Black Falcon: Complete Series Collection (6 page)

“Yeah?” I don’t need to see his face to know he’s smiling. “That didn’t take as much convincing as I thought it would.”

“Well, you know, I would still be an intern if it weren’t for you. I would like to be able to pay my own rent for a change. Begging my mom to cover it while I intern majorly sucks. If it weren’t for her, Aubrey would’ve kicked me out of this place two years ago.”

“Having money is nice,” he agrees. “I remember all too well being a starving artist.”

“Please, your parents would never let you starve.” He’s quiet. I expect him to crack some joke like he always does, but it doesn’t happen. Did I step on a touchy subject? “Noel?”

He sighs. “Yeah, I’m here.”

I can tell by his tone that he’s frowning. I panic. “I’m sorry if I—”

“Don’t worry about it. I guess I should have told you that Dad and I really don’t talk anymore. For some reason, I figured you already knew that, seeing as how our families are still neighbors and all.”

I hadn’t had the nerve to face his parents since our breakup. They still live beside my Mom on Cedar Creek Lake. The only time I’ve had any contact with them was at my father’s funeral three years ago, but I wasn’t up for much talking. So much has changed in our lives.

“I didn’t know. I’m sorry if I upset you. You want to talk about it?”

The line is silent for a long time, but I hear his slow and steady breaths. I don’t understand. What could be so bad that Noel wouldn’t speak to his father? Doesn’t he know that family can be stripped away at any moment?

I know his father. He’s stern, the kind of man who always gets his way and people don’t cross. Those two always butted heads when we were kids, especially when it came to Noel’s grades. His father’s constant need for perfection and success wore on Noel. His father couldn’t grasp why school was such a struggle for his dyslexic son. Noel’s mother, on the other hand, is a lovely woman, and she was always considerate of Noel’s learning disability. I can’t even count the number of different tutors she hired to help him.

Noel is a mixture of both of them, I guess. His sweetness comes from his mom, while his need for complete control comes from his father. Since I’ve reconnected with him, it seems as though his father’s genes are winning out. He’s pushy, just like him. He always tried to please his father, but something in the last four years has changed, and I’m dying to find out what.

“Noel, I mean it. We’ve been friends a long time. You can tell me.”

He lets loose a loud, shaky sigh. “It’s nothing. Forget I even brought it up.”

I press the pillow tighter against my chest and, for some reason, I wish it’s Noel. The need to wrap my arms around him and tell him things will work out grips my heart. I know better than to believe him. Not being able to see his family, when they meant so much to him, must be crushing. He should talk with someone. If he won’t tell me willingly, I’ll have to force it out of him. “Bullshit.”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me. Bull. Shit. This isn’t
nothing
. Tell me. I’m your oldest friend, and I want to know what happened that’s so terrible you don’t see your parents anymore.”

Another heavy breath on the line—he’s wavering. Noel knows how relentless I can be. “He gave me an ultimatum. Go to college or get cut off.”

My eyes widen. “He threw you out? Your mom let that happen?”

Noel sighs. “She tried to stop him, but Dad was hell-bent on teaching me a lesson. The only thing he let me leave with was my car. Good thing that old Chevelle has a huge backseat. It was my home for quite a while.”

“I’m so sorry. Why didn’t you call me? I would’ve let you stay with me at the dorm.” The thought of him getting dumped coupled with getting cut off causes an ache in my soul. He didn’t deserve to be tossed aside as if he didn’t matter.

“I wanted to prove to you and my dad that I could succeed. That music wasn’t just some hobby for me.”

“You certainly did that. You should be so proud of your success and tell us both to kiss your ass.”

“I could never do that. That’s just not the kind of person I am.”

He’s right. I could never picture him telling me or his father that, but I wouldn’t blame him if he did. I deserved it. We both did.

“Fame’s a lonely life if you don’t have good people around you. People are so fake when fame hits. The only real family I’ve got is my band. These guys are my brothers. They know what all this is like.”

“When’s the last time you spoke with your folks?” I ask.

“I haven’t talked with my dad since the night he threw me out four years ago.”

“That’s awful.” My heart breaks for him. “And your mother?”

“Mom’s cool. She sneaks around and calls and emails me when she can. If it weren’t for her sneaking me money that first year I was on my own, I probably would have starved to death. Believe me, cheap, shitty noodles are the best meals ever when you’re starving and poor.”

“I always wondered how rock stars stayed so skinny with all the beer they drink. The starvation diet should be marketed,” I say, trying to lighten his mood.

He laughs. “You should totally head that up.” The tension in his voice melts away a little with my joke. I want to ask him a million things. So many questions linger in my mind about the possibility of fixing his relationship with his father. Some day I hope he’ll feel comfortable enough to share everything with me again, like he used to. For now, I’ll take whatever intimacies about his life he’s willing to give me without pushing too much.

––––––––

T
he plane touches down smoothly at Columbus International Airport. I’ve never been to Ohio, never had a reason to go. Black Falcon is one of the headliners of a huge two-day rock festival. Noel assured me this is the largest rock event in the area. The sellout crowd is right around fifty thousand people. The sheer volume alone is crazy.

I grab my bag from the overhead bin after I text Noel that I’ve arrived. He insisted on picking me up himself even though I told him I’m cool with taking a cab. My flight arrived early in the morning—for rockers who sleep until noon.

My phone chirps, and I read his message:
I’m at baggage claim. It’s crazy here. Don’t answer anything.

Two women ahead of me on the escalator complain about the crowd gathered around the baggage claim carousel. Camera flashes illuminate the center of the mob, and my heart thumps. There he is, signing autographs and shaking hands. Noel’s dark hair is wild, sticking up in every direction, as though he just got out of bed. What is it about crazy rocker hair that is so incredibly sexy? Dark glasses shield his face and emotions from his steady stream of onlookers, but I can tell he’s flustered. I didn’t realize how little privacy he actually has.

Zero. He can’t even go to the airport without a frenzy of fans.

Noel glances up from the chaos and notices me. A huge smile spreads across his face. I feel myself grin, and I instantly want to kick myself.
Keep it together, Lanie.

How attractive he is is undeniable—even more in person than on the net or TV. The entire flock of girls in our high school crushed on him. Back then, I never figured out why he was so into me. I’m a Plain Jane—a nobody. Now that feeling is magnified times a million.

He squeezes through his adoring fans. A couple of girls shove their chests against him when he tries to get past, but it doesn’t faze him. Noel watches me with every step he takes. His arm wraps around my waist and pull me tight when I step off the escalator. He smells so good—like soap, spice, and man all rolled into one.

“Hey you,” Noel whispers in my ear, and his hot breath caresses my sensitive skin. “Don’t say a word to the leeches, okay?”

I nod, and his rough stubble rubs against my cheek. We gather my luggage, and Noel slings my duffel bag over his shoulder and picks up my suitcase before we head toward the exit. Bodies shove from every direction to get closer to Noel. The air outside is heavy, and my chest tightens. The sooner I can get out of here, the better.

What do these people want? The female fans are relentless—screaming and begging for pictures even when Noel politely tells them no. Men with high-tech cameras shout his name and ask him to look their way. A crowd smothers our every step.

Noel’s long fingers find my hand and pull me against him. It takes us longer than five minutes to make it to a black SUV by the door. We’re greeted by the large man I saw at the restaurant in New York as he holds the fans back. Noel opens the trunk and throws my bags in before ushering me inside the vehicle.

When the driver pulls the SUV away from the corner, Noel lets out a sigh of relief and pats my leg. His skin is so warm and inviting, which is dangerous. “Sorry about that. I should’ve had security come in with me, but I figured fans wouldn’t see me if I just ran in to get you.”

I shove his hand off my bare thigh and curse myself for wearing shorts. “It’s fine.”

His eyes gaze into mine as he leans his head back against the headrest. “You made it through your first fan attack. Think you can handle all this? My life isn’t exactly sane anymore.” His expression is serious. He’s asking me if I can put up with the craziness and make it on his tour for two whole weeks.

I inspect my arms under his stare. “I escaped your mob of female admirers without one scratch, so I think I’ll live.”

Noel grins—clearly pleased with my answer—and leans in to kiss my cheek. “I’ve missed you.”

Warmth spreads clear down to my toes. The things a simple kiss from this man can do to me are unreal. Being so hot and sweet should be against the law. It’s definitely an instant panty-wetting combination. Damn it. I’m in trouble. “Kisses aren’t very professional.”

He bursts out in laughter and pats my thigh again. “I kind of like this whole hard-to-get game. It’s going to make the sex that much better.”

I remove his hand from my leg and shake my head. He isn’t giving up. When we arrive at the Crew Stadium a few minutes later, my eyes widen at the number of people milling about at ten o’clock in the morning. “Why are they all here so early?”

Noel instructs the driver to Black Falcon’s tour bus. “There are forty-four bands here playing over two days. The first band plays at noon. It’s one massive party for the bands and the fans. There aren’t many events like this one.”

The SUV pulls up alongside the tour bus, and Noel hops out. I sit there frozen. Do I get out now? This is so not my element.

Noel waves at a couple of tattooed guys I recognize from the Black Falcon pictures I’ve seen. He walks around to my side of the SUV and opens my door. “Come on. I want you to meet some of the guys in the band.”

I take Noel’s hand and allow him to help me out. Butterflies tumble around in my stomach. How could I be so nervous? I should have prepared myself for meeting these guys. What if they totally hate the idea of me staying on the bus with them? We approach the two men with my hand still in Noel’s firm grasp. I try to pull away, but he tightens his hold. Apparently I’m not getting away from him.

The guy with jet-black hair and a bandanna tied around his head looks up and elbows the blond guy. They both grin as we approach.

“You didn’t tell us she was unbelievably hot, Noel,” Bandanna Guy says.

My eyes drop to the ground, and I run my hand through my hair. I can’t believe he just called me hot. No guy has ever called me hot. Well, Noel has, but we have history together. Most guys just refer to me as cute or pretty but never hot. Are all rock stars so freaking forward?

Noel punches the guy in the shoulder. “Don’t be a douche, Trip. Lane, this asshole is Trip Douglas, one of the best drummers in the business.”

Trip shakes my hand and glances at Noel with a cocky grin. “
The
best fucking drummer in the business.”

The blond guy beside Trip chuckles and looks at me. “Noel’s right. Trip is kind of an asshole. Unfortunately, I’ve always had to put up with him. Tyke Douglas.” Tyke holds out his hand. “The asshole is my brother. My twin actually, but please don’t hold that against me. And, oh yeah, I play bass.”

I smile at both of them. Now that he mentioned they’re twins, I can totally see the resemblance. The stark contrasts of hair color make them look completely different. Noel’s hand grazes the small of my back. “Lanie Vance. It’s very nice to meet you both.”

Tyke looks at Noel. “She’s too sweet. You sure you want to bring her on that bus with us?”

Trip laughs. “Especially around Riff. You better not turn your back, bro. He’ll be all over that shit.”

Riff, the lead guitarist, is a well-known womanizer. He is the epitome of rock star. He’s covered in tattoos and piercings, and his Mohawk alternates between blond and black. It’s crazy, but the girls seem to go nuts over him. There are always pictures of Riff licking, kissing, or
whatevering
strippers and randomly naked groupies on the internet. He’s kind of disgusting. Riff’s antics are one of the main reasons the band got so much attention at first, but Noel’s made plenty of headlines in that area too. The Douglas brothers obviously don’t know that I would never go for someone like that.

Noel tenses. “Riff knows better. Lane is off limits.”

Trip and Tyke look at each other with raised eyebrows. I get the distinct feeling that Riff knows no boundaries. Whatever they’re thinking, it isn’t going to happen. I am not having sex on this bus with Riff...or anyone for that matter. We say good-bye to the guys and grab my bags from the SUV. Noel insists on carrying them into the bus.

He stretches out his arm and invites me up the steps. “Welcome aboard Big Bertha.”

Big Bertha is a mess. It’s a huge R.V. with a full sitting area, cluttered kitchen, and beer cans stacked everywhere. The sink is full of dishes, and the garbage can is stuffed to the brim. The stench of sweaty man and rotten food makes my stomach turn. It’s almost bad enough to make me want to turn around and run off the bus. I could follow them in a car, couldn’t I?

“Now, I know what you’re thinking, but I promise we’ll get it cleaned up. It’s not always this bad. Being on the road without stopping tends to make the place a disaster.” He smiles at me. “Come on. Let’s take your bags to my bedroom.”