Page 49 of Taming His Rockstar

Chapter 24

Iwatch Jake climb out of the water and walk toward me on the beach. Droplets of water sluice down his naked chest, and I immediately want to put my hands on him, or maybe my tongue, lick off every drop. But I don’t do any of the above. I don’t want him to think I’m a sex maniac or something. I mean, this is our third day in the private beach house I rented, and we’ve been having sex pretty much nonstop since we arrived. It doesn’t take much to start it. One look from him, me licking cream off my spoon, waking up in bed together, the both of us taking a swim together. It doesn’t matter. All I know is that he always meets my hunger with a hunger of his own, and I’m at least comforted by the fact that I’m not the only one affected. But we are flying back home tomorrow, and I’m already starting to wonder if I shouldn’t convince him to stay here one more day. Or maybe forever. I mean, with the money I have and my investment, we can do it.

“You’ve gotten past the first chapter of that thing?”

I glance at the novel I have been pretending to read while I watch him swim. “I would’ve finished it by now if someone managed to keep his hands off me.”

He grins. “Warned you about that when you were packing all those bikinis for this trip.” He eyes the current bikini I’m wearing now, and I can see a gleam enter his eye. “Is this a new one?”

“Given that you’ve ripped every single one I’ve worn before now, what do you think?”

He sits on the beach mat next to me. “Hey, not my fault they make those things to be so damn flimsy. And not my fault you’re so damn sexy in them I can’t hold back.”

Oh, he held back plenty enough the last time we made love in the pool. It took almost half an hour before he allowed me to have my first orgasm and twice that long before the second. When I came out of the pool, my skin was all crinkly.

“Turn around and let me put sunscreen on your body before you get sunburned.”

“She said while rubbing her hands in glee at the thought of getting her hands on him one more time.”

I chuckle. “I think you mean he eagerly turned around, excited to have her hands on him again.”

I pick up the bottle of screen and squirt some on my hands. Rubbing my palms together, I begin to slather the cream on his body.

“I don’t want to go back tomorrow,” I blurt out. Shocked, I quickly try to save face. “I mean, I’m just enjoying myself so much I don’t want it to end now.”

Jake smiles sympathetically at me. “I know what you mean. Unfortunately, I’ve got a job to go to, and I don’t think I’ll still have it if I’m not at the club when I said I would be there.”

“I know, I know,” I grudgingly admit. “Why do you still work at that bar though? I mean, your paintings are selling, and I know for a fact that you’d be selling even more if you’d release all those painting you have in storage.”

“Yeah, I don’t think anyone wants to see those. Some art isn’t meant for everyone.” He turns around so I can get to his back. “And I still work at the bar because I like working there. I’ve got friends there, and I love that feeling I get every two weeks when they pay me just enough to keep me coming back.”

“But that’s it. You don’t need to go back. It’s not like you plan to work there forever.”

“Hell no.”

“What do you want to do then?”

“What do I want to do when I stop pouring drinks at a bar?”

He turns around to look at me, and I realize we’re entering serious talk zone. For a moment, I think about stepping back and forgetting all about it. He seems reluctant to talk about it, and I know that this is dangerously close to breaking all the rules of sex vacation. But I’m too curious to know. Besides, he can refuse to answer if he doesn’t want to.

“Yes,” I reaffirm my question.

He seems to contemplate my question, as if wondering if he should talk to me about this.

“I don’t know. I guess I focus on my art. I’ve always wanted to own my own showroom.” He gives me a smile that barely hides the fact that he’s talking about something that really matters to him. “I’ve got a good eye, and I collect a little bit here and there. I paint some good piece myself. Some I think won’t necessarily fit into the aesthetic of most galleries. But they would in my showroom. I could have displays from upcoming artists I think have talent. You know, discover Van Gogh before he painted The Starry Night.”

“Then why don’t you do it?”

He turns to me, and I see the shade fall over his eyes as he raises his defenses again. “Why do you think? Because all of it costs money, time, experience, and a lot of money. I simply can’t afford it right now.” He stops me before I can talk. “And no, I’m not taking money from you. It’s my dream, and doing this on my own is part of the dream.”

“That’s not what I wanted to say.” I really was about to offer to invest in his idea. “I just thought that it’s so amazing you’ve got a dream. I think it’s great, and I know you’re going to do it.”

“Thanks.” He grinned at me. “So how about you? Are you going to be like Mick Jagger and continue rocking the stage when you get to his age, or are you going to retire someday?”

I know my plans for the future. I want a warm body beside me every night when I go to bed and beside me in the morning. And a real bed too, in a real house. Not tour buses and hotel rooms. I want kids. Maybe two. Maybe three. Maybe just one kid I’ll spoil rotten. Even though I’m a rock star, in the end, my dream isn’t so different from almost every other woman. But I don’t tell him that. No, I smile like I have never, ever considered his question.

“What would I do?” I shrug. “I guess I’ll know when I get there.”

We both sit smiling at each other. He breaks eye contact first to glance at my novel.

“So, you want to tell me what that book is all about, or do you want me to destroy another one of your bikinis?”

Maybe it’s what we just shared or where my thoughts had gone, but I pick up the novel. “Since I’m particularly fond of this one, I think we need to talk about the novel.”

“Oh.” He pretends to be crestfallen. “And here I was hoping.”

Laughing, I begin to explain what happens in the book to him. At least the part of it I’ve read. But that night, in bed, I crawl into his arms. Our lovemaking is gentler than it usually is, almost as if he understands that I need to be petted and treated with care. And when we are done, he gathers me close, covering my body with his as I fall asleep. It’s less than what I want, but for now, it would have to do. If I’d known that our world would come crashing around us the next day, I would’ve kept my eyes open and enjoyed every moment of it with him.

The phone wakes us the next morning. It’s Jane calling to tell us that our lucky streak has ended. Our private world has been invaded by the evil known as tabloid sensation. Jake is no longer just Jake but now KD’s mystery lover, Jake Hurley.

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