Rock Me (New Adult Romance)

By Olivia Marks

Copyright © 2013, Olivia
Marks

All Rights Reserved.

Published by Tangled
Press

Olivia Marks

http://www.OliviaMarks.com
Email:
[email protected]
Twitter @
http://twitter.com/tangledpress

This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters,
locations and places are solely the product of the author’s imagination.  Any
resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, including events, areas,
locations and situations is entirely coincidental.

This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright
laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint, distribution or use of this book
is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any
form or by any means without express written permission from the author.

 “Shay I swear, this is going to be an
unforgettable summer!" Aimee exclaimed giddily as we sailed down Broadway
in a classic yellow cab in New York City. Her blonde ponytail snapped as she
turned left and right to gawk at the scenery—and not just of the male
variety.

I had to agree with her. Everything about
New York had exceeded my expectations: the shopping, the skyscrapers, the
easy-to-navigate subway system, the amazing cupcakes. And as for its choice of
guys, well, I had never seen so many attractive men in one place. Options were
practically flooding every coffee shop, deli, corner store, and shop I walked
into. After living all my life in pokey Duluth, Minnesota, the choice was
dizzying.

And we'd found ourselves at one splashy
party after another thanks to our host, Felicia, Aimee's older cousin and a PR rep
at the top entertainment agency in the city. Which was why we were on our way
to see Black Dawn, Felicia's client and our favorite rock band and biggest
crushes in the whole wide world.

Said host shot us a look of exasperation
from the front seat. She'd had it up to here with our moony behavior. She was
cool and sophisticated, the perfect New Yorker. She was tall and model-thin,
perfectly dressed, and she always knew how to act and what to say—in
short, the exact opposite of my best friend Aimee and I, who were bursting with
curves and awkward to boot.

We’d been that way ever since we’d met in
middle school. In fact, we’d bonded over our weight struggles and insane love
of rock. And last New Year’s Eve, over too many wine coolers, we’d made a pact
that we’d spend the next summer in New York City which we decided would be the
perfect cure for our awkwardness and lack of sophistication.

Felicia checked her make-up in a black
Chanel compact. "So if I tell you guys something will you promise to keep
it cool?"

Aimee and I put on our best straight
faces. "Totally," we chimed in together.

"Well, we're not just getting free
tickets to Black Dawn's concert. We'll also get to go backstage
afterwards." She eyed us for signs that we'd start freaking out but
instead we just sat there mutely, our jaws dropped.

"No way," said Aimee airlessly.

"We're going to meet Rob Danger and
Johnny Nine?" I followed, my voice pitching dangerously. We both grasped
the other's hand and literally began vibrating with excitement.

"Oh no," muttered Felicia as we
both broke out in squeals of joy. "This is going to be interesting."

I didn't even remember to be nervous
until we stepped into the concert hall. I was flooded with that familiar
feeling that I didn’t belong. Lanky chicks in tight jeans and barely-there
shirts moved smoothly through the crowded room, their eyes darting up and down
my (not barely there) frame. I pulled down the most rocker chick shirt I owned,
a pink top covered in black skulls.

I’d felt confident when I left the house.
I’d curled my long and lanky brown hair and frantically applied coats of black
mascara. I looked to Aimee, my size 12 twin. She didn’t look self-conscious at
all, just super excited to see her favorite band. I took a cue from her and
plastered a smile on my face. Who cares what people thought—I was in
New
York
!

Felicia left us to go backstage to tend
to the band and we squeezed our way towards the front.

It was intermission. I was a bit bummed
that we’d missed the first band. There was a lot of buzz on the Black Dawn
message boards that their NYC opening act was one to watch. But, curling
impossibly flat hair and trying to find a cab in New York on a Friday night had
delayed our arrival.

I didn’t have time to pout as the stage
lights started flashing. The crowd started to scream and dozens of frantic
female hands started reaching into the air, begging for their Gods of Rock to
come on stage. My heart started pumping like crazy and I reached over to grasp
Aimee’s hand. She looked over, her wide blue eyes shining with excitement. And
just like that, we started to scream too. Finally, after two years of intense
worship, we were going to see Black Dawn live!

The band took to the stage, outfitted in
low leather pants that barely covered lean, ripped torsos. My heart started to
pound even faster. My favorite was the lead guitarist, Rob Danger, who had a
mop of curly brown hair and pouty lips. Aimee loved lead singer Johnny Nine. Rumor
had it that his last name referred to…
err…
the length of a certain part
of his body. He had bleached blonde hair and a cute round butt that his tight
pants didn’t hide. We waved our hands frantically, calling out for Rob and
Johnny like we even had a chance.

The set was everything we’d dreamed
about. They played all of our favorite songs off their debut record. Their
signature smoking guitar riffs and Johnny’s heated; yearning lyrics were even
more intense in person. And they capped off their set with my favorite tune off
their new album, a rocking ballad about loving someone you can’t ever have.

My eyes stayed glued to Rob’s lean abs
and the way his fingers masterfully manipulated his guitar. But my mind floated
back to a certain someone—my high school crush Bobby. He was the school’s
resident bad boy. Translation? He could never have been mine. I thought
mournfully of his ripped, tight jeans, his tight rocker muscle shirts, his long
sexy brown hair that had a way of covering his eyes.

Sure he cut class, didn’t do his
homework, and even cussed out our biology teacher Mr. Daniels, but I’d seen the
way he played the lead guitar during our school talent contest. I knew he was
talented and not really a bad ass, just misunderstood. But as it turns out,
yearning looks and years of sighing and wishing don’t get you anything in the
way of a relationship or even a single kiss. Still, I couldn’t stop wishing
that he’d be mine…

Aimee looked over at me and shook her
head. She knew that this song always made me think of Bobby.

“Girl,” she whispered. “You were too good
for him. We’re here to find you somebody way better than that creep.” She took
my hand and squeezed it. I smiled sheepishly back at her. I was trying to
believe her, but the thought never quite stuck.

As the song’s powerful riffs died out and
Johnny’s last lyrics, full of his signature desire and longing, trailed away,
the band came to the front of the stage. The crowd screamed louder, desperate
for more. The lights on the stage flashed red. Everywhere was the smell of
sweat and the less noticeable scent of desire. We were all reaching, reaching
towards our heroes, trying to maintain a connection with them.

The drummer threw his sticks into the
crowd. I saw one sailing towards me and instinctively ducked. But Aimee was a
little quicker on the ball. She reached out, hip-checking another crazed fan
next to her in the process, and snatched a stick. She looked at me, wide-eyed
with amazement, and we started jumping up and down even harder than ever.

The crowd cried and cried for one more
song but the band was done. The lights went up and we were all left to shuffle
out, the glow of happiness still on our faces.

It was then that I remembered that it was
time to go backstage. My stomach clenched.

Felicia pushed her way towards us. With
her black mini dress and flat-ironed blonde hair she fit in perfectly with the
crowd.

“Girls, you still wanna go backstage?”
she asked anxiously.

Of course we did. Grasping each other’s
hands, we wound our way through the pushy crowd that smelled of hairspray and
body lotion. We went through a hidden door and down a winding hall painted
pitch black. Naked light bulbs dangled from the walls, giving off a faint
yellow light.

We entered a room at the end that was
littered with beer cans, empty chip bags, and four very tall and jaw-droppingly
cut men. They were passing around a bottle of whisky and laughing. Their
conversation faltered slightly as they saw us. Aimee and I hung close to
Felicia like she was our mom taking us to our first day of school. Rob was only
feet away from me, his lean frame dripping with sweat, his arm muscles bulging.

“Hey ladies,” said Johnny Ten. “You want
some whisky?”

Felicia shot us a “don’t even think about
it” look. “This is my cousin and her friend. They’re huge fans and I just
wanted to let them say hi.”

“Can we get your CD signed?” said Aimee
bravely. I could see that she was fighting to keep her eyes away from the
significant bulge in Johnny Ten’s painted-on leather pants.

He must have noticed as he smirked. “Sure
ladies, my pleasure.”

With shaking hands we presented our CDs,
purchased on pre-order from Black Dawn’s website. The guys were nice and Rob
even signed his ‘xoxo’ but I could tell that they’d be happy to get back to
their drinking. We shuffled out, elated but also a bit down. We’d met our
heroes, what now?

We were just about to leave when another
door opened and an unbelievably good-looking guy came out. He made Rob look
like ground beef he was so smoking. He was wearing tight, ripped black jeans, a
white tank, and tons of chains, plus his muscled arms were covered in swirling
black tattoos. His shaggy, sweaty brown hair somewhat concealed what was most
striking about him—blazing green eyes full of intensity but also
something else that stopped me cold. It was a type of yearning and also
suspicion mixed with determination. His whole body radiated that crazy charisma
that defined a Rock God. I was floored, not caring whether he noticed whether I
was staring or not.

He spotted us and his eyes travelled over
to me. I tried to look away, embarrassed for my gawking, but his penetrating
eyes held me fast.

“You guys aren’t leaving already?” he
asked in a husky voice.

* * *

The Rock God addressed all of us but his
eyes stayed fixed on me. I felt like my whole body was melting. I was so
attracted to him yet I felt so exposed too.

“Uh yeah, we were going to let the boys
get on with their night,” said Felicia, her voice sounding perplexed.

“No way, you have to join us at the after
party. It’s at Johnny Nine’s loft in the Meatpacking District. He won’t
mind—will ya, Johnny?” he asked, his eyes still not leaving mine.

I could practically feel Johnny shrug.
“Yeah, the more the merrier.”

“So Felicia, who are these gorgeous
ladies?” he asked in his rough, low voice.

“This is Aimee, my cousin. And this is
her friend Shayla. Girls, this is Liam Carter. He’s the guitarist for Hazard
41, the opening act, and the hottest new band around.”

“You don’t need to sell it to them,” he
said smoothly. “They can judge for themselves.” His eyes bored into mine. I
began to flush furiously, so much so that I swore my feet were even turning
bright pink. He smiled slightly but his brilliant green eyes stayed just as
intense. “So you coming or not?” he asked.

And that’s how I found myself in a black
stretch limo with one of the hottest bands on the planet and another band that
I was suddenly a lot more interested in—Hazard 41.

Aimee, Felicia and I squeezed into one of
the leather benches. Liam intentionally slid in next to me. His side and thighs
pressed against mine sending waves of heat through my body. Liam, who was
apparently the lead guitarist, introduced me to his fellow band mates—a
uniformly attractive and motley crew that included a lead singer, drummer, and
bass guitarist. They acknowledged me but looked mostly disinterested. I started
to feel a bit uncomfortable and looked to Aimee for reassurance.

“Baby, we are
not
in Duluth
anymore!” she hissed, tearing her eyes away from Johnny Nine for one moment.
She must have seen how nervous I was because she laid a hand on my shoulder.
“What is it, Shay?”

“What am I supposed to say to him?” I
hissed. “He’s
right beside me
.”

“Good thing too,” Aimee said, grinning.
“He is
quite
the piece.” I rolled my eyes and she sighed audibly. “Just
ask him about his music. And don’t worry, you look amazing and even better, you
are
amazing. So stop talking to me and talk to him.”

Clearing my throat I turned around to see
an amused and incredibly sexy Liam staring at me. I wondered if he’d heard our
conversation. “Um, so how was the show tonight?” I ventured through blushes.

He looked disappointed. “You didn’t get
to see it?”

I shook my head guiltily. “I would have
loved to but we had a bit of a cab issue.”

“Yeah that happens a lot in New York. If
you’d like I can play you a couple of our songs. You’re a fan of Black Dawn?”

“They’re my favorite!” I exclaimed.
“Well, I mean, I haven’t heard your music yet…”

He laughed and placed a very warm and
very solid hand on my knee. “Don’t worry about it, sugar. Black Dawn had a huge
influence on me when I was putting the band together. Now we’re on the same
label. After they heard our demo they demanded we open for them in NYC. I owe
these dudes everything.” He looked sincere but something in his voice made me
wonder if something had happened between the two bands.