Brooklyn Rockstar (Kendall Family #1) (9 page)

I catch a slightly larger pack of people headed down the street toward us, taking interest in the excited women swarming around me. This could turn into a catastrophe, real fast.

“I have to go,” I tell the women, separating myself from them. Of course they begin to follow me, firing questions like a bunch of damn reporters.

“Are you still going to release your album?”

“Are you seeing anyone?”

“Will the band ever get back together?”

“Are you friends with the band playing tonight? Can you get us back stage?”

“Will you autography my tits?”

A week ago I would’ve laughed and complied with the last request, but all I can think about is how I’m going to get back to Evelyn. The other group has moved in behind us, catching on that something’s up. I quicken my pace toward the cafe, eagerly watching for Dante’s SUV. There’s a loud commotion behind the women as others become aware of my identity. More questions are fired, and the crowd moves in faster, pushing up against me.

Squealing tires cause everyone to look to the street. A
fucking celebrity rag
news van
pulls up to the corner and an annoying reporter I recognize jumps out.
I try to push my way through the pawing women before the reporter can get through.

“Everyone
step back
!” a booming voice commands. Before I know it, Dante’s hand is on my arm, yanking me through the mob as a microphone is shoved into my face.

“
Charlie! Charlie! Can you tell us what you think went wrong with your performance here last weekend? Are you still going ahead with the solo album?
”

We’re feet away from Dante’s SUV when I look over my shoulder, trying to catch a glimpse of the club. But there are too damn many people in the way. Resisting the urge to drop kick the annoying reporter down on the sidewalk, I hiss through my teeth and let Dante push me through the open door. I’ve lost her again.

I
find
Sharlo in the same place I left her, chatting it up with a couple of guys who look old enough to be her father. Feeling like I’ve taken a walk through the clouds, I’m grinning like a fool by the time I reach the table.

“Right then,” Sharlo says, rolling her eyes. “Fellas, it’s been a pleasure, but evidently I have more pressing matters to attend to.” The two men give me a sidelong glance before slinking away. Sharlo waves Charlie’s wallet in the air between us. “I
warned
you about becoming that bloke’s
groupie
.”

“
Hey
.” I snatch his wallet and jam it inside my crossbody purse before giving her a teasing smile. “You weren’t supposed to look unless there was an emergency.”

“I didn’t
look
. I simply knew it was him the moment he introduced himself. A ball cap and buzzed hairdo were’t enough to fool me. Rather hard to mistake that fit body and delectable voice.” Her eyes flare with excitement. “You’re absolutely
glowing
. Did the two of you snog?”

“I was gone ten minutes,” I answer, crossing my arms over my stomach. A little smile creeps over my lips with the notion of “snogging” Charlie Walker. “He invited us over to his place for a beer.”

Eyes wide, she laughs in a bright, cheerful sound. “
Both
of us? Guess he
is
infamous for that sort of thing. He’s a smooth talker, that one.”

“You think he really does that?” I bite my lip and cringe when I remember the article that mentioned he was into 3-ways. “That’s not something I could do. I mean not just with you, with anyone. Especially when I have barely done a
one
way.”

“Relax. He seemed mostly interested in finding a way into
your
knickers and I’m certainly not going to throw away our friendship for the chance to get stuffed by someone famous.”

I glance at the doorway to make sure he isn’t coming back. “He doesn’t seem to have the best reputation with women in general. I mentioned the underage thing, though, and he told me not to believe it.”

Sharlo shakes her head, smiling brightly. “You’re analyzing this far too much, love. You’ve said it yourself—you’re ready to give sex another go.
Who better to scratch your itch than a rock god?”

“I don’t know. It’s just weird. When I asked him what he was doing here, he said he came for the band. He was touching my hair while going on about wanting to get to know me. It’s obvious he’s a total player.”

I leave out the part where I was sure I’d implode from the sexual tension between us and couldn’t stop thinking what a shame it was that his long hair is gone so I couldn’t drag him closer and have my way. Just the musky scent of him combined with the feel of his warm breath on my face turned my insides to jelly.

I set my chin in my hands and sigh dreamily. “He’s crazy hot and everything, but I know how this works. He’s famous. What would he want from someone like me?
Of course he’s going to turn on the charm. If I sleep with him, that’ll be the end. As much as I want to get a little action, I’m not going to start back up with one night stands.” A big part of me fears one little taste of Charlie Walker could never be enough and I’d be ruined for all future relationships.

“You little
twat,
” she scolds, laying her open hands on the table. “Your lucky arse got to experience the charms of one of the country’s most beloved rockstars and you’re considering turning him down? Have you gone yampy?”

“Hard to say when I have no clue what ‘yampy’ means.” I grab her by her wrists, giggling. “Help me. I really like him, but it’s been so long. What if he laughs at me because I suck in bed? What do I tell him?”

“March your fabulous arse back out there and tell him that if he really wants to get to know a lady, a cuppa tea in the daylight would be preferable. And having sex is like riding a horse. You’ll be brilliant. If you decide you do in fact fancy nothing more than a shag, I’d be more than happy to accompany you to his flat as a chaperone. I’d even pretend not to be jealous when I hear your bloody cries of ecstasy.”

The options war against each other inside my head. Does Sharlo honestly believe the line about getting to know me better was genuine? Would he really be open to a casual date?
I can’t stand here and pretend that I wouldn’t jump at the chance for what’s sure to be a steamy night with someone as gorgeous as Charlie Walker.
But would I be able to walk away when it was done and stop obsessing over him? I get the feeling after he’s made my wildest fantasies come true, the fangirl moments would only intensify.

“Ev,” Sharlo sings, “we haven’t got all night.”

“I’m trying to decide,” I say, silencing her with a raised finger.

“Okay, let’s give it a go.” Taking my hands in hers, she looks me square in the eye. “Do you have the slightest bit of interest in
getting to know
someone of his caliber on a personal level, or is this just about being sexually attracted to his persona?”

“Both?” I squeak out.

“Right then, let’s get out of this place and head over to his flat before you lose the courage to do this thing.”

I’m in a daze as she whisks me away toward the door and back out onto the sidewalk. I stop dead in my tracks when I don’t see Charlie anywhere. Three times as many people have gathered outside watching as a group of women talk to a reporter I recognize from the gossip show
Celebrity Insider
.

“
This
can’t be good,” I say to Sharlo.

“You guys just missed Charlie Walker!” a girl in knee-high socks and a dress tells us with the enthusiasm of a crack head. “He was taking pictures with a bunch of people and got mobbed. Then a big black SUV pulled up and he jumped in. It was intense!”

“I’m sure it was!” Sharlo answers in a mocking tone.

My shoulders drop. “Well, there goes that idea.”

“Only you’re forgetting one small, very important fact.” Sharlo pats my purse resting on my thigh between us. “We know exactly where we can find him,” she whispers.

“That’s her!” one of the women beside the reporter yells, pointing directly at me. “That’s the woman Charlie was kissing!”

Sharlo and I exchange a baffled look just as a great commotion arises. Everyone rushes toward me, phones clicking away as they yell over each other. The woman with the microphone snakes her way through the crowd, coming at me with a cameraman on her heels. My mouth drops as several people begin to shout questions at once.

“Who are you?”

“How is Charlie taking the negative reviews?”

“What’s your name?”

“How long have you been sleeping with Charlie?”

“Are you an actress or a model?”

“What’s it like to kiss the Sexist Man Alive?”

“Bloody hell,” Sharlo grumbles, reclaiming my hand. “Keep your head down and do try to keep up.”

As I step away with her, a woman grabs a handful of my hair, and I’m propelled backward. “What makes you think you’re good enough for him,
skank
?” she roars.

Sharlo’s jaw drops when she turns to see me struggling to break away. “Fuck off!” she yells at the crazed woman, freeing my hair from her clutches. I don’t know if I want to laugh or cry as we run as fast as we can from the nightmare. How does Charlie put up with this shit?

S
omewhere in the
neighborhood of twenty minutes later, after we’ve outrun the crazy fans and I’m not quite as shaken by what happened, we’re standing on the steps of a well-kept brownstone. As I ring the doorbell, I’m so damn nervous that I can’t stop tapping my fingers on the metal railing beside me. Sharlo’s hand snaps out to grab mine just as the door swings open.

Charlie’s chiseled face and bright eyes, free of the baseball cap, light up when they land on me. His dark hair is shorter than I realized, but it makes him even sexier. He changed into running shorts and a sleeveless shirt that reveals every delectable inch of his tattooed arm. I think I actually wince a little with the sight of them.

He rushes forward eagerly like he’s two seconds away from scooping me off the ground and into his arms. “How—”

“You forgot something,” I say, producing his wallet and biting back a smile.

Understanding crosses his face as he takes it from me. “I didn’t plan to bail on you like that. Apparently some fan posted my location. It turned into a shit storm real fast.”

Mesmerized by the icy blue eyes staring back at me, I become paralyzed and unable to form a sentence. Desire coils in the pit of my stomach, making it hard to breathe.

“We’re well aware of what happened,” Sharlo tells him as she casually bumps her hip against mine. “You’ll be forgiven if you give us those pints you promised Evelyn.”

Charlie opens the door wide and flashes another one of his brilliant smiles. “Come on in, ladies. Make yourselves at home.”

All at once I’m especially grateful that Sharlo came along when she hooks her arm through mine and leads the way. I probably would’ve been frozen on that step all night if I had come alone.

Having never set foot inside a rockstar’s house, I don’t know if I should be underwhelmed or impressed to see Charlie isn’t the type to show off. Dark wooden floors and several brick walls are the most dramatic asset of the open layout leading to a decent sized galley kitchen with black cabinets and a comfortable living room. Worn, inviting furniture arranged on a sophisticated rug face a modest flat screen TV and open shelves of liquor beside a plain table with benches for chairs sit beneath decorative lighting and a metal stairway to the second floor.

The only decorations other than the bottles of booze are picture frames lined up along a walnut bookshelf where there are honest-to-goodness books that look to have been well-read. A classic Pixies tune playing from hidden speakers and the smell of leather complete the feel of what I consider a cozy home. Though dishes fill the sink and my eyes catch on a patch of dust in the living area, there’s an overall orderly vibe to the decor. It’s not what I would expect of a famous rockstar, but the barefoot, laid-back hottie standing beside me fits right in.

“Kick back and relax,” Charlie tells us, pointing to the twin couches. “I’ll grab those beers.” When our gazes meet, he winks and produces a friendly grin.

A warm flush climbs up my neck and spreads through my entire body, likely turning my cheeks a dark shade of red. But it isn’t just my face that reacts in a shameful way to his good looks and deep voice. I really want to scratch the itch he created, but I can’t seriously believe something is going to happen between me and this gorgeous, famous man. Wrapped in my thoughts, I miss my footing when I turn away and collide with Sharlo.

“Careful,
groupie
,” she teases in a whisper as she steadies herself. Her arm links with mine and she pulls me over to inspect the picture frames. The photos make up for the lack of swag in the apartment. Movie stars, rock legends, even the President—it seems no one is too famous for Charlie. I can’t help but bristle when seeing him in a cozy pose with the actress recently crowned as “America’s Sexiest Sweetheart” and wonder if they had a thing.

Charlie soon joins us, passing out bottles before standing rigid at my side.

“Quite an impressive lot,” Sharlo comments, motioning to the collection.

“It’s just part of the business,” he answers with a modest shrug. His hand falls to my lower back, reigniting the full body flush I felt earlier. “Let’s sit.”

Claiming the spot at my side, Charlie stretches his tattooed arm out behind me on the couch. Uncontrollable spasms ripple between my legs and I’m rendered helpless when his scent returns, hovering around me like a warm embrace. Holding back a whimper, I take a long drink of my beer and flash Sharlo a helpless look as she takes the couch adjacent to us. If I don’t check my hormones soon, I’m going to be straddling him in front of my friend and licking every last inch of the inked arm behind me.

“We got a taste of stardom tonight,” Sharlo says matter-of-fact like. “The little
mob
you created came after her, thinking the two of you were an item.”

“
Shit
.” Charlie sets his beer down on the walnut coffee table by our knees before squeezing my shoulder. Warm tingles shoot down my arm when I look into his icy blue gaze. “What happened? Did they hurt you?”

Waving a hand through the air, I try my best to laugh it off. “It wasn’t a big deal. Just caught us by surprise. I had no idea they could get that out of hand.”

“One of them thought she’d leave with a souvenir,” Sharlo continues. “Tried to pull Ev’s hair right off her head.”

A wave of ferocity like nothing I’ve felt before vibrates off Charlie’s taut chest.
“Fuck!”

I almost choke on a swig of beer. It’s like he’s ready to run back there and start kicking ass.
The man brings intensity to a whole new level.

I mouth
“stop”
to my smirking friend as Charlie’s large hand moves away from my shoulder to caress the back of my head. Considering the numerous nights I spent fantasizing about his touch, I’m ready to melt into a puddle on the soft leather beneath me. It’s suddenly taking an immense amount of willpower to keep my hands to myself.

“Are you alright?” he asks in a gentle tone even though I can hear a tightness in his breath.

“Seriously, I’m
fine
,” I insist with a nervous giggle. “She’s blowing it out of proportion. As you can see, I still have a full head of hair. And I’m a tough farm girl, remember?”

The moment I set my hand on his rock-hard thigh, I’m drowning in a sea of my own juices. The guy is a living mass of perfection. Strong, enduring, and talented with eyes that send shivers down my spine and a voice that gets my motor running, it’s understandable how I could be preoccupied with thoughts of him all week.

The playful light I saw outside of the bar returns to his eyes. “I think you and I have a different idea of tough.”

Sitting taller, I mirror his expression. “I’ll bet you I could back your tour bus down Times Square without a single scratch. Wanna see me try?”

“I’d have to say no,” he says, still massaging the back of my head. A playful smirk tilts his incredibly kissable lips. “My manager would murder both of us.”