Toxic (Addiction #1)

  She walked over to where Grey was sitting, listening to music on his phone and sat next to him with her bass guitar.

  When he noticed her, he removed his ear buds and gave her all his attention.

  “Hey Willow, what’s up?”

  “Do you have a second?”

  “Of course, just listening to some music, nothing too important. What can I do for you? Is everything okay?”

  “Yes, everything is fine. We couldn’t be more grateful for everything you’ve done for us.” Willow leaned forward so her shirt dipped forward, showing off her ample cleavage. Grey took advantage of the view with a quick glance, but then his face went red from his obvious glance.

  Win for Willow.

  She continued, “I just thought that you could help me with this one part of a song I’m putting together. Maisy does all the lyrics for our songs; we help her, but she pretty much controls that part of the music. Kaid and I put together the instrumentals and there is this one part where I’m kind of stuck. I don’t know how to flow into the chorus and since I look up to you and your bad-ass bass skills, I was hoping you could lend me a hand.”

  Grey gave her a boyish grin. “Bad-ass bass skills, huh? I need to keep you around because you do wonders for my ego.”

  “Keep me around as long as you want,” Willow said, while leaning forward some more.

  Grey cleared his throat and said, “Uh, what is the part you’re stuck on?”

  Willow showed him where she was stuck and for the next half hour, they worked together on the song, making sure the music flowed together and sounded right. Willow was surprised that they were able to work so well together, especially since Willow was lusting after the man. She was pathetic for coming up with a reason to spend some time with Grey, but it turned out her idea was a good one because together they came up with an awesome lead-in to the chorus.

  Grey looked up at her and studied her face for a second, causing Willow to squirm at his stare.

  “You’re really good, you know. I don’t think I’ve ever met such a, uh, good female bassist.”

  “You meet a lot of us?”

  “No, none actually. You’re the first.”

  “Well I’m glad I can make a good impression for all female bassists.”

  “You sure did.”

  They were staring at each other when someone who was looking over them cleared their throat. Willow reluctantly looked up and saw Quinn standing over them with drinks in her hands.

  “I thought you two might be thirsty. Landon said you were hard at work when I came out of the bunk. I didn’t want to bother you, but I just wanted to make sure you were well-hydrated,” she said with a wink.

  “Thank you, sweetheart,” Grey said, while taking the soda Quinn brought him. Willow reluctantly watched him place a sweet kiss on her cheek. “You should hear the lead-in we came up with. I really think it adds something to the song.”

  Quinn sat down next to Grey, put her arm around his waist and leaned in so she could see Willow.

  With a big smile she said, “Let me hear it. I’m sure it’s amazing if you two worked on it. Honestly, I was so impressed with the way you play Willow. You guys are so talented and, believe me, I don’t say that very often. Mayer’s Men, who opened before you guys, they were okay, but rather annoying. I can’t tell you how great it is to have some more talent around here and women! The testosterone is a little too much sometimes.”

  “I can understand that. I think Kaid is excited about hanging out with some guys for once. I think he was afraid he was going to start growing hips and boobs from hanging out with Maisy and me for so long. I know he is relieved to have fellow dicks around.”

  Quinn laughed and Grey grinned at her. “Poor Kaid. I will make sure the guys welcome him with open arms. So let me hear the song. I’m dying to know what kind of magic you two can make.”

  Willow tried not to smirk at Quinn’s comment because Willow was thinking the same exact thing. After working with Grey on her song, there was no way in hell she could back down now. He was exactly how she thought he would be: kind, caring, and sexy as hell. Even though Quinn was incredibly sweet and Willow could actually see being friends with her, it didn’t matter because Willow was going to steal Quinn’s man.

  Chapter 4

  After fourteen hours on the bus, they finally arrived at their first venue in Portland, Oregon. There were many amazing things that were happening in Maisy’s life and one of them was exploring new places. She had lived in one city her entire life and never ventured out, now that she got to travel around the country for work, she couldn’t believe the amazing perk she was granted.

  Driving through Northern California was exciting, since she had never been past North Los Angeles. She couldn’t believe the difference in the terrain. Instead of palm trees, there were giant redwoods on the sides of the road. It was a completely different view, which only inspired Maisy. She spent the majority of her trip writing down lyrics in the leather journal that Kaid got her for her last birthday. It was a traditional gift she got from him every year. He always got her a leather journal, but the style differed every year. The one she was currently working in had a starburst etched into the leather; it was one of her favorites.

  The label booked a recording studio for them in Portland which they already took advantage of in the morning. They were going in for a second session later that afternoon. The whole process of making an album was very intimidating and she found herself messing up lyrics, chords, and her throat was dry, making her voice sound more like a fifty-year-old smoker than a twenty-one-year-old woman.

  Kaid and Willow were perfect, of course. It was as if they were born to perform the moment they exited the womb. They never had nerves; they just did what they did best…play. Maisy, on the other hand, felt a lot more pressure. She was the lead singer, lead guitarist and it was her words they were singing. She knew they had good songs, but she was also partial. She wasn’t sure how well everyone else was going to accept the feelings and emotions she put into her songs.

  She liked to think that Twisted Perfection’s sound was like Shattered Souls, but Shattered Souls was a little darker, a little more mysterious whereas Twisted Perfection sometimes bordered on girly. The difference was in the lead singers and song writers.

  Maisy had a rough life growing up. Her mom died when she was young, leaving her to the care of her father. No one thought anything of it since he was such a loving husband, but Maisy knew differently the day they came home from her mom’s funeral. The way her dad looked at her that night was terrifying. Almost every night after that, Maisy was forced to go to bed naked while her dad visited her before he went to bed. Being molested by her father almost became second nature to her, which was sickening to even think about. Whenever he came into her room, naked and horny as hell, she slipped into a dark place in the back of her mind while her dad did what he wanted to her. Not once did she scream or cry because, if she did, her struggle guaranteed her a good beating. Instead, she rested her adolescent head on the pillowcase that was her mother’s and slipped into another world while her dad took advantage of her day in and day out.

  She was all sorts of fucked up, but what made her different from Rook was she didn’t take it out on everyone around her and spend her time brooding in the back of the bus, making people feel bad when they were genuinely concerned. Her interaction with Rook was still bothering her. She spoke to Kaid about the brief conversation she had with Rook. The grand advice he gave her was to leave Rook alone. Apparently, he heard from Landon that Rook had some serious issues and to not take anything personally when it came to him. Easier said than done.

  How could she not take things personally when it came to Rook? Especially when he looked at her as if she was the only woman in the world, but when he opened his mouth, what followed were words full of disdain. He didn’t even show up to Twisted Perfection’s first studio session. The rest of the guys and Quinn were there, cheering them on, helping them out, supporting t
hem, but once again, Rook was nowhere to be found. Maisy tried not to think much of it, but she knew one of the reasons why she was screwing up so much in the studio was because of Rook, because she couldn’t get him out of her head.

  Completely alone, she sat on the couch in the studio playing with her guitar while everyone else went out to lunch. She needed some time alone to get her head together before the next session. The label wasn’t going to put up with her inability to perform for very long, no matter how much Shattered Souls loved them.

  “Hey.”

  Maisy looked up from her guitar and saw Cruz standing in the doorway. It boggled her mind that one band could be comprised of four amazingly gorgeous and very talented men. They all had their own personalities, but they meshed very well together.

  Cruz was the ladies’ man; Rook was too, but Cruz made it very well known. He was a shameless flirt with a Latin side to him that he used to his advantage. His dark hair formed into a faux-hawk on the top of his head and his tan helped bring out the almost black color of his eyes. He was handsome, no doubt about it.

  “Hey.” Maisy said while scooting over so Cruz could sit next to her.

  “I brought you some tea,” he said, while handing her a to-go cup of steaming liquid. “It will help with the tightness in your throat you’re experiencing.”

  “Thank you. Am I that bad right now?”

  Cruz smiled at her, damn, he really was good looking. “No, you’re amazing actually, just nervous. It happens to the best of us. My first time in the studio it felt like my fingers froze and I lost all ability to move them up and down my guitar. After getting ripped a new asshole by Rook, I started to perform. Just needed to get past the nerves.”

  “How do you do that?”

  Cruz shrugged. “Suck it up and know that what you’re doing is not just for you but it’s for two other people as well. I couldn’t let my boys down, so I pulled my shit together and performed. I have no doubt you will do the same. You’re really good, Maisy, and I’m not just saying that to get in your pants,” Cruz gave her a wicked smile.

  “Grey warned me about you,” Maisy said teasingly.

  “He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Come here.” Cruz pulled her into a hug and rubbed her back. “Drink your tea and clear your head. Next time you go in there, just act like you’re on stage. It will all come naturally to you.”

  “Thanks…”

  The door to the studio opened, startling both Cruz and Maisy. They separated and looked at who was standing in the doorway.

  Rook had his hand wrapped around the neck of his guitar, wearing a pair of black jeans and a gray shirt making him mouth-wateringly gorgeous. His face was tight with tension and his eyes burned with fury and confusion.

  He looked at Cruz and asked, “What’s going on?”

  Cruz pulled Maisy into his side and said, “Maisy was a little nervous this morning so I came to give her some advice.”

  “Jesus.” Rook threw his arms up and looked around the studio. “Is she going to be here all afternoon or is someone else going to be able to get in some time?”

  Why the guys were talking about her as if she wasn’t in the room was beyond her, but she was so damn intimidated by Rook and his mood, she just kept quiet.

  “If you actually paid attention to what the hell was going on with everyone else rather than yourself, you would know that Twisted Perfection has the studio all day. They are just out for lunch right now.”

  Rook blew out a frustrated breath and flew out of the room just as fast as he came in. Maisy didn’t think it was possible for a person to be that cranky for such a long period of time, but Rook was proving her theory wrong.

  “Don’t let him bother you. He must be on his period.”

  Maisy laughed and then looked up at Cruz. “He seems like such a nice guy in his interviews, intense but nice. I don’t get it. Is it me?”

  “Nah, he can be a giant dick most of the time. We put up with him because we know deep down, past all the booze and depression, he’s a great guy. He would do anything for us and we would do the same.”

  Maisy picked at a piece of lint that was on her skirt. “He could be a little more personable.”

  “I agree. He’s been weird ever since we got back on tour. He never spends that much time in the back of the bus. He has his time back there, but usually he is playing games with the rest of us or just shooting the shit.”

  “Then it is me!” Maisy said, really believing it.

  “I wouldn’t say that. I would just give him some time. He goes through these moods where he is very secluded; now must be one of those times. We have a long road trip together, so might as well not spend it worrying about what version of Rook we will see today.” Cruz lifted her chin up and kissed her on the cheek. “You need to worry about going in the studio and blowing us all away like you did on stage at The Tavern.”

  Maisy knew she could do it. If anything, she wanted to shove her talent down Rook’s throat. He was so infuriating. Maisy had been nothing but nice to him and the entire time he acted like she was one giant inconvenience to his life. Even though she had a very inappropriate crush on him, especially since he was a jerk, she was going to prove him wrong. Show him that she deserved to be opening for Shattered Souls and deserved to be in his presence, no matter how much he thought differently.

  ***

  Rook sat on the bus replaying the moment he walked in on Cruz and Maisy holding each other, over and over in his mind. He almost lost all control and ripped Cruz’s dick off with his bare hands when he saw his arms wrapped around Maisy. Cruz was known to play around with women, but never want anything serious; so was Rook, for that matter, but Maisy was different. She was special; she didn’t need two bastards like Rook and Cruz messing with her and Rook didn’t need to be caught up in Maisy either.

  He heard a little bit of their studio session and wanted to reach out to Maisy. That was why he went into the studio. He knew she was there by herself while everyone else was out to lunch. He was going to try to calm her nerves and help her out but the fuck stick, Cruz, got to her first.

  The minute Rook saw Cruz holding Maisy, Rook’s vision went black and he reverted back to his comfort zone: Class A Asshole. He wished he hadn’t reverted back to his old ways because the look on Maisy’s torn face was etched into his brain, but his pride won out and he was once again a dick to her, even though he had the best of intentions going into the studio.

  The only good thing about Maisy and Twisted Perfection being on the bus with them was Rook spent an astronomical amount of time in the back, away from alcohol and he was able to write…sober. It was refreshing. He came up with many great melodies and lyrics that he couldn’t wait to test out on the guys, but hell if he was going to do it while Twisted Perfection was there. He couldn’t wait for the label to deliver the other tour bus. Until then, Rook would have to keep hiding out.

  There was a knock on the door, disrupting Rook from his thoughts.

  “Yeah?”

  Cruz poked his head in. Rook should have known Cruz would come after Rook after he was finished “consoling” Maisy.

  “You know, you need to take it easy on her. You don’t always have to be a dick.”

  “Yeah and you don’t always have to try to get into girls’ pants either.”

  Cruz ignored Rook’s comment. “Dude, are you ok? You’ve been quiet lately. You haven’t heard from your dad have you?”

  Fuck, Rook hated heart to hearts with Cruz because he never let anything go.

  “No, that asswipe hasn’t been around.”

  “So, why the hell are you hiding? You got a good stash back here I don’t know about?” Cruz asked while looking around. He loved weed, they both did for that matter, but Cruz never passed up a good high.

  “I wish. I haven’t been blitzed in a while.” He knew the reason was because of Maisy. For some reason, she made him want to stay sober so he could soak in every moment he had with her. Even though most of the time
he was an ass.

  Cruz laughed. “Damn, she has you all tied up.”

  “What the fuck are you talking about?” Rook played dumb.

  “God, she has a tight little ass and yeah, her tits are smaller than I prefer, but they’re still perky as hell. I was watching her on the bus earlier and she had her legs all twisted up. Dude, she is flexible as fuck. I think my cock wept at the thought of taking her legs over her head and…”

  “Don’t even fucking think about it,” Rook said through his teeth, making Cruz smile from ear to ear.

  Cruz busted out in laughter. “I fucking knew it!!! Landon didn’t believe me, but I called it.”

  “Called what?” Rook said, irritated, while playing a couple of chords on his guitar.

  “You like her.”

  “Who?”

  “Don’t play fucking dumb, dude. You’re better than that. Just admit that you want to fuck Maisy Madison. I saw it in your eyes that night at The Tavern.”

  “I’d fuck her. I’m a man aren’t I?”

  “Well, recently I would think you were growing a vagina with the way your mood swings have been. If I knew you were going to get all butt-hurt about a girl, I would have packed extra bottles of Midol for you.”

  “Will you please fuck off and leave me alone? I don’t need your shit right now.”

  “So you wouldn’t mind if I tapped that?”

  Hell yes Rook would mind. Just having this conversation with Cruz was making Rook itch to plow his fist through Cruz’s face. There was no way in hell Rook could get involved with Maisy, especially since he was already acting like a possessive asshole, but he didn’t know how to handle his emotions anymore. The slightest hint of Maisy being with another guy had Rook wanting to jump off his bed and start peeing all the way around Maisy, marking his territory.

  Rook ran his hand over his face and said, “Just leave it.”

  “What does that mean?”

  Rook looked into Cruz’s eyes and said, “Fucking leave her alone.”

  “You act as if you have some sort of claim on her. You have been nothing but a giant asshole to her and, frankly, she is deathly afraid of you and your damn mood swings, so why would I let you have your way with her? You don’t deserve her and she doesn’t deserve to be treated the way you’ve been treating her.”