Chase the Road (A Brothers of Rock - GONE BY AUTUMN - Novel) (8 page)

She was playing coy. And she was
being real snotty at it, too. Blake couldn't fault her though. All he wanted
for her was to be happy
…

Then tell her that.

“
I
just want you to be happy,
”
Blake said.
“
That
’
s it. Whatever it is. If it
’
s here on the road with the
band, then be out here. If it
’
s
there, wherever you are, with someone else, then be there. That
’
s all I have to say.
”

“
And
what if I wanted something like both?
”
Maya asked.

“
What
does that mean?
”

“
I
don
’
t know, Blake.
”

“
Fair
enough. Then just answer one thing. Are you happy?
”

Silence.

Fucking silence.

The silence was intense.

“
Wow,
”
Blake whispered.
“
That
’
s what I get. Nothing.
”

“
That
’
s what you
’
ve been giving me for years.
”

Ouch.

“
I
’
m sorry I called then. If I woke
you. Woke your boyfriend.
”

“
You
’
re an asshole, Blake.
”

“
Goodnight,
Maya. I
…
I miss you
…”

“
I
miss you, too.
”

And the call went dead.

Just like that.

At one in the morning.

Blake dropped the phone. He made
fists and gritted his teeth. He hated the idea that Maya was in bed with
another man. Sleeping or something else, it all bothered him. Yet at the same
time, Blake knew his crutch for his pain and jealousy was booze and sex.

Both of which he would take
advantage of right now.

He spun around and was surprised to
see the woman standing there. Fully dressed.

“
Hey,
”
Blake said.
“
What are you doing?
”

“
Going
home,
”
she said.

“
Why?
”

“
I
’
m
…
good.
”

“
You
’
re good? What the fuck does that
mean, sweetheart?
”

“
It
means what it means,
”
the
woman said. She started to walk and stopped next to Blake.
“
For the record, I
’
m a huge fan of the band. You
’
re the hottest drummer I
’
ve ever seen. And you
’
re amazing in bed.
”

“
So
then name the reason you
’
re
actually leaving.
”

“
Because
whoever you were just on the phone with deserves you. All of you. And you
deserve all of her. So figure that out, Blake. Stop sleeping around like a
cliche rockstar and go for her if you love her.
”

The woman walked off the tour bus.
Blake looked forward and grabbed a bottle of whiskey and slammed it off the
table, shattering the bottle. He stood there, now completely alone, pissed off
that some groupie dealt out some really good and really heartbreaking advice.

Yeah, he missed Maya.

And, yeah, he loved her.

Then do something
…
and soon
…

*

“
Everything
okay?
”

Maya forced herself to swallow the
lump in her throat and smile at Hunter. She got back on the couch, cuddled up
next to him, and reached for her glass of wine.

She hated drinking wine. But she
sipped it anyway, hating the way it made her mouth, tongue, and lips so dry.

“
Yeah,
”
Maya said.
“
Just wanted to tell me about the
show.
”

Hunter looked down at Maya.
“
They can
’
t function without you, can they?
”

“
Something
like that.
”

“
I
always knew you were special.
”
Hunter kissed her forehead.
“
So
special, Maya. I love you.
”

Maya sipped her wine. She didn
’
t respond. Yet Hunter stared
down at her.

“
I
’
m getting tired,
”
she whispered.
“
Your hours are crazier than what
I
’
m even used to.
”

“
I
’
m sorry about that,
”
Hunter said.
“
It
’
ll
cool down eventually. Don
’
t
forget, I
’
m flying to
London in a couple days. My offer still stands for you to come.
”

Maya grinned.
“
I
’
ve
never been to London before.
”

And any normal, sane woman would
kill to go to London with a guy like Hunter, right? Handsome. Becoming wealthy.
Hardworking.

But it wasn
’
t just that.

He wasn
’
t the same
…
the same that Maya had always wanted. In the bedroom, out of the bedroom,
everything. It was all different. Not that he wasn
’
t a good guy
…

“
I
take it you
’
re not going to
come?
”
Hunter asked.

“
I
can
’
t,
”
Maya said.
“
I can
’
t just pack up and go like that. Not with the way
the tour is moving through.
”

“
Then
can you at least do something else for me?
”

“
What?
”

“
Call
your leasing place and give notice.
”

“
What?
”

Hunter nodded.
“
Why are we living in two places?
You
’
re always here.
”

“
You
never come to my place.
”

“
My
place is bigger,
”
Hunter
said.
“
Nicer. Quieter.
”

“
I
like my apartment.
”

“
Of
course you do,
”
Hunter
said.

Maya hated this part of the
conversation. When he didn
’
t
get his way, he
’
d backtrack,
agree, then start twisting until he got what he wanted. If it worked for his
business, good for him, but it didn
’
t
mean it would work here.

“
But
you should be here all the time,
”
Hunter said.

“
That
’
s your way of asking me to move
in?
”

“
It
’
s my way of offering you,
”
Hunter said.
“
Not asking, because I don
’
t want you to feel forced or
that you have to say yes. Just putting it out there. I
’
ll be gone. So you can move in and figure
everything out.
”

“
Where
would I put all my stuff?
”
Maya asked with a smile.

“
Well,
you know I
’
m partner in a storage
company. So I can get a unit anytime I want.
”

“
So
I don
’
t move my stuff in
here?
”

“
My
place is furnished and looks good, doesn
’
t
it?
”

Maya swallowed another lump. She
then moved away from Hunter and put her wine glass down.

“
I
think I
’
m going to go to
bed.
”

“
Are
you okay?
”

Maya looked at Hunter and nodded.
It was a blatant lie, leaving Maya wondering how many lies she had told Hunter so
far in their relationship and how many she
’
d
end up telling.

When she curled up in bed, the only
time she truly felt comfortable was when she shut her eyes. But even then
…
it was nothing but memories
swirling around.

(8)

“
I
just want it known to everyone listening to my show right now that I put my ass
on the line for these guys!
”

Everyone in the studio let out a
laugh.

The host - Rockin
’
Rockett Richie - wore a pair of
black sunglasses, had a weathered face thanks to drinking and smoking for
years, but maintained a completely cool kind of vibe as he spun vinyls on his
show, along with new music and old music. Even better, wasn
’
t afraid to stick his neck it
out for a band if he liked them.

Gone by Autumn sat in chairs and
were in the middle of a
morning rush
interview.

“
I
’
m not lying on this one,
”
Rockin
’
Rockett Richie said.
“
I remember getting the demo and fighting to play
the damn thing. Took on the heads of the station and
BAM!
I played it
anyway. Now look at us. Hanging out.
”

“
Thanks
for that,
”
Ryan said.

“
The
fans have been amazing to us,
”
Blake said.

“
Rightfully
so
…
but, guys, what about
the next music?
”

There was the dying question. Just
lingering around.

“
We
’
re writing,
”
Gabe said.
“
Always writing.

Rockin
’
Rockett looked at the band and pulled his mic with
him.
“
Then where is it?
”

“
Soon,
”
Tanner said.

“
Right
now,
”
Blake said.

Now everyone looked at Blake,
surprised.

“
Yeah?
”
Asher asked, as though he was
conducting the interview.

“
We
were piecing something together last night,
”
Blake said.
“
It won't be
much of anything though.
”

“
But
you
’
ll play it?
”
Rockin
’
Rockett asked.

“
We
owe you one,
”
Ryan said.

So the band all grabbed guitars.
The radio shows were always cramped and hard to get used to. They were always
acoustic sets, and while the band played there were a dozen people taking
pictures. People who worked for the station kept rushing around, setting up the
next playlist of music, looking at the time, readying for some commercials. The
rest of the office came to the glass to listen to the band play.

The new song was definitely choppy,
but it had the classic Gone by Autumn sound. It was something Blake had
attempted to write, but when Asher and Tanner grabbed the initial riff, they
turned it into a song. It sounded beautiful on acoustic but would be heavy
played in studio or live with drums.

When the band finished the
new
song, they played their current radio hit.

That was it.

They weren
’
t even scheduled to actually play, but when the
moment was right, it was right. That
’
s
how they always did it.

Rockin
’
Rockett then went into a long speech of the early
days for the band. It was like he was reading it off a sheet of paper, but he
wasn
’
t. Blake wondered if
the guy was just that knowledgable about music and bands, or if he had spent
the early morning studying and memorizing.

When Rockin
’
Rockett stopped talking, someone hit an applause
button. Everyone in the studio laughed as Rockett stood and took a bow. He then
crashed to his seat, grabbed his mic and said,
“
Okay,
that
’
s all I have to say.
Talk about yourselves now, I need a smoke break.
”

“
We
have two
…
no, three more shows,
”
Ryan said.
“
Then we head home. Break for a
minute and then right back on the road.
”

“
Like
rockstars,
”
Rockett said.

“
Of
course,
”
Asher said.
“
No matter what we do, the live
shows and the fans are what it
’
s
all about. That
’
s how we
built all this.
”

“
From
the bars to the big stage, right?
”

“
We
still go to the bars,
”
Blake said.

“
Hell
yeah!
”
Rockett yelled.

Someone hit a sound effect and the
sound of a draft pouring beer echoed for a few seconds.

“
But
let
’
s go back,
”
Rockett said.
“
Take us back to some of those
earlier shows and what it was like
…”

Blake nodded and smiled.

The earlier days. The earlier
shows. Before money, fame
…

Blake felt like the richest guy
in the world.
He lovingly stroked Maya
’
s
soft hair and smelled sleep pouring off her. There was another smell familiar
to Blake, too, and that was what they had done together in this very bed last
night. Well, it started technically during the night and went right into the
morning.

He held Maya tight, never wanting
to let her go. He had no idea what all this meant right now. They didn
’
t talk about it because, well,
when they actually got a second to be alone, it seemed there was another
pressing matter that always took first place. And face it, when they were done
with that, there was no talking. They
’
d
laugh, kiss, flirt, and fall asleep.
Because it was just that damn good.

The best Blake ever had.

Because Maya was the most beautiful
woman he ever met. She was perfect in every possible way. Not just the things
she did in bed, but everything she did for the band. The way she conducted
herself, believed in Blake, and damn, Blake never met someone who could just be
herself and be so damn attractive.

Blake kissed Maya
’
s forehead and thought about
sneaking out of the bed. So he could make breakfast, call for breakfast, or at
the very least, put some coffee on. But Blake didn
’
t want to move. If he did any of what he was
thinking, that would make the morning continue, which meant he and Maya would
have to split up at some point to do different things. The band needed more
songs, more promo, and needed to get more shows. That simply meant Blake would
have to practice writing new songs while Maya went out and got new fans.

The system wasn
’
t perfect, but it was fun and it
was working.

The shows weren
’
t getting bigger by venue, but
fans were starting to follow Gone by Autumn. They sold shirts now, which was
really cool. They sold handmade demos on burned CDs. Everything was backdoor,
living out of the van, but that was all part of the wild journey.

Hell, there had been rumors from
Sam that even a few record companies were starting to sniff around. But that
was going to take more time. The band wouldn
’
t
just jump and sign their lives away. It had to be the right company at the
right time.

Blake playfully pulled at the
covers, bringing them down Maya
’
s
slender shoulder and arm. He stopped at the top of her breasts, putting sight
to the feeling in his chest. Somewhere in the recess of his mind he still
couldn
’
t believe it had
finally happened.

His right hand slowly crept up,
touching her arm. He felt his body already reacting. Never before had a woman
done this to him. Blake was standing tall and hard just from by touching Maya
’
s shoulder. It was crazy. But it
was good. Because next his hand moved down and his fingers grazed the top of
her breast.

“
Haven
’
t you had enough?
”
Maya asked, her eyes shut,
grinning.

“
Never,
”
Blake whispered.
“
I never want to leave this bed.
”

“
Yeah?
Then how are you going to become a rockstar?
”

“
I
already feel like one with you.
”

“
That
’
s sweet.
”

Maya opened her eyes and looked up
at him.

Goddamn
…
how could she be so
beautiful?

Blake went down for a little kiss,
knowing his heart and body were going to demand more. Their lips touched and
Blake
’
s phone started to
ring.

“
No,
”
he growled.

“
They
’
re looking for you already,
”
Maya said and giggled.

She flirted with her nose bumping
against Blake
’
s.

Blake rolled a little, keeping Maya
close, and answered the phone.

“
What
do you want, Asher?
”
Blake
asked.

“
Dude!
Put on the fucking radio right now!
”

“
What?
”

“
We
’
re on the radio, man!
”
The scratchy, echoey sound of a
Gone by Autumn song played through the phone.
“
Hear
that?!
”

“
Asher
…”

Asher rattled off the local rock
station. Blake hung up the phone and sat up. Maya came with him, grabbing the
covers.

“
What
’
s wrong?
”
she asked.

Blake turned on the clock radio
next to the bed. It was already set for the rock station (because why listen to
anything else in life?).

That
’
s
when Blake heard it.

The blaring sound of Asher
’
s guitar. The crunching yell of Tanner
’
s guitar. The smooth bass line
from Gabe. Ryan
’
s voice
coming through the small speakers. And then Blake realized he was hearing
himself. The drums. Bass, snare, cymbal, ride, hi-hats
…

It was all of them.

The band.

Gone by Autumn on the freaking
radio.

Maya popped up on her knees and
held the blankets to her body. Her hair was a mess, but her face was full of
life and light.

“
That
’
s you!
”
she cried out.

“
That
’
s us. All of us. Including you.
”

“
Me?
”

“
Maya,
you helped
…
all of this.
”

Maya jumped at him, straddling him,
the covers still on her body. She put her hands to Blake
’
s shoulders.
“
I
can
’
t believe I
’
m hearing this. Gone by Autumn
on the radio.
”

“
I
can
’
t believe someone as
beautiful as you is right here in my bed. While listening to Gone by Autumn on
the radio.
”

“
Believe
it, rockstar,
”
Maya teased.

“
Well,
if I am a rockstar
…”

Blake slowly pulled the blanket
down Maya
’
s sweet body,
exposing her breasts. His hands came up and cupped her, his thumbs going right
to work, teasing her nipples. He loved how she moaned and jumped when he did
that.

Maya reached for her hair and
pulled it back, keeping her hands and hair up. The sight was like nothing Blake
could have ever imagined. Everything Maya did was a surprise to him. She became
prettier by the day, driving his heart crazy.

His hands eased down her body,
taking the rest of the blankets off Maya. One hand moved around to her back,
the other hand cutting down her soft and smooth skin. Maya moved up a few
inches, allowing Blake to touch her. Two fingers slid along the slick silk of
her body, rubbing her, gently touching her. She was more than ready for more of
him.

Blake pulled the covers off himself
and he gripped his thickness tight, positioning himself to Maya. She let out a
sigh as her eyes burned at him. He thrust up a little, offering himself to
Maya. She moaned and came down on him, easing herself up and down until their
bodies were completely together. Blake ran his hands up her body again and held
her just below her breasts at her ribs. Maya leaned over Blake and let her hair
down. She then put her hands to his shoulders, held tight, and started to lift
and lower herself.

Gone by Autumn blared through the
radio.

Maya was on him, her tender body
fucking amazing.

Blake inhaled the scent of her hair,
her body, their sex. His tongue sought out her chest, her neck, and he didn
’
t settle until he found her
mouth.
From there, they kissed and fucked, long after Gone by Autumn
’
s song finished
playing
on the radio.

“
Blake?
”

Blake shook his head.
“
What?
”