Last Song (Chasing Cross Book Five) (A Brothers of Rock Novel) (rockstar contemporary romance) (16 page)

Rick stopped kissing her
again and stared down at her. With one hand, he began to move the hair away
from her face. There it was again. The slow, romantic gestures. Her stomach
fluttered and her body started to feel numb. Well, numb everywhere except her
burning sex. The desire coming from her body was nothing short of obvious.

Sarah looked down and how
thick and hard Rick was. She was just too eager to not touch him again. Her
fingertips sought out the hard skin of his body and when she found it, she
stroked. Slowly, thoroughly.

“Oh, sweetheart,” Rick
said. His hand touched the side of Sarah’s face. “That feels amazing.”

Sarah nodded. She wasn’t
used to someone talking during this. Rick wasn’t done.

“Tell me, Sarah,” he
whispered. He kissed her lips and then stayed close to her. “Tell me what you
want.”

The words drove her body
wild. She’d never felt so
ready
in her life. It was like she couldn’t get enough of it right then.

“Rick,” Sarah managed to
whisper.

“Please,” Rick said.
“You’re so beautiful, Sarah. I want to hear you say it to me. Whatever you’re
thinking, whatever you want.”

She could do this. She
could say anything she wanted to Rick...

She opened her mouth,
wondering just how sexy it would sound to tell Rick to get inside her and
pleasure her some more.

But when she spoke,
something else happened.

“Rick, I... I love you...
now pleasure me.”

Sarah’s face burned as
the words just dangled in the air in front of her. She couldn’t take back what
she said and she wouldn’t if she could. What was said was said for a reason. It
was how she felt.

“Sarah... I...”

Sarah shook her head. She
didn’t want to hear anything back. She didn’t want the moment to slip away. She
reached into her nightstand and pulled out protection. As she handed it to
Rock, she put a hand to the back of Rick’s head and pulled him down to her
mouth. They kissed, Sarah’s tongue taking the lead. She felt Rick hurrying to
put the protection on and then she felt the thick tip of his erection and with
gentle pushes, Rick worked himself into her.

In a matter of minutes,
he was inside her and Sarah had that intense orgasmic feeling soaring through
her body again. Her hands were at his back, clawing, trying to gain traction. She
knew she was under Rick’s control then. He moved, he thrust, he knew how to
kiss her neck just below her ear as he pushed deeper into her. It was like he
had somehow memorized Sarah’s body and her every want and need.

She came two more times
before he finally did. When they both finished, Sarah’s body was so loose and
had such a butterfly feeling, she started to laugh. She faced Rick and he
laughed with her. The feeling going through Sarah was that of having the most
complete freedom ever. She never experienced it before.

Rick drew lines on her
face with his hand while Sarah did the same to his defined chest. They were quiet
until Sarah rolled to her other side and pulled Rick close. Rick pulled Sarah
tight.

She felt protected.

He kissed her ear as she
shut her eyes.

“You didn’t let me finish
saying what I had to say,” he whispered. “So I’ll finish it now... Sarah, I
love you too.”

(18)

Rick woke the next
morning thinking he had to have been dreaming, but when Rick sat up in bed, he
saw two things.

First, to his right was a
sleeping Sarah. In the same position she had rolled to. Her left shoulder was exposed
and her hair spread across the back of her pillow. The covers were covering her
chest but came down just enough to make Rick’s body ache to see her again. To
touch her again. To have her again.

The second thing was at
the foot of the bed. Molly was curled up into a big ball of blonde fur, her
eyes open, staring at Rick.

Rick smiled and patted
the bed with his hand. Molly un-tucked herself from her ball and stretched her
legs forward. She put a paw to his hand. Rick put his hand on top of her paw
and the dog quickly put hers back on his. He laughed quietly and then stretched
his neck.

Was this a normal life?
Was this what it was like to be off the stage and be at peace? Rick gazed to
Sarah again and felt his heart pounding in his chest. It wasn’t racing anymore.
There was no need for his heart to race. He had all he wanted right then, but
his heart pounded because of how lucky he felt and how bad he wanted to hold
Sarah and protect her and keep her satisfied in every way possible.

Rick leaned down and kissed
the curve of Sarah’s shoulder. Just lips. No tongue. He licked his lips though
and was so tempted to do it... to go right back to where they were the night
before, but from the corner of his eye he saw Molly looking at him. She
probably needed to go out, and Rick could definitely use a second to clear his
head.

“Okay,” he whispered.
“You go wait by the door for me.”

The dog, as smart as she
was, gently moved from the bed to the floor and walked out of the room. He
climbed from the bed, still naked, and dressed himself in the clothes he’d worn
to Sarah’s. They were the same clothes he’d been wearing on his flight to and
from Texas. The same clothes he’d worn when meeting with the guys from Chasing
Cross.

All of which brought back
a crueler version of reality. The reality he still had to make a decision about
his career and his life. Once outside, Rick let out a long breath and inhaled
the early morning. It was a little after seven in the morning. These hours were
unheard of for him. The last time he remembered getting up this early was maybe
for some long studio sessions or some crazy radio interviews years ago when the
band had been breaking big. He thought about those studio sessions. The band
would go into the studio and just hang out and play music. They’d record tracks
and demos. They’d listen to them, tear them apart, make them better. Once they
got all the music down, Johnnie would sit alone and lose himself in the sound
and come up with the lyrics. That was when Chasing Cross was at their peak.
That’s when the passion for the music was intense. It wasn’t about money or
love or anything else. However, Rick knew that change was inevitable in life.
The proof was sleeping upstairs in her bed. She was the only woman who managed
to get to Rick and he wanted her to be the one and only.

Molly finished going to
the bathroom and Rick walked her back to the porch and inside the house. He
unhooked the leash and walked into the kitchen. He found the coffee, and then
he found a bag of bagels on top of the fridge and peanut butter in the pantry
closet.

A few minutes later, Rick
walked with a bagel on a plate in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. If
someone would have told him he’d be serving a woman breakfast in bed, he’d have
laughed. His mornings on the road were usually sent stumbling around the bus to
find coffee. Or if he was in a hotel, he’d check to make sure the place was
empty and not destroyed.

He walked back into the
bedroom and found Sarah awake, laying on her back. When she saw him, she sat up
and gasped.

“You scared me,” she
said.

“Did you think I left?”
Rick asked.

“I... no. I...”

Rick put the coffee on
the nightstand and handed Sarah the bagel. She thanked him, took a bite, and
put it next to her.

Rick sat on the edge of
the bed and touched her face.

“I’m not going anywhere,”
he whispered. “I wouldn’t do that to you. I wouldn’t touch you, then leave.”

“What about Chasing
Cross?” Sarah asked.

She knew how to cut
straight to the point.

“I have to make a
decision,” Rick said. “Stay or go.”

“What if you leave the
band?”

“I sign some paperwork,”
Rick said. “I’ll still get paid for certain things, not that money is
important.”

“You don’t want that,”
Sarah said.

“How do you know?”

“I can see it, Rick. I
see it in your eyes. You want to play. You’re meant to be on stage.”

Rick saw a flicker of
hurt in Sarah’s eyes. What could he say to that? Of course he wanted to play, but
he couldn’t imagine being away from Sarah. He couldn’t just pack his bags and
hit the road. Not with this waiting for him...

Sarah sat up in bed. Her
hair was a mess and she had no makeup on. Her natural beauty was breathtaking.
The sheet covered her body, but he knew with just the smallest tug on that
sheet, he’d see her beautiful, nude body.

Rick’s heart twisted
worse than ever. Now his heart was fulfilled and it felt threatened.

He leaned forward and
kissed Sarah.

“Good morning,” he
whispered. “Don’t think about anything. Just be here. With me.”

“Okay,” Sarah said.

“Enjoy your coffee and
bagel. I’ll make something else if you’d like.”

“Later,” she said. “Why
don’t we go for a run?”

Rick stood from the bed.
“I have a better idea to get some cardio in...”

“Stop it,” Sarah said as
she blushed.

“What?” Rick winked. “At
the very least you can thank me for taking the dog out, making coffee, serving
you something in bed.”

“Fair enough...”

Sarah pulled the sheet
down, exposing her breasts. He felt his mouth open. Now his heart raced. She
was just simply beautiful... even when she was being sexy she was beautiful.

Rick felt the blood in
his body boil, rushing to the right spot at the wrong time.

“Torture,” he said. “Just
torture.”

“Good look running,”
Sarah teased, laughing.

“I’ll be back in a few
minutes then.”

Rick rushed home to get
changed and met Sarah at her house, just like before when the feelings in his
stomach were fluttery and confused. Now he was in love with Sarah, not confused
with her, but confused with everything else.

He and Sarah ran,
exchanging flirty glances, both of them well aware the other was thinking about
the night before. How could Rick not? How could he not look at Sarah in those
running clothes and picture her naked. Their conversations were short, when
they occurred, and mostly pertained to nothing important. They ran back to
Rick’s house where an idea came to him.

They stood on the
sidewalk and Rick grabbed for Sarah’s hands.

“Want to come in?” he
asked.

Sarah looked down at
herself. “I’m a sweaty mess right now. I didn’t plan on running that much.”

“That just proves it
then,” Rick said. “You need to come in.”

“Rick...”

He pulled Sarah close. He
whispered. “For a shower.”

Sarah looked at him, in
shock.

“I, uh, I... I don’t have
clothes to change into.”

“Damn,” Rick said.
“You’ll just have to stay here. Naked.”

“Stop that,” Sarah said.

“You know you need a
shower.”

“I know.”

“So....”

“So... I’ll get a change
of clothes and come back.”

“I’ll be waiting then,”
Rick said. “I’ll be a nice, sweaty mess.”

Rick watched Sarah run
away, his eyes glued to her ass. He couldn’t help it and he didn’t care. He was
in love... and he was still a rockstar.

Rick went inside and
drank two glasses of ice water. He rested against the kitchen sink and couldn’t
stop smiling. He believed that things would eventually work out. They had to.
Hell, for all he knew, it all could just fall into his lap.

The doorbell rang.

Or just show up at his
front door.

Rick put the glass down
and grabbed the bottom of his shirt. He wrestled himself out of it, tossing it
to the bottom step as he moved by them. He considered stripping naked, but he
wanted to give Sarah something to work at.

“I hope you’re naked,” he
called out as he opened the door.

“You really want to see
me naked?”

Rick couldn’t believe his
eyes. “Peter?”

**

Rick backed up and shook
his head. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Are you expecting
someone? Naked?”

“Well, yeah,” Rick said.
“But that’s not your business.”

“In a way, it is,” Rick
said. “Can I come in?”

“Yeah...”

Rick looked out just in
time to see Sarah turning at his walkway.

Shit.

“Stay here,” Rick said.

Peter turned around. “Is
that the naked girl?”

Rick ignored him and
hurried down to Sarah.

He hugged her and lifted
her off the ground. “Listen, sweetheart, I have to take care of this. I didn’t
know he was coming here.”

“Who is it? Is everything
okay?”

“Yeah,” Rick said.
“That’s Peter. He manages Chasing Cross.”

“Oh. I... oh.”

“Don’t worry about it,”
Rick said. He took Sarah’s face in his hands. “You can shower without me... for
now. But later, we’re having dinner and a shower.”

“At the same time?” Sarah
asked.

Rick smiled. His heart
felt so full. “Wow. I love you so much, Sarah. You have no clue.”

“Yeah, I get it,” Sarah
said. “I just went to get clothes to come here and shower with you. I get it,
Rick. I love you too.”

Rick kissed her.

Why the hell did Peter
have to show up?

Rick forced himself away
from Sarah and hurried back into his house. As he brushed by Peter, he said,
“This better be good.”

Rick offered Peter a seat
in the dining room but he chose to stand. The sweat still poured off his body
from the run but he didn’t care.

“Well, if I could say
something,” Peter said. “You look good, Rick. Really good.”

“Thanks,” Rick said.

“You’re not drinking. I can
tell.”

“Haven’t in a while,”
Rick said.

“Because of that lady out
there?”

“Does it matter?”

“To me it does,” Peter
said. “Thought we were going to lose you for good. Many times, actually. But
when you left after that show, I wasn’t sure if I’d see you alive again.”

“Well, if I’m being
honest, I left to die. Tried to party myself to death, but I was the only one
partying. It’s kind of sad to be that alone.”

“I’m sorry, Rick,” Peter
said. “Whatever the hell happened. Whatever was going through your mind...
whatever is going through your mind right now. I’m just sorry.”

“You came here to
apologize?”

“And to talk about what’s
next...”

“What is next, Peter?”

“Your call.”

“My call.”

“We all talked last
night,” Peter said. “It’s up to you. I’m not going to be a dick here, okay? But
this could be a legal mess. They could sue you for the name, the rights, the
royalties, everything. They’d probably win too. I’m not threatening you, Rick,
I’m just being honest. I hate to say it like this... but you’re the drummer.”

“So I’m not worth a
shit?”

“You’re worth more than
anything you believe,” Peter said. “That’s why nobody wants a legal mess to
happen. If you decide to leave for good, it’s a twenty percent cut. The cut of
all you’ve worked on. But future royalties...”

“Yeah, I get it,” Rick
said. “That’s all stuff my lawyer can explain to me.”

“I don’t want that to
happen, Rick.”

Rick looked at Peter and
his eyes were glossy. He shook his head and blinked. Then his fat chin (or
chins, depending on how it appeared) started to quiver.

“Shit, Peter...”

Peter made a fist and
smacked the table. “Goddammit, Rick. You don’t understand what this all means
to me. To all of us. We’re goddamn family. I watched you all grow up from punk
kids into men. Into rockstars. What do you think this is like for me?”

Rick swallowed. He’d
never seen Peter so emotional before.

“Listen,” Rick said. “I
didn’t realize...”

“Let me just explain
something,” Peter said.

He touched his face and
took a breath. He looked forward, not at Rick, but ironically, towards Sarah’s
house.

“I was in a band,” Peter
said. “In high school. We were terrible. I played bass. Nothing fancy at all.
Just the root notes of whatever the guitarists did. Then I met a girl. I fell
in love and had to make a decision, leave with the band after high school for
California or stay with the girl. I ended up trying both. I went to California,
with the band and the girl. Things got serious with the girl. She wanted a
nicer apartment. She wanted to be together all the time. The band just couldn’t
make it. They decided to go back to Seattle. But the girl had fallen in love
with California. So I stayed, and just like that I had a girl but no band.
Then, she told me she was pregnant.”

“Whoa,” Rick said. “You
have a kid?”

Peter looked at him and
shook his head. “No. She
was
pregnant. I hurried and proposed to her, wanting to make everything right.
She lost the baby a few months into the pregnancy but the ring was on her
finger. The only thing that kept her out of a depression was planning for the
wedding. The only thing that kept me out of a depression was going to see
bands. That’s sort of how my career began. I started helping local bands with
promotions and getting to record companies. I helped in the studio and made a
ton of contacts. As luck would have it, the wedding dress my wife demanded to
have was made by a woman whose husband sat on the board for a record company.
One thing led to another and soon I became, Peter, the band manager. I got
married, and not too long after that I saw a group of punk kids playing a show.
They were good. They were really good. They were the exact reason I sat through
show after show, hoping to find that band. They called themselves Chasing
Cross.”