Tangled Up In You (Rogue #1)

Chapter 24

24

SOPHIE

“ G avin, get your arse up! We need to get going.”

Sophie recognized Conor’s voice behind the door. His steady knock continued and it didn’t appear that he had any intention of stopping until he got an answer. His persistence worked because Gavin finally stirred.

“Leave it!” Gavin called.

“Let me in, ya fucker. What’d you get so busy chasing skirt last night, you forgot us lads?”

“Go ahead,” Sophie said quietly. She slipped on the hotel robe and went into the bathroom, leaving the door partially open.

She watched Gavin pull on his boxer briefs and go to the door, opening it three inches.

“It’s early yet, isn’t it?” Gavin asked.

There was impatience in Conor’s voice when he replied, “It’s half bloody ten. We’re meant to be in the car on the way to the venue at eleven.”

“I didn’t realize the time.”

“She that good?”

Sophie ducked behind the bathroom door when Conor looked over Gavin’s shoulder in an effort to see who had been keeping his friend so busy.

“Better than you can even imagine,” Gavin said and Sophie could hear the smile in his voice.

“Congratulations. Now, let’s fucking go.”

“I’ll meet you down in the lobby.”

“Don’t keep us waiting.”

Sophie emerged from the bathroom as Gavin closed the door. She knew the exchange she just heard meant their time was over. What a night it had been, though. It had been a delicious taste of what a real reunion might be like. They had amazing chemistry, of course, but the familiarity that came with knowing and understanding each other was even more exciting. There was an ache in her chest now that they had to say goodbye all over again.

“Looks like we need to be down in the lobby in less than a half hour,” he said, pulling her into his arms.

“I heard. I know you have to go.”

“ We need to go, darlin’. You’re coming with us. With me . Right?”

She knew that to spend the day with him was only prolonging the inevitable. He would soon be moving on to the next city. That didn’t stop her from wanting to be with him every second before then, though.

“Yeah, sure. I have VIP tickets, anyway, don’t I?” she said and he smiled.

Sophie knew this wasn’t the best way to ingratiate herself with the other boys of Rogue all over again. Though she had done what she could to clean herself up, it would be obvious she had spent the night with Gavin. Her unbrushed hair was tied into a messy bun. Her makeup was mostly gone, leaving her with only the lip-gloss from her purse. And she wore no panties beneath her sundress, though only Gavin was privy to that.

Gavin led the way, holding her hand as she trailed behind him into the lobby. The large space had high ceilings with dark wood beams, arched entryways, and elegant Mission Oak furniture. There was a buzz of activity as other guests organized their excursions for the day. A couple decked out in matching denim shorts and tank tops scanned the room in a transparent celebrity sighting effort but they looked right past Gavin.

Conor saw his friend straightaway, though, because she heard him call out. “Let’s go, lover boy.”

His raised voice made some of the other guests turn his way, but it was his striking good looks that earned him a second glance. He was impeccably groomed, with his short black hair styled into a faux-hawk and his face cleanly shaven. He wore dark jeans, folded precisely at the cuff two times, and a soft gray cotton tee shirt that clung to his muscled chest, showcasing his devotion to fitness. A silver pocket chain that had become his signature, made a loop from his front pocket to his back jeans belt loop.

Sophie recognized in his good looks and careful style the epitome of a rock star. He was made for this.

She placed her other hand on Gavin’s forearm and her appearance seemed to trigger in Conor a wild mixture of emotions. First it was surprise, but that turned into a sweet smile before fading into what she had seen at the Palladium: lust. Finally, frustration took over.

She had to blink to clear all that away. It was a lot to take in when she was already apprehensive about seeing them all.

“Isn’t this brilliant?” Gavin asked as they got to Conor. “She came round last night to see me before the show today.”

Conor raised his eyebrows and stared at her for a beat too long. “Good to see you again, Soph.”

“You too!” She gave him a quick hug.

“Em, and you’re coming with us, then?”

She looked to Gavin with renewed hesitation.

“Yes, she is,” Gavin said with a note of finality in his voice.

Conor turned and started out to the hotel driveway, mumbling “fuck me” under his breath.

“Is this a bad idea?” Sophie said. “I don’t want to interfere.”

“It’s fine, darlin’. Relax.”

She nodded and followed him to the black Suburban idling at the curb. Conor disappeared inside and Gavin wrapped his arm around her neck, pulling her so they could both look into the car.

“Lads, look who I’ve got,” Gavin said with a grin.

“Sophie!” Martin said. “Why amn’t I surprised to see you?”

She laughed.

“Because it’s the natural fit, isn’t it?” Shay said and winked at her.

“Good to see you guys,” she said. It felt better than good to see them. Shay was right. Being back in the company of these boys felt like returning home.

“After you, darlin’,” Gavin said, gesturing for her to get into the car. He slid in after her, sitting to her right while Conor was on her left. Martin and Shay were in the third row. Gavin made the introduction to their manager, James Kelly, who sat in the front passenger seat opposite their driver for the day.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Sophie said, offering him her hand.

“You’re the one, are you?” he asked in return. He gave her hand a brisk shake.

She wasn’t sure how to take that greeting. “Um, I guess?”

“We’ve got plenty of time to get acquainted. I hear Irvine is a bit of a drive,” James said. “Oh, and you’ll want to see this bit of media.”

He held up the entertainment section of the Los Angeles Times. It was folded open to a short article with the headline: “Mystery Girl Rocks Rogue Singer on KROQ ” and detailed the phone conversation Gavin had had with Sophie live on the radio the day before. The angle was that the call had generated so much interest that an informal campaign had formed to discover who “Sophie” was and whether she would give Gavin another chance. The article said the station had been inundated with calls asking for more information on what was behind the episode. The only official comment from the station was that they, too, hoped to learn the answer when Sophie showed up at the Weenie Roast.

Sophie was stunned, but saw that Gavin was bemused.

Conor didn’t bother to hide his irritation, though, saying, “This isn’t what we’re about, this, this?—”

“What?” Gavin asked with a lazy smile.

“‘Spectacle’ is the word I’m after,” Conor said. “James and I agree on this, you know.”

“That so, Jamie?” Gavin asked.

“It’s not exactly the focus we need,” James said. “We had some momentum going and this feels like a huge distraction. No offense, sweetheart.”

Sophie raised her chin and maintained eye contact with the band manager. A small piece of her feared that if she let herself be defined as a distraction, Gavin might agree and their time would be cut even shorter. It was that instinct that led her to speak up, replying, “None taken, sweetheart .”

It got very quiet in the car.

Conor raised his eyebrows and she was about to apologize when she saw Gavin grinning. His reaction was a reminder that he had always liked when she came back at him.

“It’s really good to see you, Sophie,” Shay said, dispelling the tension. He had always been the peacemaker of the group.

Turning in her seat, Sophie smiled at him and returned the sentiment. Talk for the rest of the drive turned to more benign subjects. They fell into their old easy banter with one another as Sophie apologized to Martin for revealing the origin of the band’s name. He took it in stride and playfully made her promise she would never speak of it again. Even Conor loosened up and joined in, admitting that Martin had actually gotten off easy, as all anyone cared about was Gavin’s mysterious love story, not Martin’s moment of dumb luck in landing on the band name.

She should have known better than to be nervous about being a part of this group of boys again. They were all sweethearts.

The Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre’s main stage capacity was 16,000, but Rogue performed their soundcheck to the few dozen festival crew members going about their jobs and ignoring them. Sophie was the lone voice of support and Gavin played to her, much to Conor’s annoyance.

Afterward, they crammed into the backstage tents. For an area that was supposed to be exclusive, it was overrun with musicians, techies, PR people for the bands performing, PR people for the radio station, radio station personnel, and catering crews, as well as the odd groupie who slipped through.

Rogue had time to kill since they were performing as the third-to-last act for the evening, with just The White Stripes and Foo Fighters after them. It was a heady atmosphere with so many big names mingling.

While Gavin was careful to keep Sophie with him as he chatted with the other artists, she purposely took a passive role rather than engaging. It was an overwhelming but enlightening introduction to what had become his world. She loved how familiar he was with the other bands, using nicknames and easily slipping in and out of conversations with dozens of people. She also loved that nobody had anything but music on their minds. The intrigue of who she was had been lost on them.

Once they got word that Interpol was playing at one of the side stages, they braved the sun and the crush of the crowd, squeezing their way to the rail. When Conor saw that Sophie was using her hand as a shield against the bright afternoon light, he handed her his Oliver Spencer sunglasses.

“I want them back,” he said.

“But they look so cute on me,” she said playfully.

Conor raised his eyebrows and tried to hide a small smile. “Not better than on me.”

“No offense, darlin’, but he might be right. He is a pretty bastard!” Gavin said and the three of them laughed.

Once the band started, the crowd rushed forward and Gavin pulled Sophie in front of him, caging her between his arms, his hands on the barrier rail as he leaned his body into hers. She loved the posture as it was at once protective and possessive. Turning slightly, she looked back at him and touched his cheek. When he grinned back at her, she knew she had never stopped loving him. This, being here in his world, in his arms, was exactly where she wanted to be.