Rocked

by Maya Hughes

  A string quartet joined him for the rest of the song, building to a crescendo, which would be the end. The end of them and then, nothing. Everyone in the room froze as the song stopped abruptly right at the crescendo. Looking directly into the camera, he held onto the mic.

  “This is my song for you Keira. And I don’t want to end it. I don’t want it to be over.”

  “Holy shit,” someone called out from behind her. Jenna shook her and she sat on the edge of the couch staring at the screen frozen, unable to breathe as her brain cycled through just what the hell this meant He hadn’t finished the song!

  “That place where he’s filming is like, ten blocks from here,” Jenna said. Keira turned and stared at her in a daze. “You have to go!” she said, jumping up and down, pushing her to stand. Her limbs moved like she was in quicksand and everything was in slow motion. “Someone order this girl a taxi,” she shouted.

  “He’s talking about you, isn’t he?” Another dancer said, entering her view. “Oh, this is so romantic.” Swooning, whipping his hand onto his forehead and falling backward onto the couch.

  “I…I think so,” she said, standing. “I need to see him.”

  “Duh, that’s what I’ve been saying!” Jenna pushed her toward the door, just as it swung open. Matty walked in with a towel, chugging a bottle of water. Pausing at all the chaos going on backstage she looked around at everyone.

  “What did I miss? Did someone hook up in my dressing room again?” she said, hands on her hips.

  “NO,” the whole room answered in unison.

  “But, Ms. Keira here seems to have made a real impression on Eric Newcastle. He sang a song for her tonight. A song about how much he loooves her.”

  “Awe, really?” Matty said, eyes twinkling as she set her water bottle down. “That’s so romantic,” she said, gripping Keira’s hands. “He sang a song for you on tv? I want to see! I want to see,” she said, as someone rewound the recording and Matty held onto her hands as they all rewatched it again.

  “It’s good to be with a guy who’s not afraid to let you know how he feels. Who’s not afraid of what other people might say. You’re really lucky, Keira.” Matty said, staring dreamily at the screen. The recording continued to play and they all watched further than they had before. As the song abruptly ended, he whipped the guitar off over his head and jumped down off the stage. A murmur went through the now packed dressing room.

  “Where the hell is he going?” someone called out.

  “I bet he’s coming here,” Jenna said, standing next to Keira. Her head whipped around as she gaped at her.

  “You think he’s coming here?”

  “Why the hell not? He knows where you are. He knows the concert would be over now.” Her heart sped up and she didn’t know what to do first. Camera still slung around her neck, she started to the door, the sea of dancers parting as she reached the door her hand shook as she turned the knob. Leaving this room meant starting a new chapter in her life, she hoped she was right.

  “Wish me luck,” she said over her shoulder.

  “Good luck!” the whole room responded in unison. Opening the door and taking a step out into the hallway, she came face to face with a sweaty and out of breath Eric.

  Cries of “oh my god,” “this is so romantic,” “he must have run all the way here,” rung out from the room behind her as the door slammed shut.

  31

  Legs pumping, Eric wove and dodged his way through the surprisingly crowded streets of NYC for ten blocks. Running for it seemed like a good idea at the time he left the stage, but the city blocks were a lot bigger than he remembered. Sweat pouring down his face, Eric rounded the final corner’s block to Madison Square Garden. He’d played there once before and ran around the side of the building to get to the performer's entrance. The squadron of shuttles, buses and huge equipment cases, not to mention security, had Eric dodging his way through the flurry of activity to get to Keira.

  He knew the concert had finished only a little bit before his performance. Was Keira still there? Had she left already? Had she even seen his performance? A bunch of dancers came pouring out of one of the backstage doors headed for the shuttle bus. He intercepted them. Taking a deep breath, hunched over with his hands on his knees he held up his finger trying to get some air back in his lungs.

  “Are you okay?” someone said, placing their hand on his shoulder.

  “Keira,” he wheezed out. “Is Keira still here?” he said, panting.

  “The photographer?”

  “Yes,” he said, glancing up. His heart back up in his throat, he nodded. “Yes, Keira the photographer.”

  “I think so, she’s usually in the dressing rooms until the last shuttle.”

  “Great!” he said, moving to the back entrance, when the dancer grabbed his arm. “Are you Eric Newcastle?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I love your new single! Do you think you’ll add any dancers to your tour?”

  “I really need to get in there.”

  “Okay, well to do that you’ll need this,” she said, pulling her laminate from over her head. “They won’t let you in without one.” She held it out to him and he took it from her hand, slipping it over his head.

  “Thanks,” he said, pulling the door open and being immediately confronted by two huge hulking masses of security. He flashed his laminate and continued walking. A few puzzled looks and more turns than he could count and he was outside one of the dressing room doors. He knocked, opened it, and froze at the sheer number of people packed in there.

  “Is Keira here!?” he shouted over the roaring laughter.

  “The photographer?”

  “Yeah.”

  “No, I think she’s in dressing room D.”

  “Okay, thanks,” he said closing the door. Wandering around he found the door he was looking for. Standing in the hallway, he could barely breathe as he thought about what he would say. Shit! He’d been working on the song for so long he hadn’t come up with what he would say to her when he saw her next.

  “Hi,” he said, sweat pouring off him.

  “Hi,” she said, shyly. The dressing room door behind her was wrenched open and she could feel everyone’s eyes glued to them. “You wrote a song for me,” she said, staring at him, unable to break the connection between them.

  “I had to get it out. I had to get it out in the world and let everyone know how I felt.”

  “Felt, do you not still feel that way,” she said, feeling really shy around him.

  “I wouldn’t have run ten of the longest city blocks in existence if I didn’t still feel that way, Keira,” he said, stepping forward and running his knuckles along her jaw. “The question is, do you still feel the same way about me?”

  “I wouldn’t have been running out of here to come meet you, if I didn’t still love you,” she said, laughing, happy tears springing to her eyes.

  “It seems like we’re both on the same page,” he said, with what looked suspiciously like tears in his eyes. They stood there frozen for a long time, just soaking one another in.

  “Kiss her already,” came a chorus of voices from behind them and they both laughed as she glanced behind her to see the doorway packed with more bodies than she thought possible. They were all nuts, but they were pretty awesome.

  “I’ve never been one to let an audience down,” he said, threading his fingers into her hair and laying a kiss on her that curled her toes and made her knees weak. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her tight against him. They broke apart breathless and panting. Someone slipped something into her back pocket. She glanced over her shoulder and it was Matty.

  “You two can have my suite tonight,” she said, winking.

  “Thanks, Matty, but I think we’re going to stick to Eric’s bus tonight,” she said, handing back her card. “We need to hit the road and we’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”

  “We sure do,” Eric said, swaying her back and forth to a rhythm his fingers pl
ayed along her back. Matty broke out in her new hit ballad and the backup singers chimed in. Eric took her hand in his and joined in, serenading her in front of pretty much everyone tour as they crammed into the hall to watch the impromptu show.

  Epilogue

  The line outside the bar rivaled any of the hottest clubs in the city. There were photographers and velvet ropes lining the street. Eric gripped Keira’s hand a little tighter, the diamond in her ring digging into his fingers. It was a good pain though. He knew that ring let everyone know she was off the market. She complained that she couldn’t hold her camera properly with it on so they’d compromised. A simple gold band when she was working and the real deal for special occasions. And this was a special occasion.

  No matter how many times he rolled over in bed beside her, watched her come down the stairs or just glanced over at her, he couldn’t get over how lucky he was. Her curls bounced as they made their way across the street. The mid-thigh pale pink dress with sequins all over it that she’d picked up in Paris made everyone else fade away. Her laughter danced in his ear, brighter and sweeter than any music he’d ever been able to play. When she smiled, he was hard pressed not to turn them right around, back to their hotel and keep her there until they’d both had their fill of one another, which meant they might never leave.

  But there wasn’t time for that tonight. Tonight, they were celebrating so many achievements and he didn’t want her to miss out. Security at the door, ushered them inside. His phone vibrated in his pocket.

  Mark: Come up to the office

  “Can you believe this?” she said, pushing her hair out of her face. “It’s insane.” She was pressed tight against him as they wove their way through the crowd. There were actors, models, musicians, photographers and everyone else in between inside.

  “I can’t. It’s crazy,” he said. “Mark said to head upstairs.” She nodded and they pushed through the crowd. Every couple of steps there was someone to shake hands with either him or Keira.

  This was the grand opening of The Bramble NYC, the sister location to the original LA bar. A bar opening didn’t usually garner this much attention, but they also didn’t have the kind of firepower behind them that this place had. Waiters tried to squeeze by with trays of hors d'oeuvres whipped up by Rox in the kitchen. She was the proud recipient of a Michelin Star for the bar in LA.

  “I know, I don’t think anyone’s going to be able to hear me play,” he said, against her ear. The crowd was so thick, they could barely move. He wrapped his arm around her to help guide her. She laced her fingers through his hand resting on her shoulder, her ring catching the light from above.

  “They can do whatever they want, but you know I’ll be in my seat, front and center,” she said. They finally burst free from the crowd and made it up the stairs to the office. As they climbed the steps, the roar of the crowd died down a little. When they pushed their way inside, the craziness of downstairs was replaced by the familiar energy of friends reuniting.

  Rox and Jen swarmed Keira the moment she stepped through the door.

  “Let me see. Let me see,” Jen screamed. Rox grabbed her hand and smiled, hugging her.

  “Looks like Eric went to the same jeweler Liam went to. This thing is huge,” she said, pretending Keira’s hand was too heavy to hold.

  “Don’t act like I haven’t caught you admiring it when the lights back there in the kitchen catch it just right,” Liam called across the room.

  “Maybe I’m just trying to figure out how much food I’m going to have to dig out from under it once I get home,” she said even as the blush crept across her face.

  Jen’s best friend, Alex, was there to show her support too. The guys were on kid duty. Gabe had Emma, who was completely occupied by her iPad, on his lap. He was in the city for the premier of a new movie he'd produced. It was already getting critical buzz for awards season.

  Liam was feeding Grace a bottle. Everyone came into the city for Keira’s art exhibition. Rhythm on the Road was a huge success. Almost every piece had been sold before her gallery opening took place. He’d managed to snag one shot as a gift. He couldn’t wait to hang it in their apartment. The women fussed and fawned over Keira. The group spent a while catching up. It wasn’t often they were all in the same room anymore with him and Keira on the road, Roc and Liam in LA, Mark and Jen in NYC and Gabe and Jen wherever in the world one of his current movie production took him.

  “You ready for the show?” Mark asked, pulling Jen into his lap and kissing her neck. Keira slid her arms around Eric’s shoulder and rested her head on his.

  “He’s always ready for a show,” Jen said, glancing down at him. Her smile lighting up the room. “I don’t know if anyone down there is going to be able to hear. It’s beyond packed Mark.”

  “And I was afraid no one would show up,” Mark said. There was a knock at the door. The event planner let them know it was time to head down.

  “When’s the wedding?” Jen asked, practically chomping at the bit. “And don’t you even try to elope when you’re out on the road. Rox already screwed us out of a big wedding, don’t think you’re getting away with it too,” she said, following us down the stairs.

  “We could always make it a destination wedding. Have everyone go somewhere when we have a break in the tour. Maybe when we’re in Australia,” Keira said, looking back at Eric.

  “Whatever you want to do. I’ll do it standing on my head if that’s what you want,” he said. And he would. Whatever it took to get that second ring on the finger of the woman he loved, he’d do it. It could be tomorrow for all he cared. The sooner the better. But he’d make sure it was special for her. A day she’d never forget. A promise he made for every day with her. Make each day together the best day they’d ever had.

  As he stepped up on the stage and slung his guitar over his shoulder, she sat in her usual seat. Front row center. She never got tired of watching him play and he never got tired of playing for her. He loved watching her and writing new songs inspired by her. He felt one coming on now as she mouthed, ‘I love you’ to him over the din of the crowd.

  “Even more,” he said, into the mic. Even more and always.

  And if you need one more taste of Eric and Keira’s story, you can click HERE for some bonus content!!

  Want to keep reading and see where it all began? Check out Alex and Gabe’s story, BLINDED available now and FREE in KU!!

  Afterword

  Thank you so much for reading Rocked. I hope you liked it. Keira and Eric were two characters who’ve lived in my head throughout this whole series. I knew their story was happening in the background of all the other stories and I couldn’t wait to finally tell it.

  They had an amazing run and it will only get better. If there was a character in this book that you absolutely loved, don’t be shy and email me to let me know. It’s hard for me to figure out which character gets their time in the spotlight next. As of right now I have 12 partial manuscripts in the works and over 40 outlined! So let me know who you want to read more about, so they might get pushed up the queue.

  Don’t be a stranger and happy reading,

  Maya

  Maya@mayahughes.com

  Acknowledgments

  There are so many amazing people who have helped me through this journey. I still have so much to learn, but there are so many people who have made it an absolute pleasure the entire way. They’ve been my cheerleaders, therapists, sounding boards and more! Bex and Donna, I don’t know where I’d be without the two of you!

  To all my friends and family, author buddies, editors, designers, sprinting partners and more, thank you so much for everything you’ve done and let’s do it again and again until my fingers fall off!

  Newsletter Signup

  If you’d like exclusive bonus chapters, news about upcoming releases, ARC opportunities and other bonus content, sign up for the Maya Hughes’s newsletter!

  Blinded Sneak Peek

  Chapter 1

  Glancing a
t her phone for the fifth time in three minutes, Alex Davies reread the same line for the third time. Ben was listening to some sports game in the kitchen while he prepped the soups and specials for the dinner ‘rush’ that would hopefully come. At least the lack of customers gave her plenty of time to study; algorithms and computer architecture were seriously kicking her butt right now. Whoever said community college classes would be easier had obviously never taken one.

  Transferring from next semester was going to be a shock; ever since she’d graduated a year early from high school, she’d been the odd woman out when it came to social interactions—that is, with everyone other than her best friend Jen, who badgered her on a regular basis until she relented and did something social at least once every few months.

  A pang of sadness washed over Alex when she remembered the cajoling and the good time that invariably followed once she finally gave in and went with her. Jen was leaving for law school at the end of the year, which was going to suck.

  Staring out the windows, looking at the dreary skyline over the ocean, she wanted to cuddle up on the couch with a good book and relax. The clouds were hanging heavy over the ocean and everything was deserted. The waves were crashing and everything seemed to be grey. Even the plants looked like they had been transformed without the lively summer crowds to perk up their spirits.