Page 8 of Dirty Rocker

This morning, I was deep in thought. Pierce’s announcement that he would pursue his manwhore activities when we were on tour hadn’t surprised me. It was what he always did. I’d seen it so many times, I’d lost count. What had surprised me, though, was the burning sensation in my stomach when he’d said the words. It confused the hell out of me. I couldn’t be jealous, it wasn’t possible, there’d never been anything remotely romantic between us. We were friends… nothing more, nothing less.

I set the pitcher of OJ on the breakfast bar, remembering his flippant invitations in the past to give him a blow job after I’d put on his stage makeup. It had become a joke. One time, I’d been tempted to say ‘yes’, just to mess with him and get a reaction before I cracked up with laughter. I pressed my lips together…I’d never given a blow job in my life and doubted I ever would.

With a sigh, I scrubbed my fingers over my face. Rooming with Pierce had changed the dynamics between us somewhat. That, and the hard time he’d had going through detox. I knew he lusted after me, I could see it in his eyes, but my one and only experience of sex had been a complete disaster. There was something wrong with me, and I’d made up my mind to never go down that route again.

Today, I was making what Pierce called a ‘Full English fry up’ at his request… eggs, bacon, wieners and mushrooms. Spatula in my hand, I did a shimmy across the kitchen floor and almost jumped out of my skin when I caught the bad boy leaning against the doorjamb in my periphery. His long hair, wet from the shower, was tied back from his stubbled face, and his inky dark blue eyes twinkled. He gave me a cocky grin. “Nice moves, Yankee Girl,” he laughed. “But thanks for spoiling me.”

Heat spread up my neck to my cheeks. “Just doing my job, Limey. You need to eat well to recover.”

He poured himself a glass of juice with a steady hand. “I feel better already.”

“Baby steps, buddy.” I filled a plate with food and handed it to him. “You’re not outta the woods yet.”

He shook his head. “Seriously, I feel great.”

I looked him up and down. Physically, he was doing well, but I wasn’t sure about his mental state. I decided to reserve judgement and said nothing. After placing a couple pieces of crispy bacon and an egg fried sunny-side-up on my own plate, I pulled out the stool next to him and sat down.

A cheerful, “Good morning,” rang out as Joe ambled into the kitchen and helped himself from the frying pan. Pierce then got into a conversation with him about weightlifting…something they were both into as part of their gym workouts.

My thoughts chasing each other in a continuous cycle, I ate my breakfast and stared out the picture window at the clear blue sky. Today would be another hot one. Now that Pierce was on the road to recovery, I was worried about him getting bored and falling off the wagon. If only he’d agree to hang out with Axel and Phoenix. I knew they were eager to see him. Rhys had gone to visit with his family in Wales and Zach with his in Northern Ireland, otherwise they’d have been clamoring for a visit as well. I wrinkled my brow and put down my fork. I’d suddenly lost my appetite.

An unexpected buzz sounded from the intercom.

“I’ll get that.” Pierce jumped from his stool, picked up the handset and barked instructions. “Can you unbox the delivery for me and bring it through?”

He hung up and whirled around, capturing me with his burning gaze. “Got a surprise for you, Yankee Girl.,” he smirked.

“For me?” I stared at him.

He reached for my hand for the first time ever. It was like an electric shock had passed through me, and I snatched my hand back. He took it again, his cupid lips bowing into a warm smile. “Come with me.”

He practically pulled me toward the entrance hall. “Get a load of these,” he beamed, flinging the front door open.

I stood next to him and my gaze snapped to where he was pointing. The security guard was coming toward us, wheeling two Kona mountain bikes…one with a larger frame than the other. My jaw dropped. Literally. Those bikes cost serious money. Like six thousand each. “Who are they for?” I stuttered out the question.

“Us, of course.” Pierce grabbed me by the shoulders and looked me in the eye. “Thought it about time I took up a sport other than gym workouts. And as you’ve been given the job of babysitting me, it had to be something we could do together.”

“Wow. Awesome. Thank you.” I was at a loss for words.

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