Jane's Surrender (Hard World Tour #2) (32 page)

It was impossible.

We rushed downstairs to the room that had drinks and couches, and each one of us sat down. Sam grabbed bottles of water, tossed them around, and groaned, putting her legs on the table. “I’m so tired. Somehow it used to be easier a few years ago.”

Ariel nodded and lay her head down on the couch, while pressing the cold bottle on her forehead. “So true. Maybe it’s our age, huh? At some point, I felt like noises were making me feel numb.” She was all flushed, and since she was pregnant, I was worried. She was usually very energetic after a concert.

“
Are you all right?”

She nodded. “Yeah, just a bit irritated, and I really need to lie down. God, this pregnancy makes me moody.”

Bella chuckled and took a sip from her bottle. She seemed calmer than before the concert.

“
You good?” I asked her.

“
Never been better. So just signing autographs, and then we can ravage our guys?” She wiggled her brows, and we both laughed while Sam and Ariel groaned.

“
Someone has to abstain here, so please no talking about sex,” Sam asked, and Ariel glared at her.

“
Why the hell do you have to abstain? I think you have Jer’s permission to ravish him any time you want.”

“
No.”

“
Although I have to tell you guys that sex is the last thing on my mind right now,” Ariel pointed out and wiggled her toes after she removed her boots. Her flips-flops that she wore after concerts were near the couch. “But you have fun and, Jane, high-five.” With a roll of my eyes, I gave her the slap on the hand, and she laughed.

Jo, the assistant and brain behind all the concerts that went smoothly, stuck her head inside the room and glared at us.

“
Come on, girls. People are waiting!” she shouted and disappeared again. We just shared a look. She was usually a sweetheart, but she went all coo-coo when we had a tour, and was nervous about every little thing. Any small mistake would make you think Armageddon had happened.

We grabbed the markers waiting for us and went outside. We were instantly greeted by fans.

“
Bella, please, sign here!”

“
Ariel, will you tell me what kind of lipstick you use?”

“
Sam, here, please, sign my guitar!”

“
Jane, can I have one of your drum sticks?”

The voices were endless. Each one of us posed for several pictures, signed shirts, body parts, albums, and someone even gave us their wallet to autograph. Several people asked for group photos and we agreed. Eventually, Jo said we were done, and people complained loudly.

No one was completely satisfied ever; even if we stood there for hours, some people would think we ignored them. It was simply impossible to meet everyone when hundreds of people were coming at you. A security guard took us to another room at the far end of the corner, and the guys waited for us there.

Our buses were secured in the private parking lot and no one had access to them, but we preferred to leave after the majority of the people left, which usually took an hour, and then we could wear glasses and stuff to cover ourselves.

Fame was great, but we needed to catch a break occasionally.

Bella immediately ran toward Ryan, who hugged her close and kissed her hard on the mouth. I had to look away, because the moment seemed too intimate for an outsider. Drake stood several feet away, and there was something in his eyes, as if he was daring me to make the next move. After concerts, I usually ignored him as if he wasn't present. He clearly had no desire to put himself out there again, and that made me feel even worse for the ringer I put him through.

With a smile on my face, I rushed closer to him, put my hands on his chest, and leaned forward to give him a kiss on the lips. It wasn't as hot as Bella and Ryan’s, but I still had a problem with PDA, and he seemed okay with that. He pulled back frin my lips, his hand caressed my cheek, and he smiled, his beautiful blue eyes warm.

“
Hey.” His voice was soft, soothing, and it calmed me.

“
Hey.” My hands moved to circle his neck, and he hugged me for several seconds, and then he turned me around. His hands circled my waist, my back pressing to his chest, his chin resting on the top of my head, and I noticed the guys looked at us with interest.

I just rolled my eyes at them. We weren’t a circus. Instead, I decided to focus on our surroundings.

The room consisted of big couch, a bar, a big wooden table, and chairs. The interior was bleak, and although the furniture seemed expensive, it lacked a sense of style. The colors were dull, something like a dirty beige, and it was somehow glum.

It was all easily ignored when we were greeted by the amazing smell of delicious food. The table was filled with steaks, salads, fruits, wine, and desserts. My stomach growled loudly and Jeremy smirked.

“
Seems like ordering food before we were done was a good idea, huh?”

Ariel shrieked and ran toward the small bathroom at the far corner of the room. A second after the door closed, the sound of someone getting sick was heard, and Jer’s face would have been comical if the situation was different.

“
Shit, she is pregnant. She’s probably sensitive to smells, right?” he asked me, and I raised my brow.

“
How am I supposed to know that? In case you haven’t noticed, I don’t have kids.”

Drake’s body tensed for a moment after my words.

“
Sam, check on her.” Jeremy’s voice was cold when he addressed her, and he didn't even look at her. His focus was on the bathroom door where Ariel was.

“
I’m not your servant,” she snapped. He had no reaction, and we all knew she wanted something from him. He ignored her, treated her as if she didn't exist, and I had no idea how long he would keep up this game with her. She was at her boiling point, and one of them needed to give in.

“
No, you aren’t. But you are her friend, right? Or aren't you even that? Too much of an emotional connection for you?” His tone lost some of the coldness in it, but bitterness entered. Sam stood there for several seconds, neither of them breaking eye contact.

Then Sam spun around and left the room, the door slamming loudly after her.

Jeremy’s jaw tightened, but he said nothing. He went to the window, leaned his arm into it, and rested his forehead on his hand. We exchanged looks with Bella.

She went to talk with Sam, and I went to help my girl.

“
We’ll be back,” I said and entered the bathroom, where Ariel was sitting on the floor, towel in her hands, and glass of water nearby. She was pale and looked tired. She tried to smile, but it was more like a wince.

“
Bon appetite,” she tried to joke, and I smiled.

“
Yeah, don’t worry. Everyone is still hungry.” I sat down next to her, and with the pin that was on the floor, put her hair up high, so it wouldn't be all over her face. Her forehead was slightly sweaty, so I grabbed the towel, put a little water on it, and carefully cleaned her up. Her hot forehead worried me.

“
Are you sure you don't need a doctor?”

She rested her forehead on her raised knees and chuckled. “And then what? The whole world would know about the baby. It’s nothing but morning sickness, or rather sickness from the smell of the steaks. I discovered that onion doesn't sit well with me.” She turned her head to me. “Was there some kind of shouting?”

“
Yeah, Sam and Jer argued.”

She shook her head. “Those two need to fuck each other’s brains out already.” Funny, how those words would have sent sadness and havoc through me just a few months ago, but now I felt nothing. I agreed with what Ariel said; those two belonged together and needed to deal with their problems.

“
Right now, neither of them wants to give in.”

She shrugged. “I think it needs to be Sam. She pushed him for a while. He won’t make a move.”

She was right; he wouldn’t. I thought he’d almost reached his breaking point and he was on the verge of giving up. I knew he wasn't hooking up with anyone, not that he didn't get propositioned almost every day, but how long would he resist before the temptation was too strong?

“
Let’s hope Bella can knock some sense into her.” My hand covered hers on the floor. “Are you sure you’re good?” Something flickered in her eyes, as if she was troubled, and even though she was feeling like shit over getting sick, I knew deep in my gut that had nothing to do with it.

She leaned her head back on the tile, looked to the side, took a deep breath, and after an exhale, quickly said, “Diego called me.”

I blinked. It was the last thing I expected to hear right now. “Okay.”

She gave me a sideway glance. “I didn’t have a thing with him or anything. It was just sort of a date to talk and that was all.” After the big fight we all had on the ranch, none of us brought up the subject of Diego with Ariel. Honestly, he wasn't someone our group liked to bring up, period. He and Ariel used to have a crazy love affair before he shattered her heart and she closed herself off from love.

“
But he called you again?”

“
Yeah, he wants another chance. He wanted to explain what happened all those years ago with his wife. He showed me a picture of his kid.” A soft smiled appeared on her face. “The boy looks really sweet.”

“
Do you want to give him another chance?” I asked carefully and tried to read her reaction, but her face gave nothing away.

“
No.” At my silence she continued, “I think he is still sort of not over the girl I used to be, and she no longer exists.” I disagreed with that, but it was better not to share it. “Anyway, I didn’t think he was going to give up, so I told him I’m pregnant.”

“
Are you sure that was a wise move?” Diego wasn't someone I trusted, so telling him something that wasn't public knowledge bothered me.

She nodded. “Yeah.” Then she abruptly changed the subject, and Diego was off limits once again. “Any news on Hope?”

“
No, Jer said no decision was made. I saw the photos though.” I took out my cell phone and clicked on the camera to show her the little two-year-old with black curly hair and deep grey eyes. She was the most adorable baby ever, and it was easy to fall in love with her, even from just the picture. My heart broke a little when I thought she could end up in the foster system. The innocence she had in her eyes would be destroyed.

Even if the parents were great, the deep pain was always there, and I didn't want that for her.

“
She is so cute, and she has his eyes.” Ariel took the phone from my hand and zoomed in on her face. “And I think his smile, too.” I raised a brow at that.

“
Since when did you pay such close attention to Logan?”

She rolled her eyes. “Please, I had a crush on him right through high school. I mean I obviously expected more before our first meeting, and the fact he was already on the way to his downfall made me see my idol in a different light.” She had cried tears over him, but knew everything about his life, and dragged us to every concert there was in our area that he was part of.

The soft knock on the door stopped our conversation, and after a minute, the door opened and Drake glanced inside.

God, but he was handsome.

I didn't have any room to tell Sam anything, because I had been blind to the amazing man who tried to get to me for the past year.

Well, not anymore.

“
Everything all right here?” His voice was gentle, but he sounded worried. I reassured him with a smile and helped Ariel stand up.

“
Yeah, we are good. Are you fine with the food?” he asked her. She didn't look sick anymore, but who knew?

“
Yep, actually, I’m hungry for some steak,” she said guiltily, and I smirked.

“
Look at you, little vegetarian.”

She glared. “It’s for the baby. I read in a book that this may be the case.”

“
Yeah, sure. Defend all you want. You just turned to the bad side.”

She nudged my shoulder. “Shut up,” she said and went into the room, and I was stuck in the doorway with Drake. He looked after her and shook his head.

“
She sure gets moody.”

“
Well, yeah. My friend is a natural redhead. They aren't known for their patience or lack of temper.”

He rolled his eyes. “That’s so general it doesn't even make sense.” His hand grabbed my hair and moved my head closer to his, his lips a whisper away from mine.

“
I want you to eat dinner then say goodbye to everyone and leave with me.” His eyes grew so intense, and my head got all dizzy from it. Gone was the caring husband, and in his place was the demanding lover.

“
Yes.” My voice got raspy, and he groaned and pressed his forehead against mine.