BlackJack (A Standish Bay Romance Book 1) (3 page)

He traded in
his acoustic guitar after the opening song for an electric one and everyone and
everything going on around her melted into oblivion, except Cole. Her undivided
attention centered on him. He stood at a microphone stand, strummed his guitar
and belted out a heavy metal tune that left her ears ringing and her body humming
with energy. His hair flung in the air as he played his guitar over his head,
behind his back and not at all. Then he proceeded to swing it around in the air
as though it weighed nothing.

Her hands flew
to her heart as it swelled for him. This was his element, his life’s blood. And
my God, nobody did it better. She couldn’t help but think of all those years
wasted in prison when he should’ve been doing this.

The next song
took on the melody of a love ballad. Cole ditched the guitar and pulled the
microphone from its stand and walked the stage singing and slapping hands with
the audience. His tight jeans hugged his butt as he bent over, causing Shannon
to groan. His arm muscles bulged as he cradled the microphone in his hands. God,
Shannon mused, it seemed as though he serenaded and made love to every woman in
the audience.
She wanted it to be her.

When Cole
introduced Cameron, Shannon flew out of her trance and her heart swelled for
her son. Cole introduced him as a local teenager from the Boston area who
possessed incredible talented. Cameron didn’t disappoint the fans either. He
played and sang like a pro. Cole stood right there alongside him, giving him
silent support, playing and singing back-up.

Tears streamed
down Shannon’s face and she had trouble breathing. She had always known Cameron
had talent, but it hit her, at precisely this moment, as to exactly how much. From
this night on, his life would never be the same. She only hoped he was ready
for it. Mature enough to handle it. And, oh my God, what would John say?

Cameron stayed,
playing his guitar on stage with the band until they took a short break. “Mom,
that was so awesome!” He bound down the stairs completely breathless from all
the excursion and excitement, not to mention hot, sweaty and grinning from ear
to ear.

Cole came up
beside Shannon also sweaty and looking extremely hot. Somehow the combination
of the smell of sweat and watching it drip down his face turned her on. She
stared as he chugged a bottle of water. Watched his Adam’s apple bob up and
down when he swallowed, and she nearly groaned out loud. After tossing the
empty into a barrel, he handed a full one to Cameron, then smiled at Shannon. The
smile lit up his molten brown eyes.

“Your boy did
great. He picked up on every one of our songs like a pro. If you don’t mind, I
asked him to sit in on the next set.”

Shannon didn’t
know what to say. No matter what Cole said, she didn’t want Cameron being a
burden. “I don’t know. You’ve done so much already.”

“Mom, please,” her
son pleaded and focused his sad puppy dog eyes on her. When a teenager wanted
something bad enough, somehow they knew how to beg for it just the right way. Shannon
figured it was inbred in them at birth.

“You can’t
imagine what it’s like out there. It’s always been my dream to be standing on
stage with thousands of fans cheering and singing along with me. I know they’re
here for BlackJack, but I can
feel
the connection with them and with the
music. Please don’t ruin this for me.” He clasped his hands together and
dropped to his knees. “P
lease, please, please,
” he begged.

“Cole, can I
talk to you for a sec,” Shannon said, tilting her head, indicating the need for
privacy.

They stepped
away from Cameron and her mind reeled, trying to figure out how to approach
what bothered her. She decided there was no way except to take a deep breath,
swallow and forge forward. “Cole, there are girls, women actually, flashing
their, ah, um...naked, um...breasts at you guys on stage. I don’t want Cameron up
there.”

“Shannon,” Cole
said, clearly enjoying himself. “We can hardly see anything from the stage due
to the lights. Besides, if you were in the audience you might find yourselves
sitting next to one of these women.”

Somewhat
relieved by his explanation, albeit embarrassed by the content of the
conversation, she said. “Oh, I never thought of that.”

“But did you
see.” He put his hands out in front of his chest to indicate large breasts. “The
woman in the front row with the—”

“Cole!” she
yelled.

His arm snaked
around her back and he whispered close to her ear, causing her heart to
palpitate. “I’m kidding. Let him come on stage, who knows when he’ll get
another chance.”

This was not a
man she could easily resist. “Fine, but I’m counting on him not seeing any more
naked breasts.”

Cole laughed as
he let his arm drop. “You think it’s his first time?”

Shannon looked
at him, shocked from his comment. “Yeah, I do.”

Cole cocked a brow.

“Okay, well
maybe not, I can only hope. He’s only sixteen.”

“And what were
you doing at sixteen?”

 “None of your
damn business,” she choked out.

Cole burst out
laughing and dropped a quick kiss on Shannon’s cheek. Then he proceeded to pull
Cameron on stage with him. The kid’s eyes were bugging out of his head, no
doubt, from having witnessed the kiss.

As the concert
went on, the audience demanded more and more. And Cole and the other members
did not disappoint. They delivered big time, especially Cole, as he had the
most to prove and the most to lose.

When the
concert ended, the band members vanished into their dressing rooms, she
presumed to shower and change. Shannon and a hot, sweaty and stinky Cameron
waited for them in the back stage room. The room swelled to capacity with
people. Some Shannon recognized from earlier and many new faces she’d never
seen before.

AJ, the first
band member to join them said, “Hey Cameron, do ye want tae shower and clean
up?”

Cameron raised
his arm slightly and sniffed. “Why. Do I smell ripe?”

AJ laughed and
made a face. “Aye man, ye do. Go tae the second door on the right. Shower and
grab a clean T-shirt out of my bag.”

Shannon smiled
at AJ in relief as she watched her son stroll away. It amazed her his feet
actually touched the ground after what he’d just experienced. The opportunity
of a lifetime most people could only dream about. “Thanks, he reeked. It
would’ve been a long ride back to the hotel.”

“Aye, luv. It
would have. Listen, we have tae hang out here for a bit tae speak with some
radio people and those fans lucky enough tae have nabbed backstage passes. And ah’m
told one local television station has come hoping for an interview with Cole. Boy,
won’t they be disappointed when he’s a no show. Also, some guy from a Boston
radio station wants tae interview Cameron. Would that be fine?”

Shannon frowned.
“I don’t know... did you just say Cole won’t be here?”

AJ’s brows drew
together and his lips tightened. “Cole’s not ready tae face any interviews just
yet. He kens the subject of his wife’s death will come up and he doesn’t want tae
talk about it. We’ll meet him back at the hotel. Now, about the interview with Cameron,
can he do it?”

Had her
imagination run wild or had she witnessed sadness flash in his eyes as he spoke
about Lindsey? It must have been horrible for all the band members to lose her.
And why, with there being so much more to Cole than a dead wife, couldn’t
reporters come up with something else to talk to him about?

Glancing around
the room at the crowd of people, she hoped her son knew what he was doing. “Only
if I supervise,” she finally replied to AJ’s query.

“Of course,
without a doubt, wouldnae have it any other way. Ah and here’s Cameron now.”

AJ, Brad and
Ted spoke to the local radio D.J.’s and the one local television entertainment
reporter. She recognized the woman as the same reporter who’d done a story on
her a while back. AJ then introduced Cameron. He appeared nervous, but handled
himself well. Answering all their questions truthfully and expressing his
thanks to all four members of the band for letting him jam with them. Shannon’s
heart swelled with pride. Sometimes he seemed way beyond his years.

When they
arrived back at the hotel, Shannon and Cameron went to the band’s suite and
found Cole sitting on the sofa eating a sandwich. He smiled at her with a mouth
full of food and waved her over.

She stood
frozen to the floor, her legs refusing to move and her palms damp with sweat. She’d
just met this man, and he had such power over her body physically, and her mind...well
he had power over that too. Because, no matter what she tried to tell herself,
her mind betrayed her thoughts and her thoughts drifted to Cole. What would it
be like to have someone like him love her? He was such an intense man, she
imagined he did everything that way. He’d be a fabulous lover, passionate and
totally focused on the carnal pleasures he gave and received. Oh my God! Here
she was standing in front of him, fantasizing about him, and by the expression
on his face it was as though he could read her thoughts. How mortifying to
think he knew her brain centered on sex. And not just sex, sex with him!

Since her
divorce she’d barely dated anyone long enough to feel anything but a slight
attraction, which had suited her. So why now, after all these long years, did
her whole being sit up and take notice of this man?

Cameron headed
to the food table and somehow she managed to walk over to the sofa and casually
sit down next to him, although she actually collapsed because her knees finally
gave way. She hoped he didn’t notice the shaking of her hands. And she swore if
he listened carefully enough he’d hear her heart beating a loud staccato inside
her chest. To help her calm down, as if she could calm down sitting next to Cole’s
strong, lean, hot body, smelling of sandalwood, she focused on the other people
in the room. It didn’t work. It might have if his muscular jean clad thigh
wasn’t burning an out of control inferno against her thigh.

“I want to
thank you for letting Cameron play with us tonight.” Cole raked his long
fingers through his still damp hair. Shannon’s eyes followed every sensual
stroke, imagining him doing that to her. “Whether you know it or not, he has
the gift

Shannon
hesitated looking Cole in the eye. She knew it was rude to speak to someone
while avoiding their gaze, but she didn’t want him to see how nervous he made
her.
Jeez, she couldn’t win

“Shannon.”

She’d always
been and still was a huge Cole Jackson and BlackJack fan. She had every CD,
including their latest, and Cole had bled his heart out in the songs he had
written for that one. One particular heartbreaking song managed to make her
tear up every time she heard it. During that song he opened the door and let
the world into his heart and soul. It made her feel nineteen and in love with
him all over again.

“Oh, I’m sorry,
my mind, well, it has a mind of its own sometimes. About tonight, thank you. It
meant an awful lot to Cameron.” She blinked back tears suddenly wanting to make
an appearance. “And to me.”

He gave Shannon
a lopsided grin. “Yeah well, me too. He’s a great kid. You did all right by
him.”

Surprised by
his compliment and thrown off by his sexy smile, she finally replied, “I can’t
take all the credit. My ex-husband and I share custody.”

“Has it been
hard for you?”

Confused and
unsure about what he referred to she hesitated. Obviously he picked up on her
confusion because he clarified himself.

“The divorce,
was it hard for you?”

What did she
share and not share with the man sitting next to her? She wondered if she
needed to pinch herself or not because how could Cole Jackson be interested in
her life? One Shannon had never been comfortable talking about. But, for some
strange reason, she wanted to tell Cole about herself and she wanted to know
all about him. The only way she figured she would learn about him was to talk
about herself.

“John and I
married young, before we truly knew ourselves, never mind each other. Unfortunately,
several years after we married, we realized how much we loved one another as
friends but not...” The heat from the blush crept up her face. “Not as husband
and wife, not as lovers.” Pausing, she wet her suddenly parched lips with her
tongue. “We divorced when Cameron was five. John has since remarried and I
found out today he and his wife, Cheryl, are expecting baby number four.”

***

Cole remained
quiet. He couldn’t help but wonder about her and the ex-husband and why they
didn’t fit as lovers. “That’s nice about the baby.” Standing, he slowly unfolded
his tall frame and mumbled, “I’ll be right back.” He strolled across the room
to speak to Cameron, who still stuffed his face with food. Everyone else had
left for the night. Cole smiled to himself as he watched Cameron, and he felt a
pull to his heart. This was one special kid.

“Hey, Cameron,”
Cole said.

The boy nodded
his head as his mouth swelled with food.

“I have a
question to ask and I want you to answer truthfully,” Cole said in a serious
tone, which in turn got Cameron’s undivided attention.

Cole stole a
look at Shannon, who had sat back into the couch and watched him with keen
interest. His pulse raced. Frowning, he wondered all of a sudden what he was
doing. What would someone like Shannon Gallagher possibly see in someone like
him? He, Cole Jackson, an aging rocker who’d spent his best years behind bars
and had nothing to offer her at this most crazy time in his life.
Confidence
man. Have some confidence in your ability to read women
.
Oh, that’s
right, silly him, he hadn’t been around that many women.
But he could see
the interested signs radiating from her, and he planned on finding out just how
interested she was.