Marrying the Rock Star Read online

  “More women have come forward, claiming that he treated them poorly. How can you marry a man that hated women?”

  “Chase doesn’t hate women,” I snap at the guy.

  “How long have you know him? How did you two keep your relationship a secret?”

  My face is burning now with anger as I hurry toward the doors. He doesn’t get in my way but he keeps taking pictures with one hand, recorder held out with the other.

  “Delia, why would you date a man like that? Do you pee on him too? Do you dress him up in a baby outfit?”

  I grab the door and hesitate. Anger flares, and I look at the guy.

  I’m about to open my mouth, about to tell this asshole reporter to take his camera and shove it up his fucking asshole, when someone grabs my wrist and yanks me inside.

  I stumble as Karl slams the door shut. “Fuck off, James,” he yells. The reporter flips him off. “Come on,” he grumbles to me.

  He pulls me into the lobby by my arms. I manage to twist my way free after a few steps.

  “Okay, I’m fine,” I say.

  He grunts. “Sorry about that. I could just tell you were about to yell at the guy.”

  “He would’ve deserved it.”

  “No shit. James is scum. But you can’t sink to their level.”

  I clench my jaw. “Why not? You just did.”

  “I’m not famous. I’m just a fucking civilian. Nobody expects me to act well.” Karl sighs. “Look, just ignore him, okay?”

  “He said some… things. About Chase.” I glance back toward the doors. James is still out there, hanging around, probably waiting for me to come back out.

  “I know,” Karl says. “You have to ignore him. Most of what he says is a total lie, just trying to get you to act out. He’ll publish what you say and never mention that he completely egged you on with a bunch of outlandish lies.”

  My anger flares, but at the same time, I feel relieved. I didn’t want any of that to be true…

  But for a moment, I believed it.

  “I should go to bed,” I say.

  He nods. “Good. The boys still out?”

  “Yeah, they are.”

  “Get used to that,” he says, shaking his head. “I’m not sure marriage will slow any of them down.”

  I give him a strange look and walk quickly away.

  I hate the idea that Chase has been with so many women. I don’t know why I’m jealous. I know he’s a famous rock star, and rock stars sleep with women. It’s part of the whole cycle.

  I still hate it. I hate the idea of Chase hurting women, acting like a jerk, taking advantage. It’s a power thing, and I’m not sure he even gets it.

  I make it to my room and shut the door. I’m fuming still, anger rolling through me.

  But as I undress and turn on the shower, I force myself to change my focus. I force myself to think about that moment out on stage, playing my music.

  Slowly, I calm down. By the time I’m in bed, I think I might actually sleep.

  And maybe dream of Chase, taking advantage of me.

  8

  Chase

  I’m groggy the next morning. For a second, I half expect to find Delia at the other end of the couch.

  She fell asleep first the other night. She probably doesn’t even remember. It was toward the end of the second movie and she’s just slumped over, breathing deep. I put a blanket over her and thought about going to the bedroom…

  But I chose to sleep on the couch with her instead. I left the TV on, not wanting her to realize what I did.

  Maybe that’s creepy, I don’t know. I just felt good there with her on the couch. I didn’t need to be touching her or whatever, I was just happy to have her close.

  Which is totally the opposite of how I’ve felt in the past. I always kick my one-night stands out, even if it’s late. I don’t want to wake up with them and I don’t want to fall asleep anywhere near them. I don’t know why I have such strong feelings about it.

  Now though, I wish Delia were here. It’s an irrational and sudden thought but I can’t deny it’s how I feel.

  I climb out of bed. Maybe celebrating so much with the boys wasn’t the best idea. Delia didn’t seem upset when she left, which is good. Maybe this can work out after all.

  I keep seeing her up on stage as I brush my teeth and shower. She was glowing, practically radiant. I don’t know if anyone else even noticed how fucking perfect she looked.

  And there was that song. She sounded almost angelic up there on stage, playing Nathan’s guitar, singing into the microphone. I think I finally understand why people are obsessed with vintage guitars. Delia really made that thing sing in a way that Nathan never does.

  I get dressed and check my phone. It’s a little past nine in the morning, and as I start thinking about what I need to do next, there’s a knock at my door.

  I hesitate, but answer it. Karl looks at me, a frown on his face.

  “Have fun last night?” he grunts.

  “Yeah, sure,” I say. “Just blowing off some steam after the announcement.”

  “Right,” he says. “You gonna let me in?”

  I step aside and he bowls past me. I shut the door, feeling a little leery of what he’s about to say. Karl doesn’t usually come into our rooms unless there’s an issue he needs to deal with in private.

  “What’s the matter?” I ask him as he sits in one of the side chairs.

  He sighs as he settles himself and slowly looks in my direction. “Your wife got assaulted last night.”

  I freeze, a moment of panic crossing through me. “Is she okay?”

  “She’s fine,” she says. “She was assaulted by that reporter scum James from TMI.”

  I let out my breath. “Oh, fucking shit, Karl, god damn it,” I say. “I thought she was hurt by a rabid fan or some shit.”

  He shakes his head. “This is worse. At least we’d get some pity if she were really injured.”

  “You’re fucked up, you know that?” I sit down across from him.

  “You need to get her under control, Chase.”

  “What did she do?”

  “Nothing, yet.” He sighs, looking at his fingernails. “We got lucky. I was in the lobby and saw it happening, so I grabbed her before she could take a shot at him.”

  “You think she would’ve?”

  “I’m sure she would’ve. You know that asshole James.”

  I look away. Karl’s right, James is one of the scummiest paparazzi around. He’s been following our band for a while now and he’ll basically say or do absolutely anything to get a rise out of us. We’ve learned to ignore him, but I’m sure he’s going to be a learning curve for Delia.

  “She didn’t say anything, right?”

  Karl shrugs. “I didn’t hear it all.”

  I chew my lip, not sure what to think. Delia’s a smart girl and she’ll know what game James is playing, but she’s also impulsive. I could easily see him saying the perfect thing to set her off.

  I don’t think I can handle that sort of PR. Then again, that’s not fair, considering I dragged her into this with barely any prep at all. She knows to keep it under control and that everything she’s doing will be scrutinized big time, but even still. It’s not fair of me to assume she can handle all these stresses.

  I need to do a better job at prepping her, I just don’t know how. And I’m not sure she’ll listen.

  “Look, I know you’re not happy about this marriage thing,” I say, “but I’ll make sure she behaves.”

  “I don’t mind the marriage.”

  That stops me in my tracks. I was about to tell him how I’d handle it, I’d prep Delia, get her ready for the shit we’ll have to deal with. But Karl’s response totally derails me.

  “You don’t?” I blink, surprised. “Seriously?”

  “Seriously,” he says, shrugging. “It worked for Joss. I figure, why the fuck can’t it work for you, too?”

  “It is pretty crazy,” I say.

  “Y
eah, and you’re a fucking dumbass for going through with it, but here we are. We’ll make it work.”

  “Huh.” I let out a breath and slump back. “I figured you’d give me more shit for this.”

  He sighs again and suddenly looks tired. “Honestly, Chase? I don’t have it in me anymore.”

  I narrow my eyes as he slowly stands up.

  “What do you mean?”

  “All this fucking travel, this touring. I’m an old fucker now, you know?”

  “You’re not that old, Karl.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” He sighs, walking to the door. “Just keep your new wife under control, okay? Make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid.”

  “I will, and she won’t.”

  “Good.” He opens the door and leaves without another word.

  It shuts behind him. I’m left sitting there, trying to figure out what just happened.

  Karl’s usually the rational one. He’s always keeping us in line, smoothing out our more jagged impulses, and now… he just looks tired.

  I don’t know what to think about it. Maybe he just had a rough night, or maybe it’s something bigger. Either way, I have a job to do.

  I get up and head out. Delia’s room is at the other end of the hallway. I could’ve requested she get a room right next to mine, but I didn’t want to freak her out too much. It’s just the first night, after all.

  I knock at her door and wait until she answers. She’s wearing a pair of short gym shorts and a gray sports bra. For a second, I let my eyes roam down her nice, tight little body.

  But the arch of her eyebrow brings me back. “What’s up, Chase?” she asks.

  “Just wanted to talk about last night.”

  She sighs and steps aside. “Come in.”

  I head into her room, the mirror image of my own, and sit down in the same chair Karl sat in. She sits on the bed, crossing her legs.

  “Going for a run?” I ask.

  She nods. “Treadmill in the gym. I figure since I’m going to be in the media now, I might as well work out.”

  I laugh a little. This isn’t going to be a comfortable conversation so I might as well dive into it.

  “Well, you don’t need to work out,” I say.

  “Thanks,” she answers, rolling her eyes.

  “Look, I need to talk to you about that guy last night.”

  Her face clouds over. “The reporter.”

  It’s not a question. “Yeah, James.”

  “You know him too?”

  “He’s an asshole,” I say. “Works for TMI, covers our band.”

  “Asshole is an understatement.”

  I hesitate. “What did he say?”

  “Nothing good.”

  “You’re probably going to have to get used to it.”

  “I know that.” She looks a little annoyed, but I push onwards anyway.

  “Look, you’re going to want to yell at these guys, hit them, kick them in the teeth. But you have to control yourself.”

  “I did control myself,” she says.

  “Not according to Karl.”

  She narrows her eyes at me angrily. “Karl? What did he say?”

  “He said he saw you about to do something.”

  “He didn’t see anything,” she snaps. “That asshole reporter was trying to press my buttons and I kept myself under control. Karl came and dragged me away from no reason.”

  I sigh and raise my hands, palms out. “Okay, look, I wasn’t there. I don’t know what happened, just what I was told.”

  “And you believe your manager over your wife?”

  I raise an eyebrow, a little smile on my lips. “Are you my real wife now?”

  She glares at me. “You know what I mean.”

  “I do, but look, you know why we’re in this. It’s to help my reputation. Fighting with reporters isn’t going to do that.”

  “Fine, I’ll be good.” She crosses her arms and I can tell by her body language that she wants me to fuck right off. “Anything else, sir?”

  I stand up, shaking my head. “Come on, Delia.”

  “I’m not just your little toy, you know. I’m a person.”

  “I know that.”

  “And I wasn’t going to do anything with that reporter.” She hesitates a second. “Probably not, at least.”

  I grin again. “I know you wouldn’t. Not on purpose, at least. But that guy really is good at what he does.” I walk over and sit on the bed next to her.

  She doesn’t look at me. “I keep thinking about that moment on stage,” she says softly. “I felt really alive up there.”

  “I know what you mean.”

  “Why would that reporter want to take that away?”

  I shrug. “It’s his job to get dirt, I guess. They don’t really care how they do it, just as long as they get it done.”

  “It’s bullshit.”

  “I know.”

  “I mean, everyone knows that sort of stuff happens, but actually living it…” She shakes her head. “It’s a miracle you guys aren’t constantly in deep shit.”

  “You’ll get used to it,” I say. “Just keep it together, okay?”

  “I’m always together.” She gives me a little smile.

  “Of course you are.” I lean closer to her, looking at her body in just a sports bra and shorts. She’s so fucking gorgeous, I’m having a hard time keeping my eyes off her.

  “By the way, if I was going to say something to that reporter, it would’ve been to defend you.”

  “I appreciate you defending my honor.”

  “It’s what I’m here for, right?”

  I laugh softly and tip her chin toward me. I can feel my heart beating faster. “That’s one reason.”

  “What’s another?”

  I hesitate a second, meeting her gaze. I suddenly feel everything I’ve been pushing back, trying to hide from myself. It comes flooding through me, sudden and intense.

  I pull her down toward me, hand wrapping into her hair. She gasps but falls into my kiss like it’s perfectly natural.

  My tongue slides inside of her mouth and I can barely control myself. I want to ravage her, right here and now. I love her taste, love every inch of her body. My right hand roams across her chest as I kiss her neck.

  I push her back down onto the comforter and drop to my knees in front of her.

  “What are you doing?” she asks, eyes wide.

  “You said you were going to defend me, and I want to reward you.”

  She bites her lip. “Chase, you don’t—”

  I push her back, pinning her to the bed as I slowly pull her shorts off. She groans as I kiss her inner thigh, her stomach, her belly button, my hands on her legs, spreading them wide.

  She sits up on one elbow and watches as I slowly kiss down to her dripping little pussy. I’m surprised by how wet she is, but I shouldn’t be. I start to tongue her clit, starving for her, needing to taste every inch of her beautiful body.

  I lap her clit, focusing on her body, on the way she reacts. I can tell what she likes as I go, tongue sucking and licking.

  She wraps one hand through my hair and holds tight. I suck and lick every inch of her pussy, basking in her moans, letting it all wash over me. I want to make her feel good so badly it almost fucking hurts. My cock’s so hard, I’m practically tearing through my jeans.

  But that can wait. Right now, I want Delia to know how much I value her.

  I slide two fingers inside of her pussy. I explore her tight little cunt, pushing deeper as I nibble on her clit. She’s moaning, her body stiff. I can tell she’s loving it as I curl my fingers, fucking her slowly, pushing her further.

  I love the sounds of her moans, her gasping breaths, her tight body. She tastes like fucking heaven and it’s taking all of my control not to plunge my big cock deep between her legs. I want to get her off first, give her a tiny taste of what she has in store for her if she’s a good girl.

  If she listens, obeys what I tell her, I’ll give her so much more
.

  I slide my fingers deeper, curling them, sliding them along her pussy. She’s starting to move her hips now, getting into it, panting and groaning. I hear my name on her lips, coming out nearly strangled.

  I suck and lick her clit faster. I can tell she’s getting there as her voice gets lower and her moans come faster. My fingers plunge in and out, curling back and forth, moving faster. I fuck her pussy and suck her clit, moving in a rhythm with her hips.

  I let her body show me what to do. Whenever she tenses more, tightens more, moans more, I push harder. I find all her little spots, how she likes me to move, how she wants me to lick her clit with the tip of my tongue. I plunge my fingers deeper, deeper, fucking her faster. I think she’s starting to sweat as she gasps my name.

  I feel her fingers tighten in my hair. A little bit of pain flashes, and I like it. It makes me grunt as I keep going, pushing her faster, fucking her with my fingers. I keep sucking and licking her clit, tasting her dripping pussy, and I know she’s closer.

  “Oh, fuck, Chase,” she gasps. “Oh, god, oh, god. Don’t you fucking stop.”

  I keep going, faster, faster. I push harder, deeper. Her moans get low and deep and sustained, and her whole body tightens.

  I can taste her coming. I love it and I don’t stop. I’m unrelenting, merciless. I make her come hard, her whole body twitching in a spasm of pleasure as she gasps and groans, her fingers tight in my hair.

  She finishes a few moments later and collapses back onto the bed. I can tell she’s sensitive as I slide my fingers out of her and she twitches again, a smile on her lips.

  I stand, cock hard as fuck, and I clean my fingers off with my mouth. She watches, eyes wide.

  “Keep helping me, and I’ll keep helping you,” I say softly.

  “This is part of the deal? Regular orgasms?”

  “Depends how good you really are.” I smirk and turn away from her. “We’re hitting the road in a couple hours. See you on the bus.”

  I leave her on the bed, still breathing heavily, a huge smile on my face.

  I don’t think I’ll be getting the taste of her pussy off my tongue for a long time, and I’m more than okay with that.