Surrendering (8 page)

“Declan, he doesn’t kiss me.”

“Are there fireworks in the room when anyone kisses you?”

“No one else kisses me.”

“That’s a fucking great answer, Sparkle.”

“Let me talk to Finn. Maybe we’ll stop by tonight. Are you going to be okay if he’s there?”

“Yeah, Sparkle, I’ll be okay. But why don’t you make plans for me to bring you home.” It was a statement, not a question.

“I’ll see what I can do. I’ll call you after I talk to him. Do you want to give me your number?”

“No, babe, I want you to give me your number. I’ll call this afternoon and check in. You can save it then. I’m not trying to be a jerk. It’s just that right now, all I want to do is kiss you. Then I need to try to get out of here without my sisters seeing my hard on.”

“You can stay a while if you want. We could watch some TV in here.”

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea. Your outfit is screaming at me to rip it off and your bed is five feet away. Remember my nonexistent self-control?”

My thoughts immediately think of Declan in my bed and I’m wet. I think he can read the effect because he moves his lips back to mine and tightens his grasp on my ass. All I can do is groan into his mouth.

He pulls back again and gently kisses me over my eyes. “Sweet Raven, go shower and call your boy. I want to see you tonight. I want to introduce you to my band. I want to talk about this crazy attraction. Does that sound okay with you?”

I can’t speak so I nod instead. He smiles and lets me go. I watch him adjust his shorts and reach for the door.

“Until tonight, Sparkle, see you then.”

Chapter 9

The Steamroom

Finn thinks it’s a great idea to go to The Steamroom. He invites the guys, and Abbi and Ella decide to come along. They’ve softened completely and they haven’t mentioned anything about this morning. I did notice that when I went to get lunch, they had cleaned out the leftovers from last night. I guess they weren’t too mad about Declan’s dinner after all.

As I’m getting ready to go out, I choose to wear a pair of low-rise light jeans and an electric blue off the shoulder top. I add tons of silver accessories and my black wedge platforms. I blow out my hair, but leave the waves that fall and apply more make-up than usual. I’m not sure about what’s going on between Declan and I, but I certainly want to look the part tonight. Nothing too flashy, yet sassy and sexy.

When we arrive, we go to the head of the line since Abbi and Ella are on the guest list. We spot Jimi and Tripp at a corner booth and they wave us over.

“Raven, why don’t you come with me to the ladies’ room? Then we can stop by the band room. Declan mentioned introducing you to the guys.” Abbi nudges me.

“Sounds good, let me get my drink.”

“No need, we can get a beer backstage.”

I get up to move and Finn grabs my hand. “Be careful, Baby Girl. I think you know what I mean.”

By the look in his eye, I catch his meaning. He knows something is going on with Declan. He’s always trying to protect me. I wink at him and give him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Love you, Finn. There’s nothing to be alarmed about.”

Backstage is a riot. There are people everywhere and a full bar in the corner. I see several women sitting on guys’ laps and some are even making out on a small couch against a wall. Abbi gets us a beer and snarls in the general direction of the crowd.

“Only about five of these guys are actually with the band. The others either work here or are friends with the guys. Most of these girls are Band Bunnies. One or two of them may actually be here legitimately, but the rest are here trying to get one of the guys to hook up with them. It’s sad really.”

I tug on my beer, “Isn’t that the definition of a groupie?”

“Yes, but Ella and I named them Band Bunnies. They want to fuck like rabbits.”

“Great call, I’ll remember that.”

I feel him before I see him. There are goose bumps on my arms and my throat starts to close. I look around the room and there he is. There’s a curvy blond sitting on the arm of his chair running her hands through his hair. He’s in a pair of worn, ripped jeans and a red shirt. He’s put in his lip ring and is wearing several leather bracelets on his wrists. He looks incredible. I feel the heat in the air and my mouth goes dry. This bitch keeps running her fingers over him. He’s talking to another guy and it doesn’t seem to faze him. Ella interrupts my thoughts as she nudges my shoulder.

“Raven, you okay? You look pale.”

“Yeah, I’m okay. It’s just a hot flash. The room’s so small and there are so many people here. Maybe we should go back to the table.”

“Let’s just say hi to the band first and get out of here. They’re great guys and I think you’ll like them. They’re not quite as tame and conservative as your hot-tourage, but they’re all heart.”

I shrug and follow them to the center of the room where there are three seriously good looking guys standing. They all stop talking as we approach. Each one of them has their own style of sex appeal. I see a mohawk, tattoo sleeves, facial piercings, and tons of silver and leather.

“Holy shit! Ella and Abbi Collins are in the house tonight!” Says Mohawk Man.

They proceed to hug, kiss, and squeeze Abbi and Ella with affection.

Finally, Abbi turns to me and introduces me, “Guys, this is Ravenel Hayes. She’s our new roommate.”

They all turn to me and I can see them taking me in. I’m glad I took the extra time to get ready tonight.

“Fuck,” this comes from Mohawk guy.

“Shit,” this comes from Sleeves guy.

“Son of a bitch,” this comes from Piercings guy.

I start to feel self-conscious. I look down to make sure I’m covered.

Ella snaps her fingers and everyone breaks staring at me to look at her.

“You really should introduce yourselves before you mentally undress her.”

Each of them reaches out a hand to shake mine.

“Blake.” Mohawk.

“Cooper.” Sleeves.

“Nate.” Piercings.

“Nice to meet you. Please call me Raven.”

Blake speaks first, “Raven, please tell me you like tattooed rockers and extreme pleasure.”

Declan approaches us from behind. “Step back, shithead.”

There’s a crack in the air. Everyone swings their heads between Declan and me and I notice that the blond bunny has followed him to our group. She is desperately trying to get a hold of his hand, but he’s ignoring her.

Cooper replies, “Dec, what’s your deal?”

Blond Bunny speaks up next, “Yeah, Dec, what the fuck is going on? I thought we were going to the back for a few minutes before the show. I have something for you.”

I watch as she rubs into him, runs her hand across his chest, and licks his ear. I throw up in my mouth. She intends to fuck him in the backroom before the show. I feel a thud in my chest.

“Shit, Sami, get the fuck off me. Don’t you see my sisters standing here? Are you fucking crazy?” Declan glowers at her.

She steps back slightly embarrassed and then her eyes land on me.

“Who are you?”

I decide to be the bigger person here, “I’m Ravenel. I’m a friend of Abbi, Ella, and Declan.”

She’s bitter. “I’ve never seen you before. How do you know Declan?”

I’m not about to get into a bitch-slap-down with this skank so I politely decline to answer. Instead, I look back at the girls. “Y’all want to head back to the table? We’ve got people waiting on us.”

Both of them nod and start to walk away. I wave to the band and turn to leave. There are a few whistles behind me and I slightly smile to myself. I’m almost out the door when Declan tells Sami to get the hell off him again. Then I hear ‘
Sparkle’
, but I keep walking.

When we get back to the table, I notice that a few other guys I didn’t know had joined our friends, but Finn had saved my seat next to him. After our drinks are delivered, Finn and I go play pool in the back of the bar. Jimi and Tripp join us and before I know it, we’re in an intense competition. Finn and I are leading by one game, but I know Jimi is about to go double or nothing. The winning pot is only about fifteen dollars, but it’s the bragging rights he wants. Our drinks are flowing and after the fourth game, we’ve moved to shots. I’m feeling awesome.

All of the lights suddenly dim and Sayge hits the stage. I see Declan first and he’s looking around. His eyes find mine in the crowd and it looks like he’s trying to say something. I’m not sure, but I think he mouths
I’m Sorry
to me. I shrug and go back to my game. I’m not really mad at him, but it wasn’t the reception I was hoping for when he invited me tonight. I decide not to dwell on it and instead get drunk and enjoy the night.

Sayge is awesome. After Finn and I beat Jimi and Tripp, we go back to our group and proceed to party. At last call, we pay our bill and get ready to go home. As we all pile out to our cars, I see Jimi kiss Abbi on the cheek. We all hug goodnight and Finn promises to call tomorrow. I never saw Declan after the show. I guess Sami had something for him after all.

Chapter 10

Give Me a Chance

Three weeks have gone by since the night at The Steamroom. I haven’t seen or heard from Declan at all. I’ve fallen into a routine with school and I’ve been so busy that I only think about him at night when I lay down. It’s silly, really. We shared a few kisses and a promise to get to know each other. He wasn’t my boyfriend or even my friend, but I still ache for him. The girls haven’t mentioned him, but I know they talk to him often. They invited me to go back to The Steamroom for a Sayge show tonight, but I declined. They know I don’t have class tomorrow, but they nodded as if they understood.

Instead of staying in the house and sulking, I went out with Finn and Gabe. We found a little hole in the wall on Broadway and I danced until I was drenched in sweat.

Now it’s almost 2:30 in the morning and the guys are dropping me off at home. I’m going straight to the shower and then bed.

As I walk through the house, I don’t expect Declan to be in the kitchen drinking a beer. I try to act unaffected by him, so I grab a bottle of water and turn towards my room. I wave to him and retreat.

When I get to the edge of the kitchen, he says, “Sparkle, please talk to me.”

“Okay, what do you want me to say?”

“You could start with telling me why you look like you’ve been hit with a water hose?”

“I went dancing with Finn and Gabe. I’m headed to the shower now. Do you have your key, or do you want me to lock up after you?”

“I have my key; I let myself in once I knew the girls went to bed. I talked to Abbi and she said you were out.”

“So if they’re asleep, why did you come by?”

“To talk to you. Why didn’t you come to The Steamroom tonight?”

“I had plans with the guys and I wanted to dance. “

“You can dance at The Steamroom.”

I remain silent.

“Raven, are you avoiding me?”

“Not at all, I’m just busy. School started and I’m working on a project with my mom for a local charity. I have tomorrow off so I went out tonight. No big deal.”

“I haven’t heard from you in weeks and I begged my sisters to get you there tonight. Then they show up and tell me you didn’t want to come. The last time I saw you, I thought I was taking you home and we were going to talk. What the fuck?”

“What the fuck? You want to know what the fuck? I come to your show after you practically beg me. Then I show up and some bleach blonde Band Bunny is all over you. Then she practically fucks you in front of me and you don’t even push her off. I’m there the whole night and I never saw you again. And just to let you know, you haven’t contacted me in three weeks.”

I’m practically seething by this point. Who does he think he is? I don’t have a lot of experience, but I know I’m not putting up with this shit. I lived with Robbie, Finn, Max, and tons of other alpha males all throughout my life. Declan Collins is not going to walk all over me and now is the time to let him know that.

“Are you fucking Finn?”

“Are you kidding me? No!”

“Are you fucking Gabe, Tripp, Jimi, or anyone else?”

You have got to be kidding me! I’m going to explode. How dare he?

“Are you fucking Sami?”

He stares at me. His jaw is locked and his eyes are intense. He keeps up the stare down until I think he’s not going to answer me.

“I was, not now.”

Well, at least I know. It doesn’t hurt any less, but at least I know.

He slugs back half of his beer, “Your turn, which one are you fucking? I saw you dancing at The Steamroom. I’ve seen how guys size you up. Those guys may say they’re your friends, but I bet they’re jacking off to you.”

I thought I could do this with class, but he just pissed me off beyond belief. I’m not sure why I do it, but it’s now or never.

I walk right over and get in his face, “No Declan, I’m not fucking them because I am not fucking anyone. Never have. And those guys are not jacking off to me because that would go against the code. My brother would kill them. I’ve been off limits since I was six years old. So you can kiss my ass.”

I turn and walk to my room without another glance at him.

*****

The next day is uneventful and I decide to have a movie marathon tonight. It’s Abbi and Ella’s night with their dad and Finn’s going out with some guys.

Since I walked out on Declan last night, I haven’t been able to think of anything else. I can’t quite understand why he’s gotten under my skin. I’m pretty tough when it comes to guys. I’ve had a few boyfriends, but no one has ever ignited me like he does. When I think back to the few kisses and words we shared, I feel ridiculous. Even his sisters warned me that he’s not relationship material. What was I thinking when I went to his show? Just because he invited me, didn’t mean he meant anything by it. I’m an idiot.

Now Declan knows I’m a virgin and probably thinks I’m some inexperienced girl that can’t get laid. I’ve remained a virgin by my own choice. I believe in the whole romance and relationship thing. I will not make a fool of myself anymore. When he’s around, I’ll make myself scarce and act like nothing ever happened. Maybe Abbi and Ella will go with me tomorrow to have drinks and then we can see if Damon is working.