All Access (Brothers of Rock #1) (rockstar contemporary romance) (9 page)

The ride continued and two seconds into moving again, the man turned and looked at Johnnie.

“Hey, are you...”

“Nope,” Johnnie said and pressed the button for the third floor. 

The elevator stopped in time and he rushed from it, Jess alongside him.

“What are we doing here?” Jess asked.

“We’ll take the stairs now,” Johnnie said.

At the ground floor, Jess started to move towards the lobby.

“No,” Johnnie said.  “We’ll take the backdoor.  There’s a car waiting for us.”

“A car?”

Johnnie paused and smiled at Jess.  “I’m a rockstar.  I get what I want, when I want it.”

The words made Jess’s body flare with heat. 

Outside the backdoor of The Richmond, a black car waited.  It wasn’t a limo but Jess assumed that was done on purpose.  A simple black car wouldn’t attract as much attention.

Johnnie opened the back door for Jess and within minutes, they were driving towards Jess’s apartment.  Once settled, she had time to think.

Her first thought?

This is crazy...

Yeah, it was crazy.  But when Jess turned her head and looked at Johnnie, it didn’t feel so crazy.  He was a man in need of a getaway.  A chance to relax and let the world roll off his shoulders.  Jess felt the same way.  For days she had been forcing herself to slave over her keyboard, desperate to churn out another book fast enough to keep her publisher happy.  They didn’t ask for the book but Jess put the pressure on herself to deliver. 

Did that even matter?

Her dream had always been to have the freedom to write.  That freedom landed in her lap a while ago and nothing had changed.  She did nothing out of the ordinary.  Nothing wild.  Nothing fun. 

Until now.

When the vehicle stopped at her apartment, she hesitated to get out of the car.

“What’s wrong?” Johnnie asked. 

“This is...”

“What we need,” he said.  He leaned towards her, taking her hand.  “Jess, I’m not forcing you to do a thing.  I’m offering you something.”

“How long will you wait?” Jess asked.

“As long as I have to.”

“What if I go inside and never come out?”

Johnnie smiled.  “Then I’d have to come find you.  To check on you.  To beg you to come with me.”

Jess opened the door and slid out of the car.  As she looked at Johnnie one last time, she smiled back.  “No need to beg.”

Through her apartment, Jess was like a storm.  She did her best to keep her room from looking like a total disaster but time was wasting away.  In nothing short of a miracle, she managed to pack a couple days worth of clothing in just one bag.  A big bag, but just one.  She put it on her shoulder and tried to move, dragging the bag from her bed.  It fell to the floor, taking her shoulder with it.  After crying out, Jess then grabbed the bag with two hands and dragged it across the floor.  At the door, she made sure everything was locked and she scanned her apartment one last time.

Crazy.

The thought kept coming to her.  The constant need to remind herself how crazy this was.  But it didn’t matter.  She could work from anywhere in the world.  She could stay in contact with her agent and Marie, or anyone else she needed to. 

This was the true freedom of her career, finally able to indulge in it.

More so, it wasn’t so bad to have someone as sexy as Johnnie to lead the way.

When Jess kicked open the door to the apartment building, dragging her bag, she stopped and waited for Johnnie.  He stepped from the car and put on a pair of sunglasses. 

“What the hell is in this?” he asked, lifting the bag off the ground.

“Some clothes,” Jess said.

“I thought you needed a laptop,” Johnnie said.

“What would I wear?  The same clothes day after day?”

“Actually... I was hoping you’d just be naked.”

Johnnie turned, just in time, so that Jess could spare herself the embarrassment as her cheeks flushed a deep red.  She never had someone be so blunt, honest, and sexy with her. Not to mention she was pretty sure Johnnie wasn’t lying.

They were back in the car and driving.  This time, Johnnie slid close to Jess and wrapped his arm around her.  Jess leaned into him, inhaling him.  She didn’t care if it was obvious.  Her head rested against his hard chest and she felt his strong fingers spread across her shoulder.

Everything felt right and comfortable.

“Tell me about your next book,” Johnnie said.

“It’s nothing special.  Guy and girl fall in love.”

“I don’t mind that story.”

“Yeah, but I’m thinking someone should try to kill one of them.  Or both.”

“Ouch.”

“But it brings them closer.”

“I hope nobody tries to kill us,” Johnnie said.

“Well, at least we’ll be hidden in the mountains, right?”

“Thank you for coming with me.”

Jess smiled and her eyes grew heavy.  When Johnnie started to rub her shoulder, she quickly fell asleep.

**

Johnnie stared at Jess.  Her eyes were shut and her breathing became heavy and relaxed.  He held her, realizing just how wild the idea had been.  If Johnnie had been alone when the idea struck, he would have eventually talked himself down.  He would have stood on the balcony of the hotel, gone to check on the band members, and played guitar.  Anything to keep his mind off getting away. 

But with Jess, it was like a whole new feeling.  He felt younger, more spontaneous, but only in the desire of her eyes.  Plus, the interview...

What a joke.

Johnnie didn’t want to believe that Peter had anything to do with that.  It was common knowledge that Johnnie wrote the songs for Chasing Cross, letting the band add their music and ideas later.  It had worked since the early days.  People assumed that because of his good looks and rockstar stature, he could handle the stage and fame on his own.  Johnnie could, but the desire to do so was something completely different. 

The band was the band and that’s all that mattered.

As long as the guys wanted to play, record, and tour, Johnnie had an obligation to keep the band together.

But the song...

Johnnie closed his eyes and put his head back.  Now the song played in his head.  He wrote the damn thing in the mountains, in the same cabin he was heading to right now, with Jess.  He remembered recording it, listening to it ten times.  Recording more tracks on top of tracks, deleting tracks.  Eventually, it became a stripped down version of itself, three guitar tracks and Johnnie’s voice in its purest form.  Peter called right after he finished the final track and had it playing in the background.  That’s when it all began.  Peter had an ear that Johnnie could only be in awe of.  The man couldn’t play a note on an instrument and couldn’t sing if someone held a gun to his head.  But he could pick out a song that could make someone famous.

And that’s what he told Johnnie, right on the spot.

He could release the song as a side solo project.  A way to supplement income, guarantee self security, along with a dozen other excuses that sounded nice but came with potentially heavy consequences. 

Johnnie didn’t need the money, even though Peter pushed it over and over.  He got the label to agree to a large advance and even more of an advance if Johnnie would write an album. 

Big deal.

Johnnie could do nothing for the rest of his life and have enough money to spend over five or six lifetimes. 

The smooth ride of the car felt amazing, not to mention the beautiful woman against his body.  He opened his eyes and looked down at Jess again.  Something about her just worked. She made everything feel calm and collected.

Johnnie shut his eyes, this time smiling. 

He was going to the top of the world, to face the mountains and find peace.  He already felt on top of the world with Jess and as she moaned in her sleep, he found peace.

(15)

Jess opened her eyes and took a deep breath.  She blinked, her eyes adjusting to being awake.  She turned her head to the right and rolled her neck.  As she sat up, she realized she was already sitting.  She saw Johnnie with his head back, sleeping, and everything came back to her.  Part of her expected to wake up in bed, coming out of the best dream of her life.

That wasn’t the case, at all.

She looked forward and caught sight of the new backdrop for their time away. 

When he said mountains, he literally meant it. 

Without a single building or house in sight, the car pointed towards the bright blue sky, Jess could feel it as they climbed higher.  Ascending away from the city, everything shaking off her shoulders and body.

Everything but Johnnie.

“Five minutes.”

Jess looked and saw Johnnie was awake too. 

“What?” she asked.

“Five minutes.  Right up this road.  Looks scarier than it is.”

“It’s not scary at all.  It’s... beautiful.”

“Not when it rains or snows.”

“You get snow up here?”

“Sure,” Johnnie said.  “If the weather is right.  It doesn’t happen too often, but when the ground gets too wet and muddy, you can’t really move.”

Jess scanned the perfect scenery.  She smiled.

“What are you thinking about?” Johnnie asked.

“Rain,” Jess replied.

“Rain?  Why rain?”

Jess looked at Johnnie. “I hope it pours for days.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.  So much rain, they close the roads.  Nobody can get to us.”

“Oh, Jess, nobody will bother us here.  I promise you.  I haven’t even told anyone that I’m up here.”

Jess sat up straighter.  “What about your band?  Your manager?  Won’t they worry?”

“For a minute or two,” Johnnie said.  “They’ll figure it out.  They know what happens when I have to leave.”

“When you have to?  Do you come up here a lot?”

“I’ll be honest,” Johnnie said, “I usually come up here when my heart is heavy.  When things aren’t feeling so good.”

“How does your heart feel right now?”

Johnnie took Jess’s hand and put it to his chest.  “I feel good.  I feel like I’m doing exactly what I should be doing.”

“Are you sure your band won’t care?”

“They understand,” Johnnie said.  “They’re probably just getting up anyway...”

Johnnie looked away and swallowed.  She closed her hand as much as she could, feeling the definition of his chest.  More than ever she wanted this ride to be over.  She wanted to see where Johnnie came to unwind.  This was where he came to create music and spill his heart.

Jess wanted to be the one he spills his heart to.

The cabin came into view and Jess let out a sigh of both relief and happiness.  It wasn’t some sprawling wooden mansion.  It was indeed a cabin.  A beautiful wood cabin with wooden pillars on the porch, wooden rails, and two wooden rocking chairs on the porch.  The driveway area was made up of tan color rock with a knoll in the center of the driveway with a large black rock.  It was misshapen and looked like it had no purpose being there.

“What is that?” Jess asked.

“That’s the rock that was supposed to kill me,” Johnnie said.  He had a half smile on his face, as though he knew Jess would look confused after a statement like that.

The car stopped, the driver looking in the mirror.

“We’re fine,” Johnnie said.  “You don’t have to wait.”

Johnnie opened his door and walked around to open Jess’s.  He took her hand and led her from the car before taking her bag.  Johnnie made it three steps before placing it to the ground. 

Jess hugged herself because it was cooler than the city.  With a soft breeze and shades of what felt like a perfect spring day, it was the kind of weather that in the sun was the right kind of warmth but night it was perfect for a blanket... or a fire... or a man.

The car pulled away and Johnnie waved.

“He just leaves?” Jess asked.

“That’s his job.  Don’t worry, I have a vehicle.  But I don’t plan on going anywhere.”

Jess smiled.  “Tell me about the rock.”

Grass had been planted around it and small purple flowers bloomed.  It looked like a shrine.

“Well, when I bought the cabin, I was told that some rocks are big enough to fall.”  Johnnie pointed to a large hill that was a couple hundred feet away.  The tip of the hill appeared to touch to sky. 

Jess imagined its peak disappearing into a morning fog when the weather proved right.

“I didn’t think anything of it,” Johnnie said.  “But one night after a thunderstorm, I went to use the bathroom.  That rock rolled off that hill.  It crashed through the cabin and crushed my bed.  But I wasn’t in it.”

“It rolled that far?” Jess asked.

“The first cabin was built against the hill.  After that rock hit it, I had it rebuilt here.  I’m told it’s far enough away.  So far, so good.”