Surrender to Me (3 page)

Lucas

“What do you
mean
you are thinking of staying in town next week?!”

I knew that telling Mike about my change in plans wasn’t going to go over well, but the shade of red he’s turning is just unnatural.  “I mean that I’m going to take my vacation here instead of back in LA.  I’ve never been to the city before and I wanna see what it’s all about.”

“Does this have something to do with this
date
you were telling me about?”

“Mike, I appreciate the concern, but I can handle myself.  I am
completely
committed to my career and I’m not going to let anything jeopardize it.  Speaking of which, what the hell is Jackson Stone doing on the tour?”

Jackson has been a thorn in my side ever since he released his first single a couple months ago.  He’s one of those artists that can’t let anyone else shine.  While I obviously strive for success, I’m also happy to see other artists being recognized for their talent.  He even tried to start a “twitter war” with me at one point.  After I had someone explain to me what the hell a twitter war was, I decided to ignore him.  I’m not here to please anyone but my family, friends, and fans so I can care less how he feels about me.

“Lucas, Jackson is really getting big and having him on the tour will only help increase the buzz.”

I turn away from him because I’m so pissed off.  I’m sick of everyone making decisions for me.  I think that’s part of the reason I decided not to go back to LA.  Yeah, I wanna get to know Rebecca better, but I also want some freedom.  “It would be nice if you would ask me next time you decide you think you know what’s best for me.”

I hear the door open and close and assume that Mike has left the room; he isn’t used to me disagreeing with him.  I’m sick of being a puppet, though, and I’m going to start letting him know exactly how I feel about everything.  I have about an hour to kill before I need to go pick up Rebecca for dinner and I’m actually starting to get nervous.  I don’t know what it is about this girl, but she throws me off in a crazy kind of way.  I
never
get nervous or unsure of myself around girls, even before my career took off, but with her it’s different.

When I told the hotel clerk this morning that I would be extending my stay for a week, I thought she was going to faint.  It still surprises me how affected people are by me because I don’t see myself as a celebrity.  That’s something that drew me to Rebecca that first day; she treated me like a regular guy.  To her, I wasn’t Lucas Masterson the celebrity; I was just a guy in a parking lot trying to get a date with her.  I can only hope that won’t change now that she knows who I am.

When I pull up to her house it looks like the typical suburban house, which is surprising in the city.  The development she lives in is in the nicer part of the city—it’s called The Reserves—and is only about ten minutes away from the stadium where the concert was last night.  When I pull up I see “The Carmichaels” is printed above the house. 
At least now I know her last name.

I walk up to the door and knock.  Almost immediately, it flies open and I see the girl she was with last night.

“Hey, I’m here to pick up Rebecca.”

She says nothing, but just continues staring at me. 
Awkward
.  Then I hear a voice from inside, “Jen, say something!  You’re going to make him think you’re crazy!”

The girl blinks and then blushes a deep red.  “Sorry, I uh…I’m um…I’m Jen..”

I have to laugh at how frazzled she is, “Nice to meet you, Jen.”

I see Rebecca come up behind her and have to catch my breath.  Her blond hair seems more vibrant; it’s curled and looks so silky that it makes me want to run my fingers through it.  When Jen moves to the side, I see Rebecca is wearing a black halter top dress that flares out at the waist and reaches the tops of her knees, and a pair of simple black wedged sandals.  She looks absolutely gorgeous, and if I wasn’t nervous before, I sure as hell am now.

Chapter Three

Rebecca

I can’t believe Jen is just standing there babbling—she never gets this way over guys—but I guess she’s never met a celebrity before.  When Luke sees me I can feel his gaze looming over me and I break out in goose bumps.  Jen took me out today and I don’t think there is a thing I didn’t have done, including waxing, which is so much more painful than I imagined it to be.  His gaze is making me nervous and my legs get even shakier than they already were in these damn shoes.  I never wear heels, but considering the fact that I’m only five feet tall and Luke is almost six, Jen insisted on it.

“I’m ready if you are.”

He smiles at me and I swear I hear Jen sigh.  “Okay, great.”  He holds out his hand and leads me to his car.  It’s nothing flashy, just a normal model sedan like Jen’s parents drive, which seems strange to me since he’s famous and all.  He opens my door for me and I slide into the leather seat.  Once I sit down and buckle my seatbelt, I looked up to see Jen still standing in the doorway staring at us.  Hopefully she’ll return to the land of the living once we leave.

We back out of the driveway and I’m trying to guess where we’re going by the roads he’s taking.  When my phone beeps, I pull it out and let out a laugh before I can stop it.

Jen: OMFG!!!!! He is so gorgeous!

“What’s so funny?”

I glance over at Luke and he’s looking between me and my phone.  “It’s just Jen; I think she’s finally regaining consciousness.”

He laughs and I swear it’s the most beautiful laugh I’ve ever heard.  “Yeah, I figured I was probably her first celebrity.  I’m used to it, but I have to say I’m glad that you aren’t as star struck.”

I can feel myself blushing; he has no idea how much I’m freaking out on the inside.  When we pull into a parking lot, I look up and see we’re at The Chart House.  This place is
so
expensive and I’ve always heard they have amazing food.  I’ve never been able to afford to come here and I am so excited.

“Judging by your smile I’m guessing I did good?”

I look over at him, still dumfounded as to why he chose me.  “Yeah, I’ve never been here before.”

Luke gets out of the car and starts to walk around the front.   I’m just about to open my door when he pulls it open and offers me his hand.  I take it, hoping that my hand isn’t all clammy and disgusting.  I’ve always heard about paparazzi harassing the stars, and I have to say I’m thrilled that there aren’t any here.  We walk into the restaurant still holding hands and when the hostess sees us I think her jaw hits the floor.

We have a booth near the back of the restaurant but still have a great view of the river and city.  I can feel her staring at me, silently commenting how unworthy I am to be with him.  We sit down and when I open the menu I panic.  What’s the rule for ordering food on a first date?  I mean, the restaurant is really expensive already; should I just order something small?  I don’t want to order the most expensive thing because I don’t want him to think that I’m trying to take advantage of him.

I still have no idea what I want to order when the waiter comes over.  Thank God it’s a guy because I really can’t handle any more death stares right now.  He starts telling us the specials, one of which is a filet mignon that is making my mouth water and the other special is an order of crab cakes that sound heavenly.

Luke leans closer to me.  “Both of those sound amazing; do you want to get both and share?”

I look up at him and our faces are so close that if one of us moves an inch we would be kissing.  “Yea, that um…that sounds really good.”

He relays our order to the waiter and then turns back to me.  “So tell me about yourself, Rebecca Carmichael.”

Carmichael?
Why is he calling me by Jen’s last name?  Shit, I told him that was my house. What do I do now?
  I decide to just let it go; after all, it’s not like we are serious or anything.  “There really isn’t much to tell.  I just received my Associate’s Degree in Education and I’m taking some time off before I go back to finish my Bachelor’s.”  In all reality, I’m taking time off because I can’t afford to go to a university right now.

“Education?  That’s great!  I love being around kids!  One of the charities I’m starting is a summer arts camp for kids who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford to go to camp.  I also work with Make-A-Wish.” 
He does charity work?  Can he possibly get anymore perfect?
  “So, I’m guessing that was your sister who answered the door earlier?”

People always assume Jen and I are sisters because we look so much alike.  I might as well just make myself a Carmichael; it’s better than having to talk about my real family, or lack thereof.  “Yeah, she’s usually a lot more personable.”

He laughs and smiles at me.  “She was there with you last night, right?”  I nod my head.  “I didn’t expect to see you there.  I honestly thought you didn’t know who I was when we met yesterday.”

“Oh, I didn’t.  Jen won tickets from a radio station and when we got there she bought a shirt.  She showed it to me and I put two and two together.  I’m not going to lie and say that I didn’t get more nervous about tonight when I found out.”

“Well, I have to say that you’re handling it really well.  I was hoping that you wouldn’t be different now that you know who I am; it’s a big reason why I didn’t tell you yesterday.”

If he had told me yesterday I don’t think I would’ve believed him, and I
definitely
don’t think I would have agreed to come tonight.  “Your show was really good last night.”

“Thanks.  I want you to know that there is nothing going on between me and Samantha.  I’m sure the kiss last night looked bad, but that was just a publicity stunt she pulled.  I had no idea it was coming, if you couldn’t tell.”

I laugh remembering the look on his face when she did it.  “You looked really surprised!” I giggle again.  “Jen had told me that she thought you guys were together.  I was really surprised when you texted me last night.”

“The media will say anything just to sell magazines.  Half the crap they post is only about ten percent true.”

The waiter brings us our food and we put both plates between us.  Luke scoots over closer to me in the booth and my heart rate doubles.  He smells so amazing and looks so hot!  He has on a black pinstripe button up shirt, black dress pants, and his green eyes have been mesmerizing me all night.  I pick up my napkin and utensils, trying to remind myself of my table manners in my head.

I look over at him and catch him staring at me. 
I’m really getting myself in deep.

Lucas

When I move closer to her I can see her blushing again, and it makes me smile.  This is the easiest and most comfortable date I’ve had in a while.  She isn’t prying for information that she can sell to the tabloids and she doesn’t look at me like I’m some cheap asshole for wanting to share food with her.  I suggested that just because I knew it would give me an excuse to get even closer to her.  As she’s eating, she’s making little sighs of appreciation and it’s adorable.

After we’re finished with the food and I take care of the check, I grab her hand and we start to leave.  I pull out my phone to check the time and see that we still have about a half hour before I need to leave for the show tonight.  “Do you want to take a walk by the river?”

She looks up at me and nods.  I lead her away from the restaurant and we walk along the river.  Being from Wisconsin, I have seen much nicer rivers, but being here with her when the sun is just setting is perfect.  I can tell she’s struggling to walk in her shoes so I guide her over to a nearby bench.  When we sit, I pull her close to me because right now it’s all I can think about.

She lays her head in the crook of my neck and we just sit here enjoying the silence.  I really don’t want to take her home.  “Hey, would you want to come with me to the show tonight?”

She looks up at me with a look of shock and confusion.  “Like, go and watch?”

I laugh.  “Yeah, I can get you a backstage pass and I kind of don’t want to take you home yet.”

I can see her struggling with something in her head and now all I can think is that maybe I’ve done something wrong.  “Can I ask you a question?” she whispers.

“Sure.”

“What are we doing here?”

I have no idea how to answer that because I’m not really sure what she’s asking.  “What do you mean?”

“I mean, you’re this big star and I’m just a girl who helped you in the parking lot yesterday.  You’re on tour and doing all these things that don’t fit in my life.  I know you said you have a week off, but what happens after that?  I don’t want to let myself get attached to you just to say goodbye when my time is up.  I know it may seem crazy to be thinking that far ahead now, but I just don’t see the point in developing feelings just to be separated and miserable in a week.”

I take a deep breath in and digest what she just said.  I can’t say the same things haven’t been going through my head already.  We just met, though, and it seems too soon to be worried about where this is going.  Honestly, right now all I want to do is spend as much time with her as possible.  “I know where you’re coming from, and I’ve been thinking the same things all night.  I like you, Becca.  I don’t know what it is about you, but there is just something there that pulls me in.  I’ve had more fun tonight than I’ve had on any other date and I just don’t want it to end.  I know the fact that I’m only here for a week is bothering you, but no one said that I can never come back after that.”

She looks surprised.  “I’ve had fun, too, Luke.  If you want me to come with you tonight, I will.”

The wind blows some of her hair into her face and I reach up to tuck a strand behind her ear.  She smiles at me and I do the only thing that feels right and lean in to kiss her.

Rebecca

When he starts to lean forward I feel like my heart is going to stop.  I’m not a prude—I’ve made out with guys before—but something about Luke just feels different.  When his lips touch mine my whole body seems to jolt to attention.  He runs his tongue along the seam of my lips and I let out a moan.  That gives him the space he needs and he slips his tongue into my mouth.

His hand moves and wraps around the back of my neck, holding me to him.  I can’t help but move my hands from my lap and up his rock hard chest.  I skim over every muscle on my way and finally wrap my arms around his neck.  My heart’s beating out of my chest; I’ve never had a kiss like this before.  It feels almost as if we’re in a movie and the entire background is frozen…until his phone rings.

He mutters a curse word and slowly untangles himself from me.  Digging his phone out of his pocket, he scowls before answering it.  “Hello?”  I sit back, unsure of what to do with myself right now.  He wraps his arm around my shoulder and pulls me into him like I was before.  Maybe it’s just my imagination, but I feel like I fit so well against him, almost like he was made for me.
This type of thinking is what’s going to get me in trouble.

“Yeah, I know, I’ll be there in like a half hour.”  He pushes the end button on his phone, slipping it back into his pants.  When he tightens his hold on me, it makes me feel as though he doesn’t want to leave me.  “That was my manager freaking out because I’m not there yet.”

“I’m sorry, did I make you late?”

“No, I’m usually there before any of the opening acts even start to go on but I really don’t need to be.  Either way, though, I
do
need to start heading over there.  You still want to come, right?”

“Yeah, sure.”

We drive to the center and when we get there it’s packed.  Everyone is already inside so no one notices us driving around to the back parking lot.  When we get out of the car the security guard sees Luke and immediately opens the door.   Luke still has my hand in his and I can’t help but notice everyone we pass by zeroing in on our locked hands.  We finally make it to a dressing room that has his name on it. 
Am I supposed to go in there with him?

Luke opens the door and pulls me in with him.  I notice an older guy sitting on a couch, eating a bowl of candy and looking like he’s about to have a nervous breakdown.  When we enter the room, relief seems to flood his face but is quickly replaced with irritation.

“Where the hell have you been, Luke?”

“Nice to see you too, Mike.  Listen, I’m here, Samantha is still on and all I need to do is get dressed.  I
do
need a favor, though.”  He pulls me closer to his side.  “This is Rebecca.  Can you grab her a backstage pass while I’m getting ready?”

Mike looks at me almost as if I disgust him.  “Yeah, I’ll do that now.”  When he leaves the room, I turn back to face Luke who is standing at the clothing rack picking out a shirt and jeans for his performance tonight.

“Do you want me to go so you can get dressed?”

“No, it’s not a big deal.  It’s easier for guys because there really isn’t too much to see when we get dressed, not like with you girls.”

I walk over to the couch, dumbfounded that he’s okay with me being in here while he’s getting dressed.  He lays his clothes on the chair and lifts his shirt off over his head.  His muscles are so defined and look amazing as he pulls his shirt off.  I hadn’t noticed before, but he has a number of tattoos.  One is a tribal band around his right bicep, and there’s a more intricate one on his chest.  The one on his chest is of a hawk that looks like it’s flying directly into the sun with the flames almost licking at its wing feathers.  I can’t stop staring at it—like it’s hypnotizing me—until I hear him chuckle and it breaks the spell.  I look up and he’s smirking at me. 
Now I’m gawking?  How embarrassing!

I immediately look down at my hands while he slips the black V-neck shirt over his head.  When I hear the sound of a zipper I know his pants must be coming off.  As much as I try, I can’t stop myself from sneaking a peek in his direction.  He has his back to me now, thank God, and from where I’m sitting I can see his perfectly shaped ass in his gray boxer briefs.  I really think it might be a crime for someone to be this good looking, I mean,
come on
.  He reaches down and pulls up a pair of dark, ripped jeans.  Thank goodness they aren’t skinny jeans.  First of all, I don’t think I can handle women ogling his perfect ass all night long and second, any guy who wears jeans tighter than mine is a total turnoff.

He turns back to me as he’s messing up his hair to perfection.  “You ready for the show?”  I just nod my head and smile, silently thinking that the show I just watched was
so
much better.

When we walk out of the dressing room, Mike’s coming toward us carrying my pass.  Luke takes it from him and thanks him while grabbing my hand and leading me down the hallway, I’m guessing in the direction of the stage.  When it comes into view he makes a quick turn and ducks into a nearby room.

It’s dark in here and he backs me up against the door as soon as he gets it closed.  Before I know what’s happening, his mouth is on mine and his hands are in my hair.  He’s kissing me like he needs me, like he can’t control himself.  This is so different than our first kiss.  There’s a passion—a fire—that has my insides clenching.  I bring my hands up to his head and run my fingers through his hair.  He presses himself up against me even more and I can feel that he’s hard.

He pulls away and looks at me; even though it’s dark, I can see his green eyes staring right at me.  “I’ve wanted to do that since our first kiss got interrupted.  I don’t know what it is about you, Becca, but you are driving me crazy.”  He leans back in to kiss me again when we hear people calling him.  It must be his turn to go on.

He lifts is hand to my cheek and strokes it with his thumb.  “Stay with me tonight.”

It isn’t really a question, but I answer him anyway.  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

He groans at me and his mouth is on me again; tasting, biting, and devouring me until I feel like my knees are going to give out.  “Think about it during the show?”

I nod because I’m really not sure I can form words right now.  He backs away from me and I smooth my hair and clothes so that, hopefully, it’s not too obvious what we’ve been doing.  I move away from the door and Luke opens it and we both slip out.  He places my pass around my neck and bends down to give me one last quick kiss.

“Mr. Masterson, it’s time for you to go on now.”  A girl with a headpiece is standing next us, looking back and forth between the two of us as if she knows what we’ve been up to.

“Okay, no problem.  Will you please show Becca where the area is that she can stay to watch the show?”

“Sure, no problem, sir.”  She turns to me.  “Follow me.”

I follow her toward the main area, and when I sneak a glance back, Luke is still staring at me.  I decide I should watch where I’m going before I end up falling and embarrassing myself.  The girl leads me to an area that’s right in front of the stage, and behind me there’s a metal gate where the people who have purchased the pit tickets are on the other side.  I know they must all be wondering who the hell I am to get to be up here. 
Funny, I’m wondering the same thing, actually.

The lights go down and I know that must mean Luke’s going to be coming out.  The guitarist starts to play and is quickly followed by the drummer.  The spotlight zeroes in on Luke standing at the top of the stairs and everyone goes crazy.  It seems so surreal to me that the normal guy I had just been eating dinner with is now on stage in front of thousands of people.  He walks down the steps, singing the first lines of the song, pausing every time the beat does.  I can hear the girls behind me, all screaming dirty things that they would do to him, and I’m shocked that they’re so up front about it.

I find myself singing along to the songs when I feel someone come up next to me and notice a guy standing there.  He looks familiar but I can’t place where I know him from.  I smile at him when I see him looking me over.  He leans in closer to my ear.  “I’m Jackson Stone.”

I turn to him.  “Hi, I’m Rebecca.  Are you friends with Luke, too?”  I don’t know why I assume that, I guess because he’s out here watching his show.  From the look on his face, though, I think I guessed wrong; he almost seems offended.  I look back up to the stage where Luke’s in the middle of one of his songs.  He sees me, and then Jackson, and I think he might be mad. 
What the heck’s going on?

“I’m actually on the tour, too; I go on first.”

No wonder he looked so offended; he had probably expected me to know who he was.  “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize.  I don’t really keep up with stuff like that.”

“So, what’s your story, beautiful?”

I look over at him and all I can think is how that is exactly the type of cheesy line I was expecting from Luke that first day.  Thinking about Luke brings me back to our last kiss, and I start to blush.  Dammit, I hate that it happens so easily; I feel like such a little kid.  The music stops and Luke starts talking to the crowd.  He’s so mesmerizing that I almost forget Jackson’s next to me and that he’s just asked me a question.  I’m just staring up at Luke and lost in reliving our night together.

“I’m guessing you’re here for Lucas, then?”  I look back over at him and smile.

“I’m sorry, but yes, he asked me to come and see the show tonight.”

“Are you guys together or just friends?”

I gaze back up at Luke and try to think of how to answer that question.  He’s giving Jackson death looks right now.  Luke and I never actually said that we were together but I have a feeling that he wants to be more than friends.  “We’re just hanging out right now and getting to know each other.  I met him yesterday when his car broke down.”

“Do you mind if I hang out with you here while I watch the show?”

“No, that’s fine.”

“You know, I heard you singing when I walked up; you have a beautiful voice. Are you in the industry, too?”