Changing the Key: A Detrimental Rock Star Romance (Book 1) Read online

  “I’m so sorry,” Jaxon said, his voice strained. “I can’t imagine how hard that must have been for you.”

  My head shook in denial. “Foster care was the best thing that ever happened to me. Miss Molly, my foster mom, was exactly what I needed. On top of being the sweetest, most patient woman, she taught me so much. She showed me how to take better care of myself and taught me who to ask for help if I needed it. I learned that there was a better way to live.”

  Wrapping an arm around my shoulders, he pulled me into the shelter of his body. “How long were you with her?”

  “About a year. Miss Molly cried when she told me I was going to live with my mom again. I think she would have adopted me, but the state reunites families whenever possible. Social Services helped Mama get a steady job, gave her some parenting classes, and enrolled her in some programs like food stamps. In the eyes of the courts, she was fit to be a parent. So I was sent back.” The words echoed in my head as the lights continued to dance against the inky, depthless water.

  “Did things get better after that?”

  “Yes and no. It didn’t take long for Mama to go back to her old ways, but it never got quite as bad as before. Maybe because I refused to live like that again and ended up being more of the parent than Mama. Damn, she used to get so sick of me telling her the way Miss Molly did things. So, in a way, it was harder for me. It was so much easier when I didn’t know any better. As I got older, Mama fell in with a rougher crowd and got arrested several times for disorderly conduct, domestic disturbance, and shoplifting. I ended up in foster care for brief periods while she was in jail, but I was always sent back.”

  “Were you ever abused physically or…?” He sounded pained, unable to even formulate the rest of the question.

  I braved a look at his face and kissed the lines creasing his brow. “No. I learned to stay out of sight and never drew anyone’s attention that way.”

  He sighed, heavy with relief, and rested his forehead to mine. I awaited his next words, knowing they could make or break our tenuous relationship.

  “I admire the hell out of you for making for a better life for yourself. It takes a strong person to come out on the other side of that and remain as kind and generous as you are.”

  “Thank you,” I whispered around the emotion tightening my throat.

  “For what?”

  “For not making me feel like my past defines me.”

  A pang of guilt hit me as I thought about the rest of the story that I’d held back. I told myself that it was because we were keeping things casual and I was leaving soon. The fact that he seemed to accept that much of my story without judgment or worse, pity, was too good to be true. So I wasn’t willing to risk baring the rest of my shame to him.

  A smile lit my face as a knock sounded on the door. I had been given strict instructions to take a relaxing bath, get dressed for bed, and to expect him back in an hour. He was right on time.

  Seeing the man on the other side of the door had my heart melting into a puddle. Dressed in his usual sleeping attire, he sported wet hair from his shower and carried the scent of his body wash. Stepping in just far enough for the door to shut, the bags he was carrying dropped to the floor. Pressing me to the wall, he crushed his lips to mine. His hands came up to angle my head as I opened for more. His tongue met mine for a slow, torturous taste.

  He hummed as the kiss ended. “Missed you.”

  Damn, I was in trouble.

  He moved his duffel bag to the dresser and placed a grocery bag in my hands. I looked at him questioningly, still dumbstruck from his greeting.

  “Emotional purging requires follow-up chocolate. At least that’s what I’ve been told.”

  Peering inside, a bakery box held a small cake, covered in chocolate ganache and candied strawberries. Two plastic forks sat at the bottom of the bag.

  “What’s in the duffel bag?” I asked, curious to know what other surprises he had in store.

  His hands gripped my hips and drew me closer to him. “I brought a change of clothes and my toothbrush. I’m not making any assumptions, but I was hoping to stay the night. I had a hard time sleeping last night without you there.”

  “Me too,” I admitted, glad I wasn’t the only one. “I was hoping that sleeping with Gerry tonight would help.”

  Jaxon tensed, his hands fisting my pajama pants. “Who the fuck is Gerry?”

  Reaching up on the tips of my toes, I kissed his stiff lips and nodded towards the bed, where Gerry the Giraffe was propped on my pillow. “Your competition. Go easy on him, he’s lived a pretty soft life.”

  A harsh laugh rushed out of him as he bowed his head. “Sorry.”

  Bending to meet his eyes, I palmed the side of his face. “Hey, I would never do that to you.” But his reaction told me someone had.

  Before I could ask, he turned off the overhead light, leaving just the bedside lamp glowing, and was climbing into my bed to pat the spot next to him. Sexy man in my bed with chocolate? Yes, please. Still, the most remarkable fact about having him there was that it wasn’t the least bit awkward. Nothing had changed since I had shared some of my past with him. He was just as relaxed and inviting as he grabbed the TV remote to find something to watch.

  We fed each other bites of cake, in between tasting plenty of each other, until we gave up on the cake altogether. I was hungrier for him anyway. Judging by his body’s reaction, I wasn’t the only one. Realizing that we were alone, with access to a bed and all of the privacy we could ever need, I shifted to sit astride him. Threading his fingers into my hair, he pulled me closer to deepen our kisses.

  “Fuck, you taste even better than the cake,” he groaned. In the next instant, we were all teeth and tongues, biting and licking. He gripped my ass as his hips thrust upward. Needing his hands on me, I lifted my shirt over my head.

  “So beautiful,” he breathed, reverently reaching to cup my breasts in his palms.

  Arching into his touch, I felt the pull as he tugged my hardened nipples. His mouth took over, alternating between licking and sucking the pebbled flesh., I anchored myself to him, gripping fistfuls of his hair. Rolling us, he held his weight on one elbow as he tucked me under him before resuming his worshipful exploration of my body. He continued to mold one breast with his hand as his mouth moved to my neck and behind my ear.

  Kneeling, he quickly pulled his t-shirt over his head and flung it across the bed, impatient to have his hands back on me. My hands were equally curious, roaming down his back to feel the flex of his muscles. Reaching the barrier of his pants, my hands plunged under to cover the rounded perfection of his ass. His erection stroked right up the center of me, igniting an electric heat across my belly.

  The hand, that had been so skillfully working my breast, slid lower. Past my ribcage and belly button, his fingers traced the waistband of my pajama pants.

  “Is this okay?” he asked, waiting for my consent.

  “God, yes. Don’t stop,” I breathed just before his hand eased under the layers of clothing. Through the soft downy hair, he drifted lower, into the warmest recesses of me. First one finger, then two filled me, becoming coated in my arousal as he slid them in and out. His thumb circled higher, looking for just the right spot that made me gasp in pleasure.

  I caressed his hip, circling my hand to the front to fist the rigid length of him. Stroking him, I spread the silky moisture at the tip to help our flesh glide together. Both seeking and giving pleasure, we found a frantic rhythm. The pressure built. His fingers continued to hit a spot deep inside me while his thumb rubbed circles on my swollen clit. My grip on him faltered as he grew more determined.

  “Come for me,” he growled. “I want to feel you let go.”

  One last touch and I detonated. Jaxon covered my mouth with his, absorbing each cry and moan of bliss as his fingers pulled every last tremor from me. Refusing to go alone, I increased my grip on his cock. A few strokes had his back bowing up before he thrust one final time into my hand. His low gro
an was muffled by our joined mouths while the pulsing stream of fluid hit my belly. He collapsed half on top of me, a huge exhale leaving him. Panting and sated, he withdrew his fingers, bringing them to his mouth to lick clean.

  “Fuck, you taste amazing.” To prove it, he kissing me, long and deep. Slow, languid kisses became more demanding, interrupted only long enough to remove the clothes remaining between us. “Damn, you’re perfect,” he growled, his hands slowly discovering every exposed inch of me. “I don’t want to pressure you into doing anything you’re not ready for.”

  Taking in the view of Jaxon’s well-toned body and the look of sheer adoration in his eyes had my body ready for anything. Running my hands down his chest to tug at his hips, I pulled him until we were pressed together from chest to hip. Needing no recovery time, he was primed and ready to go.

  “I want you inside of me.” Rocking my hips against him, I could feel my arousal coating the length of him.

  “Hold that thought.” With a quick kiss, he left the bed to rummage through his bag on the dresser. He returned with a strip of foil packets, ripping one between his teeth while dropping the rest on the nightstand. His eyes raked over me, the heat in them intensifying. “So beautiful,” he whispered, more to himself than for my benefit.

  “You came prepared,” I teased, watching as he rolled the condom down the hard length of his cock.

  Resuming his earlier position over me, I felt him caress my waist as he aligned his body with mine. “I will always take care of you.”

  The words barely registered before his eyes locked onto mine and he slid into me an inch at a time. My body filled, both from his actions and his words. Moving in sync, we responded to each other’s pleasure and the sensations of being joined together. Hands and mouths roamed. Detecting a sensitive spot in the curve of my neck, Jaxon traced it repeatedly with his tongue. Biting his earlobe, I felt the grip on my hips tighten and his cock twitch. When I flicked the flesh between my teeth with the tip of my tongue, the groan in my ear nearly pushed me over the edge. Our pleasure had become interwoven; his responses driving my own.

  Rolling us over, Jaxon shifted me to ride him. His hands cupped my breasts as they bounced with each movement. Bending his legs, he pressed his heels into the mattress and moved his hips into mine each time I came down. I could feel the pressure building just as his thumb pressed against my core. With only a few deft strokes, pleasure washed over me in a riot of wonder.

  Flipping our positions again, Jaxon dragged my knee up to his hip, allowing his length to surge deeper as he drew out the final waves of my orgasm. With just a few more thrusts, the tension in his body coiled.

  “Anna!” A growl erupted as he poured his release into the condom. My name repeated like a mantra as his weight pressed down on top of me. Before I was completely crushed, he tipped over onto his side, pulling me with him. “Damn, that was incredible,” he panted. “You are incredible.”

  My head nodded in agreement but had trouble formulating an actual response. “I’ve never…..It’s never…..Wow!” I now understood the meaning of the phrase ‘mind-blowing sex’.

  “I’ll take it,” Jaxon laughed and held me as we both caught our breath. “Be right back.”

  After taking care of the condom, he returned from the bathroom with a warm washcloth and wiped the remnants of his earlier release from my skin. Tossing it back onto the tile, he reached for the lamp switch.

  “Not yet,” I begged. “I want to look at you a little longer.”

  Without a stitch of clothing on, he turned in a full circle. “Any particular part of me?” He swiveled his hips, making his cock bounce back and forth.

  “Your tattoos,” I laughed. With a mock pout, he left the light on and sprawled out on his back beside me. “Ever since you took your jacket off at the hospital, I’ve wanted to see all of them. How many do you have?”

  “Six.”

  Lightly touching the black gothic butterfly tattoo on his right bicep, I got a closer look at it. The details in the wings joined to form the shape of a skull with a capital D in the center. It was the same butterfly that was in Detrimental’s logo, something most people wouldn’t associate with a rock band.

  “Why a butterfly?”

  “It came about when we decided on the band’s name and what we wanted to stand for. It’s a reminder that not everything is as it seems. Even the most innocent-looking things can be hiding a darker side. And some things that seem dangerous are actually harmless.”

  “It’s a beautiful design.”

  “Derek drew it. He’s a really talented artist, and we were thrilled that LGR’s art department let us keep it as part of our branding. In fact, we all have this same tattoo.” Jaxon rolled over onto his stomach. On the left side of his lower back was a large black tree. It was bare of any leaves with a lone red cardinal perched on a branch. “I got this one in honor of my grandpa. It reminds me that he is always with me, but it also helps me remember that others will join him and to appreciate everyone while they’re here with me.”

  Tracing the trunk and branches with the tip of my finger, I hummed in agreement with the sentiment, though I couldn’t relate to the story behind it. I never knew my father or any of my grandparents, and my mother was no longer part of my life. One advantage to being alone was that I’d never experienced losing anyone that I loved. At least not in that way.

  “Are they all so meaningful?”

  “Mostly.” Holding up the inside of his left forearm, I saw a minimalist tattoo that was a treble clef with the details of a compass worked in. “I’ve always followed the music. It’s never led me the wrong way.” Pointing to his left bicep, a band wrapped around it depicting a mountain range with a shaded sky. Below it read The man on top of the mountain did not fall there. “This one was a drunken dare,” he laughed. “We were on a festival tour, stuck in some small mountain town out west for a few days in between shows. After some Chinese food and a few too many beers, we opened our fortune cookies. That was the message in mine. The guys all thought it was fate that there happened to be a tattoo parlor next door to our motel, so they chipped in to pay for it.”

  Twisting again, the right side of his rib cage had a tribal tattoo design with various shapes creating a face, a turtle, and a few birds within the shape of a blade. “I got this one when we went to Hawaii. It represents family and protection.” The last was on his right shoulder blade. It was an intricate mandala elephant with flowers and a heart woven into the details. “Callie wanted a tattoo but was too chicken to go by herself. I offered to get one with her and even let her pick it out. Mine is all black while hers has some of the flowers and the heart filled with color. She said she chose it because elephants are a symbol of strength, loyalty, and family ties.”

  “They’re all perfect,” I said, envious of all that the tattoos represented. His life was filled with love and family, everything I longed for.

  Wrapping his arms around me, he settled into the bed facing me. “You know, that night in the hospital, I was also hoping to get my hands on you,” he admitted as he began fondling one of my breasts. “Your tits in that bikini top had me losing my mind.”

  “Oh, really?” Arching my back, I pressed into his palm. “They’re all yours now.”

  Groaning, he left a trail of kisses along my neck before moving on to discover more of my body. “Best first date ever.”

  Chapter 13

  Anna

  When I woke the next morning, I was pleased to discover that I wasn’t alone. We slept facing each other, my nose burrowed into this chest while his arm draped around me to keep me close. In no hurry to leave his warmth, I tilted my head back to watch him sleep. I’d never considered a man to be beautiful, but he was, inside and out.

  It was amazing to me that he managed to stay grounded for someone so talented, gorgeous, famous, and rich. A lot of people let their celebrity status go to their heads. Not Jaxon. And him being a celebrity really didn’t matter to me. Even without all of his succ
ess, I would have been attracted to the man he was. Everything about him had me falling deeper and faster than I’d ever imagined possible.

  When I was with him, the weight of my problems wasn’t pressing down on me. It would have been easy to credit his money or fame, but that wasn’t what made the difference. It was him. He was so genuine and comfortable to be with. Talking to him and telling him my worries lessened them, not because he would run out and fix them, but because his acceptance and willingness to see past my flaws somehow made them lose their power over me. Everything about him made life better, and the thought of losing him soon caused an ache to swell in my chest.

  I could have watched him for hours, mapping out every laugh line, freckle, and scar on his body. Even the light stubble on his cheeks drew my hand, eager to learn its texture. As my fingers encountered the rough, scratchy skin, his eyes drifted open and locked on mine.

  “Good morning, beautiful.”

  His gravelly voice vibrated deep in his chest as he turned to kiss my outstretched hand and tighten his arms around me. It was the most incredible way to wake up.

  A leisurely morning of room service and a shared, sexy shower was followed by a day of being tourists. Driving along the coast, we stopped at different places to explore and soak in nature. The fresh air and sunshine were a welcome change from the bus, but being wrapped in each other made it even better.

  Following dinner, we went to meet up with the rest of the band for some live music. During our Uber ride to the local bar, an antsy feeling began creeping in. Something must have given me away because Jaxon turned to face me with a concerned look. While one hand remained laced in mine, his other cupped my jaw as he placed a tender kiss on my rigid lips.

  “You okay?”

  I simply nodded and squeezed his hand in return. Though not quite the truth, I needed a moment to pinpoint the source of my unease. In general terms, I was fine. I had just spent the best days of my life with the most amazing man I’d ever met. Since the moment he had shown up at my hotel door yesterday morning, everything had been perfect.