FanGirl Squeal (RockStars of Romance Book 1) (22 page)

“What?” Brittany yelled.

“Let’s go! I’m walking out of this door in ten seconds! If
you want a ride to the airport, come on!”

A few seconds later, Brittany entered the hallway carrying
her laptop bag and an overpacked carry-on. The frown on her face was so severe
that Cash burst out laughing.

“What’s wrong with you?”

Brittany shook her head angrily at her brother. “Why are you
being so mean? You’re the one who suggested I spend the summer in Los Angeles.”

“Three weeks ago,” Cash replied. “I should be picking you up
from the airport instead of dropping you off. It’s 4
^th
of July
weekend.”

Brittany turned up her nose as she searched her carry-on for
her phone. “And I can think of a million other things I’d rather be doing than the
Boston HarborFest and hanging out at Donnie’s.”

“You’ve never complained about it before.”

“No, I’ve complained, dear brother. You just ignored me.”

Cash grabbed his bag and two of Brittany’s. She took the
other two and set the alarm. They walked to the elevator in silence. No matter
what she said, Cash was miffed that she was breaking tradition, but that wasn’t
what was bothering him the most. He’d pretty much resigned himself to the
notion that, at sixteen, Brittany was going to do the opposite of what he
wanted 85% of the time.

What was bothering him was the back-to-back phone calls from
his ex, along with the last voicemail Victoria had left. She knew that he was
going away for the weekend. They’d been together for three and a half years.
She knew his traditions, but she kept calling, kept leaving voicemails, and
kept texting.

“Cash, you have to stop ignoring me. I need to talk to you,”
is what her last voicemail said.

He had no intention of calling Victoria back. He hadn’t been
home in a year and he was looking forward to spending a drama-free weekend with
friends who knew him when he was just Cash, the fun-loving kid from Roxbury,
not Cash Myers the celebrity.

His friends weren’t starstruck and didn’t care that much
about celebrities or their business. They didn’t bat an eye when he showed up
at HarborFest with Victoria for the first time. Occasionally, he needed that in
his life.

Brittany wasn’t aware of Victoria’s incessant attempts at
reaching Cash and he wanted to keep it that way. He’d rather have her think
that he was mad at her. Maybe she’d adjust her attitude if she thought he was
mad enough to close her credit cards.

Traffic to La Guardia was killer. Millions of people were
trying to leave the city for the holiday weekend, but Cash maneuvered through
the sea of cars like a Formula One driver. Brittany never complained about his
driving. She shouldn’t. He’d taught her how to drive and she whipped her hot
pink Mini Cooper through traffic like she was Danika Patrick.

Cash pulled up to the Departures, red faced from dumb
drivers and irritated by the vibrating phone in his pocket. Although he’d
managed to get Brittany to the airport with two hours to spare, she hopped out
of the car before he’d even put the damn thing in park.

“Hold on a sec!” Cash opened his door and hopped out.

He heard the clicking of shutter lenses before he saw three
men snapping pictures as he walked around his Mustang. Paparazzi always hung
out at the airports during holidays. Cash didn’t mind the ones who kept their
distance and didn’t speak. Pictures didn’t bother him because he always looked
good, no matter the angle. One picture of him shirtless at the car wash had
paid one girl’s rent for three months and Cash was always happy to help out a
cute girl.

Cash ignored the shouting from the men as he got Brittany’s
bags out of the trunk.

“Go to the house and pick up your car,” Cash instructed his
little sister. “You cannot stay there by yourself and my house is not a hang
out spot for you and your friends. The security system is on, Britt, and you
cannot turn off the cameras.”

Brittany groaned at Cash’s impromptu responsibility speech. “I
know, Cash. You’ve been warning me for a week. I’m just going to get my car out
of the garage and go straight to Jill’s. Scout’s honor.”

Brittany hoisted her carry-on bag over her shoulder then
stood on her tiptoes to give her big brother a peck on the cheek.

“Thanks for not being a total jerk about me not going to
Boston. And if I see Savannah, I’ll be sure to tell her you love her,” Brittany
sang teasingly.

At the mention of Savannah’s name, a wide grin spread across
Cash’s face. He hadn’t seen her since he dropped her off at the airport a few
weeks ago. They’d spoken a few times and mostly communicated through text and
email. He actually missed her.

“You better not,” Cash grinned. “Don’t go bothering
Savannah. She’s too busy for the likes of you.”

“Yeah,” Brittany coyly smirked, “but you didn’t deny that
you love her.”

Cash patted Brittany’s wild hair. “Have a good vacay,
Britt-Britt. I’ll be out there in a couple of weeks.”

“To see me or Savannah?”

“Bye Brittany. Love you.”

A couple of brave fans approached Cash as Brittany headed
into the airport calling, “Love you too, Cash!” over her shoulder. He signed a
few autographs and took a few pictures that he knew were headed straight to
Instagram. The two giggly girls ran into the airport after saying something
about not missing their flight.

“Get the hell away from my car!” Cash yelled at the
paparazzi.

“Cash, do you miss Victoria?

“Where are you spending the holiday?

“Have you spoken to Victoria? Any chance of a
reconciliation?”

Cash ignored every single question and got in his car. He
peeled off so fast that one of the guys had to jump out of the way. He took his
phone out of his pocket and hit the last number he’d dialed.

“Hey, I’m on my way. Are you there yet? Good. Meet you in a
minute.”

Five minutes later, Cash stealthily pulled into an
underground parking garage, gave the attendant a crisp hundred-dollar bill, and
drove to the empty bottom level. He parked and checked his phone again.
Victoria had texted him three more times. He was determined not to let his ex
ruin his weekend so he replied without reading the messages.

Vic, don’t mess up my weekend. I’ll call you when I get
back to New York.

A tap on the driver’s side window made him toss his phone in
the cup holder and throw open the door.

“You’re so discreet,” Savannah teased. “Do you pay off
parking lot attendants or something?”

Savannah looked like she was ready for a weekend celebrating
American’s independence in the most patriotic city in the country. Her dark
blue shorts accentuated her legs. Her red halter-top showed off her tattoos and
belly ring. Large white framed Chanel sunglasses framed her face.

“Hey Beautiful,” Cash grinned as Savannah stepped into his
outstretched arms. “Thought you were going to stand me up.”

“Are you kidding?” Savannah wrapped her arms around Cash’s
waist and squeezed. “Four hours on a place and four hours in a car with you is
definitely worth a weekend full of free beer and food.”

Cash nuzzled Savannah’s neck. Surprisingly, she didn’t smell
like a plane. She smelled fresh and breezy.

“You’re always hungry,” Cash teased. “What perfume are you
wearing? It smells great.”

“It’s a body spray that Troy and I are developing.”

Savannah tilted her head and looked Cash in his eyes. Her
eyes held a bit of excitement and joy. Her full lips parted just a little. Cash
recognized the look and bent his head towards her lips.

“I’ve missed you,” he said.

“Prove it.”

Savannah pressed up against Cash. He palmed her ass and
squeezed while they kissed. He knew that she could feel his manhood and what
not seeing her in three weeks had done. She moaned against his lips then eased
away.

“You did miss me.”

“More than you know.”

“Well, Superstar, we have four hours until you can show me.
Better start driving.

Cash watched Savannah walk around the car. She may be only
five-foot-six but she had legs for days…nice shapely legs that led up to hips
that swayed like a lioness when she walked. Her shorts stopped a few inches
below her cheeks, just enough to be sexy but not slutty. Savanna toed that line
gracefully.

Five and a half hours later, Cash pulled in the driveway of
a large eighteenth century Georgian colonial house. The wraparound porch was
already decorated with the colors of the flag, along with two, three, or five
actual flags. The entire street was decorated with flags, banners, and splashes
and sprays of red, white, and blue.

“Oh wow,” Savannah said when she stepped out of the car. “You
weren’t exaggerating. Is this your house?”

“It’s mine and my best friend’s house,” Cash explained. “We
bought it together, but Donnie lives here most days. It’s a very long story.”

“Can’t wait to hear it,” Savannah said. She leaned on the
trunk of the car and smiled at Cash. “I’m sure your friends will be happy to
tell me all your stories.”

Cash approached Savannah and pulled her close to him. He
didn’t think she fully grasped how important the fact that he brought her home
was to him. It had taken him a year to bring Victoria to Boston and she’d only
been once. Bringing Savannah around after only knowing her a month was huge. He
was extremely nervous.

“So, you’re about to meet a bunch of my friends this
weekend. Some are really nice and were raised with manners,” he laughed. “Most
of them have no tact at all. Be prepared to answer a lot of questions.”

“About us?”

“And everything else you can think of. Once they get of
whiff of the fact that I like you, they will attack like piranhas.”

Savannah nodded. Cash couldn’t read the expression on her
face, but as long as it wasn’t paralyzing fear, he was confident that she’d be
okay.

“And the standard party line is...” Savannah raised her
eyebrows. Cash just smiled. She’d been trying to bait him for days, but he just
wasn’t ready to label whatever it is that they had going on.

“Doesn’t matter what we say,” he answered. “They’re going to
treat you like we’re getting married next week anyway.”

Savannah reached up and stroked Cash’s cheek. “I’m not
marrying you next week, Superstar.”

Cash brushed his lips against hers and pressed her against
the car. “Maybe, maybe not. You don’t know what’s going to happen next week.”

Savannah ran her hand over the front of Cash’s shorts. “I
know what’s going to happen in a few minutes.”

Forgetting about their bags, Cash swooped Savannah up and
rushed into the mansion. He opened the door so fast that he didn’t even realize
that he’d unlocked it first.

****

Smoke rose from two wood burning grills filling the air with
the aroma of hickory and cooking meat. Music was blasting out of six Bose speakers
and the backyard of Donnie and Cash’s house was the perfect setting for a 4
^th
of July pool party.

Cash and Donnie were the perfect hosts. When it came to
parties, the lawyer and musician made sure that no expense was spared. They
knew how to put together a great party because their lives had always centered
on the essentials of an epic gathering: food, booze, and cute girls.

No one in the city of Boston was surprised when Cash and
Donnie bought the dilapidated Georgian colonial mansion on Main Street. All
through high school, they had claimed the abandoned house as theirs. When being
a teenage boy in high school became too overwhelming or boring, they used to
skip class or practice and hang out there. It started as their own personal
ghost adventure, but when they determined that the house wasn’t haunted, just
abandoned, they could be found there daily. They even figured out how to run electricity
to a few of the rooms. It wasn’t unusual for police and truant officers to
check “Cash and Donnie’s Place” for missing teenagers and underage drinkers.

Five years ago, when the city had condemned the property, Cash
and Donnie bought, restored, and remodeled the house. Now Cash and Donnie’s
Place was the official party house for their large group of friends.

The hosts were manning the grills. Steaks, chicken,
sausages, corn on the cob, anything that they could cook on the grill was being
cooked. Both were shirtless, brown hair wet under Red Sox baseball caps. Cash
and his best friend not only acted like brothers; they looked like brothers
too.

“Dude, that Savannah girl…that’s the blogger chick, isn’t
it?”

Cash nodded proudly as he flipped over thick ribeye steaks. “She’s
fine, isn’t she?”

“She’s definitely that,” Donnie commented as he and Cash
both looked over at the pool.

Savannah was sitting on the edge of the pool with three of
Cash’s high school friends. The girls were talking and drinking some fruity
girly concoction that Savannah had whipped up in the blender. Her bell-like
laugh carried over the music and chatter of the other thirty or so guests. Cash
had to wonder if he was the only one who heard her so clearly.

Donnie noticed the half-smile, half smirk on his best friend’s
face and playfully punched him in the arm. “You’ve been holding out on me, huh,
brother?”

“What do you mean? I told you we hooked up.”

“HA!” Donnie whooped. “Hooked up? When was the last time you
brought home a chick that you hooked up with? Never!” Donnie howled, answering
his own question. “Not with the Grand Inquisitor and her loyal subjects over
there grilling every chick we’ve ever dated.”

Emma, Donnie’s older sister, and her best friends, Caitlin
and Nicole, had long ago designated themselves as the protectors of Cash and
Donnie’s virtue. Emma had determined while the boys were still in high school
that they were going to grow up and do great things. She wasn’t going to let
them end up with the wrong women.