Page 46 of Not Another Rockstar
After hoursof sketching out ideas, the sound of Phoebe’s pencil hitting the floor was beginning to drive her crazy. She kept on dropping it, her grip strength limited. She gave up on sketching for the day and curled up on the couch and scrolled through her phone to find some inspiration, only to drift off. A hand on her shoulder startled her from her dream.
“Let me go!” Phoebe hit out before she realised it was Axel, but he pulled her against his chest to prevent her from injuring either of them. The heat of his body radiated into hers as she pushed against his hard chest.
“Are you sure you want me to let you go?” he asked, loosening his grip. She didn’t pull away. Her heartbeat quickened, and she hated how her body betrayed her. She wanted him to touch her, to stay close. Her desire outweighed her guilt, and it felt so good to be wanted, even if she shouldn’t be wanted by him.
As though he could read her mind, his eyes drifted to her lips, as she leaned against him until his lips crashed into hers. All thoughts of resistance evaporated as she tasted his lips. She arched her back, getting closer. His lips broke away from hers, and she sighed as his kisses travelled down her neck. Wrapping her arms around him, she clawed at his muscular shoulders.As he returned to her lips, she met his passionate kisses with her own. Out of breath, their chests rising and falling, his hands settled on her hips, and he pulled her onto his lap. She could feel his desire for her. His hard body tested the last shred of her willpower.
“We need to stop,” she panted, and he rested his forehead against hers.
Both tried to catch their breath. Phoebe thanked him silently for his momentary restraint. Finding the will to resist, she slipped off him. His eyebrows creased, confused by her sudden withdrawal. She couldn’t face those eyes that transfixed her.
He smiled as her stomach grumbled. She had been so distracted by her sketching, she had forgotten to eat.
“We ordered food, there’s a pizza waiting for you,” he said. “I just came to get you.”
She smiled anxiously, sensing the discomfort the sudden halt in their steamy activities had caused in him. “Pizza sounds perfect.”
She hadn’t realised how late it was until she saw the dark sky. Axel led the way to the house, and she was careful to keep her distance so the others didn’t notice the tension between them. The clock in the kitchen told her it was almost midnight as she chugged a glass of water. August was asleep on the couch in the sitting room with a few empty beers and old episodes of The Simpsons on the TV. Axel grabbed two pizza boxes from the marble island.
“I can carry this up to your room for you,” he offered kindly.
She hesitated. “I’m not tired. Think I’ll stay down here for a while.”
“Nightmares?” he asked, and she wondered how he knew. “When I came in to check on you, you were crying.”
“I can’t even remember what I was dreaming about, thanks to your sudden interruption.” Phoebe rubbed her eyes, sure she looked like a red-eyed panda.
“If you insist on staying up, come with me.” He stopped at the door to the basement when he noticed she wasn’t following. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to chain you up in the basement.” He smirked. “Unless you ask me to.”
“I’m only following because you have my pizza held hostage.”
She reluctantly followed him down the steps. Curiosity got the better of her; she hadn’t been in his room before. His man cave smelt like him, and it was surprisingly tidy. His drums were in the corner by the bed, and his collection of CDs was impressive. She especially liked the Britney Spears album sitting by ACDC. She wondered if it was organised by preference.
“You can’t have a collection without the Queen of Pop,” he said, taking the album from her hand and placing it back on the shelf.
“You’ve got me here. Now what?” She crossed her arms over her chest.
“Now we eat. Sorry it’s cold. We didn’t want to interrupt you out there, but I was worried you’d overdo it the later it got.” He sat on the bed and put down the pizza boxes. “Pepperoni for you, extra cheese and pineapple. Though I strongly believe pineapple has no place on a pizza.”
“More for me then,” she said, picking up a large slice.
Bart brushed against her legs at the side of the bed, staring up at her as he begged for a taste. She peeled off a slice of pepperoni and he happily lapped it up.
“How’d you get on out there?” Axel asked, and she wiped her lips with a napkin.
“Better than expected, but I sketched a little too long and started to lose grip strength. I’ll start again tomorrow,” she said, loving the tangy sweetness of the pineapple.
“It’ll take time to heal.” Axel moved to his desk. His sweats hung low on his hips, and she could just make out the tattoo under his torn band shirt.
Phoebe watched, amused, as Bart rested his paws on the bed and took the slice Axel left too close to the edge.
“Bart!” Axel grumbled, and the Shepherd happily scurried away up the basement steps. Axel shook his head and sat down beside her.
“Hopefully this helps.” He distracted her with a single-use ice pack. “I use them for my carpal tunnel. Drumming has its own side effects.”
“The things we do for the things we love,” she said, accepting it. “You know, if you keep doing such nice things for me, you’re going to spoil your image.”
“If it means you’ll keep letting me do nice things for you, then fuck the image,” he said, and she forced herself to turn from his gaze. He wasn’t even trying to hide the way he felt about her.
