He found a spot on the couch and Kenzi curled into his side. He pulled her even closer, needing her to be part of him. “Can I get you a drink?”
“I’m good, thanks.”
Bree sat on her guy’s lap in one chair, her arms around his neck. Dev and Trish were in their own little world in the corner, kissing and whispering to each other. Travis’s blank expression told Chaz he was overwhelmed by Jasmine’s exuberance. Joey and Nate sat on the other couch between two of the band-aides, laughing at something they’d said.
Chaz ran his fingers through Kenzi’s hair, the sensation always calming him. Cool silken threads. He kissed the top of her head, inhaling her sweet scent. “You ground me.”
She met his gaze. “I’m glad. You balance me. I forget to breathe, sometimes. You slow me down. You’re my anti-coffee.”
He laughed softly. “I guess that’s a good thing.” When she opened her mouth to speak, he held up a finger. “If you believe it’s a good thing, I’m happy to be it.”
Her lips pressed together in a smile.
Those lips were too tempting. He bent to capture them, inhaling her sigh when her mouth opened to him. The room and their friends vanished as he lost himself in Kenzi. He let her essence wash around him, calming him, filling him.
When he remembered where they were, he drew back. “We’ll finish this later.”
“We’d better.”
The others were in the middle of a discussion. Bree asked Joey, “When does this tour end?”
“Probably the day I die,” he said.
Everyone except Gary laughed. The guy was great at what he did, but altogether too serious. He cleared his throat. “Our last date is in January. Then the guys go back in the studio to work on the next album.”
“That’s perfect,” Bree said. “That means you can all come to our wedding in February.”
“Oh, how awesome,” Kenzi said. She jumped up to hug Bree and kiss Ash.
Ash had a goofy grin on his face, like he often did when he looked at Bree. “Hey, do you guys play weddings?”
Gary went pale, which brought a bigger laugh than Ash’s joke.
“Seriously, though. We want to have a destination wedding, since that’s where we got together. I hate snow, so we’ll go somewhere warm. But we’d love it if you guys could join us.”
Jasmine turned to Travis. “Yes, it’d be so cool if you guys came.”
Kenzi sat down again and Chaz whispered, “Jasmine hasn’t given up on Travis, I see.”
“Her celebrity crushes are for life.”
“Poor guy.”
“You guys should play a gig wherever they have the wedding. That way you can write off the trip,” Jasmine said, winking at Bree.
“I was thinking the same thing,” Joey said, laughing.
“Right?” She held her hand out as if the idea was obvious. “You could deduct everything but the wedding gift.”
“Hey, if we give them a set of t-shirts, autographed pictures and download codes, we could write that off, too,” Joey suggested.
Chaz shook his head. “She’s crushing on the wrong guy,” he whispered to Kenzi. “She and Joey are perfect for each other.”
“I don’t know. With their ideas and business drive, they’d either be billionaires or homeless.” Kenzi yawned and snuggled into his side. “I think opposites work better, like us. We complete each other.”
That described perfectly how he felt lately. Complete.
Chapter Six
Chaz’s text came through on Kenzi’s phone on her drive home from work.
I booked my flight. I’ll arrive Friday and stay through Wednesday.
She tossed the phone down quickly so she wouldn’t get distracted while driving. Not get distracted-right. Her nipples had hardened as she read his words. Phone sex was great, but it couldn’t compare to having that man’s body under her hands.
As soon as she parked in her apartment complex’s subterranean garage, she grabbed the phone. Can’t wait! she typed.
I can’t wait until February when I can see you for longer stretches of time. We’re still in vacation romance mode. I want it to be real.
She sighed. It is real. This is the life we have ahead of us. It saddened her to think about that. Growing up, she’d been the house in the suburbs and 2.5 kids kind of girl. She’d imagined herself and her husband coming home from a hard day at work and relaxing with the kids around the dinner table, helping them with their homework. When she’d tried to picture Daddy face-timing the kids for dinner most nights, it didn’t work for her. Would their kids have a complete relationship with their dad if he was gone half the year?
She took the elevator up to her apartment, throwing her purse on the table in the entryway before sitting on the couch and kicking off her shoes.
Chaz’s text was waiting for her. Can you deal with that life?
It was what had sent them on their separate lives in the past. Can you deal with the fact I only get two weeks of vacation a year, along with the usual holidays?
If that’s what it takes, I can.
Okay then, I’ll make it work for me. The reward is worth it.
He ended the conversation and went to join the guys for dinner. She couldn’t remember where Marino was playing this week. Tokyo? Sydney? Chaz’s current location kind of got lost in the midst of trying to figure out why the Mac version of a recent PC game release kept crashing on level three.
She needed to work on leaving her job behind when she got home. Chaz deserved her full attention when she was home, whether she was with him in person or on the phone.
Just after Kenzi threw out the microwave dinner dish and washed her fork, her doorbell rang. She was surprised to see Jasmine on the other side when she peered through the peephole. “Hey, what’s up?”
Jasmine blew in with her usual flurry. “I wanted to catch you before anyone else did.” She tossed her purse on the floor and sat in the recliner.
Kenzi’s stomach tensed. “Why?” She returned to her place on the couch.
“I know you hate how much time I spend on the Gossip Ho site, but I saw something this afternoon that I think you should see. I’m sure it’s not what they said it was, but since they dragged your name into it, you need to see it before anyone calls.”
“What the freak are you talking about? Quit with the subtext and just tell me what’s going on.”
Jasmine picked up Kenzi’s tablet from the coffee table and sat beside her, typing in the passcode like it was her own device. She opened the browser and typed in a URL. Once the page loaded, she scrolled down. “This.”
Kenzi took the tablet and read the headline. Hollywood’s Hottest Couple Reunites. Beneath that was a picture of Chaz with Vanessa leaving a Tokyo hotel.
“She’s in Tokyo filming the next Drift movie,” Jasmine said.
Kenzi handed the device back to Jasmine, a simmering of anger burning inside her. “So they stayed in the same hotel. You know Chaz wants nothing to do with her. He’s told me he had second thoughts before she left him.”
“You and I know that, and our friends, but the paparazzi dragged you into it.” Jasmine scrolled farther down to a picture of Chaz and Kenzi kissing.
“This is why I don’t go to gossip sites on the Internet. I don’t want to hear what they think about me. I don’t want to be compared to Vanessa.” Kenzi stood and strode to the kitchen, needing to burn off the chaotic energy coursing through her. “Do you want a glass of wine?”
“Sure. I know you don’t want to see this stuff, but you need to know what’s out there. And I didn’t want you to be alone when you saw it. You need a PR person to spin this kind of shit.”
“Isn’t that what Joey does?”
“He does it for the band. You need one for Kenzi.” Jasmine took the offered glass and sipped. “Besides, I called Joey when I first saw it. He says the best thing to do is ignore the item and let it die a natural death.”
“I don’t want a PR person. I want to be invisible. I
like walking through the grocery store and having no one recognize me.” Kenzi sat back, curling her legs beside her. After a moment she jumped back up to pace. “I don’t know if I’m strong enough for this. I hear whispers at work that suddenly go quiet when I get nearby. I know Bree said she and Ash had the same problem when they started dating, but they were there at work to get through it together.”
“You are strong enough, honey.” Jasmine rubbed Kenzi’s arm. “You were strong enough to let him go in college. You’re even stronger now. What you guys have is worth the fight.”
That part was true. She would fight anyone to keep her man. That wasn’t the issue. Her privacy was the problem. She didn’t want people snapping her photo when she ran to the grocery store for tampons. As her anger turned to tears, she sank cross-legged to the floor, burying her hands in her hair. “I hate people being in my business. I just hate it. Why can’t they leave me out of his news?”
“Call Chaz,” Jasmine said softly.
Before Kenzi could respond, her phone rang. Caller ID showed his name. “Hi baby,” she whispered.
Jasmine waved and picked up her purse, letting herself out.
“Joey told me about Gossip Ho. You know that’s not true.”
“I know.” She couldn’t muster any anger, the fight inside her deflating. She was heartsick, and this was the first time there’d been anything more than a photo of her with Chaz. The first real probe into their relationship.
“I hate you have to go through this. If I had anyway to protect you from it, I would. But other than never going out in public with you, there’s nothing either of us can do.”
“I know.”
“Babe, I can’t be there with you, and it’s killing me. I need to know you’re okay.”
“I am. This just drained me. Maybe it’s just a combination of work stress and how long this leg of your tour has been. I’ll be okay.”
“I love you. Remember that always.”
“I do. And I love you, too.”
He breathed deeply on his end of the line. “Vanessa and I ended up in the same elevator and the cameraman caught us leaving the hotel. She’s really happy with Harry. She hasn’t said anything publicly, since she’s afraid it’ll interfere with filming, but she just found out she’s having his baby.”
The news should have cheered her, but it didn’t. As far as Vanessa, she’d always been secure-Chaz had no interest in Vanessa beyond wishing her the best. “I’m happy for her. And glad for both of you she figured out who she really loved before you guys married.”
“Yeah, no shit. The legal dealings alone of a divorce would have been a nightmare. This was a quiet, non-dramatic breakup, if you ignore the tabloids.”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to do. Ignore them. Jasmine is good about not bringing up what she reads. She was here when you called, wanting to be sure I wasn’t alone when I heard the gossip.”
“She’s a good kid. She hides it well under that ditzy front she puts on.”
Kenzi laughed. “That’s not a put on. It’s as real as the smart part. I’ve got good friends.”
“I’m glad. You’re going to need them. You sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah. I’m glad you called.”
“I’ll be there in less than a week, baby. Hang in there.”
~*~
The next weekend, Kenzi and Bree hit the malls so Bree could register for her wedding gifts. Bree was bouncing back and forth in her mood. “He has a place. I have a place. He has dishes. I have dishes. Admittedly, his beer stein of the month club mugs aren’t going anywhere unless we find a place big enough for a man cave. But regardless, we need to get rid of things, not get more.”
“Think better, not more.” Kenzi thought registering was just one more stress a bride didn’t need before a wedding, but she kept it to herself.
“These pewter chargers are pretty. And the matching napkin rings. Am I the monogrammed placemat and napkin type?”
Kenzi bit her cheek. “More to the point, is Ash? He’s such a guy’s guy.”
“I know, and I love him for it. Oh, don’t let him see the Mason jar mugs and drink dispenser. He’ll want them for our reception.”
“Where will the reception be held?”
“Well,” Bree began. “Since it’ll be the rainy season in Cancun, the wedding planner suggests we plan on having the wedding inside the banquet room where the reception will be. They have this beautiful Mayan-style stone gazebo overlooking the beach, but she says it’s much less stressful to the bride and groom to just plan on rain.”
“I’ve never been to Cancun. I can’t wait!” Her trip with the girls to St. Thomas had been her first time out of the country. Now that she’d had a taste of traveling abroad, it was definitely not going to be her last, even beyond Bree and Ash’s wedding.
Traveling to see Chaz on his tours would sure increase the stamps in her passport. It had been too late this year to make plans, but she’d already talked to her personnel department at work about splitting some vacation days to make long weekends throughout the year.
Suddenly Bree turned to face Kenzi, standing between her and the doorway. “Play it cool. There’s a guy with his phone out watching you.”
“There are probably fifty guys with their phones out in here. Anything to keep from having to talk kitchenware with their fiancées.”
“No, I think he’s taking pictures. He keeps moving the phone around, following you.”
“You’re kidding!” Kenzi looked down at the nearest shelf. She shook so badly, she had to grip the delicate china bowl with two hands. “Wonderful. He’ll post it on Twitter and claim I’m setting up house with Chaz.”
Bree stepped beside her, still standing between Kenzi and the guy. “It would kill the rumor that he and Vanessa were back together.”
“It’s not fair, though. I’m not doing anything anyone should even care about. Bree, what am I going to do?”
“You’re going to ignore it.”
That was easy for her to say. She’d been an exotic dancer; she was used to creepy guys hounding after her. “I’m afraid to move. I don’t want to see his camera. Will it be like this forever?”
“At some point, someone else will be the hot couple, but every time he releases a new album, it’ll spark up again. When you have kids, they’ll fight to get the first shot of the new baby.”
Kenzi closed her eyes. She would not cry. Her hormones must be out of whack for her to be such a baby lately. “Why him? Why me?”
Bree nudged Kenzi to move down the aisle away from the stranger. “Have you looked in the mirror lately? Seen a picture of the two of you together? Hell, if you were able to look at each other without bursting into flames, they might get tired of you.”
She had to smile. “Well, that’s not going away any time soon.” She sighed. Maybe it’ll get easier when he’s in town more. Or at least in the same state.”
Grabbing Kenzi’s arm, Bree turned toward the escalator. “We’re going to have fun with this. If this creep wants pictures, he’ll get pictures.”
“God, don’t do anything that will embarrass me. I mean, keep your clothes on.”
Bree laughed loudly and cupped her hand over her mouth. “Don’t worry. Ash is like you. He doesn’t want to deal with the attention I get sometimes.”
Bree led her down two flights, and then veered toward the lingerie department.
Kenzi planted her feet. “No way. No freakin’ way.”
“Yes way. Come on. It will do you some good to let loose. We won’t buy anything, so it won’t be like anyone is seeing your panties.” With her hands on her hips, Bree looked very intimidating.
“All right.” Kenzi felt like a kid throwing a temper tantrum, only to be bribed out of it. But maybe Bree was right. Maybe running around on fake covert missions with Bree or Jasmine would get her used to the attention.
Bree held up a corset and garter belt set, crimson with black lace trim. “Is this me?” She posed this way and t
hat with the garment hanging in front of her.
“No, try this.” Kenzi dug through the rack, handing her a push up bra and thong.
Cupping her breasts, Bree said, “Do you really think I can get these girls in one of those bras? I wouldn’t be able to see over them.”
She’d always been proud of her implants. Kenzi liked her own body, but Bree loved hers.
They strolled the department, having fun finding the ugliest outfit and threatening to buy it for the other’s birthday. Bree’d been right. Making a joke about people watching them made it more bearable.
As they walked to their car later, Kenzi gave Bree a hug with her free arm. “Thanks.”
“I should be thanking you. I hate registering.”
“I meant thanks for helping me through this adjustment. There are moments when I seriously wonder if I’m cut out to be with Chaz for the long term.” It hurt to even think that way, but she knew herself and her limitations. This was going to require a big adjustment to her mindset.
“That’s what friends do. And in exchange, you get us backstage passes.”
Kenzi laughed. “Deal.”
After she got home and put away her purchases, she sat down on the edge of the bed to text Chaz. I passed my first test.
He didn’t respond, so she got up and started some laundry. Oh, the life of a rock star’s girlfriend.
Half an hour later, his text came through. What happened? Are you okay?
Yeah. Bree and I were shopping and some guy was following us and taking pictures.
I’m sorry. I know how much you hate that.
I started too have a melt down, but Bree saved me. Um…don’t be shocked if you see pictures of me flaunting lingerie in a department store.
WTF?!!
Hahaha! That’s how Bree got me through it. She said if the guy wanted pictures, we’d make it more interesting than dishes and flatware. Kenzi leaned back against her headboard. Don’t worry, our clothes remained in place and the skimpy things were on their hangers.
You’re sure you’re okay?
I have to get used to it. Don’t expect me to pull it off overnight, but I’ll get there.
Destination Weddings: Books 1-3 Page 11
