Under Her Skin (12 page)

So he needed some female companionship. Big deal. Maybe he was bored, maybe he was lonely, maybe he missed Lola more than he wanted to admit. What was it about her that all of a sudden made him want to change everything about himself to make him worthy of her attention? And could he change? Or would he end up screwing something up and breaking her heart? So yes, maybe he was trying to keep himself busy by making out with other girls to keep his mind off Lola, but was that so wrong? He just hoped that once the tour was over, everything would work itself out and whatever was meant to be would happen on its own.

Everyone was excited for the last show. Marlo had called and talked to the band before they took the stage and wished them all luck, telling them that she couldn't wait to see them all the next day. What they didn't tell her though, was that they were skipping the after party and heading straight home when the last song was finished.

The guys rushed off stage as soon as the final note of the final song was played. They were on the bus and headed for the highway before the first concertgoer even left the arena. Everyone was excited to get back to their friends, their families, and most importantly, their own beds.

A few hours later, the tour bus stopped only long enough to deposit AJ and Sammy, before it moved again. A few short minutes later, it was Dusty and Tobias's turn. They grabbed their few bags before saying good bye to their driver, and headed to the house.

The guys were careful to be quiet since it was 3:00 in the morning. Neither one wanted to wake anyone up, especially since they were so tired themselves. Dusty bid Tobias a good night and silently tip-toed to his bedroom.

Tobias stood where he was for a moment, his thoughts racing. In resignation, he shook his head and started for his bedroom. As his hand reached for the door handle, he stopped and turned around, quietly walking in the opposite direction.

He hesitated for a split second when he reached the door at the end of the hall. Before he knew what he was doing, he was in the room and putting his bags down. He slowly creeped to the bed and pulled back the sheets before climbing in. His body automatically molded to the shape of the warmth already there.

"Hey." Marlo stirred slowly when she felt a weight shift on the other side of her bed. She opened her eyes slightly to see Tobias lying next to her. "I thought you weren't going to be home until morning. When'd you get in?"

"Just now. Sorry I woke you. Do you mind if I sleep in here?" He asked, leaning over to softly kiss her cheek.

"Not as long as you're careful. I don't want to hurt you with my cast." She sighed contentedly.

Just as Tobias was drifting off to sleep, he whispered lazily, "I missed you." Marlo smiled and fell back to sleep.

The next morning, Tobias was the first to wake. Too excited to be home, he couldn't sleep. He knew it would be the perfect time to treat everyone to a 'Tobias special'.

Annie woke up next, surprised to see Tobias in the kitchen. "Good morning." She said, grabbing a mug out of the cupboard and helping herself to the coffee. "Anything I can help with?" She offered as she looked around. Annie smiled when she saw the bed tray, decorated with a flower, and empty plate, and a glass of white grape juice.

"No thanks. Just sit tight and I'll have some food for you in a minute." He told her.

"Are you going to serve me on that?" Annie asked, pointing to the tray, with a knowing look on her face.

"Oh, uh, well, I just thought it'd be easier for Marlo to eat in bed. It must be hard for her to have to carry that huge cast around all the time." He explained.

"Well, that's nice of you. It's always nice to be treated to breakfast in bed." She tells him. Tobias slipped a plate of apple cinnamon pancakes in front of Annie and poured her a glass of juice.

"Looks delicious." Annie said.

"Thanks. Enjoy it. I need to make a special delivery." He said, picking up the now full tray. "Oh, and if Dusty gets down here, there's more pancakes in the oven. I have it turned on low to keep them warm, so make sure he doesn't burn himself."

Annie smiled as she watched Tobias leave the room, singing softly to himself. Something told her that there was more to the man that what was on the surface.

"Good morning sunshine." Tobias whispered to Marlo.

Marlo looked over groggily and moaned a good morning.

"Breakfast is served." He told her with a bad English accent.

Marlo woke up right away. "That smells so good!" She told him. Tobias forked off a small piece of pancake. "And tastes even better!" She chewed slowly, savoring every moment as the pancake melted in her mouth. After she swallowed, he cut off another piece and swirled it in the syrup. He slowly lifted the fork to her mouth with his eyes locked on hers. A small drop of syrup escaped and landed on her lip just before her mouth sealed around the fork. Tobias withdrew the utensil and smirked. "Ooops." He said slyly. "Let me get the napkin to clean that up." His eyes never left hers. "Ah, looks like I forgot the napkin. Maybe this will work." He lowered his eyes, just before lowering his head. Slowly, the space between them vanished and he sucked her bottom lip into his mouth.

"Mmm, that is good." Tobias agreed, licking his lips once he parted from Marlo. "I think I'll keep the rest for myself." He told her.

"Not a chance." Marlo laughed, grabbing the fork from him. "But we can share."

After breakfast, Marlo and Tobias went back to the kitchen so Tobias could clean up. Marlo sat on the bar stool watching him and talking, occasionally getting a quick kiss as he passed by her. They caught up on everything that had happened since they last saw each other, each feeling like it had been two months, rather than two weeks.

Annie watched them silently from the living room and was surprised at the tenderness that Tobias was showing for Marlo. After all she had heard about him, it was the last thing she was expecting. She knew caring like that wasn't something a person could fake, and his actions seemed honest. Maybe he would be good for Marlo after all, and wouldn't hurt her. Only time would tell.

Chapter 13

The next week was good for Marlo. Her and Tobias spent a lot of quality time together, doing normal, everyday things. They watched a lot of TV, hung out with friends, and caught up on some much needed sleep…together. For the most part they'd been getting along, with only a few mild spats peppered here and there.

The day Marlo got her cast off, nothing could bother her. Because of the location of the break, the doctor wanted to get the cast off her shoulder so that she could start regaining small amounts of mobility. Keeping the cast on for too long could substantially damage the range of motion of her shoulder., or so they told her Though she would have to keep her shoulder in a sling except when she was in physical therapy, it was so much better than the gigantic cast she previously adorned.

To celebrate, Dusty organized a little party. The celebration wasn't just for Marlo though, it was more of a party to celebrate the end of the tour. No matter what the actual reason though, there were plenty of reasons to party.

Marlo was busy in her room, trying to get ready for the party when she heard a knock at her door. She was hoping that it was Annie- even though she had the cast off, it didn't mean she was able to fully function and use her damaged arm. She needed a little help getting ready , especially since the party was already starting. "Come in." Marlo yelled desperately.

"Hey, just seeing if you were ready yet." Tobias told her as he walked into the room. The glare he received was the only answer he needed. "Guess not."

Marlo sighed. "Sorry, I'm just a little frustrated. I thought having the cast off would make things so much easier, but it's still hard."

"Need any help?" Tobias walked up behind Marlo and put his hands on her shoulders. Their eyes met in the mirror that they were standing in front of. "I'd gladly help you get dressed…or undressed." He smirked.

Marlo rolled her eyes. As much as that thought had been crossing her mind lately, she knew it wasn't a good idea. "Keep dreaming perv."

"I know, sorry. But at least you have your cast off. Dusty has another week with his, and I've got a few more weeks with mine." He reasoned.

"Yeah, but you can still function with your cast." She pointed out.

Tobias nodded. "True." He turned her around and pulled her into his arms, still careful of her shoulder. "Seriously, is there anything I can do to help?"

"You can go find Annie for me." She looked at him with pleading eyes.

"No problem. Then I'll be downstairs waiting for you. After all, you're my date for this shindig, and I wouldn't dream of making an entrance until you're by my side." He quickly kissed her cheek before departing to look for Annie.

Marlo stared after him, still battling her feelings in her head. They had grown a lot closer with each passing moment that they spent together, but a part of her was still trying to protect herself from Tobias. He seemed to truly care about her, but knowing everything she knew about his past, Marlo had a hard time letting her guard down completely.

Another knock at her door brought her out of her thoughts. "Come in." She yelled to the door and was relieved to see Annie enter her bedroom. "Oh, thank god Annie. I need help." She whined.

'That's what I'm here for!" Annie smiled at her. "Now, what can we do to make you beautiful for that young man that is so crazy about you?"

Marlo smiled. "I don't think he's crazy about me, I think it's just the thrill of the chase." She walked into her closet, and came back out with a couple of clothes hangers in her hand. "First of all, which outfit do you like best, and then I might need you to help me with my hair."

Annie looked through the hangers, carefully studying each one. "Well, I like this one," She held up a classy pair of black pants and a button down blouse. "But Tobias will like this one." She handed Marlo a pair of Capri pants and a halter top, and put the other clothes back in the closet. "Go get changed and then we'll do your hair. You'll need to put it up if you're going to wear that shirt."

Fifteen minutes later, Marlo and Annie stood back from the mirror admiring their hard work. She was finally ready, thanks to Annie. Both women went to the living room where they found Tobias waiting. Annie laughed at the longing look in his eyes when he saw Marlo.

"Wow, you look great." He stood from the couch and went to kiss Marlo's cheek. "Do I get the honor of having the two most beautiful women on my arms as we make our appearance?"

Marlo laughed at his attempt at chivalry and hooked her good arm through his. Annie smiled also and took his other arm. He led the two women out to the back yard where the party was already in full swing. Once outside, Annie grabbed Marlo and pulled her to the side.

"I just wanted to tell you to have fun tonight, okay? I'm not going to stay long, so I won't cramp your style." She promised.

"Annie! Don't leave any earlier than you want to. We invited you because we love you and we want you here with us. You certainly don't cramp our style!" Marlo scolded.

"Just the same…" Annie told her, just before she walked off, leaving Marlo alone with Tobias.

He grabbed her hand in his and he led her through the crowd to mingle with all their friends that had shown up. There were a lot of people they hadn't seen in a while, and it was nice to catch up with everyone. More than a few people eyed them oddly since they'd never seen Tobias and Marlo together and not fighting like cats and dogs. The biggest shock was to see them holding hands, cuddling, and kissing.

Everyone wanted to know what was going on between them, and their standard answer was always to smile and say they were 'just friends'. No one believed it for a minute by seeing how they were looking at each other , but they also didn't know what to think. Marlo and Tobias were having a great time catching all their friends off guard with their 'relationship'. They even heard some of their friends making bets on how long it would be until they exploded at each other.

Marlo was having a great time, until a familiar face caught her attention. She tugged on Tobias' arm and pointed in the woman's direction. "What the hell is Carly doing here?"

Tobias craned his neck to see the woman that Marlo was talking about. He had heard all about how Carly had savagely dumped Dusty, leaving him completely heartbroken in high school because he would never make anything of himself. Even Tobias had a bad feeling about the woman. "Only one way to find out." He said, dragging Marlo over to where Carly and Dusty stood.

"Hey guys, look who made it." Dusty said proudly when Marlo and Tobias walked up.

"Carly." Marlo said, coldly, in greeting.

"Hey Lola. How's it going?" Carly asked with fake enthusiasm.

"It's Marlo. Only my friends call me Lola." She said through clenched teeth.

"So sorry." Carly rolled her eyes.

Dusty watched the exchange between the two and pulled his sister to the side. He had such a hurt look on his face, and it made Marlo feel a twinge of guilt. Luckily the feeling didn't last long.

"What was that all about?" Dusty asked his sister. "Don't you like Carly?"

"Didn't you learn your lesson in high school?" Marlo fired back.

"People change Lola, in case you didn't know that." Dusty gestured towards Tobias.

"I know they do! I just don't trust her." She yelled. She knew that Dusty had a point, but Marlo just had this feeling in her gut when it came to Carly.

"Just give her a chance, please Lola." His eyes pleaded with her. "I'm not interfering with you and Tobias. You could at least give me the same courtesy."

"Fine, but if she hurts you, I'll kill her." She knew that she couldn't resist the wishes of the person that she was the closest to in the world. She still wasn't completely on board with the whole Carly thing, but she'd try her hardest.

Marlo and Dusty rejoined Tobias and Carly, only to have Tobias whisk Marlo right away. He quickly pushed her through the crowd, until they were completely on the other side of the yard.