A Time to Move On (13 page)

“The guitar on the wall was the
guitar I learned to play with,” Mack said.

“You play guitar… of course you
do.”

“I do it all, sweetheart,” Mack
said. He looked down at Laura and smiled. “All…”

Laura blushed and shook her head.
“You’re going to hold the other night over me, aren’t you?”

“What? You didn’t brag to your
sister about that yet? You realize you have the ultimate jealousy card? You
slept with one of her favorite rockstars.”

“I can’t tell Steph that,” Laura
said.

“What? Why not?”

“I don’t know. She has her own
little happy world and I feel bad when I collide into it. You know? She and
Jeff and happily married. They have two kids. Hannah is just a baby. So sweet
and cute. Jeff works in business and investments. Steph used to be a nurse but
now she stays at home. That’s their life.”

“What does that have to do with
sleeping with me?” Mack asked.

Laura looked up at him. “I don’t know.
Okay? She worries about me so much. She was pissed off when I showed up on the
back of your motorcycle.”

“So I’m the bad boy that your
'mother' doesn't want you to date?”

“Something like that,” Laura said.
“She was all I had growing up.”

“I know the feeling. You at least
had someone. I was on my own.”

“Really?”

“Which is why…” Mack stepped
forward, swallowing hard, wondering if he should be going down this road with
Laura. He put a hand to an old stacked drum kit. “Which is why these drums mean
so much to me.”

“Why?”

“They were my first set. I managed
to keep them and here they are. They were all I had for a long time, Laura. I
had this and I had the band. Look where it got me.”

“Did your parents hate the sound?”

“They weren’t around to hear it,”
Mack said. “I lived in garages and sheds. I had one good year when I lived in a
friend’s basement, but I had no drums to play. So I would sleep there when it
was cold and then I’d go back to my little shack to play drums.”

“Never a place to call your own,”
Laura said.

“Hence the nice house in a good
neighborhood.”

“Maybe your deepest desires are
what made you buy this house.”

“Deepest desires?” Mack asked. “I'm
looking at my deepest desires.”

Laura's eyes searched his eyes,
back and forth. Mack couldn’t believe what he had just said. But it was out
there and it was the truth. From the second he saw Laura on the side of the
road, sitting on the hood of her car, things changed in his life. And now she
was in his house. And he wasn’t going to let her leave tonight.

No way.

(13)

Laura let the comment sink in. Even
after the intensely romantic moment was gone, Laura continued to stare at Mack.
They drank a little more and Mack ordered pizza. Somehow having beer and pizza
with a rockstar in his house felt normal. Laura felt so comfortable with him.
He didn’t judge her and when he asked questions, he asked them with a sense of
care and honesty that it made it almost impossible not to answer.

There were a few times when Laura
came close to talking about her broken past. But the moments seemed to come and
go, Mack constantly on the move around the house, talking about the band, the
tour, the songs, everything.

“Hey, want to hear something?” Mack
asked. He took the last bite of a piece of pizza and dropped the crust in the
open box.

“Sure,” Laura said.

“Follow me then.”

Mack took Laura into the large
living room. He pulled out a laptop and opened it. Laura giggled when he typed
on the keyboard with just his pointer fingers, showing that technology wasn’t
his strength. Mack looked awkward being such a big, tough guy lumbering over a
computer screen, trying to figure out how to work it.

“Here,” he said. “I have the album
loaded. Nobody is supposed to hear this though. This is a big deal.”

“A sneak peek, huh?”

“Yep. Now you can tell your sister
that you slept with me
and
heard our new album before it was even
released.” He winked, then double clicked and sat back.

The speakers on the laptop were
small and didn’t give much sound. Laura leaned forward and listened to the
music. It sounded amazing. Within a few seconds, she caught herself bobbing her
head with the opening riff.

“Damn, it’s too quiet,” Mack said.
“Here, hold on. Let me figure something out.”

Mack walked to his TV stand and
opened it. He pressed a button on a black box and then started to mess around
with other buttons on it, cursing under his breath. He stole the laptop from
Laura and closed it. The music ended.

“Hey, I was listening to that,”
Laura said.

She looked up at Mack and realized
the position she was in. Mack reached down and ran two fingers through Laura’s
hair.

“You’re pretty when you get mad,”
he said. “I have another way to listen to the album. Give me a minute, okay?”

Laura nodded.

Mack got his phone and after a few
more curse words, the music was back on and it blared through a set of speakers
all around the living room.

“That’s better,” he said, putting
the phone down.

Laura sat back on the couch and
lost herself in the music. Sitting next to Mack, listening to the new Fallen
Tuesday album was strangely exciting. Laura wished she knew more about the
music, and how it was created, so she could have more of an input to give Mack.

The album was like an intense
journey. The opening song was loud and heavy. The second and third songs had
really catchy riffs and the drums gave her goosebumps. She felt like the thuds
were coming from within her.

Then came the fourth song on the
album. A slower song that opened with an acoustic riff. It was calm and quiet
as Luke’s powerful voice came in to sing. By the chorus, it sounded like the
entire band was singing, which was exactly what was happening.

When the song ended, Laura looked
at Mack. “Are there any more slow ones?”

“Yeah,” Mack said. “We have a few
on this one. Gray’s girlfriend actually helped on one. It was pretty cool.”

“Wow, musician's girlfriend. That’s
cool.” Laura suddenly felt uncomfortable. “I, uh, have no musical talent.”

“And that's an issue, because...?”

“I don’t know,” Laura said. “I’m
just not… I don’t have much to offer the world.”

“You think everyone is a musician?”
Mack laughed. “Luke’s girl, Amy, owns a restaurant and a bakery. Gray’s girlfriend,
yeah, she’s a musician. But Trent’s girlfriend… she owns a fitness place and
she raises her nephew, Nick. We bust on Trent and call him
Dad
. And Jake’s
girlfriend, she’s not a musician, but she is an artist. She actually designed
the album cover for us.”

“That’s amazing,” Laura said. “And
here I am… with nothing.”

“Don’t say that, Laura. I’m sure you
have your own talents or hobbies.”

“A dozen jobs with nothing to
show.”

“You have stories, sweetheart,”
Mack said. He touched Laura’s face. “Stories are the essence of life. You could
probably talk for hours, Laura. And everything you say would be amazing to me.”

Laura swallowed hard. “I’m not that
interesting anymore.”

“I’m sure you had something at some
point,” Mack said.

Laura did have something at some
point. She had a guy who never loved her. She had a pregnancy she fought to
keep. Then she had a daughter and struggled to force a relationship that would
never come. And then it was all gone.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Mack asked.

Laura blinked fast and realized she
was on the verge of crying. She quickly covered her face with her hands.
“Sorry. Nothing. I hate thinking about things. If you want to know, the reason I'm
able to survive without working all the time is because I actually know a thing
or two about investing. In fact, I was the reason Steph met Jeff.”

“Steph and Jeff,” Mack said.
“Sounds romantic.”

“Ease up…
Chase
…”

Mack gritted his teeth. “Careful
with that name. Nobody calls me by my real name.”

Laura smiled.

In the background, the album played
on. It was one incredible song after another. The kind of album that could play
over and over and never get old. The kind of album that would continue to sell
millions of copies for years to come.

“Tell me about your sister,” Mack
said. “Steph and Jeff.”

“Oh, that. I was working at an
investment company. Jeff was my co-worker. He and I had nothing, obviously. But
the second Steph met him… you could actually see the instant connection. It was
crazy."

“You left that job? Why?”

“They wanted to promote me…"

Laura hated talking about it. She
had been in a great position with the company. She made a great salary and was
on the verge of moving up to a position that would have guaranteed her an easy
path to making seven figures a year. But the workload and the amount of
commitment terrified her.

“So you quit,” Mack said.

“I quit,” Laura said. “Jeff left
too, but he had better reasons. He was married to my sister and they were
expecting their first child. He wanted something less demanding so he could spend
more time at home.”

“What about you?”

“I did my own thing. My investment
background has paid off so far.”

“So I’m sitting here with a
business genius,” Mack said. “And you’re intimidated by me? I play drums. I can
barely work a laptop. You’re smart, Laura.”

“Trust me, I’m not.”

Mack shook his head. “We’re going
to break each other, aren’t we?”

It was one of the most honest and
heartfelt questions Laura had to face in a long time. She caught herself
nodding, not needing to respond with her voice. Mack inched his way closer to
her. His arm went around her and he pulled her close.

“Are you okay with being broken?”
he asked.

“I’ve been broken for a long time,
Mack. At least now someone will help me clean up the pieces."

“That’s exactly how I feel.”

Their lips fluttered together,
gently with a touch of passion. Laura touched Mack’s face and then slowly
offered her tongue, tasting his lips. Mack's right hand slipped up from her
waist to her chest, over her shirt. Laura sighed as she kissed Mack.

It was a short lived kiss as Laura
pulled away. When she looked into Mack’s eyes she hated herself for stopping
the kiss.

“Ever think you’d be making out
with someone while listening to your own music?” Laura asked.

Mack grinned but didn’t respond.

“You’ve done it before then,” Laura
rolled her eyes. “Of course you have.”

“If it counts for anything, I’ve
never made out with someone as beautiful as you while listening to my own music…”

“Good save.”

The current song ended and Mack
turned his head. “This is the last song. Real deep and slow. We all played
guitar on this one."

“Play it then,” Laura said.

“What?”

Laura slid Mack's hand away from her
chest. She tingled all over, wanting him to touch her again. But first, she
wanted to watch him play guitar. Wasn’t it every sane woman's fantasy to have a
man play guitar for them?

“Play the song for me. Please.”

Mack moved to the edge of the couch
and then stood up. He walked into the music room and grabbed a guitar. He came
back and then sat on a chair. For as hot as he looked behind a drum kit,
playing, he looked even hotter with a guitar.

It took Mack just a few seconds to pick
up with the song playing on the album. Mack played it flawlessly, and the song
was beautiful. It was such a powerful song. Laura found herself sitting on the
edge of the couch and by the end of the song, she had her hands to her face.
The lyrics cut through her in a way a song never did before.

W
h
ere are you now?
I can’t hear the sound. The falling… all around…

Laura's mind was transported back
to the day it all happened. The day she lost her life as she knew it. The phone
call from the police and rushing to get to the hospital. Trying to avoiding
seeing where
it
happened. Getting to the hospital and seeing Jon in a
hospital bed. Then getting the news that
she
was gone. That
baby Ella
was gone.

Laura closed her eyes and put her
head down. The song faded out on the album but Mack kept strumming the chords.
Laura tried hard to fight back her emotions, but the battle was too great. The
guitar playing stopped and Laura waited to hear the standard questions.

What’s wrong? Don’t cry. Please
don’t get upset. What can I do?

Instead, Laura felt Mack sit down
next to her. A hand touched her back. A big, strong hand. It moved up and down.
The touch was soothing, but it brought out even more emotions. She let the
tears flow and turned just as Mack started to hug her. He leaned back  and
pulled Laura with him.

He held her tight as he stroked her
hair.

“I get it, sweetheart,” he
whispered. “Don’t say a word, okay? Just let it all out.”

Those were the exact words Laura
had been waiting to hear for such a long time. But it wasn't Mack's problem to
deal with and she didn't want him wasting the little free time he had consoling
her when he had so much more to think about.

Laura pushed away from Mack and
hurried to stand. She shook her head and wiped her face. “I better leave. I’m
sorry, Mack.”

Mack grabbed her arm. Laura turned
around.

“Why? Why are you leaving?”

“This is insane,” Laura said. “Look
at me. I’m a mess over a song. I can't even handle my issues, so I don't expect
you to be burdened by them. You're a wonderful man, Mack, and I hope you find
peace with whatever it is that you can't get past."

Laura tried to break away but Mack
didn’t allow it. “Are you serious right now? You’re not bailing on me, Laura.
Hell no. I need you right here, right now.”

“Look at me.” Laura said shaking
her head as she stared down at Mack.

“I’m looking. I’m looking at
someone who somehow makes all the wrong feel right. I’m looking at someone
who’s on the verge of changing my life in a way that all the money and success
in the world couldn't.

Mack opened his hand and moved it
to Laura’s waist. He gently lifted Laura’s shirt and came forward, pressing his
lips to her stomach. His kiss sent a fire through Laura’s body. She put her
head back and tried to control her breathing. But Mack’s tongue was too wild
for her control. He was smooth and fast, his kisses tracing down her belly to
her pants. He slowly opened her pants. He pulled at the top of her panties, his
lips and tongue right there, testing forbidden places.

He pulled Laura onto him on the
couch. She straddled his lap and rested her hands on his shoulders. She could
feel the coolness of tears on her face. Mack reached up and wiped them away.

“You can cry in front of me anytime
you need,” Mack said. “I’ll never question it and I’ll never let you run away.”

“It was a good song, that’s all,”
Laura said.

“Sure. If you say so.”

Mack came up and pulled Laura.
Their mouths were then together, kissing fast and hot. Mack slid his hands into
the back of Laura’s pants and panties, commanding them off with his strong
touch. She had to stand up in order to kick her way out. As she stood, she
watched Mack reach into his pocket and pull out protection. There was just
something badass and sexy about the fact that he had kept that in pocket
because he wanted her.

Laura started to reach for Mack but
he pulled her back on top of him.

“No, sweetheart,” he whispered.
“This is all me. Me to you.”

They kissed again and Laura felt
Mack reach down between her legs. He wasn't there to touch her though. He was
there to open his jeans and sheath himself. His hands then touched her ass,
grazing her gently, making her shiver with excitement.

Mack lowered Laura down and he
slowly entered her. It was even better than the first time they came together.
Being on top of Mack made it so Laura had no option but to accept all of him. She
clamped her hands on his shoulders and started to move. Mack's hands guided her
up and down. The living room was silent with the exception of their heavy
breathing. Laura rode Mack as she stared down at him. She opened her mouth a
few times, wanting to say something sexy, but only shaky breaths and sighs escaped.
The pleasure was too great to speak. Her body and its needs took precedent over
everything.