Stronger Within (The Silver Lake Series Book 1)

by McCallum, Coral

  “Maddy’s seldom wrong.”

  “I’ll be honest. I doubted her this time, but I feel I was wrong,” Jason admitted, his English accent sounding very out of place in the all American beach setting. “You are the key to this though, Mz Hyde. They come alive around you.”

  Lori blushed, “They’re my boyfriend’s friends. They’re my friends. That’s all. No magic.”

  “Perhaps,” he mused before adding. “How’s your work project coming along?”

  “I think I’ve made a breakthrough today,” she replied. “The deadline won’t be an issue.”

  “What project?” asked Jake, dropping down on the sand with a dull thud.

  “That new commission I was struggling with. The big project,” replied Lori, deliberately keeping her answer vague.

  The group sat and chatted till the sun had gone for the day, then, before it was fully dark, headed back up the beach to the house. Both Jason and Matt declined Lori’s offer of a drink, saying they had some editing to do back at the hotel. After a quick debate, they agreed to meet at the hotel for lunch the next day to preview the day’s work. With a time agreed, they bade the band goodnight. Jake walked them out, then returned to the sun room and sank down into the couch with a huge sigh, “Thank Christ that’s over.”

  “It wasn’t so bad,” commented Paul as he opened a beer.

  “It was torture!”

  “Well, it’s all over now,” soothed Rich handing him a beer. “I saw a sneak preview of some of the shots. They looked great.”

  “I guess we’ll find out tomorrow,” stated Grey. “Becky, leave Rich’s guitar alone.”

  “She’s ok,” said Rich, watching the little girl gently finger his acoustic guitar. “Becky, do you want to help me play?”

  “Yes!” she squealed with delight.

  Rich lifted the guitar over, allowed the little girl to climb up into his lap, then showed her how to strum the strings as he played a few basic chord changes. The tenderness of the scene wasn’t lost on any of them. Grey might be her father, but Becky had captured all of their hearts and had her Silver Lake uncles wrapped round her little finger.

  Draining his beer, Paul declared he was heading into town to catch up with a few friends. With promises not to misbehave and not to be late for their lunch meeting, he left via the sun deck to walk back along the beach. A short while later Grey too, took his leave, taking a sleepy Becky with him. After the little girl had hugged them all goodnight, Jake fetched another round of beers for Rich, Lori and himself.

  “Here’s to rock ‘n’ roll,” toasted Rich dramatically.

  “Long life and happiness,” toasted Jake, raising his bottle.

  “Fame and fortune,” added Lori with a wink.

  All three of them laughed and agreed they would settle for long life and happiness and if it brought fame and fortune with it, then that would be a welcome bonus. When his beer was done Rich decided to head into Rehoboth to catch up with Paul.

  Finally, Jake and Lori were alone. Glancing round the room and through towards the rest of the house Jake realised the full extent of the band’s takeover of Lori’s home. Their gear was everywhere. He knew without looking that the spare bedrooms also had clothes from earlier in the day strewn all over them.

  “I’ll get the guys to come back after lunch tomorrow to collect their gear,” he promised.

  “Don’t worry about it,” reassured Lori warmly. “It’s been a long day. Let’s go to bed, rock star. Then added slightly anxiously, “You are staying, aren’t you?”

  “For as long as you want me to,” said Jake kissing her passionately. “I couldn’t have got through today without you. Thoughts of having you all to myself were what kept me going.”

  “Nonsense,” whispered Lori. “You were great today once you relaxed a bit.”

  Before she could say anything else Jake scooped her up into his arms as though she weighed little more than a feather and carried her down to the bedroom. He laid her down gently on the bed then, despite her protests, slowly began to undress her. When he had slid her out of her long skirt, unbuttoned her cotton top and discarded her silky underwear, Jake showered her body with kisses, starting with light feathery kisses across her collar bones then down between her breasts to her belly button. As he kissed down the length of her scars, he felt her tense up under him. With a gentle bite at her big toe, he moved from the bed to strip off his own clothes, dropping them carelessly onto the floor. A few short moments later he lay down beside her, gently tracing patterns with one long, slender finger across her breasts and stomach.

  “That tickles,” she squealed, giggling girlishly.

  “Shh, let me explore,” he breathed softly.

  Moving to straddle her, Jake gently sucked on her nipples, biting them teasingly in turn. Turning his focus to her narrow hips, he ran his tongue over her hip bones spending just a little longer following the silvering scar on her right hip. Beneath him Lori let out a low moan of ecstatic pleasure. Jake entered her in one swift, hard movement. Instantly he could feel how ready to receive him she was and this fired his passion. Thoughts of this precise moment had danced around in his head all day and now that the moment was finally here, he couldn’t hold back his hunger for her. With a few hard, fast strokes he climaxed. Lori had gasped as his orgasm triggered her own. With her back arched, she thrust her hips up towards him hungry for more. Spent but still entwined in her Jake held her tight for a few moments nuzzling her neck and gently nibbling her earlobe. His hair spilled over his shoulders and face like a golden curtain protecting them both in their intimate world. With a final intense kiss Jake withdrew and knelt up to face her. Lori sank back into the soft feather pillows and smiled up at him. A look of pain was written in her eyes that her smile was trying to mask.

  “Did I hurt you, li’l lady?” asked Jake softly, concerned that he had been too forceful, too rough.

  Lori shook her head, not trusting herself to speak.

  “Are you sure?”

  “I’m fine,” she assured him. “It was wonderful.”

  Still not convinced Jake decided not to pursue matters. He slipped out of bed to dispose of the used condom. As soon as the bathroom door was closed, Lori closed her eyes, blinking back tears of pain, and reached down to rub the screaming muscle that ran down the front of her thigh. When she had arched her back and thrust her hips towards him she had felt the weakened muscles tear. “The price of pleasure,” she mused inwardly as she massaged the tender area. Hearing Jake turn the handle of the bathroom door, she rolled over to face his empty side of the bed. With a satisfied smile he slid under the light summer duvet, kissed the tip of her nose and wished her good night. Wrapped in each other’s arms, with Lori’s head resting on his chest, Jake was asleep within moments.

  ♪

  Turning off the coastal highway into the Hampton Inn parking lot, Jake scoured the row in search of a space and a familiar truck. Spotting Grey’s truck, he pulled in next to him. It was another blistering hot day and it was a relief to step into the air conditioned foyer. There was no sign of the other members of Silver Lake. Hooking his sunglasses into the neck of his T-shirt, Jake walked over to the reception desk.

  “Good afternoon, sir. Can I help you?” asked the young dark haired girl behind the desk.

  “Hi, I hope so,” began Jake, flashing her a smile. “I’m due to meet Jason Russell here.”

  “Of course. His party are in the conference suite. I’ll show you up,” she replied.

  When he entered the conference room, Jake was relieved to see his fellow band members were already there.

  “Ah, the late Mr Power!” joked Grey. “That’s another twenty in the pot, Jake.”

  “Sorry, guys. Overslept,” confessed Jake taking a seat beside Grey at the table. Across from him Rich and Paul were reclining back in their seats with their sunglasses still on.

  “Late night, guys?”

  “Yeah,” muttered Rich hoarsely. “I’m never drinking again.”
<
br />   “Never say never,” cautioned Jake, trying not to laugh.

  Paul groaned quietly.

  “OK, now we are all here,” began Jason formally. “Let’s run through the shots from yesterday. Matt’s done a great edit on them.”

  A buffet lunch was spread out on the table and, as Jason started the slide show on the whiteboard, Jake helped himself to a sandwich. He genuinely had overslept and had skipped breakfast in his hurry to get to the meeting. As he munched on a pastrami sandwich, the first results of the photo shoot appeared on screen. Half an hour later they had run through them all.

  “Well?” said Jason, leaving a final group shot from the beach on the screen. “Thoughts?”

  “Christ, I look old,” muttered Grey sourly.

  “Not as painful as I’d expected,” admitted Jake. “They capture what we’re about I guess.”

  Neither Rich nor Paul made any comment.

  “I personally agree with Mr Power,” said Jason. “Plenty for us to use for promotional material and for the album. Now to the promo plan.”

  Over the next two hours, the band listened to their manager’s plans and proposals. As the Englishman outlined the draft timeline of events, Jake could feel it all rolling out of control. Their familiar Silver Lake routine had become a thing of the past overnight. Now it was being shaped into a slick business and hopefully a successful rock band. There were a few gigs that the band were committed to during July and August that Jason took careful note of. Without a second thought, he wiped all planned “wedding band” appearances from their calendar declaring that those days were over. Eventually they had a plan agreed, with a few rough edges to be fixed. Drawing the meeting to a close, Jason casually asked if they all had valid passports. Only Rich possessed a passport.

  “Get that sorted this week, guys,” said Jason bluntly. “If I need you to travel you need to be ready to go.”

  “Are you likely to want us to go overseas?” asked Paul tentatively.

  “At some point,” replied Jason, sounding slightly exasperated with them. “I’ve a few more calls to make but there may be an opening later in the year on a tour. When I know more I’ll fill you in but get those passports in order.”

  “So what now?” asked Grey, like the rest of them suddenly feeling in way out of his depth.

  “You’ve a radio station gig in Milford in two weeks. Rehearse. Add in a couple of the new tracks, but not all of them. Don’t change things around too much just yet. I’ll be in touch during the week,” said Jason checking his watch. “I need to check out of here shortly. I’ve a flight to catch.”

  During the drive back into town, Jake reflected on the afternoon. He felt as though he had been existing in a parallel world for the past three hours. After Jason had left the meeting, the four of them had stayed on and worked out a rehearsal schedule for the week ahead. They were all in agreement that it was starting to feel like something big was about to take off; they all confessed to being a little daunted by it. The thought of potentially travelling overseas had rattled Paul, who confessed to a fear of flying. Before they left the conference suite, they agreed amongst themselves that if it all got too much they would pull the plug on the deal. Now, as he turned off towards the beach house, Jake wondered how much was too much.

  Having parked in his usual shady spot, he wandered round the side of the house to the sun deck. All the furniture had been put back in the correct place and Lori was sunbathing, stretched out on the lounger. She had her earphones in and never heard him approach. Unusually, she was wearing a bikini and wasn’t hiding under a long skirt or a sarong. Tiptoeing round Jake silently knelt beside her and kissed her full on the mouth.

  “What the….” she screamed shrilly.

  Laughing helplessly Jake collapsed down onto the deck.

  “You scared the crap out of me!” yelled Lori, visibly shaken by his sudden appearance at her side.

  “I’m sorry, li’l lady,” he apologised, trying hard not to laugh. “You’re even more beautiful when you’re angry.”

  “I’ll get my own back for this,” she threatened with a hint of a smile appearing. “Now how did the meeting go?”

  “Let me grab a glass of water and I’ll fill you in,” said Jake getting to his feet. “Want anything?”

  “Water would be good.”

  When he returned with the two red solo cups filled with iced water, Jake set them on the table, then stripped off his T-shirt and kicked off his shoes before settling down on the deck at her side to tell her about the plans and proposals. She listened carefully and had to agree that things were picking up speed. If the plan fell into place Silver Lake were going to be flat out for the next few months.

  “Has Jason given any indication about what you’ve to do with your day jobs?” she asked.

  “Not really,” answered Jake, sipping his water. “He was talking about setting up some local promo, acoustic stuff for Rich and I during August. We’ve all given him the dates we are free. Paul and Grey are back at work tomorrow. It’s a weird in limbo feeling. Almost as though we can reach out and touch this, but that it’s not quite real yet.”

  “I know what you mean,” said Lori sitting up and swinging her legs round so she was sitting on the edge of the lounger. “Oh, Matt came round while you were out. He straightened this place up for me. I’ve tidied up indoors too, but I wasn’t sure what belonged to who. It’s all in the spare room opposite the bathroom for now.”

  “The photos from yesterday actually looked pretty cool,” admitted Jake blushing slightly.

  “They do,” agreed Lori with a grin. “I talked Matt into leaving me a copy of them.”

  “Did he give you the ones he took of both of us?”

  Lori nodded, “I downloaded them onto my laptop. I’ll share them with you later.”

  “I feel like a swim,” declared Jake getting to his feet. “Fancy coming down to the beach?”

  “Maybe later,” replied Lori. “I’m happy here for now.”

  “Sure?”

  “Sure.”

  “I’ll go and get changed,” said Jake with a grin. “I’m not going in wearing my jeans today!”

  As he wandered off into the sun room, Lori lay back on the lounger. A walk on the beach sounded good, but, as soon as she stood up, Jake was going to be able to tell she was limping badly today. The heat from the sun was easing the muscles in her thigh, but she had had to resort to painkillers twice so far. Wearing only a pair of bright orange swim shorts, Jake stepped back out onto the deck.

  “Won’t be long,” he promised, kissing her on the top of the head.

  “I’ll be right here anyway,” replied Lori, settling her earphones back in her ears.

  She was grateful he hadn’t asked what she was listening to. In order to get a feel for the Silver Lake album she had emailed Jim Marrs to ask for his help. He had obliged by sending her through four of the unfinished tracks. They were still a bit rough around the edges, but she was impressed with what she was hearing.

  The beach was busy when Jake walked down the hot sand. Looking back up towards the boardwalk, he could see a haze of coloured sun shades and there were lots of folk in the ocean enjoying the waves. He wandered further down the beach in search of a quieter spot. A few hundred yards down there were only a couple of fishermen sitting watching their rods. He wandered into the shallows, then, watching for a good wave, dived into the surf. The solitude of swimming in the ocean felt good and soon all the stresses and worries about the band were washed away. A strong swimmer, he swam out to sea for about fifty yards, then headed back towards the shore. He repeated another loop, then headed back towards the shore again. Watching the waves around him Jake bided his time for the right wave, then body surfed back in to the beach. As he slid onto the shore, he could feel the rough sand graze his stomach and thighs. He rolled onto his back and let the next wave crash right over him. Before another wave got him, he picked himself up and jogged back along the sand to the house.

  The sun
deck was deserted when he returned, but Lori had left a towel over the back of one of the chairs for him. As he rubbed himself down, Jake thought he could hear voices in the sun room. With the towel draped across his shoulders, he stepped inside to find Grey and Becky sitting watching TV.

  “Hi, where’s Lori?”

  “Gone to put some clothes on,” said Becky, jumping up to hug her favourite Silver Lake uncle.

  “Think I embarrassed her by arriving unannounced,” confessed Grey, blushing at the memory of arriving to find a bikini clad Lori reclined on the sun lounger.

  “Ah,” nodded Jake. “I’ll go and check on her.”

  He found Lori in the bedroom. She was attempting to fasten her halter neck sundress but her trembling hands were fumbling with the neck ties.

  “Here, let me help,” said Jake taking the two cord strands and tying them neatly into a bow. “You ok?”

  “I guess,” she replied softly. “Grey caught me by surprise. I think he was more embarrassed than me.”

  “Neither of you have anything to be embarrassed about,” said Jake hugging her. “He’s seen plenty of pretty girls in bikinis before.”

  “You know that’s not what I meant.”

  “I know and he’s sitting through there feeling like shit about it,” answered Jake softly.

  “I better go back through,” said Lori kissing him gently on the chest. “Yuck! You’re all salt and sand.”

  “Let me jump in the shower. I’ll be through in ten minutes.”

  Picking up her cane, Lori limped through the house towards the sun room. Taking a deep breath, she paused in the doorway, then said as naturally as she could, “Can I get you guys a drink?”

  “Can I have some lemonade, Lori?” asked Becky, staring straight ahead at the cartoon on TV. “In the Elmo glass?”

  “Of course you can, honey,” Lori replied. “Grey, what about you?”

  “Lemonade’s good. I’ll come and help you,” he offered.