Page 1 of Love Notes and Late Nights
PROLOGUE
They were getting closer. He tried to outrun them, but his legs were half the size of theirs. He usually never cared that he was smaller than most of the kids in his sixth-grade class, but at times like this, he needed longer legs—legs that would carry him away. He needed to be fast. He needed to escape. They were yelling at him to stop running, but he wouldn’t—not until they calmed down. He chanced a glance over his shoulder, and the look of rage in his father’s eyes made him gasp and hold his breath for a moment. Then he saw the belt—black and shiny, with the silver buckle gleaming in the sunlight. That fucking buckle. He inhaled a huge breath of air and ran as fast as he could, only he wasn’t going faster. He was slowing down. The ground beneath his feet turned to sand, and he couldn’t get his footing. Hands began to breach the earth and started grabbing at his ankles, further slowing him down. He looked over his shoulder again, and his parents were closer, only a few feet away now. A yell left his throat, and he propelled himself forward as fast as he could. He was gaining traction now, moving his legs freely. He was going to make it. He was going to escape.
A hand suddenly came down on his back and grabbed him by the shirt and lifted him clear off the ground . . .
Wolf woke screaming and running at full speed, then fell face first into the dirt. Disoriented, he scuttled backwards and looked at his surroundings as he tried to catch his breath. Tears streaked his cheeks, and his heart pounded so hard it physically hurt his chest. It was dark so he couldn’t see much throughthe water that blurred his vision, but a familiar scent filled his nostrils. It was rosemary. He was outside sitting in the middle of his rosemary bushes.
He realized it was just a nightmare and that he was safe. But it meant that, after months of freedom, the fucking nightmares were back. He was stupid to think they were finally gone, because they always came back. He never ran outside the house before, so he’d need to put safety locks on all the doors.
“Fuck!” he screamed and clawed at his face. His lips started to quiver and then he openly cried. After a few minutes, his heartrate calmed, he wiped his tears away, and he got to his feet. His eyes had adjusted to the night, and he saw that he’d trampled a long trail of his rosemary plants. He loved those things, and now they were ruined, bruised, and beaten, just like he was.
CHAPTER ONE
“I love my line of work. I can go home and brag to Ethan that I did 10 guys today, and they all said I have a magic touch.” A few more fluffs with the hairbrush and Tyler Kennedy, hairstylist extraordinaire, stood back to assess Wolf’s appearance. “You’re more beautiful.”
The cape was snapped open from behind Wolf’s neck and removed with the flair of a matador before he received two air kisses. “I do look more beautiful,” Wolf agreed, studying himself in the mirror. His long hair was layered and wild, and the subtle caramel highlights picked up the sheen of his light brown hair. “You’re awesome.”
“I bet you say that to all the girls,” Tyler mused, a balled fist on his hip which was jutted out to the side. “I have clients waiting, Wolfie,” he said when Wolf made no move to leave the chair because he was too busy admiring his newly styled hair.
“What do I owe you?” Wolf pulled a couple of hundred-dollar bills out of his wallet purely for effect. Tyler never took a dollar from him.
“You know your money is no good around here.” Tyler waved it away.
The door to Tyler’s plush salon opened, and Ethan and Harris walked in. The only one missing from this post-album pampering party was Marshall, the band’s guitarist.
At the sight of Ethan, Tyler’s face lit up with a smile of gigantic proportions, and he sauntered over to his boyfriend while Wolf headed toward Harris, holding his hand out, and giving his friend a bro-shake.
“Getting ready for the big tour?” Harris asked.
“Can’t wait.” Nothing could be more true. Now that the new album was finished, Wolf had a lot of free time, which wasn’t always welcomed. Most rock stars enjoyed the down time, but now that Ethan was in a serious relationship with Tyler, he and his BFF were no longer spending all their free time together. It left Wolf alone with his thoughts, and the return of those Goddamn night terrors. The worst part was that Ethan wasn’t there to console him.
Harris was rattling on about his new drum kit, but Wolf wasn’t paying attention. Instead, he watched Ethan and Tyler who were engaged in a private convo that had them both beaming at each other as if they were the only two on the planet.
Tyler leaned into Ethan with one arm over Ethan’s shoulder while daintily poking Ethan’s chest with his index finger. The provocative whispering turned into one of their adorable playful bickering episodes, but that’s not what had Wolf’s attention. It was the way the two of them played off one another that he enjoyed.
“Things really changed between the two of you, huh?” Harris commented, nodding his head because it was more of a statement than a question.
After months of hostility and petty arguments that cut deep, things had changed drastically between Tyler and Wolf. Practically from one minute to the next, instead of slinging insults, they were hugging out their differences and bonding over art. It happened so quickly it felt as if the earth tilted. Heads spun. Mouths gaped. Double takes were taken.
“Yeah,” Wolf answered. “I can admit when I was wrong. It was my fault. I was jealous, and it made me say some things that were out of line.” Wolf’s gaze drifted down to Tyler’s purple leather pants and the slim slice of exposed skin at his waist, and he let out a small chuckle. “He’s such an easy target, though.”
Harris displayed a whimsical smile as he took in Tyler’s appearance. “The guy’s got style. I gotta give him that. And killer hair.”
The issue had caused a bit of contention between the two of them, since both Wolf and Tyler had very long, impeccably styled hair, and Harris’ remark stung a little, even if it was said innocently. But Wolf let it go because he was past the rivalry.
“I’m glad you mended fences with Tyler and moved on.” Harris rested his hand on Wolf’s shoulder. “I told you Ethan wasn’t the guy for you. He never was. Now you’re free to go out there and find the guy that’s gonna make you happy.”
Wolf reflected on his life with Ethan and didn’t know how he could be so wrong. He’d fallen for the guy when they were teenagers and thought it was only a matter of time before Ethan fell just as hard. But, apparently, their on-again, off-again, sometimes best-friends-with-benefits arrangement was really just out of convenience. At least on Ethan’s part it was.
Now that Wolf was over Ethan, he could see things more clearly. Ethan never indicated he wanted anything more than a casual relationship, and Wolf never confessed his true feelings. So, when Tyler showed up, jealousy turned Wolf into a catty bitch. Good thing Tyler is so easygoing and full of rainbows and glitter, because things could have gotten ugly between the two of them. That’s not to say Tyler didn’t sling some Class A insults right back at Wolf, because he did. But the guy let everything roll off his back and always gave Wolf another chance.
“So, are you looking for Mr. Right?” Harris asked.
Wolf shook his head. “When the time’s right, it’ll happen.” He’d led the promiscuous sex life of a rock star for as long as he could remember. He couldn’t help it. There were just too many opportunities. Too many beautiful men throwing themselves at him at every turn. But, since accepting things were over with Ethan, he needed to take a step back and be alone for a while.It didn’t lessen the yearning and longing for a partner, though. He just wasn’t ready to put his heart on the line again so soon. “What about you? Don’t you wanna settle down?” Harris had never been the typical oversexed rock star. Men came and went, but not on a steady basis. Harris was alone more than he was with someone.
Harris looked off to the side, a pensive firmness to his jaw as he contemplated the question. “Yeah. I do. I got my eye on someone, but I don’t think it’s the right time.” His gaze met Wolf’s. “Like you said, when the time’s right, it’ll happen.”
Friday night was pizza night at Wolf’s. It’s something he established recently, and Harris could only assume it was because the guy wanted company. Wolf seemed so lonely sometimes.
