A Road to Let Go (Fallen Tuesday #4) (26 page)

“
I
guess I was saving myself,
”
Jake said.

“
Romantic
and cheesy.
”

“
Wait
until I write a song about you.
”

Mel laughed as they got in their
seats to buckle up for landing.

The plane descended and landed.
Jake carried the bags to the car and in another whirlwind, Mel soon found
herself entering the back of a hotel. She wanted to ask why they were sneaking
around, but then she remembered who she was with. If someone saw Jake, it would
probably set off a huge chain of events. Mel wondered what that kind of life
must be like to have to sneak around and hide so a chaotic scene doesn't break
out.

A person escorted them to their
room, which was on the top floor in a far corner. Just the entry way was larger
than Mel
’
s entire loft
apartment.

“
No
way,
”
Mel said.
“
This is too much. You shouldn
’
t have done this.
”

“
What
if I said I didn
’
t?
”
Jake asked.

“
What?
”

“
The
record company did,
”
Jake
said with a grin.

“
How?
”

“
Favors.
We make them a lot of money. They take care of us.
”

Mel carried her bag right to the
bedroom. She dropped her bag and looked at the large bed. Her mind flashed an
image of her and Jake rolling around together on it. Before the image could
fade she felt Jake put his hands to her waist. He was right behind her. She put
her head back to his chest and moaned.

“
This
is too much,
”
Mel said.

“
Don
’
t think about it,
”
Jake said.
“
It
’
s
life. Run with it. Wherever it goes.
”

“
It
’
s way too early to be awake,
”
Mel said.
“
But I
’
m kind of
…
I don
’
t know, awake.
”

“
That
’
s good.
”

Jake slid a hand around to Mel
’
s stomach. His fingers playfully
lifted her shirt and his hand opened wide. Mel reached back and up, letting her
fingers swim in his hair. Jake had his lips at her left ear. He kissed once and
then whispered,
“
Run
with it, sweetheart. For me. For us.
”

Mel nodded. She looked down and
watched Jake
’
s fingers go
to work. He unbuttoned her jeans and gently worked her jeans down just enough
to show Mel
’
s panties. Her
knees started to bend as she felt ready to faint already. Her body was
completely on fire. She was ready for Jake.

Jake moved left to right along the
top of Mel
’
s panty line.
When his fingers slipped into her panties, Mel took a shuddering breath and
gasped. She felt him explore down her body until he touched her sex. Mel tensed
and whimpered.

“
Jake,
”
she whispered.

“
It
’
s okay, sweetheart,
”
Jake whispered back.

He lifted his hand back up to the top
of her panties. He gripped the top of them and pushed, wanting them down. Mel
wiggled her hips, easing the burden. As she did that, she felt Jake getting
hard. It made her groan again, desperate for more.

Jake
’
s
fingers moved down to explore again, Mel closed her eyes so she could focus on
the feeling of his two fingers massaging left to right, easing their way around
and into her.

Mel felt her toes curl and she let
out a satisfying sigh. As Jake applied more pressure, sinking his fingers
deeper, she pushed back harder against his body. She wanted to feel his
hardness, but she also needed him for balance. Jake
’
s other hand wrapped around Mel
’
s body and he held her. His lips
then touched her neck, followed by his tongue, sending Mel into a passionate
oblivion.

There was no reason for this to
feel so good or make her body want to finish as fast as she felt the pleasure
filled climatic wave starting to crash. The way Jake touched and kissed her at
the same time as he held her was too much to handle.

“
Oh,
Jake, I
’
m
…”

Jake ran his lips up along Mel
’
s cheek and she turned her head
to meet his mouth.

“
I
know,
”
Jake whispered and
smiled.

Oh
…
shit
…

That was all Mel could think as she
began to climax. Jake was in control and Mel loved it. She liked leaning on him
- in more than one way, for sure. He could hold her, pleasure her, make her
feel alive and important all at once.

Jake held tight and moved his
fingers faster as Mel crested. Her body shook and shuddered, but she trusted
Jake with this moment. When her knees bent, Jake
’
s
strength kept her up. When she closed her eyes and succumbed to the pleasure,
she felt exposed, but it was a good feeling to be exposed like this. Her lips
whimpered against Jake
’
s
lips as he started to slow his touch. He took his fingers out of Mel
’
s body and in one quick move, he
turned Mel and lifted her up in his arms.

Mel let out a cry.

“
I
’
m taking you in this big bed,
Mel,
”
Jake said.

“
Put
me down so I can undress you,
”
Mel said.

Jake walked her to the bed, put her
down, and stepped back. He put his arms to his sides. The move turned Mel on
more than ever. Jake was allowing her to touch him and undress him.

She grabbed the bottom of his shirt
and lifted it. Up and off Jake
’
s
strong body, Mel let it fall to the floor. She then put her hands to his
shoulders and slowly slid them down his body. As she came down, Mel kissed him,
over and over, working her way down to his pants. Mel opened his jeans and
tugged at them, not wasting a second of time for this.

When Jake popped free of his jeans
and boxers, Mel wrapped her hand tight around him. Jake groaned and jumped.

“
Damn,
sweetheart,
”
he whispered.

Mel stroked him once, twice, her
hand still shaking, wanting more still. She looked him in the eyes and nodded.

It was time.

Yes. Please
…
yes
…

“
I
need something,
”
Jake said.

“
Where?
”
Mel asked.

“
My
bag
…”

“
Don
’
t move,
”
Mel said.

She rushed to Jake
’
s bag and opened the side
pocket, lucking out by finding protection without taking a long time. She took
a condom, opened it, and held it in her hand. She went right back to Jake and
picked up where she left off. As she sheathed Jake, he gritted his teeth. Mel
blushed as she realized she stole just a little power from Jake in that sensual
moment.

Once ready, Mel slid her hands back
up Jake
’
s body. Her fingers
were spread wide and she quickly realized she was probably turning herself on
more than Jake. She then gripped his thick and hard shoulders tight and jumped
up.

Jake caught Mel and they were
almost instantly together. Mel felt him right there at her center. Slowly, Jake
climbed the bed with Mel in his arms. He came forward and entered Mel. She let
out a long cry and accepted him. As he started to pull back out, Mel felt
herself already ready to climax again.

It
’
s
…
so
…
good
…

As Jake started to speed up, he
grabbed her waist and slid his hands up, lifting her shirt. The movements
continued hard and fast. Mel climaxed for a second time, curling herself up and
kissing Jake
’
s chest. That
’
s when Jake took the opportunity
and slid Mel
’
s shirt up and
off her body. He unsnapped her bra and just like that, they were both finally
naked.

Jake climbed up the bed further with
Mel in arms and his body connected to hers. He then lowered himself to Mel and
her hands moved up and down his strong back. His thrusts slowed, but they were
so deep and thorough that they stole Mel
’
s
breath each time he came forward at her. Mel tried to match his gentle, pleasure
filled speed.

When Jake looked down at her, their
eyes met and it was perfect. Mel touched Jake
’
s
hair and her lips quivered. He put his mouth to hers and for the third time, she
felt herself reaching the brink. Jake
’
s
thrusts sped up as Mel knew he was ready to go too. Mel breathed heavily as she
waited for the climax to happen. When it did, she closed her mouth tight
against Jake
’
s and they
were suddenly locked in a deep kiss with Jake deep inside her body.

When Jake moved from Mel
’
s body, he was still all about
her needs. He gently pulled the covers down and pulled them up to cover his and
Mel
’
s bodies together.

“
We
need sleep, sweetheart,
”
Jake said as he touched her hair.

Mel nodded and smiled.
“
Yeah
…”

“
I
’
m so happy I can be here with
you right now.
”

“
I
feel like I
’
m dreaming,
”
Mel said.

“
You
’
re not. This is your life. Now
…”
Jake kissed her.
“…
and hopefully forever.
”

Mel opened her mouth to ask what that
meant, but Jake just kissed her again.

(24)

Jake woke before Mel did. The life
of waking in a hotel didn
’
t
bother him at all. It was more like a second home for him. A new room. A new
bed. Something that was there today and gone in a few hours as he geared up to
hit the next city for the next show.

But there was no tour right now. No
show either, just the comfort of the bed with Mel.

For a moment Jake thought about
waking Mel, but he figured if she hadn
’
t
set her alarm there was no rush for anything. Her personal journey to find her
father had taken her here. The ending could be good or bad. In the pit of Jake
’
s heart he couldn
’
t understand what would make a
man leave his family. He was also unsure what that man
’
s reaction would be when his daughter sought him
out after a lifetime apart.

As Jake stared at Mel he had the
sudden realization that he would probably be guiding Mel down a painful path
soon. And that was okay. Jake had been down plenty of those paths, most of the
time alone. Not that he wished to see Mel hurt, it would just be nice to have
the opportunity to be there for her. She wasn't going to be walking that path
alone.

Jake kissed Mel
’
s forehead and then worked his
way out of the bed. Mel moved but she didn
’
t
wake. When Jake stood and looked down, he remembered he was naked. Smiling, he
thought about the last time he had been naked in a hotel room with a woman. That
was the morning he met Mel.

Sneaking around the bed, Jake got
his pants and shirt and left the bedroom. He managed to shut the door without
it making a sound. He dressed himself and set his sights on the coffeemaker. He
set up a pot of coffee and leaned against the counter, staring at the closed
bedroom door. On the couch was a black guitar case. His fingers suddenly felt
alive, teasing him to play. Sometimes it was nice just to chill alone and pluck
the strings. That
’
s where his
best ideas came from. It
’
s
also where healing came from. As much as the music meant to the fans, it touched
the band even more. Especially Jake.

The coffeemaker spit and hissed.
Jake poured a cup, blew at the steam, and sipped it. He went to the couch and
sat down. He opened the guitar case and held the guitar in his hands as his
cell let out a vibrating beep.

It was a message from Frank wanting
to know how the night had gone.

Jake wrote back that things were
good. He thanked Frank.

Then Frank was calling him.

“
Of
course,
”
Jake whispered. Jake
took the call.
“
You
’
re interrupting me.
”

“
In
bed?
”
Frank asked.

“
No.
Sitting with a guitar.
”

“
Hey,
stay put,
”
Frank said.
“
I
’
m
trying to get the other guys dialed in.
”

“
Conference
call, huh? That really doesn
’
t
scream rockstar.
”

“
Get
over it,
”
Frank said.
“
You
’
re in a hotel with a woman who I
’
m guessing is naked. That
’
s pretty rockstar if you ask me.
”

Jake smiled.
“
Fair enough.
”

He sat there and waited, listening
as the rest of the band came onto the phone call.

“
Gentlemen,
”
Frank said.
“
Are we all here?
”

“
Yeah,
”
Jake said.

“
Here,
”
Trent said.

“
Yup.
”
Gray said.

“
Kind
of early, Frank,
”
Luke
said.

“
I
’
m here,
”
Mack
’
s
deep and groggy voice grumbled.

That was his hung-over voice.

“
Okay,
”
Frank said.
“
I have to tell you guys the news
right now. Everything we talked about with the touring schedule is in full
swing. But, there
’
s
something else. We
’
re
mixing in some smaller shows. Like the radio station shows. The plan is to play
a small show on the heels of a big one. It
’
s
going to be nationwide with plenty of small breaks as needed. There will be
private jets available to all of you to travel to and from shows during these
breaks.
”

“
I
’
m interested now,
”
Mack said.

“
I
like it,
”
Jake said. He sat
back on the couch, his coffee mug in hand.

“
We
’
re also spacing the dates so
that
if
we need it, a second show could be added.
”

“
You
think we
’
ll need it?
”
Gray asked.

“
Yes,
”
Luke said.

“
Yes,
”
Jake said.
“
I really think so.
”

“
I
can
’
t believe this is all
coming together,
”
Trent
said.

“
It
’
s going to keep coming together,
”
Frank said.
“
The thing is
…
I need you guys together on a
tour bus. I need you guys writing and working. This tour could end up lasting
two years. Maybe more.
”

“
Two
years?
”
Jake asked.

He looked to the bedroom door as it
slowly opened. He sat up and turned, knowing damn well that Mel had been naked
too when she fell asleep. He waited to see her beautiful naked body. Instead,
Mel came walking from the bedroom wearing an extra long t-shirt with Fallen
Tuesday on it. She had swiped the shirt from Jake
’
s
bag.

Her hair was messy. She stood in
the doorway and bent one of her knees and bit her lip. She was so damn
seductive whether she knew it or not.

“…
test run some new markets,
”
Frank said as his voice started to drone on.
“
But
that
’
s far down the road.
Obviously it
’
s mine and the
record company
’
s job to
analyze the shows and numbers to make decisions.
”

“
Good,
”
Jake said.
“
Does that mean we
’
re done here?
”

The band laughed.

“
He
’
s in a hurry,
”
Luke said.
“
A beautiful woman will do that
to a man.
”

“
Exactly,
”
Jake said.

He looked at Mel again and felt
short of breath. It wasn
’
t
even about the physical connection at this point. She was opening up to him and
he wanted more.

“
There
’
s more here,
”
Frank said.

“
More?
”
Jake asked.

You
’
re killing me, man.

“
The
album sounds great,
”
Frank
said.
“
You
’
ll get a final listen very soon.
But we still haven
’
t
decided on a cover for it. The last one was okay. Having your name on it helped
to promote the name and gain attention. For this album
…
what do you guys want?
”

“
For
the cover?
”
Gray asked.
“
I don
’
t know. Never really thought about it.
”

“
Neither
did I,
”
Luke said.

Jake stared at Mel. She was
smiling. She had one of her fingers wrapped around one of her tight curls. It
was driving him mad. His body was on fire and the last thing he wanted to talk
about was
…
cover art
…

Cover art.

The album cover
…

“
I
have an idea,
”
Jake said.

“
You
have an idea?
”
Frank asked.

“
Yeah.
Can you guys put your trust in me?
”

“
To
do what?
”
Mack asked.

“
To
get the cover. I
…
uh
…
I know someone.
”

“
Oh
boy,
”
Frank sighed.

“
I
’
m serious,
”
Jake said.

“
You
’
re going to make the cover?
”
Luke asked.
“
That I don
’
t trust.
”

“
Thanks,
man,
”
Jake said.

Mack let out a hearty laugh.
“
You want the truth?
”

“
I
’
m not going to make it,
”
Jake said.
“
I play guitar. But I know
someone
…”
Jake winked at
Mel and her face started to blush.

Man, I
’
m falling hard and fast here
…

“
If
you say so,
”
Frank said.
“
I need something soon. Just in
case.
”

“
No
problem,
”
Jake said.
“
Now, are we done here?
”

“
I
agree,
”
Mack said.
“
I have to sleep this feeling
off.
”

“
Quit
hitting the bottle,
”
Luke
said without an ounce of joking in his voice.

“
Maybe
I
’
ll come over there and
hit your face,
”
Mack said.

“
Okay
then,
”
Frank said.
“
You rockstars get some rest or
whatever. Congrats on the tour dates so far. It
’
s
only going to get bigger.
”

Jake hung up the call and put the
phone and his coffee mug down. He motioned for Mel to come over and watched her
the little tick-tock in her hips. Again, she had no idea how perfect she was.

When she was close enough Jake
grabbed her hand and pulled her right on top of him. His hands slipped right up
her shirt and around to her back. Her warm skin was so welcoming.

“
Good
morning, sweetheart,
”
Jake
said.

Mel leaned forward, her hair
falling all around. She came down to his mouth and kissed him good morning the
way Jake always dreamed the right woman would. Their lips, tongues, and mouths
savored one another for a few seconds.

Mel let out a sighing breathing and
Jake smiled.

“
I
don
’
t want to leave this
hotel,
”
Mel said.

“
I
agree with that,
”
Jake
said.
“
But we should. I can
’
t stay here forever.
”

“
I
heard. Band meeting on the phone?
”

“
Business
meeting,
”
Jake said.
“
I have a request for you.
”

“
A
request?
”

Jake leaned forward, keeping Mel in
his hands. Her hands were around his neck and it took all of Jake
’
s might not to throw her down on
the couch and have her.

“
The
band needs artwork for the new album,
”
Jake said.

“
No
way,
”
Mel said.
“
I
’
m
not
…”

“
You
said you painted something,
”
Jake said.
“
You could do
this. I
’
m sure the record
company will pay you for it.
”

“
I
can
’
t
…
there
’
s got to be someone better
…”

“
No,
”
Jake said.
“
I
’
m
picking you.
”
He kissed her
nose.
“
I want you to do
this. You want opportunity? Here it is.
”

Mel
’
s
mouth opened but she didn
’
t
say anything.
“
I think I
need coffee. Then I need to make a phone call.
”

“
You
do that, sweetheart,
”
Jake
said.
“
I
’
m going to sit here and play a
little guitar. If you need anything, you know where to find me.
”

Mel slid out of Jake
’
s hold and stood before him. The
t-shirt was tempting. It came far up Mel
’
s
legs. Jake touched Mel
’
s
legs. Mel shuddered and Jake winked at her.