Needing You #2 - Wanting Him (6 page)

“Maybe, who knows anymore,” she says as she turns to stare out the window.

The next part of the drive is quiet.  I can tell Harp’s thinking and I’m not exactly sure what to say, so instead I say nothing and continue to drive.

“Are you excited for the concert tomorrow?” I ask trying to start a conversation.

“Hell yes!  I need a distraction.  Plus it will be great to see the guys,” she says with a smile.

“Yes it will be,” I agree.

“So, what’s with you and Parker?  Things going well?” she asks out of nowhere.

“I told you things were going good.”

“I know what you told me, I want to know if it’s the truth though,” she says staring me down.

“Actually it is.  We are doing really well,” I say smiling at her.

“How are you holding up with the tabloids?”

“I don’t even read them anymore,” I say honestly.

“Seriously?  Shit, I read those things daily,” she says surprising me.

“Why?”

“Because usually there is some truth to them.  I want to make sure that he’s not totally fucking up.”

“Parker’s a good guy,” I remind her.

“Oh I know, but even good guys make mistakes,” she says shocking me.

“Do you think he’s cheating on me?” I ask nervously while I continue to drive.

“I hope not,” she says softly.

“Do you think he did?” I ask as I squeeze the steering wheel tighter.

“Shit Nat, I didn’t mean he was.  Your knuckles are turning white.”

“But do you think he is?” I ask deadpanned.

“I…I don’t know.  I only know Parker a little bit.  He seems like a great guy, but I don’t really know him.  I only know what Tuck’s told me of him,” she says nervously.

“And what did Tuck say about him?”

“Jus
t how he was after he found Tuck with Jenna.  After that, he started sleeping around not caring about anything or anyone.  But he’s different with you Nat,” she says, trying to sound optimistic.

“Shit.  Am I wasting my time?” I ask more to myself.

“I don’t think so.  You said yourself that you guys are doing really well so you probably are.  Don’t give up on him.  I’m sure being on the road isn’t easy.”

“Well being at home isn’t easy either,” I snap back.

“Nat, shit I didn’t mean it like that,” she says quickly.

“I know you didn’t.  I just don’t know what to think sometimes.  What did the latest gossip magazine have to say?” I ask curiously.

“Nothing,” she says too quickly.

“Nice try, try again,” I tell her in a serious tone.

“I’m not sure,” she says more nervously now.

“Damn it Harp.  You just told me you keep up on them, so tell me already,” I snap at her.

“Shit, fine, but please don’t wreck.”

“I won’t, now speak,” I demand.

“It basically said that he’s constantly seen with different women, that his stardom is earning him quite a reputation with the ladies,” she says apprehensively.

“So it’s saying he’s
slutting it around,” I say breaking it down.

“Yeah, pretty much,” she says sadly.

“What am I doing?” I ask confused.

“Being a supportive girlfriend,” she says reminding me.

“Am I?  Do I really think we can make it work after only being together for a few measly months?”

“You love him,” she says, not needing to remind me.

“Yeah, unfortunately love isn’t always enough,” I say bitterly.

“It if helps, from what I’ve learned from Parker is that he’s not the typical guy.  He is a good guy, so talk to him before you make any rash decisions.”

“You’re right.  I’ll find out soon enough anyway.”

“Yes you will.  It could all be just rumors, they usually are right?” she asks.

“I don’t know.  I never dated anyone semi-famous before,” I state.

“Semi-famous?  He’s blowing up, there’s no semi to him.  He’s gorgeous and bitches want him.  You are going to be dealing with that for the rest of your life,” she says
, shocking me yet again.

Shit!  Can I deal with my boyfriend being famous where women
constantly throw themselves at him?

“Damn it, maybe we aren’t meant to be.  I don’t know if I can do this.  Maybe we should just head home,” I say
, wanting nothing more than to curl up in my bed and cry.

“No!  Don’t you dare turn around.  We are going to see Parker and the band and have a good, fun
girl’s weekend,” she says in a determined voice.

“Fine, but I need to find out answers,” I say giving in.

“Good, I’ll see what I can find out from the other guys,” she says being helpful.

“Thanks, I appreciate that,” I say.

“No problem.  You’re helping me with Tuck, it’s the least I can do,” she says with a smile.

“No matter what happens, we are going to have a fun weekend,” I say being hopeful.

“Hell yes we are!” she says energetically.

The next few hours consist of us singing out loud to the crazy songs on the radio and talking about work and school.  We both skip conversations about Parker and Tuck.  We both want to enjoy our weekends
, not be brought down by the men in our lives.

We get to the hotel around 6:00 p.m.  We head inside and get checked in.  We are sharing a room with double beds since Tuck decided to bail on us.

The guys play tonight.  Parker has tickets waiting for us at the box office.  The show doesn’t start until 8:00 p.m., so we have a little time to unwind before heading out.

“Do you want to grab something to eat before heading to the show?” Harp asks.

“I’m not hungry,” I answer honestly.

“Me either, just thought I should ask,” she says with a weak smile.

We stopped a few times on the drive here and I did eat, but now my stomach is in knots.  Is Parker cheating on me?  As much as I want to believe he’s not, I can’t be naïve about the possibility.

Chapter
Seven

After relaxing in the hotel room, we decide to head to the show.  We get our passes at the box office and make our way into the arena.  The place is already packed by the time we find our spots.

“Holy shit, it is always this crowded?” Harper asks as she takes in the thousands of people.

“Yeah, it’s pretty crazy,” I say with a laugh.

“Wow, they really are making it big time,” she says in awe.

“Yes they are,” I say with a smile.

I am excited that they are getting known and making a name for themselves.  King Dread is a great band and the guys deserve to go far.  I only wish they could have made it big while still staying at home or close to home.  I know, I know, not a possibility.  A girl can dream though.

We watch the first band and
again, they do a great job. 

“They’re good,” Harp says smiling.

“Yeah they are.”

“I’ve never heard of them before,” she says
, looking at the guys on stage.

“They’re new, but they’re
alright,” I say honestly.

They’
re a rock band.  The crowd loves them, though not as much as they will love King Dread.

After the short set, the guys are up next.

Before they even hit the stage the crowd is cheering, King Dread, King Dread, King Dread.

I look over at Harper who is wide eyed looking around at the screaming fans.

“Seriously?  Holy shit, listen to this crowd,” she says shocked.

“They are a fan favorite,” I say on a laugh.

“No kidding.  I didn’t realize they were this famous already,” she says surprised.

“It didn’t take them long at all,” I state.

“It doesn’t hurt that they are hot as hell either,” she says stating the obvious.

No, their looks probably played a part, but their music is great.

The guys finally make their appearance on stage and start into their first song of the night.  The fans start screaming louder and louder.  I know my ears are going to be ringing when we leave tonight.

Harp stares
at me with wide eyes, not believing the sight.

“They’re popular,” I scream over the screaming fans.

“Holy shit,” she says excitedly.

I just start to laugh.  I kn
ew how big they were, but I saw them at the last arena, whereas Harp hasn’t.

The
guys’ belt out song after song making fans go crazy.  I’m not sure they could get any louder because my ears are already ringing.

Harp and I are singing and jumping up and down, acting like star crazed teenagers, but
it’s fun.

Before we know it
, the guys are saying farewell and heading off stage for the opening act to start next.

“Do you want to stay for the next band,” I ask
, turning to look at Harp. She’s wearing the biggest smile I’ve seen on her face in a long time.

“Hell no, I want to see the guys,” she practically yells.  A few of the surrounding fans turn and stare, then look away.

“Let’s go then,” I say as I grab her arm and lead us toward the side where our backstage passes will let us in the back.

“Sorry ladies, you can’t go
back there,” a huge bodyguard says as he blocks the entrance.

“But we have these,” Harp pouts as she lifts her backstage pass to show him.

“Well, I guess it’s your lucky night,” he says with a smile as he moves aside for us to enter.  I hear a few women behind us grunting and calling us bitches, but whatever.

“So now where?” she asks me.

I start laughing, “I don’t know.  I’ve never been here,” I say, while looking around.

“Oh yeah, I guess this is a different arena, my bad,” she says while looking for one of the guys.

“Well hello there,” says a male voice, I turn around and see Nate standing there.

“Hey,” Harper and I say in unison.

“Looking for Parker?” he asks staring me down.

“Sure am,” I say proudly.  Even though my stomach is still in knots
, I can’t wait to see him.

“You guys were awesome tonight,” Harper says a little too excitedly.

Nate starts to laugh, “It’s good to see you too Harper.”

I can see her cheeks flush as she turns her head to hide her embarrassment.

“You guys were great tonight,” I say to him.

“Thanks, the fans seem to like us,” he says as he starts to walk down the busy hallway with us in tow.

“No kidding, we were called some nasty names a few minutes ago,” Harper says annoyed.

“They’re just jealous, ignore them,” he says like it’s no big deal.

“How do you guys handle women throwing themselves at you like that?” she asks curiously.

Thank you Harper, way to ask the question I’m dying to know.

Nate starts laughing, “Well, you see, not all of us ignore the women.  Myself and Luke tend to enjoy ourselves, if you catch my drift,” he says with a smug smile.

“Seriously?  God only knows what diseases they carry.  You need to be more careful,” she says worriedly.

“We’re grown ass men, we can handle it don’t worry.  Don’t worry Nat, Parker doesn’t even bat the crazy bitches an eye,” he says piercing me with a look.

“Oh, I didn’t say he did,” I say almost stuttering.

“No, but I know you worry,” he says kindly.

“So what about Declan then?” Harp asks.

“Why, things not working out with that dickhead back home?” he asks bluntly.

“No, we are working out just fine, thank you,” she says quickly.

“Nah, Declan gets his fill, he’s just not as crazy with it as me and Luke,” he says as we reach the final door, where the guys are, “Here we go ladies,” he says as he opens the door.

The room is full of couches and there’s a big television where Luke and Declan are playing a video game.  Parker is nowhere in sight.  I see a bar area that has empty glasses and beer bottles sitting on top.

The room is enormous, even for a band of four guys.

“Hey guys look who I found,” Nate announces to the guys.

“Holy shit, bout time you guys got here,” Declan says as he comes up and gives us each a hug, Luke follows.

“Great show,” Harp says and I nod in agreement.

“Where’s Park?” I ask nervously.

“Shower/ran out/bathroom,” the guys yell at the same time.

I look between Declan, Luke, and Nate for someone to tell me the truth.

“Where is he?” I ask again, slowly this time.

The three of them look at each other before looking back to me. None of them say a word.

“What the fuck, where is he?” Harper snaps, causing the guys to jump.

“He’s in the shower,” Nate finally says.

“Where’s the bathroom?” I ask, wanting to see if they are lying to me.

Declan points nervously to where the bathroom is and I make my way over to it.  I don’t hear any water running, so clearly he’s not in the shower, at least not anymore.  I knock and no answer. 

I turn the knob to find the bathroom empty.  I turn around and come face to face with the guys.

“Try again, where is he?” I ask irritated now.

“I think he went to look for you,” Declan quickly says.

“Bullshit, tell her the truth,” Harper says giving the guys murderous glares.

“Shit.  Nat it’s not what you think,” Declan says quickly.

“So then what is it?”

“He had to run out real quick, but he’ll be back soon.”

“Where did he need to run to?” I ask beyond pissed.  He knew we were coming tonight. What.the.Hell.

“Umm…
ahhh…umm…,” Declan stutters.

“Oh for the love of God, speak the fuck up,” I snap.

Just then Parker comes walking through the door holding flowers and the biggest smile on his face.

As soon as he takes in our disturbing looks, his face falls.

“What happened? What’s wrong?” he asks worriedly.

“Where were you?” Harper
asks bitterly, before I even get the chance.

“I ran out to the bus real
quick.  Didn’t they tell you?” he says staring at me.

“Oh shit, that’s where you said you were going, my bad,” Declan says looking relieved.

“I told all of you that’s where I was going.  Weren’t you listening to me?” he asks annoyed.

“Sorry man, video games, you know how it is,” Luke says as he and Declan make their way back to the couch.

“Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention,” Nate says as he heads towards the bar.

Parker is shaking his head, “Where did you think I was?” he asks as he comes and stands in front of me.

“I didn’t have a clue, but they kept making excuses and it didn’t look good,” I say staring at him.

“I’m not doing anything, I promise you.  Here these are for you,” he says as he hands me the beautiful bouquet of white and pink roses.

“They’re beautiful, thank you,” I say as I wrap my arms around him, excited to see him.

“Hey Harp, good to see you,” he says as he holds me tightly to his body.

“Yeah, you’re lucky we aren’t cutting your balls off right now,” Harper says with a look as she heads towards Nate at the bar.

“What the hell did they say to you two?” he says
, pulling back to look me in the face.

“Let’s say it was close to sounding like your tabloid reports were true,” I say honestly.

“No Nat, they aren’t.  I’m not like that.  You know me,” he says as he takes a hold of my chin so I can only look up at his gorgeous face into his beautiful green eyes.

“I know, doesn’t mean I can’t worry,” I say truthfully, yet slightly embarrassed.

“Baby, you’re all I want,” he says as he brings his lips down to mine and kisses me softly.

“Can we get out of here,” I ask through a whisper.

“I thought you’d never ask,” he says with an amused grin.

“Harper, are you okay here with the guys?” I ask her curiously.

“Sure,” she says looking around.

“I’ll make sure she gets back to the hotel room safe and sound,” Declan says
proudly.

“Thanks, here are the car keys. I’ll see you later then,” I say as I hand her the keys.  Parker takes my hand in his and leads me out the door and through another door to leave out a back entrance.

No one’s around except for a bodyguard type guy.  Parker says a few words to him and we head off.

We get into waiting car, how he has this all set up I have no idea, but I don’t dare ask either.

“You really need to think about coming on tour with me babe,” Parker says as he opens the door for me to slide in.  He gets in right behind me, taking my hand again.

“You know I can’t,” I say sadly.

“Ugh, yeah I know but damn, a man can dream,” he says with a small smile.

“You’ll be fine,” I tell him.  He may be
, but I don’t know if I will be.

“No, I won’t, but we’ll discuss that later.  Right now I want to kiss my girlfriend,” he says as he pulls me onto his lap and
melds our lips together.

The kiss is slow and passionate, igniting my entire body with want.  How can one man have so much control over my body?  It’s nerve racking
, yet exhilarating at the same time.

We don’t stop kissing until the car comes to a complete stop, letting us know we’re at the hotel.

I slide off Parker’s lap so he can open the door and get out.  He holds his hand out to help me get out of the car and we head inside.

“Crap, I’m rooming with Harper,” I tell him.

“No worries, I already got us a room,” he says with a wicked smile.

“I need clothes for tomorrow,” I remind him.

“Actually, for what I got planned, I’m positive you don’t,” he says with a sexy grin.

“You are bad,” I
say with a laugh.

“Just you wait and see,” he says excitedly.

He leads me towards the elevators and we climb in.  He pushes the button to the floor he has a room on.  I stare at him in disbelief.

“What?” he asks me curiously.

“I’ve missed you,” I tell him softly.

“It’s been two weeks Nat, I don’t know how I’m
gonna survive a year,” he says with a sigh.

“It will all work out,” I say trying to sound positive, though I feel anything
, but positive.

Luckily, the door opens and we walk out and towards our hotel room for the night.

I barely make it in the door before Parker starts ripping clothes from my body.

“In a rush?” I ask with a laugh.

“Christ you have no idea.  I thought I was going to take you in the car, then the fucking elevator,” he says as he pulls my top over my head and tosses it.