Under the Lights (A Brothers of Rock - GONE BY AUTUMN - Novel) (10 page)

“
I
have a life and a job,
”
Jules said and giggled.
“
Come
on, be serious.
”

Rob nodded.
“
You got it. I
’
ll
be serious. What do you do, Jules?
”

“
I
’
m a singer. A backup singer. For
a pretty well known band. Ever hear of Gone by Autumn?
”

“
No,
”
Rob said.
“
I
’
m
not a music guy. I
’
m a life
guy. I
’
m a in-the-present
guy. I find what I like and go for it. I don
’
t
need some music playing to make me feel good. Even dancing with you out there,
Jules. I don
’
t need music
for that. The way your body moves makes me move. And that
’
s what I care about.
”

“
Okay,
”
Jules said.

She started to feel a little
uncomfortable. She looked to her left, hoping she could get Tara's attention.
But The Jack was filling up. It wasn
’
t
packed like when Gone by Autumn had been playing, but there was enough people
that it was almost impossible to call for Tara.

“
Hey,
listen,
”
Jules said.
“
I should go find Tara. I don
’
t want ruin the rest of your
night, Rob.
”

“
Come
here,
”
Rob said. He grabbed
Jules by the wrist and pulled her from her chair.
“
Why would you ruin my night?
”

“
I
’
m going to be real honest with
you,
”
Jules said.
“
I
’
m
looking to just have some fun. Dance, drink, flirt. I mean, you could probably
even get away with kissing me. But that
’
s
it. I
’
m not going to leave
this place with you. I
’
m
not going to a hotel. I
’
m
not going to sleep with you.
”

“
That
’
s fine,
”
Rob said.
“
I
’
m looking for fun. You don
’
t have to sleep with me. And we
definitely don
’
t have to
leave this place. Come on, let me show you something.
”

Rob was on the move again, Jules
right behind him. She didn
’
t
really want to follow him but she had nowhere else to go right now. Plus, she
made it very clear what her intentions were for the night.

They went right by the main floor
and toward the side of the stage. Jules knew the territory very well, it was
where she went backstage when she sang with Gone by Autumn. But off to the
right was a small hall that led to the bathrooms and then a set of steps that went
upstairs to the offices. Jules had never been up there.

Of course, that
’
s right where Rob went.

Right to the bottom of the steps.

Jules stopped and pulled back,
shaking herself free.

“
What
are you doing?
”
she asked.
“
We
’
re
not allowed up there.
”

“
I
know that,
”
Rob said.
“
We
’
re
not going up there though. We
’
re
staying right here.
”

“
The
steps?
”

Rob jumped to the floor and had his
hands at Jules
’
hips. He
turned her around and forced her up two steps. She was now eye level with him.
He came forward and kissed her. His lips were cool and chapped.

Nothing like Tanner
’
s.

Jules put her hands to Rob
’
s shoulders and pushed him back.

She killed the kiss and smiled. Her
mind was still foggy from all the free drinks, but she needed to get out of
this situation, and fast. She thought of a fake phone call. She could pretend
she heard her phone beep or something.

“
That
’
s right, baby, dig your hands
into my shoulders,
”
Rob
said.

He kissed Jules again and she pushed
him back again.

“
What
the fuck are you doing?
”
Rob growled.

“
I
told you
…”

“
And
I fucking told you,
”
Rob
said.
“
We don
’
t have to leave here. But I
’
m getting you. Right now, Jules.
Right now.
”

Now Jules felt her heart racing and
not for good reason.

Rob grabbed her bag and threw it against
the wall. It was out of reach now, so there was no way Jules could have her
pretend phone call. Or even a real phone call for help for that matter.

Rob slid his hands to the small of
Jules
’
back and pulled her
close to him. He bent a little and started to kiss her neck. She tried to push
at his shoulders but he was a little too strong for her. She quickly lifted her
right knee, thinking common sense would be to hurt him to get him away.

But Rob was expecting it.

He had his knee there and blocked
Jules
’
kick.

“
That
’
s right,
”
he said.
“
Keep
trying, baby. Fight me off. It only makes you more beautiful.
”

“
You
asshole,
”
Jules yelled.

She started to claw and swing at
Rob. She let out a long cry, hoping her voice would echo somewhere and be
heard.

Rob grabbed her by the wrists and
held tight.
“
Fuck, Jules,
you wanted some fun.
”

“
Not
this. This is not fun. Stop.
”

“
You
fucking take my free drinks all night. You party with me. You want to have fun.
What the fuck did you think I wanted?
”

“
I
don
’
t know. I
’
m drunk. Leave me alone. I know
the owner. I
’
ll get you
arrested.
”

“
Are
you threatening me?
”
Rob
asked.
“
After you attacked
me? Tried to kick me in my balls? I should have you
…”

“
If
you don
’
t walk the fuck
away right now, man, you
’
re
going to regret it.
”

It was a third voice.

Jules saw a figure standing a few
feet away. It took her frantic mind a few seconds to realize that it was
Tanner.

Tanner. He came. He
’
s here.

“
Hey,
fuck off, buddy,
”
Rob said.
“
You don
’
t know what
’
s going on here.
”

Tanner grabbed Rob by the shoulder
and pulled him away. When Rob turned he threw a fist and hit Tanner in the
mouth. Jules let out a scream and covered her mouth. She stepped back,
forgetting she was on steps, and fell to her ass.

“
I
told you, buddy,
”
Rob said.

“
And
I told you,
”
Tanner
growled.

He had a hand to Rob
’
s throat and walked him right to
the Men
’
s Room. It opened
and both men disappeared. The door shut and all Jules could do was listen. She
heard grunts, groans, and the sound of something -
well, someone
-
crashing into a wall.

The door flew open again and Jules
tensed up. If it was Rob, she was in really big trouble.

But it wasn
’
t Rob. It was Tanner.

He ran right to her, and dropped to
his knees in front of her.

“
Holy
shit,
”
he said.
“
What the hell just happened?
”

(10)

Feeling good after a few drinks
with the band, the guys started to split up for the night. Ryan was taking
Raine to dinner and a hotel room to celebrate something dumb they made up for
each other. Asher had his eyes on one of the backup singers. Gabe and Blake
were talking about music, Blake easing his way into convincing Gabe to go out
to the same spot where Maya was celebrating her payday also. It left Tanner
with a choice to either be alone in the practice loft, go home to an empty
apartment, or to seek out some fun.

He could have easily found fun to
take home, but he just couldn
’
t
get Jules out of his damn mind. Every time he thought about hooking up with
another woman, he thought about Jules. About kissing her. About her idea for
the song.

So he had a car take him to The Jack,
wanting to find her, just like he said he was going to do. The last thing he
expected to see was Jules at a table with some suit and tie who was trying too
hard and not quite getting that Jules wasn
’
t
interested. Yet Jules followed him. Tanner had to play it cool so he didn
’
t want to cause a huge stir for
being there, but the second Tanner saw the suit and tie damn near dragging
Jules toward the bathrooms and stairs, he knew something was wrong.

As he rushed across the bar, a drunk
girl let out a cry and threw her arms around his neck. He hugged her back and
tried to keep walking.

“
I
freaking love you!
”
she
yelled.
“
I love Gone by
Autumn so much! I
’
m so
happy you
’
re here! Come
drink with us!
”
She turned
around and made an announcement that Tanner was there. More people started to
close in, wanting to touch and talk to the guitarist from Gone by Autumn.
Tanner tried to keep moving, while trying to keep a smile on his face, shaking
hands, taking hugs, waving. He pushed through the crowd the best he could. Finally
security came to his aid, but he feared it could have been too late.

Security made a path for Tanner and
he ran through.

He turned the corner to hear
someone yelling the word
fuck
at Jules and heard Jules practically
begging for the man to leave her alone.

That
’
s
when everything started to turn red.

He wanted to kill the guy. Tanner just
kept reminding himself of his celebrity status. After what just happened with
Ryan's father, the last thing the band needed was any kind of bad press.

Then the son of a bitch swung and
hit Tanner in the mouth. It didn
’
t
really hurt, but it drove him over the edge. Tanner grabbed the suit and tie by
his throat and pushed him into the bathroom. He walked him to the wall and
punched him once in the mouth.

Payback, asshole.

He then grabbed the guy by his
jacket and gave him a knee to the gut, knocking the wind out of him. Finally,
Tanner threw the asshole into the other wall and let him fall to the floor.

Tanner wanted to keep beating the
hell out of him, but he needed to check on Jules. He left the bathroom and bent
down in front of her. He touched her legs, saw the fear on her face, and felt
the anger rushing through his body.

“
Holy
shit,
”
he said.
“
What the hell just happened?
”

“
I
don
’
t know,
”
Jules said.
“
Rob
…
that guy
…”

“
Is
he your boyfriend or something?
”

“
No,
”
Jules said.
“
Just some guy. He bought me a
couple drinks. We were talking and dancing. He wanted me to come home with him
and I refused. Then he
…”
She started crying.

“
Okay,
stop, take a breath,
”
Tanner said. He reached up and touched Jules
’
face.
“
I thought I was too
late. I didn
’
t know
…”

“
You
really came here tonight,
”
Jules said. She flickered a quick smile.

“
Yeah,
I did. For you.
”

“
Just
for me?
”

“
Just
for you,
”
Tanner said.

“
Uh,
is everything okay back here?
”

Tanner stood as a security guard approached
them. Tanner grabbed Jules
’
bag and then put a hand out for her to take. She stood and he pulled her close
to him.

“
We
’
re fine,
”
Tanner said.
“
There
’
s a guy in the bathroom though.
He was drunk, unruly, and tried to hurt her. That needs to be taken care of.
Without any names being used. Okay?
”

“
Not
a problem,
”
the security
guy said. He looked at Jules.
“
Are
you okay, miss?
”

“
I
’
m okay now,
”
Jules said. "Tanner saved
me.
”

The security guard looked at Tanner.
“
What did you do to him?
”

“
Just
took a couple shots. Nothing bad. I swear.
”

“
Good.
We
’
ll take care of it. Do
you need help going back out there?
”

“
I
’
m not going back out there,
”
Tanner said.
“
I
’
m
taking Jules to safety.
”

Tanner cut backstage. He stopped at
a long table and lifted Jules up so she was sitting on the table. He touched
Jules
’
hands and shook his
head.

“
What
the hell were you thinking?
”

“
I
don
’
t know, Tanner. I was
having fun. I wanted to have a couple quick drinks and
…
whatever.
”

“
I
wanted to kill that guy, darling. The second I saw him trying to touch you.
”

“
Is
it wrong to tell you that kind of turns me on?
”

Tanner grinned.
“
You
’
re still drunk, aren
’
t
you?
”

“
A
little. Not a lot.
”

“
I
have rules,
”
Tanner said.

“
Rules?
You
’
re a rockstar.
”

“
And
I have damn rules. That
’
s
what makes you impossible right now.
”

“
Why?
”

“
Because
you make me want to break my own rules. And that
’
s
not good for either of us.
”

“
I
can follow rules,
”
Jules
said.

Tanner could feel his walls coming
down. The whiskey from before was wearing off but the rush of beating up the
suit and tie was better than any buzz.

“
Did
you really think I wasn
’
t
going to show up?
”
Tanner
asked.

“
I
don
’
t know,
”
Jules said.
“
You
’
re famous. You have things to do. I
’
m a backup singer just trying to
figure things out. My roommate
’
s
always telling me to have fun. So I tried. And look where it got me.
”

“
We
’
re getting out of here,
”
Tanner said.
“
Like I promised you before, you don't
need a ride from your roommate. I
’
m
going to be your ride.
”

“
You
don
’
t know where I live.
”

Tanner smiled. He loved that Jules
was trying to flirt with him. But Tanner always had the upper hand.

He leaned forward and gently kissed
Jules
’
lips.
“
I don
’
t care where you live. I never said I was taking
you home, darling.
”

His hands then slowly crept up
Jules
’
legs. One hand moved
around to her back and pulled her to the edge of the table. Jules put her hands
to his chest and curled her fingers. She let out a sighing moan, her lips
trembling as he kissed her again.

Tanner quickly felt himself losing
control. And he didn
’
t mind
it all that much. His right hand was still on the top of Jules
’
leg. He slid up to where her
leg met her body. Slowly, his hand turned, his thumb moving to her inner thigh.

Jules let her hands inch down his
body until her thumbs were teasing at the bottom of his shirt. When she touched
his bare skin, Tanner growled, wanting more. He felt a feral need shoot through
his body like a lightening strike.

His lips grazed at Jules
’
, their eyes staring intensely
at each other. He knew she was drunk but her eyes were clear. There was a
slight moment of hesitation for Tanner. He knew if he took Jules back to his
place all the rules were going to be broken. They would be shattered by her
beauty and the passion they
’
d
share. For a second he tried to picture himself making her breakfast. Then
talking. Laughing. Flirting. Sharing a shower together. All that morning after
stuff he never did.

“
What
’
s wrong?
”
Jules asked.
“
I
’
m not that drunk, Tanner. I know
what
’
s happening. I know
what I want
…”

“
I
know what you want,
”
Tanner
said.
“
If I start giving it
to you, darling, I
’
ll never
be able to stop. You
’
ll
never know anything but me and the pleasure I give you. Ever."

“
Then
do it,
”
Jules said. Her
hands shot up Tanner
’
s stomach,
her nails digging at his body.
“
Do
it hard. Hurry.
”

Tanner kissed Jules harder. Their
tongues went wild together. Tanner kept one hand at her lower back, pulling,
while his thumb moved up, between her legs. Even though he was touching her
damn jeans, Tanner couldn
’
t
believe the effect it was having on him. He was hard as a rock, pressing
forward, wishing they were both undressed. Tanner wanted to touch everywhere.
All at once. Somehow, someway.

They kissed for what felt like the
entire night. Each time Tanner applied pressure between Jules
’
legs, she moaned into his
mouth. A big of him said to just stop all this. She had just been attacked. She
was their backup singer and warned by Sam to be off limits. She was also a
little drunk.

I don
’
t care. I want her. I
’
m having her.

Tanner moved his hand from between
her legs to her back. He lifted her from the table. Gently, he put her feet on
the floor and made sure she had balance. They were still kissing, Tanner
wanting to break it, but Jules grabbing at his hair, being so damn aggressive.

When their kiss finally ended,
Jules looked at him, eyes wide.

“
Shit,
you are so beautiful,
”
Tanner said.
“
I don
’
t just say shit like that,
darling. I don
’
t have to
say shit like that. I say what I mean.
”

“
Make
me feel more beautiful, Tanner.
”

“
Come
with me then.
”

Tanner took Jules by the hand and
walked her to the back door of The Jack.

There was a car waiting for him to
start the rest of his night.

Tanner looked at Jules.

And maybe the rest of my
whole
life.

*

Before Jules could manage to take a
deep breath, she was in the back of a black car that was taking her away from
The Jack. Away from Tara. And definitely away from going home to her crappy one
bedroom apartment. She looked at Tanner as his hands went for her body again.
She turned, offering herself to him, wanting to watch his incredible body climb
on top of hers. The only real problem was that they were both clothed. Her
fingers were aching to tear the clothing off his body so she could finally see
those muscles she had been feeling.

Tanner cradled the back of her head
with one hand while the other started at the bottom of her shirt and raced up.
He stayed over her shirt - maybe being a gentleman, maybe being a tease - and
moved up, up, and up until his soft grip was right at her neck. It had a
threatening appeal to it, one that Jules was shocked to find she enjoyed. Only
because it was Tanner though.

His lips crashed to hers like a
violent storm to a shore. His breathing was rapid, spreading across her face as
his tongue swirled in her mouth, leaving her body with no choice but to seek
relief by thrusting up at him. There were desires that needed to be taken care
of. They needed to be taken care of right now. There was no time to waste.