Fame (34 page)

Kaid tried talking to her again about Rook, and she immediately shut him down. She hated that Kaid kept taking Rook’s side, helping him encourage her to forget. It was all too hard. She could still see the image of that girl on top of Rook with her head thrown back in passion.
 

Many nightmares of the that day had woken her up in the middle of the night, but the one thing that remained in her mind was the dazed, almost hurt look in Rook’s eyes when she walked in on them. Maisy didn’t want to believe him, that he was trying to save her from his life, but what she still didn’t understand was the fact that he didn’t realize she was his life.
 

Shaking her head of the damning thoughts, she turned the corner to the studio and stopped in her tracks when she saw Rook in the room, sitting at the piano with a single light shining over him. Immediately, thoughts of when she first truly interacted with Rook came to her mind, when they were in a studio very similar to this one and he was playing the piano. She had always been madly infatuated with Rook, ever since the first Shattered Souls album came out. But, seeing him playing the piano, in the dark that one time in the past had Maisy’s heart beating at an impossible rate, and right now, he had the same effect on her.
 

His fingers ran across the keys of the piano, playing a very bleak, but beautiful, sound. Rook’s eyes were closed as his head fell back, and he played without even having to look at the keys. He was so beyond talented that, even though she knew she should leave, she couldn’t tear her eyes off of him.
 

She watched as the sinew of muscle in his arms flowed flawlessly with his movements. His shirt was tight around his biceps and chest, but was loose when it hit his stomach. His hair was pushed to the side, but also a little out of sorts, like he had been pulling on it. On the side of his head, a pen was tucked behind his ear, and in front of him, music sheets were scattered around the ground. Clearly, he had been working on the song he’d talked about during the interview.
 

It was difficult for her to take her eyes off of him. He was a beautifully ugly vision of soul and heartache, a stark contrast of heart and hatred, a passionate bastard with a talent that could eat her alive, and hell if, at that moment, she didn’t start falling for him all over again.
 

She leaned against the wall and watched him as he continued to play the piano. He stopped for a brief moment and her breath caught in her chest, wondering if he knew she was there, but when he pulled the pen from his ear and made a mark on the music sheets in front of him, she knew he was in the zone. She had seen him like this before, and it was hard to peel her eyes off of him, off of the broken masterpiece that was sitting right in front of her.
 

After shuffling some papers around and making a few more notes, he took a deep breath and started playing the song from what seemed like the top. He cleared his throat and then the deep baritone of his voice rang out in the piano-filled air. His voice captured Maisy and never truly let her go.
 

She listened closely to his lyrics, trying to focus on the story he was telling.
 

The road is getting darker, the tightness in my chest won’t go away

The moment I told you to leave, I should have asked you to stay

Your eyes haunt me at night, your smell lingers in my air

Your smile is etched in my brain, but I know I shouldn’t care

I pushed you away, I asked you to leave my life

You gave me your heart and I handled it with a knife

This was my decision, my choice to let you go

But why do I hurt so bad, I wish you told me no.
 

My edgy angel, I didn’t know how to fucking love you

When it came to your heart, your voice came through

With my ugly heart, your smile lit up my soul

The blackness started to fade and your pretty heart I stole

You rocked my world when you fell out of the sky

You sang to me through a crowd, a love lullaby

You captured my heart, you gave me a chance to live

I shattered it all, took everything from you, rather than give

Even though it hurts, I see that smile on your face

I was wrong, I should apologize and just give you space

But hell if I can keep my distance, it’s a mad game I play

Please forgive me, ask me to be yours, ask me to stay

My edgy angel, I didn’t know how to fucking love you

When it came to your love, your voice came through

With my ugly heart, your smile lit up my soul

The blackness started to fade and your pretty heart I stole

I don’t have much to give, but I do have a beating heart

Please be with me, please don’t let our souls ever be apart…

Tears streamed down Maisy’s face as she realized the song Rook was working on was about her, but what shattered the walls she put up around her heart was the way his voice caught in his throat on the last line, like he was about to break down any second.
 

She could feel the hurt in his voice, the sorrow, and the attempt to mourn what they once had. Not being able to take the deflated way his shoulders hung anymore, she peeled herself away from the wall and walked down toward the bathroom, where she splashed some water on her face. She couldn’t be in the studio when Rook was there; there was no way. She’d already started to feel for him, and she wasn’t quite sure if her heart was ready for that.
 

After spending a little time gathering herself in the bathroom, she took out her phone and started typing a text out to Kaid, while she walked to the parking lot. She would wait for him outside, so she wouldn’t have to hear Rook playing that beautiful song anymore, or be tempted to go back and listen.
 

In the midst of her text message, she was startled by the clearing of someone’s throat. When she looked up, she saw Rook leaning against his motorcycle. His arms were crossed over his muscular chest, and his head was tilted ever so slightly as he looked at her. It was a stance she had seen him in many times, and every time, her heart never failed to do a full-on flip in her chest, just from the sight of him.
 

He was too gorgeous.
 

“Hey, Boo,” he said in his normal greeting that was starting to become a phrase she looked forward to, even though she swore she wanted nothing to do with him.
 

“W-what are you doing out here?” she asked, still startled.
 

“Figured you would need a ride home. Would you like one?” he asked, still very nonchalant, as if they just didn’t share a moment in the studio. Well, technically, he didn’t share the moment; she just did, but that was beside the point.
 

“Kaid is going to get me,” she said quickly, even though she had yet to ask Kaid yet. She just needed to get away from Rook.
 

Rook’s lip twitched to the side as he stood up and grabbed a helmet from his seat. He held it out to Maisy and said, “Kaid asked me to bring you home, since he was in the middle of something. If you want to stay at the studio and work on some things, I can wait.”

“No,” Maisy said, while shaking her head.
 

“No, you don’t want to work on things, or no you don’t want to ride with me?”

“Both,” Maisy replied, while stepping back and running into the curb. She tripped and fell on her butt ungracefully. Within seconds, Rook was at her side, asking if she was okay, and helping her up.
 

When he stood them both up, his hands remained on her arms as he inspected her.
 

“You sure you’re okay?” he asked, concern in full force.
 

“I’m fine. Just a little embarrassed,” she admitted.
 

“No need to be embarrassed, Boo, it’s just me.”

“Exactly, it’s you. You eat me alive whenever you get the chance, Rook. You’re intimidating.”

“Intimidating?” Hurt passed his eyes as he tried to understand what she meant.
 

Taking a deep breath, she tried to put some distance between them, but he wouldn’t allow it as he gripped on to her tighter.
 

“Please, talk to me, Maisy. I don’t want to be intimidating to you; that’s the last thing I want. How am I intimidating?”

“Everything about you is intimidating,” Maisy said, not able to control the waver in her voice. “The way you look at me, your voice, your talent, the way you wear damn clothes; it’s all intimidating, Rook. I’m just…” she paused and took a deep breath. “I can’t measure up to you.”

Shock rolled through him momentarily and then his eyes softened as his grip grew tighter on her.
 

“Maisy, don’t you get it? You’re perfect in every way, shape, and form. If anyone has to measure up, it’s me. I don’t deserve you, but I’m a selfish bastard, and will take what I want, and what I want is you.”

She couldn’t take it anymore, the pull was too strong, the need was unstoppable, and her heart was rebelling against her brain. Her walls crumbled around her and she buried her head into his chest while crying.
 

As if he could read her mind, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her fully into his embrace and bundling her up into a protective warmth that she had been missing for the past six months.
 

“Shh,” he cooed in her ear.
 

His strong hand brushed her hair back as his other hand ran up and down her back. She felt comforted, taken care of, she felt Rook.

“Want me to take you home?”

Shaking her head no, she pulled away, and wiped at her eyes. She could see the disappointment in his features at her rejection.
 

“I don’t want to go home; take me somewhere else, Rook. Take me on a ride.”

His face lit up, and a small smile peeked through his rough exterior.
 

She might be stupid, and someone else in her position might have treated her situation differently, but what she knew for sure was Rook was one hundred percent ingrained in her body, and no matter how hard she tried, she would never be able to flush him out of her system. He was permanent.

**Rook**

The moment she walked into the studio, he’d felt her presence. He had never been more nervous singing ever in his lifetime. The song he wrote for Maisy was one of the most personal songs he had ever put together. It was raw, it was emotional, and it slashed his beating heart in two, but it was a song he had to get out of his mind.
 

From Maisy’s reaction, he could tell the song hit her hard as well. He wanted her to hear it. He wrote it for her, but the minute he saw her lingering from the corner of his eye, he wasn’t so sure he wanted to sing it. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to share the song, if it was good enough, but after his rough conversation with Maisy out by the pool, he knew this was his only chance, so he went with it, and he was glad he did.
 

She was still timid around him, but he’d take what he could get, so he grabbed the helmet off his bike and placed it on her head. He strapped the buckle under her chin and pulled it tight, the whole time her eyes were fixed on him. His hands shook as he tried to tighten the strap; he was so damn nervous that she was going to run away any second.
 

“There,” he said, as he settled the helmet on her.

“Where’s your helmet?”

“I don’t need one.”

“Rook Tyler,” Maisy started, but Rook just started to laugh as he grabbed his helmet that was hanging off of the handlebar, which was out of sight.
 

“Come on, I can be a rule follower at times,” he smirked.
 

“That’s shocking.”

“I’m going to act like you don’t mean that.” He grabbed her hand, entwined their fingers, and said, “Ready?”

It was a loaded question, and the heaviness of it sat between them as she looked him in the eyes and took a deep breath. She nodded and allowed him to pull her toward the motorcycle.
 

“Let me get on first, so I can steady the bike for you.” Rook got on the bike, kicked up the kick stand, and then straddled it between his legs, holding it in place. With a nod of his head, he beckoned her to join him.
 

“Come on, Boo. Hop on.”

Hesitant at first, she lightly gripped his shoulder and swung her leg over the seat until she was sitting comfortably.
 

“Watch out for the hot pipes, Boo. You can get burned if you’re not careful. Place your feet on these foot holds,” he pointed her feet in the right direction. “Now, hold on tight.”

Cautiously, she looked around for a handle to hold on to, which made Rook laugh.
 

“Sorry, babe, you’re going to have to grip onto me if you want something to hold onto.