Rock n Roll Baby Read online

“I don’t know. I can’t make any music without him, but if he feels like he can’t practice or do gigs because he needs to get a job to help out at home, I can’t stop him.”

  “What about you?” She pokes my side.

  “What about me?”

  “Your plan has always been to get a job working at the factory. Graduation is a month away and if they haven’t hired you by now and they are laying off people, that’s probably not a good sign. Are your parents still after you about college?”

  “You know we can’t afford that. Besides, this layoff is temporary. Things are slow there but once orders pick up, they’ll need workers. Until then, I guess I’ll work at the gas station or something. There’s always work if you look hard enough.”

  Cherry scratches a spot on my jeans. “What about your music?”

  “I still plan on playing. Tim says we’re welcome anytime, remember? And there are some bars over in Eastwood that have shown interest.”

  “Nick says you guys should put together a mixtape and send it out.”

  I scrub a hand through my hair, pushing my too-long bangs out of my eyes only to have the hair flop back down. “That’s for rappers and pop stars. We’re a band. I don’t think anyone is really interested in band music these days but bars and clubs. I’m okay with that, Cherry. I’ve got you, my friends, and my music. As long as there’s someone willing to listen to me, that’s all that matters. I’m not going to chase worthless dreams. Besides, if I make it big, that’d mean touring and time away from you. You don’t want that, do you?”

  She tilts her head so she can get a better look at my mug. “I want you to be happy. That’s all.”

  Lifting her onto my lap, I say, “Then kiss me because I’m happiest when my lips are attached to you.”

  A smile lights up her face. “I can do that.”

  She cups my jaw between her hands and holds me in place while she kisses me sweetly. I clamp my hands around her ass and push her panty-covered pussy against the hard-on in my jeans. It’s not the skin-on-skin contact that my body craves, but I’ll take it. She rocks slowly but steadily until I can feel the wet heat of her cunt through our layers of clothing. Life’s good for me. A guy would kill to have this and nothing more.

  Chapter Four

  Cherry

  I shoot off one email after another hoping that I’m not stepping over the line. Linc and I have never really had any. They all blurred together a long time ago. After listening to him the other night, I knew I had to do something. I want to help in any way that I can and this is the only way I could think of.

  I’m not sure Linc really knows how talented he is. He has a gift and he should be able to share it with the world. I don’t want his dreams to be lost. I want him to have the accolades he deserves. But most of all I don’t want him to be stuck in this town when he has the opportunity to get out of it. Well, he doesn’t have it yet, but that’s what I’m working on.

  This could not only set him up for life but Nick and Benjy too. I love all of them. It would hurt to see them leave without me, to have this whole other life, but it would hurt just as much to not see them live out their dreams. Linc can work out the rest later. We’d somehow make it work. We always did.

  He doesn’t have to be with me for me to know he loves me. People think we’re too young to be so deeply in love, but I beg to differ. I would trust Linc with my life. I know deep inside of me that he would never do anything to intentionally hurt me. I may be young but I know that solid relationships are built on trust.

  I hit send on the last email, dropping back in my chair. I have no doubt that someone will call. I probably sound like every other person that sends this stuff out. But you know what they say: you gotta be in it to win it. The worst that could happen would be that there was no response.

  The good thing about that is I’d be the only one who would ever know. But I know that won’t be the case because they are all beyond gifted. I just have to get them out there. Once they get into people’s ears, they won’t be able to stop listening. I sent emails with links to tracks to everyone I could think of. From agents to labels and all the local radio stations. I could be doing it all wrong, but it is something.

  “Are you doing homework?”

  I tab out of my emails, pulling back up an admissions application to a local college. I am getting good at doing these. I’ve applied everywhere at this point. It isn’t about getting accepted; it’s more about who would offer me the most aid. I knew my grades would stand up just about anywhere, but my financial situation is pretty much nonexistent.

  “More applications.” Linc pushes my hair off my shoulder, kissing me on the neck.

  “You say I’m the one that’s going to make it big. I think we know it’s your brain that is going to take us places.” He picks me up, setting me back down in his lap.

  “How was practice?” I try to keep filling in the form, but Linc’s hand slips inside of my shorts. My head drops back to rest on his shoulder.

  “Good. Still a little tense but better once I told Benjy you booked us for next weekend.” Linc plays with the seam of my panties. I wiggle against him, pushing down on his cock. The man is always hard. “You are always coming through for us.” He kisses me under my ear this time. My eyes fall closed.

  It’s nice when we have the house to ourselves. I pretend in my mind it’s our reality. That we live a peaceful life together. One where I don’t have to leave to go back to my parents’. I hate it so much there.

  “I could be coming in other ways.” I turn my head and offer him my mouth. Linc doesn't have to be asked. He takes the kiss. My lips part for him as his tongue slips into my mouth. He pulls my panties to the side as his legs part mine, spreading my legs wider for him.

  “Wet already.”

  “Always.” I breathe against his mouth. He pushes a finger inside of me, his thumb going to my clit. He knows my body. It doesn't take him but a few strokes and he has me.

  “You’re mine, sweet girl.” Those are the last words I hear before I fall over the edge. I scream his name as the orgasm flows through my body. I relax against him. “Mouth, Cherry.” I turn in his arms, straddling him to give him his kiss. I dig my fingers into his short hair. He stands with me in his arms, carrying me over to his bed and laying me down.

  I watch as he slowly strips off his shirt and pants before he climbs over me. He leans down, giving me a soft kiss. Letting me know what he’s about to give me. I have no idea how much time we have together.

  I don’t know what the future holds for us, but I know somehow we’ll end up together. We have to. Linc is my whole world. Everything else is what happened to us. He is the one thing in life that is consistent for me. I know he’ll never let me down. That he’ll always be there for me. It’s why I have to do this for him. Because I love him and he’s the only person in the world that’s ever truly loved me.

  “Cherry.” He looks down at me, brushing some of my hair out of my face. “You okay?”

  “Yeah. I’m okay.” I wrap my arms around his neck, spreading my legs. “I have you. How could I not be okay?” That earns me one of his sexy smiles. No wonder women throw their panties at him. I can’t blame them. Too bad for all of them he is mine.

  Chapter Five

  Linc

  Cherry is still sleeping when I crawl out of bed the next morning. My parents will be home this afternoon, so it’s the last time for a while that we’ll have the place to ourselves. Once I get a job, though, and an apartment, we’ll have this every day. I’d been hoping to jump start our life together when we graduated, but if the factory’s not hiring, I’m not sure what my plans will be.

  The factory is the only big employer in town. The rest of the jobs around here are part-time gigs that wouldn’t pay enough to feed a bird, let alone Cherry. Maybe I can get work over at the local college—even if it’s cleaning floors or some shit like that. It’s not like I care what I do to make money as long as there is time for Cherry and my music.

&nb
sp; I push all of that out of my head and get the fixings for breakfast. Today’s menu is waffles with whipped cream and sugared strawberries. I turn on the waffle iron and start mixing up the batter. My phone buzzes before I can pour out the first waffle. A glance at it says it’s from Nick.

  You making breakfast yet? We’re outside.

  Both my boys look like they haven’t gone to bed yet.

  “Good night out?” I smirk, letting them in.

  “Yeah. I’m starved. What’s for brekkie?” Nick walks by and arrows for the kitchen. Benjy follows slowly behind. His hoodie is up and the strings are pulled tight so there’s nothing but a small hole for him to peer through.

  “Rough night?” I revise.

  “I had a few,” he mumbles and stumbles over to the sofa where he throws himself onto the couch.

  “We should write a song about a hangover. We could title it ‘the long goodbye’ and all the lyrics would be about that asshole in your life that ruins all the good things, won’t leave, and then you die,” Nick suggests. He pops some of the sugared strawberries into his mouth before I can reach him.

  “Those are for the waffles,” I scowl.

  “I’ll cut some more up. Where’s the container?”

  I point to the fridge. While Nick preps more fruit, I start pouring out the batter. “How many do you want?”

  Benjy holds up a fist.

  “Yo, Ben, you’re still drunk. Your fingers aren’t up,” Nick yells out.

  Benjy pulls his hand down and then raises it again. This time three fingers are showing.

  “Where’d you two go?”

  “The lake. Tate Lulzman was having an end of the year bash.” Nick sprinkles about a half a bag of sugar onto the strawberries. I guess it’s a good thing his old man’s a dentist.

  “It’s not end of the year.”

  “It’s an aspirational thing.”

  “Anything interesting go down?”

  “Lulzman’s ex showed up with a guy from Sailor Lake and the two almost killed each other.”

  “The guy and Lulzman or Marie and Lulzman?” Marie has always been quick with a fist. I admire that about her.

  “Ha. Marie and Lulzman. He could not believe she showed up with a guy to his party.” Nick mimics Lulzman’s high-pitched tone. Lulzman is a big dude with a small voice. Weird how things work out. “Anyway, he tried to get the two to leave and Marie was having none of it. Eventually the two got into a fight. Lulzman was throwing cups at her and Marie found a stick and wacked him across the back. We had to step in then because, you know, it was Lulzman’s party and it didn’t seem right that we allow him to get offed right by the keg he bought.”

  “What’d Marie’s new man do?”

  “Nothing. Stood there and held his dick. I think he might’ve been for show.”

  “Gee, I wonder.” I flip a golden waffle onto a plate. Nick ladles on three tons of strawberries and then sprays a mountain of whip cream on top. “Is that for you, Benjy, or Cherry because if it’s for Cherry, she’d probably want a little less of all of it.”

  “This is for Benjy. We got to get some food in his gut before he decides to barf up all the beer he drank.” Nick digs around for a fork and then carries his concoction over to the couch. “Eat up, old man. We’ve got practice today.” Nick glances over his shoulder at me. “We’re practicing, right?”

  “We are.” We’ve got a gig Wednesday night. “Coincidentally it’s Sailor Lake.”

  “I know. I was trying to chat up the new guy for intel about the crowd there, but he was out of it. Think he was stoned before they came.”

  “Whatcha talking about?” chirps a bright voice.

  Cherry’s up and looking edible, dressed in a pair of dark gray joggers and a light gray cropped T-shirt. A sliver of tummy peeks when she raises a hand to rub her eyes.

  “Try not to drool on my waffle,” Nick complains.

  “Don’t look at my girl’s stomach.”

  “I’m not. I’m looking at my waffle that’s about to burn.”

  I glance down and see the steam coming out from the sides. Hastily, I open the iron and flip the waffle out. “It’s perfect. Stop complaining.”

  “No thanks to you. Cherry, how many strawberries do you want on your waffle?”

  “Is there a limit?” She climbs onto the counter stool and reaches over to steal a few pieces of fruit from the bowl.

  Nick stares at me.

  “What?”

  “You gave me hell when I did that.”

  “I didn’t give you hell and even if I did, yes and so what? Is your name Cherry?”

  “Man, remember when it was bros before hoes?” He fake cries and dumps two heaping spoonfuls of berries onto Cherry’s waffle.

  “Nah, actually, I don’t.” I’ve been with Cherry for as long as I can remember.

  “He’s right.” Benjy raises his head over the edge of the sofa. “We’ve always been second place behind Cherry.”

  “Third,” Nick admits. “It’s Cherry, his guitar, and then us.” He sprays a mound of whipped cream onto the berries. “At least we know where we stand, Benjy.”

  Benjy pumps his fist once and then disappears behind the sofa cushions. Cherry laughs. “It looks like you two had fun last night.” She gives me a mischievous look from under her eyelashes. “We did too.”

  “No sex talk before breakfast,” Nick declares, making a cutting motion across his neck with the spoon.

  “Yessir.” Cherry salutes him.

  We all laugh because this is our family and it’s perfect.

  Chapter Six

  Cherry

  I bite my lip, wondering if I should say something. I am pretty proud of myself for keeping this bit of information under wraps. It’s been hard. Especially when it came to Linc. I’m not even sure how I managed to pull it off. That boy knows me too well. I’m surprised he hasn’t called me out on it yet. But I keep my lips sealed because I don’t want to make anyone nervous. I know this is too important to mess up. I’m not sure how the guys would act if they knew fully what was going on. It might be best to just let them do their thing. They don’t need any added pressure.

  “You all right?” Linc pulls on my ponytail. My head leans back and he steals a kiss.

  “I’m fine.”

  “You’re wiggling around a lot.” His hand slips down between my legs. He cups my sex. “I take you too hard?”

  “I’m just excited. I love watching you play.” All true. I can feel it in the air. This is it. They are finally going to get their break. And if they don’t, I will be the only one that will be disappointed. It’s one of the main reasons I haven’t told any of them.

  “Something you want to tell me?”

  I shake my head no as I press my mouth back to his.

  “Sound check!” Benjy calls, saving me from Linc trying to figure out what I’m hiding. He can read me too easily. Luckily I only have a few more hours to keep the secret. I should be able to hold out that long unless he finds a dark corner to try and work it out of me. If that happens, I don't stand a chance.

  “Put this on.” He hands me a bottle before heading back toward the stage. I snort a laugh when I see it's sunscreen. He’s always looking out for me. I want to do the same for him. Linc would spend his last dollar on something he thought I needed. He doesn't care if he goes without. As long as I was taken care of. It’s all that matters to him. That’s why doing this for him is so important to me.

  I watch them do their sound check wondering if this could be one of the last times I see it for a long time. If someone were to sign them to some crazy deal, I’m not sure how long I would have before they were gone. I wouldn't only miss Linc. I’d miss Nick and Benjy too. They are the little brothers I never had. They are my family. They have all been so good to me. I want to make sure I do the same by them.

  I watch as Nick spins one of the drumsticks in his hand before bringing it down hard onto one of the cymbals to kick off the sound check. Benjy follows soon after,
mixing in the bass. I can tell by the first few notes that this is something I’ve never heard before.

  “Stop.” Linc cuts them off. “We’re not doing that one now,” he hisses at them both. I fight a smile pretending I don’t see what’s going on between them. I have a feeling he wrote a new song for me and wants me to see it live for the first time. I play with my phone. I guess I’m not the only one hiding stuff tonight.

  I check my emails to make sure no one new has reached out to me about the boys or if anyone has more questions. A few more people confirm they’ll be here tonight. I knew they’d get some response, but this is way beyond what I expected. Not only that, it’s happening a lot faster than I thought it would. My stomach sinks a little bit when I begin to think about what that truly means for Linc and me. I push those thoughts aside, knowing that even though I want to be selfish, I can’t.

  “You look flushed.” Linc picks me up, setting me on his lap. I love outdoor gigs this time of year. The breeze coming off the lake feels good.

  “I feel fine.” He runs his hand up and down my bare arm.

  “You put the sunscreen on?”

  “Yes, Dad,” Nick answers for me, dropping down into one of the other chairs.

  “She’s got fair skin and can burn.” He kisses my bare shoulder where my shirt slipped off. “And she didn't feel good this morning.”

  “I promise I’m fine.” I look at him over my shoulder. “I think the pop tart I grabbed was bad or something.” I didn't feel great this morning. I know better than to trust anything in the pantry at my house. It was either that or me being worked up about tonight. It was hard to concentrate in class all day.

  “Yeah, did you see the cheeseburger she ate in two bites? I think she’s fine.” Benjy drops down in another chair, joining us.

  “She stole my fries,” Nick adds in.

  “You left them in the bag. I thought you were done.”