Romance: Gibson's Legacy ( New Adult Contemporary Erotic Romance) (Last Score Book 1) (4 page)

Shivering when I entered the dorm room, I found the window still open, and the room smelling of damp night air and Julie. She wore Opium perfume, which had an overpowering scent, which seemed to cling to the fabric in the room long after she’d left.

Reaching up to close the window, I looked down when I noticed a car drawing up and the headlights go out. I almost fainted when I saw it was Gibson and he was directly in front of my dorm. Sian was bringing him into her dorm room and I felt weirdly jealous and annoyed at her.

I had a tense knot in my stomach because it felt like there was nowhere I could escape from him to let me bring my feelings back into check.

Preparing for bed, I pulled my tablet out and searched for something to clear my head. Swiping it to shuffle, I had to smile when Bruno Mars, “Billionaire” blared out and with such a catchy tune, I danced around while dressing for bed and tried to clear my head.

By the time the song was finished I felt a little less fragile about my feelings and thought about everything that had led to Kace, Ruby and I being there and her taking up with Dylan.

Choosing a college so far from home felt more secure in numbers and our little support network was already there because of our history together. Ruby knew Kace before I knew Kace and she read me very well. They had grown up together as next door neighbors. When I moved into their neighborhood at sixteen, Ruby had played match-maker for Kace, who was too shy to ask me out on his own.

Times changed, and Kace grew up and by the time he was seventeen he was completely comfortable in his skin, and a cool, confident guy who had been dating me for over a year.

So we were all in the same place for our college adventure and making the transition from teenagers to adults together.

It took no time at all for Ruby to attach herself to a hot guy and she met Dylan the first day we moved onto campus. She had been trying to pull the stupidly awkward trunk she was insistent on bringing, and had cussed it upside down, while struggling to maneuver around it in her dorm room ever since.

Dylan, Ruby’s new guy wasn’t a student. He was in a band, just like Gibson’s, but Dylan was the strong silent type. As the drummer in his band, 4Tfy, he was only interested in making music and dealing with the business end of things for the band.

Taking his craft very seriously, Dylan was multi- talented and was accomplished in many percussion instruments, bass guitar, piano and violin. Studying for years at the renowned San Francisco Conservatory of Music he was classically trained.

Working as a percussionist in an orchestra for a year had helped Dylan decide that playing rock music was much more his scene. Once he met Zander, his best friend, and found a bass player for their band, they formed 4Tfy and never looked back.

So Ruby and Dylan just clicked and became an item by the first night we spent together, when Dylan was showing us around. As for Kace and me, like I said, Ruby played matchmaker, but I think we’d have found each other regardless. We had this amazing connection as soon as we met, and for the last two years of high school, we were inseparable and so in love with one another.

Guys used to give Kace hell for being pussy whipped, and my own friends fell over themselves to give him compliments for the romantic and thoughtful gestures he was always doing for me.

Kace’s overt adoration in high school had made me the envy of all the girls in my year group. Mature and calm, everything a girl could have wished for, stunningly handsome, tall, charming and a warm approachable personality. In addition to those attributes, he was also super smart and athletically gifted.

We progressed through high school, joined at the hip, and had both applied and got accepted at UCLA with Ruby. Enrolled in the arts and media program, I was studying a combined degree in media imagery and digital arts, with a minor in creative writing, and Kace was studying sound engineering on a full science scholarship.

So that’s how we’d found ourselves in California. I had been worried about being assigned to a dorm room with Julie, a student from Maryland. When I had found out Ruby and me weren’t sharing a room, I initially freaked out, but eventually, I saw it as a good thing because I would have to push myself socially.

Once we were settled into college my priority was finding a job. Seeing a vacancy notice for Beltz Bar on the notice board at college, I rang to set up an interview. Matt, the owner, told me that I looked much younger than eighteen. He gave me work, but it was cleaning rather than anything in service. To be honest he did me a favor. Those bar shifts would have played havoc with my unsocial study assignments I had been set.

Matt was a great guy, and only twenty three years old. His uncle had left the bar to him in his will. Matt decided to skip the whole college experience, because he knew that running the bar, and building his business up was what he really wanted at that point in his life.

Reflecting on everything to where I was at had made me more settled. Reaching over I pulled up a playlist I used to relax to and fell asleep listening to it.

When I woke, it was still dark outside but I liked running in the dark. The solitude of that time in the morning was usually really helpful for centering me and my thought processes.

Plugging my iPhone earphones in, I set off pounding the asphalt road on campus. The smell of damp leaves and dewy grass at the side of the road was strong and all of my senses became heightened as my mind cleared of everything except music and setting my pace.

Three miles later I still had a mile to go to finish my usual circuit, when I saw someone running almost parallel to me, in the same direction as I was heading. Hairs at the back of my neck pricked in warning, as the figure got closer and an uneasy feeling crept over me.

Usually, I felt safe on the route I had taken, but on that day, it was like I had a sixth sense as to someone being around that could be a danger to me. Glancing out of the side of my eye, I couldn’t see his face. A dark hoodie covered his head and he was wearing jeans, not sweat pants or shorts as I would expect from someone out training.

Thankfully I was a ten thousand kilometer runner so I always had tons in reserve for a sprint finish. Without warning I took off in the direction of my dorm and with very step lactic acid built up in my aching legs, making them feel like lead, but I didn’t stop until I reached the door.

Fighting back panic, I punched in the entry code on the key pad and pulled the heavy door closed behind me. Leaning back against the wall, my chest heaved and I breathed loudly, as I tried to recover from the oxygen deficit to my lungs, and the adrenaline that was coursing through my body.

Looking out of the wire mesh window of the door, I saw the same dark shadow lurking by Gibson’s car. He pushed back the hood as he walked under the bright street light, I was surprised to see that it was him.

Bending forward to look out, I watched as he placed his hands on the hood of his car and began stretching his legs; first one and then the other. Afterwards, he twisted his body first to the left then to the right.

Placing his hand over his shoulder, he grasped a fistful of material at the back of his sweatshirt and pulled it over his head and clear of his body. By default his t-shirt rode all the way up to his armpits.

Mesmerized by him I couldn’t stop looking at the amazing contours of his pectoral and abdominal muscles through his thin, sweaty t- shirt. No doubt about it, I was definitely in lust with Gibson.

Still staring, I couldn’t believe when he continued his strip routine and pulled his t-shirt over his head, wiping the sweat off his front, the back of his neck and finally his under arms. Watching the way the different muscle groups on his arms, back and torso moved as he opened the trunk of his car made my mouth dry. When he took out a clean t-shirt and covered up that fabulous body again, I sighed out loud at the loss of the visual I’d been enjoying.

Gibson closed his trunk slowly and leaned hard on the top to close it. Walking to the driver’s side he suddenly stopped and turned his head, staring directly at the door as if he knew I was watching him. Jerking back, I hid in the shadow of the stairwell that ran parallel to the doorway and stood there until I heard his engine start and he drove away.

Heading up to shower I wondered what he was doing out there on my route. He wasn’t dressed to run, and I was confused that someone like him, who seemed to live his life so chaotically, could have the discipline to take the time to look after his body.

Julie was up when I got back and Ruby was sitting on my bed waiting for me. “Jesus, Chloe, do you ever just slouch and stay in bed like the rest of us? I came up to ask you to come to breakfast at the crack of dawn, because I just got home, and you’re already out there perfecting that fine ass of yours.”

Smirking at her I grabbed a towel and wiped the beads of sweat from my face. “Maybe you should try it sometime, then you won’t find that fine ass of yours has dropped some day.” Julie burst out laughing and shook her head in amusement and wandered over to me.

“So, now that you’ve run off all those calories, you can put them back by taking us to breakfast. If I recall it’s your turn to pay so get your ass in the shower ma’am and let’s get down to Benny’s, I’m starving.” Julie smiled and whipped the towel away from me then flicked it at my legs as I jumped away from her and headed for the shower.

After dressing we headed to Benny’s, a local student haunt that did the most amazing breakfast deals on pancakes, patties and eggs. Benny’s contribution to students’ emotional well-being, was to a student’s physical health deficit. Heart attack on a plate was the way he described it, but if I had to choose a way of dying, there were a lot worse ways, than eating Benny’s delicious student special. Besides it was a weekly treat for us because the meal plan food at college sucked.

Julie splattered maple syrup in copious amounts on her pancakes and licked her fingers as she set the dispenser down. “So, I hear that 4Tfy is taking over the regular spot at Beltz from now on.” My ears pricked and she had my attention immediately.

Ruby looked excited, her eyes opening wide. “Yes! Isn’t it fabulous? Dylan and the guys are really excited about it.” I was desperate to ask why M3rCy were no longer playing there, but after Ruby’s remarks about Gibson I didn’t feel I could. So I sat there almost in pain, waiting to hear whether either of them were going to drop it into the conversation.

“Pity because it looks like you missed your chance for that hard and fast sex, Chloe.” Ruby’s words drew me out of my reverie and back to the conversation.

“Huh?” Confused that I’d missed something and not quite taking in what she was saying, I stared at Ruby blankly.

“Gibson Barclay. You know… man-whore extraordinaire, Gibson. Come-fuck-with-me- after-my-gig, Gibson. Come on Chloe, the guy who was eye- fucking you in front of a couple of hundred people last night.” Julie’s mouth hung and she turned to me raising her eyebrows to her hairline.

“Okay, so what the hell did I miss last night? Gibson Barclay hit on you? You lucky bitch! What were you doing for him to notice you?”

Embarrassed by their attention, I shrugged my shoulders, worked a swallow and gave Julie a solid stare. “I don’t know what she’s talking about. All he did was his usual stunt of picking a female to sing to. I guess pickings were pretty slim last night, is all.” Shaking her head, Ruby cut into her pancakes and stuffed a huge mouthful of pancake and eggs into her mouth.

“Have it your way, Chloe, but I think horny Gibson had begun to have the hots for you. Pity he’s shipping out. Anyway, I guess loyalty would have made me root for Kace, and you’re such a good girl, I’m sure nothing would have come of it.”

CHAPTER 4 - GETTING IT OFF THE GROUND

Gibson

Waking with a start to the urgent, loud sound of bony knuckles banging on my wooden door, I flung back the comforter and bounced off the bed. Yelling at my bandmate, Lennox, who was determined to help me lose my rental deposit for causing damage or get me evicted for noise disturbance.

“Fuck! You need to quit behaving like this, dude. I was asleep not fucking dead. At least, waking the dead is what I think you were aiming at, with that incessant hammering. You’re a fucking drummer Len, have you no respect for your knuckles you idiot? What happens if you injure your hands?”

Lennox stared back at me for a second, sniffed, scratched his balls and went over to the fridge. “I’d been knocking for a good five minutes before you decided to let me in. What the fuck was I supposed to think? I knew you were home. Your car is in the lot out back.”

Lennox reached into the fridge and pulled out the carton of orange juice that was in there. Smirking, I waited for him to take a swig.

“What the fuck, Gibson…?” Orange juice came spewing out of his mouth, splattered onto the black granite countertop and down the front of his taut white V neck t-shirt. Lennox’s contorted face was a deep puce color; his tongue hung limply out of his mouth.

A smug smile curved my lips, that particular carton had been in there for ages. Serve him right for not using a glass. Beginning to retch, Lennox leaned over the faucet and began cupping water in his hand and rinsing his mouth out.

Chuckling heartily, I couldn’t help but think of it as ample payback for the way he’d just woke me up. “Jesus…that was fucking disgusting, dude. You might have warned me it was off.”

Ignoring his comment I began to speak, “So, what’s so urgent you have to drag me up at the butt crack of dawn, Len?” Shaking my head and running my hands back and forth through my hair, I sat heavily on the bed, leaned back, supporting my head on my elbow and bent my knee up to place my foot flat on the bed and waited for him to answer me.

Walking over in my direction, he threw himself down lazily on the chair, and stretched a leg over the arm. The over-familiar way he regarded my apartment used to bug me, but not anymore. Lennox was like a big brother to me.

Meeting by pure chance, Lennox West had changed my life. Smiling appreciatively, he had approached me after hearing me play on the demonstration drum kit in a local music store. Striking a conversation he’d asked if I did anything else, and when I said I played the guitar and sang a bit, he asked if I wanted to try out for his new band. Initially, I had wanted to play the drums but that was his instrument.