I bet he’s amazing.”

  I’m silent for few seconds, and I know the suspense is killing Aubrey. “You know how they say things get better with time...”

  Aubrey shrieks. “Gah! You are so lucky. He’s amazingly hot, sweet, and now we can add great in bed to the list. You know I’m jealous, right?”

  “Why are you jealous? You and Riff have a thing.”

  She sighs. “A thing is right. The thing that boy can do with his tongue...”

  “Okay, okay. I don’t want to hear about your Sexual Olympics.”

  She laughs as Noel pokes his head out of the bathroom door. I frown and point at the phone so he knows I won’t be coming in. He rolls his eyes and closes the door.

  I catch up with Aubrey for the next few minutes about her family. She keeps turning the conversation back to Riff. She asks me at least twenty times in a few minutes if he’s asked about her or not. After I convince her that Riff is secretly madly in love with her, she finally lets me off the phone.

  Noel steps into the large bedroom wearing nothing but a towel. Water droplets speckle his chest, and the smell of his body wash fills the room. He lays a clean pair of jeans and a T-shirt on the bed next to me, and my eyes trail over his body as if it’s dessert. The way his muscles bulge under his skin really is spectacular. It’s practically art—the naughty kind that women love to drool over.

  Noel laughs, and I jerk my head back down and grab my laptop. I know he’s caught me staring, but it’s hard not to. He pulls on his jeans, with
no underwear, and throws on his shirt. Men are so lucky. They can look yummy in less than fifteen minutes.

  After I’m ready, we head out of our love nest holding hands. Noel’s thumb strokes the skin on the back of my hand. The small gesture is somehow the most reassuring thing in the world. A black Town Car with tinted windows waits at the entrance of the hotel. The driver, wearing a black suit, nods at Noel before opening the back door for us. Noel helps me into the car then slides in next to me. The driver shuts us in and hops in the front. The smooth car pulls out onto the road. It’s crazy that Noel has so much money he doesn’t even have to drive himself around like a normal person anymore.

  “Do you still have your car?” I ask Noel.

  His eyes sparkle a little at the mention of his black Chevelle. “Yep. She’s tucked away in my garage.”

  His garage? “I didn’t know you owned a place.”

  He wraps his arm around me and trails his fingers over my bare shoulder. “Yeah, I bought a house in Kentucky a couple years ago with my first big chunk of money from the record company.”

  I tilt my head and gaze up at him. “Why Kentucky?”

  He shrugs. “Why not? No one really bothers me there. Who would expect that I’d live there? Plus, the rest of the guys in the band are from there, so I got a place near them. I like the space. It’s peaceful there, you know? Reminds me a lot of where we grew up.”

  “It has a lake?”

  He grins. “Yep, and the dock there puts our little one to shame.”

  “I’d love to see it sometime.”

  His eyes lock on mine. “One day soon. Maybe after you see it, you’ll want to stay.”

  My breath catches. I’m stunned. Did Noel just ask me to move in with him? We’ve known each other our entire lives, but we just got back together. Am I ready for such a huge leap?

  Noel runs his hand through his hair. “Every time I feel like we’re moving forward, you throw me off when you freeze up like this. Like you’re not quite sure enough about me to take things to the next level.”

  I’m taken back. How could he possibly know I have even the slightest hint of reservation? “Noel...I...”

  He leaves one arm around my shoulder and threads my fingers with his free hand. “It’s okay. I know I’m moving kind of fast, but I can’t seem to help myself. All I want to do is be with you. Now that I have you back, I can’t see my life without you. When I think about my future, I think about you.”