Perfect Storm (BreakNeck)

Chapter 1

Adam

Setting my guitar aside, I lean back in the chair and pick up my notepad. The lyrics to the music I’ve been playing are floating around in my head.

My mind has been a whirl of chords and lyrics for the past few weeks, and I keep waking at night to write music. It won’t be the last time, my muse is well and truly alive.

I glance at the clock on the wall, it’s still stupid early. Jenna is going to work today, as usual. Getting her to play hooky is a real chore. I don’t know why I keep trying, she would never call in for no reason.

Thinking of Jenna, I toss the notepad on the table. After setting my guitar on its stand, I leave the soundproofed room and head down the hallway to our bedroom. I lean against the doorway, careful not to make any noise. More recently, she’s sleeping later than normal.

Jenna is a compact sleeper, she rarely strays from her side of the bed, unless I pull her over to me. Which I do, often. She’s on her back, with one arm raised over her head, her elbow poking out of the covers. Her hair is a swirl of dark curls on the pillow. She’s frowning and I wonder if she is dreaming as her nose twitches, making me smile.

It’s been three years since we met. A little under a year since I made her my wife. I still can’t believe she’s mine. I’ve always been a little volatile, and moody at times. Before Jenna, I was mostly single. My lifestyle in a rock band didn’t lend itself to having a steady girlfriend. The image our manager liked us to portray was that of being available. She wanted our fans to believe we were accessible. Being in a steady relationship wasn’t conducive to that image.

Having fame and fortune thrust at you when you’re still a teenager isn’t the best when you’re making life choices. I did nothing excessive or stupid, none of us ever did drugs. Alcohol played a part in some issues over the years, but women were something to pass the time, a release when needed and forgotten within a week. I’m not proud of that behavior, but at least it wasn’t destructive.

I never think about the one serious relationship I was in before Jenna. It didn’t compare. I loved Erica all those years ago and won’t disrespect our time together, but it’s nothing like what I feel for Jenna. I use my thumb to play with the back of my platinum wedding band. It’s a larger version of the one she wears, next to the ‘rock’ I got her when I proposed. It’s a quarter of the size of the one I wanted to get. Thrusting a giant diamond on her finger would have made her uncomfortable.

She still feels guilty about how wealthy I am, but I work hard for it. No one handed me this on a platter. Me and the guys worked solidly from the day we started BreakNeck when we were thirteen.

For years we’ve been donating to charity and taking part in fundraisers. It appeases her, and she is used to the lifestyle now. I want to give her everything and I intend on doing so.

Jenna snuffles and shifts. It’s just after seven, I’d rather she got a little longer in bed before she heads out to work but once she is awake, she’ll be on the go.

One thing I’ll make damn sure of, she will eat a proper breakfast.

I wait until I’m sure she is actually waking before I walk into the room. Her eyes open to slits and she inhales, her hand searching behind her. For me. I grin and walk to her side of the bed. She realizes I’m not behind her and turns, squinting one eye.

“Another song?” she asks.

“Yup.” I crouch down and brush her hair away from her face. She closes her eyes and gives me a smile. “I guess I’ve been inspired.”

“What time is it?” I tell her and she groans. “I have a meeting at eight thirty.”

“Why do you keep making meetings so early?” I ask, shifting so I perch my ass on the bed.

I won’t bother telling her she doesn’t need to work, she’ll only get mad at me.

Jenna took over the literary agency where she works just after our wedding. Izzy was her boss for her entire career. She nurtured and trained her and treats Jenna like the daughter she never had.

When her wife passed away, Izzy retired and sold the agency to Jenna. At a much-reduced price, making Jenna angry. They’d argued for weeks. Eventually, she gave in, but not before Izzy agreed to a higher offer.

As expected, she doesn’t answer my question, stretching her arms up over her head. Her back arches up as she does. I slip the cover down to her waist and lay a hand on her stomach. She recoils at the cold of my palms with a squeal, but I don’t move it.

The sight of my wife, sleep rumpled and naked, never gets old. I lean over and kiss her navel, trailing my tongue to the underside of her breast. They’ve grown, and her breast is heavier against my palm as I tease her nipple. She winces a little, so I retreat with my hand but kiss it softly.

“Sore?”

“Just a little tender.”

I smile and nuzzle the side of it before kissing her collarbone and then her mouth. She will always be sexy to me. In fact, I’m sure I’ll still be chasing her ass to the bedroom when we’re in our eighties.

Right now, especially, she’s fucking beautiful. I stroke her stomach again, she isn’t showing yet. We haven’t told anyone that inside this flat, toned tummy, our baby is growing.

I offer to help her in the shower. Which turns into me feeling her up more than washing her, then putting her palms on the tiles, I sink into her from behind.

Jenna is hornier than normal. I’ve learned from a baby book this is a normal and a more than welcome part of pregnancy.

We don’t have issues in that department. Sometimes, she only needs to look at me and I’m hard as steel. Even when we’re out with friends and family. It’s an issue.

After I’ve fucked her till she can barely stand, I make breakfast while she gets ready for work. We eat together at the counter in the kitchen rather than using the dining table.

I’ve not got much on today. I’m going to hit the gym with Arch. Then we will end up pouring over the music I wrote last night, putting lyrics to it.

It’s been a while since our last album. After our tenth anniversary World Tour, we took a well-deserved break. Bianca is on our asses about getting back in the studio to keep ‘relevant.’ I suppose she’s right. There are tons of amazing bands hitting the scene. Although we have a loyal following, it could hurt us if we sit on our asses too long.

Jenna gets up and leans back a little, holding her lower back.

“You okay?” I get up.

“I’m fine, stop fussing,” she straightens her blouse. “Millions of pregnant women deal with this every day. It’s just a little backache.”

I hold my tongue, even though I want her to stay off work. This dad-to-be thing is terrifying. I’m nervous every time she is out of my sight, and I really don’t want her to be in pain. Fuck knows how I will cope when she is giving birth.

“Remind Arch I need those dates for Brooke’s birthday. She still won’t tell me when she’s free, and she isn’t getting away with not celebrating this year.”

“Jen, she’s turning thirty. She doesn’t want reminding of that.”

“It’s a huge deal, and she is not hiding from it. Besides,” she says, stepping into her shoes. “Brooke may talk and act like she doesn’t want it. I guarantee you, if we ignore it and do nothing like she keeps asking, she’ll pout for months. No one likes a pouting Brooke.”

That is true. I like Brooke and I love that she’s with Arch, they’re happy together. But she can damn well hold a grudge, and her arguing skills are beyond anyone I’ve ever met. Suppose that is her lawyer side. When Brooke is ticked off, she lets you know.

Brooke will be pissed I know Jenna is pregnant before her. She is big on the whole best friend’s thing, often quoting ‘sisters before misters.’ Although she’s mellowed a lot since hooking up with Arch. Being so protective of Jenna is great. Until she turns into a bitch.

I’ll argue till my dying breath the first person to find out their wife is pregnant should be the husband. I’m looking forward to gloating.

“Sure, I’ll tell him.”

“Okay, good. Oh, I promised Keira we’d go see her tomorrow too.”

I groan. I just want to hang out alone, seems like we’re always doing something or seeing someone.

“Hey, Jake misses you, plus she wants to introduce us to someone.”

The smile at the thought of my nephew falls off my face. “What?”

Jenna laughs at me. “She’s entitled to a life, Adam.”

“Not until I’ve vetted him.”

“Will you stop? She’s a grown woman, capable of deciding who to date.”

I growl. My sister had it tough with Jake’s dad and I’m protective of them. I don’t want some asshole coming into their lives, causing shit, then leaving and upsetting them both.

“He could just be after her because he knows we’re related.”

“Big head much,” she drawls. “The world doesn’t revolve around you.”

“That’s not what I mean.” I narrow my eyes. “You know, people pull all sorts of shit to get close to me and the band.”

“She wouldn’t introduce us to him if it wasn’t serious, Adam. Which means she’s happy with him and if he’s met Jake already, that says a lot about the guy. So it’s even more important to be nice ,” she emphasizes the words.

“Why didn’t she tell me she was dating some asshole?”

Jenna just looks at me. I huff and she shakes her head. “Reserve calling him an asshole until after you’ve met him.”

“He’s still an asshole,” I mumble.

Jenna comes over to kiss my cheek, ruffling my hair. “And you’re my asshole,” she wrinkles her nose. “That sounded super weird and kinda gross.”

I put an arm around her waist and pull her in between my legs, chuckling at her rambling. She comes easily and wraps her arms around my neck. “Can’t promise anything.”

“Then you won’t get to have this ass.” She taps my nose and pulls out of my arms before I can get a grip on her.

“What?” I watch her pick up her purse. “You’ll withhold sex from me if I’m not nice to my sister’s date?”

“Boyfriend. And yes.”

“Bullshit, you’ll come begging before I do.”

“Never,” she says, but she bites her lip. Her eyes do a slow sweep of my bare chest. I grin when she looks back into my eyes and she sticks her tongue out. “I’ll see you tonight.”

“I’ll be waiting, naked, in bed.”

“Hah,” she says. “Get more acquainted with your hand.” She breezes out of the door.

“Bullshit,” I mumble, picking up the dishes and putting them in the dishwasher.

I make another coffee and am still grumbling when my cell rings. When I see its Jenna, my heart stops. She won’t call me so quickly after leaving if there isn’t something up. “Hey, everything alright?”

“Yes.” I can almost hear the eye roll. “I just picked up the mail. We have a card from Jordan.”

I tip my head back, the relief sweeping through me. I’m gonna lose my shit by the time this baby comes. Fucking Jordan. He lives across the hall from us. Why the hell has he left us a card in our mail?

“What’s it say?”

“It’s a… hold on.” I hear rustling and a sharp intake of breath. “I’ll be right back.”

“What is it?” But she’s hung up.

I go into the hall and knock on Jordan’s door. There’s no answer. Come to think of it, he comes over to annoy us on a nightly basis. We didn’t see him last night. I go back to the apartment and grab a t-shirt and some jeans. I’m zipping them up when Jenna comes into the bedroom. She has a strange frown on her face.

“Let me see.” I take the card and open it. Jenna leans back against the bureau as I scan the card, then look up at Jenna. “Is he serious?”

“It’s Jordan,” Jenna shrugs. “I can’t do it,” she holds out her hand. “We’re not all part time rock stars. I already confirmed with Keira we’ll go to White Plains this weekend.”

I head to the kitchen, reading the card again, Jenna trails behind. Despite her words, she’s not rushing out to work. I grab my phone and call my best friend.

“Did you get a weird letter off Jordan?” Archer asks, without a greeting, like he was about to call me too.

“Yeah, just reading it now. You got the same thing?”

“Yeah. What the fuck is he playing at now?”