Free I Want You to Want Me (Rock Star Romance #2) by Erika Kelly Page B

all his badass intensity, she had to admit the almost immediate intimacy he assumed between them utterly thrilled her.
    “The only reason I let you is because I didn’t want to lose it in front of Buck.”
    “And that’s the only reason I did it. Has he always been like that?”
    “No.”
    “Oh, that’s good. I couldn’t imagine growing up with a dad like that.” Not that she could imagine growing up with a dad at all.
    “When I was a kid, he was way more direct about it.” His hand flew up, his palm right in her face. “This is the view of my dad I remember most.”
    Oh
. It hadn’t even happened to her, but she felt the stinging slap of rejection. How
awful
. She caught the offending hand, lowered it between them and held it tightly. No matter how powerful and in command he appeared, she readpain and vulnerability in those eyes. And he only confirmed it when he didn’t pull away.
    “You know what I remember?” Usually, Derek was passionate, full of energy. But when he talked about his dad, he flattened out.
    She gently shook her head, keenly aware of his pain. The blond scruff around his mouth accentuated the sexiest pair of lips she’d ever seen. Were they fuller than most? Or did she notice them more because of the beard framing them?
    “My dad had a studio in the basement. He always kept it locked. And, you know, we lived in the suburbs. There was no reason to keep it locked. Except to keep
me
out. So it became like the Holy-fucking-Grail to me.”
    “Of course.”
    “And when his dudes came over, I’d follow them around like a puppy. Not in the studio, of course. I wasn’t allowed in there. But I remember this one time, the guys came upstairs and they left the door open. I snuck in there, and it was, like, surreal, you know? All those instruments. Owned and played by guys I revered. So I started just wailing on my dad’s sax. And let me tell you, no one touched the great Eddie Valencia’s sax. And then I beat the skins, had a blast. Eventually, the guys walked in. And they all just watched me. But in a cool way, and it egged me on. They smiled at me, like I was all right. And then my dad busts in and, you know, he’d never make himself look bad in front of anyone, so instead of yelling at me, he goes, ‘Well, shit, buddy, you better keep up your grades in school. You’re gonna need it.’”
    Violet couldn’t stand it. She hitched up on an elbow. “He’s such a jerk.”
    “Yeah.” Whatever hint of emotion had burned through cooled. “It was a long time ago. My point is that I’ve dealt with him my whole life. I don’t need anyone running interference. It’s between me and my dad.”
    “Not on my watch.”
    He studied her for a long moment. It was dark enough she didn’t think he could see how upset she’d gotten. But then one side of his mouth hitched up. “You gonna be my champion?” He said it like he didn’t believe it.
    Shoving aside her completely inappropriate attraction,she dropped back into professional mode. “My job is to minimize the stressors so that you can focus on your work. Everything I do is to help you screen out the noise so you can make the magic. Usually, the noise is drugs and alcohol, which it is for Ben, Cooper, and Pete. But for you? It’s your dad. He’s the noise in your head.”
    “Used to be. Not anymore.” He closed his eyes. “Don’t worry about it. Let’s get to sleep.”
    On her back, she stared into the darkness, her body buzzing with disgust at what that man had done to his little boy.
    Still on his side, one hand under his head, he watched her. “What’re you thinking?”
    “Sorry, I should go. You’ll never sleep with a stranger in your bed.”
    “I’ll sleep after you answer the question. What’re you thinking?”
    But she didn’t want to bring up his dad again. So she brought up the other thing that’d been bugging her. “I’m thinking I caused you some trouble tonight.” An article had shown up on Beatz, outing her as