Chapter 9
Archer
“The point of this is to stop working and relax.”
“I’ll relax in an hour,” Brooke says, tapping away on her laptop.
She’s not getting away with that. I saunter over and when she is not in the middle of typing, I slam the lid shut.
“Archer!”
I take the laptop and set it on the bureau behind us. I point through the patio doors that lead out into a walled garden awash with flowers. There is a small table and chairs I’m already fantasizing about having breakfast at. There are no upper balconies either, so the Red Alert guys have second-rate rooms.
“Brooke,” I say in the same tone she uses. “I’m confiscating that until we’re on the plane back home. Nothing can be that important.”
“I have a case next week.”
“That you’re already prepared for. You forget you told me you had this thing wrapped up.”
She pouts and its super cute.
“Come on, enjoy this with me,” I say, walking to where she is sitting at the writing desk. The room is fucking incredible. The décor isn’t much to my taste, but reminds me of my place in LA. Having the outdoors right there beside the bed.
It makes me miss LA. I’d suggest a trip, but after this, Brooke won’t want to leave the city for a while.
I can live with that, given how beautiful this place is. I read the information about the hike and festival Jordan has planned. I’ve never ridden a horse before, but I love learning new things and this is something I never knew I wanted to do, until now.
“I still can’t believe Jordan arranged all of this. The crafty bastard. He’d never get us all away like this without doing something drastic.”
“Do you think he is really out riding?” Brooke gets up and opens her bag, she pulls out some clothes and heads to the closet.
As per the request, she has casual, warm stuff, but there is one fancy outfit. The card said there would be one glamourous evening. Which is what led us to believe they are getting married. I’m still not convinced it isn’t that, but it’s difficult to imagine it now that I’ve seen where we’re staying.
“He is hiding somewhere, watching us all, thinking how fucking clever he is. He’s going to make a grand entrance.”
“Wearing a Stetson and spurs,” Brooke adds.
I laugh. “I like that idea.” I unload my stuff too, but Brooke takes over putting it away. “Maybe I should get a Stetson, and some chaps, leather ones, with no pants underneath.”
“Now that is a visual I never thought would enter my head,” she grins over her shoulder.
“You like that idea?” I wiggle my eyebrows. She smiles again, her eyes lowering to my crotch.
“I could get a lasso too, chase you down, catch you and have my wicked way with you in the stables.”
Brooke is laughing now and it fucking thrills me to hear it. She’s so highly strung sometimes, she really needs this break. I’ll make sure she makes the most of it.
“I’m looking forward to eating,” she says, going to stand by the doors that lead outside.
I open up the bag we got on the bus and take out the chocolate pots. When I hold it up to her, she raises her eyebrows.
“How about I spread some of this on my dick to tide you over?”
She throws a pillow at me. I pounce on her and push her back on to the bed. She squeals with laughter as I straddle her waist and open the jar. I give it a sniff. It smells delicious. It’s obviously not going anywhere near my dick, but her tits… definitely.
And despite her feeble protests, I know she enjoys it when I do just that, smearing it all over and licking it off until I get to the apex of her thighs. Then I don’t need any added ingredients, just Brooke.
We shower afterwards and she dresses in a semi casual white blouse and jeans, the blouse tucked in showing off a designer belt. She puts on some flat ankle boots, ties up her hair and turns to me with her arms out.
“Am I casual enough?”
“You’re gorgeous,” I tell her, holding out my hand.
It’s just before six, but I want to get out and see what is going to happen next.
Seems we’re not the only ones who got out early. We follow voices out onto a large wooden deck. There are three seating areas, two of them have large white sofas. One arranged around a fire pit, which must have been banked because it’s just embers.
There is a bar at one end of the deck and a sunken hot tub, which is going to be abused. It’s massive too. It can hold up to twelve people.
Everything is lit up with storm lamps, candles burning inside them, even though it’s not dark yet. Jenna is sitting on one sofa with Jack and Ocean, laughing together.
Adam is at the bar with Dylan. I haven’t seen any staff around, but there is a guy tending the bar. Brooke goes to join her best friend, and I head to the bar.
“Don’t know about you, but I’m fucking speechless,” I say as I nod to the bartender. He hands over a bottle of beer. I thank him, then focus on my best friend. He glances at the girls, then back at me. “Dude, let her be.”
Adam scowls. “You don’t get it. You will when Brooke is pregnant,” he frowns and his eyes dart to mine.
I hold up a hand without letting Dylan see. He is allowed to talk about babies without me freaking out. Sure, it still hurts what I went through when I lost a baby I hadn’t even known existed. It doesn’t mean I can’t be happy for Ad and Jenna.
“Yeah, that is way, way in the future,” I tell him. “I didn’t know you were planning on having kids this soon,” I say.
Dylan sips his drink, still standing beside us, looking like he wants to leave.
“You and Ocean want kids?” I bring him into the conversation.
“Nah, man. I’m only twenty-six,” he says. And I get that. I’m thirty-two and we’re not ready.
“It wasn’t planned, but we have discussed it,” Adam answers reluctantly. “When I found out she was pregnant,” he looks at her again, and I think he may even be slightly misty eyed. “It’s like nothing I’ve ever felt before.”
“Well, I’m proud of you,” I slap his back and Dylan laughs.
“I’m glad you feel you had some hand in it,” Adam deadpans.
“Well, she does like my hugs,” I wink at him. Winding Adam up is one of my favorite things to do.
“Has anyone seen Alessa or Jordan yet?” Dylan asks, finishing his beer and placing it on the bar. The guy offers him another, and he nods. “They’re dragging this out.”
“Jordan is going to do something stupid like sky dive into a field, or come out riding a horse,” Adam says.
“My money is on the full-on John Wayne experience. Six shooters at his hips and all,” I say. “Brooke and I were discussing the merits of assless leather chaps earlier, too.”
“No one wants to hear about that,” Adam recoils. “I’ve seen enough of your ass to last me a lifetime. And Jordan’s.”
“He wouldn’t do that, right?” Dylan looks alarmed.
“I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen his swinging dick,” I add to Adam’s comment.
When you travel with guys for so long, you end up getting an eyeful of things you never wanted to see. Jordan’s dick didn’t need to make an appearance as much as it had, but that is Jordan. He has no shame.
“Remember that time he wore a mankini on stage?” I laugh.
“Fuck, I forgot about that,” Adam says, fighting a grin.
Bianca had lost her mind. As had the crowd. It ran in the news for weeks after. His bare ass on covers of magazines and going viral on the internet.
We’d been playing an open-air concert in Boston. It was cold as fuck. None of us knew he had it on under his clothes and while me and Nick were doing a guitar solo, he stripped off and came running around his drum kit.
I almost snapped my guitar strings. Nick had been on the floor crippled with laughter. When he ran to the front of the stage, he turned around and showed everyone the material going right up his ass crack.
Ever the professional showman, Adam made a joke about his tan lines, his face dead straight.
Had to admit, his antics kept us laughing over the years.
“He’s more respectable these days,” I say, and Adam huffs a laugh. “Okay,” I hold up a hand. “How about he doesn’t pull random shit then, not like he used to? I mean this.” I wave an arm at the expanse of the ranch. “This is not Jordan at all.”
“True,” Adam nods.
Everyone else is on the patio now. More drinks are flowing and the smells coming from the grill, which I hadn’t noticed when we first came out, are making my mouth water.
Whitesnake is playing on the sound system. I nod to the speaker.
“Sandy I presume?”
“Oh yeah, she made a point of letting us know she’s in charge of the music.”
I grin. “Has Jenna gotten anything else out of her yet?”
“Nothing, she’s a vault.”
“Sometimes I think Sandy wishes he was her son-in-law.”
“Fuck you.” Adam punches my biceps. He knows I’m joking. “She’s more like his partner in crime than anything else,” he says.
“Have you told her about the baby?”
“No, I meant to say, keep it under your hat for now. We were gonna tell the family all together, but that was before we knew Sandy was here. Jenna wants to tell her at some point tonight.”
“Well, it won’t stay a secret for long,” I point out.
He agrees.
We head back over to where everyone is sitting, laughing, and chatting. They all seem relaxed, enjoying the atmosphere. Even Brooke has a lazy grin on her face as she sips her gin and tonic.
No one seems to be guessing anymore. Everyone resigned to the fact Jordan and Alessa will let us know their scheme in their own time.
I notice Ciro sitting on the edge of a sofa. He’s beside Nash and Jack. They’ve been talking amongst themselves, but he keeps staring off into the distance.
I bristle a little. I don’t really know the guy, I never attempted to talk to him. I’m happy to throw myself into the crowd and chat with anyone, but not him.
Brooke never went into detail and fuck knows I don’t need her to. Knowing a guy hanging around with your group has fucked your girlfriend is super fucking weird.
Brooke never gave me a reason to believe there was more to it. She has no lingering feelings.
In fact, I feel sorry for the guy. I know what it’s like to be loved by Brooke. To be that lucky asshole she wants to spend her time with.
I don’t know Ciro’s feelings on the matter. He’s kept his distance, and I’ve only noticed him look at Brooke once. There is nothing concerning about the way he looks at her. But fuck him if that changes. I’ll kick his ass if he tries anything with her.
“Sandy, how much longer are we going to be kept in suspense?” I ask, pushing thoughts of Ciro bedding my woman aside. “The asshole intending to eat with us. Show his face even?”
“Is that any way to speak of your host?”
Everyone whirls around to the doors of the ranch.
“Called it,” I shout and high five Brooke, who is sitting beside me.
Nick is laughing hysterically, and Adam’s mouth is hanging open.
Jordan isn’t wearing chaps, much to my disappointment.
He has dusty old jeans on, draped over cowboy boots. He’s wearing a blue and white checkered flannel shirt, a brown suede waistcoat and a fucking Stetson.
Alessa… just looks like Alessa, in a black top that hangs down her thighs and electric blue tights with her gray Rocket Dog boots, the laces wrapped around her ankles but untied. The only thing that isn’t normal is her smile. That is unusual.
There is an odd spotlight, and I can’t quite pinpoint where it’s coming from, but it’s directly on Jordan and Alessa.
“What the hell, man,” Nick says, walking over to him, taking his hat and putting it on his own head, then fist bumping our drummer.
“Gimme,” Jordan grabs the hat back and looks proud as a fucking peacock as he stuffs it back on his head. Then he looks around. “Fuck yeah, everyone is here! This is gonna be a blast.”
Nick moves around Jordan and puts his arm around Alessa in a quick one-armed crush against his side that has her smile turning into a grimace, but her eyes are still laughing. Nick knows she isn’t really angry.
When we first met their band, I thought Nick would hook up with her. They bonded over the bass, but turns out that asshole always had a thing for the girl whose heart he broke.
“What is all this about?” Adam asks.
“It’s about having fun, taking a break, living our best lives,” Jordan holds his arms to the side, a wide smile on his lips. “We don’t do enough of it, so I forced the issue.”
“You get packages?”
“You mean the bags with our schedules?” Elsa asks in response to Alessa’s question. She’s bouncing in excitement. “Yes, we got them on the bus. I can’t wait for the hike. I miss hiking so much. And the horses, are we allowed to ride them?”
“ Tak ,” Alessa replies. “All here for you to enjoy. Pool, horses. No fucking in hot tub,” she adds on the end and that gets a laugh from a few people.
“The hike is fucking awesome, Els Bells, you’re gonna love it,” Jordan grins, then he glances around and waves. The bar tender comes over with a large bucket holding three bottles of champagne. Sandy is behind him pushing a trolley that has tall champagne glasses on. “Gather round my people.”
I exchange a glance with Adam, who rolls his eyes. The guys and girls from BreakNeck and Red Alert gather around as the bartender pours everyone a glass of champagne.
Between him and Sandy, they hand them all out. Jenna takes hers and Adam goes to take it away, like the fucking ass wipe he is. She nudges him with her hip.
Too late, though. Jordan and Sandy saw it.
“Dude, what the hell?” he says to Adam. “Let the girl have her glass. We’re all here to celebrate.”
“Yeah, sure, sorry,” Adam steps back.
I’ve never seen him look more uncomfortable in my life, his eyes darting from Jenna to Sandy to Jordan.
“Shit!” Sandy exclaims beside me. She pushes through so she is standing in front of her daughter. She takes Jenna’s hand. “Why did he do that?”
Jenna looks like a deer in the headlights again, like after she got outed on the plane. But a smile breaks over her face and she glances back at Adam. He steps up behind her and pulls her into him, his hand around her waist.
“Are you?” Sandy takes both of Jenna’s hands now, shaking them.
“Yep.”
Sandy screams. It's so loud, it spooks the horses. And Jack, who almost drops his champagne glass.
“Shit, Mama, what’s going on over here?” Jordan must have missed what happened.
“I’m a grandma!” Sandy shrieks.
“Huh?”
“Keep up big guy,” I slap Jordan on the shoulder. “Adam knocked her up.”
“Archer!” Sandy glares at me, but it doesn’t last long before the smile beams across her mouth again. Another round of excitement passes through the group.
“Everyone, oh shit, except you,” Jordan points at Jenna. “Or can you, like, have a sip or something? One glass won’t hurt, right?”
“I’ll just hold it,” Jenna assures Jordan.
“Okay good. This is fantastic. The first BreakNeck baby. Everyone raise a glass to Jenna and Ad for starting us off on the next generation of bad asses!”
As toasts go, it’s typical Jordan. We all toast them.
Jordan tells us all to mingle, eat and drink and enjoy ourselves. So we do.
He gets cornered a few times and I see Brooke standing with her arms crossed, giving him a glare that always gets people to tell her the truth, but he just reiterates that he knows we’ve all been working hard, both bands have more grueling work coming up and we needed this break. I’m not convinced Brooke believes him, still giving him the evil eye.
Everyone is having an awesome time. I’m watching the girls dance when Jordan drops into the seat next to me. He reaches his arms up onto the back of the sofa, running his hand through my hair. I jerk my head away and look at him like he’s crazy, but he just grins.
“I love how no one trusts me,” he says, downing another glass of champagne.
“Well, you are renowned for your bullshittery. Plus, it’s been so secretive, people have been guessing.”
“Pray tell,” he wiggles his eyebrows.
“Wedding bells.” He looks aghast and I laugh. “Okay, fine. But this place,” I look at the ranch, out to the stables and the pasture. They have put away the horses… to bed? Inside anyway. “You hire it out? Must have cost a fortune.”
“Nope, didn’t hire it,”
I turn back to him. “You own it?” my eyes widen. He nods with another huge smile. “Jesus Jordan, what the fuck are you gonna do with a horse ranch in Colorado?”
“I’m a part-time cowboy. I’m learning all the shit that goes with it. Got the best people looking after the horses.”
“How long have you had this place?”
“Couple of months,” he shrugs. “Lessie loves horses. So, I got her horses.”
“In the fucking wilderness.”
“You telling me waking up to this will not be epic? You saw those mountains. Wait till you see the town tomorrow. The people are all fantastic, don’t give two shits that we’re famous. It might be a bit more intense when we’re all around tomorrow, but we’re safe. Stone and Marcello are here too.” He refers to a couple of our bodyguards. “But I don’t see any real issues.”
“Trouble follows you,” I point out.
“That it does.” Nick drops on the other side of Jordan. “Alessa just told me you fucking own this place.” He shakes his head. Jordan tells him what he told me. “I think it’s great. Elsa wants to go riding as soon as possible.”
“Shit, it’s like nothing I’ve ever done before,” he nods his head enthusiastically. “Fucks with your balls though, sitting in that saddle. And my ass was sore for days.”
“Wonderful,” I drawl. “Looking forward to that.”
“So tomorrow we head to the festival and then what?” Nick asks.
“We chill. We have a shindig here in the evening. We can get dickied up, have our own little Rockstar party.”
“Does that mean you won’t be wearing your hat?”
“Darn tootin’ I will. Hat, cowboy boots, tux, it’s gonna be fabulous.”
I mouth ‘darn tootin’ at Nick, who is laughing beside him.
“I gotta say, I think it’s a good idea. All this, getting everyone away from all the shit. You did good, Jord,” Nick says.
I agree. Adam ambles over and we go through it again, the shock on his face morphing to laughter. Looks like he’s had too much champagne.
“Just don’t break another fucking bone,” he adds. “Bianca will have your balls.”
“They’re a shadow of their former selves, I hear,” I laugh. Adam looks confused. “Horseback riding apparently has its drawbacks.”
“It was my inner thighs that got the brunt of it when me and Jenna did it. You must have been doing it wrong if you got sore balls, man.”
The conversation descends from there and we are laughing like fucking teenage boys when the girls join us. We spend the rest of the night drinking and laughing, telling stories, talking about what it’s gonna be like when we have the baby. Slowly everyone drifts inside to bed. I hook my arm around Brooke’s neck as we head inside.
We are both too tired for sex, but she snuggles up against me and is fast asleep within minutes. I look down at her, hardly able to believe this is my life these days.
And it hits me again. I couldn’t be fucking happier.