Chapter Ten
CHAPTER TEN
“ Y ou seem to be latching on to the rock-star lifestyle pretty quickly,” Hendrix teased as we stood in front of baggage claim.
He’d met me here just moments earlier with a big smile on his face, not a trace of fatigue. My Strat was strapped securely around his chest, all snug and safe in her hard case along with his base.
“Having someone hand-deliver clothes to you? That’s pretty damn bougie.”
A young woman standing next to us did a double take, eyeing me up and down.
“It was your idea, fuckface, and will you shut the hell up with that shit?” I said under my breath, giving him a hard stare.
He laughed, clearly unfazed and very much amused.
If there was anyone who could adjust well to the rock-star life, it would be Hendrix. It wasn’t that he was a fame seeker per se; it was more his ability to adapt and the unfathomable charm he possessed. Hendrix was just a likable guy. You couldn’t be around him without being drawn to his infectious personality.
Of the two of us, I’d always thought it would be him who would break out and make it big.
He’d been trained for it after all.
Music was a way of life in the Creed family. Hell, they’d all been named after musical legends. But no one had really taken to it more than Hendrix.
Like me, he could play a myriad of instruments, but his calling was the bass.
He’d been in a band since college. They slowly made a name for themselves and even got a record deal. But not all of them were willing to put in the work, and they had fallen apart before they could even release their first single. Hendrix had been sort of drifting ever since. He’d done a little session work, but Lance and I both agreed he had far too much talent to be doing grunt work for his father.
“Afraid you’ll be recognized?” He playfully smacked the back of my head. “It’s not like your Beyoncé.”
“I already was,” I told him as he bent forward and hauled a huge suitcase from the conveyor belt.
My eyes widened. How much shit had he packed me?
“Seriously?” His excitement was palpable. This was why our roles should have been reversed. He would love this. The attention. The fans. He’d take it all in stride. “In Ocracoke, really?”
I nodded. “Nearly gave a teenage girl a heart attack,” I said quietly as he grabbed another bag. “Jesus, is that all?” I asked, mortified by how much stuff we’d accumulated. “You know I’m only gonna be here for a few weeks, not a few months, right?”
“Yeah, but I had no idea what to pack.”
“So, you brought my entire closet?” I packed less than this for international tours.
“No, Presley did that.”
“Oh, okay. That makes sense.” I grabbed the handle of the largest bag.
He shook his head in disbelief. “So, it’s okay if she does it, but not when I do?”
“I trust her. At least I know everything matches.”
“How can it not match? All you ever wear is black.”
I looked down at my hoodie and jeans and just grinned.
He wasn’t wrong.
“So, tell me about your roommate.”
It had been several hours since the airport, and we’d just disembarked the ferry. It was Hendrix’s first experience using this specific mode of transportation, and he’d been enthralled, to say the least.
“Dude, this is, like, a real fucking ferry!”
I just stared at him, my eyes blinking. “I don’t even know how to respond to that.”
“I’m in a car, on a boat…in the ocean.” He said it like he was Bill from Bill I’ll try to be quiet this time.”
My face blanched, and her head tipped back in laughter.
“You’re right. Definitely not jealous.”
A mischievous grin spread across my face, moments before I lifted my hand out of the water and dunked her. I heard her gasp in surprise a split second before she went under. Her revenge was swift. I felt her legs wrap around my torso, and a moment later, she was dragging me under with her.
In other circumstances, I would have been seriously impressed by leg strength, but at the time, all I could think about was the feel of her body pressed against mine. Her arms circled my neck as we rose to the surface. Our eyes met as we took our first breath, and the playful humor turned into something else entirely.
I should let her go , I thought.
But I didn’t.
My gaze dropped to her mouth as my hand moved down her back, grazing the edges of her bikini bottom. Her eyes flashed with desire, and she drew in a quick breath of air. Her fingers dug into my hair.
I knew I was toeing a line. Damn near crossing it.
But I couldn’t bring myself to care.
I bent my head, my heart ramming in my chest.
“You guys are the cutest couple.”
We both froze. Looking to our side, I found the three college girls, all clustered together as they swam back to shore.
I felt Elena try to pull away from me. I held her close.
“Thank you.” I smiled through my teeth as I tried to keep up the ruse and savor every last second she was still in my arms.
The girls swam by, and I wasn’t sure whether to thank them or curse them for the interruption.
Because when it came to Elena Mendez, nothing ever made sense.