Rock the Heart (5 page)

The plane touches down smoothly at Columbus International Airport. I’ve never been to Ohio before, never had a reason to before now. Black Falcon is one of the headliners of a huge two day rock festival here. Noel assured me this is the largest rock event in the area. The sell out crowd is right around fifty thousand people. The sheer volume alone is crazy. 

I grab my bag from the overhead bin after I text Noel that I’ve arrived. He insisted on picking me up himself even though I told him I’m cool with taking a cab since my flight arrived early in the morning—well, at least early for rockers who sleep until noon.

My phone chirps, and I read his message. “I’m at baggage claim. It’s crazy here. Don’t answer anything they ask you.”

Two women ahead of me on the escalator to the baggage claim complain about the crowd gathered around the carousel. 

Camera flashes illuminate the center of the mob, and my heart thumps against my ribs. There he is, signing autographs and shaking hands with the people surrounding him. Noel’s dark hair is wild, sticking up in every crazy direction, like he just got out of bed. What is it about crazy rocker hair that is so incredibly sexy? 

 Dark glasses shield his face and emotions from his steady stream of onlookers, but I can tell he’s flustered with the whole situation. I guess I didn’t realize how little privacy he actually has. 

Zero. 

He can’t even go to the airport without a frenzy of fans.

Noel glances up from the chaos and notices me on the escalator. A huge smile spreads across his face. I feel myself grin and I instantly want to kick myself. 

Keep it together, Lanie.

It’s undeniable how attractive he is—even more in person than on the net or TV. The entire flock of girls in our high school crushed on him. Back then, I’d never figured out why he was so into me when he could have had any girl he wanted. I’m a Plain Jane—a nobody. Now that feeling is magnified times a million.

He squeezes through his adoring fans. A couple of girls shove their chests against him when he tries to get past in attempts to gain his attention, but it doesn’t faze him. Noel watches me with every step he takes. 

His arm wraps around my waist and pulls me tight against his chest when I step off the moving stairs. He smells so good, like soap, spice and man all rolled into one. “Hey you,” Noel whispers in my ear, and his hot breath caresses my sensitive skin.  “Don’t say a word to the leeches, okay.”

I nod, and the rough stubble along his jaw rubs against my cheek. 

We gather my luggage off the carousel, and Noel slings my duffle bag over his shoulder and picks up my suitcase before we head toward the exit. Bodies shove from every direction, all to get closer to Noel. The air is heavy, and my chest tightens. The sooner I can get out of here the better. 

What do these people want? 

The female fans are relentless—screaming and begging for pictures even when Noel politely tells them not now. The men with high-tech cameras keep shouting his name and asking him to look their way. A crowd smothers our every step. 

Noel’s long fingers find my hand and pull me against him. It takes us longer than five minutes to make it outside where a black SUV waits by the door. We’re quickly greeted by the large man I saw at the restaurant in New York as he holds the fans back. Noel opens the trunk and throws my bags in before ushering me inside the vehicle. 

When the driver pulls the SUV away from the corner, Noel lets out a sigh of relief, and then pats my leg. His skin on mine is so warm and inviting, which is very dangerous. “Sorry about that. I should’ve had security come in with me, but I figured fans wouldn’t see me if I just ran in to get you.”

I shove his hand off my bare thigh, and curse myself for wearing shorts. “It’s fine.”

His eyes gaze into mine as he leans his head back against the headrest. “You made it through your first surprise fan attack. Think you can handle all this? My life isn’t exactly sane anymore.”

The expression on his face is serious. He’s testing if I can put up with his new craziness and make it on this tour for two whole weeks. I inspect my arms under his stare. “I escaped your mob of female admirers without one scratch, so I think I’ll live.”

Noel grins—clearly pleased with my answer—and leans in and kisses my cheek. “I’ve missed you.”

Warmth spreads clear down to my toes. The things a simple kiss from this man can do to me are unreal. It should be against the law for someone to be so hot and sweet. It’s definitely an instant panty wetting combination.

Damn it. I’m in trouble.

“Kisses aren’t very professional, Noel.”

He bursts out in laughter and pats my thigh again. “I kind of like this whole hard-to-get game. It’s going to make the sex that much better.”

I remove his hand from me and shake my head. He isn’t going to give up.

When we arrive at the Crew Stadium a few minutes later, my eyes widen at the number of people milling about at ten o’clock in the morning. “Why are they all here so early?”

Noel instructs the driver to Black Falcon’s tour bus. “There are forty-four bands here total playing in two days. The first band plays at noon today. It’s one massive party for both the bands and the fans. There aren’t many events like this one.”

The SUV pulls up along side the tour bus, and Noel hops out. I sit there frozen. Do I get out now? This is so not my element. 

Noel waves at a couple tattooed guys I recognize from the gaggle of Black Falcon pictures I’ve seen. He walks around to the passenger side of the vehicle and opens my door. “Come on. I want you to meet some of the guys in the band.”

I take Noel’s outstretched hand and allow him to help me out. Butterflies tumble around in my stomach. How could I be so nervous? I should have prepared myself more for meeting these guys. What if they totally hate the idea of me staying on the bus with them?

We approach the two men—my hand still in Noel’s firm grasp. I try to pull away, but he tightens his hold. It’s apparent I’m not getting away from him. 

The guy with jet black hair and a bandanna tied around his head looks up and elbows the blonde guy. They both grin as we approach.

“You didn’t tell us she was unbelievably hot, Noel,” bandanna guy says.

My eyes drop down to the ground, and I run my hand through my hair. I can’t believe he just called me hot. No guy has ever called me hot to my face before. Well, other than Noel, but we have history together. Most guys just refer to me as cute or pretty, but never hot. Are all rock stars so freaking forward?

Noel punches the guy in the shoulder. “Don’t be a douche, Trip. Lane, this asshole is Trip Douglas, one of the best drummers in the business.”

 Trip shakes my hand and glances sideways at Noel with a cocky grin. “The
best
fucking drummer in the business.”

The blonde guy beside Trip chuckles and looks at me. “Noel’s right. Trip is kind of an asshole. But, unfortunately, I’ve always had to put up with him. Tyke Douglas.” Tyke holds out his hand. “The asshole is my brother. My twin actually, but please don’t hold that against me.  And, oh yeah, I play bass in the band.”

I smile at both of them. Now that he mentioned twins, I can totally see the resemblance. The stark contrasts of hair color make them look completely different. Noel’s hand grazes the skin on the small of my back. “Lanie Vance. It’s very nice to meet you both.”

Tyke looks at Noel. “She’s too sweet. You sure you want to bring her on that bus with us?”

Trip laughs. “Especially around Riff. You better not turn your back, bro. He’ll be all over that shit.”

Riff, the lead guitarist, is a well-known womanizer. He is the ultimate definition of rock star. He’s covered in tattoos and piercings. And his Mohawk alternates between blonde and black. It’s really crazy, but the girls seem to go nuts over it. There are always pictures of Riff licking, kissing, or
whatevering
strippers and randomly naked groupies on the internet. He’s kind of disgusting. Riff’s antics are one of the main reasons the band got so much attention at first, but lately Noel’s been making more headlines in that area. 

The Douglas brothers obviously don’t know that I would never go for someone like that. 

Noel tenses next to me. “Riff knows better. Lane is off limits.”

Trip and Tyke look at each other with raised eyebrows. I get the distinct feeling that Riff knows no boundaries from the looks on their faces. Whatever they’re thinking, it isn’t going to happen. I am not having sex on this bus with Riff…or anyone for that matter.

We say our goodbyes to the guys and grab my bags from the SUV. Noel insists on carrying them into the bus. 

He stretches out his arm and invites me up the steps. “Welcome aboard Big Bertha.” 

Big Bertha is a mess. It’s a huge R.V. with a full sitting area and cluttered kitchen—beer cans stacked everywhere. The sink is full of dishes, and the garbage can is stuffed to the brim. The stench makes my stomach turn. The mixture of sweaty man and rotten food is evident within the first couple of seconds I’m inside. It’s almost bad enough to make me want to turn around and run off this bus. I could follow them in a car, couldn’t I?

“Now, I know what your thinking, but I promise you we’ll get it cleaned up. It’s not always this bad. Being on the road without stopping much tends to make the place a disaster.” He smiles at me. “Come on. Let’s take your bags to my bedroom.”

I freeze mid-step. “You’re bedroom? I thought you were kidding when you said that at dinner the other night.”

“Where else would you sleep? The other four bunks are taken, unless you want to sleep in one of the swivel seats up front. Trust me. My room is the best place. Come on.” He grabs my hand and pulls me toward the back of the bus.   

I follow Noel down the hallway. “The bunk beds with curtains are where the other guys in the band sleep, and my bodyguard, Mike. Being the leader of the band gives me specific right to the only bedroom on the bus.”

I roll my eyes. I’m sure he shoves his status in their faces anytime he can, just like he does to me.

We step inside the bedroom and I’m surprised by its tidiness. The full size bed takes up most of the room, but there’s some stage drawers built into the walls and under the bed for clothes. 

“Put your clothes wherever you can find room. I know it’s tight in here, but it’s better than sleeping in the little foxholes. They can make anyone feel claustrophobic.” He shuts the door, trapping us inside the bedroom, and wraps his arms around me. I tense within his arms as I breathe in the spicy scent and the unmistakable smell of Noel. “Now that I have you all to myself, let me give you a proper hello.”

I place my hand against his chest. “This isn’t how it’s going to work, Noel. I didn’t agree to this deal to be your private sex slave.”

He backs me against the door and places a hand on either side of me, effectively trapping me. My arm feels like Jell-o as I try to hold him back. I swallow hard as he leans in and traces his nose along the length of my jaw line. “Sex Slave? Hmmmmm, I kind of like the sound of that.”

I shove him back a little and shake my head. “Don’t get any ideas. That isn’t happening. I came here for business, remember?”

He threads his fingers into my hair. “I don’t see why we can’t mix a little pleasure in too. Don’t you remember how hot we were together, Lane?
God
.” He takes in a quick breath through clenched teeth and runs his hand down my side, “The things I can do to your body if you’d let me.”

The nerves inside my body jitter. Noel’s skin is so warm, and I swear he’s leaving a trail of fire in his wake. Fire spreads from my core causing an ache I didn’t know is possible. I’ve dreamt of his touch for the last four years. I want this so much, but I can’t let this happen. If I give into him now, he’ll tire of me quicker and not only will my heart break, but my dreams for a killer job will be crushed. 

He reaches out and takes a strand of my brown hair between his fingers. The corners of his lips turn up, and he tucks the loose strand behind my ear. His fingertips linger on my cheek. “You look exactly the same. Still the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.” He brings his lips toward mine. Warmth from his breath touches my face, and all I can think about is his kiss. What it will feel like. Will it be just like old times? 

“You don’t look so bad yourself.” My heart thunders with anticipation, and I bite my lip.  

“You know I’ve never been great at resisting beautiful women.” Noel’s eyes search my face. 

I should tell him to back off. It will be smart to say no right away, but I stare deep into his blue eyes and I can’t kid myself. I want him more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my entire life. Resisting him is so damn hard. “I—I don’t think—”

Noel cradles my face in both hands. A smile flirts along his lips. “Don’t think, Lane, just feel.”

That’s the problem. If I feel too much for him this won’t end well. I can’t let this happen. “We should really get to work.”

 He rubs his nose against mine. “One kiss and I’ll behave all day.”

I swallow hard and try to pretend the mere touch of his skin against mine isn’t sending my body into overdrive. If he only knew the effect he’s having on me right now. It’s been far too long since I’d been with a guy—over a year, actually. He’s lucky I don’t strip him down here and now.

I shake the last thought out of my head, and Noel pulls back a little.