Love Rock'ollection: The Brutal Strength Rock Star Trilogy, books 1-3 (20 page)

Hearing the screen door slam behind her, Avery took off in a sprint. The morning hadn’t gone at all the way she’d envisioned to say the least. As she bolted across the front lawn her mind raced backward.

FULLY PREPARED TO tell Marcus the truth, Avery was framing her thoughts when her cell phone rang with an unfamiliar number. Glancing uncertainly at Marcus she answered it.

“Avery Jones,” Vito Rat Face announced ominously from the other end.

All the blood drained from her face at the sound of that terrible voice. “How’d you get this number?” Avery whispered.

“Never you mind that. We saw your little interview on TV. Don’t think you can just cut your hair, dress up like a guy, and shirk your responsibilities up there in Canada.”

She gasped.

“Oh yeah, we know where you are. It’s our business to know. Your little charade won’t fool anybody. The boss still wants his money.”

“It’s already on the way,” Avery stammered.

“It’d better be,” Vito threatened, “because if it ain’t you won’t like what happens next.”

Avery’s heart was pounding as the line went dead.

“What was that all about?” Marcus demanded to know. “What’s already on its way?”

Avery was completely fried now. “Nothing you need to worry about,” she rasped.

“What the hell does that mean?” Marcus shouted. “Of course I’m worried. You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Don’t push me on this, Marcus.” No way was she going to let him get involved with Campanella. She’d screwed up his life enough already.

“Listen Avery. You’re the lead guitarist for my band. Anything that involves you affects me.”

Avery sighed. It was pointless arguing with him.

“Well, go on, spit it out!” Marcus demand rang in her ears. “Just in case you weren’t aware, that wasn’t a request.”

“Not everything is about you and the band, Marcus!” Avery shouted back at him, throwing up her hands, and running from the basement.

AVERY WAS NO match for Marcus’ long strides. She could hear him closing in on her.

Spinning around intending to confront him, she stumbled in the process. His momentum carried him into her, and they both tumbled to the ground together. Avery went completely still, beneath him, her breathing short and shallow, her eyes wide.

Their bodies were pressed seamlessly together, flush from chest to hip, her body soft and pliant, his deliciously hard in all the right places. Her mind went totally blank. All her focus honed in on this moment, on the two of them, on how good and right it felt.

Marcus’ dark eyes held hers hostage for a heartbeat. She dropped her gaze to his sculpted sensual lips. Lips she’d fantasized about on more than one occasion. Fervently she wished he would touch them to hers. She longed to feel their warmth. Would they be soft and persuasive or firm and demanding?

Avery licked her lips, and then unbelievably, as if she had willed it to be so, Marcus tilted his head slightly to the side and brought his face closer toward hers. Holy wish fulfillment! She gasped, eyes flashing back to his which were half closed now.

Marcus suddenly froze, closing his eyes that had been so full of promise and so intently focused on hers.

The spell holding them both enthralled suddenly broken.

“Shit!” Marcus cursed, rolling off Avery and pushing to his feet. He had thought for a minute, he had felt, he had wanted… He took in a deep shuddering breath.

Closing her eyes, Avery sighed her disappointment before sitting up. She drew her legs to her chest shivering as she felt the rush of cold outside air over her heated skin. The perfect chance to tell him had been wasted. But would he have gone ahead and kissed her or would he have ended up being just as furious as he obviously was now?

She opened her eyes and scrambled to her feet, realizing that he was already halfway back to the house, running like the hounds of hell pursued him. Way to go Avery! How mortifying. Just the kind of response a girl always hopes to have when the man she loves almost kisses her.

She hugged her arms around her middle, forcing her feet up the road. When she reached the gate, she heard the front door slam. Marcus reappeared, keys in hand, his features an unreadable mask.

“Marcus!” Rheta shouted from the porch. Marcus ignored her, threw himself into the car, and pulled out, spinning the tires of the minivan on the gravel.

Avery could only watch helplessly as he sped past her. He’d been staring straight ahead. He hadn’t even glanced her way. Tears of frustration filled her eyes as the van disappeared around the corner out of sight.

“Avery, come into this house right now!” Rheta demanded.

Avery obediently followed her into the house. Rheta led her into the office, closing the pocket doors behind them. Avery’s lip trembled. She was unable to meet the other woman’s gaze. “I am really sorry, Mrs. Anthony…”

“Mom,” Rheta corrected.

“Mom.” Avery’s frozen emotions thawed a little hearing the unexpected warmth of her tone. “I made a mess of everything. I was going to tell him…”

“What? That you love him? How could he not know that, the blind fool? Is that why he’s so upset?”

Desperate and overwhelmed, unable to keep her secret any longer, Avery confided, “Yes… Mom, you’re right. I
do
love him, but he’s never going to forgive me.”

“Never is a long time, Avery. I always tell my boys, make your words sweet today because tomorrow you may have to eat them.”

“Never might be too short of a time when the deception is as big as this.” Avery reached down to pull up the hem of her hooded sweatshirt, figuring it would be easier to show than tell. Glancing up, face flushed, she expected Rheta to be angry and disappointed with her.

Instead, surprisingly, Rheta gave a confirmatory nod. “When I first kissed your cheek, I had my suspicions. And then when we washed dishes last night and I got a close look at your hands, I was sure.”

Avery shook her head in disbelief as Rheta patted her clasped hands.

“A mom knows these things. Why the rest of them haven’t figured it out already, I have no idea. I guess sometimes it’s hardest to see the things that are right there in front of us.”

A soft knock sounded at the office door.

“Mom, it’s me,” Dwight said.

“Avery and I are having a private conversation,” Rheta replied sternly.

“Does it have anything to do with why Marcus peeled out of here a minute ago?” he asked, voice barely audible through the closed doors.

Rheta slid open the doors a crack, and hissed, “We will talk about it later, Dwight Christopher Anthony. You and your dad go outside and attend to the livestock.”

“Sure, Mom.” He backed away, evidently knowing better than to press his mom whenever she used his middle name.

After they heard the front door close, Rheta returned her attention to Avery. “Well now,” she declared. “Let’s go to the kitchen. I’ll make us some tea. I’m sure there’s quite a lot more that you probably need to get off your chest.”

THE DRIVE TO Nanaimo was a total blur for Marcus. At the seaplane terminal, he parked the minivan in the garage and left the keys with the attendant. Once airborne en route back to Vancouver, he scrubbed his fists over his eyes, wishing he could erase what had almost just happened from his memory.

Mental snapshots of every single time he’d touched Avery ran though his head like a slide show. He’d deliberately been avoiding thoughts just like these, telling himself any feelings he had for Avery were strictly fraternal.

Ha! When had he ever thought about kissing Dwight
?

And he had just about sealed the deal, too. Good thing Avery had gasped. He hadn’t been able to get his ass out of there fast enough.

Ray picked him up at the terminal. As he drove, he kept glancing at Marcus in the rearview mirror, concern etched on his features. “What?” Marcus finally asked, exasperated.

“Is everything alright?” Ray asked.

“No,” Marcus muttered, closing his eyes. What he needed was to forget that this day ever happened. He ran his hands through his hair. “Take me to Afterglow.” He avoided the censure in Ray’s gaze. “I need a drink.”

Hours later, Marcus was slumped in the velvet lined booth in the back of the trendy Yaletown bar. The place was dimly lit, and no one had bothered him as he knocked back shot after shot of tequila. What the hell was going on with him and Avery? He had never been attracted to a man. True, he had grown out of the sad girlfriend in every city game. He wanted something real, like his parents had. Not with a guy, though. He liked
women
.

The heavily made up platinum blonde was eyeing him again. She’d been watching him all night. Maybe he’d just been spending too much time with Avery. He suddenly felt this overwhelming need to prove something to himself.

Crooking his finger at the blonde, he felt confident she would be more than willing to help him. They had a couple of drinks together while she gushed on and on about how much she loved his music. She pressed her body closer and closer to his.

Somehow they ended up back at his apartment on his sectional, him shirtless and her on his lap. He didn’t even remember her name. She’d probably come along with him so she could brag to her friends that she’d hooked up with a rock star. Not that he cared, he just wanted to forget. They were both just using each other. It was pathetic. His mother would be appalled.

AFTER THEIR HEART to heart talk, Rheta drove Avery to the seaplane terminal in her car. As they parted, she gave Avery an affectionate hug. “The sooner you tell him the better.”

Luckily, she was able to catch the last plane of the day back to the mainland. Downtown Vancouver was busy when she arrived, and she had to wait in line to get a taxi to Marcus’ apartment. Her stomach was in knots by the time she got there. She keyed in the code to enter the private elevator, and straightened her shoulders as the elevator doors closed.

The ride up seemed to take an eternity, but when the elevator opened the scene that greeted her caught her completely off guard. She’d never imagined he wouldn’t be alone.

“Who is that?” the blonde demanded, pointing toward the elevator and scooting off his lap.