Ten
I was not in the mood for Becca. Not today, the day I woke up with Violet in my arms. She’d called continuously—while we’d been in the shower and then several times when we weren’t. It was fucking annoying.
I was seriously considering firing her ass. I was just about done with the fact she thought she ruled my entire life. I told her I wasn’t ready to come back to LA, and I freaking meant it.
She was going to have to get another meal ticket.
Or, hey, here’s a thought. Work her ass off for another one of her clients and make him just as famous as I’d been.
I thought I would miss the fame. The recognition. The success.
I didn’t.
Not at all. The only thing I missed was the music. The studio. Don’t get me wrong. Having a shit ton of money, a hella nice pad, and cars was definitely good times, but I was happier here, now… and none of that stuff was around.
Currently, I was lying in a twin-sized bed in a room I shared with my cousin. Violet was on top of me. Half her clothes were gone, and our tongues were intertwined. Her breath tasted like coffee, and the only thoughts going through my head were of her.
The sound of the dryer buzzing made her lift her head. I grabbed her back, trying to pull her back in.
“Sounds like it’s done.”
“I’m not,” I murmured, taking her lips again.
I couldn’t get enough of her. Never enough.
She kissed me back and laughed.
A little while later, we were getting dressed when she sighed and flopped down on the edge of the bed. I looked around at her, instantly noting the way exhaustion clung to her skin. Immediately, I crouched in front of her, folding her hands in mine. “You’re tired.”
She smiled and gave my hand a light squeeze. “A little.”
It was my fault. I’d kept her up half the night, making love, went at her again this morning, then again right now. I was a horny bastard.
“How about we go back to your room? I’ll make the bed for you, and then we can lie in it the rest of the day and finish that series we started on Netflix?”
Her eyes lifted to mine. “Really?”
I held up my hands like I was making a vow. “I won’t even grope you.”
She pouted. “Not even a little?”
I laughed. “Nah. Probably a lot.”
“‘Kay.” She agreed, dipping her head and smiling.
“You like popcorn?” I asked. That was gluten free, right? Shit, I needed to do some more reading.
“It’s my favorite,” she said, perking up.
I nodded as if it were a done deal and picked up the hoodie she’d lent me and tossed it on. I noted her watching, and I shrugged. “What?”
“You have a drawer full of clothes…”
I was missing her point. “So?”
“So you’re wearing my hoodie and you said it smells like a girl.”
“It’s unisex.” I defended. “I have the same one.”
“Wear yours.” She pointed out.
“But when I wear this one, I take a deep breath and smell you.”
Her entire face softened; the expression in her eyes turned misty. I grabbed up my Blaylock hoodie and tossed it to her. “Here, you can have mine.”
“You wanna trade?” she asked.
“They’re the same size.”
She put the fabric up to her nose. “This one smells like you.”
“You like it, right?” I said knowingly.
In reply, she tugged it on over her head.
I grunted in satisfaction and held out my hand for her. “‘C’mon, let’s go.”
I shoved the clean bedding in the backseat of the time machine and we made a quick stop to pick up some snacks and shit before heading back to her dorm.
It was cold today. The air carried the scent of snow. The back pocket of my jeans was weighed down with my shutdown cell, and as we walked, I wondered how many more times Becca tried to call and just how pissed she was she couldn’t get through.
It had been nice being shut off completely, just being with Vi. I actually looked forward to holing up in her room the rest of the day… and hopefully night.
Since my arms were loaded down with everything, she let us into the room and held open the door. I dropped all the blankets on her bed, then set the bag of food on the coffee table.
The door had barely shut behind us when there was an insistent knock. Violet glanced at me, and I arched a brow. “Expecting someone?”
“No,” she replied, dubious, a hint of wariness in her eyes.
I thought of Ross, the freaking dickface, and frowned. “You haven’t had any trouble with that douche from the frat, have you?”
She shook her head adamantly. “He hasn’t spoken to me at all.”
“Good,” I growled, then walked toward the door to answer it. She was already near it, so I had to step around her.
“What are you doing?” she wondered out loud.
I glanced over my shoulder. “You think I’m the kind of guy to let you answer the door when we don’t know who’s on the other side?”
“What do you think I do when you aren’t here?” She pointed out.
I didn’t care for her logic. In fact, suddenly, I didn’t care for the fact that she lived here alone at all. I knew it was a dorm building, but I’d seen the kind of riffraff running around this campus. She’d already had trouble with one.
“You need more protection than a whistle.” I decided.
The knock came again, louder this time. I pulled it open, just enough so I could see who was on the other side.
It was some guy. Jesus! How many guys came around here looking for her?
“Who the hell are you?” I said when he just stared and didn’t say anything. In fact, he seemed pretty shocked that he was staring at me and not Violet.
Good.
Fucker didn’t need to come back.
“Holy shit,” the guy said, still staring at me. I opened my mouth to tell him to get lost, when he spoke again. “Ten.”
I froze, feeling like a deer caught in some bright-ass headlights. “What?” I said, trying to feign indifference.
The guy gave me a don’t even try look and then tried to glance past me.
“V!” he called.
I bristled, moving the slam the door in his face. My stomach was twisting… He freaking knew me instantly. What if Violet heard him?
“Vance?” She gasped, and suddenly she was at my back, peering around me. “Oh my God! Vance!” she said when she saw the guy standing there.
Vance, as in… her brother, her gay brother who was in love with me? That Vance?
Oh shit.
“Surprise!” he said, holding out his arms, sliding me an eye and making it feel as though I’d taken a knife straight to my heart.
Violet squealed and ducked under my arm to launch at him. He folded his arms around her, and she laughed, hugging him back.
Our eyes connected over her head.
Yep, she was shorter than him, too.
I couldn’t read his expression, other than the full recognition in his depths.
Violet pulled back. “What are you doing here?” she demanded. “You should have told me you were coming!”
“Girl. Have you even looked at your phone today?” He arched a brow and crossed his arms over his chest.
He had dark-brown hair, not blond like Vi’s. His eyes were blue like hers, though. We were close to the same size, but I was slightly bigger, so at least there was that. ‘Course, I was older. If he grew any more, he’d surpass me.
Violet glanced at me over her shoulder, a sheepish look in her eye. My heart cracked just looking at her.
It was over.
All of this was over now.
I might never see her look at me like that again.
The knife previously buried in my heart twisted.
“Actually, no,” she told her brother, a small twinkle in her eye.
I couldn’t help it. I smiled at her. I had to. I couldn’t not smile when she was looking at me this way.
“We, uh, turned our phones off today.”
“How convenient,” Vance remarked.
“What?” she asked, not understanding the undertones in his voice.
“You gonna invite me in, or are we going to stand in the hall so everyone can hear our business?”
I pushed the door wide and held it. Violet walked by, and then Vance followed. As he entered, he stopped beside me, giving me a once-over. Then he made a tsking sound.
I shut the door and then turned, feeling totally caught in my own web of lies. I thought about running, about just getting the hell out. Ten might have done that, actually. In fact, it wouldn’t be the first time I’d run. Wasn’t that how I met Violet?
Ten might run… but Stark sure as hell didn’t.
I wasn’t going anywhere. Not until Vi told me to go.
A few lines of the ever-lengthening song I was writing floated through my head.
Trapped,
Caught,
Ensnared by a web.
“Before we get into this, I just have two things I need to say,” Vance announced, spinning around to look at me.
“Before we get into what?” Violet asked, finally picking up on the weird undercurrents going on.
I gave her an apologetic stare.
“One…” Vance held up his finger. “Holy shit, you are just as fine in person as you are on TV. And two, whatever game you are playing with my sister, it’s over.”
“I can explain,” I said, hoping she would at least listen.
“Wait.” Violet stepped between us. “What in the hell is going on?” she said, frustrated. She turned to her brother. “This is Stark, Vance. You know, the guy I told you about?”
“You told him about me?” I asked. Knowing that made this even worse. She’d liked me enough to mention me to her brother.
Vance shook his head sadly and sighed. “He definitely is sex on a stick.”
“Vance!” Violet hissed, embarrassed.
He waved it off. “Honey, that is the least of your problems.”
“Vi, can I talk to you a minute?” I said. “Alone.”
Vance gave me a look. “I might be gay, but I’m not a dumbass. I think you’ve had enough alone time with my sister.”
“If someone doesn’t explain to me right now what is going on, you’re both out of here.” Violet insisted.
“If you only listened to me when I talked, this would not have happened,” Vance said as he fished his phone out of the pocket of his bomber jacket.
Violet made an impatient sound.
After he tapped the screen a few times, he glanced up. “You told me you didn’t go see Ten.”
Violet sighed loudly. “OMG, Vance! How many times do I have to apologize. I’m sorry I didn’t get you an autograph.”
He glanced at me. “Clever, using your last name since no one ever uses it. It’s like lying without actually telling a lie.”
“What’s a lie?” Violet turned and looked at me, confusion in her beautiful blue eyes.
Vance held up his phone. A picture of me onstage with a guitar filled the screen. “You’re not dating some college student named Stark, V. There is no Stark. He’s Ten.”
Violet made sound and snatched the phone out of his hand, staring hard at the photo and then up at me. Her face went white. “No way.” She denied.
“You think I wouldn’t know him?” Vance scoffed. Then he glanced at me. “I have like four posters of you hanging on my bedroom walls.” He shook his head. “Now I’m going to have to take them down.”
“Stark,” Violet said, holding the phone down at her side. Her eyes searched my face, looking for recognition. A denial. A confirmation. All I could do was stand there and stare at her. Take in her face and feel sick.
I didn’t want to lose her.
“The hat you always wear, the dark party, the drive-thrus, the vague answers about school…” Her voice drifted away. “You… You’re…”
Swallowing, I pushed away from the door, taking one step closer to her. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s true?” she asked, her voice lowering. She glanced back at the phone, then to me. “You’re Ten… the guy with a number for a name?”
I wished in that moment I could say no. I wished I could forget who I really was and be just exactly who she thought.
I couldn’t lie. Not anymore.
I stared her straight in the eye and finally told her the truth. “Yes, I’m Ten.”