Toxic (Addiction #1) (19 page)

“Oh, good.” She felt herself flush.
 

“Care to elaborate?”

“Not really.”

He nodded his head as he looked around.
 

Damn this was awkward.
 

“Maisy, come on,” Pete said, while waving her toward a room in the back. Kaid and Willow were already walking away.
 

“Okay,” she said while getting off her chair and walking past Rook. He grabbed her arm and turned her around so quickly she lost her balance and had to catch herself on his chest. She stood up quickly and brushed off her skirt; she had no clue why, it just seemed like the right thing to do at the moment.
 

“Go out with me tonight.”

“Excuse me?” If it was ladylike, Maisy would have cleaned her ear out with her finger, cupped her ear and tilted her head toward Rook so she could hear him better, but she restrained herself.
 

“We have an off night and I want to take you out.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. The media…”

“Won’t be involved,” Rook finished for her. “I don’t plan on going very far. Say yes.” His soulful blue eyes pleaded with her and she knew there was no way in hell she would be able to deny him tonight.
 

“I…”

“Great. I’ll grab you from your bus around eight.” He quickly pecked her cheek, squeezed her hand, and walked away.
 

Did she say yes? She didn’t remember actually saying yes, but then again she had been talking a lot in her head, so maybe what she thought she said in her head actually slipped out from her lips. Well whatever the hell had happened, she was now going on a date with Rook Tyler.
 

She felt like she was going to be sick.
 

***

“There he is,” Cruz said, while clapping as Rook walked onto the tour bus. “The brooding drunk is now the lovesick puppy.”

“Fuck off, Cruz.”

“It’ll never work out.”

Rook stopped in his tracks and turned to face the arrogant pest.
 

“Why the fuck not?” Whoa, he just sounded like a petulant child asking why he couldn’t go over to little Timmy Tom Tom’s house. He removed his hands from where Cruz was sitting and stood casually against the cabinets in the bus, reminding himself that he did, in fact, still have his self-respect intact.
 

“First of all, she’s too good for you, that’s obvious. Second of all, you’re too intense for her. She needs someone fun-loving like me. You’re only going to take her down with you and the bullshit life you have and, once you do, I’ll be there to swoop in and pick up the pieces.”

Rook didn’t know what propelled him forward first. Was it the fact that he wanted to take out his anger over knowing Maisy was too good for him on someone else or that Cruz hit a sore spot about Rook’s pathetic excuse for a life? Whatever it was, he found himself with his fist cocked and a straight shot to Cruz’s jaw.
 

Rook’s fist connected with Cruz’s face and a sharp pain exploded up his arm. It felt surprisingly good. Cruz laughed as he picked himself up from being blown over. His face instantly started to swell, but he wasn’t mad; instead he was smiling like an idiot.
 

“Damn, that felt good. I haven’t seen you this alive in a while.” Cruz patted Rook’s cheek. “Good to have you back, brother. I was worried I was losing you there for a second.”

“You sick fuck.” Rook should have seen it coming, but he was too blind with rage to look past Cruz’s typical instigating to get a rise out of Rook. “Why do you get pleasure out of me punching your smug face?”

“I get pleasure in seeing you come alive again. You’ve been dead for a while and I was starting to get worried. Only took a little meddling and instigating to get you going again. Although, I must say, you took longer than I expected.”

“You mean to tell me, you’ve been fucking around with Maisy to get a rise out of me?”

Rook was about to use Cruz’s crotch as a punching bag in two seconds.
 

“No, you getting upset over my intentions to get with Maisy only made the situation that much better.”

“What do you mean, ‘get with her’?”

“Dude, I’m not blind. She’s hot as hell and, all I have to say is, let the best man win.”

“Leave her alone,” Rook warned.
 

“All’s fair in love and sex my friend. Good luck. Hope your dick’s up for the challenge because mine is ready to bury itself into that sweet pussy of hers.”

Rook started to go after Cruz, but he sprinted out of the bus, laughing, before Rook could wrap his hands around his friend’s neck.
 

Bastard.
 

Hell if Rook was going to let Cruz get anywhere near Maisy’s nether regions. The man was a pain in his ass. Whether Cruz was actually interested in Maisy or just wanted to bug the crap out of Rook, he was not going to let Cruz get to Maisy. Maisy was his and he was going to make sure of it tonight when they went on their first date.
 

***

Maisy sat outside of her tour bus, leaning up against a tire as she waited for Rook to pick her up. Kaid and Willow were in the bus playing Mario Kart and being a little too loud for Maisy’s liking, so she told them she would be back later and sat outside to look up at the stars.
 

They were at a location where they had sleeping arrangements at one of the studios, but Twisted Perfection decided to stay in their bus so they could get used to the accommodations. Maisy knew that Quinn and Grey took advantage of the extra provided sleeping arrangements and so did Cruz and Landon. Rook, she had no clue what he wanted, but that was usually the case anyway.
 

She wasn’t dressed up, she didn’t feel like it. She wore a short pair of light blue cotton shorts, a white t-shirt, and her hair was thrown up in a bun. She wore UGG’s on her feet, knowing she was breaking all the fashion rules in the world but at the moment, she didn’t care. She just hoped Quinn was retired for the night because she knew Quinn would rip her boots off and burn them in a fire of fashion protest.
 

She would be lying to herself if she said she wasn’t nervous. She couldn’t seem to get any food down her throat earlier because she was so nervous. Kaid was concerned and made her eat at least half a sandwich. It made Maisy hate him the entire time she was eating, but she knew he was just looking out for her, like he always did.
 

A shadow in the dark walked toward her, but she didn’t fear it was a stranger who was going to abduct her, because she could point out that silhouette anywhere. It was Rook Tyler.
 

As his face came into the light, Maisy couldn’t help but sigh. His face was so hard at times with a layer of scruff caressing his face, but then when he looked at her, his face was different; it was soft and endearing, almost as if she actually had an effect on him.
 

Looking him up and down, she came to the conclusion that it should be illegal for a man to be that good looking; it wasn’t fair to her. She thought about giving him a citation for being so hot, but she knew that would only boost his ego.
 

“Hey, boo.”

“Hey, ace,” she responded, without even thinking.

He leaned out his hand to help her up and she reluctantly accepted. She didn’t want to be swept up into his life, but her body wasn’t resisting. Her mind was screaming no, but her body was being controlled by her soul and her soul wanted Rook.
 

He entwined their fingers together and walked her toward his tour bus. The feel of his palm pressed against hers was hot but comforting, something she never thought she would feel while in Rook’s presence. All she usually felt around Rook was angst, embarrassment, and stupidity.

He slowly rubbed his thumb across the top of her hand as he walked her to the back of his bus. He stopped in front of the ladder that was hanging off the back of the bus and nodded for her to go up. Pure curiosity propelled her body up the vertical climb.
 

When she reached the top, she saw that he had laid out a blanket, some pillows and his guitar next to a couple of sodas and a box of Skittles. Maisy smiled to herself at his innocent gesture. She felt him wrap his arms around her waist as he pressed against her back.
 

He leaned down and whispered in her ear, “Star gaze with me?”

She nodded her head in agreement, not being able to form the words to say yes.
 

He led her over to the blanket and helped her down. She sat cross-legged on a pillow and watched as he leaned down and stretched out along the blanket, leaning on an elbow and propping himself up so he could look at her.
 

He was incredibly close to her, so close she could feel the heat coming from his body, which only warmed her on the chilly night that was before them.
 

His hand stretched out to hers, entwining their fingers once again.
 

“When I’m near you, I will always be touching you. I can’t help myself and I refuse to deny myself the pleasure of holding your hand.”

Maisy gulped and just nodded. This was all too much for her. Her resolve to separate herself from Rook was slowly dissolving with every stroke of his thumb across the back of her hand. She was losing a losing battle and, sooner or later, she was just going to have to give into temptation because at the moment, she couldn’t think of one reason she shouldn’t.
 

“Lean back with me,” he said while pulling her down so she rested her head on his arm. His hand still wrapped around her, so now they were holding hands up by her shoulder. He snuggled her close to his side so there was not an inch to spare between them.
 

“Better,” he said into her hair, as he kissed her above her ear, sending goose bumps across her body.
 

“Have you ever been to Denver before?” he asked, while continuing to stroke her hand.

“No.” Her voice was a bit harsh since it was the first time she had spoken since he arrived. “I’ve never left Los Angeles until the tour.”

“For real?”

“Yeah, you don’t get to go many places when you’re being tossed around to different foster homes because no one wants a rape victim to take care of.”
 

Maisy cursed herself the minute the words slipped from her mouth. She didn’t want to air out her dirty laundry, especially in front of Rook. She knew he had a rough life, but hers was shameful.

Rook sat up and hovered over Maisy as he looked into her eyes with concern.
 

“Rape victim? Who the hell raped you?”

“My dad.”

“Your what…” Rook shouted but then caught himself and lowered his voice.

“Let’s change the subject,” she suggested.

“Jesus, I didn’t know, I just thought…when you told me earlier…Maisy, I’m sorry.”

“Not your fault.” She shrugged.
 

He lifted her chin up and said, “Not yours either, boo.”

She shook her head in disgust. “Who lets their father touch them?”

“Don’t. Don’t you dare blame yourself for that selfish, sick bastard’s shortcomings. He was your dad; he was supposed to take care of you. That was his job and he failed; he was the one who failed you. You hear me?”

Maisy just nodded, but continued to look at the stars as a tear escaped her eye. She quickly wiped it away, but Rook had already seen it. He guided her tear soaked finger toward his mouth and kissed it ever so gently.
 

He laid back down and pulled her even closer into his side, so now her head rested on his chest. In that instant, she felt at home, more at home than she did on the pillowcase her mom left her. It was almost a disturbing feeling how right she felt in Rook’s arms.
 

“What do you see?” She felt his chest rise and fall from his deep breathing.
 

“What do you mean?” she asked, while drawing circles on his chest with her fingertip.
 

He cleared his throat and answered her. “In the stars, did you ever make your own constellations?”

“No. I never really looked at the stars all that much. Smog and all,” she giggled.
 

“Well, take a look. What do you see? I used to lay outside while my dad was coked up and my mom was nowhere to be found. I would make up my own constellations and give them cheese dick names like Captain Ham of the Pig Brigade.”

Maisy burst out in laughter. “Captain Ham of the Pig Brigade? What the hell kind of star formation is that?”

He chuckled to himself and shook his head. “I have no clue and don’t ask me to point it out because I can’t remember shit.”

They laughed together as they continued to look at the stars. She was having so much fun as she lay in silence with Rook, just gazing up at the stars. It was reassuring to know that in the hectic life that she had been blessed with, she could still have a moment like the one she was having with Rook, to stop and just stare at the stars.