Love Struck (5 page)

7

Lola

The minute I hear the rap on my dorm room door I open it swiftly. I've been
anxious for my date with Ryker all day. He doesn't even wait for me to invite him inside before rushing me. His arms come up around my face and he crushes his lips to mine.

"Damn, you have got to stop wearing that red lipstick," he speaks against my mouth.

"Why?" I pull him inside by the collar and slam the door shut with my foot.

He kisses me again, slower
, taking his time. When we part, he breathes deeply, running a hand over his head. "You know that a lot of rockstars are addicts, right? Well, you're turning me into an addict. I'm addicted to your red lipstick."

I giggle. "So, what you are you
gonna do? Join 'red lipsticks anonymous'?"  Drawing him to me, I circle my arms around his neck.

"Yeah, and one day when I'm famous they'll do one of those behind the music specials about me and
my red lipstick addiction." His tongue darts out of his mouth, running over my bottom lip. Then he takes my lip into his mouth, sucking gently.

"Should I be worried?" I cock my eyebrow.

"No. I'm only addicted to it when it's on you." He steals a peck.

"So I don't have to be concerned that you'll go around kissing every girl you see wearing red lipstick?"

"No, I'm immune to the charm of the red lipstick unless it is on your beautiful lips." He tightens his hold on me, kissing me swiftly again.

"Then I guess I can live with it."

He tilts his head until our lips touch again. This time he shoves his tongue into my mouth, swirling it around. I rake my hands up his back and tangle them in his hair. Our tongues mesh together in a sensual dance.  He brings me closer until our chests press together and our heartbeats mingle, a symphony of mismatched beats.

"What do you want to do tonight?"
Ryker asks, dropping his forehead onto mine.

I reach up and touch his lips with my finger. "I think I'd like to stay right here and feed your red lipstick addiction."

He growls, hugging me so tightly that I think he's trying to crawl inside my skin. Like no matter how hard he tries he can't get close enough. "That could get dangerous."

"What a coincidence," I say slyly. "I love danger."

"Woman, where have you been all my life?" He kisses me firmly, stealing my breath. My heart beats erratically in my chest as his tongue thrusts into my mouth and crashes into mine. Without meaning to, I moan. A sound erupts from the back of Ryker's mouth in response, and he lowers me onto my bed. I don't know how he knew which one was mine, but I'm grateful. Star's isn't even made, and I'm not sure when she last washed her comforter. I fall against my bed, my head resting on my pillow, my hair fanning out around my head. Ryker's body hovers over mine. I wrap my arms around his waist and pull him down on top of me. He brushes a stray hair from my cheek, causing a shiver of desire to run through me. I kiss his neck, trailing caresses up to his chin, savoring the feel of his stubble against my lips. His legs tangle with mine. I run my bare toe up his calf, and feel his muscle constrict through the rough fabric of his jeans.

"God, Lola
, forget the lipstick. I'm just addicted to you." Ryker rolls off me. Propping up on his elbow, he stares down at me stroking the skin on my arm with his hand.

I stare up at him.
Red lipstick smears his mouth and stains his skin. Reaching up, I wipe it off with the pads of my fingers. He turns his head and plants a kiss on the inside of my palm. "That makes two of us. What kind of group do I join? 'Sexy electric guitarists anonymous'?" I rub my fingers together, erasing the traces of the sticky red lipstick from my fingers.

"You think I'm sexy, huh?" He
leans down and kisses my forehead.

"Oh
, yeah. The sexiest," I croon, grabbing a fistful of his shirt and drawing him to me. Our lips find each other again like a set of magnets.

"How long before Star comes home?"
Ryker asks.

"I don't know. It depends on how long Beckett keeps her occupied."

"What?" Ryker pulls away from me, his eyes widening. "Star's with Beckett?" He sits up, and the look of panic on his face causes dread to sink into my gut.

"Yeah.
They're writing songs together." I sit up, tucking my legs up under my body. "Why? Is that a problem?"

"I just don't think it's a good idea for her to be alone with him."

My stomach twists. "You don't like the idea of Beckett and Star being alone together? Wow, I guess I won't loan her my red lipstick."

"Lola." He grabs both my hands
holding them between us like a tether binding us together. "I told you the other night that I'm not interested in Star. It's just that Beckett uses women, and I don't want him to do that to Star. I don't want him to hurt her, because she's my friend, and she's your best friend. I care about her because I care about you. And also, because I care about the band, and it's better with her in it."

I nod, knowing that I'm being silly. It's clear that
Ryker really likes me. He's made it pretty obvious. "I don't want him to hurt Star either. But no matter what I say, I can't stop her from spending time with him. She's got it bad."

"Yeah, I can see that when they're together. If it's any consolation, I think he likes her too."

"Then maybe he won't use her," I offer, hoping I'm right.

Ryker
shakes his head. "Beckett doesn't do relationships. Hooking up is all he knows."

I scoot forward until our knees our touching. We are both wearing jeans, and the fabric rubs
together sounding like a song. "Why are you friends with him if he's such a jerk?"

Ryker
flashes me a wry smile. "He hasn't always been. He's just been through a lot, and he's changed over the years."

"Yet you still care about him. I can tell." I admire
Ryker's loyalty.

"I always will. He's like a brother to me."
Ryker shrugs, his fingers still tangled in mine. "I was raised by my mom. I've never known my dad. He was long gone before I was born."

"Oh,
Ryker. I'm sorry." I squeeze his hand, knowing why he acted so funny when I made that quip about his dad being a gentleman.

He waves away my words by shaking his head back and forth. "Don't be. I'm not sad about it anymore. But when I was little I hated the fact that I didn't have a dad like everyone else. So in fifth grade I made up a story that my dad was a famous
rockstar and that's why he had to leave my mom and me. One day this kid Beckett confronted me on the playground. He wasn't in my class, and even though I'd seen him around I didn't know him. When he asked me what band my dad was in, I blurted out the first band I could think of - Killjoy. He laughed and said that my dad must know his dad, Barry Nash, who was the lead singer of Killjoy." Ryker chuckles at the memory. "At that point I knew I had to come clean. The thing is that Beckett never made fun of me, and he never told the other kids I was lying. In fact, he used to tell people that we were friends because we both had rockstars for dads. Pretty soon we both started playing music together, and by high school we'd formed a band."

"Sounds like he was a pretty good friend to you," I say.

Ryker nods. "Yeah, and he still is in his own way."

"And you're a good friend to him," I point out, bending forward until our lips are almost touching.

"Are you trying to distract me?" He grins, his gaze landing on my mouth.

"Is it working?"

"What were we talking about? Cause all I can think about now is red lipstick." He laughs gruffly.

I move closer to him, silencing his laugh with my mouth.

8

Ryker

Practice is starting a little late because Beckett's busy chatting it up with Star. I have no idea what is going on with those two, but clearly something's up. When I left Lola's the other night, I called Beckett to make sure he was on his best behavior when Star was at his place. He assured me that he'd been a perfect gentleman and that all they did was write songs together.
What?
It floored me. I'd never known Beckett to have a girl over and engage in strictly platonic activities. Don't get me wrong. I'm glad. I don't want anything to mess up what I have going with Lola.

Lola.
Just thinking her name causes my heart to skip a beat. We've seen each other almost every day since we started dating. If I had my way, I'd never go a day without seeing her. I know I made the whole joke about the red lipstick addiction, but the truth is that I do feel kind of addicted to her. When we're not together she's all I think about. I count down the minutes until we are together like an addict waiting for his next fix. The only time I feel content is when I’m with her.

After hooking
up my guitar and flicking on the amp, I reach into my pocket and pull out my cell.

I'm going through withdrawals.

Lola's text comes back almost immediately.
I've got your remedy, baby.

I stare at
the word 'baby', loving the fact that Lola called me that.
Practice should be over in a couple hours.

I think I can fit you into my schedule.

I chuckle. That girl and her schedules. While I'm a fly by the seat of my pants type of guy, Lola is organized and well planned. Still I think we round each other out nicely.

Meet me at the coffee shop where we met at 9.

I'll be there. Order me a mocha.

Yes,
maám,
I joke, before shoving the phone back into my pocket.

"
Is that Lola?" Star stands in front of me, nodding down to my phone. I hadn't even heard her walk up. Her long dark hair falls down her back, and she wears jeans and a t-shirt. It's funny how different she and Lola are, and yet they're best friends. Opposites attract, I guess.

"Yeah."

"You guys going out tonight?"

I nod.

Star smiles. "You two are so cute together. I'm glad she has you."

"Let's get started!" Beckett commands harshly.

Star's eyes darken, and she throws me an apologetic look before scurrying off to the keyboard. I glare at Beckett, wondering why he can't just let Star into his life. It's clear that she likes him, and even though he can't see it, it's obvious to everyone else that she's perfect for him.

I strap on my guitar just as Jimmy starts pounding on the drums. When the band swells around me, I block out all other thoughts and lose myself in the music.

When practice ends I hang back to talk to Beckett in private. The look on his face tells me that he was expecting it. He smirks at me, spreading his arms wide.

“Okay, have at it,” he says smugly. “Say whatever it is you think you need to say.”

This irks me. He’s always on the defensive with me. It didn’t used to be this way with us. There was a time when Beckett was the easiest person for me to talk to. Now he’s the most difficult.  “I don’t want to fight with you, Beckett.”

“Then don’t.” He shrugs. “Leave and go out with Miss Diva.”

I shake my head at the dig. “
Don’t talk like that about, Lola.”

Beckett chuckles. “I thought you didn’t want to fight.” He leans against Star’s keyboard, gripping the edges. His tattoos stand out on his bare arm.

“God, you are so infuriating,” I say through gritted teeth, scratching the back of my neck in agitation.

“I get that a lot.” Beckett grins.

I roll my eyes. “Look, I just wanted to talk to you about Star, okay?”

“Again, huh?
You didn’t say all you needed to the other night on the phone?” Beckett raises a brow. “I told you I wouldn’t sleep with her.”

I groan. “I know what you said, Beckett. But I also know you, and platonic relationships aren’t really your style.”

“For a guy who swears he’s into Miss High Maintenance, you sure seem to worry about Star a lot. If you like Star, then dump the black haired chick and go for her. I won’t stand in your way, man.” He holds up his arms, his palms exposed.

“I’m not into Star. I like Lola. I just want to make sure you’re not going to ruin what we have going right now with the band.”

Beckett huffs. He crosses his arms over his chest, with his back still resting against the keyboard. “Man, that chick is really rubbing off on you. You’re turning into a total control freak.” He leans forward. “Did you ever think that maybe Star doesn’t want me to leave her alone? In case you haven’t noticed, I am pretty irresistable.”

Anger surges at his words. I step away from him, my hands fisting at my sides. “Yes, I know some woman seem to think you are.” I snort with disgust. “I’ve never been able to figure it out though.”

“Oh.” I hear what sounds like pride in Beckett’s voice. “Nice one. Look at who’s been working on their comebacks.”

I grunt. “Dude, can’t you ever be serious anymore?”

Beckett pushes off the keyboard and swaggers toward me. “You want me to be serious? Okay, I’ll give you some advice. Stop worrying about Star so much and start worrying more about yourself. You’re making a huge mistake here in dating Lola.”

“You don’t even know Lola.”

“I know she’s exactly like Fiona.”

“She is not.” My insides tremble with rage at what he’s insinuating.

“Yeah, bro, she is. They’re exactly the same. They’re both high maintenance, stuck up snobs with a control complex.”

I shove him backward and he stumbles a little. “How dare you mention
Fiona to me.” Taking a steadying breath, I turn away. “You’ve got some nerve.”

“I’m just trying to help you, man. I don’t want you to get hurt like that again.”

I am incredulous. “Surprised to hear that from you since you were a part of it.”

“Hey, that was all
Fiona, and you know it.”

Shame washes over me. He’s right, of course. As much as I’ve wanted to blame him for what
Fiona did, I know it wasn’t his fault. It was all hers. Well, and mine, I guess. If I hadn’t told her my secret, maybe we’d still be together.

“Just be careful. Okay, man?”

I nod. “Yeah, I will. I won’t make the same mistakes again.” And I know I won’t. I will never tell another girl my secret. I’ll take it to my grave if I have to.

Caffeine. It's what I've survived on the last four years of college. It's gotten me through late night study sessions, all of our band's gigs, and early morning classes. Before meeting Lola and being exposed to her sexy red lipstick, it was my true addiction. That's why I normally don't even have to order at my usual coffee shop. Everyone who works here knows I always drink a latte. However, tonight I'm not just ordering mine. I'm getting Lola's too.

She's not here when I arrive
, so I get my latte and her mocha and find an empty table. The other tables are filled with the regular patrons. Mostly college kids hunched over their laptops, books and papers strewn over the table. There is one couple in the corner deep in conversation while sipping their drinks. The scent of coffee beans wafts in the air, comforting me somehow.

  I know the minute Lola
arrives. It's clear when all the guys in the place look toward the door, their eyebrows lifting in appreciation. I crane my neck and catch sight of her in tight jeans, knee high boots and a sexy black top. Proud to claim her as my date, I stand and take her in my arms.

When I hug her, she brings her hand up to cup my chin. Then she turns my face to hers and steals a kiss on my lips. I raise my eyebrows, surprised by her boldness.

"Feel better now?" She laughs, taking the seat across from me.

"Kind of.
I mean, it'll tide me over for now, but I'll need a bigger fix later."

"You're quite greedy, aren't you?" She juts out her hand, curling her fingers around the white paper
cup in front of her. I watch as she lifts it to her lips and takes a sip.  "Hmmm.  I love it. Star and I can't get enough of our mochas."

It's the first time I've heard her mention a common interest between she and her best friend. Maybe they aren't as different as I think. "Have you and Star been friends for
a long time?"

She nods, setting her cup down.
"Since freshman year. Kind of the same thing as you and Beckett. Star is like a sister to me. I mean, I have a sister, but we're not that close." Her eyes take on a serious look I rarely see with her.

"What about your parents? You close to them?"

"Depends on how you define close. To an outsider it would seem we are a tight knit family. My dad is kind of all about appearances. He's a prominent doctor in our area, and our family’s reputation is important to him. But he's a workaholic, and my mom spends more time with her friends than me." She lifts and drops her shoulders in a nonchalant way. "It's no biggie though. Who wants to hang with their parents anyway, huh?"

Her tough act isn't working on me. I can tell it does matter to her. Reaching across the table, I cover her hand with mine.

She clears her throat. "What about you? Are you close to your mom?"

I know she's just trying to avert the conversation, but I go with it anyway.
"Yeah. It's always just been the two of us, but it's cool. Less complicated that way."

She smiles.
"Sounds heavenly. I hate complicated."

"Yeah, me too."

Lola's gaze scours the room. "So what's the story with this place? Any bad memories you need me to erase?"

I lean back in my chair, wanting to say yes. The thought of shoving Lola up against the wall and kissing her is pretty tempting. But I answer honestly, "No, only good memories here. Beckett and I used to come here all the time to talk through songs and lyrics. Then we started playing a lot of open
mic nights. It actually helped us gain a lot of exposure."

"So do you write songs too?" Lola picks up her cup again.

"No, not like Beckett. Sometimes I help him with a lyric here and there when he's struggling. But he's the true songwriter."

"Star writes a lot too." Lola sips her drink, a wistful look in her eyes. "I've always been amazed with her ability to make something out of nothing. I could never do that."

"Come on, you never wrote anything? Not even angsty poetry as a teen?" My gaze catches on the couple in the corner, their messy hair and unique style, and I think how they probably write poetry.

"Nope.
Not even then. I wasn't one of those brooding teens who wore all black and shopped at thrift stores," she replies with a grin, and I wonder if she can read my mind.

"I imagine you were too busy breaking all the guys' hearts," I tease, taking a large gulp of my coffee.

"How'd you know?"

I angle my body forward, resting my elbows on the table. "You're not going to break my heart, are you, Lola?"

"Don't give me a reason to, and I won't," she deadpans, and I realize we aren't joking anymore.

I sit up straighter. "I won't ever do anything to hurt you, Lola."

"Sometimes people can't help it, Ryker. Sometimes even with the best of intentions people hurt each other." She pauses, searching my eyes as if she's trying to read something in them. "That's the thing that scares me about relationships. I don't know if you've noticed this about me, but I kinda like being in control."

I chuckle, running my fingers over the rim of my cup. "No, I hadn't noticed that.
Not at all."

"Shut up." She swats away my words with a short giggle. "
That's why I've never fallen in love. The idea of relinquishing control to another person scares the shit out of me. I never want someone to have that kind of power over me."

I know I'm falling for this girl
, and the idea that she will never let herself fall for me pierces my heart. Maybe Beckett’s right. Perhaps she will end up hurting me just like Fiona did. Pushing my coffee cup out of the way, I take both of her hands in mine. "But what if you meet the right person; the person worthy of your heart; the person who will guard you heart like it's more precious than anything else in the world?"

She swallows hard, her neck swelling with
the effort. "People are flawed. It's a fact. No one's perfect. Therefore, no one can promise to never hurt me, no matter how well intentioned."

"
You know what I think?" I say softly, bending forward. "I think that love is a risk, and I think that before you met me, you hadn't met anyone worth the risk."

"Are you saying that you're worth the risk,
Ryker?"

I nod
. "I am, and I'll prove it to you if you'll let me."