Rock the Heart

by Michelle A. Valentine

  The man shrugs. “Sure. Do you want us to back you?”

  It’s been a long time since I fronted a band. The last time was before Noel joined Trip, Tyke and I. Adding the touch of the band may be perfect to bring the song together versus me alone with a guitar. I take a quick glance at Aubrey waiting on me in the middle of the dance floor under the soft lighting hanging in the tent and a song I secretly have on my iPod playlist that reminds me of how I feel about her pops in my head. “Sure. Do you know I Won’t Give Up by Jason Mraz?”

  He nods. “We do. We play that a lot at weddings. Hop on up.”

  Once I’m up on the stage, the front man hands me the mic before turning to fill in the band. I stare out into the crowd and even though there’s a ton of people surrounding me, Aubrey is the only person I see.

  I pull the mic up to my lips. “This song goes out to a very special lady who needs to know how I feel about her.” I give the guitarist a quick nod and he plucks out the signature chords to intro the song acoustically.

  When it’s time for me to sing, I lock eyes with Aubrey because I want her to know that what I feel for her is real and I don’t care who knows I’m totally whipped. The words are perfect as I tell her in song that I won’t give up no matter what and I finally know what it’s like to be loved and I’m never going to walk away from that.

  It’s everything I’ve been missing in my life, and she’s given it back to me.

  Aubrey wipes tears from her eyes and I step off the platform—the sea of people part before me, clearing my path to her.

  I take her hand in mine and tears stream down her face. I fight back the emotion I feel building up inside me, so I can finish the song. The words that I’m still looking up and we have a lot to learn fit us perfectly, but I know together we can get through anything. With her by my side, I’m a better man.

  “I’m giving you all my love,” I sing and I intertwine our fingers. “I’m still looking up.”

  The crowd around us erupts in applause and I hear Trips loud ass hooting in the background. I wrap my arms around the one woman who has changed my life forever and I stare into her big, green eyes before I say, “All of it—my love is yours.”

  She grabs my face and crushes her lips to mine, and I finally allow myself to feel worthy love.

  Rock My Bed Playlist 3OH3! – Touchin’ On My Theory of a Dead Man – Gentleman Soulja Boy, Sammie – Kiss Me Through the Phone Cobra Starship – Good Girls Go Bad Juliet Simms – Wild Child In This Moment – Whore Black Stone Cherry – Blame It On the Boom Boom Pink – Try

  Three Days Grace – Pain Hinder – Use Me

  Halestorm – I Get Off Angels Fall – Drunk Enough Egypt Central – Enemy Inside (Part 2) Halestorm – All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You Aranda – Satisfied

  Hinder – Better Than Me

  ROCK MY WORLD

  A Black Falcon Novella (2.5)

  by Michelle A. Valentine

  Chapter 1

  AUBREY

  I uncross my legs and then cross them again in the opposite direction. Still uncomfortable, I shift in my seat. Plane seats aren’t exactly known for being luxurious, but I thought sitting in first class would be way better than coach. Guess I was wrong.

  I sigh and flip through the magazine I brought on board with me, trying to take my mind off what lies in wait for me at the end.

  A deep laugh rumbles next to me and I whip my head in that direction.

  “Nervous?” Zach teases while he offers me one of the Oreos he’s eating.

  I shoot him a look, which only causes his smile to grow wider. “No.”

  He wraps his arm around me and tucks my shoulder under the crook of his arm. “You forget how well I can read that little body of yours, Kitten. You afraid of what your parents will say when you bring me home to meet them?”

  “Of course not,” I fire back immediately.

  I stare up at him as his green eyes search my face. His baseball cap is pulled down low on his forehead—his favorite public disguise since he’s best known for his crazy blonde and black Mohawk—framing his handsome face perfectly.

  I sometimes hate that he knows me so well. The truth is I am nervous, but I’m not about to admit that to him. My parents are the most uptight, conservative people on the planet. They have no clue their little girl is about to bring home a bad-assed, tattooed rock star. I want them to get along, even though I know the chances of that happening are slim to none. I probably should’ve eased them into the idea instead of springing it on them like this, but there wasn’t any time. This trip isn’t exactly just a visit, it’s business too, and in my situation, father is the best person to ask for help.

  “Attention all passengers, we will be landing in Houston shortly. Please bring your seats to an upright position and make sure your tray table is the upright, locked position...” The flight attendants instructions cause my heart to leap in my throat.

  It won’t be long now.

  My parents have no clue I’m coming, let alone bringing a guest with me. It was Zach’s idea to come here after the reality that I was now an unemployed new grad hit me. I cried for a solid week. It was like part of my soul had been torn away and my purpose had been yanked from me. Center Stage Marketing is a dream company to work for and I wasn’t ready to give it up.

  Granted what I had done to Isaac was wrong, but it had nothing to do with my work performance. Zach tried to convince me he could help me find another job, I wouldn’t take him up on the offer though. I earned my degree on my own merit, and I want to find and keep a job the same way. The only sound thing that comes to mind is getting my old position back—via the legal route if I have to.

  Zach takes my hand into his and I give his fingers a gentle squeeze. “Thank you for coming with me.”

  He smiles and presses the back of my hand to his lips. “Where else would I be? You need me? I’m there. It’s you and me against the world now, right?”

  I nod and stare up into his green eyes, taking in the fact again that this man truly belongs to me. “Absolutely.”

  The plane touches down and I Zach and I exit rather quickly, pulling our bags along with us through the airport terminal. We finally make it to the rental car area of the airport and luckily the gray-haired woman waiting on us has no idea who Zach is. The woman processes us through in a hurry while looking up to eyeball his arms with a snarled lip every couple seconds.

  She’s probably desperate to get rid of the tattooed hooligan at her counter.

  Once we’re in the parking garage Zach clicks the car fob and the lights blink on a blue Ford Fusion. “That’s us.”

  I grip the handle of my suitcase and roll it towards the car. “It shouldn’t take long to drive to my parent’s house. They live just outside the city.”

  Zach pops the trunk and tosses his bag inside, following it with mine. “That’s good. After spending most of my time on the road, I like short trips. Being cooped up for long periods at a time sucks—it’s the one thing I hate about my job.”

  I frown. “I’m going to hate that part, too. I can’t imagine being away from you so long.”

  Tattooed arms reach out and wrap around my waist. I smile as Zach pulls me in tight against his hard body, and I squeeze him back as I lay my head on his chest. “I wish you would take the opportunity to come on the road with me while you’re between jobs. I would love to have you by my side.”

  “Zach...”

  “I know. I know. I’m being a selfish jerk. The idea of missing you after I just got you back drives me crazy.” He sighs. “I love you and I want to be with you every second that I can. Can you blame a guy for being obsessed with his beautiful, sexy, hell-raiser in the sack girlfriend?”

  I giggle at how dream-like it is that he’s just as crazy about me as I am about him. “You’re ridiculous.”

  A deep laugh rumbles in his chest. “Ridiculous, maybe...honest, damn straight. Come on. We better not keep those parents of yours waiting.”

  I stiffen in hi
s arms. “About that...I didn’t exactly tell them we were coming.”

  I pull back and peek up at his face, afraid of the disappointment I’ll see there. His lips pull into a tight line as he stares down at me. “So they have no idea they’re about to meet me?”

  I bite my bottom lip. “They don’t even know I’m dating anyone.”

  This time I feel Zach’s back stiffen against my fingers. It's tension I’ve created by not being honest with him about the situation.

  He starts to pull away but I grab the hem of his shirt. “Zach. Stop.”

  He freezes in my grasp and tilts his head up—doing everything he can to not look at me. I study his strong jaw line and the slight stubble growing along it. I hate that I’m hurting him. Fighting with him is the last thing I want to do. I wish he could understand why I didn't say anything to them. He has no clue how hard it’s going to be facing my parents and telling them how irresponsible I was in their eyes for dating this gorgeous rock star before me, throwing my career away in the process. My father doesn’t believe in doing crazy things in the name of love.

  How can I explain to Zach while I love him with every inch of my being, my father and his hard-ass ways still scare the shit out me even though I’m an adult? I know it doesn’t make sense, but I still can’t bring myself to succumb to my father’s views on life in general.

  I take a deep breath. I brought him here to make them understand. “I’m sorry. I should’ve told my parents, but I knew if I did over the phone they wouldn’t get it. They wouldn’t know how special you are to me. I wanted to introduce you in person and make them see.”

  Zack tips his head down and stares into my eyes before pushing my hair behind my ear. “I get it. Just because they’re our parents doesn’t make them the best people sometimes. I know that as well as anyone.”

  I lean into his hand that lingers against my cheek and think about how great my family life was compared to his. And how I’m being such a baby over things and he’s still so understanding. “Thank you.”

  He smirks. “Besides, you probably didn’t want your mom Googling me and seeing some pictures of her daughter’s boyfriend in um...” He clears his throat. “Compromising positions.”

  I smack his arm. “Ugh. Gross.”

  He laughs as he walks to the passenger side door and opens it for me. “What? You don’t think she needs a little man candy in her life? I’m sure she does after dealing with The Judge all these years.”

  I take a couple steps toward him while I groan. “My parents don’t have sex, okay?”

  Zach rests his hand on top of the door while I squeeze between it and the car and face him. “Of course they do. How else do you think you got here?”

  My stomach turns at the thought of my parents that way. “Okay, so maybe they did it two times, but that’s it—once for me and once for my brother. No more. ”

  He laughs and I scrunch my nose. Zach stretches out his index finger and taps me on the nose. “Wishful thinking, Kitten. Everyone has sex.” I open my mouth to protest, but he quickly cuts me off. “Everyone. When we hit our fifties, we’ll still be having hot, porn-like sex everyday. My stamina has no expiration date, babe.”

  When he wiggles his eyebrows a laugh escapes me. There’s no doubt in my mind that this sexy beast before me will probably still have his most favorite body part standing to attention well into his golden years. It’s just funny thinking of this wild man as ever being old. He’s too strong willed and virile for me to picture him in any other state than he is right now—a tatted up rockstar with muscles galore.

  I tug on the bill of his ball cap and then take my seat inside the car. “Come on, sex machine. You have some parents to impress.”

  “No worries. Moms love me.” He winks at me after he shuts me in.

  I shake my head. It’s kind of gross that he’s dead on. I’ve seen the way women throw themselves at my man. I’ve seen the cougars in full effect. Apparently, lust has no age limits.

  Once we’re on the road, I stretch my legs out and take in the familiar scenery that covers the landscape on my way to my childhood home in The Woodlands, in northern Houston. “Make a left here.”

  Zach let’s out a low whistle as we finally pull onto my street. “Wow, looks like I’m dating a spoiled, little, rich girl.”

  “I’m far from rich. The Judge is the one that’s loaded, not me,” I remind him.

  He shrugs nonchalantly. “Maybe so, but I guarantee you never went without.” When I don’t immediately have a snappy comeback to argue that I didn’t have it made like he thinks, he smiles. “That’s what I thought.”

  The truth is I did have it made as a kid—as long as I played by my parent’s rules. I was never one really to push the boundaries the perfect child role they expected my brother and I to play, but I didn’t fully embrace the uppity lifestyle, either—which probably explains why I started dating the bad-boys in college. They were so different from the guys I grew up with in high school. They hated rules and loved their freedom, and deep-down I discovered the same thing about myself once I was out in the real world and could make my own decisions.

  Zach pulls into the drive and cuts the engine before turning his head my direction. “Anything else I need to know before I walk in there?”

  My mind wonders through a few scenarios of how this first meeting could go down. The last boy I brought home was clear back in high school, and he was nothing like Zach. While my mother knows I tend to get my heart crushed by loser men, she’s never had the pleasure of meeting my new type. She’s used to seeing me with uptight jerks like Isaac, so I’m not sure how she’ll react. I pray they remember their manners and are polite to him, whether they approve of our relationship or not. If not, I’m going to have to put on my big-girl panties and tell them to fuck off.

  Not one piece of advice to give to Zach flits through my mind, but I want to reassure him as I hope for the best. “Just be your charming self and they’ll love you.”

  He flicks his green eyes towards the large, two-story, brick home in front of us. “I can’t get over the size of this place. Lawyers really make that much?”

  “The good ones do.” I touch his hand on the gear-shift. “Remember, my dad takes his job pretty seriously, so don’t crack jokes about it. He actually likes it when my brother, Gabe and I call him The Judge like the rest of this town. That’s how much he’s into it. It’s his life.”

  Zach raises his brow. “Maybe I should have you start calling me Guitar God. Might be kind of fun, especially in the bedroom. What do you think?”

  I smack his arm. “I think you better keep dreaming, because that’s so not happening.”

  He laughs as he opens his door. I take a second to appreciate the view when he walks around the front of the car. His jeans hang low on his hips, yet hug his butt perfectly, accentuating the curve, making it almost yummy enough for me to take a nibble. The white t-shirt he’s wearing strains against his toned, tattooed arms as he reaches up and tugs on the hat that’s hiding his trademark hairstyle. He’s so freaking hot. How did I get this lucky?

  Lost in the thought of how sexy he is, I jump and clutch my chest when he opens my door.

  He stares down at me with those sparkling, green eyes with a perplexed expression. “You alright there?”

  A blush fills my cheeks as I stand up. “Never better.”

  Zach wraps his arms around my shoulders and grins. I inhale the spicy scent of his cologne mixed with the soap he uses. “You were thinking naughty thoughts about me again, weren’t you?”

  I bite my lip but never tear my gaze away from the challenge in his eyes. “Maybe I was.”

  A growl escapes his lips as he pushes his hips against me, allowing me to feel the growing erection in his pants against my belly. “Damn it, Kitten. See what you do to me. I swear to God I’m on like a fucking light switch whenever thoughts of you and sex enter my head at the same time. You’ve ruined me for life.”

  I laugh and run my hands up and down
his back. “I’m glad I’ve ruined you for all other women. I want to keep you all to myself.”

  “You don’t ever have to worry about that, babe.” He reaches up and tucks a strand of my auburn hair behind my ear. “If I have it my way, you’ll be stuck with me forever.”

  His thumb traces my chin and he leans in and presses his lips softly to mine. My legs below me instantly turn to jelly and I sink further into him. It’s amazing the affect a simple kiss from this man can have on me. It was one simple kiss from him that first night backstage that turned my world on its head and changed everything in my life. For him—for this love we have—I would do anything. This man is my world.

  My lips part of their own accord and I allow his tongue to slip inside my mouth. I grip his shirt in my hands, holding on tight as I get lost in how much my body craves him.

  Lean muscle pushes against me and I steady myself against the car for support. Zach’s fingers thread into my hair and a small whimper escapes my lips when he pulls away. Feather light kisses run along the corner of my mouth before he works his way across my cheek to the spot just below my ear that drives me crazy. My head falls back as he runs a hand down my side.

  We probably look semi-pornographic making out in my parent’s driveway, but I don’t care. Zach brings out a wild side in me even I didn’t know existed—a true rebel willing to risk anything for the man who makes my body feel this good. His touch is pretty damn addictive.

  He sighs against my skin. “We should probably go in before someone reports the tattooed man mauling The Judge’s daughter to the cops.”

  “To hell with the neighbors,” I breathe, not wanting to lose this feeling.

  Zach chuckles. “As much as I would like to give the neighbors a hell of a show by fucking you on the hood of this car, I don’t think it’s the best idea. I actually want your family to like me.”

  My shoulders instantly sag. “You’re right. It wouldn’t be a good look, would it?”