After the Storm (16 page)

“If you could get the fruit ready, I’d appreciate it. I think I’ve got everything else under control. They should be here soon.”

Lexi was thankful to have a job to do. She tried to concentrate on the task at hand since she was working with a knife as she didn’t think a trip to the emergency room was on tonight’s agenda. She dropped the knife in the sink when she heard the front door slam open and what could only be described as a herd of elephants entered. She spun around and her eyes grew large as three children launched themselves at Noah. He easily caught them in a big hug.

Lexi just stared, watching him embrace the kids, hugging them tight and closing his eyes. She was so enraptured with him she didn’t notice the look that passed between the wives. Noah turned to look at her over one of the girl’s heads with a huge smile on his face that took her breath away.

Suddenly, he was surrounded by adults giving him hugs and pounding him on the back. They were all talking at once. Lexi moved back as far as she could from the commotion. A little boy about three came up to her and held his hands up for her to lift him. She hesitated before lifting him and resting him on her hip. They stared at each other for a moment before he leaned over and gave her a sloppy kiss on the lips, then rested his head on her shoulder. Instinct made her rock back and forth from one foot to the other. She put her hand on his back and rubbed, then looked up noticed everyone was staring at her. “Um… hi.”

Noah walked over and put his arm around her. “Everyone, this is Lexi. Lexi, the little guy you’ve got in your arms, who doesn’t like any other women but the ones in this room, is Brandon. His parents are the big, tall, stupid one, Ren, who plays the guitar like nobody’s business, and his lovely wife, Kenyon. The one who’s got his feet on the furniture, channel surfing, is Rob. Plays the wickedest bass you’ve ever heard, and that’s his lovely wife, Dre. The twin girls are theirs, the one in the purple is Jennifer, and the one in the pink is Julie. That’s their boy, David, who takes after his father, with his feet up on the chair and the video game attached to his hand. And last but not least, we have Dylan, master of the drums, his lovely wife, Sam, and their baby boy, Rafe.”

Lexi smiled shyly at them and gave a small wave. “I hope I can keep everyone straight. It’s very nice to meet you all.”

~*~

The men wandered out onto the terrace by the barbeque with beers in their hands, grinning.

“Bottoms up! The boys are back in town.” Ren held his beer up and clinked his can to the other guys. “So what’s up, Mr. Last Man Standing?” He nodded to where Lexi stood by the other women. “You going down for the count or what?”

“Sure looks like it to me.” Rob grabbed Noah’s chin and moved his face from side to side. “Yep, she’ll be leading him around by a ring in his nose. He’ll look so sexy.”

Noah slapped his hand away. “You want to add to the teasing Dylan?”

Dylan rocked back on his heels. “Nope, I think they’ve got it covered. Although I must say she’s not your typical fuck buddy.” He held his hands up as he saw the fire leap into Noah’s eyes and his fists clench. “Well, that answered the question quite nicely, don’t you think, boys?” He looked past Noah to the guys and when they nodded he continued. “Just seeing her for a couple minutes it’s pretty obvious she’s not groupie material. You’d better make sure you aren’t playing her.”

Noah shook his head. “Guys, how long have we known each other? Forget about what happened when I was younger. I know she’s different, she’s special. This is it for me.”

~*~

While the men were outside talking, the women stayed inside to get the rest of the food ready and take care of the children. Lexi wasn’t sure what to do or where anything was, got to feeling like she was in the way, and started looking for an escape.

She jumped when Sam came up and put her arm around Lexi. “Don’t worry, hon,” she whispered. “You’ll get used to this. Dre and Rob have been married for eleven years, Ren and Kenyon five, and Dylan and I only just over a year. I’m the newbie here and completely understand how you feel. It can be a lot to take in when they all get together.”

Lexi let out the breath she didn’t realize she had been holding. “So, it’s always like this?”

“Oh yeah. We call it the Last Stand Tornado. We all blow in at one time, and then all leave together. You look around the house at the mess and say to yourself, ‘What the hell just happened?’ It gets easier, not less messy, just easier. Just relax and go with the flow.”

“Somehow I think this whole trip is going to be like that.” Lexi shook her head.

“That’s this crazy rock and roll lifestyle, baby.” Dre rolled her eyes towards the ceiling. “We just sit back and keep our men in line when their egos get too big. That’s the fun part.” She grinned wickedly and rubbed her hands together.

“That’s a full time job on its own,” muttered Lexi.

All the women burst out laughing. Kenyon wiped the tears from her eyes. “Oh, this one is a keeper. Noah needs someone who can keep him in line and not just give him whatever he wants. I think that’s been his problem in the past.” She looked to the other ladies who nodded. “We can tell you’re different from the others, otherwise we wouldn’t be wasting our breath. All the other women Noah dated weren’t very smart. Plus, all they ever did was agree or do what they thought he wanted them to do.”

“Some of them were downright mean. They never showed that side to Noah, but as soon as he wasn’t around, they didn’t have the time of day for us. They wanted the status of being Noah Matthews’ girlfriend. We kept quiet because we want him to be happy but we sure didn’t cry when he finally got tired of those bitches and broke up,” Dre said as she expertly snagged Rafe who was crawling toward the open terrace doors.

“But how do you know I’m different? We just met. For all you know, I’m a cold hearted bitch.” Lexi spread her hands.

The other two women looked to Dre, the one who had been around the guys the longest. “Lexi, we know Noah. We’ve seen such a change in him in the past couple of months. And it’s not just the long overdue vacation, so get that out of your head. We’ve talked to him on the phone. He sounds so happy, and when he talks about you, girl, you can hear it in his voice. Besides, you didn’t see the look on your face when the kids launched themselves at Noah for a hug. You’re in love with him. It’s written all over your face.”

Lexi sighed. “I really don’t know what to do about all of this.” She gestured with her hands. “I have enough money on my own, so I’m not after that, it’s the whole rock and roll lifestyle. That’s not me. How can we have a future if he’s got to be here and on the road?”

Kenyon came over and gave her a hug. “That’s something you’ll have to figure out between the two of you. If anything, the three of us prove you can make it work in that world. But it is work. Ren and I have a deal. Once the band stuff is done we are moving somewhere else. Somewhere outside the spotlight.”

Dre broke in with, “Whoa, whoa, whoa. You said kids. Is there something you need to tell us?”

Kenyon smiled at them. “Well, if you must know…”

Dre and Sam screamed and started jumping up and down, hugging Kenyon at the same time. Lexi looked over to where the guys had turned around and were shaking their heads at them. She saw Ren say something to them and get patted on the back, stumbling forward at the force he was hit with.

Ren shook his head and walked toward his wife, bravely wading into the happy women. “Come on, leave the pregnant woman alone. Geez, you’re going to bounce Junior all around.”

Sam punched him on the arm. “Let us have this moment. This is so awesome. I’m so happy for you.” She looked over at Lexi who had a puzzled expression on her face. “After Brandon, they weren’t sure they’d be able to have another child. So this is truly a blessing. We should have a toast.”

“Already on it.” Noah said as he handed a bottle of apple cider to Sam and popped the cork on the champagne. “It’s a good time to celebrate.” He framed her face in his hands. “I am so happy for you.”

“Hey, what about me?” Ren shook his head, “You know, I had something to do with it.”

Noah punched him in the arm and put him in a headlock. “Yeah, about two minutes worth. She’s the one who has to do all the hard work.”

~*~

The adults and children lay sprawled on the furniture after dinner. The younger children picked an adult to cuddle up and doze on and Lexi thought back on the evening and how fun it had been spending time with them. She typically didn’t loosen up that quickly with new people, but they put her at ease. The women were so nice and she could tell they genuinely cared about each other. She tried not to over-analyze everything or dwell on the fact she was a small town photographer, in comparison.

She thought she’d passed any test that the guys had tried to put her through. They didn’t realize that she had spent her summers with Evie and her brother Jackson. Between the two of them, she could take just about anything anyone dished out. She knew that Noah meant a lot to them so she knew they weren’t being mean. She felt like she’d given truthful answers to everything Ren asked when they’d had their one-on-one conversation, had even felt like they understood each other.

Lexi had Rafe sleeping on her as she relaxed back into Noah’s arms. She looked back up at him over her shoulder and over the baby’s head and swore she ovulated just by the look he gave her. They had a whole conversation without a word spoken. This was what he wanted. Her, having a child together, family sitting around in the evening, a simple life. It was a dream long forgotten by Lexi, but she wanted it, too. And she wanted it with Noah.

The spell was broken when Rafe started to wiggle in her arms, stretching and crying out. Dylan lifted himself off of the couch and came over to collect him and Lexi felt the loss of holding the baby and put her hand over where he’d laid. Noah wrapped his arms tight around her and nuzzled her ear with his nose. She closed her eyes, longing for the dream to become reality.

Dre stretched and stood up. “Alright guys, time to pack it up. We’ve got a big day tomorrow. That reminds me—Lexi, we’ll be here about ten in the morning.”

Lexi furrowed her brow in question. “What do you mean?”

Kenyon gave Noah a look as he shrugged and smiled at her. “The ladies are going shopping and to the spa tomorrow. The men are on kid patrol. Noah was supposed to tell you. Days ago.” She pointed a finger at him.

Lexi narrowed her eyes at him. “Lucy, you’ve got some ‘splainin’ to do.”

Noah ignored the laughs that erupted from the adults. “Must have slipped my mind with everything that’s happened.” He waggled his eyebrows.

Lexi rolled her eyes and turned to the ladies. “I’d love to come. Thank you for inviting me. I’ll be ready.” If someone had told her she would be excited about going shopping in L.A. with women she’d just met a few hours ago, she would have told them they were crazy. Now it just felt right.

Lexi fell back and closed her eyes to hide the piles of shopping bags at the end of the bed.

“Looks like you had a good time,” Noah said as he climbed into bed and laid down on his side, hand propping up his head.

She turned her head and opened her eyes. “Why didn’t you warn me that they were professional shoppers?”

He smiled and ran his hand over her hair. “What fun would that be? Besides, I knew you’d get all worried about it. This way, you could just go and enjoy yourself. Did you buy out every store?”

She closed her eyes, enjoying his touch. “It felt like it. They are really wonderful.” She smiled at him. “You’re lucky to have them in your life.”

He caressed her check. “And now they are in yours, too. You can trust them.”

“I know. I love my ladies at home, but I forgot how much fun it is to spend time with women my age. I don’t get much time with Evie anymore.”

“You’ll probably get in less trouble, too.” He winked at her.

She laughed. “You’re right. Plus, it was so amazing to walk around and see people I have seen on TV and the movies for years, shopping at the same places I was.”

“And all the paparazzi hanging out all over the place,” Noah said with a scowl.

“They didn’t bother us too much since none of the band was there. We were more in the way when they tried to get pictures of other people.” Lexi frowned in memory.

Noah sat up. “What happened?”

“Nothing, Noah, it’s really no big deal.” She got up off of the bed and started to take things out of the bags.

He grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her to face him. “Seriously, tell me what happened.”

She sighed and closed her eyes. “Some of the paparazzi recognized the ladies and that I was the woman who was with you at the airport.”

When she paused, he looked up at the ceiling, took a deep breath and then looked back down at her. “And…”

She looked down and started fidgeting with the clothes in her hands. “I didn’t know they would be so rude and pushy.”

“Come on, Lexi, just tell me. It’s like pulling teeth to get anything out of you.”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “They got all up in my face, saying I was just the flavor of the month and that you’d be throwing me out like last week’s garbage in no time. They were yelling at me to give them my name. Then they saw Angelina and Brad come out of a store and almost knocked us down trying to get to them.” She raised a hand to stop him. “Kenyon is fine, both Dre and I were able to hang onto her so that she didn’t fall.”

“Bastards.” Noah started pacing the room. “I am so sick and tired of their bullshit. All they care about is the picture, not the people. They want the big photo that will make them a million bucks and who cares if someone gets hurt.”

They stood there in uncomfortable silence for a few moments, and Lexi found herself thinking about the fact that this wasn’t the place where she wanted her new beginning with Noah to start, wasn’t a lifestyle she wanted. From Noah’s body language, she thought maybe he was thinking along the same lines.

“Lexi, we’ll be home soon.”

She started folding the bags. “I know. It’s just so different from what I am used to. I’m a little scared what it’s going to be like tonight when we go out together.”

He pulled her into a hug. “It’ll be fine. There’ll be security at the event tonight so no one is going to get too close. Why don’t you get some rest? It’s going to be a long evening.”

“I
am
tired. The massage this afternoon just about put me to sleep. I was glad I didn’t have to drive after that.” She got out of her clothes and lay down.

Noah crawled in beside her and ran his fingers through her hair until she fell asleep. Getting up, he went to make a phone call.

~*~

Lexi knew that the people attending the premier would wear anything and everything that you could think of. She decided that she should stick with something classic and hopefully blend into the background so she slid into a black pair of wide-legged slacks with a dark blue shirt and three inch black sling-backs. Her usual make up was the usual affair and she styled her hair in loose curls, then sighed as she looked herself over.

Not the Hollywood type
. She longed for her toes in the sand.

“You take my breath away.”

She met Noah’s eyes in the mirror. “And you are still a smooth talker.”

He came over, wrapped his arms around her waist, and rested his chin on her shoulder. “Nah, just a truth-talker.”

Lexi looked at him. His hair was perfectly messed up but he was clean-shaven, and he’d decided on black leather pants with biker boots and a tight black t-shirt. He wore a huge silver watch on one wrist and a black leather cuff around the other. There was a silver studded belt around his hips and a thick, short rope of silver around his neck. Other than television appearances before she’d ever met him, she’d never seen him look like this. It was so hot. She wanted to spend the evening in bed and not out with people.

“Stop it. Seriously, stop looking at me like that. If you don’t, I’m going to take you right here.” He pulled her roughly into his body where she could feel what he meant. “Maybe we do have time.” He nipped at the side of her neck while his hand roamed up to cup her breast and pinch her nipple. Her head fell back onto his shoulder and her breathing grew faster. His other hand moved down and slipped in her pants and she moaned as he found her wetness and inserted two fingers in her.

She whimpered when he stopped, opening her eyes a crack to see him grinning at her in the mirror.

“Sorry love, we don’t have time.” He smacked her on the ass and backed away. “The car is here. We’ll have to finish this later.”

“Payback’s a bitch, Noah!” she yelled at his retreating back. Shaking her head, she looked at the new clothes laid out on the sofa. She took off her modest selection, strode over, and picked up one of the dresses she’d purchased earlier. It was sexier than what she typically wore, something she’d bought on a whim. But it’d be perfect to drive Noah wild tonight.

Within three minutes, she had it on and her shoes changed. She was just changing her necklace when Noah yelled for her to hurry up. Looking at herself in the mirror, she knew without a doubt that he would be suffering all evening, and she grinned at her reflection on the way out.

~*~

Lexi finally let out the laugh she’d been holding in since Noah’s eyes just about bugged out of his head at the sight of her. She wore a black, form-fitting, knee-length halter dress that didn’t just hug, but were molded to her curves. It was low cut, with a slit that went just about all the way up. She had added black leather stiletto boots that came just below the knee and a leather choker, three different silver chain bracelets on one arm, and a red leather cuff bracelet on the other. She’d added more eyeliner and eye shadow, along with a deeper color lipstick, and had teased her hair to give her more of a just-rolled-out-of-bed look instead of the sleek, classic style she’d started with.

“I don’t know how you did it in five minutes, but fuck, you look hot.” Noah slid closer to her in the back of the limo and slid his hand up her thigh where her slit had fallen open.

She playfully knocked his hand away. “We don’t have time Noah. You’re just going to have to wait.”

He fell back against the seat and ran his hands through his hair. “Are you trying to kill me? Because if that is what you are trying for, it’s working.”

“Oh, poor baby, are you in pain?” She patted his chest.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her on top of him. She could feel him throbbing for her. Nose to nose he growled, “Can you feel that? I want to be buried so deep inside of you we can’t tell where you end and where I begin.”

She shivered and slid away from him when they pulled up in front of the theatre. This was a dangerous game she was playing. If they were lucky, they’d both win.

~*~

Lexi sat in the darkened theatre, gripping Noah’s hand, completely caught up in the story. The movie had blocked out the stress of walking the red carpet with Noah. She’d assumed someone would take her into the theatre to wait for him to finish talking and having his picture taken. But they hadn’t. Instead, she’d watched the crowd scream and the photographers yell his name. The flash bulbs blinded her. Questions came from every direction. Microphones were thrust into his face and sometimes hers.

She couldn’t remember clearly what she’d said or done, had just kept telling herself to smile through it all. His hand must hurt from her from gripping it so tight.

Everyone remained seated through the ending credits where Noah’s voice sang out about how everything could be lost in an instant. She turned to find him grinning at her.

“I don’t even have to ask if you liked it or not. I could tell. ” He bumped his shoulder into hers.

“Shhh… I’m listening to your song.”

“Love, I can get you your own copy to listen to all the time.”

“It’s not the same. Be quiet.”

Dre turned around from her seat in front of them. “Careful, girl, you’re going to inflate his ego.”

Lexi snorted. “It is impossible for it to get any bigger. He’s got his own zip code as it is.”

When it was over, they walked out to find the limos and go to the party. The press had been replaced by paparazzi. Luckily, security kept them at bay, which eased Lexi’s worries.

Walking into the party was similar to walking the red carpet, except Noah didn’t have to stop to talk to reporters. He just waved as they walked past.

Lexi saw everyone milling around, eating and drinking. There was laughter everywhere, and cameras flashed incessantly. Everyone wanted to be seen with the A-listers.

She tried to be positive but all the conversations she overheard while they were walking seemed fake. Noah led her to the back where the rest of the band and their wives were sitting at a table and she let out a breath as she sat down next to Sam.

“The boys and I are going to make a circuit. We’ll be back before we go on stage. Stay out of trouble.”

“I could say the same to you.” Lexi raised an eyebrow at him.

He leaned in and whispered in her ear, “I’ll be getting into a lot of trouble when we get home. Be ready.”

She watched as he strode away, the sexiness coming off of him in waves. She sighed, wanting to be home with him.

“It’ll get better. It seems like everyone comes to these parties, gets their picture taken with who they think is important, and then leaves. After that, it’s more ‘real’ if you know what I mean.” Sam handed her a glass of wine. “And a few of these help.”

Lexi laughed. “Can you read my mind?”

“Nah, I just remember my first time. Besides, you don’t have to stay all night. Seriously, you guys can leave whenever.”

“How about five minutes ago?”

Dre laughed and moved closer. “Yeah, after a while these parties get old. However, if you have children, you learn to love the adult time. Rob and I are such homebodies that it’s actually nice to get out once in a while and party like rock stars.”

Kenyon looked over to where the guys were standing and talking to people while she rubbed her stomach. “Yeah, well, these days it seems I’m puking like a drunken rock star all the time.”

Lexi turned to her. “Are you okay? Do you need anything? I’m sure we could get you some crackers or something.”

Kenyon waved her off. “I’m fine for now. But if history repeats itself in about an hour I’ll have to visit the bathroom. At least, I know when I’m going to get sick every day.”

The ladies laughed as they told Lexi stories of other parties and what they knew about the people in the room. No one came over to talk to them, which was fine by Lexi. A few drinks later, she’d relaxed, but still wished she and Noah could go home.

Her eyes searched the room for him, landing on him as the band was having their picture taken with some people she didn’t recognize. Their eyes met, and after saying something to the people he was surrounded by, he stalked toward her. Once he reached her, he grabbed the back of her head and kissed her senseless. When she was about to lose all inhibitions, he pulled away and gave her his signature cocky rock star grin. “Remember that while we’re up there on stage, love.”

She watched him leave with glazed eyes and saw him easily jump on the stage. From the first pounding notes filling the room, he transformed, one with the music. It flowed in his veins. Every move he made was pure sex. She wasn’t the only female in the room who wanted him, but he was going home with her. It was her he loved. She sat, transfixed while he strutted across the stage, hips rolling to the beat, hands running across his body. She felt like a voyeur watching him. She knew his body as well as her own and wanted to be home in bed with him, screwing his brains out.

They all took bows and jumped off the stage to a huge round of applause, immediately swarmed by women. Ren checked his watch and looked over to Kenyon. Lexi looked closer at her and saw she’d gone pale. Looking back to Ren, she saw him start across the room.

“Come on, let’s get you to the restroom.” Lexi stood and placed her hand on Kenyon’s shoulder. She didn’t need to see all the women fawning over Noah anyway.