Fallen for Rock (9 page)

‘Yeah, so I’ve been told,’ I replied wryly.

‘No, it’s good,’ Mike hastily amended. ‘It’s nice. It makes a change. I like it.’

I like it.
The way he said it, it sounded like he meant,
I like you
. A ferocious blush spread across my cheeks, down my chest, and right down to my toes.

‘So where is he?’ Mike’s eyes were all innocence, entirely belying the nature of his leading question.

‘Who?’
Two can play your game.

‘The ex.’

‘I don’t know.’

‘You don’t know?’

‘I don’t know. He’s not here, if that’s what you’re asking.’

Mike inclined his head and his eyebrows lifted, making his eyes look wide and excited. They were a light, chestnut brown, similar to Nate’s and yet entirely different. They shone with an easy-going, teasing light.

Mike was extremely handsome, in a rugged kind of way. Where Nate’s hair was only on the long-ish side, Mike’s was unashamedly long. But it suited him. Inexplicably, it seemed to accentuate his manliness, especially when combined with that smooth, bare chest peeking through from under his unbuttoned shirt.

My all-body blush ratcheted up a few degrees, and I felt extremely hot. I
couldn’t
be attracted to this man. I
couldn’t
. I was on the rebound. I loved
Nate
. I had only just
figured out
that I loved Nate. I was only
here
because I wanted him back. Therefore, I couldn’t possibly be having that kind of reaction to a different man. A different rock musician, at that. Was this life’s cruel way of ramming home the error of my ways?

It took a moment for me to register that Mike had claimed my free hand again and that he was, in fact, gently massaging my palm with his thumb. His touch was warm and gentle, but every time the pad of his thumb alighted on the base of mine, my vagina jumped with joy. I had had no idea that my thumb was an erogenous touch point, but there was no mistake. Mike had a direct line to my loins, and he seemed to know it.

‘Well, well, well,’ he muttered softly. ‘He’s not here. How long since you broke up?’

None of your business
, my head screamed.
Back off, I’m not interested.

‘About four weeks,’ my mouth said coyly. ‘You know what it’s like.’

Mike’s eyes softened. ‘I do know what it’s like,’ he concurred. ‘From one free soul to another.’

A bell rang out from somewhere, and it pierced my consciousness like a knife. I felt as though I was waking from a trance.

‘Would you like an autograph?’ Mike asked, changing the subject completely. I reeled but pulled myself together.

‘Yes, of course. Um…’

I was still holding my plate, and I had no paper whatsoever to write on. But that didn’t prove a problem.

Mike grabbed my right arm and turned it inside up. Before I could object, he was writing on it with a marker pen that he had produced from his shirt pocket. The thick nib of the pen tickled the sensitive skin of my inner arm, and I held my breath, too stunned to object. Mike took his time, and the moment was almost sensuous in its significance. I found myself covered in delicious goosebumps from head to toe. It seemed that rock musicians had a peculiar effect on me. My body clearly knew me better than my mind.

I sat rigid and barely breathing until Mike finished with a flourish, released my arm, and planted a kiss on the back of my hand.

‘I must be off. Enjoy the show.’ He got up and left before I could reply. Dumbstruck, I stared after him until he had exited from the room. Only then did I examine his handiwork on my still tingling skin.

To Emily ~ I hope you’ll come after the show. Mike xxx

Chapter Sixteen

I hope you’ll come after the show
.

What on earth did he mean?

Well. Of course I knew perfectly well what he meant. The subtext was there, loud and clear and not even remotely subtle. The thing was, I was intrigued. On this night of behaving unusually, the sensation of being wild and free and…
young
was powerful and intoxicating.

The concert was in full swing. Even though I had been offered seats in the VIP box, I opted for a front row space in the stalls. Never mind my aching feet and unsuitable shoes, I was going all the way tonight.

It wasn’t easy to get to the front row, but Jed showed me the ropes. His fiancée had gladly taken a seat on the balcony, and thus Jed and I were standing side by side, midsections pressed hard against the railings, hands in the air, swaying, singing, clapping along.

MonX were something else. They were awesome. In Jed’s words, they really, seriously rocked. Yes, they were loud. Probably too loud. But it was different from recklessly cranking up the stereo at home. I could feel the bass in my bones, almost competing with my heartbeat in its vibrating intensity. The sound was everywhere, around me, on me, inside me. Mike’s voice was powerful and clear, and it made me dizzy to hear his tenor soar on the sustained high notes, of which there were plenty amongst all those guitar riffs and drum solos.

MonX played heavy rock, but it was melodious and haunting. The melodies were almost classic in their complexity. One particular piece, a slow ballad that ended in a terrific, hard-and-fast climax, was practically a fugue. I vaguely wondered whether this was deliberate or accidental, but Mr Bach would have been proud either way.

Me, I was a convert. I didn’t know if it would last, but for that night, I loved rock, and that was all that mattered. So I did my best to sing along to the songs that I recognised, and I clapped and cheered, and I could feel my vocal cords strain with the effort of making myself heard above the music. And I didn’t mind. I had never felt so alive before.

It seemed only mere minutes after the opening song that the band disappeared off stage, and I was distraught. I didn’t want the gig to end. The fans started chanting
Encore! Encore!
, and I joined in eagerly, punching the air with my right fist on the two syllables like everybody else.

After a couple of minutes, MonX duly reappeared and played another three songs. I recognised each of them and joined in ecstatically. One of them, I felt sure, was the number one hit single that had gained commercial airplay, and now I understood why.
The magic of rock…the magic of rock…

‘How was it for you?’ Jed asked me playfully as we went to the bar to wait to be called for the after-party. The houselights were back on, and the venue was emptying rapidly, apart from assorted VIPs and hangers-on.

‘It was…it was amazing. I’m blown away,’ I gushed, laughing at my raspy voice. ‘I think I need a drink.’

‘You got it,’ Jed acknowledged. ‘What do you want? Another beer?’

‘Could I have a rum and coke?’

I thought a little caffeine shot might be a good idea. Time was going towards midnight, and it didn’t look like I would be making the last Tube home. It would be a long night.

‘Rum and coke it is.’

Jed went to get the bartender’s attention, and I took a moment to catch my breath. My heart was still pounding from the adrenaline rush, but now that the music had stopped, I could hear a steady high-pitched humming in both my ears. Strangely, its effect was that I felt mildly deaf, as though I had water in my ears. I was a little unsteady to boot, quite literally unbalanced on my feet. Hopefully, a nice stiff drink would sort that out.

‘Hey.’

A glamorous brunette sidled up to me and gave me a friendly smile. Oh yes. Jed’s fiancée.

‘Hi, Tara. I’m Emily.’

‘Emily. Cool. Where’s Jed?’ Her eyes scanned the room furtively.

‘He’s getting a drink.’

‘Oh. Right.’ She twisted a lock of hair around her index finger. ‘So, are you seeing Mike?’

I jumped with surprise. ‘Who, me? No! I only met him tonight. Whatever gives you that idea?’

She shrugged. ‘You looked pretty cosy together, earlier.’

I laughed. ‘He was only flirting.’

‘Exactly. He’s a terrific flirt, and he always follows through, too.’

‘Does he now?’

Tara nodded, but before she could say anything else, Jed appeared with our drinks. He handed me my rum and coke and dropped a kiss on top of Tara’s head. ‘Hi, love, enjoy the show?’

‘It was great,’ she replied. ‘Are we going to the after-party? Or can we go home? I’m a little tired.’

‘We can go home,’ Jed agreed after a moment’s pause. ‘Lemme find Mike and say goodbye, okay?’

He shot me an apologetic look and went off to find his brother. Tara and I were left standing together rather awkwardly. I wracked my brain trying to come up with something neutral to say, but I drew a blank.

‘This was my first MonX gig, you know,’ I finally blurted out, purely to break the silence.

‘Really? Wow. Well, the excitement wears off after a while, you’ll see.’

I cringed. She sounded really jaded and disinterested. Like she would rather be anywhere but there. And suddenly I realised why she made me uncomfortable. She was like I had been with Nate. Bored and disdainful. Goodness knew she would drive Jed away if she wasn’t careful.

I opened my mouth to offer some unsolicited advice, but Jed reappeared and saved me from that particular minefield. He smiled sweetly at me and took Tara’s arm.

‘Nice meeting you, Emily. You take care now, and enjoy yourself. Who knows, maybe we’ll meet again someday.’

I smiled back. ‘That would be nice. And thank you for everything, you know. Have a safe journey home.’

We exchanged a quick look, and he turned to go.

‘Bye, Tara,’ I shouted after them, but Tara didn’t acknowledge me again.

‘Oh dear,’ I mumbled under my breath and sipped at my rum and coke.

‘Oh dear what?’

Two arms snaked around my waist from behind, and a strand of hair spilled down my chest as Mike put his chin on my shoulder. His breath was warm against my neck. I tried to turn my head to sneak a peek at him, but his face was in the way, close to mine as it was, and we rubbed cheeks. The gesture was wildly intimate, and my knees threatened to buckle.

‘What?’ Momentarily incapable of coherent speech, that was the best utterance I could summon.

‘You said, “oh dear”. Oh dear, what?’ Mike sounded lucid and alert. He certainly didn’t seem to be afflicted by confusion or weak knees.

‘Oh. Um. Well, Tara and Jed.’

Mike let go of my waist and spun me round to face them. ‘Tara and Jed,’ he repeated. ‘Now there’s a tale.’

‘Not a happy one, from the look on your face.’

‘Not terribly, no. She doesn’t get this.
Us
. Jed’s besotted, of course. One day soon, she’ll ditch him.’

‘Ditch him?’ I was shocked to hear him echo my thoughts. ‘But you told me they’re engaged.’

‘I know. That was Jed’s best shot at trying to make it last. She said yes, of course, but she doesn’t mean it.’

‘And you know that how?’ I challenged him, even though I believed him.

He shrugged. ‘I know stuff. For example, I know that you’ve never been to a rock gig before, that you didn’t even really like rock until tonight, and that you’re a real fun girl just waiting for a good time.’

I gasped and pretended to be outraged. Yes, pretended. For how could I be offended when he was so blatantly correct? Still, I had to protest for form’s sake.

‘Do I look like a fun girl who’s waiting for a good time?’

Mike made a big show of looking me up and down once again, and I blushed. I noticed that several dozen pairs of eyes were watching us, some openly, some a little more discreetly, but we were very much the centre of attention. I blushed a little more. Quite irrationally, I suddenly started to worry about my mascara. It was bound to have run after all that singing and dancing and shouting and sweating. It certainly wasn’t waterproof. It wasn’t heavy-duty equipment, and it had never been put to the test like this before.

Oh God, what if I had massive panda eyes, and I was standing here, right in front of this young rock legend, with mascara running down the side of my face? I needed a mirror.

Right on cue, Mike touched a finger to the side of my face and ran it languidly along my cheek. I was mesmerised. Had he read my mind? Was he actually trying to wipe the mascara away?

‘No,’ he whispered.

My mind was still on my beauty debacle, and it took me a moment to compute his next words. ‘You don’t look like a good-time girl. You look like a princess strangely transported into these whereabouts by a minor miracle, or maybe even a major one, and I would like to keep you safe and protect you.’

‘You what?’

Who talks like this?

Mike laughed. ‘Sorry. So sorry. I was coming over all lyrical. I do that, after a show. I often write my best songs in the afterglow. But seriously, no, you don’t look like a good-time girl. But you
do
look like someone I’d like to get to know better. You’re absolutely beautiful.’

‘Despite the mascara?’

‘What mascara?’

‘The one running down my face.’

He looked at me critically. ‘I don’t see it.’

‘You don’t?’

‘I don’t.’

‘Phew. I thought I had the biggest panda eyes ever.’

Mike shook his head. ‘Nope. No panda eyes. Although I’m happy to work on that later, if you like.’ He flashed me a quick grin, but before I could react to his innuendo, he took my hand and pulled me away from the bar.

‘We’ve a party to go to. Come on.’