Page 22 of Rock Hard
Chapter Nine
Acommotion outsidethe tour bus woke him up ... and pissed him off. It felt as if he had just hit the sheets. His schedule was insane. No sooner did he finish one show than they were moving on to the next. No downtime. No R&R. Just the rock and roll life, twenty-four-seven.
He was turning into his father. Rex Senior had lived hard, played hard, and died surrounded by strung-out groupies. The official cause of death was listed as an overdose, though everybody knew he had suffocated after aspirating his own vomit in the back of a tour bus, much like the one Rex was on now. The world had mourned the loss of another great talent taken too soon, but not Rex and his mother. They had been too busy struggling to survive.
Rex Senior had been a lousy husband. A shitty father. Sex, drugs, and rock and roll wasn’t just an edgy motto; it had been his father’s way of life.
Now it was his.
At least he hadn’t been stupid enough to get married.But you do have a daughter, his conscience piped up.
He pulled a pillow over his head and told it to shut the fuck up.
When the scene outside intensified, he growled. He didn’t need this shit. He needed sleep. About twelve more hours, give or take. But apparently, that was too fucking much to ask.
Rex forced his eyes open, reacclimating himself to the world of the living. As his vision cleared, he confirmed the fact that he was still in his bedroom at the back of the tour bus and not somewhere else. His head was spinning, but the rest of him didn’t sense movement. Had they reached the next venue already, or had they just stopped for gas and supplies?
A dull thud sounded against the side of the bus, followed immediately by a few more thumps in rapid succession, like someone pounding their fist against the exterior. Just what he needed—another rabid fan attacking his goddamn bus. Couldn’t he get a moment’s peace?
“You crazy bitch! Security!” Valerie’s shrieks pierced his aching head.
“Get out of my way. This is important!”
Rex stilled, his ears pricking up in interest and his entire body going on high alert. Was he still dreaming? Surely, that couldn’t be who he thought it was.
He scrambled to the window, jerked up the room darkening shade, and looked down, catching a glorious mane of chestnut silk below.Alice!
“Yeah, yeah, that’s what they all say. Get lost, cougar.”
“Cougar?Why, you snot-nosed little ...”
Rex scrambled off the bed and tugged on his jeans, feeling like a kid on Christmas morning. He didn’t bother with a shirt or shoes or anything that would slow him down. He wouldn’t have even taken time for the jeans if it hadn’t been for the shitstorm that bit of public nudity had brought his way a couple weeks earlier.
Excitement bubbled up inside him, feeling foreign and unexpected. He exited the bus, lifting his nose to catch Alice’s delicious scent as his feet ate up the distance between them.
Alice and Valerie faced off against each other, moments away from an all-out cat fight. As fun as that might be to watch, Rex couldn’t let that happen. Valerie towered over Alice, and as fierce as she was, Alice was no match for a pissed-off tigress.
Christ, she was a sight for sore eyes. Her hair was hanging in loose, natural waves, making his hands itch with the urge to fist them. Her hands were propped on her full, round hips, hips encased in form-fitting denim. The soft white cotton top she wore did nothing to downplay the swells of those generous breasts. His dick went from rock to iron.
“What the hell is going on?” he growled.
Alice’s eyes turned on him, flashing fire and sending his heart into a thunderous, heavy backbeat. Just that quickly, the music in his head started up again, the beginnings of a melody emerging from a sea of harmonizing chords.
Alice opened her mouth, but before she could answer, Valerie stepped between them, obstructing his view. Rex fought the urge to reach out and swipe her to the side.
“This ...woman,” Valerie hissed, “insists she knows you.”
“She does. Get out of the way, Valerie.”
The tigress scowled. “But Rex—”
He let the warning rumble build, reminding her of his dominance.
Her eyes widened, and then she lowered her gaze in submission before stepping to the side. He didn’t fail to notice the hateful, proprietary look Valerie shot Alice as she did so, though. He would have to ensure that Valerie and her minions didn’t get Alice alone, which, of course, meant that he had to keep Alice close to him at all times.
Unlike Valerie, Alice was not cowed by his display. She glared at him, ready to take him on. Fuck, that was hot. He had missed her sass. Missedher.
“Al.”
