BlackJack (A Standish Bay Romance Book 1) (2 page)

They waited off
to the side until Cole finished his song. So tuned into his music, Shannon
figured he probably didn’t even know anyone else breathed in the room with him.
Watching him now brought back memories of his trial and how she never believed
he was guilty. Her eyes had been glued to the television set, since it was
broadcast live, and nothing anyone said could persuade her Cole was capable of
killing his wife. Something had seemed wrong. The jury had blinders on because
the quiet, grieving young man on trial screamed innocence out of every pore in
his dejected body.

***

Cole spotted
the beautiful, tall brunette the minute she stepped into the suite, causing his
pulse to kick up several notches. He had a way of playing his music and being
aware of every minute detail that went on around him without anyone knowing it.
There was something vaguely familiar about her, but he couldn’t quite put his
finger on it. It would come to him in due time. He had a great memory and he
never forgot a face. At least he didn’t think he’d forget one as gorgeous as
hers.

She arrived
with a tall, gangly teenager carrying a guitar. As AJ led them over, he
pretended to be engrossed in his music and fought to control the rampart beat
of his heart. AJ would never interrupt him in the middle of a song, which was
good. It enabled him to study the woman more closely. She seemed fairly young.
Maybe late twenties or early-thirties, and clearly her son, or younger brother,
accompanied her, as the resemblance was uncanny.

His body sizzled
as he drank in her appearance. A tight black sweater molded perfectly shaped
breasts, faded jeans enhanced her mile long legs causing him to groan and think
about them wrapped around his waist.
Where did that thought come from
?
Black boots poked out from the frayed bottoms of her jeans. He snorted. They
were dressed alike, he and this beautiful stranger.

When he
strummed his last chord, he looked straight at her and was bombarded with the
most incredible blue eyes ever. She smiled at him and blushed. It warmed his
insides, and he couldn’t help but smile back.

“Cole.” AJ came
forward. “Ah’d like ye to meet Shannon Gallagher and her son, Cameron.”

Chapter
Two

Cole’s brain
instantly screamed out,
back up, back up, back up.
Did he just say
Shannon Gallagher? That’s why she looked so familiar. Her picture appeared on
the back of all her books. A picture he spent countless hours staring at and
imagining all sorts of what ifs? A one-dimensional picture showed her
attractiveness, but nothing prepared him for meeting her in person. He became
hyper-aware of her. His body stirred and burned for her in a way he’d never
known before. And shit, introductions were not even completed yet. Something
he’d rectify at once.

He casually—at
least he hoped he pulled off casual—unfolded his lean frame from the arm of the
sofa. He held out his hand to her, willing it not to quiver, giving away his
nervousness. “Nice to meet you, Shannon,” he said. When their hands connected
it was electric. The megawatt current transferred from her warm delicate hand
into his and shot straight throughout his entire body. He let go quickly, least
he get fried. He turned to Cameron and shook his hand. “Nice to meet you, Cameron.”

Cameron didn’t
let go right away. He babbled. “Nice to meet you...Cole...I mean...Mr. Jackson...nice
to meet you, sir.”

Cole pulled his
hand away, smiled and pointed to Cameron’s guitar case. “I take it you play?”

“Huh?”

“The guitar,
you play?”

“Oh, yeah,” Cameron
replied.

“Let’s sit. We
can play something together,” he said, gesturing to the sofa.

Cameron
hesitated. “It’s okay, Mr. Jackson. You don’t have to.”

“Come on, it’s
why you brought it. And call me Cole, everybody does.”

***

Shannon stood
mesmerized watching Cole with her son. She was unable to drag her eyes off his
long graceful fingers as they strummed his guitar. The thought of those fingers
had her body tingling in all the right places. They played a song or two she
recognized from one of BlackJack’s older albums. Cole’s voice sounded different
from what she remembered. It sounded deeper, raspier, but still beautiful to
her ears.

The song he
played now brought back startling memories of her life with John. He’d always
tried to convince her he loved her and married her for that reason, not because
of their son they’d created in the backseat of his father’s Buick. But she
never quite believed him. Oh, she knew he loved her as she loved him, but it
wasn’t head-over-heels in love. The song,
Will You Ever Love Me
,
reminded her so much of that time in her life.

Then to her
surprise, Cameron played and sang one of his own songs. Shannon’s favorite, and
it never ceased to bring tears to her eyes. It was a love ballad with just
enough of a beat to keep your foot tapping. Cole caught on quickly and joined
in with his guitar.

A hand settled
on her arm, startling her for a second, until she realized it belonged to AJ. He
leaned close to her ear and whispered, “Cameron’s extremely talented. Did he
write that?”

Shannon smiled
at her son, and her heart soared with pride. “Yes, he did.”

“He is good,
aye, very good,” AJ said with strong conviction.

AJ and Shannon
applauded after they finished. Cole and Cameron exchanged silent looks then
stood together and bowed dramatically, causing Shannon to laugh. Then they
continued to play and AJ led Shannon over to a small serving table and invited
her to fix a plate.

“Where are the
rest of the band members?” Shannon inquired as she put a small amount of fruit
and pasta on her plate. She had no idea if she would be able to consume any of
it. Since having found out she was meeting Cole Jackson, her insides hurt from
the nervous shutters vibrating there.

“With their
wives,” he replied as he fixed a plate as well. “They should be here shortly. We’ve
another hour or so tae go before we leave for the Garden. Aye, speaking of
which, here they are.”

Two men and two
women walked in. Shannon recognized Ted Pierce, the bands drummer and Brad
Nolan, keyboard and guitar player immediately. Brad was average height with a
slight build, his dark hair buzzed short and he wore wire rimmed glasses and
large diamond studs in both ears that sparkled against the light. Shannon
didn’t think of him as classically handsome but not bad looking either. Linked
to his arm stood a petite, voluptuous blonde, clearly his wife. At least
Shannon thought so.

Ted was tall,
largely built, but not heavy. To his side stood a woman of average height even
in spiked heels, Shannon thought she was quite attractive in a dark, exotic way.

AJ made
introductions. The men had British accents, which didn’t surprise her, their
wives were American. They seemed nice and receptive to her, which helped calm
her down some, but not much.

After the
introductions, her attention was drawn back to Cole and Cameron who played Cameron’s
song once again. She watched Cole with complete and utter fascination. He
seemed like a genuinely nice person and he treated Cameron like a peer. Always
complimenting him on his music and giving him suggestions without hurting his
feelings or offending him. Occasionally, he would glance up and smile at her,
turning her insides to mush. A terribly intriguing spider web tattoo flanked
nearly his entire left arm. Before she knew it, her legs ate up the distance
between them giving her a better peek at the tattoo and her breath vanished. Tangled
in the spider web were many interesting things. The one thing, however, that
caught her eye instantly was a nearly naked, beautiful woman. The details
astounded her. Most of her tattoo experience, well, basically none, was limited
to small three leaf clovers, roses, sharks or Celtic crosses. But Cole’s tattoo
amazed her. It was a true work of art. He glanced up, locked eyes with hers,
tilted his head and stared intently for what seemed like an eternity to Shannon.
All the while she couldn’t manage a single breath. Then he finally broke
contact, put his guitar down, said something to Cameron and stood up to
approach her.

Oh God.
Shannon’s hand fumbled for the back of the nearest chair as the room tilted. Cole
came and stood right beside her, and she breathed in his potent male scent
sending her reeling even more. Their shoulders brushed, causing a tingling
sensation to travel from her shoulder and beyond.
Way beyond
. They stood
almost the same height, thanks to the one inch heels on her boots. Why had she
always hated being five-ten?

“Your son’s
talented,” he said with a British accent that melted her bones. “What would you
say if I invited him on stage tonight to perform his song?”

It took a
moment for her to comprehend what he said and for her brain to compute an
answer. Not many people threw her off guard. This man beside her did and big
time. She was blown away from the physical attraction that slammed into her at
first sight to his genuine interest in Cameron. As she continued to watch her
son play his guitar, she pretended Cole’s closeness did not set her body ablaze
and her mind spinning.

“I would say
that’s kind of you. It’s fine by me if Cameron agrees.”

“Would you like
to ask him or should I?” he said with his eyebrows slightly raised and his eyes
sparkling with excitement.

Shannon
unconsciously touched her hand to his arm and pulled it back immediately
because of the jolt she received. And it was one hell of a jolt. Exactly like
the one she’d felt when they shook hands earlier. Startled by the bodily
contact once again, she struggled for words, then finally managed to reply, “I
think it would mean a lot coming from you.”

She watched her
son’s face as Cole spoke to him. His expression one of shock, then it turned to
ecstasy. He jumped up, did a little dance then came running toward her. He exuded
such exuberance his face lit up like a Christmas tree strung with a million
tiny twinkling lights. “Did you hear? Cole invited me.” He pointed to himself.
“Me, on stage to sing my song. Oh man.” He clutched his stomach. “I think I’m
gonna puke.”

“Where’s he
going?” Cole queried as he watched Cameron sprint from the room.

Shannon shook
her head. “He’s going to be sick. I think he’s a little nervous.”

Cole snorted. “Yeah,
well, I know the feeling.”

With his
comment, Shannon studied Cole closer, more intently than before, and to her
amazement she found he did appear nervous. Could it be true what AJ had said? That
he was shy?

“Would you and Cameron
like to ride with us in the limo to the Garden?”

“I don’t want
to impose,” she replied.

He looked
disappointed. “You won’t. Say you’ll come.”

How could she
refuse? Cameron would never forgive her if he found out, which he probably
would. Also, she wouldn’t mind spending more time with this sexy, interesting
man standing beside her, causing her body to take on a life of its own. “Okay.”

“If you’ll
excuse me, I’m going to my room. Have AJ walk you down to the lobby in fifteen
minutes. And oh,” he paused, glanced at the sofa where two guitars rested. “Don’t
let Cameron forget his guitar.”

“I won’t,” she
replied, knowing she had an,
I can’t believe this is happening
,
expression etched on her face.

There was no
way she could not watch him as he stopped and spoke briefly with each band
member, then left through an adjoining door. She breathed deeply, and freely,
finally able to take her first true breath in over an hour. Cameron came back
in, looking white as a sheet. He placed his guitar in the case, and before he
closed it, Shannon went up to him and placed a comforting hand on his arm.

“Cameron, are
you okay? If you’re not ready for this, I’m sure Cole will understand.”

He rolled his
eyes. “Yeah right, Mom. I’m fine. Just a little panic attack, but hey, Cole
says he gets them all the time too, can you believe it? Cole Jackson scared
shit-less before a concert?”

Shannon sighed
and shook her head. Reminding Cameron about his language these days wasted good
air. There was something about teenagers and swearing. She knew it was normal. She’d
been the same way. Well maybe not her, but John had if her memory served her
correctly.

“Just because
he’s famous doesn’t mean he’s not human,” she said.

Cameron’s color
slowly returned. “You’re right. He’s really cool inviting me to play with him
on stage. Who would have thought?”

“Yeah, who
would have thought?” Shannon agreed. Cole was a smart man. He knew raw talent
when he saw it, or in Cameron’s case, when he heard it.

AJ approached. “The
limo awaits.”

Cameron’s eyes
lit up. “No shit, are we riding with the band?”

Shannon rolled
her eyes. “Sorry about his language.” She smacked Cameron’s arm in jest.

 “No problem luv,
part of being a teenager and an adult too.” He winked at Cameron. “Ah’ve gotta
serious trash mouth.”

Chapter
Three

Parked under
the canopy of the main hotel entrance gleamed not one limousine, but two. Shannon,
Cameron, AJ and Cole climbed in one and the other band members and their wives
in the other. Shannon, all too aware of Cole’s presence sitting opposite her,
found herself once again flustered by him. She did not like this new experience
whatsoever. She didn’t know where to look or what to do with her hands as Cole looked
at her. It excited her and petrified her at the same time. He suddenly seemed
more relaxed. His arms were loosely folded across his chest and his bedroom
brown eyes penetrated to her soul. AJ and Cameron carried on a boisterous
conversation. For the life of her she had no idea what they were talking about.
She finally resigned herself to looking out the window and clasping her hands
together on her lap, holding her favorite purse in a death grip.

She watched the
stop and go traffic as they drove to the Garden almost in a daze. She loved
busy Saturdays in Boston and she imagined all the concert attendees were
scrambling for the various parking garages in the area. The limo pulled down a
narrow street to a side door. Shannon’s eyes widened and her heart accelerated
at seeing the mob of fans. Fortunately, concert security held them at bay long
enough for everyone to get in the door safely.

Cole led
Shannon and Cameron to a large room heavy with the aroma of Italian food. He
introduced them to a number of people. Shannon would never remember their
names, but their faces she would remember. She considered herself a visual
person. Most of the people present were the equipment and road crew, scrambling
in and out, juggling food and work. She also met the members of the opening
band. She’d never heard of them, but Cameron had, and he was off engrossed in
an animated conversation with their lead singer.

Cole turned to
Shannon, looking quite serious. “Would you be fine for a bit? I’m going to my
dressing room.”

 “I will, but thanks
for asking,” she said, touched by his concern. Although she’d much rather he
stayed with her, she was perfectly capable of mingling alone. And God, as her
eyes drank him in again, he was nothing like she expected, and everything she
thought he would be. He was incredibly handsome, dynamic and sexy. Not at all
aware of the affect he had on people, especially her. Or was he? He appeared
shy and unsure of himself, and she wondered if he had always been that way, or
had it been caused by his years in prison?

After he left,
she shivered, and it had nothing to do with the air-conditioning blasting in
the room. She missed the heat radiating from his body. Shrugging it off, she
made a beeline to the drinks, opened a bottle of lemon flavored water and took
a seat on a loveseat tucked in a corner. While sitting there sipping her drink
she watched as her son, in all his glory, talked about music. This was his
life’s dream. And seeing him here, he fit. Music came naturally to him. She and
John joked all the time about where he got his musical ability and singing
voice from. It hadn’t come from either of them. Maybe the creative writing of
lyrics came from her, but his musical talent did not. She couldn’t sing on key
to save her life or play an instrument. Neither could John. Buried somewhere
deep in their family tree was a musically talented genius, and she silently
thanked whoever hung on that particular branch for passing such incredible
genes onto Cameron.

Her eyes
followed the members of the opening band as they left for their time on stage. Cameron
grabbed a root beer and joined her, looking ecstatic. “Mom, this is so awesome.
Did you know, Adam, he’s the singer for Road Trip. Did you know he’s only
twenty-one? And God,” Cameron paused from his rambling, and his eyes took on a
look of awe. “How lucky is he to be traveling with BlackJack.” He took a gulp
of soda. “Can you imagine what that would be like? Anyway, I can’t believe
we’re here.”

“It is quite
amazing.” Shannon laughed nervously. “I can’t believe we’re here either, and I
can’t wait to hear you play tonight.”

He choked on
his root beer and Shannon’s hand flew to his back.

“I’m sorry. Don’t
be nervous, you’ll be great.” She continued rubbing his back, regretting her
comment. She tilted her head toward the door and smiled. “Look. Here comes the
band now.”

They had
changed clothes. All wore jeans, boots or sneakers and T-shirts. Cole’s long
hair was no longer confined but hung loose. He wore the same clothes, only he’d
added a black leather vest. Her body began to quiver. It started in her toes
and shot to every outer extremity imaginable. She hugged herself, trying to
stop it and while she did, she noticed how pale he looked. Concern for him
slammed into her and she wondered if he’d eaten anything during the day. She
certainly never saw him eat. As she watched, he grabbed a bottle of water and
sat down on one of the loveseats. He closed his eyes and appeared to meditate. God,
she was truly fascinated by him. He had all these different facets to his personality.

The press had
exploited him before and after his wife’s death. The stories written about Cole,
at the time of Lindsey’s death, seemed like articles written about a totally
different person. He had been only twenty-three at the time. Did a person
really change that much? She remembered reading back then he never granted
interviews, making her wonder where they got their information from? And since
his release from prison, she could certainly understand his desire to keep his
personal life private and still not grant interviews. There had been a media
frenzy at his release. A popular public figure had wanted him deported to
England, believing him to be a British citizen. The truth was Cole had been
born in the United States to an American father and British mother. True, he
spent most of his life in England, but he was an American citizen and could not
be deported.

Shannon didn’t
think Cole had anything against reporters. Instead she had the feeling, even
though he lived in the public eye, he tried his hardest to live a private life.
And let’s face it, some, not all, but some reporters would twist his words just
to juice up the story so they could sell more copies. And Shannon hated to
admit it, but she was one of those people who bought anything remotely
connected to Cole Jackson, but not anymore. Now that she met him, she didn’t
need to rely on the half-truths written about him. She could get to know the
real
Cole Jackson all by herself. The question was, did she have the guts to?

***

Cole was,
without a doubt, in a full-blown panic attack. He had puked up what little food
he’d had in his stomach, and now he felt like shit again. He knew once he took
the stage everything would click into place. The musician, performer and actor
would take over. Fortunately, he could bury his self-doubt, his panic from
being in a crowd, and his,
I am not worthy of this life,
in the back of
his mind as his alter ego took over on stage. However, there posed one
monstrous problem? He had to fight, claw and drag his way to the stage first.

Cole tried to
meditate, something he’d learned to do in prison. It had gotten him through
some tough times. But with Shannon Gallagher in the room, the only thing he
could think of was her, which caused his heart to skip a beat. While in prison
he had read everything he could get his hands on. AJ sent him many books
including hers. At first Cole never understood why her books? She wrote
romantic suspense and he had never made a habit of reading romance. He had to
admit though, her books were well written and entertaining. She knew police
procedure and the law, and her sex scenes gave him something to fantasize about
during the long, lonely nights. Cole might not have known he enjoyed her style
of writing, but somehow AJ had.

He spent hours
obsessively looking at her picture. There had been something about her eyes that
had drawn him in. But nothing, absolutely nothing, could have prepared him for
the emotional jolt he’d felt when he looked into her majestic blue eyes in
person for the first time. The thought of diving into them and losing himself
in them forever occurred to him at once.

He’d felt an
instant connection. She had as well. He knew she had felt the jolt when they
shook hands the first time, as it was hard not to see the shock and confusion
on her face. It had taken both of them by surprise. Even with his eyes closed
now, he knew she watched him. He could feel the warmth from her eyes like tiny
heated pin pricks. Not painful, or uncomfortable, just intense enough to make
him all too aware of her presence in the room.

Her son, shit,
he had what people would refer to as pure, raw talent. He had what it took,
talent wise, to go far in this business. Cole just hoped he had a good head on
his shoulders because the music industry was a tough gig. The job was
physically demanding during concert tours, and emotionally draining at other
times. Everyone wanted a piece of you, and if you let them, they would take,
take, take, until nothing was left. Nothing, but the outer shell of a man with
an empty soul.

It was a
business for the thick skinned and really strong. Cole shook his head. Didn’t
he know it? Neither had existed in him in the early days. He had relied on
drugs and alcohol to help him be tough and look where it had gotten him. It had
taken him to a place unfit for any decent human being, but not anymore. No
chemicals would ever touch his lips or body again. He would become thick
skinned on his own. This time he planned on surviving the emotional roller
coaster ride. He would be in complete control and in charge of his own destiny
from here on in. Of course, it was easier said than done.

Cracking his
eyes open just a smidgen, he studied the lovely Shannon Gallagher. What fates
brought her to him today? She surprised him with her shyness, although why
should it? Most writers were introverts, whether they wrote books or songs. He
tried to remember what her bio stated on her jacket cover. He didn’t think she
was married. No wedding ring. She couldn’t have been out of her teenage years
when she had Cameron. He wondered what her life was like. Did the glitz and
glamour touch her at all? Did she have any heartbreak or dark skeletons in her
closet?
Damn if he didn’t want to know all.

Someone
approached him and cleared his throat. Cole knew AJ stood in front of him
without having to look since all his senses were on high alert. Their manager,
Todd Cavanaugh, stayed in the wings so to speak, and AJ pretty much ran the
show. The band members preferred it that way.

“Cole, we need
tae go. Ah’ll have Shannon and Cameron wait at the bottom of the stairs tae the
left of the stage.”

Cole opened his
eyes and stared into the face of his closest friend, the friend, who had also
loved his wife. AJ didn’t know he knew, but he did. He may have been drunk all
those years ago, but not stupid, not by a long shot. He also knew others
received her favors besides AJ. The prick, Mr. Ex-New York Senator himself was
included among the long list. Cole would never forgive him for his cruel words
spoken right after Lindsey’s death when he’d needed his close friends support
as much as he’d needed air to breathe. If the senator had publically acknowledged
that he believed in his innocence, things might have gone differently at his
trial. He sighed.
Ancient history, man, ancient history.

“Cole, ye okay
man?”

Taking a deep
breath, he pushed those memories of Lindsey back into the recesses of his mind.
He didn’t need to be thinking about all the things that had gone wrong in their
marriage, in their life. Now would be a bad time for the rage that sometimes
consumed him when he thought about her unfaithfulness. Never mind the melancholy
because she no longer walked the earth.

“Yeah, go on. I’ll
be right there.”

“Aye, don’t be
long. Our fans have waited fifteen long years for this.”

Once alone,
Cole grabbed crackers and a Coke and headed down the hall to the stairs leading
up to the stage. The stage hustled with road crew members putting the finishing
touches to the set. Hard to believe behind BlackJack’s enormous banner sat
thousands of fans in darkness waiting for them to appear. He could hear the
enthusiastic hum of the crowd and see the flames from lighters and the glow
from cell phones. Not an empty seat in the house, approximately eighteen-thousand
fans. Oh shit
,
he mused as his stomach protested again. He shouldn’t
have eaten those crackers.

He barely made
it to the barrel in time before he lost the contents of his stomach once again.
As he straightened, mortification slammed into him at finding Shannon and Cameron
standing close by, having witnessed it. His stomach took another roll. His hand
fished in his front jeans pocket and came out with a small tin of mints. He popped
one into his mouth to kill the awful taste.

“Hey, Cameron,
you ready?”
Was that really his voice
?

Cameron shook
his head in return. “Hell no.”

“After the
third song you’re up.” He tossed him the mints and turned his back. His hand
gripped the railing as he pulled himself up one metal stair at a time, silently
praying he could pull this off.

***

Shannon held
her breath and counted the beats of her pounding heart as Cole walked onto the
dark stage. Several seconds later the lights exploded, momentarily blinding her
as they opened with one of their biggest hits, “Misty Mornings.” She inched
closer up the stairs, careful to stay out of the spotlights, and stood captivated
by Cole’s stage presence. One would never know by watching him now that he’d
thrown-up before taking the stage. And boy, did he know how to play to a crowd,
and they welcomed him with open arms. Shannon’s eyes stung with unshed tears. She
knew this must be extremely hard on him, and fortunately the fans from Boston
welcomed him enthusiastically.