Toxic (Addiction #1)

  She had just turned a corner when she ran smack into a hard chest. She looked up and came face to face with Grey Cross from Shattered Souls. Her heart instantly started pounding at being so close to the bass guitarist of the incredibly popular band.

  Shattered Souls was, by far, Maisy, Willow and Kaid’s favorite band. Twisted Perfection actually did a couple of covers of their songs, they loved them so much. Willow crushed on Grey Cross big time, even though he was the only attached band member. He had a longtime girlfriend that he talked about in almost every single interview he did. It was rather endearing. Pissed Willow off though, which Maisy didn’t understand because it wasn’t like Willow had a chance with the guy. Maisy chuckled to herself thinking about how Willow would kill herself for not coming into the store and getting her own damn jerky.

  Willow might be head over heels infatuated with Grey, but Maisy couldn’t help herself when it came to Rook Tyler. He was the epitome of a rock star. His glorious muscles that rippled through his tight, short t-shirts, his hair that was just long enough where it could stand straight out in all different directions, but not fall over in a messy sort of way, his piercing blue eyes and the one thing that could steal Maisy’s heart…his voice.

  She listened to him sing through her ear buds for hours, studying the passion, pain and hurt in his voice. It was deep with a little bit of a rasp. It was seductive and the sole reason why millions of women flocked to the arenas to listen to him sing. He was mesmerizing.

  “Oh, crap. Sorry about that,” Grey said, as he bent down to pick up some of the Ramen noodles Maisy had dropped. “Looks like you’re going to have a feast.”

  Maisy wanted to say something in return, but her lips weren’t moving. Her brain was sending her signals, but she was paralyzed…completely star struck.

  “Ok then…” Grey said, while looking around.

  “Dude, what the hell are you doing? We’re checking out…” Cruz Romero, Shattered Souls guitarist said, as he sidled up next to Grey. “Oh my, what have you found?”

  “Leave her alone,” Grey said, as he placed the fallen bags of noodles in Maisy’s hands. “Sorry about that. Come on, man.”

  They started to walk away and, at that moment, Maisy knew she was losing her chance. So instead of being a normal human and striking up a casual conversation, as they walked away she blurted out, “I’m in a band!”

  A wave of heated embarrassment flushed over her as the two heartthrobs turned to look at her with amusement lining their eyes.

  “Is that right, sweetheart?” Cruz said, as he started walking toward them. Grey stopped him by putting a hand on his shoulder and muttered something under his breath that made Cruz stop in his tracks.

  “Twisted Perfection.” She realized they had no clue what the hell she was talking about because they looked at her as if she had a nipple coming out of her forehead. So she continued, as fast as she could.

  “That’s my band’s name, Twisted Perfection. We do covers of your songs all the time and we have a lot of our own stuff. We play in shitty bars around here. You should come watch us sometime.”

  The guys looked at each other and she continued. “Not that you want to come to crappy bars where you can get beer that tastes like piss water for two bucks. But we have good songs…”

  “I happen to like two buck piss water,” said a voice that was unmistakable.

  Rook Tyler.

  Maisy’s heart beat frantically as the dirty-blonde, blue-eyed God of her dreams walked up behind his two bandmates. He was even more gorgeous in person and taller then she expected. Not as tall as Cruz, but at least over six foot. He was wearing a pair of worn-out, tight jeans and one of his infamous tight black shirts with sleeves that barely covered his glorious biceps.

  “What’s all the commotion over here?” Rook asked, while he looked Maisy up and down.

  “Grey is picking up a girl.”

  “Fuck off, man.” Grey said, while pushing away Cruz’s hand that was patting his face. “Don’t go saying shit like that. I don’t need little Miss I’m-In-A-Band telling everyone I tried to get her into bed with me.”

  Once again, Maisy felt her face heat up with embarrassment. She clearly wasn’t good enough to be around these guys. They were incredibly good looking and they clearly didn’t want to be seen with her. It wouldn’t be the first time someone said she wasn’t good enough.

  She excused herself from the three pairs of gorgeous eyes staring at her and walked to the register, where she grabbed some stupid beef jerky for Willow and threw some change at the cashier. The quicker she could leave, the better.

  She had royally embarrassed herself and she didn’t need to make the situation any worse than it was. Without looking back, she grabbed her food and walked to the van.

  She slammed the door to the passenger side and said, “Go!”

  “Jesus. You’re acting like you robbed the damn place,” Kaid said, as he put the car in drive.

  Maisy refused to tell them what happened because, if they knew she ran into Shattered Souls in the Seven-Eleven, Kaid would have the van turned around in no time and Willow would have her tits half way out of her shirt ready for display. Maisy didn’t want to go back because she didn’t need to subject herself to more embarrassment.

  Kaid and Willow were discussing the complexities of what kind of meat goes into a link of beef jerky while Maisy stared out her window, watching the parade of homeless people, trash and empty beer bottles pass her by. She had her chance to make a difference for her life and her family, Kaid and Willow, but she missed out on it. She tried to convince herself that nothing would have happened even if she didn’t act like a blubbering idiot, but for some reason, she felt like she missed out on a huge opportunity and it was going to slowly eat away at her.

  ***

  It had been a week and Grey still could not get the girl from the Seven-Eleven out of his head. Not because he was interested in her, no he had Quinn, the most amazing girlfriend a guy could ask for. He kept thinking about the Seven-Eleven girl because he could not believe what an ass he was to her. He was in such a bad mood that night, thanks to Rook’s inability to keep his damn dick in his pants that he took it out on the poor, innocent girl.

  Normally, when Rook ended up taking a girl back to his room, the band didn’t think much of it, but this time, with Bridget, Rook really screwed up. Not only did Rook, once again, give the band some bad press, but the spat between the two lead singers caused Mayer’s Men to drop out of the tour, leaving Shattered Souls to have to pick up the fee for the drop out. Grey didn’t see how the record label could make them do that, since it was Mayer’s Men who dropped out, but then later on Grey found out from their band manager, Pete, that Mayer’s Men was going to go on their own tour, which led to more costs and since it all came down to Rook’s wandering dick…Shattered Souls had to pay.

  Rook was starting to get out of hand and Grey didn’t know how to handle it. When they first started their band back in high school, Rook was staying at Grey and Landon’s place. He was the third brother, as they called him. His parents were nowhere to be found all through high school, so Rook became a part of the Cross family.

  Cruz came along after he moved to Los Angeles with his family from Maryland. They met in homeroom and instantly bonded over Cruz’s Blink 182 t-shirt. They were so cool back then. Luckily, they found out that Cruz played the guitar and it was set, they finalized the members in their band and they had been together ever since.

  Throughout high school, Rook floated between the Cross house and Cruz’s, depending on the night. Later on, Rook spent more time with Cruz because they were more alike, didn’t give a shit about what people thought and loved to dabble in new “pleasures.”

  Even though they were together, the band had always been semi-separated. It was always Rook and Cruz, and Landon and Grey, the bad boys and the good boys. They always joked around about it, but lately the titles seemed to really stick and if Grey didn’t try to do something about it,
he was afraid it might affect the band.

  “Earth to Grey!” shouted Landon, as he flung his hands in front of his face. “What the hell are you thinking about?”

  “Probably Quinn’s fine-ass body,” Rook said, while leaning back in his chair and sipping on a glass of scotch.

  Quinn came up next to Grey and sat on his lap. She traveled with the boys and did their styling for them. She was amazing at picking out clothes and she had styled the guys ever since they started their band. Luckily, the label loved her so much, that they let Quinn travel on the road, giving Grey full access to his girl any time he wanted.

  Quinn ruffled his hair and said, “He better be thinking about my body and not that girl from the other night.”

  “What girl?” Cruz asked.

  They were all at their favorite bar, The Tavern, grabbing one last drink before they headed back out on the road for a two month tour. They were incredibly lucky to have some success in their lives, but sometimes the tour schedule could be grueling, as well as all the television appearances, radio spots and magazine shoots. He wasn’t complaining because he was a really lucky guy, but he was ready for a break.

  “That girl from the Seven-Eleven. I was such a douche to her.”

  “Don’t beat yourself up over it, babe,” Quinn said, while kissing his forehead. “It was one girl and I’m sure she was so star-struck she doesn’t even remember.”

  “But I only get one impression with fans and I totally blew that one…”

  “For fuck’s sake,” Rook groaned. “Did you get your period today or something? Get over it. I’m sick of you crying about it.”

  “If it wasn’t for your wandering Johnson, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

  Rook just shrugged and took another swig from his glass. Grey started to fume and Quinn, luckily, noticed. She rubbed his shoulders and kissed him on the jaw, instantly relaxing him.

  “Bobby!” Cruz shouted to the bar owner. “Can we get another round?”

  Bobby nodded in their direction, indicating he got the order. Bobby had always been their number one fan and helped promote them when they were a young band, trying to get their feet on the ground.

  “Let’s celebrate,” Cruz said, as he handed out the new round of drinks delivered by the tall brunette that always seemed to catch Cruz’s eye. “Thanks, sweetheart.” Cruz turned to the boys and said, “To another road trip, let’s drink…bros before hoes!” They all took a swig of their drinks as Cruz smirked at Quinn.

  “Keeping it classy, Cruz,” Quinn said.

  “You know it, sexy.” Cruz was a shameless flirt when it came to any female with two legs, walking upright.

  “So what are we going to do…?” Grey started to say, but was cut off by a loud strum of a guitar.

  Their attention was pulled to center stage where a girl stood with a guitar in her hands and her face framed by blonde waves. Her silhouette was all they could see, but her voice rang through The Tavern, stopping all conversations and drawing in all the patrons. Her voice was sweet yet had a bit of an edge to it, as if she had been to hell and back.

  Her voice was the only thing that rang out through The Tavern, no instruments, no background noise. It was just her and the mic. Grey looked over to Rook who’s chair was now flat on the ground as he was leaning forward, listening intently. Rook must be thinking the same thing as Grey was…new opening act.

  Chapter 2

  The minute the edgy angel’s voice rang through Rook’s ears, he knew she was something special. He knew there was something about her that was drawing him in and he needed to find out who she was. He never looked for women, they always came to him, but he was intrigued this time.

  He listened to the girl sing a capella until the lights shined bright on her, followed by her band joining in. That was when he was able to take her all in. She was small, with alabaster skin and long, blonde, wavy hair that floated down around her waist and she had an angelic face that had seen rough days. He couldn’t get a good look at her eyes since they were closed, but when she opened them, they were big, deep brown, almost a dark chocolate hue.

  She was gorgeous.

  Then it hit him, where had he seen those big brown eyes before? He knew that face, it was a face that haunted him at night sometimes, but he couldn’t place it. Maybe he should start laying off the booze and drugs. She couldn’t be a girl he’d already fucked, no way, he would remember her.

  “Dude! That’s Miss Seven-Eleven,” Cruz shouted over the music. “Damn, she does have a band!”

  “Miss Seven-Eleven? As in Grey’s girl?” Landon said, while poking fun at Grey who flipped Landon off.

  For some reason, Landon calling Miss Seven-Eleven, Grey’s girl, bothered Rook…a lot. He didn’t like it at all. He also didn’t like the way Cruz was licking his lips and looking her up and down. Cruz went after any girl that he came across and sometimes Rook and Cruz even shared girls, but for some reason, Rook was getting territorial and he didn’t like the feeling at all. He was never that guy and would never be that guy, so why was he feeling like…that guy?

  Rook tried to play it nonchalant. “She’s alright.”

  All three of his band members turned and looked at him as if he was crazy.

  “Alright? Man, you need to clean the used condoms out of your ears because she is amazing,” Landon said, while watching the band.

  Rook silently agreed with that statement. He watched as his edgy angel sang with her heart and soul. She swayed back and forth while playing her guitar and interacting with the crowd. Her little body moved to the music her delicate hands created. The whole scene in front of him was unforgettable. Male patrons of The Tavern whistled at her, making the hairs on Rook’s neck stand up.

  Why was he getting so possessive? He didn’t even know the girl’s name. He never became possessive over women; he didn’t have time. Women took too much time. He used them for what he needed and then he got rid of them. Might seem harsh to other people, but it was better than him getting hurt or, God almighty…attached.

  Rook took in the entire band on stage, Twisted Perfection. They had a good sound, a bit of a folky rock which appealed to Rook because his band had the same sound, but a little bit more rock. They all had their own style, kind of a mish mosh of talent, but when they came together, they sounded amazing.

  Twisted Perfection was composed of three members, two girls and a guy. The girls were the frontrunners, the guitarists and eye candy. Good planning on their part. The bassist was gorgeous as well. She had a body that would knock any guy off his feet and her hair was just as blonde as Miss Seven-Eleven’s but she had pink streaks throughout the front, giving her more of a punk look. She had tattoos on her knuckles and Rook wondered if his edgy angel had any tattoos. He couldn’t see any, but that didn’t mean she didn’t have them.

  His edgy angel? Rook shook his head in disgust. One hot blonde with a gorgeous voice and he started to lose his mind. Was that all it really took?

  All of a sudden, a familiar guitar rift drifted over the crowd, a very familiar guitar rift, one that Rook came up with himself. Then her voice rang out and she started singing the words that had flowed from Rook’s pen. His favorite song, “You don’t know me,” started playing and Rook was entranced.

  The song was one of their biggest hits, but for some reason, the way Twisted Perfection slowed down the melody and the harmony of two girl voices put together brought the song he heard in his head over and over again to life for the first time. He had heard many covers of his songs, but never had they ever sounded this good. Never had they touched him so deeply.

  Shit.

  Shattered Souls listened silently to the rest of Twisted Perfection’s set and they all came to a silent agreement when the band got off the stage…they were perfect for the tour.

  “We need to talk to them,” said Grey.

  Rook didn’t want to show too much emotion about the decision, even though deep inside he was screaming yes, so he just shook his head and downed
the rest of his drink. He decided that he would take a back seat in all the talking because he couldn’t get too invested.

  Then it hit him, if Twisted Perfection went on tour with them, he would be spending a lot of time with Miss Seven-Eleven. He didn’t think he could do that; there was no way he could spend almost every day around her and not let his emotions take charge. He was already possessive when it came to her without even meeting her, he couldn’t get to know her and hear her sing almost every night. It would be pure torture.

  “I think we could do better,” Rook said, as his bandmates stared at him as if he was crazy. “The Seven-Eleven chick was pitchy, the drummer was off beat most of the time and the pink priss was too much. They’re totally wrong for us.” Rook took out a cigarette and lit up, not caring that he was in a non-smoking area. Rules were something that were never on his radar.

  “You’re insane,” Grey said. “They were amazing and totally blew your song in your face. They played that a hundred times better than you ever have.”

  That lit Rook’s ass on fire. He jumped to his feet and got in Grey’s face, making all the guys stand up.

  “You just want to invite them on tour so you can fuck the little blonde you can’t get out of your head.”

  Grey’s face burned with anger and Rook knew he had hit a soft spot. Quinn was an amazing girlfriend and put up with a lot from Grey. Grey never cheated, ever, but he was blamed and chastised multiple times, putting his relationship with Quinn through the wringer. So any accusation that came his way was not taken lightly.

  Before Grey could get in Rook’s face, Quinn stopped him and pulled Grey’s face so they were looking each other in the eyes. Rook saw Quinn whisper something to Grey which caused him to nod his head and settle down.

  Grey turned to Rook and said, “We’re going to go talk to them. You can either come with us or you can stay here and get wasted, once again, by yourself.”

  Rook didn’t like the tone of voice Grey was using and, frankly, Rook was sick of Grey acting like a prick so he called the waitress over and ordered himself another scotch, this time a double.