Page 51 of The Rocker

I moved my thumb in order for her to read the rest of the message.

Mom: Now that you’re famous,

you can pay us back all that money

we spent sending you to college.

Pen sat up with tears in her eyes. “Is she fucking serious right now?”

“Don’t cry for me, my sweet Penny. I accepted long ago that my parents would never understand my love for music.” I just never thought they’d be so callous as to ask for money the second they thought I had any money to my name.

“I can’t help it. You hurt, I hurt. It’s as simple as that.” She moved then to straddle my thighs. Instinctively my hands settled on her hips, and my thumbs started to rub circles on the exposed skin between her jeans and shirt. “Do you think if you ignore her, she’ll leave you alone?”

I shook my head because I had no idea. “I can’t say. The people I grew up with… I don’t know.” I looked over her shoulder and out the window into the dark night. “My parents always told me that I could do or be anything when I grew up, and they’d be proud of me. I guess that was only if I was in a profession they approved of. From a young age, I was always singing, but something shifted when I was in high school, and I started my first band. All of a sudden, they were putting down my music and telling me I needed to get serious about school. It came out of nowhere. I mean, I was never awesome at school, but I wasn’t bad. I passed my classes, but I was never an honor roll student.”

“Aw, baby Walker, what I wouldn’t give to see pictures of you as a baby and in high school.” She kissed one eye and then the other. “I bet you were so cute and had all the girls hitting on you.”

I wasn’t falling for that trap. There was no way I was telling Pen about the girls I slept with in high school.

“I wasn’t cute. In high school, I was lanky as I grew into this body.”

“It’s cute that you say that, but I know that isn’t the truth. Maybe for a few months, but there’s no way in hell you were some awkward, lanky kid all through high school.”

“Oh, I wasn’t awkward. I had game, no doubt about it,” I said before thinking through what I was saying.

“That’s what I thought. You don’t have to hide yourself from me. I knew you weren’t a virgin when we got together, just like you knew I wasn’t. I’m not going to go out there and crack the skulls of every woman you slept with. Unless they hurt you.” Her nostrils flared, and her cheeks got pink with anger. “Then they better watch out.”

“You don’t have to do that. No girl broke my heart. I was always very straightforward about what I wanted and expected. Now, you, on the other hand. I don’t want to know how many guys you’ve been with or their names since I’m likely to kill any I come into contact with.”

Pen rolled her lips and smiled. “You know I was having sex before you were born, so it’s probably wise I don’t tell you.”

My hands gripped her hips, pulling her flush with me. “I don’t care about those other men because I know I’m the last man you’ll ever sleep with. It’s not them who’s got you in their bed every night.”

Pulling on my bottom lip with her teeth, she then licked away the sting with her tongue. “Why is your jealousy so fucking hot?”

I opened my mouth to respond when my phone notifications went off with another text. Moaning, I picked it up from where I’d dropped it on the couch to see another message from my mom.

Mom: Don’t act like you didn’t read my message.

My phone shows it’s been delivered and read.

I expect payment when you’re back in Willow Bay.

“I have a simple solution. I won’t ever go back to Willow Bay,” I growled out. What gave her the right to demand money from me? She had no idea how much I’d made.

“I hate to say this, but you promised your friend Merrick you’d go to his graduation.” She was right; I had, and my mom would probably be stalking the graduation ceremony looking for me and her money. “You can’t pay her. If you do it once, she’ll keep coming back for more. Every time she hears one of your songs, she’ll probably see dollar signs. I’ll call the lawyers and see what they have to say.”

Pen started to get off my lap, but I needed her. My mom and the lawyers could wait. “Let’s forget about them until tomorrow. We’re supposed to be celebrating.” My hand slipped under her shirt and ran up the side of her ribs to cup her full breast. “Remember how my album went gold?”

Her body arched into my touch. “As if I could ever forget,” she moaned, picking up my other hand and placing it over her other breast. “Touch me like you mean it.”

Flipping Pen onto her back, I slipped off her shoes and leisurely started to divest her of her clothes. Pen squirmed and tried to hurry me, but I wanted to take my time and worship her the way she deserved. Sitting back on the couch, I pulled her feet onto my lap and started massaging them.

“What are you doing?” She laughed and then moaned when I hit a sore spot.

“I’m giving you a massage, and going by the way you’re pushing your foot further into my hand, I think you want it.” I dug my thumb into the pad of her foot.

“I will always take a massage, but I’m not used to getting one naked.” She wiggled her other foot for it to get the same attention I was giving the other.

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